The cruel little princess

"The minister obeys the order!"

Doctor Xu responded quickly, quickly taking out a pulse pillow from his medicine box and carefully placing it on the low table beside the chair. He then raised his hand and gestured, "Your Highness Prince Rui, please!"

His Royal Highness Prince Rui was quite calm. He lifted the corner of his robe generously, sat down steadily, and gently placed his left wrist on it. His expression was calm, as if he did not take the matter too seriously.

Doctor Xu stretched out three fingers and gently placed them on the pulse of His Royal Highness Prince Rui. He held his breath and concentrated, carefully taking the pulse.

After a moment, he frowned slightly, his eyes full of doubt, and then raised his hand to slowly lift up the sleeve of His Royal Highness Prince Rui.

Sure enough, the red spots looked even more shocking under the candlelight.

"This! This!..."

Doctor Xu opened his eyes wide, his face full of shock and disbelief. He subconsciously looked at the emperor sitting on the main seat, his lips trembled a few times, but he didn't say anything else.

"What's the matter? Doctor Xu, what happened to Rui'er?

That's what you said!

Did someone poison him?

Doctor Xu, please feel free to speak!"

The Concubine Shu standing by was extremely anxious and could not contain her inner anxiety, so she kept urging him.

The voice trembled slightly with anxiety, and tears welled up in his eyes, fearing that something bad had happened to his son.

"His Royal Highness Prince Rui..."

Doctor Xu looked embarrassed and hesitated to speak. Beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his forehead and hit the ground.

The diagnosis was too shocking, and he knew that once it was made public, it would probably cause a huge uproar.

"It's alright! My dear Xu!

I forgive you your innocence!

Tell the truth now!"

The emperor could no longer sit still. He leaned forward and stared at Doctor Xu, his eyes full of curiosity and eagerness.

He really couldn't understand who was so bold as to poison the fifth brother in the palace, as he was usually well-behaved.

Doctor Xu's body softened, and he fell to his knees with a plop, his head resting on the ground. His voice trembled with fear and helplessness, "Your Majesty! His Royal Highness Prince Rui...

This is venereal disease...

It’s not like someone poisoned me…”

Although the voice was low, it was like a thunderclap, exploding in the hall.

"what?!"

Upon hearing this, the Emperor and the Concubine Shu were so shocked that their faces turned pale and their eyes widened, as if they had heard the most absurd and unbelievable thing in the world.

His Royal Highness Prince Rui was struck by lightning and was so frightened that he was at a loss as to what to do.

He stood there in a daze, his eyes empty, muttering to himself, "How is this possible?

Isn’t the King already well?

Why would it relapse?

Doctor Xu, did you misdiagnose me?

Let me take another good look at you!

This prince is clearly already well! Already well…"

The voice became lower and lower, revealing endless despair and confusion. His body began to tremble slightly, like a fallen leaf in the autumn wind, about to fall.

The Emperor and Concubine Shu looked at each other. Seeing the expression of His Royal Highness Prince Rui, what was there that they didn't understand?

He must have known for a long time that he had syphilis, and he had even privately consulted a doctor and taken medicine!

No wonder he hurried back home after each court session some time ago, and there was no news of him going out to visit prostitutes or hang out in brothels.

At that time, everyone was secretly happy, thinking that Rui'er had grown up, finally realized his responsibilities as a prince, and began to calm down and cultivate his character.

Little did people know that he had secretly returned home to treat his syphilis.

It's just that he recently felt that his illness had recovered, and it happened to be his mother's birthday, so out of filial piety, he brought the princess to celebrate her birthday.

However, he did not expect that this momentary negligence would be caught by Concubine Shu, and his actions were completely exposed.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall was so solemn that it seemed as if water could drip out of it, and everyone had different thoughts.

After all, the emperor had experienced countless storms and was accustomed to big scenes. After a brief shock, he quickly calmed down.

The emperor took a deep breath, narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked at Doctor Xu. His tone was calm but also revealed a bit of expectation: "Lord Xu, Rui'er, is this disease curable?..."

Although the fifth son usually behaved a bit ridiculously and caused him a lot of worries, he was still his own flesh and blood after all, and he still hoped in his heart that his son could be safe and healthy.

"Your Majesty, it can still be cured..."

Doctor Xu raised his head slightly, his face full of frustration and helplessness, "But I see..."

Given His Royal Highness Prince Rui's current situation, I'm afraid I'm... powerless to help..."

He paused, secretly glanced at His Royal Highness Prince Rui, and seeing that no one was reprimanding him, he continued, "If the disease is in the early stages, His Royal Highness Prince Rui can cooperate with the treatment and stay away from women, there is still a possibility of recovery.

