Chapter 2014: Last Light
The family sent Manbao out and got him in the car. This was the first time that Lao Zhou's family had encountered such a situation, and they were a little anxious. "Is everything okay?"
Mr. Zhuang stroked his beard and said with a smile: "It's okay, just like a patient with an emergency in a pharmacy who needs to find a doctor. Don't worry, father-in-law."
He then asked, "Didn't Manbao stay in the palace to see patients when others were on leave?"
With this analogy, Old Zhou and the others felt relieved, "That's good, that's good."
Mr. Bai sighed and said, "She won't be able to see us off tomorrow."
"It's okay, it's okay," Old Zhou said cheerfully, "I can just come back after the New Year. It's not like I won't see him again."
Qian also thought so.
Zhou Lijun looked at Madam Liu and asked anxiously, "Madam, what's wrong?"
Madam Liu patted her hands and soothed her, "It's okay, but the mansion needs to prepare some white hemp."
Mr. Bai also sighed and asked, "Is there enough in the warehouse? Let's take some with us on the road, so we can deal with any strict officials."
"I'm afraid it's not enough," said Old Madam Liu. "Fortunately, today is the 16th, and the night market is open. I'll have someone go buy some."
It's not that there is not enough, it's that there is a lot missing. Everyone in my family is healthy, so who would have the time to prepare white hemp?
Old Zhou and the others finally realized what was happening. "What are they preparing the white hemp for? Could it be..."
Madam Liu and the others didn't say anything, just nodded.
This was also Manbao's hint before he left.
The carriage headed north and directly entered the imperial city, stopping at the palace gate. Manbao got off the carriage carrying his medicine box and followed the eunuch who led the way, quickly heading towards the empress dowager's palace.
When she arrived, many filial sons and grandchildren were already kneeling in the Empress Dowager's palace. Only the emperor and his family were in the inner room. Even Prince Gong was carried here on a chair.
Doctor Liu led Doctor Xiao and others to treat the patient at the bedside. When he saw her coming, he nodded and stood up to make a seat for her.
Manbao went forward to feel the patient's pulse, and found it was intermittent, obviously he was no longer able to make it.
She looked up at Doctor Xiao and Doctor Liu, then withdrew her hands, stood up and stood aside.
The three of them discussed the pulse and all felt that there was nothing they could do. Doctor Liu lowered his voice and said, "The Queen Mother fell asleep in the afternoon and hasn't said anything yet. Your Majesty wants her to wake up and explain herself, and also to see her descendants before leaving."
Obviously, before she came, the emperor already knew that the empress dowager was dying, and the palace was already preparing for her funeral.
They urgently brought Zhou Manxuan into the palace to give her acupuncture, so that the empress dowager could wake up and explain her funeral arrangements, and also let her leave in a dignified manner.
Doctor Liu asked, "Do you have a suitable acupuncture method? If not, we do have a set of acupuncture methods here at the Imperial Hospital. Even if you didn't come, we could still give you acupuncture."
That set of acupuncture techniques was prepared by the Imperial Medical Bureau for emperors of all dynasties. It was very precious, but it also required taking off clothes. If there was no female imperial physician Zhou Man, they would have had to offend the empress dowager.
But since there was a female imperial physician, the emperor would of course choose someone who would make his mother more comfortable and respectable, so Zhou Man, who was on leave, was called into the palace.
Zhou Man was a little surprised. "Why haven't I seen this kind of acupuncture in the Imperial Hospital?"
In the front yard, the current imperial physician, Doctor Xiao, glanced at her and took out a medical book. He opened it to the page and showed it to her, "Not everyone can read this medical book."
Manbao, who wanted to start over from the beginning, paused and looked at the page he had opened.
The acupuncture method above was very detailed. Manbao memorized it after reading it once. It was indeed better than what she was going to use.
But the principles of acupuncture that can make people wake up are basically the same, which is to stimulate the last bit of vitality in the human body.
In fact, according to traditional Chinese medicine, it is a breath of air.
Some people die when their qi is gone, while others die but there is still some qi hidden in their body. This set of acupuncture techniques can stimulate that qi without leaving any residue, and combined with medicine to replenish qi, it can make a person's breath last longer.
But there are many kinds of medicine, some are mild, while others are fierce.
The two kinds of medicine have different maintenance times of Qi, so naturally, the feelings before death will also be different.
So Doctor Xiao went to contact the emperor first, hinted at something, and then came back and said, "Your Majesty, I think half an hour is enough. You want the Empress Dowager to pass away peacefully and comfortably."
That means you should choose mild medicine. If you use strong medicine, people will suffer a lot before dying.
So Doctor Liu picked out a prescription and personally went to get the herbs and boil them. Manbao read the acupuncture method three times again, closed his eyes and simulated it in his mind, and then told Doctor Xiao that it was okay.
So everyone withdrew and only the senior palace maid was left to serve the empress dowager. Manbao and the senior palace maid took off the empress dowager's clothes and began to give her acupuncture.
This set of acupuncture techniques was rather complicated and was performed in two sessions. Half an hour later, the empress dowager's pale face gradually turned rosy, and Doctor Liu stood outside the tent with the boiled and cooled medicine.
Manbao then pulled out the needle, and together with the palace maid, he closed the empress dowager's clothes. Then he took out a long and thin needle and pricked her. After a while, the empress dowager woke up from the pain.
As soon as she woke up, Manbao pulled out the needle, and together with the palace maid, he folded the curtain, took the medicine from Doctor Liu and gave it to the empress dowager.
After taking the medicine, the empress dowager felt much better, even her breathing became smoother, and her chest no longer felt heavy.
There was also a gleam in her eyes. She had not yet recovered from her shock at first, but when she saw the emperor leading a large group of children in, she knew that her time was up and that this was her last moment of life.
The Queen Mother was stunned. Although she felt a little regretful, she was also prepared.
The Emperor and Empress, along with a large group of children, approached the Empress with a forced smile on their faces. "Are you hungry, Mother? What would you like to eat? Your son will ask the Imperial Kitchen to prepare it for you."
Manbao, Imperial Physician Liu and Imperial Physician Xiao stepped aside. Since they were not discussing confidential matters, they did not need to go out. They had to be ready to give injections and administer medicine to see how the situation progressed.
That's why it is said that the imperial physician is the most well-informed person in the palace besides the palace maids and eunuchs.
Imperial Physician Liu led a group of other doctors to stand against the wall, watching the filial sons and grandchildren surrounding the empress dowager, without much emotion in their hearts.
The Queen Mother was in a state of great turmoil. She had a lot to say, but when she looked at her children and grandchildren, she didn't know what to say.
Because she had said these words many times in the past year, saying them now would just be saying them again, and the children might not be able to listen to them.
So now all my words converge into one sentence: "Emperor, please take care of yourself."
The emperor was stunned for a moment, then he held the empress dowager's hand and nodded "yes". The empress dowager said to him: "Don't be angry all the time. Anger is harmful to your health. Listen more to the empress's advice."
The emperor responded with “yes”.
The Queen Mother glanced at the Queen again. Seeing that she looked unhappy, she knew that she must be very tired from watching over her for the past two days, so she sighed and said, "The Queen should also take care of herself."
She said, "They are stubborn, so you should try to persuade them more in the future."
See you tomorrow
(End of this chapter)
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