Наn Yan was dеtеrminеd tоdаy not to lеt а single pеrson off thе hооk. Sinсе thе waters wеre already thorоughlу muddied, wоuldn’t it be а wаstе оf this oрроrtunitу if shе didn’t stir up sоme waves whilе thеy wеre still murky?
Hеr subordinatеs promрtlу wеnt tо fеtсh Imрerial Рhуsiciаn Wu. Аlthоugh Zhuang Shiуang аnd thе others wеrе furious аt Han Yan’s аctions, not а singlе оne оf them stepреd fоrward tо stор hеr. Unсоnsciоuslу, Hаn Yan hаd develоpеd аn indеscribаblе bаlеful aura amоng this crowd—a decisivе, ruthless tempеrament hiddеn benеаth a сalm exterior, something that couldn’t quite be put into words. Muyan, watching quietly from the side, suddenly felt that his own prince consort was becoming more and more like his master, bit by bit. Could this be what they called “husband and wife sharing the same heart”?
After waiting for quite some time, Imperial Physician Wu arrived at the scene, led by a servant. By then, Jingxu Daozhang had already been restrained, and both Madam Da Zhou and Madam Zhou had collapsed to the ground. In an instant, the situation had undergone a dramatic reversal. Although Zhuang Shiyang deeply disliked Han Yan’s actions, Imperial Physician Wu was someone he couldn’t afford to offend. This Imperial Physician Wu was highly skilled in medicine and quite popular in the imperial palace. Many high-ranking officials and nobles still had to flatter and curry favor with him. Yet, this Imperial Physician Wu had an eccentric temperament, acting entirely according to his own whims, impervious to both soft and hard tactics. Seeing that Han Yan had actually managed to summon Imperial Physician Wu, everyone was secretly astonished and simultaneously convinced that the rumors outside about the Xuan Qing Prince doting on his yet-to-be-married little wife were indeed true—even Imperial Physician Wu had to give face to the Xuan Qing Prince Consort.
In truth, when Fu Yunxi had mentioned that Han Yan could freely seek Imperial Physician Wu’s help, Han Yan had felt somewhat uneasy, precisely because Imperial Physician Wu was no ordinary person. Troubling him casually was indeed somewhat inappropriate. However, Fu Yunxi’s implication was that he had a deep relationship with this Imperial Physician Wu and that she need not worry about it. Thus, Han Yan had also felt somewhat guilty today, until she saw Imperial Physician Wu actually arrive, at which point she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As soon as Imperial Physician Wu entered, Zhuang Shiyang hurriedly stepped forward with an ingratiating expression: “Imperial Physician Wu.”
Imperial Physician Wu nodded, then ignored him, sweeping his gaze over Prince Wei and the Seventh Prince in the crowd. He chuckled: “It’s really lively here today. This old man came at the request of the Xuan Qing Prince Consort, but I never expected to encounter Prince Wei and the Seventh Prince here as well.” Although he said this, his tone was exceedingly presumptuous, as if he didn’t hold the Seventh Prince and Prince Wei in any regard at all. Zhuang Shiyang gasped inwardly, thinking to himself that Imperial Physician Wu truly was someone not to be offended.
The Seventh Prince smiled faintly: “The Imperial Physician jests.” Surprisingly, he didn’t take offense either.
Prince Wei also laughed it off perfunctorily, though when his gaze fell upon Imperial Physician Wu, there was still a hint of malice. This old man was a favorite of the Emperor, yet aside from Fu Yunxi, he had no dealings with anyone else in the court. Moreover, he spoke in a cryptic, sarcastic manner and had an extreme temperament, making him someone they couldn’t easily offend. But now, with Imperial Physician Wu’s arrival, it was clear he was here to back Han Yan. Prince Wei narrowed his eyes—it seemed today’s events had been orchestrated by Zhuang Hanyan.
“Imperial Physician Wu,” Han Yan said with a smile, “if you had arrived a little earlier, you could have seen Grand Tutor Zhang. But now, Grand Tutor Zhang has already left.”Imperial Physician Wu turned around and looked at Han Yan. "Oh? So early, why are you leaving already?" His tone when saying this was completely different from the sarcastic and strange tone earlier—it could even be considered warm and pleasant. Not only were the people around them astonished, but even Han Yan herself felt somewhat uneasy.
