Chapter 1316: Chapter 1294: Resolving Doubts
What to do if you don’t understand?
The four of them tacitly decided to keep their questions to themselves—one chose to ask his father later, and the other three decided to consult their teacher.
Of course, when Yin Huo asked his father, he wouldn’t reveal the full context. Instead, during his routine greeting, he abruptly posed the question, “Father, what is the difference between the Empress and the Crown Prince?”
The question was vague and somewhat ambiguous, but Yin Li immediately understood what he meant. Glancing at his son, he thought for a moment before replying, “Her Majesty is the mother of the nation, devoted to public service. She is nearly akin to His Majesty. The Crown Prince, however, is just the Crown Prince.”
Yin Huo grasped the point but still seemed puzzled. “Is His Majesty not afraid of external manipulation?”
Yin Li chuckled and said, “An empress with selfish intentions is external manipulation.”
But the Empress was not like that. She had always been remarkably clear-headed, and the most fortuitous aspect was that the Emperor had genuine affection for her and trusted her deeply, allowing them to function almost as one.
A husband and wife may act as one, but father and son may not necessarily share common ground. The conflict between the Emperor and the Crown Prince had been relatively mild in previous years. Although disputes occurred occasionally, the Emperor generally held a favorable opinion of the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince admired the Emperor…
However, in recent years, the tensions between father and son had sharpened considerably. As the Third Prince grew older, the Emperor increasingly doted on him, while the Crown Prince’s temperament grew more violent—straining relations not only with the Emperor but also with the court officials.
As one of the Emperor’s close aides, even though Yin Li was a loyal minister, he couldn’t be unconcerned. The situation was especially worrisome considering his role as the prefect of Jingzhao, a position of considerable importance.
The security of the capital was under his jurisdiction, and this dynasty had only gone through two reigns. He was fully aware of the events surrounding the Emperor’s ascension…
Yin Huo’s question had clearly triggered his unease. He sighed, rubbed his temple, and asked, “Why did you suddenly think to ask about such matters?”
Yin Huo shook his head, withholding the discussion between Yang Heshu and the others.
Yin Li did not press him further and simply advised, “Stay out of such affairs. Study well at the academy; that’s all you need to focus on.”
Yin Huo nodded in agreement.
While Yin Li offered an explanation to Yin Huo, Mr. Zhuang didn’t bother to explain at all. When the three children sought his advice, he simply told Manbao, “All you need to remember is that you are merely a doctor, nothing more. The Empress is your patient, and the Crown Prince is also your patient.”
He gestured in a circle toward them and said, “The prominent women from noble families in the capital are all your patients. You perform diagnoses, and they pay you. Avoid personal involvement within these few years, and you’ll be fine.”
After a pause, Mr. Zhuang added, “On that foundation, treat others with kindness. As for anything beyond that, leave it to fate.”
Upon hearing this, Manbao decided to follow his advice and let everything unfold naturally.
But upon reflection, she realized she had always let things unfold naturally.
Bai Shan didn’t pursue further questions either, though he kept the matter in his mind. Occasionally, he would contemplate it during idle moments, wondering when he might uncover an answer.
Meanwhile, the trio indeed became more cautious in their work outside the academy. Even Manbao, when visiting the palace to teach acupuncture techniques to Ms. Doctor Liu and Doctor Xiao, treated the eunuchs and palace maids serving as test subjects with greater compassion. Sometimes, she would discreetly place necessary medicines in her medical kit to help those most in need.
For instance, there was a eunuch surnamed Chen, a fellow townsman of Eunuch Wu’s apprentice, who was particularly unfortunate. His case file indicated he had merely taken a fall, but when Manbao examined him, she found his body feverish with cold; his entire face was pale and drained of blood.
He explained that difficulty walking after his fall had prevented him from taking leave, forcing him to carry out cleaning duties in the bitter cold. As a result, his injuries worsened, and he caught a chill.
If his condition didn’t improve, he would be sent to the quarantine zone to await death.
