Chapter 102 To Use or Not to Use

Emperor Xiao Xuan knew a little bit about this: no matter who has an injury, as long as it doesn't fester, it's easy to treat.

Once it starts to fester, the prognosis is very bad.

When soldiers on the frontier are wounded, the medics' biggest fear while treating them is that the wounds will become infected and fester...

Now, Little Twelve's face has even developed pustules.

"How could he be so sick? What exactly happened?" Emperor Xiao Xuan stood up abruptly in anger.

Everyone in the room knelt down.

Emperor Xiao Xuan walked to the bedside of the twelfth prince and was about to reach out to touch the prince's forehead when he was stopped by Imperial Physician Liu.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!" Liu Yuanzheng, who was kneeling on the ground, quickly grabbed a corner of Emperor Xiao Xuan's dragon robe.

Mumps is contagious...

Although it's mostly contagious among children, what if it gets to His Majesty?

Emperor Xiao Xuan then stood there motionless.

"Go and summon Imperial Physician Jiang!" Emperor Xiao Xuan suddenly said.

Physician Jiang is the same physician who treated Xiao Jingjue yesterday. The imperial decree of his appointment has not yet been delivered to the Imperial Hospital, and the others are unaware that he will be promoted to vice president.

When Physician Jiang rushed over, he was still covered in sweat.

When Physician Jiang saw the twelfth prince like this, he was also startled.

"This...this is mumps!" Physician Jiang blurted out.

Emperor Xiao Xuan stared at Physician Jiang for a while before asking a question.

“Last night, Jue-ge’er also had symptoms of wind-heat, but they are similar to those of the Twelfth Prince?”

Physician Jiang hurriedly kowtowed.

“Last night, around 9 PM, someone from the Eastern Palace came.”

The lady-in-waiting said that the young prince didn't enjoy his dinner that evening and had some fever symptoms.

After examining it, I can confirm that it is a symptom of wind-heat.

Then I prescribed a decoction to clear heat and detoxify the prince.

After one night, the young prince showed no further symptoms.

After hearing this, Emperor Xiao Xuan immediately looked at the eunuch serving the twelfth prince.

"Was there anything amiss after the Twelfth Prince returned yesterday? Tell me honestly!"

The eunuch immediately began to kowtow frantically.

"Yesterday, the twelfth prince played Cuju (ancient Chinese football) with the young prince, and they parted ways in the evening."

The twelfth prince and the young prince had a great time. Although the weather wasn't as hot as in the height of summer, the two masters were still covered in sweat.

After the twelfth prince returned to Canglang Courtyard, he drank two cups of cooled tea. Later, when he had dinner, the tea was not as good as before.

After finishing his meal, the twelfth prince said he was tired and then went to rest.

Then, in the morning... the twelfth prince developed a high fever!

The eunuch spoke these words almost with trembling hands.

They all knew that if anything happened to the twelfth prince, they would all be executed along with him...

The eunuch's words made everyone in Canglang Courtyard feel uneasy.

That means that, in fact, the young prince and the twelfth prince both had symptoms last night.

However, the lady-in-waiting in the Eastern Palace was observant and noticed something was wrong. She promptly summoned the imperial physician and prescribed medicine...

Enraged, Consort Wu picked up the teacup beside her and smashed it at the fifth-rank eunuch who was serving her.

"Why aren't you taking good care of him? The twelfth prince acted strangely last night, why didn't you report it?" Consort Wu roared at the eunuchs who were serving him.

The eunuchs dared not offer any explanation at this point, even though the twelfth prince often did this, falling asleep as soon as he got back from playing.

But saying anything now would only make Consort Wu even angrier...

Liu Yuanzheng quickly saw the prescription that Physician Jiang had written for the young prince.

"It is indeed a formula for clearing heat and detoxifying. If used in the earliest stage of symptoms, it will indeed suppress the continued occurrence of mumps."

If the twelfth prince had drunk the medicine in time last night...

"It probably won't be that troublesome now!" Dean Liu sighed.

