Medical Princess

Hearing the approaching footsteps outside, Qin Wanru motioned Yujie to stand aside.

“Second Miss, the imperial physician, Doctor Li has come!” Qu Le’s voice said outside the door.

Qin Wanru got up and stood behind the gauze bed curtain when Yujie walked to the door and lifted the door curtain. A middle-aged imperial physician came in with a servant who was carrying a medicine chest on his back following behind.

Nanny Zhou was also following him. When she saw Madam Di lying on the bed motionlessly with eyes opening, she leaped on Madam Di and cried frightenedly, “Madam! Madam! What happened to you?”

“Madam Di just woke up. She felt uncomfortable and seemed to freak out.” Yujie came and explained to her after bowing to the imperial physician.

Nanny Zhou was so anxious that she almost cried, “Madam? Madam! What’s wrong with you? Please let me know!”

It appeared that Nanny Zhou’s call brought Madam Di’s soul back. Turning her head difficultly, she saw the imperial physician who just arrived in the capital city. Her eyes suddenly shone and she tried to move towards him but failed because of her debility.

Yujie stepped forward and said gently. “Nanny Zhou, please help Madam Di prepare for the inquiry and help the imperial physician feel Madam Di’s pulse!”

Then Yujie helped Nanny Zhou lead Madam Di to the side of bed and covered Madam Di’s hand with her handkerchief. Qu Le quickly put a chair beside the bed and had the imperial physician sit down.

Doctor Li took a seat and then reached out his hand to feel Madam Di’s pulse carefully.

Everyone’s breathing sounded clearer when a silence hung over the room.

After finishing the examination of one hand, the physician began to check the other hand.

Suddenly, the door curtain was roughly lifted up. It was Qin Yuru! She rushed into the room with Mei Xue in a hurry and cried, “Mother! Mother…”

Everyone was shocked by her. Doctor Li also goggled at her in astonishment.

“Nanny Zhou, how is my mother?” Qin Yuru quickly seized Nanny Zhou and asked with an extremely anxious look.

Doctor Li coughed heavily by intention. Then he closed his eyes again and felt Madam Di’s pulse silently.

“Big Sister, you’d better come here and don’t bother the imperial physician!” Qin Wanru slightly lifted the corner of her mouth. “Qin Yuru must be afraid of being found out by others that she has not been with her mother when Madam Di is ill and that is why she is here now.”

Then Qin Yuru also went behind the gauze bed curtain and sat on a chair beside. She asked nervously, “Second Sister, how is my mother now?”

“Big Sister, please stop talking and let the imperial physician examine Madam Di carefully!” Qin Wanru answered in a calm manner.

Qin Yuru looked livid but she knew it was inappropriate to keep asking. Clenching her handkerchief in hand firmly, she kept looking through the curtain and checked how everything was going on. She now felt resentful towards herself because she had forgotten the appointment with the imperial physician completely. Otherwise, she would not have had a rest.

An imperial physician from the royal palace not only stood for the superb medical skills but also the opportunity to encounter aristocrats. If there had been anybody who knew she didn’t accompany her mother who was ill, then she would not have had a good reputation, which might affect her future. Thus, she could not let others know she was unfilial.

Qin Yuru was not reconciled at all and then she asked Qin Wanru in a low voice, “Second Sister, since the imperial physician has come, why didn’t you tell me?”

Qin Wanru glanced at her with a sneer. She knew that Qin Yuru was worried about her reputation and that was why she stopped pretending to be ill and came here in a hurry. A few moments ago, she seemed to be so ill that she could not even stand with the help of two servant girls but now she ran into the room without anyone’s help! How fast!

“You just said that you felt uncomfortable and wanted to have a rest so I don’t dare to bother you!” answered Qin Wanru calmly.

Her answer made Qin Yuru look much more embarrassed. The handkerchief in her hand seemed to be torn apart.

“I was not feeling well!” She quibbled.

“I know you don’t feel well. When the imperial physician finished his examination towards Madam Di, you can ask him to check for you!” Qin Wanru answered impassively.

Pretending to be ill in front of an imperial physician? Qin Yuru immediately cast away this idea and shook her head nervously. “Well, well, I think it is unnecessary. How can I trouble the imperial physician?”

“Since he now is checking Madam Di, it won’t be a trouble for him to feel your pulse. It is not a big deal. Just let father send some presents to thank the imperial physician!” Qin Wanru said mildly with her eyes shining.

“I, I don’t think it appropriate. Just, just don’t bother him and see how mother is going on!” Qin Yuru gave a hollow laugh.

“The trick of pretending to be sick is easy to be unmasked. Not to mention, an imperial physician from the royal palace is here. Nobody will doubt his medical skills. If he points out that I am pretending to be sick, then my fraud will be exposed.”

Qin Wanru said nothing but smiled coldly. Although Qin Yuru didn’t know, she knew there was a kind of medicine which could disturb one’s pulse and make the physician think the person was truly sick when feeling the pulse!

Outside the bed curtain, Doctor Li now finished the inquiry. Checking Madam Di’s complexion and her tongue coating, he let Nanny Zhou untie the towel around Madam Di’s neck and asked loudly, “Who is in charge of here?”

When he came here, there was a lady in the room but later another lady broke in, making him not know who took charge of everything here.

“Imperial physician! How is my mother now?” Qin Yuru quickly stood up and walked outside the bed curtain to ask the imperial physician in a hurry.

Doctor Li stared at Qin Yuru and he quickly recognized she was the one who broke in the room. He frowned slightly and then his gaze fell last on Qin Wanru who walked behind Qin Yuru.

