Zhu Yu watched the tall figure leave. It was clearly his own body, but everything was different now.
He slowly lay down, closed his eyes, hoping that his grandmother would be alright.
The fat woman looked at the house, a cold smile curling at the corner of her lips. The Empress Dowager was in poor health; it seemed that no one would be coming to Feixue Garden today.
The grandfather and grandson exchanged a glance.
The carriage sped towards the palace.
In the car, Lu Xiaoyun told Lu Yuyan what Zhu Yu had just told her.
Lu Xiaoyun asked, "Are you confident?"
Lu Yuyan nodded: "It should be that after the injury back then, there was a blood clot in the brain. It was fine when she was young, but as she got older, the brain muscles atrophied, and the pressure on the nerves became more and more serious, which is why her head hurt more and more. This disease is especially sensitive to cold. In winter, the blood vessels atrophy more obviously, which makes the Empress Dowager's head hurt even more."
"If this continues, the Empress Dowager will likely be bedridden and die within six months."
Lu Xiaoyun frowned and said, "To cure it completely, wouldn't it require brain surgery? Ah Yan, the Empress Dowager is too old to withstand such a major operation. Ah Yan, if it can be cured, then do it; if it can't be cured, don't force yourself."
Lu Yuyan patted Lu Xiaoyun's shoulder, raising an eyebrow: "Sister, don't worry. I won't operate on the Empress Dowager's skull unless absolutely necessary. This is ancient times, and we're in the palace. Would I dare to operate on the Empress Dowager's skull? The old emperor would probably think I'm trying to murder her."
Lu Xiaoyun breathed a sigh of relief: "Although Zhu Yu didn't tell me that you must protect the Empress Dowager, I could tell that he had this thought. But you are my own brother, and the Empress Dowager is no match for you. Your own safety is the most important thing."
Lu Yuyan rested his head on Lu Xiaoyun's shoulder: "Sister, don't worry, I won't let anything happen to myself, and you can't get hurt either. Besides, I have the Nine-Turn Resurrection Needle, so ordinary illnesses won't be a problem for me. We'll just have to adapt to the situation once we get to the palace."
As the two were talking, the carriage arrived at the palace gate.
Lu Xiaoyun lifted the carriage curtain, and Xiao Song immediately bowed upon seeing Prince An: "Greetings, Your Highness Prince An."
Lu Xiaoyun nodded, and led Lu Yuyan off the carriage. She said to Xiao Song, "This is the physician of my residence. I brought him here to examine my grandmother."
Upon hearing that it was the physician from the Prince An's residence who had come to examine the Empress Dowager, Xiao Song dared not stop him and immediately let him pass.
Lu Xiaoyun led Lu Yuyan toward Cisui Palace. Along the way, Lu Yuyan exclaimed in amazement, "Sister, this palace is almost exactly the same as the Forbidden City in modern times!"
"Yes, that's why I won't get lost." In her modern days, she had the opportunity to volunteer as a tour guide several times, explaining the history and structure of the Forbidden City to foreign tourists, so she was extremely familiar with it.
Along the way, the palace maids and eunuchs who saw the two of them all knelt down to pay their respects. Lu Xiaoyun was already used to it and her steps were extremely steady.
At the entrance of the Empress Dowager's Cisui Palace, a large group of court officials had already gathered. Upon seeing Prince An, they made way for him as if he were a plague.
Lu Xiaoyun kept her eyes straight ahead and led Lu Yuyan and the other person straight towards the bedroom.
Four or five imperial physicians were kneeling under the eaves of the palace entrance, including Physician Jiang. When he saw Lu Yuyan, his eyes lit up. He also wanted to suggest to the emperor that he invite Lu Yuyan to come and examine the Empress Dowager, as he was confident that Lu Yuyan could cure her.
He was just a nobody from the countryside. Not only might the emperor not agree to his request, but if anything went wrong, even the head of the Imperial Medical Academy would lose his head.
