If you traveled back to ancient times, while others ate Guanyin clay, you would actually have giant

The construction of the heated kang (a traditional heated bed) for the emperor was completed in just one day under the supervision of the imperial craftsmen.

But you have to wait two or three days until it's completely dry before you can light it again and see if it works. If it does, then the kang (heated brick bed) will be fine.

"Really cold."

As soon as the craftsmen left, Zhou Wu hunched his shoulders and prepared to go home; the temperature in the capital had dropped far too quickly recently.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry~~~~"

"Over here, hurry up!"

As soon as they stepped out of Li Tiancheng's palace, they saw a group of people running in another direction, led by eunuchs. Those people were carrying medicine chests, presumably imperial physicians.

"It seems that another important figure in the palace has fallen ill."

Zhou Wu muttered something under his breath, but this wasn't his business. Going home early to warm himself by the fire and chat with his family about the day's gossip was the real priority.

"Lord Zhou, you haven't left yet? Perfect, come with me."

They ran into Chang Qing, who was at the very back of the group. Seeing that Zhou Wu was still there, Chang Qing immediately grabbed him and ran alongside the imperial physician.

"I said, what's going on? I'm supposed to be off work, but I still have work to do. This is practically overtime."

"My goodness, please stop babbling! Her Majesty the Empress's old ailment has relapsed."

"What? That's not right. The Empress is sick, and there are imperial physicians. What am I? Eunuch Chang, you always think about the hard work and the good things. Treating illnesses is not my specialty."

Zhou Wu wondered if Chang Qing had some misunderstanding about him.

“When I went to Niujia Village before, I heard the villagers call you a miracle doctor.”

"..."

Indeed, Niujia Village was both their strength and their weakness.

Without the emperor's summons, Zhou Wu could only wait outside the palace. But it was fine, Zhou Wu was hoping that the imperial physicians could cure the empress quickly, so that he could escape this calamity.

"You bastards, what use are you to me? If you can't cure the Empress, I will have you all buried with her."

The emperor's furious voice came from inside, so frightening that everyone dared not breathe, and the imperial physicians all knelt down.

"Damn, this is too bloody and brutal. What serious illness has the Empress contracted that even the imperial physicians can't cure her? Chang Qing, I beg you to shut your mouth."

Zhou Wu was now praying in his heart that Chang Qing wouldn't say anything more. Even the imperial physicians couldn't cure him, so Zhou Wu didn't expect his medical skills, which only involved drinking cold medicine, to be of any use.

"Your Majesty, Zhou Wu is waiting outside the palace?"

"Zhou Wu, what is he doing outside the palace?"

The Empress's old illness has relapsed, and Li Tiancheng has no interest in anyone now, no matter who it is.

"I once heard of a villager from Niujia Village named Doctor Zhou Wu. I happened to run into Lord Zhou when I was summoning the imperial physician. Lord Zhou was also concerned about Her Majesty the Empress's health, so he came along. Why don't we let Lord Zhou take a look?"

"Let him in."

Zhou Wu really wanted to curse. It was clearly you who dragged me here, so how come I'm the one who cares about the Empress's health? With my character, what right do I have to care about the Empress?

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty and Your Majesty."

"Don't stand on ceremony, quickly show it to Her Majesty."

Zhou Wu looked up at the Empress lying on the bed. Her face was deathly pale, and her breathing was short and rapid, as if she were about to suffocate.

"This is?"

Zhou Wu felt that this problem looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

"Your Majesty, I would like to discuss the patient's condition with the imperial physicians."

"allow."

Seeing that Zhou Wu didn't start spouting nonsense right away, Li Tiancheng began to believe in his medical skills to some extent.

Zhou Wu approached the imperial physicians and inquired about the Empress's condition. Although the physicians did not know Zhou Wu's identity, they were very cooperative since the Emperor had given his permission.

"Imperial physicians, may I ask what symptoms Her Majesty's illness presents? It is said to be an old ailment; how long has it been present?"

"In reply to this sir, Her Majesty, Her Majesty has had this ailment for many years. The symptom is shortness of breath, which is common in winter. In earlier years, it was not so frequent or severe, but in recent years, Her Majesty has had attacks every few days in winter, and each time it is more severe than the last, often making it difficult for her to breathe."

Zhou Wu was truly impressed. First, the Crown Princess was young and had low blood sugar, and then the Empress also developed a strange illness. It seems that the rich often suffer from strange diseases.

After listening to the imperial physician's analysis, Zhou Wu began to observe his surroundings and suddenly noticed that there were many more braziers in the empress's bedroom than in other rooms.

As a modern person, having too many braziers can cause breathing difficulties, even for a normal person, let alone a sick person.

"Your Majesty, there are too many braziers in this room, which is very detrimental to the Empress's condition. At least half of them should be removed."

"Men, take this place away."

At this moment, Li Tiancheng did not hesitate at all if he heard anything that was beneficial to the Empress's condition.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't! Her Majesty is unwell and needs warmth right now. These braziers are barely enough to keep Her Majesty warm. If half of them are removed, Her Majesty's condition will likely worsen."

The eunuch who was about to start the fire was so frightened by this that he immediately froze on the spot. Li Tiancheng was also unsure whether to listen to Zhou Wu or the imperial physician. After all, the imperial physician seemed more professional, but Zhou Wu had never disappointed him.

"With so many braziers burning and the doors and windows of this room tightly closed, the air inside will soon become thin. Her Majesty the Empress already suffers from shortness of breath; aren't you just aggravating her condition?"

"Retreat immediately."

Although Li Tiancheng didn't quite understand what Zhou Wu was saying, he knew that the other party spoke with such confidence that there must be some truth to it.

"Open all the windows."

After removing the brazier, Zhou Wu saw that the Empress's condition had not improved, so he ordered the windows to be opened for ventilation.

Li Tiancheng suppressed his anger and watched Zhou Wu's actions from the side. Just as he was about to explode, the Empress spoke up.

"Your Majesty, I feel much better."

"Empress~~~"

Upon hearing the Empress's voice, Li Tiancheng disregarded the large crowd and rushed forward, grabbing her hand. The hand was somewhat cold, but her complexion was much better than before.

"Zhou Wu, quickly treat the Empress."

This alone proves that Zhou Wu's method is effective, and Li Tiancheng urged Zhou Wu to treat the Empress immediately.

Zhou Wu now basically guessed that the Empress's illness was probably something like shortness of breath or asthma, which was incurable.

"Your Highness, may I speak with you in private?"

Li Tiancheng was pulled aside by Zhou Wu. The small gesture caused such a great deal of harm that Li Tiancheng's heart suddenly skipped a beat. Could it be the Empress's illness...?

"Tell me, I can handle it."

"What can withstand it?"

"Is the Empress's illness very serious, and you have no way to cure her?"

"Yes."

Zhou Wu's agreement was exactly as Li Tiancheng had guessed.

"After the Empress married me, she spent the first half of her life wandering and drifting. Just when she should have been able to enjoy her retirement, however..."

As Li Tiancheng spoke, tears were almost streaming down his face. Zhou Wu suddenly realized that the other party might have misunderstood something.