62. Treatment
After Ouyang Ziren left, Liu Hanruo sat quietly by the bed, doing everything herself without being careless or delegating to others, for fear of causing unnecessary trouble.
Liu Hanruo dared not slack off in the slightest, focusing on taking care of the carefree prince. On the other side, Liu Hanxue glared hatefully at Liu Hanruo. If looks could kill, Liu Hanruo would have died no less than a thousand times over.
Enveloped by such malicious gazes, Liu Hanruo merely smiled and didn't give them another glance. Liu Hanxue, however, couldn't stand being ignored like this and uttered a startling remark:
"Sister, did you and that Doctor Ouyang know each other before?"
"Hmm?" Liu Hanruo raised an eyebrow, speaking as she bent down to wipe Xiaoyao Wang's arm, waiting for her to continue.
“Sister, when the Prince returned to the manor seriously injured, I couldn’t find you anywhere. But then you appeared with Doctor Ouyang. You must have a very close relationship with Doctor Ouyang. You are so lucky to have Doctor Ouyang’s favor. I’m so envious!”
"Oh dear, sister, please forgive my bluntness. I had completely forgotten that you are already a wife."
Although Liu Hanxue did not explicitly state the meaning in her words, anyone with discerning eyes could immediately understand its deeper implications.
Upon hearing this, Liu Hanruo finally stopped what she was doing, raised her head and gave Liu Hanxue a cold look. Everyone had expected Liu Hanruo to get angry at Liu Hanxue, and they were all eagerly waiting to see what would happen. But after a long time, they still didn't see any sign of Liu Hanruo getting angry, which surprised everyone.
Liu Hanruo remained silent in the face of Liu Hanxue's malicious words, giving her a cold glance before returning to her work and focusing on taking care of the Prince of Xiaoyao.
In the Hanxuan Dynasty, regardless of whether you are rich or poor, or what extraordinary background you have, everyone values loyalty highly. Loyalty can be considered a woman's second life.
Liu Hanxue's seemingly unintentional remark thrust Liu Hanruo into the spotlight. The people in the room looked at Liu Hanruo with varying expressions, their gazes instantly changing. Some were puzzled, some incredulous, and some utterly contemptuous.
Liu Hanruo remained silent in the face of the strange looks from these people, continuing to focus on taking care of the carefree prince on the bed. She would occasionally touch his forehead to check his temperature, and then glance at the sky outside, knowing it was time to feed him his medicine.
According to Ouyang Ziren's requirements, medicine needs to be given every half incense stick, but this medicine-giving has become Liu Hanruo's biggest headache.
Perhaps because the Prince of Xiaoyao was unconscious and had no awareness, whenever Liu Hanruo tried to feed him with a spoon, the medicine would spill out of the corners of his mouth, indicating that he had not taken any medicine. Helpless, Liu Hanruo had to hold the medicine in her mouth and feed him mouth to mouth so that the Prince of Xiaoyao could swallow it.
After finishing a bowl of medicine, Liu Hanruo's mouth was full of bitterness. She ate a lot of candied fruit before she felt better. This process was repeated continuously, with her being fed medicine and then having the Prince of Xiaoyao wipe his body afterward.
Seeing this, Liu Hanxue could no longer contain herself and angrily said:
"Sister, your manners are truly admirable. In public, you disregard all propriety and shame, and kiss the Prince directly. Is it because the Princess is so insatiable that Doctor Ouyang has not yet satisfied her?"
As soon as Liu Hanxue finished speaking, she felt a sharp pain on her left cheek. After letting out a cry, she instinctively used her left hand to gently touch her left cheek. Five red finger marks appeared on her fair and delicate cheek, contrasting beautifully with her skin tone, making her look fair and rosy.
Liu Hanxue gently touched her cheek, glaring angrily at Liu Hanruo before her with resentment, and said fiercely:
"Liu Hanruo, how dare you hit me?!"
"So what if I hit you, Liu Hanxue? Let me tell you, this slap is just a small warning to you, to teach you what you should and shouldn't say. If you make up stories again, next time it won't be as simple as just a slap!" Liu Hanruo said coldly, completely unconcerned about Liu Hanxue's anger.
The cold words sounded like a provocation to Liu Hanxue, who was furious. She lunged at Liu Hanruo, who instinctively tried to dodge but then remembered the Prince of Xiaoyao behind her. If she dodged, the Prince of Xiaoyao would be unable to avoid it, and if his condition worsened, it would be too late to regret it.
Thinking of this, Liu Hanruo let out a helpless sigh and could only let Liu Hanxue pounce on her. Liu Hanxue lifted her skirt and sat on Liu Hanruo's waist, grabbing Liu Hanruo's hair with one hand and pulling it hard, while slapping Liu Hanruo's face with the other hand, all the while yelling:
"Liu Hanruo, you bitch, how dare you hit me! You're only relying on your face, aren't you? If you didn't have that face, let's see how arrogant you would be in the future, and what you would use to compete with me for favor!"
Liu Hanruo desperately suppressed the urge to retaliate, silently admonishing herself:
"You must restrain yourself. Don't let a small matter cause a bigger problem. If you resort to violence in public, it will arouse unnecessary suspicion..."
When Ouyang Ziren returned, appearing in the room like a gust of wind, he was met with this absurd scene. A woman dressed in fine clothes but behaving rudely, like a shrew, was riding on something and indiscriminately beating it, her face gloomy and her mouth full of foul language.
