The cruel little princess

On the afternoon of the second day after making the scar-relief cream, Shen Youyou asked Doctor Xu to lead everyone in reviewing what they had learned the day before and checking their notes. She then quietly disguised herself as a man and followed An Er out of the barracks and headed straight for Hongyan Pavilion in town. Hongyan Pavilion was across from the Ji'antang pharmacy. The last time An Er came to buy fish bone glue, he bought it at Ji'antang, and pearl powder at Hongyan Pavilion. She had An Er find out everything! Hongyan Pavilion specializes in women's business, selling clothes, shoes, hats, jewelry, and all kinds of cosmetics.

The owner of Hongyan Pavilion didn't recognize this young man and wasn't interested in the scar-soothing cream he brought. Although it smelled pleasant, it needed long-term use to be effective, unlike the hemostatic powder that worked instantly. Furthermore, this young man was so arrogant at such a young age, actually claiming it was comparable to the imperially bestowed scar-soothing cream! He even asked for ten taels of silver per small jar. Wouldn't Hongyan Pavilion have to sell it for twelve taels? That was too expensive, enough to buy a dozen jars of ordinary lead powder and rouge, and there was no way it would sell. If it were cheaper, she could try to sell it here. But Shen Youyou knew the effectiveness of the scar-soothing cream, and the cost alone was five or six taels of silver, plus her labor costs. She had originally intended to use the scar-soothing cream to expand the market and go the high-end route, so the price couldn't be lowered!

As they were haggling over the price, they suddenly heard a shrill cry from the front of the Ji'an Tang shop across the street. "Please! Please! Save my wife!" Two maids knelt in front of the shop, kowtowed repeatedly. A carriage was parked beside them, and blood was dripping from it. Soon, the wheels were covered with bright red blood.

"It's not that we don't want to save your wife, but we really can't! Your wife had a difficult delivery of twins, and now even the midwife can't help. What can you do if you come to us for help?!" Seeing that more and more people gathered in front of the door to watch the excitement, the owner of Ji'antang hurried out to explain the situation, so as to tell everyone that it was not that they did not want to help, but that they really couldn't save her due to the situation!

"Please, please treat our lady! Our master is out inspecting the business, and our lady happened to be having a difficult labor, so we brought her out to seek medical help! Please, please save our lady!" The two loyal maids continued to kowtow and beg. "Who can save our lady? Our master will reward you handsomely when he returns!" They continued to kowtow!

When everyone heard that she was pregnant with twins and that the birth was difficult, they all sighed and felt sorry for the lady. She was going to die at such a young age, and three lives would be lost to one corpse. What a pity!

Someone in the crowd recognized that this was the carriage belonging to the philanthropist Liu in the city. “Is that Madam Liu inside?” “Yes, I heard that Madam Liu got pregnant a few months ago, and Madam Liu was so happy that he donated another road.” “What a pity, Madam Liu was only nineteen years old?! Three lives lost at such a young age...tsk tsk…” “Alas, the philanthropist Liu family is indeed powerful, and Madam Liu is said to be as beautiful as a flower, but she needs to live long enough to enjoy her beauty!”

……

Listening to the chatter, Shen Youyou quickly deduced that the woman in the carriage was pregnant with twins and in critical condition. She hadn't yet felt the babies' position, so she wasn't sure if they were malpositioned. If so, she could adjust the position and probably still deliver naturally. If the umbilical cord was wrapped around the neck, a cesarean section would be necessary. She gathered up the small bag containing the scar-removing cream and headed toward the carriages, instructing An Er to ride back to the barracks and retrieve her medicine chest. Inside, she had the blacksmith craft her own surgical instruments, designed according to her design, as well as unused catgut urgently delivered from Prince Jin's farm. An Er followed his orders, sending An Shijiu to run errands while he remained to protect Miss Shen. Are you kidding? Would he trust the future princess's safety to other secret guards? Of course not, not even a thought!

Shen Youyou came to the front of the carriage and was about to lift the curtain when he was stopped by the servants guarding the carriage. "Young man, what can I do for you? My wife is giving birth in the carriage. Please don't disturb her!" The servants reached out to stop Shen Youyou.

