Su Peisheng leaned against the side and dozed off for a while, eventually falling into a deep sleep. Xiazi saw that it was almost time, and if they delayed any longer, they might miss the morning court session, so she quickly went in to wake Su Peisheng.
Su Peisheng opened his eyes, still sleepy, and asked instinctively, "What time is it? Has the Emperor woken up?"
Xiazi replied, "Master, it's just past Yin Shi (3-5 AM), it's already Mao Shi (5-7 AM)."
"His Majesty shows no signs of waking up yet. What should we do?"
Su Peisheng felt something was wrong; it was probably not just because he was staying in bed too long, but rather that he was sick.
He hurried to the dragon bed and, through the bright yellow silk curtains, softly called out.
"Your Majesty, it is time to rise."
The chubby orange didn't react, so Su Peisheng raised his voice again, "Your Majesty, it's time to get up. There's an early morning court session soon."
There was still no sound coming from inside. Su Peisheng's face darkened, and he respectfully said from outside,
"This servant has offended you, please forgive me, Your Majesty."
After speaking, Su Peisheng pulled back the bed curtains and found that Da Pang Ju's eyes were closed and its face was flushed. Touching Da Pang Ju's forehead, Su Peisheng was alarmed—it had a high fever!
"Xiao Xiazi, quickly go and fetch the imperial physician! The Emperor has a fever!"
"Yes, Master."
Xiazi rushed out in a flurry, and Su Peisheng quickly called the people guarding outside to come in.
They unbuttoned the big orange cat's clothes and brought in basins of warm water. Several people took handkerchiefs and kept wiping the big orange cat's body to cool him down.
It was Physician Lu who came over again. Normally, given his qualifications, it wouldn't be his turn to treat the emperor.
But in urgent situations, one must act expediently. Yesterday, the excuse that Consort Cheng had fallen ill was used to have Physician Lu examine her.
Just now, when we arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Hospital, we happened to see her again, so Xiaxiazi simply pulled her over.
When Su Peisheng saw the imperial physician arrive, he quickly went up, took the physician's hand, and led him to the dragon bedside.
"Imperial Physician Lu, quickly examine the Emperor! He was perfectly fine last night, and even had a bowl of herbal medicine before bed. But this morning he developed a high fever, and it's very high!"
Physician Lu said, "Please wait a moment, Your Majesty, while I take His Majesty's pulse."
Su Peisheng quickly replied, "Okay, okay, please go ahead."
Physician Lu knelt on the footstool beside the bed, examining the patient. As he examined her, his brows furrowed, making Su Peisheng's heart pound with anxiety and his fear grow ever stronger.
But she dared not speak, fearing she would disturb Physician Lu's examination of the emperor. Only after seeing him withdraw his hand did she anxiously pull him aside and whisper, "..."
"Imperial Physician Lu, how is the Emperor? What has happened to him?"
Physician Lu said, "His Majesty is depressed and has excessive liver fire. In addition, he has been exposed to a pathogenic wind and is feeling weak. As a result, he has caught a cold and developed a high fever."
"His Majesty is in his prime; it is easy to bring down his high fever, and it is not difficult to cure his cold."
"But as I said yesterday, Your Majesty must rest well in order to fully recover and must not get angry again."
"Otherwise, the illness will keep recurring and will never be fully cured. If it becomes a chronic disease over time, only Hua Tuo could possibly cure the emperor."
"Eunuch Su, you are the Emperor's closest confidant, so you should advise him more."
Su Peisheng sighed and said helplessly, "How could this servant not have tried to persuade him again and again, but how could we possibly fathom the Emperor's thoughts?"
"His Majesty has caught a cold and is unable to attend court. This matter can no longer be kept secret. The Empress Dowager and the Empress should be arriving at the Hall of Mental Cultivation soon."
"Lord Lu, you are aware of what happened yesterday. When the Empress Dowager and the Empress ask about it later, please consider your words carefully. Some things don't need to be explained in too much detail."
"Does Lord Lu understand what we mean?"
Imperial Physician Lu nodded hurriedly and said, "Your Majesty, I understand, I understand..."
Su Peisheng said, "It's good that you understand, Lord Lu. Please prescribe the medicine for His Majesty first."
Physician Lu said, "Yes, please wait a moment, sir."
Just after the prescription was written, the Empress Dowager and the Empress came to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and went straight to the bedside of the big fat orange, ignoring the greetings from everyone.
The Empress Dowager touched the forehead of the chubby orange cat with concern, feeling that it was not much different from the hand warmer she usually used.
"Why is it so hot?"
The Empress's worried voice rang out, "Is the imperial physician here?"
"What's wrong with His Majesty? Why did he suddenly develop a high fever?"
After all, the person lying in front of her was her own son, and the Empress Dowager's worries were not unfounded.
However, the empress's concern was completely a lie!
Physician Lu replied, "Your humble servant, Lu Jingsi, Physician of the Imperial Medical Academy, pays respects to the Empress Dowager and the Empress."
"Your Majesty, the Emperor has been overworked these past few days, and has also been affected by external pathogens. He has caught a cold, which is why he suddenly developed a high fever and fell into a coma."
The Empress Dowager asked, "At your advanced age, you don't know how to take care of your health, and the people around you don't advise you to."
Su Peisheng quickly apologized, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
The Empress Dowager ignored her and looked at Physician Lu, saying, "In that case, is the Emperor's condition serious?"
Physician Lu replied, "Your Majesty, I have already prepared the prescription. Please prepare the medicine according to this prescription. After His Majesty takes it, his fever will subside quickly."
"You just need to recover as soon as possible and rest well for a few days. You must not overexert yourself."
The Empress Dowager said, "In that case, quickly prepare the medicine and bring it up."
"Empress."
"Your Majesty, I am here."
"Let the concubines take turns serving the emperor when he is ill, and keep him company. During his recovery, the emperor is not allowed to exert himself."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey."
After the medicine was prepared and brought up, Su Peisheng fed it to Da Pangju. Sure enough, Da Pangju's high fever gradually subsided after a short while.
The Empress Dowager was relieved and began to investigate the responsibility.
"I heard that not long after the Emperor went to Chuxiu Palace yesterday, Consort Cheng suddenly fell ill. After the Emperor left Chuxiu Palace, he was invaded by external pathogens early this morning and developed a high fever."
"Imperial Physician Lu, is the Emperor's illness a consequence of Consort Cheng's illness?"
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