Chapter 20: Don’t trespass in Zhongcui Palace!
This was Wang Chengen's second visit to the palace, and it felt different than the first. Last time, it felt like visiting the Forbidden City. This time, arriving at Zhongcui Palace, I felt a chilling, eerie atmosphere. It was oppressive, and no one spoke. The maids and eunuchs walked with their heads bowed. Zhao Xiaofei thought, damn! Even if I wasn't sick, living in this atmosphere would surely make me sick.
Zhongcui Palace consists of two courtyards. Its main entrance faces south, known as Zhongcui Gate. The main hall in the front courtyard is Zhongcui Palace. It is five bays wide and features a yellow glazed hip-and-gable roof. A front porch extends outward, and five beasts are placed on the eaves. Under the eaves are single-curved, single-raised, five-legged brackets, painted in the Su style. The main hall has a door, while the secondary and side halls have sill windows, with ice crackle patterns and step-by-step brocade doors and windows. The interior was originally a clerestory structure with a ceiling and square brick floors. Three side halls, each three to the east and west, precede the hall.
Wang Chengen led Zhao Xiaofei to the East Side Hall, where Chongzhen, Imperial Physician Hu, and two judges were all present. Wang Chengen entered the room, knelt, and said, "Your Majesty! I have brought the envoy from Nan'ao!"
Chongzhen ignored Wang Chengen and asked Zhao Xiaofei when he saw him. "Thank you for your hard work, envoy! I heard you have a good medicine that can cure the prince's illness?"
"Yes, Your Majesty! I have already given it to Doctor Hu!" Zhao Xiaofei bowed and saluted.
"I ask you! Are you sure you can save the prince?" Chongzhen said.
"Your Majesty! I'm only 50% sure! If it were yesterday, I would have been 80% sure!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
"Now that things have come to this, I'll leave it to you!" Chongzhen's face revealed a father's concern and helplessness for his son.
"I will do my best! But I have two requests!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
"Speak!" Chongzhen said.
"Doctor Hu must stay to help me! Secondly, please ask Your Majesty to leave Zhongcui Palace to prevent Your Majesty from being infected with the plague." Zhao Xiaofei said.
Chongzhen hesitated, but Wang Chengen, who was kneeling beside him, said, "Your Majesty's health is the most important thing! Please return to the Palace of Heavenly Purity and await news from the Crown Prince!"
Doctor Hu also echoed, "Your Majesty, please return to the Palace of Heavenly Purity!" The two judges also echoed tremblingly.
"Okay! Wang Chengen, stay here. Tell me immediately if there is any news!" After giving the order, Chongzhen returned to the Qianqing Palace.
After Chongzhen left, Wang Chengen stood up and said to Zhao Xiaofei, "Please help us!"
"Okay!" Zhao Xiaofei put on a mask and gloves, and gave Doctor Hu and Wang Chengen a set each. Of course, the two judges didn't have any either; they wanted to follow along and see how the envoy from Nan'ao treated the Crown Prince. They planned to help out; if they succeeded, it would be a way for them to atone for their mistake.
Seeing the other two imperial physicians following suit, Zhao Xiaofei gave each of them a set of masks and told them to put them on. They thanked him and followed him into the prince's bedroom. There, they saw a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy lying on the bed, covered with a quilt.
Zhao Xiaofei said to the eunuchs and palace maids in the room, "Remove the prince's quilt! Too much heat will accelerate his illness!"
Several palace maids and eunuchs glanced at Wang Chengen, who scolded them, "Hurry up and do what this young master says from now on. Do whatever he tells you to do!"
After hearing this, the palace maids and eunuchs all answered in unison. Then they immediately lifted the prince's quilt and took it out of the palace. Zhao Xiaofei shouted from behind, "Don't forget to burn the quilt!" A eunuch agreed and left.
Zhao Xiaofei approached Crown Prince Zhu Cilang. Sure enough, the young man inherited his father, Chongzhen's good genes; he was incredibly handsome. Even Huang Xiaoming and Eddie Peng weren't as handsome as him; he was delicate and handsome, yet masculine.
At this moment, his eyes were tightly closed, sweat was pouring down his forehead, and his breathing was rapid! Zhao Xiaofei lifted up his right arm sleeve and saw that a red spot had appeared. He said to the two judges, "Two imperial doctors, please help the prince turn over."
The two judges hurried over to help turn the prince over. Zhao Xiaofei then took out the medicine and filled the syringe with liquid. He squeezed out some more. Doctor Li asked, "Why did your Excellency squeeze out more liquid?"
"This is to prevent air from entering the body. If there is air in the person's blood, it will block the blood vessels and cause infarction. The blood cannot flow throughout the body, and the person will be close to death!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
Doctor Li and the others turned pale after hearing this, especially Wang Chengen, who really wanted to slap Zhao Xiaofei in the face. He said sternly, "Master Zhao! This is the Imperial Palace! Don't keep talking about death! This is a taboo!"
"Sorry! We don't have so many taboos in our country, please forgive me!" Zhao Xiaofei grinned as he worked. He walked over with a syringe in one hand and an alcohol swab in the other.
He said to the crowd, "Take off the prince's pants!"
Everyone was stunned. Doctor Hu asked, "Your Excellency! You gave me an injection before. Wasn't it in my arm?"
"You're not the prince! I can spank you any way I want! I'm not afraid of breaking your bones when I spank your arm! This is the prince, what if I break a bone? There's a lot of flesh on his buttocks, the needle can't touch the bone!" Zhao Xiaofei said. In fact, he wanted to give him a direct intravenous injection, but his skills were not good enough, so he could only spank the prince's buttocks.
Doctor Hu nodded, but Wang Chengen felt very embarrassed. Not only had he never seen an injection before, but he also had to give it to the buttocks. This was too rude. But Zhao Xiaofei said that he was afraid of hurting the prince. So he said, "I'll do it!"
Wang Chengen then took over and took off the prince's pants, exposing his buttocks. Zhao Xiaofei first rubbed alcohol on his buttocks a few times, then suddenly, with a needle, he slowly pushed the medicine in.
After the injection, Wang Chengen helped the prince put on his pants and asked, "Is there anything else you need from us?"
As Zhao Xiaofei packed up, he said, "Wait! Wait until the prince wakes up before giving him medicine! In case the high fever damages his body!"
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