If that's the case, it's better not to say anything.
But now that His Highness Prince An has arrived with his entourage, things are different. Even if something goes wrong, he won't be blamed.
As soon as Lu Xiaoyun stepped into the bedchamber, she heard the Empress Dowager's painful groans. In addition to the Emperor, his grandsons and granddaughters, there were also a group of relatives in the bedchamber, numbering about twenty or thirty.
Lu Xiaoyun frowned. With so many people gathered around, it didn't seem like they were there to attend to someone who was ill.
It's like they're waiting for the feast to begin.
The old emperor paced back and forth with a grim face: "Tell Jiang Lianying to find a way for me. If the Empress Dowager isn't cured today, none of you will live!"
On the bed, the Empress Dowager's face was deathly pale, her pillow was soaked with sweat, and her thin body was hunched over under the brocade quilt. She had even bitten her lips until they bled, and a few drops of blood trickled from the corners of her mouth.
The Empress Dowager fought alongside the late Emperor to establish the empire; she was a remarkable woman who was no less capable than any man. Yet now she is tormented by illness to this state.
"Your Majesty, kill me! Let them kill me! I can't take it anymore!"
The old emperor's temples bulged with veins, and his deeply lined face showed his suppressed anger: "Mother, I will make sure they heal you. Please bear with it."
"Drag Jiang Lianying in here!" the old emperor shouted.
Crown Prince Zhu Zhi, Second Prince Zhu Heng, Third Prince Zhu Chen, and the four princesses surrounded the Empress Dowager, their faces solemn and saddened, especially the youngest princess, Ruoling, who was crying uncontrollably.
Zhu Zhi knelt beside the Empress Dowager's bed, wiping her sweat as he said, "Grandmother, don't worry, I have ordered people to post notices everywhere. There will surely be a divine physician who can save you. Please bear with it."
The Empress Dowager gripped Zhu Zhi's hand tightly, her nails digging deep, until his hand was bleeding.
Zhu Zhi was in excruciating pain, but with his father and the rest of the imperial family present, even if his hand were broken today, he couldn't pull it out.
The Third Prince, Zhu Chen, glanced at Zhu Zhi's bleeding hand and said, "Grandmother, rest assured, your grandson has already dispatched over a hundred guards to search for renowned doctors. Our Great Zhou is vast and populous, and we will certainly ensure that nothing happens to you."
A recurring headache contorted the Empress Dowager's face, yet she still said, "You, you are all good children, your Empress Dowager knows, knows. But your Empress Dowager is going to see your Emperor Grandfather..."
"Royal Grandmother..."
"Empress Dowager..."
The bedchamber was filled with weeping.
"Grandmother." Amidst the weeping, Lu Xiaoyun's cool voice seemed out of place.
The old emperor's face turned as black as ink when he saw Lu Xiaoyun: "You wretched thing, you still know how to come over! Your grandmother has always loved you the most."
Lu Xiaoyun was too lazy to waste words with this dog emperor. She said, "Your subject has brought the physician from the manor. Please allow him to examine the Empress Dowager."
The old emperor then turned his gaze to Lu Yuyan, who was just a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy. He wore an indigo embroidered robe with dark gold pine patterns, and his phoenix eyes were slightly upturned at the corners. He did not know how to bow when he entered, showing no respect for hierarchy. He was clearly an idle and good-for-nothing playboy.
The old emperor's face darkened horribly: "Zhu Yu! How dare you! You're just a spoiled brat who hasn't even grown his hair yet, and you dare to let him treat your imperial grandmother? I think you've lost your mind! What are you up to!"
Lu Xiaoyun gritted her teeth. Was this how Zhu Yu was suspected by her father, the emperor?
"Father, Mr. Lu's medical skills are superb. My grandmother has a splitting headache. Why don't we let him give it a try?"
"Let him give it a try? Zhu Yu, who do you take the Empress Dowager for? She's not someone you can just manipulate like some Tom, Dick, or Harry!"
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