But in my humble opinion, I'm afraid His Royal Highness Prince Rui lacks the willpower..."

Although Doctor Xu did not point out bluntly that His Royal Highness Prince Rui must have slept with the concubine in the backyard during his treatment, which caused his condition to worsen.

But everyone present had experienced life, and the Emperor and Concubine Shu were both very smart. How could they not understand the deeper meaning behind these unspoken words?

Inside the magnificent palace, the atmosphere was oppressive, like the calm before a storm. Concubine Shu's well-maintained face was now filled with anger.

Her eyebrows were raised, her eyes were wide, and her hands were shaking with anger as she pointed at Princess Rui Zhang Yuyan: "Yuyan!

Who on earth is this shameless vixen who is so reckless and still clings to Rui'er at this critical moment?!

Tell me the truth, who gave Rui'er this filthy disease?

You are now a princess, in charge of the backyard of the palace, but you don’t even know how to persuade Rui’er properly and let him act recklessly!

you……"

At this point, Concubine Shu was so angry that her chest heaved violently, but in the end, she considered her manners and did not say anything else.

Back then, Zhang Yuyan, as her niece, was cute, smart and well-behaved since childhood.

The Concubine Shu treated her like the apple of her eye and doted on her throughout her life. Whenever there were any rare items in the palace, Yuyan would always be the first one to choose.

During festivals, the family would sit together and watch the little girl act coquettishly, and the smile on Concubine Shu's face never stopped.

At that time, she was full of hope that Yuyan would marry into the royal family when she grew up, and live happily with her son for the rest of her life.

However, she did not expect that things would go against her wishes and her son would cause such a scandal. Her resentment towards her daughter-in-law surged up like a tide, and all the past affection was shattered in an instant.

Whenever her son was involved, she would lose her usual wisdom and opinion. She would always think that it must be someone else's fault and that her son would never act like that for no reason.

Zhang Yuyan stood aside, wearing gorgeous clothes and pearls on her head. She should have looked graceful, but at this moment her body was trembling, her eyes were red, and she felt extremely aggrieved.

She bit her lower lip tightly with her teeth, trying her best to hold back the tears. After a long while, she mustered up the courage to whisper back, "Mother, I did try to persuade you earnestly at that time, but my cousin..."

Before she could finish her words, Concubine Shu was already furious. She flicked her handkerchief and interrupted her abruptly: "If you had sincerely advised your cousin, how could you have ended up like this?

Now my son has this...this dirty disease..."

When Concubine Shu spoke to this point, her voice was choked with sobs. She hurriedly raised her hand and covered her mouth with a handkerchief, as if trying to block the sorrow that was about to pour out.

The next moment, Concubine Shu seemed to have suddenly found her backbone. She turned around, took quick steps, and rushed straight towards the emperor.

She fell to her knees with a plop, her hands tightly grasping the emperor's dragon robe, which slowly slid down his legs. She collapsed on the ground, crying bitterly.

Her frail and boneless appearance, coupled with her carefully made-up yet slightly haggard face, was truly endearing: "Your Majesty, please make the decision for me!

What should the prince do now?

You are so wise, there must be a way. You must save him!"

The cries of pleas, like the blood-curdling cuckoo, echoed in the palace.

The emperor sat on the main seat, his face so gloomy as if water could drip out of it. He frowned and looked deeply at the crying Concubine Shu below, and then glanced at the aggrieved Princess Rui, feeling very annoyed.

Hearing the sorrowful plea of ​​Concubine Shu, he finally sighed and said as if he had made up his mind: "Don't worry, my beloved concubine!

Rui'er is also my son, I will definitely not just watch him die young!"

After saying this, he straightened his back, glanced around majestically, and shouted loudly: "President Xu!"

Judge Xu hurried forward and knelt down to receive the order.

The emperor's expression was stern, and every word he said was powerful: "Immediately summon all the imperial physicians to come and have them all come to re-examine Rui'er!

Be sure to think carefully and come up with a practical and feasible charter!

If the people in the Imperial Hospital can't cure it, then I will send out invitations to the public. No matter if they are a hidden genius doctor or a master of medicine, as long as they can cure Rui'er's disease, I will reward them handsomely!

We must find a capable person to help until the disease is cured!"

The emperor spoke these words in an orderly manner, but only he himself knew that under the cover of his robe sleeves, his clenched fists were slowly loosening, his palms were already covered with cold sweat, and his back suddenly collapsed, as if all his energy had been drained away in an instant.

Obviously, the bad news that His Royal Highness Prince Rui had venereal disease was a heavy blow to him.

