The cruel little princess

Mrs. Zuo rushed to the Rejuvenating Herbal Diet, but found that her three sons had arrived earlier than her. She hurried to Shen Youyou's room in the backyard under the guidance of the cook.

At that moment, Shen Youyou sat leisurely beside the bed, methodically arranging the silver needles in her hand. Not long ago, she had completed an acupuncture treatment for Zuo Qingqing, successfully unblocking the blocked Qi and blood in her body. At that moment, Zuo Qingqing lay quietly in bed, her expression serene and tranquil, not a trace of her previous sickly look. Her face was rosy, and the corners of her mouth were slightly raised, as if she were immersed in an incomparably comfortable dream.

The maid next to Madam Zuo gently pushed open the door, and she hurried into the room anxiously. However, when her eyes fell on Zuo Qingqing lying on the bed, she was suddenly stunned, because she saw her beloved daughter lying there quietly, motionless. Her heart sank suddenly, mistakenly thinking that her daughter had lost all signs of life. Suddenly, she was overwhelmed with grief and threw herself to the bedside, crying loudly: "Qingqing! My precious Qingqing! Why did you leave me like this? What should I do in the future! Qingqing, my darling!..."

Shen Youyou frowned as she watched the scene unfold, feeling a sense of bewilderment. She pondered, "Zuo Qingqing is clearly lying in bed perfectly fine, so why is Madam Zuo so heartbroken? Oh, so it's because I haven't had time to tell her the truth yet." Thinking of this, Shen Youyou coughed softly, attempting to comfort Madam Zuo: "Ahem... Madam Zuo, don't worry, your daughter is safe and sound." However, Madam Zuo was lost in her deepest sorrow, unable to hear Shen Youyou's words.

Just then, Xiaolan entered, carrying a bowl of steaming medicine. Seeing Madam Zuo, weeping bitterly beside the bed, her expression suddenly changed. She quickly set down the bowl, ran to the bedside, and helped Madam Zuo to her feet. "Shh!" Xiaolan quickly raised a finger to her lips, signaling Madam Zuo to be quiet. Then, she whispered, "Madam, the young lady finally fell asleep. Please don't wake her!" Then, she gently pulled Madam Zuo to her feet and helped her sit on a low stool nearby.

"Asleep? Qingqing is asleep? Don't disturb her!" Mrs. Zuo held Xiaolan tightly with both hands and said excitedly: "Xiaolan, is Qingqing okay? Isn't Qingqing dead? Is she asleep?!" Mrs. Zuo asked anxiously and quickly, as if she was afraid of getting a negative answer.

Xiaolan looked at Shen Youyou, who smiled and said, "I just told your wife, but she didn't seem to hear." She spread her hands, indicating that she had already told her, but Madam Zuo was immersed in her own thoughts and didn't hear at all. So, she turned her gaze to Xiaolan, indicating that Xiaolan should explain to her wife herself.

Xiaolan nodded quickly and replied: "Yes, madam, this young lady is the Princess of Rui'an. It was she who saved our young lady! Now the young lady is temporarily fine. She just fell asleep because she was too tired. You see, the young lady's face is rosy now, and her brows are not as wrinkled as before in her sleep, which means that the young lady is very comfortable now. The young lady finally had a good sleep, let's not wake her up!" As she spoke, she gently tucked a corner of her young lady's bedding, her eyes full of heartache and joy. Her young lady hadn't slept so soundly for a long time. Even when the madam cried so much just now, the young lady didn't wake up. Xiaolan motioned to her madam to look at Zuo Qingqing lying on the bed, and told the madam that the young lady was fine, she just fell asleep.

Mrs. Zuo eagerly stretched out her hands and gently stroked Zuo Qingqing's face. "Yes! My daughter is warm and fine!" She felt relieved, and after a wave of great sorrow and joy, she closed her eyes and fainted.

"Madam! Madam!" Xiaolan called out to her anxiously, and came to Shen Youyou again, "Please, County Lady, take another look at my Madam!"

Shen Youyou approached Madam Zuo and placed her finger beneath her nose, feeling for breath. Then she reached out to feel her pulse. Feeling a faint breath, she breathed a sigh of relief: "It's all right, she just fainted from excessive joy." Then, she quickly retrieved the silver needle she had brought with her and expertly disinfected it with alcohol. With a deft, professional touch, she gently inserted the needle into Madam Zuo's philtrum. With the stimulation of the needle, Madam Zuo's body began to recover, and consciousness gradually regained.

