Chapter 75 The Hidden Story of That Year
Having served in the palace for many years, this was all that Physician Zhang knew. In fact, this was hardly a secret. Court officials of similar age to Physician Zhang should all know what happened back then.
It's just that nobody dares to mention it now.
Of course, there's no need to bring it up without a reason.
Chu Yunjin asked a few more questions, and Physician Zhang answered all the questions he knew. If he didn't know something, he simply said he didn't know. Chu Yunjin could tell that he was telling the truth, but after all, he was just a physician, not a spy, so it was unlikely that he knew too many secrets.
The topic quickly returned to the eldest princess.
Chu Yunjin asked, "In your judgment, sir, is the Empress Dowager truly worried about the risks of childbirth for the Princess because she doesn't want her to get pregnant?"
Physician Zhang was silent for a moment: "This humble subject dares not speculate on the Empress Dowager's thoughts, but this is indeed what the Empress Dowager said to this humble subject. She said she did not want to lose her only daughter and dared not take even the slightest risk."
Chu Yunjin hummed in agreement: "Does Prince Consort Wen also know about this?"
The old physician Zhang nodded: "The Empress Dowager designated me to take the pulse of the Princess regularly. The Prince Consort Wen asked me in front of me why the Princess had not been able to conceive, and also asked if there was something wrong with his own body. He asked these questions in front of the Princess, so I have no way of knowing whether he was really unaware or pretending not to know. But he has never asked any other doctor for the Princess in all these years."
The last sentence already revealed the answer.
Even if Physician Zhang's medical skills were superb, and even if Consort Wen trusted him, given that the princess had not conceived for more than ten years, Consort Wen should have thought of consulting several more doctors for her—if he truly cared about the princess's health.
But he didn't.
Apart from Dr. Zhang, there was none of the others.
The eldest princess herself hadn't even considered asking another doctor to examine her.
Chu Yunjin thought for a moment and then asked, "How often do you go to the Princess's residence?"
Dr. Zhang replied, "I used to go frequently, twice a month to have my pulse checked. I also prescribed several formulas for the princess to regulate her body. The formulas I prescribed were all mild tonics that wouldn't affect her health."
"After several years of treatment, the princess still failed to conceive, so she adopted three children from the Wen family. After that, I visited her less often, perhaps because the princess herself had given up hope."
At this point, he was clearly somewhat guilty: "Although I have tried my best to prescribe some mild tonics, every medicine has some toxicity. I feel guilty towards the Princess and have been worried that if she finds out about this, I will not be able to handle the situation."
If the Empress Dowager and Prince Consort Wen were the masterminds, then he was an accomplice.
He didn't know whether the Empress Dowager was worried about the eldest princess's health or had other reasons, but he could vaguely guess that the Empress Dowager was hiding something in what she said.
However, the prescription he wrote was a real and inescapable responsibility. For ten years, he helped deceive the princess, causing a woman to lose the opportunity to become a mother because of reasons she didn't know the truth of. His sins were very deep.
This is not something a doctor should do.
Yan Cang asked indifferently, "Does Physician Zhang have anything to add regarding the Empress Dowager and her beloved?"
After thinking for a moment, Dr. Zhang hesitated and said, "After the Empress Dowager gave birth to the princess, strange things happened one after another in the palace. One after another, the palace maids around her died mysteriously, and even the eunuch she trusted most died by drowning..."
Upon hearing this, Yan Cang's eyes flashed: "When the Empress Dowager gave birth to the princess, did the late Emperor personally go to see her?"
"No." Doctor Zhang slowly shook his head. "The late emperor initially favored the Empress Dowager. She was indeed favored for the first two years after entering the palace, and soon gave birth to the current emperor, being promoted to the rank of Imperial Concubine. However, in the year she became pregnant with the eldest princess, a batch of new concubines entered the palace, and the Empress Dowager was no longer favored. During the time she gave birth, the late emperor was infatuated with a woman of unparalleled beauty. He had brought her back himself, and she was the most favored concubine in the harem. For more than a year, the late emperor did not set foot in the quarters of any other concubines."
Although the imperial physicians working in the palace dared not inquire into too many secrets, everyone knew who the emperor favored and liked. In particular, the women in the harem were jealous of each other, and the person who was favored today was arrogant and splendid, which made the eunuchs and maids around him feel proud as well.
Tomorrow, when the person who has fallen out of favor is heartbroken and dejected, even the palace servants around him will have to keep a low profile.
News was constantly circulating in the harem; it was impossible not to know about it.
Yan Cang seemed to have already made some judgments in his mind, and finally asked one more question: "Did the woman that the late emperor brought back later become pregnant?"
"Yes, but she couldn't be saved." Dr. Zhang's face showed sympathy. "Later, the woman was so heartbroken that she..."
Chu Yunjin frowned slightly, something flashing through her mind in an instant.
She suddenly thought of the story of the cat replacing the prince, but it didn't seem quite right.
As for what's wrong...
“That’s enough for today.” Yan Cang stood up. “No one will know that the Princess and I came here to see you today, so you don’t need to feel guilty. Just pretend we never came.”
Dr. Zhang stood up and bowed, replying, "Yes."
Yan Cang held Chu Yunjin's hand and walked out.
Dr. Zhang wanted to see them off, but Chu Yunjin turned around and said, "Please go back, sir."
Doctor Zhang stopped and respectfully saw the Prince of Yan off.
They walked to the alley entrance, then got into a carriage. Chu Yunjin frowned and looked at Yan Cang: "What are you thinking?"
“Further investigation is needed,” Yan Cang said calmly. “However, if the Princess asks, you only need to tell her that the Empress Dowager is worried about her health. For now, there’s no need to reveal anything else that doesn’t have evidence.”
No evidence?
A strange glint appeared in Chu Yunjin's eyes: "Yan Cang, do you suspect... that the Princess is not actually the Empress Dowager's daughter?"
He had just asked Physician Zhang whether the late Emperor had personally visited the Empress Dowager when she was pregnant, and whether he suspected that if the late Emperor had not visited her, the Empress Dowager would have had enough time to switch the child.
Or, if the Empress Dowager's pregnancy back then was a lie, there would have been enough time to arrange for a child to enter the palace. This is also the reason why those palace maids died one after another mysteriously, because the Empress Dowager wanted to silence them... Hmm? No, that's not right.
Physician Zhang served the Empress Dowager back then, so he should have confirmed that the Empress Dowager had indeed been pregnant, and therefore the pregnancy story is probably true.
Could it be that the Empress Dowager switched her own child with someone else's?
But why is that?
If she had given birth to a daughter, it would have been quite possible to switch her baby for a prince in the royal family, all for the sake of gaining status through her son and vying for the throne.
But before the eldest princess, the Empress Dowager already had a son, and the one she switched with wasn't a prince either...
The carriage slowly made its way towards the inner city. Chu Yunjin used the imagination she had developed from reading novels over the years to try and use this clue to sketch out a dramatic story about the Empress Dowager.
But no matter how I think about it, it doesn't make sense.
The carriage returned to the Prince of Yan's residence close to evening.
Another day is coming to an end.
Yan Cang carried Chu Yunjin down from the carriage and was about to walk into the mansion when a series of rapid hoofbeats suddenly rang out: "Your Highness, Prince Yan!"
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