Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play-Chapter 876 - 852: Pulse of Joy

Fengyu was awakened by pain in the middle of the night. After dining with her, Xie Xun waited until she fell asleep before heading to the front hall to review memorials. He usually sleeps only two hours at night before rising for court, sometimes working until the court session begins. Fengyu awoke in pain, drenched in cold sweat and extremely weak, clutching her throbbing abdomen and calling for the night watch palace maid.

Qiuxiang and Chunlu were senior palace maids of Changshou Palace, though young, they were Fengyu’s confidants. Their status was very high. Chunlu actually seldom managed the internal affairs of Changshou Palace, as Fengyu entrusted her with the heavy responsibility of managing commerce. Chunlu spent most of her time handling business, while the internal affairs of Changshou Palace were left to Qiuxiang and an aunt named Nanny Chang.

Qiuxiang would keep watch until midnight, then rest. Nanny Chang would take over in the latter half of the night, with two palace maids watching over, sleeping on the arhat bed outside the inner hall. Fengyu’s call immediately woke her. Seeing Fengyu’s pallid face drenched in cold sweat, she was terrified, guided Fengyu to sit, and hastily sent someone to summon an Imperial Physician.

Lights were quickly lit in Changshou Palace.

In the front hall, Eunuch Liu noticed the lights in Changshou Palace, initially not thinking much of it, assuming perhaps the Empress was awake reading due to poor sleep, a habit of Fengyu.

But soon, a palace maid reported that the Empress was unwell and had called for an Imperial Physician, shocking Eunuch Liu, who rushed inside to report.

Xie Xun was reviewing memorials sent from Jiangnan, half of which were routine greetings, feeling agitated when he received news that an Imperial Physician had been called to Changshou Palace. He immediately abandoned the documents and hurried back to the palace, where only two masters resided, hence the structure had been altered, relocating the Imperial Doctor Hall near Changshou Palace. Recently, Fengyu had poor appetite, thus an Imperial Physician was on duty at night, resting in the outer hall of Changshou Palace.

When Xie Xun rushed back from the front hall, the Imperial Physician had just diagnosed Fengyu. Xie Xun knew the night duty was not Zhang Lingzheng and had dispatched someone to find Zhang Lingzheng.

The Imperial Physician, surnamed Liu, had joined the Imperial Hospital for more than a year, being quite young, with bright teeth and red lips, appearing handsome. He felt Fengyu’s pulse, frowning in deep thought, checked thrice with growing uncertainty. Fengyu’s abdomen continued to ache, looking very fatigued. Xie Xun strode forward, quickly replacing Nanny Chang’s position, cradling Fengyu, concerned about her pale little face.

Doctor Liu himself was quite fearful of Xie Xun, hurriedly saluting. Xie Xun sternly asked, "What illness afflicts the Empress, why haven’t you prescribed anything after so long in diagnosis?"

Xie Xun spoke coldly; the Imperial Physician turned paler than Fengyu, quickly kowtowing, "Majesty, I... My skills are insufficient; I haven’t diagnosed the Empress’s ailment yet."

Xie Xun was furious, "It’s you again, useless. What use is maintaining you here, someone urgently fetch Zhang Lingzheng!"

Fengyu, seeing the Imperial Physician frightened, quickly tugged on Xie Xun’s sleeve gently saying, "It’s fine, maybe I had a bowl of cold noodles for supper, just a moment’s indulgence."

But should it be food poisoning, there ought to be other symptoms. Besides the colic, Fengyu showed no other signs. Doctor Liu was uncertain, simply prescribed a pain-relieving warm-stomach decoction. After taking it, Fengyu indeed felt significant relief, yet still showed slight discomfort. Doctor Liu, intimidated by Xie Xun, remained prostrate, hesitating yet hoping to recheck Fengyu’s pulse, but Xie Xun’s menacing glare made him seem like a waste, so afraid he didn’t mention it again, fearing Xie Xun’s wrath.

Seeing this, Fengyu asked him to recheck the pulse. Doctor Liu cautiously glanced at Xie Xun, seeing him angry yet silent, he then crawled over to request the pulse again.

Xie Xun suppressed the fire within, angrily criticized Zhang Lingzheng, what kind of staff were assigned for night duty, young, inexperienced, timid, useless!

"Is he the one who checks your peace pulse?" Xie Xun asked irritably, fearing this wasteful lack of skill might fail to uncover anything, delaying Ayu’s early discomfort.

Fengyu nodded. Recently, an acute illness broke out in Capital City, many citizens developed fevers, resembling an infectious disease; the Imperial Hospital was busy attending appointments throughout the city. The palace, heavily guarded, was relatively safe; Zhang Lingzheng left a few young Imperial Physicians on duty.

"After observing so long, what conclusion have you come to?" Xie Xun demanded.

Doctor Liu’s body trembled, scared to the core, almost in tears, "Your Highness... seems like a gestational pulse, yet not quite, I... I’m really unsure!"

Fengyu, "..."

Xie Xun, "..."

Xie Xun was furious, "What kind of useless staff are left to stand guard at the Imperial Hospital, cannot discern the pulse, if uncertain, yet speak nonsense, get out, don’t be an eyesore here!"

Doctor Liu exited with reddened eyes, escorted by Eunuch Liu and Nanny Chang, tearfully saying, "Eunuch Liu, I... I... I really didn’t dare speak."

"Oh, Doctor Liu, living is truly the Emperor’s merciful heart here, not fond of slaughter, treasure this life well!" Doctor Liu, a grown man, was tearful.

Xie Xun’s anger stemmed from the previous incorrect diagnosis; saying Fengyu was pregnant, joyously almost rewarding the harem. But within less than a stick of incense, the other Imperial Physicians convened, discovering Fengyu’s pulse irregularity stemmed merely from spleen-stomach imbalance, not gestation. Fengyu’s visible transformation from joy to disappointment, Xie Xun nearly executed the misdiagnosing Doctor Liu. Although Fengyu was disappointed, she pleaded mercy, recognizing the doctor’s inexperience; typically excelling in balancing the spleen-stomach, hence tasked with Fengyu’s care. A mistaken diagnosis, it wasn’t necessary to shed blood.

Unexpectedly, he brazenly diagnosed a gestational pulse once more!