"Miss..." Lai Fu had been keeping a close watch on Hua Zhi. The moment she collapsed, he immediately rushed over, not daring to touch her, but quickly took off his own cloak to cover the young lady, shouting hoarsely, "Go fetch Miss Shaoyao, quickly!"
Haoyue nearly gritted her teeth to dust—this was exactly the trick she had planned to use later!
Through extensive inquiries, she had learned that Hua Zhi was definitely not an easy person to deal with. Someone who dared to defy the Emperor wouldn't tolerate her provocations. If Hua Zhi had retorted just once, she could have feigned fainting to have Hua Zhi punished. Even if it couldn't seriously harm her, making her suffer a bit was certain—after all, she was currently carrying the imperial heir!
But now this woman had fainted first?!
Shaoyao arrived swiftly. The one sent to fetch her was from the Seven Constellation Bureau. Nowadays, everyone in the Bureau knew that Hua Zhi was their leader's beloved, so they took it seriously.
She shot Haoyue a fierce glare, checked Hua Hua's pulse and immediately understood what was happening. Without hesitation, she lifted Hua Hua onto her back and ran toward her side chamber in the palace, not forgetting to play her part by threatening Haoyue, "If Hua Hua is fine, we'll let it go. But if anything happens to her, don't think you'll get off easy!"
Just as Haoyue was about to explain that she had done nothing, Shaoyao had already carried the person far away. In this palace, the only one who dared to ignore the rules and run like that was Shaoyao.
"Your Highness..."
"Silence." Haoyue closed her eyes briefly and walked toward the warm chamber. After all, the rights and wrongs in this imperial palace ultimately depended on which side the Emperor stood.
In the side courtyard filled with the scent of medicine, Shaoyao ran while shouting, "Master, Master, come quickly!"
Yu Lao, with his full head of white hair, energetic demeanor, and not a single wrinkle on his face, peeked out and emerged. "What's going on?"
"This is Hua Hua. Quickly, see what's wrong with her." As she spoke, Shaoyao winked at her master.
Though Yu Lao didn't know what had happened, he understood his disciple, who might seem reckless but had a clear sense of right and wrong. Those she protected couldn't be bad people. Moreover, he had heard the name "Hua Hua" so often his ears were calloused—remarks like, "Master, these snacks were made by Hua Zhi's people, aren't they delicious?" "Master, Hua Hua said there are people who look different from us across the sea. Let's go see when we have time." "Master, Hua Hua really put so-and-so in their place today, impressive, right? Haha!" "Master, all these treats were brought by Hua Hua for you. You've eaten so much of her food, you better treat her well in the future," and so on. At one point, he had even thought "Hua Hua" was the girl's actual name, only later learning she was called Hua Zhi.
If nothing else, she had been genuinely good to his foolish disciple. He only ever heard about what she gave Shaoyao, never about her coaxing anything away from her. Indeed, if she were that kind of person, his disciple wouldn't have taken a liking to her, let alone protected her so fiercely.
This was the territory the Emperor had arranged for the master and disciple, located near the imperial study. Those serving here were naturally the Emperor's people. Seeing that Shaoyao wasn't sending the person away, he understood and sat down to check Hua Zhi's pulse.
"How has her health deteriorated so severely?" Yu Lao frowned. This wasn't an act—it was rare to see a young lady's health in such a depleted state, especially from families like theirs, where everyone was nourished with fine rice and flour."Hua Hua has been injured several times, and once she nearly lost her life. I've been nursing her back to health, but she's always so busy and never gets proper rest. It's been half a winter now with little improvement. Do you have any other methods?"
"Have you used golden needles on her?"
"I didn't dare. You said golden needles stimulate one's potential, and overusing them reduces their effectiveness later. I was afraid if something...Peh peh peh." Shaoyao patted her mouth. "Now is the perfect time for recuperation. I thought she could recover naturally, but this winter hasn't been peaceful either - she's suffered several mental shocks, and then..."
Yu Lao withdrew his hand. "Fortunately, she had a good physical foundation before, otherwise she wouldn't withstand such strain. Go write down all the prescriptions you've used for her and let me see them."
Shaoyao went to the desk and quickly wrote several prescriptions. Yu Lao stroked his beard and nodded slightly - having such a clever apprentice truly warmed his old heart. "Is this the one currently in use?"
Shaoyao leaned over to look. "This was the last one used. Hua Hua had been taking medicine for so long that it ruined her appetite and she couldn't even eat properly. So I switched her to Medicinal Cuisine instead."
"That works too." Yu Lao handed the prescription back to her. "She still needs proper recuperation. If a young woman's health is damaged, she'll regret it later. I'll prescribe her a nourishing formula that won't spoil her appetite - you can administer it with confidence."
"Yes, Master." Shaoyao immediately beamed with joy, but her smile soon faded. "Master, what other nourishing formulas do you have that I don't know about? You said you taught me everything!"
"Can't an old man forget things due to poor memory?" Yu Lao glared at her. "This formula is too expensive for ordinary people. If not for your connection that got me into the palace, how many years has it been since I last treated wealthy families?"
"My fault, my fault. Please go write the prescription quickly." Shaoyao glanced around and, seeing the two attendants were gone, understood the situation. "You may all leave. Your services aren't needed here."
"Yes."
After everyone had gone far away, Shaoyao closed the door and walked softly to the bedside. "Hua Hua, there are no outsiders now."
"If you hadn't called me, I would have fallen asleep." Hua Zhi opened her eyes and sat up, then got out of bed to greet Yu Lao. "I've long heard of your reputation, but only meet you today. This humble girl Hua Zhi pays her respects to you."
Yu Lao helped her up. Seeing her clear, upright eyes made him happy - old people always delight in seeing younger generations who are both capable and virtuous.
"Not many can make my apprentice obey them. This shows your genuine care for her. Don't think she's foolish - she's actually the best at discerning people's true hearts."
"Master!" Shaoyao grimaced. "You always say I'm foolish. It's because you keep saying it that I've become foolish!"
Ignoring her, Yu Lao continued speaking with Hua Zhi. "After all, your health is your own - you must take good care of it. If you were to pass away cleanly, that would be one thing. What I fear is future suffering making you pay an unbearable price. Young women always have more concerns than men. You're a smart girl - you should understand this reasoning.""I understand the reasoning, but sometimes it's truly difficult to have both. When someone wants my life, I must protect myself. When someone threatens my loved ones, I can't just stand by and watch. So many people in the Hua family depend on me—I must shoulder this responsibility." Hua Zhi sighed with a wry smile and shook her head. "Health is important, but there are things I cannot abandon. I can only try my best to balance both. Besides, I'm fortunate to have a doctor keeping an eye on me. It won't be too bad, right, Female doctor?"
Shaoyao snorted twice but obediently nodded.
Truly, everything has its match. Yu Lao shook his head and went to the desk to write a prescription.
PS: Fourth update! Thank you all for your understanding these past few days. As one reader said, my readers are like little suns—warming this empty heart during such cold weather. Love you all.
OpenNovel