Moved by pity, Manbao took out two medicinal prescriptions for him and performed acupuncture to reduce his fever.
There were many other eunuchs and palace maids like him who needed medicine but had no access to it. Manbao could only prioritize helping one or two of the most urgent cases; the rest had to find ways to manage on their own.
They were surprisingly understanding, feeling content just to receive acupuncture, which was already an improvement compared to before.
Whenever Manbao entered the palace, Eunuch Wu would insist on being her guide to the secluded courtyard, making sure he was the first to have his pulse checked.
After about a ten-day cycle, his complexion improved significantly, and even his stooped posture became less pronounced. When the Crown Prince saw him, he smiled faintly and remarked, “It seems acupuncture truly has its merits. Even without medication, you’re already seeing such benefits.”
Eunuch Wu immediately bowed and praised the Crown Prince and Empress for their benevolence.
The Crown Prince then said, “Our Eastern Palace has so few people—it’s hardly enough for them to practice with. Since acupuncture won’t harm anyone and indeed helps Ms. Doctor Liu and Doctor Xiao refine their techniques, let’s select personnel from other palaces to participate. After all, Doctor Zhou Junior has been entering the palace daily during this period anyway.”
After hesitating briefly, Eunuch Wu softly complied.
Of course, the Crown Prince wasn’t one to act discreetly. During his evening visit to see the Empress, he coincidentally encountered the Emperor and casually mentioned, “Mother, Doctor Zhou Junior once remarked that the reason outside doctors take so long to master medicine is that patients seldom allow beginners to practice on them. Some doctors who focus solely on acupuncture spend four or five years just learning to handle needles properly. But now that Ms. Doctor Liu and the others have been practicing for only a short time, they can already locate acupuncture points and perform needle treatments themselves.”
“Mother, haven’t you been wanting to train more female doctors? Why not employ more palace attendants? It won’t harm anyone, and they’ll gain benefits, making the arrangement mutually favorable.”
While the comment was directed at the Empress, it was clearly intended for the Emperor as well.
After briefly glancing at her son, the Empress nodded and replied, “I’ll arrange it later. Since the facility is situated in the Eastern Palace, we’ll keep it there for now—it’s more convenient for Doctor Zhou Junior to perform the necessary treatments.”
The Emperor wasn’t concerned with such minor matters. He merely looked at the Empress with amusement and teased, “It’s been over ten days; are you still going to set up that female Imperial Hospital of yours?”
Before her son, it was inappropriate for the Empress to scowl at him, so she simply replied, “Your Majesty, please prepare the funds.”
The Emperor waved generously and said, “Don’t worry; this year’s harvest from the imperial estates was excellent. My private treasury is quite full.”
Primarily because he hadn’t needed to marry off a daughter or arrange a son’s wedding this year, nor had he commissioned the construction of any new palaces. Although some expenses were made for the Empress Dowager’s birthday, the confiscation of the Prince of Yizhou’s estate had brought in some income, effectively offsetting the costs, leaving the private treasury well-stocked.
The Emperor felt confident about his wealth, but less than twenty days later, Bai Shan and Bai Erlang finally completed their plans for the Imperial Hospital. Since Bai Shan and Bai Erlang had exams to prepare for, Manbao took on the task of transcribing their proposal.
She created an extraordinarily thick booklet, enough to stretch across two desks side by side.
Once finished, she presented it to Mr. Zhuang first. He spent three days poring over it and finally finished before bedtime. Afterward, he praised their work and even spun excitedly on the spot twice.
Nonetheless, he quickly regained his composure, deciding to discuss the details with them the next day. After all, he had been staying up late over these three days, and his eyes were nearly too tired to stay open. Considering how late it was, the three students waiting nearby had already begun nodding off, only jolted awake by his enthusiastic praise.
Suppressing his many thoughts, he softly told them, “Alright, your teacher has read it all. Let’s talk about it tomorrow. You’ve just finished your exams—you must be exhausted. Go rest for now.