When Madam Zuo slowly opened her eyes, her gaze first fell on the stunning woman before her. Her complexion was rosy, like a blooming peach blossom; her skin was as white as snow, translucent and crystalline. Her expression was solemn and serious, yet tinged with a hint of tenderness and a smile. She was placing a silver needle into her bag, clearly the same person who had been busy at Qingqing's bedside. Madam Zuo immediately understood everything. She quickly stood up, respectfully bowed to Shen Youyou, and said, "Your Highness greets the Princess of Rui'an!" This gesture demonstrated her respect and gratitude for Shen Youyou.

Normally, Lord Zuo was a First-rank Minister of Works, while Shen Youyou was a Second-rank County Lady. However, since Madam Zuo herself had not received an imperial decree, she was expected to bow to Shen Youyou. Furthermore, Shen Youyou had just saved her beloved daughter Qingqing, effectively saving her own life. Therefore, her bow was not merely a matter of courtesy but also an expression of deep respect and gratitude for Shen Youyou. She would even kneel and kowtow, let alone a grand ceremony!

Shen Youyou quickly put down the silver needle in her hand and raised her hand to help Madam Zuo up, "Madam, there is no need to do such a great favor. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. If other people find that Miss Zuo is in critical condition, they will do the same as me to save her life!" She called Xiaolan again, "Help your madam sit on the stool. Madam, please don't be so happy or sad. Miss Zuo is fine now." When people get older, if their emotions fluctuate greatly, it is easy to cause various cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, which is not good for their own health.

Xiaolan helped her wife sit down on a stool. She watched as Shen Youyou calmly walked to the table, picked up a willow charcoal stick, and in one go, wrote out a prescription, then handed it to Madam Zuo. "Madam Zuo, your daughter has been frail and sickly since childhood because she was born with a heart disease. You should be aware of this, right?"

Madam Zuo took the prescription and without even glancing at it, she was attracted by Shen Youyou's conversation. "Yes, Ruian County Lady, you are absolutely right. Since Qingqing was over two years old, we have discovered that Qingqing is not as lively as her brothers. If she runs and jumps too much, she will breathe rapidly and can't breathe. My master consulted the imperial doctors, and they also said that Qingqing has been weak and sick since her mother's womb and has a heart disease. From then on, she was not allowed to do any strenuous exercise. She could only move around slowly at home, and she couldn't have too big emotional fluctuations..." Madam Zuo was talking and thought of the hardships her daughter had endured over the years. Other daughters could go shopping and enjoy the flowers, but her daughter could only stay in the room drinking medicine and embroidering. She was heartbroken, and tears rolled down like pearls from a broken string.

"Well, it's not that serious." Shen Youyou is really not good at comforting the tearful lady! He can only pick up some nice words and continue, "I took your daughter's pulse just now and found that her physique is indeed very weak, but it's not her heart disease that's dragging her down, but she lacks exercise in her daily life." Shen Youyou picked up words that they could understand and said, "In fact, this heart disease is not that serious. Let Miss Zuo have a good rest today, and you can see the results. If you trust me, starting from tomorrow, I will give her acupuncture and moxibustion, and combine it with the medicinal diet recipe I prescribed for her to replenish blood and nourish the heart three times a day. Acupuncture for one month is enough, but the medicinal diet needs to be consumed for three months. After acupuncture, I will teach her a set of health-preserving Tai Chi, which combines hardness and softness, and harmonizes yin and yang. Miss Zuo will be almost fine. In the future, as long as she doesn't exercise too vigorously, she will have no problem getting married and having children normally." After Shen Youyou finished speaking, she looked at the shocked master and servant.

"This... I'm not dreaming, am I?!" Madam Zuo muttered to herself, "Qingqing can go out and play? Will she be just like everyone else in the future? Can she really get married and have children?" It was like a dream, like a yellow millet. She couldn't believe her ears. She looked at Shen Youyou with disbelief, yet she was also cautious, afraid to hear her deny it.

"Yes, as long as you do as I say, there will basically be no problem." Shen Youyou looked at Madam Zuo calmly and encouragingly.