159 What else can be done besides putting on a brave front?

Lin Tanwei summoned the imperial physician to the palace so mysteriously—the reason remained completely unknown. Although Lin Tanwei might not have consumed the entire dose prescribed last time, according to that physician, even a small amount would cause severe damage to her constitution. Once Lin Tanwei suffered from Qi and blood deficiency, it would become even harder for her to conceive. Yet this time, following the physician's visit, no news of Lin Tanwei's pregnancy spread. This meant Lin Tanwei's health must have run into trouble. However, if it were merely a common ailment, rumors would inevitably circulate within the inner palace, and Lin Tanwei certainly wouldn't act with such secrecy. Viewed in this light, the matter was rather grave.

Could Lin Tanwei already have caught on regarding that medicine?

Because Zhang Bitong had spoken too impulsively that day, the affair had almost been exposed. Yet Lin Tanwei perhaps still lacked definitive evidence to suspect anything, or else things would not have remained so calm. I surmised that over all these days, though Lin Tanwei had won favor and attended the imperial couch, her belly showed no signs of swelling. Coupled with what Long Zhan had told me earlier, Lin Tanwei was bound to grow suspicious. Previously, she had not dared to investigate recklessly, but as time dragged on, her doubts naturally deepened, leaving her with no choice but to inquire.

To verify my conjecture, it was difficult to make a move from the Xiyu Pavilion; the only viable approach was through the Imperial Hospital. And that person was Liu Yunhe.

Originally, I intended to find an opportunity to see Liu Yunhe, thinking I might trouble Jialin to use treating my injury as a pretext for a meeting. But before I could find such an opening, Princess Xihe unexpectedly sought me out first.

"Little Xiaozi!"

"This slave pays respects to the Princess."

"I came specifically to see you. These past few days, Imperial Mother has kept me reading and reciting texts until I was utterly bored out of my mind. Fortunately, Imperial Father went into the inner court today, which is how I managed to sneak out. I've been very worried about you these past few days, but I learned from Little Uncle that your health has been gradually recovering, which finally set my mind at ease! Little Xiaozi, I never expected Crown Prince Brother to be so hard-hearted."

"The Princess need not speak thus. After all, the matter involved His Royal Highness the Crown Prince; he acted thus out of grief and sorrow."

Xihe pouted and said, "Anyway, I can no longer make sense of these matters among my Imperial Brothers. Little Xiaozi, you must be careful."

"Is the Princess here to have this slave accompany her in play? Why not go find your Little Uncle to play with instead?"

"Oh yes, yes! Imperial Mother is accompanied by Imperial Father; if I go find Little Uncle right now, Imperial Mother surely won't know. Little Uncle should be on duty at the Imperial Hospital at this hour, right?"

"Lord Liu should be on duty at the Imperial Hospital."

"Good, I've never been to the Imperial Hospital anyway."

With Princess Xihe present, Yunqing naturally wouldn't raise any objections. As Princess Xihe and I walked together toward the Imperial Hospital, we happened to run into Liu Yunhe and Imperial Physician Gu returning from another direction.

"Little Uncle!" Princess Xihe called out the moment she caught sight of Liu Yunhe.

"This subject pays respects to the Princess!" Liu Yunhe and Imperial Physician Gu greeted Princess Xihe simultaneously.

"Abolish the formalities, abolish the formalities." Princess Xihe trotted up to Liu Yunhe's side and said, "Little Uncle, I came specifically to find you to play."

"Princess, this..." Liu Yunhe appeared somewhat troubled.

"Yunhe, our consultation has concluded, and there is nothing pressing at the moment. You may go accompany the Princess," Imperial Physician Gu said from the side. "Princess, this subject will take his leave."

"Safe journey, Imperial Physician Gu!"

The moment Imperial Physician Gu departed, Princess Xihe eagerly grabbed Liu Yunhe's hand and clamored, "Little Uncle, take me to fly a kite."

"Princess, we are not in the Zimeng Palace right now; one must observe the propriety between sovereign and subject," Liu Yunhe said, gently withdrawing his hand with a respectful bow.

"Such a stiff pedant," Princess Xihe pouted.

"Greetings, Lord Liu!" I bowed to Liu Yunhe.

Liu Yunhe glanced at me and asked, "How is the injury on your hand? Have you been applying the medicine on schedule?"

I replied, "Many thanks for Lord Liu's concern; this slave has recovered quite well. This slave has never been able to come and thank Lord Liu in person, and begs Lord Liu to forgive the omission."

"A mere trifle, not worth mentioning."

"Oh my, Princess, so you are here! Her Ladyship has had this maid searching for you for ages..." At that moment, a palace maid from Zimeng Palace came running up in a flurry.

"Why have you run over here? How long has it even been since I came out?"

"Princess, His Majesty wishes to inspect the Princess's studies, and has ordered this maid specifically to find the Princess and bring her back."

"I am not going back. Just say you didn't see me, hurry away, hurry away!" Princess Xihe urged the maid forward.

