A crown princess who doesn't do infrastructure construction isn't a good doctor.

It's unclear how Chu Yuning and Chu Huan got in touch, but when Qin Suiyou and the others arrived at Sanweixuan the next day, Chu Huan was already there, playing chess against himself.

"Young Master Chu has a good attitude."

Chu Huan had just placed a white piece when he heard the door open. He stood up and bowed to the person who came in.

"Chu Huan greets the Crown Prince Zhengjun."

Qin Suiyou raised his hand slightly, indicating to Chu Huan that he should dispense with the formalities.

"Young Master Chu, there's no need for such formalities. Today, we have a normal doctor-patient relationship, so there's no need to be bound by complicated rules."

"it is good."

Chu Huan's slightly pale face held a gentle smile, unlike the stern expression he had shown at the flower-viewing banquet a few days prior.

This time, Qin Suiyou only brought Beitang Yan, the "clingy one," with him. The three of them sat down and looked at the chess pieces that had already occupied most of the chessboard. Qin Suiyou asked, "Young Master Chu, you've arrived very early?"

Chu Huan glanced at the chessboard and said, "I was afraid you would have arrived too early and kept waiting, and my home is a bit far from Sanweixuan, so I came a little early. But I was only a little early myself. When I saw that there was a chessboard here, I set up a game."

Qin Suiyou raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is Young Master Chu studying a chess game?"

"That's right, I saw it by chance in an old book and found it quite interesting."

"Aren't you going to participate in the imperial examination?"

As if knowing why Qin Suiyou asked that question, Chu Huan nodded and said, "That's right, but it doesn't matter."

Qin Suiyou smiled and gestured for Beitang Yan to look at the chessboard, then said, "It seems that Young Master Chu is very confident."

"Even if you have confidence, it has to be based on having the strength to achieve it."

After saying that, Chu Huan looked at Qin Suiyou with a smile in his eyes, and his whole appearance was like a calm yet memorable ink painting.

Qin Suiyou stared intently at Chu Huan, thinking to himself: Sure enough, no matter the era, people who are well-read tend to speak in roundabout ways. However, the influence on their demeanor is undeniable. With Chu Huan's charisma, even if he weren't that good-looking, he would be enough to receive countless love letters from girls in today's open society. Speaking of which, the restrictions on women in Beiqian are not that severe. If they were to promote women's official positions in the future, it shouldn't be too difficult...

Unaware that Qin Suiyou's thoughts had wandered off to who-knows-where, Beitang Yan felt a great deal of displeasure at this eye contact. He glared fiercely at Chu Huan, then raised his hand to cover Qin Suiyou's eyes.

"Don't look."

Looking at this scene, Chu Huan asked with slight doubt, "Who is this person...?"

Qin Suiyou was not annoyed by Beitang Yan's slightly impolite behavior. He simply pulled down Beitang Yan's hand and said, "Young Master Chu, why don't you take a guess?"

Looking at Qin Suiyou's meaningful expression, a name came to Chu Huan's mind.

"No wonder Yu Ning has such great faith in your medical skills."

It seemed that Chu Huan had guessed it, so Qin Suiyou said, "Then, let's get down to business."

Chu Huan didn't speak, but he rolled up his sleeves and placed them on the empty space on the table.

Upon seeing this, Beitang Yan quickly took out a silk handkerchief from the satchel he was carrying for Qin Suiyou and slapped it onto Chu Huan's wrist.

Seeing Qin Suiyou turn to look at him, Beitang Yan was not intimidated at all.

"I know, this won't affect your pulse diagnosis, and it's also for hygiene reasons."

Covering himself with a silk handkerchief did not have any effect, but Qin Suiyou did not expect that Beitang Yan would be so wary of Chu Huan for no reason.

Thinking he would ask again when they got back, Qin Suiyou didn't say anything. He raised his hand and began to take Chu Huan's pulse, while Beitang Yan stared intently at the place where the two were separated by a silk handkerchief, his eyes not even blinking.

After a short while, Qin Suiyou frowned, looking rather unwell—the kind of expression that could easily frighten a patient.

Chu Huan, however, remained remarkably calm, asking indifferently, "How is it?"

Qin Suiyou withdrew his hand, casually removed the silk handkerchief, and then said, "Open your collar a little wider."

"Why?"

Before Chu Huan, the person involved, could say anything, Beitang Yan was already getting a little unsettled.

"Tsk."

Qin Suiyou glanced at Beitang Yan with pursed lips and said, "Seeing a doctor."

