Faced with Emperor Tianhuiâs impatience, Han Yunxi knew that any more explaining would just devolve into a debate. If she argued with the emperor, wouldnât she lose her head? She secretly snuck a peek at Long Feiye. She only knew how to treat poisons, that guy should know this as well. In any case, he should speak up for her.
Unfortunately, Long Feiye was still idly drinking tea on one side, ignoring her matters completely. Han Yunxi almost wanted to laugh at herself. She clearly had thought too much of himâhow could this guy help her? He probably dropped by for a look because he had nothing else to do. Since she couldnât explain herself, she wouldnât. Han Yunxi would try her best to treat him and if she really couldnât, itâs not like the emperor would kill for her it.
âYour majesty, since Yunxiâs been called to treat the illness, then let Yunxi take the crown princeâs pulse first,â she said seriously.
Emperor Tianhui was waiting for these exact words. âHan Yunxi, donât disappoint Zhen.â
The pressure came on thick then, but Han Yunxi did her best to resist as she followed the emperor and the Duke of Qin to the Eastern Palace. There were strict guards stationed by the doors, since few people knew about the details regarding crown princeâs strange illness. It was a big secret, so that only Han Yunxi knew it was a pregnancy pulse. If this was the crown princeâs situation, she wondered why his illness had never changed. Ever since he had fallen sick seven years ago, he had never left the Eastern Palace.
The crown prince was the empressâ son, and had been intelligent since birth. His status was respected and honorable and the emperor doted on him. Ever since he turned three, the emperor had spared no effort to nurture him into what he was today. And yet he ultimately fell prey to a strange illness. If he couldnât be cured, then Emperor Tianhui would have to consider a different heir to the throne. A new crown prince would waste both time and effort as well as incite contention within the court. Competition was cruel and ruthless between imperial sons.\nTianning Country was still developing, and Emperor Tianhui didnât want to imagine the results of an inheritance dispute. Thus, he kept the crown prince in his position for seven years despite the fact there were no changes to his condition. The bedridden prince still kept up daily with court affairs so that he knew them like the palm of his hand.
Walking into the Eastern Palace, Han Yunxiâs heart sank another one-third as she saw all the guards stationed outside. She couldnât help but trouble herself over a problem. Of all the illnesses out there, the crown prince had to catch an unmentionable pregnancy pulse. To put it another way, this was the shame of the Tianning imperial family and might be seen as a calamitous sign for the dynasty.
If the emperor decided to give up on the crown prince, wouldnât all the people who knew of his strange sickness have to die too? Han Congan, Gu BeiyueâŚand herself, on her way to see the crown prince. Although she was the Qin wangfei, she could tell the emperor had no place for her in the imperial family! Han Yunxi kept taciturn the whole way until she approached the sleeping quarters of the crown prince. The empress dowager and empress had long arrived, but not Han Congan or Gu Beiyue. She had fully expected those two to show up.
It looked like Emperor Tianhui had long decided to leave everything up to her.
Beyond the hanging bead curtain was the hazy form of someone covered beneath the quilts, most likely the crown prince. From this distance, the detox system could pick up any poison and alert her to the details. Hearing no alarms, Han Yunxi still held onto a last bit of hope as she leaned a bit closer to perform a full body scan to confirm her conclusions.\nSeeing Han Yunxi enter, the empress dowager was especially affectionate and close, pulling her over by the hand. Her face stirred with feelings as if sheâd never issued an arrest warrant for this girl.
âYunxi, ah, you really get into many unexpected things. I used to think that all of my luck disappeared when your mother passed away, but you inherited your motherâs medical skills. Good, this is very good!â
It was useless to explain things to the emperor, much less this imperial grandmother. Not to mention, Han Yunxi didnât believe that they really expected her to cure the crown prince. This was all to move the hot potato from Han Congan to herself and find an excuse to add another crime to her head.
Han Yunxi didnât feel like explaining, but put on a slight smile. âIâm not clear about the specifics either, so Iâll try my best.â
This time, the empress came forward to take Han Yunxiâs other hand as if they were very intimate. âYunxi, donât be modest anymore. I wonât allow you to not cure him! If even you canât help him, thenâŚthenâŚâ the empress trailed off, raising a sleeve to wipe her teary eyes.
Seeing this, the emperor lost some more of his patience. âThatâs enough, Qin Wangfei. you better come with Zhen.â
âYes,â Han Yunxi nodded. Seeing that neither the empress nor empress dowager were going in, she thought Long Feiye wouldnât, as well. But this silent fellow actually entered ahead of them all. He hadnât spoken a single word to her, making him look quite unpleasant to Han Yunxiâs current gaze. She took a deep breath and strode into the bedchambers, where she could clearly see the person on the bed. Only, that person was covered in quilts and lying on his back. She couldnât see his face clearly, but Han Yunxi knew that he was awake.\nThis was Tianning Countryâs crown prince, Long Tianmo[1].
While she was processing this, Long Tianmo spoke up. âTianmo has no way to get off the bed to pay his respects, so may the emperor excuse me. May Imperial Uncle Qin excuse me as well.â
Han Yunxi felt a slight surprise in her heart. She expected Long Tianmo to be mired in hopelessness with a bad temper, but it looked like he still remembered his manners. Though his voice was a little weak, it didnât carry any trace of the aura of a sick person. Seven years, seven entire years had he suffered through this strange illness. Itâd be excusable if he didnât talk or even tried to chase them away. This man, how strong was his mental state? No wonder the emperor regarded him highly and still hadnât given up.