"I'm a doctor. I came to see how your wife is doing. Maybe I can save her!" Shen Youyou looked at the two servants who were blocking the carriage with clear eyes.

"This..." The servant looked at Shen Youyou's attire and was caught in a dilemma. After all, it was forbidden for men and women to touch each other, and his wife was in labor. Even though this young man claimed to be a doctor, he was still a man after all. If the master knew about this and blamed him...

"Sir, how can you save my wife?" Upon hearing this, the two maids turned around in unison and kowtowed to Shen Youyou, "Sir, please save my wife! Please, please save my wife!"

Originally, Shen Youyou didn't understand the dilemma of the two servants until she heard the two maids calling her "Young Master" in unison. Then she realized that this time, dressing as a man had caused her some trouble.

"To be honest, I'm a woman. This time, I'm dressed as a man for convenience. You don't have to worry!" Shen Youyou couldn't hide her true identity any longer for the sake of Madam Liu's reputation. So, she loudly revealed her identity to everyone. If she delivered Madam Liu as a male doctor, even if she did her best to keep the three of them safe, it would only expose them to rumors. Instead of seeing her saving three lives, everyone would only see a man, unrelated to her, delivering another woman's baby. This was the tragedy of the old times. Even when human life was at stake, the distinction between men and women had to be strictly observed.

In a corner she hadn't noticed, three or four carriages sat, their hair slightly graying but energetic. They were the imperial envoys and the imperial physicians who had rushed all the way from the capital. They had just arrived when they overheard the young man outside boasting that he might be able to save the lady. Although she later claimed to be a woman, she looked only fourteen or fifteen years old. How could she possibly know how to save someone? Furthermore, the lady was carrying twins and experiencing a difficult labor. The blood that flowed from the carriage suggested a heavy hemorrhage. Even if the babies were in the perfect position, she probably wouldn't have the strength to give birth on her own! It would be better to let her say goodbye to her family and hope she wouldn't have to endure the pain of childbirth in her next life. Several imperial physicians watched intently from the carriage curtains. They knew the lady was in grave danger, so they didn't want to disembark to investigate, lest they tarnish their reputations. But that didn't stop them from watching the excitement, as they gathered around the windows, watching intently. They want to see how this young woman gets slapped in the face!

"Please, young lady, get on the carriage and save my wife!" the little maid pleaded again. This time, the servant did not try to stop her and directly put down the horse stool.

Shen Youyou stepped onto the first step of the horse stool. "Miss!" An Er took the medicine box from An Shijiu from a distance. "Miss! The medicine box is here!" An Er gestured to Shen Youyou, indicating that the right tools had arrived. Shen Youyou nodded slightly, "Let me take a look at the situation first."

After saying this, she lifted the curtain and got into the carriage.

Inside the carriage, a pungent smell of blood filled the air. The woman, lying on the thick blanket, was clearly breathing more out than in. "How many months is your wife pregnant?" Shen Youyou asked a maid who had followed her in. She quickly took her pulse and estimated it to be around eight months. She then placed both hands on the woman's uterine fundus, manually examining its height and estimating the fetal position—yes, it was indeed an abnormal position. Because the fetus hadn't reached its due date, it hadn't yet entered the pelvis.

"My lady, my wife is just eight months pregnant. Because she is pregnant with twins, the master is very concerned and has invited a midwife to live at home early on. But this morning my wife complained of some abdominal pain, and the midwife took a look and said she was bleeding and about to give birth. Everything at home is ready, but the midwife said that my wife's fetus is in an abnormal position and the baby is not coming out. Seeing that my wife is getting weaker and weaker, the midwife was scared away. I had no choice but to harness the carriage and come to Ji'an Hall to ask the doctor for help." The maid quickly explained the whole story.

Because twins are prone to premature birth, and the baby's fetal position is not ready at this time, it will cause trouble during delivery. This is consistent with the results of Shen Youyou's pulse diagnosis.