Chapter 78 It's a pity she married Xiao Qingyuan.
The Empress's eyes reddened with heartache: "How could it be so serious? Manfu, quickly summon the imperial physician!"
"aunt!"
In her haste, Gu Qianhan used a more intimate term of endearment: "No need to call the imperial physician. My leg looks scary, but it's nothing serious. It'll be fine in a couple of days. It's just a minor injury. Don't make a big fuss."
"How could nothing be wrong?!"
"Aunt, I'm really fine. All the kindness and blessings I've received are thanks to the Emperor."
With just this one sentence, the Empress understood what her nephew was worried about. He didn't want the imperial physician to be called because he was afraid of provoking more dissatisfaction from the Emperor—dissatisfaction with her and with the Gu family.
Even this punishment of Gu Qianhan might not be a pretext to warn the Gu family and Empress Gu. The suffering Gu Qianhan endured was for her and the Gu family.
The Empress, fighting back tears and anger, said to send them away: "Princess Ning and Princess Consort, please go back first. I don't have time to entertain you here."
Princess Ning was also very perceptive; she immediately took Shen Wantang and left.
After leaving Kunning Palace, Princess Ning was still sighing: "The Second Young Master's leg looks really scary. No wonder the Empress is worried. Even I feel sorry for him. After we return to the manor, send someone to the Gu family to send some blood-activating and stasis-removing ointment, as well as some rare medicinal herbs. This matter was caused by our family after all, so we must make sure to apologize properly."
She had asked Mo Ji and the guards on patrol in the manor. Gu Qianhan had only stayed for a short time that night before leaving. So she knew better than anyone that Gu Qianhan was innocent and had never touched Chu Yanluo.
Unfortunately, her brainless son was convinced that Gu Qianhan had humiliated Chu Yanluo. Not only did he beat her up, but he also made a scene that everyone knew about, causing Gu Qianhan to lose his marriage and be punished by the emperor to kneel all night.
Even if Gu Qianhan could swallow this insult, the Empress and the Gu family would not. Princess Ning did not want to create such a formidable enemy for the Prince's Mansion, which is why she adopted such a humble posture.
Upon hearing her mother-in-law's words, Shen Wantang took out a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve: "Mother, I do have a bottle of medicine here to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis. It is a recipe passed down from my maternal grandparents' family. It is very effective. Do you think we should send it to Her Majesty the Empress?"
Princess Ning was taken aback: "Is your ointment really useful? The Empress probably has no shortage of good ointments. If your ointment is not effective, it might be better not to send it at all."
Shen Wantang smiled gently: "Mother, don't worry, it's guaranteed to be more effective than all the ointments from the Empress. You've said that the medicine I prescribed for you works well, haven't you? This one is the same; it's a unique formula that you can't buy anywhere else."
Princess Ning suffered from headaches and fainting spells due to anger caused by her son. She had been taking medicine for the past month. She had witnessed Shen Wantang's acupuncture skills and found them to be quite remarkable. She had also taken the medicine that Shen Wantang prescribed for her, and its calming and regulating effects were better than those of the imperial physicians.
Therefore, she still trusted Shen Wantang.
She immediately pulled Shen Wantang back to Kunning Palace and had Shen Wantang hand over the ointment.
Seeing that the Empress didn't take it seriously, Princess Ning added, "Your Majesty, you may not know this, but my daughter-in-law's maternal grandparents were doctors and had some unique remedies. The medicine I take is always prepared by them and it's very effective. Please, Your Majesty, try this ointment on the Second Young Master. It will surely alleviate his pain."
The Empress looked up in surprise at the quiet Shen Wantang: "You are also proficient in medicine?"
Shen Wantang replied in a standard manner: "Your Majesty, I have simply read a few more medical books and know a few uncommon folk remedies."
The Queen nodded and waved for them to leave.
But after they left, the Empress ordered the nanny to bring her ointment: "Apply it to the second young master and massage the bruises."
After she finished speaking, she was about to throw away Shen Wantang's portion of ointment.
Gu Qianhan stopped her, saying, "Aunt, since Princess Ning says this ointment is effective, why don't we give it a try?"
"You need it?"
"It's worth a try."
"Who knows what's inside? What if this so-called folk remedy is faulty?"
"Then you can try it on one leg first, and use your aunt's ointment on the other leg. By comparing the two, you'll know the effect."
The Empress was persuaded by his words and handed the ointment to the nanny: "Then let's try it. She wouldn't dare to harm my nephew!"
Two different ointments were quickly applied to Gu Qianhan's knees, and with the experienced massage from the nanny, the effects of the medicine gradually took hold.
The Empress looked in surprise at her nephew's leg, where the swelling and bruising had mostly subsided: "Was the ointment used on this leg given by that Crown Princess?"
The old woman exclaimed with delight, "Yes, Your Majesty, this ointment really works wonders! The swelling in the Second Young Master's knee has almost completely subsided!"
The Empress asked incredulously, "Qianhan, are you feeling unwell?"
"Aunt, I feel fine, but rather warm and comfortable. The stinging sensation in my legs has also disappeared. This ointment is really effective."
The Empress was relieved after hearing this.
After seeing that the ointment given by Shen Wantang had been applied to his other leg, and that the swelling had subsided and most of the bruise had faded, she said, "Song Yingzhen's son is not very good, but she has a sharp eye for choosing a daughter-in-law. This time she really picked a good one! That girl actually has such a secret recipe. It seems that the rumors that she cured Song Yingzhen's headaches and fainting are true."
Gu Qianhan didn't speak. He held the porcelain bottle that Shen Wantang had given him in his hand, and once again thought of his previous life.
He knew that Shen Wantang was well-versed in medicine. She knew all kinds of poisons and antidotes like the back of her hand. She was skilled in acupuncture and first aid. Moreover, she could perform autopsies, which was extremely rare among women.
All of Liao Youhe's political achievements were earned by Shen Wantang. He himself only played a symbolic role. The one who really investigated and solved cases for him and cleaned up all the messes was Shen Wantang.
She disguised herself as a man and followed Liao Youhe, serving as his advisor, devising strategies, and arranging tactics for him.
Over the past decade, Liao Youhe's official career has been smooth sailing, rising rapidly from a minor county magistrate to the powerful Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
Although Shen Wantang had disguised her face, and even her voice and tone, he still saw through her identity as a woman at a glance.
He considered himself exceptionally intelligent and looked down on everyone until he met her, at which point he realized there are always people more capable than himself.
She was extremely intelligent, but never boastful. She never took pride in solving major or unusual cases. She attributed all the credit to her husband, Liao Youhe, and lived the life of "Madam Liao," which was the envy of everyone in the capital.
Many of the crime-solving and autopsy techniques he later learned were actually secretly acquired from her.
But Gu Qianhan didn't expect that she was already so capable at such a young age, able to make ointments to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, and able to cure headaches and fainting that even the imperial physicians couldn't cure.
An untimely thought suddenly popped into his mind—it's a pity she married Xiao Qingyuan.
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