"Princess Xihe," I said, addressing the Princess, "since it is His Majesty who seeks you, it would be best for the Princess to return. If His Majesty is displeased, Imperial Consort Meng might perhaps be displeased as well, and by then, the Princess might well find herself forced to memorize even more poems and books. Furthermore, if the Princess does not return, this palace maid sister might also suffer punishment on your account."

Princess Xihe pondered for a moment and said, "Very well then. Being a princess is truly exhausting; one can do nothing and must always worry about others."

"That is only because the Princess possesses a kind heart."

Princess Xihe lifted her chin and said, "Naturally. Very well, then I shall return first. Little Uncle, Little Xiaozi, I will come looking for you both another time."

"This slave respectfully sends off the Princess!"

"This subject respectfully sends off the Princess!"

After Princess Xihe left in the company of the maid, Liu Yunhe turned to me and said, "Little Xiaozi, if there is nothing else, I shall return to the Imperial Hospital."

"Lord Liu," I called out, stopping him. "My hand was aching the past couple of days, and I originally intended to come looking for Lord Liu, but you were not there. Later along the way, I ran into Imperial Physician Zhang. I originally wanted to boldly seek him out, but seeing him stride past with hurried steps, before I could catch up, he had already vanished from sight. That Imperial Physician Zhang is quite the impatient sort."

"You speak of Imperial Physician Zhang? Indeed, he has been somewhat busy lately and seems to visit the Xiyu Pavilion frequently. But since Imperial Physician Zhang has not stated the reason outright, it is not my place to inquire further."

"The Xiyu Pavilion? Could it be that Consort Tan is suffering from some indisposition?"

Liu Yunhe said, "What indispositions could the consorts in this inner palace possibly suffer from? They are merely those usual matters. However, upon returning one day, Imperial Physician Zhang seemed rather depressed, as though he had received some reprimand from Consort Tan. Ever since he came back, I've seen him poring over medicinal prescriptions. Although my medical skills are not profound, several of the herbs he prescribed appeared intended for regulating Yin deficiency."

Having matters concerning superiors, it was not our place to pry. "Lord Liu, my injury is truly thanks to you. In my view, it won't be long before Lord Liu's medical skills graduate him to a full physician."

Liu Yunhe offered a shy smile and then said, "Medical skills or not, I care little for such things; I only hope to see her more often."

By "her," he naturally meant Lin Lanzhi.

Mention of Lin Lanzhi brought to mind her current state. Last time, she had deliberately disclosed her physical condition to the Empress, thereby exempting herself from having her nameplate flipped at the Bureau of Etiquette. Yet that was hardly a long-term solution.

"How is Her Ladyship now?" Unable to hold back, I asked.

Liu Yunhe replied, "Naturally, she is not as cheerful as she was before entering the palace. But now that I am also serving in the palace, I have more opportunities to meet her, which makes it convenient to look after her and sets my mind much more at ease."

"Lord Liu may set your mind at rest; there is always a way around every obstacle. I shall not disturb Lord Liu any longer and will return to Cuiwei Palace."

"Very well, go ahead. Your injury has been healing very well these past few days; in a few more days, it will be completely cured. You must remain careful these days as well!" Liu Yunhe reminded me.

"Yes, this slave has committed it to memory. This slave respectfully sends off Lord Liu!"

As I turned back toward Cuiwei Palace, my mind dwelled on this matter. Liu Yunhe was now a physician in the Imperial Hospital; although modest by nature, he was not one to spout falsehoods. Since he claimed the herbs were for treating Yin deficiency, there could be little doubt.

The medicine prescribed for me by that doctor on that day was precisely intended to induce Yin deficiency in women, making conception exceptionally difficult.

Since Imperial Physician Zhang was already compounding such medicine and keeping it quiet, the odds were ten to one it was meant for Lin Tanwei. Having already diagnosed Yin deficiency, she must have realized the truth regarding her ingestion of the medicine that day. Lin Tanwei was no dullard; connecting it with all that had preceded, she had likely guessed seven or eight parts out of ten.

From my brief encounters with Lin Tanwei, I knew her to be a ruthless and vicious character. There was no telling what methods she might employ to deal with Zhang Bitong and me.

After serving Zhang Bitong her evening meal inside Cuiwei Palace and clearing the dishes to the small kitchen, Fang'er arrived shortly after to summon me.

If I remembered correctly, tonight was the final dose of medicine.

Yunqing was already aware of this affair, so every day when I slipped away from Cuiwei Palace at this hour, Yunqing managed matters on the inside.

Upon arriving at Jiang Xuan's quarters, I drank the medicine while Fang'er stood quietly to one side. Once I finished, I wiped my mouth with my sleeve and said to Fang'er, "Lady Fang'er, I have truly troubled you these past few days. After finishing this tonight, there will be no further need to inconvenience you."

Fang'er replied, "It is no trouble to me. It's just that I serve the Mistress, yet I've been sent here to wait upon you; it always feels somewhat unfair to the Mistress."

Although Fang'er's tone was not altogether icy, her words carried a clear undertone. Naturally, she served Jialin, yet brewing medicine for me daily made it inevitable that she felt some resentment in her heart.

