Song Chu: Dad, if you don't work hard, how can I just lie down and relax?

Chapter 25 Rejecting Zhao Guangmei

"Thank you, young master Wang. I feel much better now. This 'powerful pill' is truly a miracle drug."

"There is no such thing as a true miracle drug in this world. All drugs have side effects. Try to eat as little as possible. Your Majesty, you have a lung ailment. As the saying goes, food is worse than medicine. You should pay attention to a balanced diet of meat and vegetables, eat less meat and more pears."

In fact, Empress Dowager Du was only sixty years old. Although this age would be considered a natural death in ancient society, she did not have any incurable diseases. Wang Lu guessed that it was just chronic bronchitis.

Historical records indicate that Empress Dowager Du had been coughing for several days before her death. It is highly likely that she had chronic bronchitis that developed into pneumonia due to fever. There was no effective treatment, and her body's immune system was weakened due to her advanced age, so she coughed herself to death.

So Wang Jun brought ephedrine and salicylic acid, which were basically effective. With the addition of glycyrrhizic acid to improve her daily diet, there was still a great chance to save the old lady's life and avoid the tragedy of her dying next year.

Zhao Kuangyin's life was always filled with regrets and imperfections. His father died shortly after he became a military governor, his mother died shortly after he became emperor, and he died just as his achievements in unifying the country were about to rival those of Li Shimin.

That younger brother is fucking incompetent.

Of course, when Wang Lu delivered the medicine, he kept saying good things about Wang Jun. If Wang Jun's goal was to become a military general, then he could certainly advance his career. However, Zhao Kuangyin was an emperor who valued family very much.

"Okay, okay, I've got it all written down."

"Your Majesty, please rest well. I'm going back now."

"Alright, third brother, you see the young master off."

"No need, no need at all. How could I trouble the Third King to see me off?"

"It needs to be sent, it needs to be sent."

"Let's go, Brother Wang, I'll see you off. I'm not used to this 'Three Great Kings' and 'Not Great King' stuff. From now on, just call me Brother Mei."

Zhao Guangmei is thirteen years old this year, and looks to be the same age as Wang Lu. In fact, Wang Lu himself doesn't know how old he should be.

His real age is thirty-five. After transmigrating, his body shrank, so he always said he was twelve. If you calculate it that way, he is a year younger than Zhao Guangmei.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Mei-ge'er."

"Alright, then I'll call you Brother Lu. Brother Lu, come with me."

Instead of sending Wang Lu out, she pulled him into the depths of the inner palace.

In any case, Zhao Kuangyin only had one wife and two concubines. These women in the harem had nothing to do with him. Zhao Guangmei was also a new emperor's brother and did not understand those rules, so he did not follow them properly.

"Brother Lu, you and your father both know medicine. I have a favor to ask of you."

"What is it?"

"Yesterday, someone gave me an eagle, but I don't know why, it's always listless. Can you take a look at it for me?"

"You're so young, yet you're already playing with eagles?"

"I'm small? I'm older than you, how come I can't handle a hawk?"

As she spoke, Zhao Guangmei led Wang Lu to see the eagle, only to find that the eagle had been taken out of a cabinet in the palace. When it was taken out, the eagle was not listless at all; it was clearly about to die.

It lay crookedly in the cage, its eyes half-open and half-closed, looking like it was barely breathing, with a splatter of runny poop behind it.

"Is that eagle still alive?"

Zhao Guangmei seemed surprised by the eagle's behavior. She quickly found a stick and poked it. Seeing that it was still moving, she said with relief, "Look, it's still alive. Brother Lu, please save it."

Wang Lu was both amused and exasperated: "Do you think I'm a god? Why keep an eagle in a cage? It's not like you're raising a bird. And why put it in a cabinet?"

Zhao Guangmei scratched her head and said, "My brother doesn't know. I haven't told him yet."

"Does Mei Ge raise eagles? Are there no falconers or eagle servants? Even though I've never raised eagles, I know that eagles shouldn't be kept in cages or cabinets. Isn't there a special eagle farm in Kaifeng?"

This eagle... is so badly injured, I'm afraid it's beyond saving. My father and I aren't really doctors; we just know how to make some medicine.

"Then, then can you make medicine for this eagle? Da Bao can't die! I've only been raising him for two days! If he dies, how can I face Long Ge'er?"

As she spoke, Zhao Guangmei pouted, and there were still some tears in her eyes.

Wang Lu had no choice but to say, "Take it to the eagle farm and have someone take a look. Maybe it can still be saved. I've never raised eagles before, nor am I a doctor. Mei-ge'er has come to the wrong person."

"But..." Zhao Guangmei thought for a moment, then handed the hawk to Wang Lu: "You, take it out later. If the palace servants question you, just say it's yours."

"I don't care what method you use, just heal this eagle and return it to Longge'er. If Dabao dies, Longge'er will be very sad."

Wang Lu shoved Yingyou back to Zhao Guangmei: "No, I can't explain if he dies in my hands, I don't want him."

"You...you, I, I order you to take the eagle away and save him." Zhao Guangmei shoved the eagle back into his hand.

Wang Lu threw it back: "You can't order me around. I'm not your subordinate. Although the common people call you the Third King, you're not some official of the imperial court. I don't care. Don't try to bully me."

"I...I...I..."

Zhao Guangmei was stunned. Half a year ago, he was already one of the top noble sons in the country. Usually, at least among his peers, everyone looked up to him. In the past two days, Zhao Kuangyin became the emperor, and his status naturally rose accordingly.

Although he was raised well and didn't deliberately act arrogantly, it was true that it had been a long time since any of his peers had disobeyed him or disrespected him.

So when he unexpectedly encountered one, he was truly at a loss.

Wang Lu didn't give him a chance to act tough. He immediately smiled, clasped his hands in a fist and said:

"Your Majesty, I truly cannot help with this matter. I came to deliver medicine to the Empress Dowager, and I was searched before entering the palace. It makes no sense for me to bring out such a large eagle and claim it as mine. How could I bring a sick eagle to deliver medicine to the Empress Dowager?"

"If there's any way to save this eagle, it's to send it to the falconry. No matter where it came from, you should tell the authorities as soon as possible. If they don't want to save it, then just leave it alone, or simply kill it and eat it. But in short, there's nothing I can do to help it."

In Wang Lu's eyes, Zhao Guangmei was just a little kid. Moreover, in his memory, this third son had never done anything worthwhile in his life. Later, he was unwittingly drawn into the struggle between the brothers Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Guangyi, and was eventually rebelled and exiled.

In order to kill this third son, the future Zhao Guangyi did not hesitate to make up a story, saying that he was his father's illegitimate son with his wet nurse and that he did not have a mother.

So, since he was completely in the right, Wang Lu didn't mind offending him a little. On the contrary, he really didn't want to get along too well with him, as having a good relationship with this person wasn't a good thing.

Zhao Guangyi's own son, his eldest son, went mad simply because of his good relationship with this uncle.

Zhao Guangyi, that bastard, killed his nephews and brothers for imperial power, drove his eldest son insane, drove his second son to death, and almost even killed his third son, Zhao Heng. This kind of person is inhuman.

He had no desire to have any personal relationship with Zhao Guangmei. After saying this, he turned and left, leaving Zhao Guangmei behind, stomping her feet in anger.