It appeared that Qin Wanru was younger than Qin Yuru and the former’s body was still undeveloped. He could not believe that it was this little girl who was with the patient in the room before and the elder one came here only because she saw him.

Even though Doctor Li was the imperial physician who served those aristocrats in the royal palace, he would be invited by some aristocratic families to give home visits. Thus, he knew a few things about those inner courts of some aristocratic families.

It seemed that the lady who followed behind was this madam’s biological daughter. As for the older one who came later, she would not be the biological one. Otherwise, she should have been passionate about this madam’s situation.

“So are you Second Miss?” When recognizing Qin Yuru was the one who came later, Doctor Li naturally decided to talk to the “biological daughter”.

“Yes, I am.” Qin Wanru answered with a smile and stepped forward.

“Your mother is not well… and how about talking about the diagnosis outside the room?” Glancing at Madam Di who lay on the bed and looked nervous, Doctor Li said to Qin Wanru.

“Imperial physician, she is my mother. Please let me know how my mother is now!” Hearing the imperial physician’s words, Qin Yuru knew he had misunderstood. This mistake quite embarrassed her and made her look irritated and ashamed. Even so, she suppressed the irritation in her heart and said to the physician politely.

“Madam Di is, is your biological mother?” Looking at Qin Yuru and Madam Di who was lying on the bed, Doctor Li was confused.

“She is my mother, not Second Sister’s. Please tell us directly!” Qin Yuru explained in an impatient way. She bowed sideways to him and asked while her eyes were red-rimmed again, “Imperial physician, what’s wrong with my mother? Please let us know!”

Doctor Li glanced at Qin Yuru and then shifted his gaze to Qin Wanru. Now he found out he misunderstood. Even so, interrupted by Qin Yuru, he now had forgotten the plan that he just wanted to talk about the result outside the room. Thus, he cleared his throat and said, “Madam Di now suffers the bruising of the vocal cords so she needs a bed rest to rehabilitate her voice. However, this is not the most serious problem…”

“What? Please tell us!” Qin Yuru asked anxiously.

Qin Wanru found Madam Di on the bed was stunned and stared at Doctor Li anxiously.

“Madam Di suffered a stroke. Even though it is not quite serious, she must need a good bed rest and she can’t be too tired. Besides, she should avoid being too emotional and she needs a quiet life to recover from this illness,” answered Doctor Li.

“So, so she can recover soon by only having a quiet rest?” Qin Yuru asked with an anxious look.

“Well, this, this, I am afraid that she cannot recover as well as before completely. It appears to be impossible. However, it is good for her to have a rest cure anyway. It is not too bad as the stroke only affected half her body, which might make half of her slightly paralyzed and make her feel uncomfortable to use the hand and foot of that part of the body!” Doctor Li explained implicitly. “There will be no too serious problems if she has a good rest to recover.”

“I suffered a stroke. I will be like this forever. I will look half dead in the future. I will find it difficult to get up by myself…”

Madam Di’s brain was in buzz with the imperial physician’s words hanging over her ears. She suddenly closed her eyes and fainted again. Why would things become like this? Her wealth, her position and her bright future had all gone…

Qin Yuru was also astounded. How could Madam Di suffer a stroke and how could she not be able to recover completely? Did it mean that she had to take care of her mother all the time? What…How would things become like this?

“Imperial physician, Madam Di blacked out and please take a look.” As there was only Qin Wanru who still kept calm, she said to the imperial physician.

Then the physician felt Madam Di’s pulse again and pulled up her eyelid to check. After a while, he turned around and said to Qin Yuru, “First Miss, your mother is devastated and please help her ease her anxiety. If she is still like this all the time, she will get worse. Since her body has been like this, she’d better take a good rest to recover. Don’t make her feel tired and please remind her of being leisurely and calm.”

Qin Yuru’s gaze was fixed on Madam Di who now was on the bed and she didn’t hear Doctor Li’s advice. She only remembered that her mother would be half dead like this forever, which meant that she, Madam Di’s daughter, had to be with her mother all the time. She had to spend her best lifetime on her mother! She even could not attend those ladies’ parties!

She had just arrived in the capital city and what she liked most was to participate in those banquets held by ladies from aristocratic families. Now there was no chance for her to dress prettily to go to those parties!

“Doctor Li, please tell Nanny Zhou what Madam Di needs to be aware of!” Qin Wanru reminded the imperial physician gently.

“Yes, yes! Please let me know!” Qin Wanru’s words brought Nanny Zhou back from the shock. Nanny Zhou quickly answered with tears.

Doctor Li watched Qin Yuru who looked shocked but not woeful at all and then turned to stare at Qin Wanru who looked calm but dealt with things properly. His eyes looked gradually dark. It appeared that the so-called biological daughter didn’t care about her mother at all and the reason why she looked shocked would not be about her mother’s illness.

Thinking that it was not the biological daughter who was with Madam Di but the Second Miss was there before he went in the room, Doctor Li felt that this First Miss wasn’t emotionally attached to her mother and Second Miss was much better than her. Although this little Second Miss was not this madam’s biological daughter, she had the ability to manage everything in a sober way.

Shaking his head silently, he thought that this so-called First Miss was not only unfilial but even unable to manage things. If not interrupted by her, he would not have talked about the diagnosis in front of his patient, which led to this madam’s sudden faint.

He then told Nanny Zhou some details of prevention of stroke and asked her to dab at Madam Di’s neck with medical herbs. After that, Yujie then led him to another room to give a prescription!