Chapter 283: Headache Flares Up

The air seemed to freeze, and for a moment no one spoke; finally Mu Yuanzhi spoke: "Then please trouble Eunuch Yao."

No one else understood what Mu Yuanzhi meant; did she mean she wanted to continue contacting Jiuqian Sui?

It wasn't impossible, and no one objected.

Jiuqian Sui laughed twice, looking at Mu Yuanzhi with appreciation: "Since the Princess says so, I'll have to do my best as host and entertain everyone properly."

Host's duty?

Is he really treating himself as the master of this place?

The group followed Jiuqian Sui out of the accompanying palace and arrived at the imperial palace; Lady Pei went with them as well. Over the past two days her complexion has improved considerably; the suitable prescription and acupuncture treatment, together with herbal baths, have made her condition improve by leaps and bounds compared to before.

Pei Di saw it, felt joy in his heart; soon, his mother consort would be able to return to the Great Zhou with him!

"Just ahead is the Hall of Nurturing Heart where His Majesty resides—warm in winter, cool in summer. He should be resting inside now," Jiuqian Sui said.

Mu Yuanzhi looked up and saw that the design of the Hall of Nurturing Heart was obviously more luxurious than that of the other palaces.

She recalled the monarch she had seen yesterday and felt that this young emperor had many secrets.

Is it because Jiuqian Sui is also present? That's why they didn't let her see a doctor?

At that moment, the gate of the Hall of Nurturing Heart opened, and a palace servant came out. She hurried over, spotting them from afar and breaking into a run.

Was she coming to find Jiuqian Sui?

As expected, after the hurried palace servant bowed to each of them, she urgently said to Jiuqian Sui, "Jiuqian Sui, His Majesty's headache has flared up; even after summoning the imperial physicians, there's been no relief."

Mu Yuanzhi's eyes shifted, and she proposed just as she had the day before: "I can treat headaches; Eunuch Yao, why not let me join the consultation?"

The palace servant, hearing Mu Yuanzhi call out "Eunuch Yao," was filled with shock, her expression seeming to say: "How dare you?!"

However, contrary to her expectation of impending trouble, Jiuqian Sui actually accepted that form of address.

"All right, please trouble the Princess." After a moment's thought, Jiuqian Sui nodded.

Jiuqian Sui's ready agreement was also beyond Mu Yuanzhi's expectation.

Could it be that it's not this person stopping her, but rather the little emperor himself doesn't want her to treat him?

Or maybe he simply can't find a reason to refuse?

Either way, satisfying her curiosity a little would also be good.

They came to the Hall of Nurturing Heart, where the palace attendants were frantic with worry; as soon as they saw Jiuqian Sui arrive, they all let out a sigh of relief.

"How is His Majesty?" Jiuqian Sui asked.

A palace attendant replied, "Reporting to Jiuqian Sui, His Majesty's headache is relentless; he can only lie down, but even lying down brings little relief."

Jiuqian Sui went around the screen first and entered; Mu Yuanzhi followed closely behind, while the others waited outside.

Since they couldn't help anyway, they didn't stand around getting in the way.

Mu Yuanzhi hadn't brought her medical kit, but that didn't hinder her practice; she could rely solely on observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking to understand most conditions.

Yingxu Tianzi lay restless, his face pale, drenched in cold sweat; when he saw Jiuqian Sui and Mu Yuanzhi, his complexion worsened: "Beloved minister, why have you brought the Princess?"

"Your Majesty, the Princess says she can treat headaches; please let her try," Jiuqian Sui said.

Yingxu Tianzi said nothing more; Mu Yuanzhi took it as consent, took his hand, and felt his pulse.

Treating headaches is merely incidental; she mainly wants to find out what other ailments this young emperor might have.

Or perhaps the headache is caused by those other ailments.

Yingxu Tianzi's headache is severe, his brows tightly furrowed, his head seeming not to know how to position itself.

Such a sight would indeed be improper for foreigners to see, but at the moment he couldn't care less.

Jiuqian Sui did not disturb Mu Yuanzhi's treatment, standing silently to the side and watching.

Mu Yuanzhi almost immediately upon taking his pulse realized that this young emperor had been afflicted with gu poison.

Gu techniques are not her forte, and without the Qilin she is at a loss.

The emperor being afflicted with gu is no small matter—could it be that Jiuqian Sui administered the poison?

Mu Yuanzhi first addressed the headache, asking Jiuqian Sui, "Do you have acupuncture needles?"

"Of course, I'll have someone fetch them from the Imperial Medical Institute."

"No need for that trouble; you can use your own needles, Eunuch Yao," Mu Yuanzhi said.

Jiuqian Sui paused, then said, "All right."

He promptly produced twelve needles, asked Mu Yuanzhi if that was enough; she said yes, only need to needle the head's acupoints.

She took the needles Jiuqian Sui handed over, and indeed each one was exactly the same as yesterday's.

"Your Majesty, I'll help you sit up, give you acupuncture, and then your headache will be gone," Mu Yuanzhi said, moving to assist Yingxu Tianzi.

"What ailment do I have?" Yingxu Tianzi asked, "This headache has persisted for a year."

"It's fatigue-induced illness; you need proper recuperation."

Mu Yuanzhi casually threw out a diagnosis; fatigue-induced illness is the easiest to invent.

She suspects the gu inside the young emperor's body is acting up, but she hasn't studied gu deeply; she needs the Qilin to come.

For now she can only guess.

Yingxu Tianzi listened, his brow not relaxing, perhaps because of the headache, or perhaps because of the diagnosis.

"Even the imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Institute say the same; they have no solution."

"Treating the root isn't that simple; I'll first address the symptoms and immediately relieve your headache," Mu Yuanzhi said.

Yingxu Tianzi nodded without much hope.

Under Jiuqian Sui's focused gaze, Mu Yuanzhi skillfully needled Yingxu Tianzi; the acupuncture process was uncomfortable, and his brow never relaxed.

Needle after needle, Mu Yuanzhi proceeded in an orderly fashion; although she doesn't know what kind of gu resides in the young emperor's body, the way to relieve a headache is essentially this.

According to his account, the headache has lasted a year, meaning the gu infection also dates back about a year; thus the gu has become deeply entrenched.

Acupuncture takes half an hour; Jiuqian Sui stood there for half an hour, continually watching Mu Yuanzhi.

Mu Yuanzhi felt uneasy under his stare, but she didn't say anything and just focused on treating the little emperor.

"Your Majesty, do you feel any better?" she asked.

The Infant Void Emperor nodded, his brows unfurled at some point, the weight in his head gradually faded, and the distending pain eased considerably.

The previous imperial physicians who treated him hadn't had such good results.

"Princess, you're truly a divine doctor!" the Infant Void Emperor, feeling much better, said with a heartfelt compliment, his complexion no longer as pallid; after a pause he asked, "Princess, do you know why I keep coughing nonstop? Could there be a problem with my lungs?"

"It's also due to accumulated strain causing illness, affecting your lungs; for now I can only treat the symptoms, but when my junior fellow disciple arrives, he can give you a more thorough examination—he has extensive research in this area," Mu Yuanzhi said tentatively.

"Good, then your junior fellow disciple must be highly skilled in medicine."