Unable to say much in response, I simply stood up, thanked Fang'er once more, and prepared to return to Cuiwei Palace.

"Little Xiaozi, the Ninth Prince requests your presence!" A eunuch from Jiang Xuan's retinue suddenly walked over.

"Does the Ninth Prince have business with this humble one?"

"That I cannot say. The Ninth Prince has summoned you; please hurry over, Eunuch."

"Very well!" I said to Fang'er, "Then this slave takes his leave."

Without a word, Fang'er turned away to tidy the bowls.

As I stepped out and headed toward Jiang Xuan's study, I crossed paths with Jialin along the way.

"Little Xiaozi, are you heading back?"

"This slave pays respects to the Mistress. This slave has been summoned by the Ninth Prince."

"Oh. His Highness is currently having his evening meal; go ahead."

"As you command!"

Upon entering Jiang Xuan's chambers, I found him seated before the dining table as expected.

"Shut the door!"

"As you command!"

"Come here!" Jiang Xuan sat by the table, his expression impassive.

"As you command!" Assuming Jiang Xuan wanted me to serve his food, I stepped forward and picked up a pair of chopsticks.

"Eat whatever you wish."

"Ah?" I was taken aback.

"What 'ah'? What did you think I called you in here for?"

"This slave thought..."

"Thought I told you to serve the meal?"

"Yes!"

"With one hand injured, and given that there are other servants in my palace, why would I have you serve the food? Little Xiaozi, has your brain stopped working after getting hurt?"

"This slave..."

"Sit down and eat."

"This slave wouldn't dare."

"Want to defy this Prince's orders yet again?"

I immediately dropped to my knees. "You are the master, and this slave is a servant; this slave could never..."

Before I could finish, a piece of food was abruptly shoved into my mouth.

Staring blankly at Jiang Xuan, I found myself uncertain whether to swallow or spit it out.

"Just try spitting it out," Jiang Xuan said with a hint of threat in his voice.

With a blink, I had no choice but to force the food down my throat.

"Well, you've eaten it now whether you wanted to or not. There's nothing you don't dare to do anymore; hurry up and eat."

When had Jiang Xuan become so overbearing?

Jiang Xuan was never one for many words, and since I only wanted to finish eating and make a swift exit for fear of being seen by others, this evening meal passed in profound silence. Naturally, the atmosphere grew considerably awkward as well.

Once finished, I scrambled to my feet and said to Jiang Xuan, "This slave has finished eating and begs to take his leave."

"Wait!"

"Does the Ninth Prince have any further instructions?"

"How is your hand?"

"Replying to the Ninth Prince, it no longer aches."

"Did you remember to change the dressing today?"

"Replying to the Ninth Prince, this slave intended to change it before resting."

"No need, change it here."

"Eh?"

"Sit down!" Jiang Xuan commanded.

"As you command!"

As I sat down, Jiang Xuan pulled up my left hand and carefully peeled away the gauze wrapped around my two fingers. In truth, with the fingernail freshly torn off, how could it heal so quickly? At Jiang Xuan's touch, a wave of pain still flared through it. When Jiang Xuan asked, I could only reply that everything was fine.

"You call this fine?" Jiang Xuan gazed at my fingers, where raw red flesh could still be seen through faint traces of bloodstain; clearly, it was far from healed.

I instinctively tried to pull back, but my palm was seized in Jiang Xuan's grip.

Jiang Xuan said coldly, "Aside from putting on a brave face, what else do you know how to do?"

I had originally meant to act tough, but under Jiang Xuan's reprimand, I felt as though I truly had no ground to stand on.

Jiang Xuan produced a jar of ointment identical to the one Liu Yunhe had given me. Gently picking up a cotton swab, he dipped it into the paste and smeared it across my fingers. Though a stinging sensation accompanied it, a cooling comfort washed over the wound, making it feel remarkably better.

After applying the ointment, Jiang Xuan lowered his head and blew gently upon my fingers before wrapping them neatly in fresh gauze once more, finally releasing my hand.

No sooner had I drawn my hand back than I heard Jiang Xuan mutter darkly, "Don't move around."

I could only hold that hand aloft, not daring to stir.

Jiang Xuan looked me over, his expression appearing somewhat satisfied, and put the ointment away. Only then did he call out, "Come in and clean up."

To my surprise, the person pushing the door open was Jialin.

Jiang Xuan seemed equally caught off guard.

"This consort will clean up."

"Where are the others?"

"Attending to His Highness is this consort's duty, and besides, this consort is accustomed to doing these chores."

Jiang Xuan pressed the matter no further.

As Jialin stepped forward to tidy up, she turned to me and said, "Little Xiaozi, seeing you come to find the Ninth Prince just now, I didn't ask—have you had your evening meal? Why not go to the kitchen and get something to eat?"

"Ah, well... this slave has already eaten in Cuiwei Palace."

Even as I lied, Jialin proceeded to collect two sets of bowls and chopsticks without showing any unusual reaction. I could only hope she suspected nothing.