"Why did you give it to the Wanyan clan?" the Fourteenth Prince asked in a hoarse voice, staring at the dumbfounded Lanqin.
"You should give this necklace to the Fourteenth Prince's wife. It's not appropriate for me to accept it," Lanqin said calmly, trying to figure out what was wrong with the Fourteenth Prince and why he had suddenly taken a liking to her.
"You really want me to give it to her?" The Fourteenth Prince's eyes revealed a deeply hurt expression.
Oh my god! Fourteenth brother, you wouldn't actually have feelings for me, would you? I'm your sister-in-law! A brother-in-law falling for his sister-in-law? Why do they always play these kinds of games?!
Lanqin inwardly groaned. Although being liked by such a young boy offered some comfort to her vanity, Lanqin absolutely did not want to be liked by him; it would only lead to endless trouble!
“The Fourteenth Prince and his wife were personally betrothed by the Emperor, so it is naturally most appropriate to give them to her.” Lanqin suppressed her impatience and said earnestly, “I have to go to the Imperial Hospital now and cannot tell the Fourteenth Prince.”
"Are you going to fetch a doctor? Are you feeling unwell?" As soon as Fourteen heard Lanqin say she was going to the Imperial Hospital, he instinctively worried about her safety.
"I'm not feeling unwell, it's Cui Niang, she has a high fever, we need to get a doctor right away!" Lan Qin said anxiously, "Do you know where the Imperial Hospital is? Can you take us there?"
"Cui Niang? She's a palace maid, isn't she? She's not qualified to call a doctor to come and see you," Fourteen said without even thinking.
"What's wrong with palace maids? They're human too. Are they made of iron? Don't they get sick?" Lanqin felt a surge of irritation and retorted without any mercy.
The Fourteenth Prince had probably never heard anyone speak up for a palace maid like this before, and for a moment he had nothing to say in response. After thinking for a while, he said to Lanqin, "I'll go and invite them. You go back first. If you go like this, they probably won't come with you."
When Lanqin heard him say this, she immediately nodded with relief and said, "Thank you very much. Please hurry, Cui Niang is starting to lose consciousness due to the high fever."
The Fourteenth Prince strode away, and Lanqin, holding Nianxue's hand, turned back. But unexpectedly, another pair of mistresses and servants appeared: Consort Li, who had left dejectedly after being rejected by Lanqin. She hadn't gone far; she sat in the small garden outside the prince's residence.
“My lady, I think these two have a rather unusual relationship,” Yu Shan said.
"Yushan, perhaps we have a way to get Lady Niu to plead with the Fourth Prince on behalf of the Crown Prince." A glimmer of hope appeared on Lady Li's face.
"Are you going to use the Fourteenth Prince to make Princess Niu unable to refuse?" Yu Shan asked.
"The Fourteenth Prince has fallen in love with his sister-in-law. If this gets to the Emperor's ears, what do you think will happen?" Lady Li said quietly. "Didn't you see that necklace is a sacred object representing love for the Mongols? He actually gave it to Lady Niu. His intentions are obvious."
“But Niu Gege hasn’t accepted that necklace yet,” Yu Shan said.
“As long as the Fourteenth Prince still harbors feelings for her, it won’t be difficult to find any dirt on them.” Li’s charming face turned somewhat gloomy at this moment.
As for Lanqin, they returned to Cui Niang's side to take care of her. Xicha had already exposed her limbs and was wiping them with cool water to lower her temperature.
“Princess, Cui Niang is starting to talk nonsense~” Xi Cha said while wringing out a towel.
"My lady, no, my lady, please, no!"
Cui Niang really started talking nonsense, and her hands began to frantically grab at the air.
Lanqin grasped those hands firmly and comforted them, "It's alright, it's alright, don't worry~"
After a while, the Fourteenth Prince arrived with Doctor Jian from the Imperial Hospital. Doctor Jian thought that for the Fourteenth Prince to personally invite him, the person must be of extraordinary status.
But when he saw that he was taking the pulse of a palace maid, he was dumbfounded and couldn't help but say, "The palace rules clearly stipulate that one is not allowed to take the pulse of a palace maid. Otherwise, I would write a prescription for her and get some medicine for her to take." He only said the last sentence because of the Fourteenth Prince.
"You're already here, why won't you take her pulse? A palace maid's life is at stake! Palace rules are rigid, but people can move around freely!" Lanqin said angrily in one breath.
Doctor Jian had never heard such sharp words before, and stood there blushing, but he disagreed with Lan Qin's words. In ancient times, these powerful and wealthy people regarded the lives of their servants as insignificant as ants. In their hearts, they never regarded their servants as human beings. Naturally, if a servant fell ill, he was not worthy of inviting a doctor who treated nobles to see him.
"Hurry up and take her pulse. If we delay any longer, I'm afraid..." Lanqin hurriedly tugged at Doctor Jian's trunk.
Seeing that this was the Fourth Prince's residence, Doctor Jian knew that she must be one of his people, so she dared not do anything and could only stand there without moving.
"Dr. Jian, just take a look at her. Don't worry, no one here will tell anyone that you took the pulse of a palace maid. Once you leave this room, you won't have done anything," Fourteen said.
Dr. Jian was helpless. He knew that now that he was inside, he couldn't just leave like that. He had been waiting for Fourteen to say those words.
After he put down his medical kit, he took out a medical pillow, placed Cui Niang's hand on it, and then felt her pulse.
Time passed slowly, but Cui Niang's flushed face had not yet faded, and she kept talking nonsense.
However, Dr. Jian hesitated to draw a conclusion. His brows furrowed in deep thought, and after a while he shook his head before taking the pulse again.
"How is she? Say something! She looks terrifying!" Lanqin finally couldn't help but urge her.
But Doctor Jian seemed not to hear her words, and continued to take Cui Niang's pulse with a furrowed brow.
The Fourteenth Prince reached out and pulled Lanqin, who was about to urge him on, gave her a wink, and shook his head.
After feeling around for a long time, Doctor Jian finally put Cui Niang's hand down, tidied up the examination pillow, and then stood up and said to Lan Qin, "She probably doesn't have a fever, but rather has been poisoned by autumn poisoning."
Lanqin opened her almond-shaped eyes wide and said, "Autumn Poison, is this a kind of poison? How could she be poisoned?"
The Fourteenth Prince immediately said, "It's not a poison, but a natural toxicity. It must have been caused by Cui Niang accidentally coming into contact with some poisonous plant."
Nianxue said, "That's right. Cui Niang deals with flowers and plants every day. Could it be that these flowers and vegetables are poisonous?"
Nianxue's words were like a ray of light in the darkness, immediately pointing everyone in the right direction.
"Come, take me to see all the flowers and trees she's come into contact with. Without finding out what kind of poison she's been poisoned by, I can't prescribe a suitable medicine," said Doctor Jian.
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