The Yao Emperor and His Human Doctor.

Chapter 6 - Good Winds.

In the end, Qiang Yong succumbed to tiredness and fell asleep with no time to wake up. However, his sleep was by no means peaceful. In his dreams, his mother lay cold and dead in bed, without him being able to do anything for her. He saw the doctor's calm and serene face and, irritated, reached out to grab him by the neck again. But suddenly someone was holding him from behind. It was his mother, with her pale, lifeless eyes pleading: "Yong-er! Spare him! It wasn't his fault!"

The doctor in front of him was also pale and offered no resistance to the pressure on his throat. Qiang Yong gave in to his mother's request in his dream, but the next thing he knew, Su Ning fell in front of him, also lifeless, with a trickle of blood running down her thin lips. Qiang Yong woke up with a start.

For the first time he felt some concern other than the Empress. He quickly got up, took a shower and, ignoring the servants who brought him breakfast, walked straight to the Empress's chambers. He found her sleeping lightly, her cheeks were a healthy light pink and her breathing was smooth and even. He didn't even notice the watchful presence of An Shu hiding under the cushions of one of the chairs, watching silently.

Then he went to Su Ning's room, but only found Xian Zhong arranging the bedding.
"Where is that useless scoundrel?" He questioned her. The servant flinched a little before responding.
"The doctor woke up early, sir. And he went to the kitchen to prepare the lady's breakfast."
Qiang Yong frowned.
"He's become a cook now? Doesn't the food offered here come close to human food?!"

Xian Zhong shivered even more. "He just said it was part of the treatment, that we didn't need to worry about her meals for now."
Qiang Yong ran his hand through his hair and glanced at the empty room. The doctor had left his bag on one of the bedside tables, next to it he saw a vial, containing a black spider trapped inside it.

But what is this now? Is he interested in insects too? The Emperor held the vial in front of his nose and analyzed the tiny arachnid. He quickly left to try and find Su Ning still in the kitchen and not confront him in front of the Empress, but the doctor had also finished his work there and left.

Irritated, the Emperor turned around, only to bump into his secretary, who was carrying a pile of new yao matters whose resolution could not be delayed any longer. One of the themes even involved a conflict between humans and the Amphibian Clan that inhabited the swamps. Apparently, some yao frogs had swallowed human children whole for fun and spat out only the bones.
"These bastards just want another war to break out!" He roared as he went back up to the Empress's room.

His goal was just to check what was new about Su Ning's new treatment that required eating human food. For a moment it occurred to him to comment on the accident with the yao, just to see which side the doctor would support.
He will not deny his own species, much less when it comes to children. Then he will drop this Buddha mask!
Qiang Yong maliciously deduced.

When it came to the Empress's room, Qiang Yong did not lose his manners. He knocked on the door before entering and found his mother sitting on the bed, her back resting on the headboard pillows. She was tasting a steaming bowl containing a white, pasty liquid. Her gray hair, which had previously been loose and tangled, was combed and arranged in a simple bun on top of her head and she looked much more cheerful than the day before.

"Yong-er!" She smiled as soon as she saw him. The shadow of the illness that tormented her seemed to be dissolving like a passing cloud. Memory of her was only still vivid due to the thinness of her face. "You see, this dish is called congee. It's a type of human food. Dr. Su Ning said that it's better for now for me to eat something lighter and more nutritious. It's delicious, do you want to try it? What is it really made of Su Ning ?”
"It's a rice porridge. It's supplemented with lotus root, mushroom, minced pork and bamboo shoots." Su Ning replied, he was sitting on a nearby chair, drinking tea.