Ouyang Ziren initially didn't want to bother with this, but the location of the fight really annoyed him. He looked at Liu Hanxue coldly and said:
"I don't know who you are, and I don't care who you are. Stop right now! This is outrageous! The Prince is still ill, and you, as his wives and concubines, not only disregard his safety but are also fighting each other in bed. What a lack of manners!"
"Where is Liu Hanruo? What did I tell you before you left? How could you let things turn out like this? If you can't manage the backyard, it would be better to give the position to someone capable!" Ouyang Ziren looked around but didn't see Liu Hanruo. He raised an eyebrow and spoke sharply.
Liu Hanxue, who was in the middle of a beating, had no intention of listening to Ouyang. She continued beating without stopping. Ouyang frowned and casually waved his hand, and Liu Hanxue collapsed limply. Because she had no strength, Liu Hanxue fell directly from the edge of the bed to the ground. She tried to get up, but she was too weak and had no strength at all. Seeing this, Meixiang immediately stepped forward to help Liu Hanxue up.
"Useless dog servant! Do you want to anger me to death?!" Although Liu Hanxue was weak, she still kept blaming Meixiang for her incompetence.
Seeing Liu Hanxue's anger, Meixiang reflexively released her grip, knelt down, and humbly admitted her mistake. Unexpectedly, there was a loud thud. It turned out that after losing Meixiang as her support, Liu Hanxue could no longer stand steadily. She swayed left and right before collapsing softly to the ground, unfortunately bumping into the corner of a chair. The pain made Liu Hanxue grit her teeth, glaring angrily at the still-kneeling Meixiang, her voice sharp and stern:
"Damn lackey, what use are you? You have no sense of propriety at all. I'd rather have a dog; at least a dog can bark a few times when something happens!"
Although Liu Hanxue's words were harsh, Meixiang remained unmoved, seemingly used to it. She kept apologizing and even helped Liu Hanxue up.
After taking advantage of the plum blossoms to stand still, Liu Hanxue mocked Ouyang Ziren:
"Doctor Ouyang, I am very curious. Is it the behavior of a great man to bully a weak woman like this?"
"In my eyes, there are only patients and non-patients. Judging from Your Majesty's behavior and complexion, she is clearly quite ill. As a physician, I have a benevolent heart. How could I stand by and watch her die? I can only treat her differently according to her condition and provide various methods of treatment."
"Hmph, if that's really the case, I should thank Doctor Ouyang for saving me. I'm afraid it's just that some people are using their position for personal gain, trying to avenge someone." Liu Hanxue glanced at Ouyang Ziren, then at Liu Hanruo by the bedside, her words carrying a hidden meaning.
Following Liu Hanxue's gaze, Ouyang Ziren saw the person standing proudly by the bed. Although her face was swollen and red like a pig's head, and her hair was a messy tangle, he recognized her at a glance as Liu Hanruo. He wasn't stupid; after a moment's thought, he understood. His eyes turned cold, and he spoke threateningly to Liu Hanxue:
"I will not hold Your Highness's words against you today out of respect for the Prince. However, I must give you a piece of advice: you may eat whatever you want, but there are some things you cannot say carelessly, or you may bring disaster upon yourself! I have said all I have to say. I ask Your Highness to consider this carefully!"
After Ouyang Ziren finished speaking, he ignored Liu Hanxue and went to the side of the Carefree King, taking his pulse and asking:
"Have you done as I instructed?"
"I dare not slack off; everything is done as instructed by Doctor Ouyang," Liu Hanruo replied.
Ouyang Ziren nodded, took out a package from his pocket, and opened it. Inside was a snow ginseng about the size of a thumb, pure white. Liu Hanruo immediately recognized it as the extremely precious thousand-year-old snow ginseng. Although it was not as miraculous as the snow lotus from Tianshan, it could alleviate palpitations. At this moment, it was undoubtedly a life-saving medicine for the carefree king.
However, this snow ginseng is cold in nature. If swallowed directly, it will put a great burden on the meridians of the user. If one is not careful, it can cause the heart meridian to freeze, resulting in a near-death experience. To increase the success rate, one must rely on external means and use internal energy to protect the heart meridian from the cold. However, this process takes six hours. Therefore, the person who provides assistance must have decades of profound skill. Otherwise, if their internal energy is depleted, they will become a cripple.
Looking at everyone here, Ouyang Ziren probably has the deepest inner strength. Could it be...? Thinking of this, Liu Hanruo quickly looked up at Ouyang Ziren and asked softly:
"Doctor Ouyang, are you planning to personally use your internal energy to assist the Prince?"
As fellow disciples, Liu Hanruo knew this, so how could Ouyang Ziren not know it? However, time was of the essence, and there was no extra time to find another expert. Even if it was dangerous, they had to take the gamble.
Ouyang did not answer Liu Hanruo's question, but instead proved it with his actions. He helped the Prince of Xiaoyao up, placed the thousand-year-old snow ginseng in the prince's mouth, and the ginseng slid down his throat. Ouyang then sat down, placed his hands on the prince's back, and began to use his inner strength to protect the prince's heart meridian.
Seeing that Ouyang was determined, Liu Hanruo could only sigh and hope that everything would go smoothly.
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