In the midst of this panic, Concubine Shu heard the words "folk miracle doctor" and it was as if she was suddenly struck by a ray of light, and a figure suddenly flashed through her mind!

She stopped crying instantly, raised her tear-stained face, and murmured, "Princess Jin, Shen Youyou..."

As soon as the name was uttered, everyone present was stunned, and a hint of hope appeared in the emperor's eyes.

Empress Shufei seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw, with a fire of hope in her eyes. She struggled to get up and said anxiously to the emperor: "Your Majesty, I heard that Princess Jin Shen Youyou is an excellent doctor. Maybe she can find a way to save Rui'er!"

Inside the magnificent hall, the atmosphere was so solemn that it seemed as if water could drip out.

The emperor, who had been sitting upright on the dragon throne, suddenly stood up and shouted anxiously, "Someone come!"

His voice echoed in the empty hall with unquestionable majesty.

Eunuch Xiao Xizi quickly trotted over from the corner of the hall, bowing his head and waiting, "What are your instructions, Your Majesty?"

The emperor frowned and paced back and forth. After a moment, he spoke again: "Send someone to Prince Jin's Mansion quickly..."

As soon as he said this, he seemed to be suddenly hit by something and stopped in his tracks.

The image of Shen Youyou, the ninth brother's wife, who was pregnant for many months and had a belly as big as a radish appeared in his mind.

She is now pregnant with twins, and she has difficulty moving around, and there are many risks during pregnancy.

If something goes wrong on the way to the palace, and the fetus is startled, it may be a tragic incident with one death and three lives lost if one is not careful.

Besides, everyone in the court knew how much Lao Jiu cherished his wife. He held her in his heart and protected her.

At that time, he heard that Shen Youyou fell into the water and was injured, so he insisted on marrying her as his concubine even if she could not have children!

If his family is destroyed because of my order, Lao Jiu will definitely fight me to the death.

The emperor shook his head vigorously, as if to shake off this dangerous thought, and then changed his tone: "There's no need to go and fetch Princess Jin yet! Summon all the imperial physicians here!"

After saying that, he waved to Xiao Xizi. Xiao Xizi understood what he meant and hurriedly left to make arrangements.

"Your Majesty!"

The sharp cry instantly broke the brief peace in the hall. Concubine Shu burst into tears, her makeup had been washed away by her tears, her hair was scattered messily on both sides of her cheeks, and she had completely lost her usual gentleness and dignity.

She had originally walked up to His Royal Highness Prince Rui and was carefully examining his face when she suddenly heard that the Emperor no longer wanted to summon Shen Youyou but wanted to summon other imperial physicians instead.

Concubine Shu fell to her knees with a plop, and crawled a few steps to the emperor's front. She grabbed the hem of the emperor's robe with both hands and cried, "Why didn't you send someone to invite Shen Youyou?!

She is the last disciple of the miracle doctor, and her medical skills are superb. During the plague that ravaged Tongniu County before, many doctors were helpless, but she was able to bring the patient back to life with her miraculous hands!

I even successfully performed that awful Caesarean section, bringing a dying person back from the brink of death.

Your Majesty, please send someone to call her into the palace to treat Rui'er!

Please, Your Majesty! If you don’t agree to my request, I will kneel down forever!”

Seeing that the emperor was just serious and silent, Concubine Shu was extremely anxious and her despair grew stronger. She gritted her teeth and continued to cry and beg, "Your Majesty!

Just announce Princess Jin!

If she doesn't want to come, then I...

I can go and beg her and kowtow to her!

Correct!

I can kowtow to her and beg her to save Rui'er!

Your Majesty! Please give me this chance, Your Majesty!

Even if she doesn't come, she can ask other doctors to explain the symptoms to her in detail, and she can make the judgment and decide what medicine to use!

She is so powerful that she can even cure the plague. She can definitely cure Rui'er's syphilis, Your Majesty!"

The emperor felt a pang of bitterness in his heart as he listened to Concubine Shu's pleading.

After all, Rui'er is his own flesh and blood. He has witnessed every step of his growth from the moment he was born to the time he started to speak.

Now that his child is suffering so much and his life is hanging by a thread, as a father, how can he be so cruel as to watch him suffer from illness and walk step by step towards the abyss of death?

But on the other hand, he knew Lao Jiu's temper very well. When he got stubborn, no one could stop him.

On weekdays, Lao Jiu's favor for Shen Youyou had long been a topic of conversation throughout the palace and the court. If Shen Youyou were to fall into danger because of his forced summons, he really didn't know how to face Lao Jiu's eyes that were a mixture of anger and despair.

For a moment, the emperor stood in the palace, as if he was in a world of ice and fire, his heart full of contradictions and torment, and he was unable to make a decision.