"Oh, I know."

Shrinking back timidly, Beitang Yan covered his mouth.

Chu Huan did as instructed, pulling open his shirt a little to reveal a patch of skin on his chest. It was clear that he was still in good shape, but perhaps due to the depletion of his health over the past few years, his chest had become so thin that some protruding bones were visible.

Qin Suiyou observed as if nothing was amiss, but not noticing anything in the middle, he told Chu Huan to pull it a little more to the left.

Pull it any further and you'll see some unspeakable areas. Beitang Yan wanted to say something, but Qin Suiyou ruthlessly suppressed him.

Speaking of which, Chu Huan came of age last year. However, the Chu family has strict family rules and does not allow taking concubines if there is no legal wife or the legal wife has not borne children for many years. Therefore, Chu Huan is still a pure young man who has never held the hand of a girl other than his younger sister.

It was fine to just pull the collar open a little, but if he pulled it any wider, Chu Huan felt a little embarrassed. However, seeing Qin Suiyou's businesslike and uncompromising expression, he didn't say anything and just pulled the collar open to the left a little more.

Beitang Yan, standing to the side, pouted, but was suppressed, and in his frustration, he turned his back, intending to avoid seeing it.

At this moment, Qin Suiyou had transformed into a meticulous physician, carefully observing the area. However, he didn't need to observe any further; he soon spotted a red dot about half the size of a chess piece on Chu Huan's chest.

Still suppressing his shyness, Chu Huan looked at Qin Suiyou pointing with his index finger, indicating that he should look, and then lowered his head.

Upon seeing the red dot, Chu Huan looked up in surprise.

"This... has never been discovered before."

After gesturing for Chu Huan to straighten his clothes, Qin Suiyou said, "It might not have been that big before, but as your condition has worsened these past few days, it has become more and more obvious. You should be able to feel that your body has been getting weaker and weaker these past few days, but you're still quite resilient."

To be honest, judging from Chu Huan's expression alone, most people wouldn't be able to tell that he had a serious illness unless they observed him closely. Even Qin Suiyou, who had noticed something beforehand, was surprised for a moment after taking his pulse.

After straightening his clothes, Chu Huan nodded.

"That's right, especially today, I almost couldn't get out of bed."

Qin Suiyou, who had already figured this out, was not surprised, but he had no choice but to tell Chu Huan a fact.

“You’ve been poisoned. Even if I can control it for now, I still advise you not to participate in the imperial examination.”

The scientific examinations of this era differed from modern examinations, which are highly valued nationwide and strive to create the best testing environment for candidates. In this era, fairness was not guaranteed. Candidates were alone in a narrow cell for three days at a time, unable to make a sound, and had to take care of their eating, drinking, and relieving themselves inside. This was an extreme test for both their physical and mental well-being.

Unsurprisingly, Chu Huan shook his head.

"I have to participate; it can't be any later."

"Actually, you're very lucky."

Upon hearing this, Chu Huan asked, "What makes you say that?"

Qin Suiyou: "The poison you were given is very special. I wasn't very confident about it at first, but a month ago, Miss Chu gave me an ancient book that happened to have a record of the poison you were given."

"really?"

Qin Suiyou nodded.

"Indeed, this poison is called Thousand-Day Intoxication. As its name suggests, when it was first administered three years ago, it did not kill you immediately. It was only after a thousand days that the poison truly took effect. That is why you suddenly recovered three years ago. However, in these three years, the poison has continued to erode your body, causing you to become weaker and weaker."

"If you calculate the time, a thousand days have already passed."

Hearing Chu Huan ask this question, Bei Tang Yan, who had also looked at the ancient book, answered before Qin Suiyou could: "That poison isn't a miracle drug. Saying it will take a thousand days is just an estimate. Some people die in less than a thousand days. You're lucky that it's delayed this long. If it weren't for Youyou, you would have been waiting to die by now."

Despite being told this, Chu Huan wasn't annoyed; instead, he felt fortunate: "It seems I'm not destined to die after all."

"Time is running out. If you want to detoxify as soon as possible, I still advise you not to participate in the imperial examination."

As soon as Qin Suiyou finished speaking, Chu Huan stood up and bowed to him.

"I beg Young Master Qin to grant my request."

Qin Suiyou clicked his tongue and said, "What a hassle. Oh well, doctors should respect the hospital and the patient's hospital. What can I say?"

As he spoke, Qin Suiyou placed the white piece, and the game was clearly solved.

"Thank you!"