"Well, Physician, you should ask others about that." She smiled gently, a flicker of cunning passing through her eyes, mixed with a hint of schadenfreude. This expression was noticed by Imperial Physician Wu, who had seen countless people, and he couldn't help but ponder. He began to carefully observe the smiling, petite young girl before him.
This was Imperial Physician Wu’s second time meeting Han Yan. The first time he saw her was when Fu Yunxi had helped Han Yan detoxify the spring poison. However, Han Yan had been unconscious at the time, so Imperial Physician Wu hadn’t been able to see what kind of person she truly was. But judging by Fu Yunxi’s attitude toward her, it was truly baffling. He had known Fu Yunxi for many years, and this cold, almost inhuman person had actually panicked and lost his composure over a woman. From that moment on, Imperial Physician Wu had become curious about this legendary Xuan Qing Prince Consort.
Today, as soon as he heard that the Xuan Qing Prince Consort had sent someone to ask for his help, Imperial Physician Wu immediately rushed over. On one hand, it was because Fu Yunxi had instructed him to assist this young consort; on the other hand, he genuinely wanted to see what kind of person Zhuang Hanyan was. Upon seeing her, he was somewhat surprised to find she was just a young girl who hadn’t yet come of age. But upon closer inspection of her demeanor and bearing, she was clearly like an undiscovered piece of jade, hiding brilliance within, with an aura of boundless nobility.
Looking at the people around her, with their gloomy or disheveled appearances, it seemed that in today’s dispute, this young girl had emerged unscathed while those around her had suffered. Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but feel astonished. For a young girl to make someone like the Seventh Prince suffer a loss was truly rare. However... Imperial Physician Wu furrowed his brows. The more he looked at this girl, the more familiar she seemed.
"Imperial Physician Wu," Han Yan smiled slightly. "Why not go check on Concubine Mei now? We’re all very worried."
Imperial Physician Wu set aside his thoughts and gave Han Yan a meaningful look before picking up his medical kit and entering the room. Zhuang Shiyang hurriedly followed him inside, and everyone gathered outside the room, paying close attention to every movement within.
As soon as the door to Concubine Mei’s room opened, a heavy smell of blood rushed out. Imperial Physician Wu frowned. "Who spilled so much chicken blood in this room?" he said, wiping his nose in disgust. "It stinks."
Chicken blood? Everyone inside and outside the room was shocked, especially Zhuang Shiyang, whose face instantly turned grim. If it were discovered that Concubine Mei had faked her miscarriage, Zhuang Shiyang would be furious. Not only was the miscarriage a lie, but it had also exposed his affair with Madam Da Zhou to the public—truly an unexpected disaster.
Jiao Meng was attending to Concubine Mei by her bedside. Seeing someone enter, she quickly stepped aside, her face covered in tear stains and her expression panicked. She indeed looked like someone who was distraught and heartbroken after witnessing her mistress’s miscarriage. However, upon closer inspection, one would notice that her large eyes held no emotion, and her actions were calm and composed.Imperial Physician Wu seemed displeased with such behavior. Concubine Mei lay on the bed, still muttering something under her breath. Han Yan said cheerfully, "Concubine Mei, there's no need to worry too much. We've invited the most famous imperial physician from the palace for you... Imperial Physician Wu. Let Imperial Physician Wu examine your pulse. Everything will surely be fine."
As soon as these words were spoken, the figure on the bed stiffened slightly, suddenly let out a sharp scream, and began shaking her head violently. "Go away, go away! You demons! You want to harm me! Go away!"
This was clearly the appearance of someone plagued by nightmares. Someone cautiously suggested, "Could it be that she's been possessed by evil spirits? Should we leave?"
Imperial Physician Wu sneered coldly, "You say leave, and we leave? Are you making a fool of this old man?" His tone was sinister as he spoke, as if he were about to erupt in anger the next second, frightening the maid who had spoken into immediate silence. Zhuang Shiyang quickly smoothed things over, "Imperial Physician Wu, please don't be angry. The servants don't know any better. Someone, take this thoughtless maid away and give her fifty lashes."
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