Consort Wu understood what Imperial Physician Liu meant.

That's when things get really complicated...

"Director Liu, you are a master of medicine, you must have a way, right? Your Imperial Hospital can't possibly not even cure such a minor ailment!" Consort Wu looked at Director Liu anxiously.

Dean Liu sighed.

"There is a method, but it's a bit dangerous."

Even I'm only fifty percent sure!

Upon hearing this, Consort Wu immediately glared angrily at Imperial Physician Liu. Just as she was about to speak, a palace servant outside Canglang Courtyard requested an audience.

"You are... the head palace maid by the Crown Princess's side?" Emperor Xiao Xuan immediately recognized who this palace maid was.

The person who arrived was none other than Ruyi, the Crown Princess's attendant.

She immediately performed the full kneeling ceremony, and only spoke at Emperor Xiao Xuan's prompting.

"When the Crown Princess heard that the Twelfth Prince was feeling unwell, she immediately sent me over."

Last night, His Highness also had a fever, and in the latter half of the night, a lump appeared behind His Highness's ear.

The servant and the lady-in-waiting were both present at the time. The servant thought the lump looked a bit like the mumps lump she had seen when she was a child.

Before I entered the palace, I stayed at a manor in Jiangnan for a period of time and saw the symptoms of mumps in other people's children.

It starts with a lump, and then it becomes infected and suppurates.

The servant girl immediately spoke with Master Song, who was serving her, and the Crown Princess.

In the humid and hot south, if a child gets mumps, the elderly will apply toad skin to the swelling that is about to become infected.

Alternatively, you could apply crushed thorns to your face.

It was late last night, and there was nowhere to look for toads.

I remember that there are Guanyin thorns growing near Miaoyin Pavilion, so I immediately sent someone to pick a lot of them.

After peeling and removing the thorns, the mixture was mashed and applied to the young prince's face. Within just one hour, the swelling had subsided considerably.

With the decoction prescribed by the imperial physician to clear heat and detoxify, the young prince is now fully recovered.

However... what I'm talking about is a folk remedy, and I don't know if it will be effective for the Twelfth Prince now.

"The Crown Princess said that the Twelfth Prince is His Highness the Crown Prince's youngest brother, and it's not appropriate for the Crown Prince to come at this time. However, we must tell the imperial physician about the prescription we know, as it might come in handy," Ruyi said calmly.

When Consort Wu heard that the remedy was from the common people and was sent by someone from the Crown Prince's side, she immediately became suspicious.

She dares not use it!

She later learned that someone in the Linde Hall was planning to harm the young imperial grandson.

She always believed that it was King Zhao who arranged for King Wu to do it.

Now... what if it's retaliation from the Crown Prince's side?

"Do you know what to do if that lump has become infected and suppurated?" Dr. Liu stared at Ruyi.

Ruyi lowered her head and thought for a while before saying, "I think I've seen a local doctor treat this kind of illness before."

Make an incision and squeeze out all the pus, then continue applying Guanyin thorns or toad skin.

Of course, the doctor would also brew a bowl of herbal soup, which probably contained herbs like forsythia and dandelion.

Professor Liu immediately understood.

Since there's pus, just drain it! These are all toxins; just clean them out.

Both Puji Lan and Lianqiao are excellent medicines that are cooling in nature and can effectively clear heat and detoxify...

"Your Majesty! A folk remedy might be effective!" Imperial Physician Liu immediately looked at Emperor Xiao Xuan.

Consort Wu immediately knelt down in a hurry.

"Your Majesty, folk remedies may not always be effective..."

"Director Liu, administer the medication!"

"Use medicine according to folk remedies, don't be conservative, save lives first!" Emperor Xiao Xuan immediately ordered.

Then, Emperor Xiao Xuan looked at Consort Wu.

"Your Highness, the Twelfth Prince is my youngest son."

The Crown Prince is my first son, and both of them are my sons.

I trust the Crown Prince, and I also trust the Crown Princess!