As a doctor, the sensitive Han Yunxi immediately sensed his strong will to live even without him expressing it. This was the kind of patient that she admired. Divided by the bed curtains, Han Yunxi sat at the edge of his bed and said, âHand.â
It was some time before Long Tianmo stuck out his wrist without a word. He was obviously dissatisfied and didnât trust her one bit. Han Yunxi wanted to tell him that she was even more unhappy, but she threw away such distracting thoughts as soon as she touched his hand and turned serious. With her concentration, Emperor Tianhui and Long Tianmo also grew reticent and even a little anxious. Only Long Feiye was measuring her up while sitting on the side. Nobody could tell what he was thinking.
Han Yunxi didnât immediately move to take his pulse, but activated her scanning system for an in-depth examination. Unfortunately, the results were disappointing: there was no poison present. She controlled her thoughts before proceeding to take his pulse. Although she was a poisons specialist, she still knew how to examine illnesses, just not proficiently. If there was anemia, rheumatism, acute infections following fever, chronic gastroenteritis, cirrhosis of the liver with ascites or similar symptoms, the body would still have a smooth pulse despite being ill.\nHan Yunxi felt a smooth pulse, which made it seem that Long Tianmo wasnât ill at all. It puzzled her for a moment. What kind of pulse was this? Han Congan and those noble directors from the medical academy had all said this was a pregnancy pulse, but what about her? Even if the ancients didnât understand the basics, she had to know themâhow could men have the uterus and womb to birth a baby?!
Although modern medical theories put forward possibilities of male pregnancies after surgical procedures, those were just theories, much less established fact. What did this Long Tianmo count for? This could only be the symptom of some unknown disease. Thinking up to here, Han Yunxi released his hand.
Emperor Tianhui noticed and asked, âHow is it?â
âYour majesty, can you call for Imperial Physician Gu?â Han Yunxi asked sincerely, as if she needed to consult him.
Hearing this, the emperorâs face turned ugly. âGu Beiyueâs already seen him. He doesnât have any methods! What exactly did you see?â
Han Yunxi felt no dread as she replied honestly. âYour majesty, the crown prince has a smooth pulse, but I canât determine the exact condition of that pulse. Yunxi temporarily has no way to draw a conclusion without more examinations, so I need Imperial Physician Guâs assistance.â
âIsnât it a pregnancy pulse?â the emperor was surprised.
Long Feiye looked over with interest as well, seemingly astonished. At this point, the empress dowager and empress rushed over from the side.
âItâs not a pregnancy pulse? It really isnât?â
âYunxi, then what is it? Hurry up and speak!â
âYunxi, I knew you wouldnât disappoint the emperor. Hurry and tell us, what is the matter?â
âŚâŚ
The empress dowager and empress were both very excited. For a second, Han Yunxi almost believed that they were sincere. Yet right at this moment, Long Tianmo suddenly lifted the bed curtains and pointed at his stomach in a mocking tone. âQin Wangfei, you say itâs not a pregnancy pulse. Then whatâs this?â\nEven with the gauze partition between them, Han Yunxi could see clearly.
Heavens!
She only saw that Long Tianmoâs abdomen was very large, like a seven-months pregnant stomach!
ThisâŚ
Han Yunxi seemed to have thought of something as her face turned ashen-white. She knew what this was. Things are complicated nowâextremely complicated!
âShe canât even properly examine a pulse. Imperial Father, erchen[2] refuses to let her treat me,â Long Tianmoâs voice was exceptionally cold. Heâd already been completely vexed by Han Congan, so how could he trust Han Conganâs useless trash of a daughter? So what if Han Yunxi was the Qin Wangfei? Even though Imperial Uncle Qin, the person he dreaded most, was present at the scene, he wouldnât be any more courteous. He knew that Imperial Uncle Qin would never favor this woman.
âDid she take the pulse incorrectly?â the empress dowager asked in disappointment.
âI thought that a miracle would happen. Yunxi, so you didnât even notice Tianmoâs stomach! I thought youâŚaiya, you canât even take a pulse correctly, how do you think you can save him now?â the empress sighed.
Long Tianmo replaced his covers and turned to lie down with his back facing them. Seeing this, the space between Emperor Tianhuiâs eyebrows turned into vertical lines[3]. He faced Han Yunxi with indignation and ice in his tone. âFishing for fame and compliments! Gaining renown by deceiving the public! YouâŚand your father, both of youâŚsomeone, take her out for Zhen for 30 beatings with the planks!â
The empress dowager and empress exchanged glances before smiling in tacit agreement. Long Feiye kept seated as he gazed coldly towards Han Yunxi, as if this woman wasnât his wangfei, but someone completely unrelated. The empress dowager and empress were waiting for Han Yunxi to beg for mercy so they could drop stones on her while she was down[4]. They could peg her with the crime of deceiving her monarch. But Han Yunxiâs eyes were glittering with a face full of fury.\nShe wasâŚwas actually glaring at Emperor Tianhui, not the least bit timid. Her two hands were clenched into fists, that petite body hiding a burst of strength that could erupt at any second. This woman, what is she planning? Does she realize what sheâs doing now? Emperor Tianhui looked at her incredulously, his eyes widening. This was the first time someone dared to glare at him!
-o-
[1] Long Tianmo (???) â Tian is sky, the Heavens, celestial; Mo is ink, pitch-black
[2] erchen (??) â a humble form of self-address for males equivalent to âyour subjectâ or âyour servantâ. Used when speaking to a superior.
[3] vertical lines â specifically, they wrinkled up until they looked like the Chinese character chuan (?).
[4] drop stones on her while she was down (????) â luojin xiashi, to drop stones on someone who has fallen into a well, to hit a person when sheâs down.\n