Song Xibai wasn't sure if he knew her identity, and she didn't know how to explain, so she just smiled and said...
"You are a seasoned physician with exceptional medical skills, having saved countless lives. You are truly admirable. Regardless of your official rank, you are an elder in terms of age. How can you not accept my courtesy?"
Physician Sun sensed the sincerity in her words, and his brows relaxed slightly.
"Your Majesty flatters me. For a physician, saving lives is my duty."
"Physician Sun, you are being too modest."
After the two exchanged pleasantries, Physician Sun stopped worrying about the formalities of greetings and forms of address.
"Doctor Sun, you must be tired from your journey. Let me have someone arrange a guest room for you to rest for a while," Song Xibai waved to the outside.
But Physician Sun waved his hand.
"No rush, let me take Lady Liangdi's pulse first."
As he spoke, he walked up to Song Xibai and gestured for her to extend her hand.
Song Xibai hadn't expected Physician Sun to be so impatient, so she had someone move the chair closer and extended her right hand.
Unlike other imperial physicians who were quiet when taking pulses, Physician Sun asked many questions, such as common issues like sleep and diet, and also about some of the symptoms during pregnancy.
Upon hearing that the fetal movements were normal, Physician Sun's eyes visibly relaxed.
After taking his pulse for another fifteen minutes, he stroked his beard and began to speak.
"Given Your Majesty's current condition, the fetus in her womb is doing well and can be saved for the time being."
"for the time being?"
Song Xibai's heart clenched suddenly.
"There's nothing we can do about it. It gets more dangerous as it goes on, and I can't predict what will happen. However, things seem to be going well for now; I can feel the pulses of both children."
Physician Sun spoke his mind directly, which calmed Song Xibai down.
She's already five months along. If she can persevere for another four months, she'll be nine months along. Even if she gives birth prematurely, the chances of saving both babies are very high.
Twin pregnancies are prone to premature birth, and given the significant problems with this pregnancy, it's estimated she won't be able to wait until the full ten months to give birth again.
With the old doctor present, along with Dingxiang and herself, she believed the success rate of a smooth delivery could increase by another 10%.
Thinking of this, Song Xibai sighed inwardly.
If there were modern medical technology and incubators, she wouldn't be so worried, and even if she gave birth at seven months, it would be unlikely that anything would go wrong.
Shaking her head to clear her mind, Song Xibai summoned someone to settle Physician Sun into his residence.
Dingxiang greeted Song Xibai and hurriedly caught up with Physician Sun.
She has many medical questions she wants to ask!
The arrival of Physician Sun put everyone at ease.
He changed Song Xibai's menu and schedule, and even taught her a set of strange movements, saying that they could reduce the pain during childbirth and make the delivery smoother.
This surprised Song Xibai greatly. She knew about some health-preserving methods for strengthening the body, such as the Five Animal Frolics and the Eight Pieces of Brocade, but she really didn't know that this one existed.
She began to study diligently.
The Sixth Prince didn't stay long. After dropping off the person, he left, but instead of returning to the palace, he went to stay at the estate of the Prince of Wu next door. He also sent a message to Song Xibai, telling him to call him if he needed anything.
Song Xibai thought about it and felt that the Sixth Prince might be afraid of gossip.
He's still just a kid under fifteen, but he thinks a lot.
The next day, the Queen of Wu's reply arrived.
The reply did not directly address the matter of the Duke of Zhenguo's family sending gifts; instead, it talked a lot about her younger brother and sister-in-law, that is, the wife of the heir apparent.
Song Xibai held the letter and pondered for a long time.
Why didn't the Queen Consort of Wu tell the truth? Was she worried that the letter would be intercepted, or was there another reason?
If it's because of the telescope, it was the Crown Prince who sent it over, so who would know it's related to me?
That doesn't make sense!
It's absolutely baffling.
Song Xibai scratched her hair and took two deep breaths.
"No matter what, Princess Wu must know the reason. We need to find a way to get her to tell us."
Thinking of this, Song Xibai wrote another reply.
This time, they didn't ask about the gift-giving, but only chatted about daily life and mentioned that the Sixth Prince was staying at the Wu Prince's estate.
When handing the letter to the guard, Song Xibai gave him some instructions.
"Find out what's been happening at the Prince of Wu's residence lately, especially its dealings with the Duke of Zhenguo's residence, and have someone keep an eye on them."
This guard was a former secret agent who had come out into the open, and like Wei Hong, he was able to contact the secret agents in the capital.
However, when the guards returned, they did not bring back any special news. Both the Prince of Wu's mansion and the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion seemed to be the same as usual.
Of all the families in the capital, the only one that could be considered unusual was that General Xuanwei had left the capital to return to the northern frontier.
General Xuanwei was stationed on the northern frontier year-round to defend against northern tribes. However, these tribes usually invaded during the winter and spring seasons, when the weather was cold and people lacked food and clothing, which led to their frequent southward incursions. After late spring, when the grass grew tall and the birds sang, food became plentiful, and they rarely took the initiative to invade the borders of the Great Yin.
With the addition of the title of Earl of Loyalty and Bravery, everyone thought that General Xuanwei would be residing permanently in the capital. However, unexpectedly, the emperor suddenly issued an edict ordering him to return to the northern frontier.
This is truly perplexing.
Normally, shouldn't the general's military power be gradually diminished, allowing his own people to take over?
That was exactly what Song Xibai had been thinking.
So she put aside the matter of giving gifts and instead asked people to pay more attention to northern Xinjiang.
Who knows what that tyrannical ruler might do in secret!
Meanwhile, on a road in the south, the prince and his entourage, who had been traveling smoothly, encountered trouble.
Although the heavy rain had stopped, the roads were not dry, and the occasional light rain made them muddy and difficult to travel, especially further south.
Now, all the supply wagons are stuck in the mud, and their advance has to be halted.
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