The Daily Life of a Down-on-Hard-Life Medicine Girl Supporting Her Family

Chapter 188

"My son has met his mother."

"Che'er." The Empress was very pleased to see the blush finally returning to her son's face. "Che'er, sit down."

"Yes, Queen Mother."

The Crown Prince sat down and was about to pull Panpan over to sit with him when the Empress pulled Panpan into her arms.

"Che'er, news has come that the remnants of the Third Prince have launched rebellions in many places."

"Hasn't the Third Prince already been placed under house arrest?"

Confined to the Imperial Clan Court, yet still able to cause trouble; what kind of scene would it be if left unchecked? It's unimaginable.

"Che'er, if your father summons you..."

"Your Majesty, I missed some of my studies in recent years due to poor health, and there are many things I don't understand. I will follow Father to learn properly."

The Empress was quite pleased to hear this.

In fact, even though her son was in poor health, as the eldest prince and the legitimate son of the Empress, the Empress did not reduce her expectations and guidance for him.

Because of his poor health, he lived in Kunning Palace and spent every day with the Empress. Not only did they have a good relationship, but the wise Empress also taught him everything he needed to know.

Therefore, no one knew that the sickly eldest prince was actually very learned and had mastered the art of being an emperor.

The Empress was also worried that the Emperor would send the Crown Prince, Che'er, to discuss political affairs, and that her son would prematurely reveal his abilities due to his position as Crown Prince.

Although the emperor had established a crown prince, he was still in his prime, and no emperor wanted to see his position coveted by others.

Yes, he established a crown prince in the hope that there would be a successor and someone to inherit the throne.

However, as long as he kept his eyes open, he was the emperor and would not allow anyone to covet his throne, not even his only son.

“Studying is a good thing, but you also need to take care of your health. Don’t overwork yourself.” Knowing that her son understood, the Empress no longer needed to hide her smile. “After all, no skill can be mastered in a day. Take your time, don’t rush. You can’t eat hot tofu in a hurry, and you can’t digest what you’ve eaten in a hurry. Studying is the same principle. Chew slowly and don’t try to do too much at once.”

It means playing dumb when you should play dumb, and acting simple-minded when you should act simple-minded.

When things get tough, just give up, pretend to be dizzy or vomiting, and then go back to the East Palace to rest.

Your subject will humbly follow Your Majesty's teachings.

The crown prince indicated that he understood.

The mother and son exchanged a glance, their lips curving slightly upwards.

Yes, although they were the empress and the crown prince, the real power lay with the emperor.

When the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up; at times like these, there's the emperor to step in.

If he can't even quell internal strife, then he really is...

The Empress doesn't mind if the Crown Prince has to clean up the mess!

After all, no one will submit to a new ruler who lacks ability.

She firmly believed that her son had that ability.

The purpose of this visit to the Eastern Palace was to prevent his son from standing out.

The wood show will be destroyed by the forest wind.

Moreover, he is the emperor's only son, and now that he has been made crown prince, he has always been a thorn in their side.

The wisest choice is to stay in your shell and grow well.

The mother and son talked about some ordinary little things, such as what they ate, whether they took their medicine on time, and whether they slept well at night... The empress didn't even mention whether her son practiced calligraphy.

As Panpan listened, she found it boring and fell asleep in the Empress's arms.

Its tiny mouth was still moving, and saliva was flowing out so juicy and delicious.

"Your Majesty, how about I, this old servant, carry it?"

The old nanny behind her was very worried when she saw that the little girl's drool had soiled the Empress's gorgeous clothes, and quickly gestured for her to come and hold this fearless little darling.

"It's alright, this child is probably dreaming about delicious food." The Empress adored her chubby little face: "If only I had a daughter like this."

"Your Majesty may adopt Miss Panpan as your goddaughter."

This was something that the old woman couldn't understand at all. If it were according to the usual practice, she would have been adopted as a goddaughter long ago.

If they wanted to keep it for the Crown Prince... they felt it was unlikely, after all, the Crown Prince was already fifteen years old, while this child was not yet three.

"It's not time yet." The Empress affectionately stroked the little girl's head. "The better I treat her, the more dangerous she will be. Once she leaves the Eastern Palace, I'll have to keep her in the cold. Sigh..."

Everyone envies her as the Empress of the Eastern Palace, but little do they know that every step she takes is fraught with danger, and she has to go to great lengths to protect those who are good to her.

"Has any news come from Sichuan?"

"Your Majesty, I've heard that the Second Young Lady has gone to the northern desert."

"To the northern desert?" The Empress was shocked. "Is someone secretly protecting us?"

Too many coincidences are no longer coincidences.

When her mother brought news to the palace that Physician Xiao's second granddaughter was making medicine and seeking medical treatment in Shu, all the coincidences became clear.

Why do the pills that Panpan gives to Che'er in the palace always have an effect?

However, the pills made with the same ingredients by the Imperial Medical Academy were not suitable.

All I can say is that Physician Xiao left the essence of Che'er's illness to his granddaughter named Chunnuan.

That girl was also shrewd; she devised a way to get the medicine to the capital and into Che'er's mouth.

Many times, the Empress thought that she was cowardly for failing to protect Physician Xiao back then.

At the same time, she was secretly glad that the Empress Dowager protected the women of the Xiao family, and that she later chose to stand with the Empress Dowager to protect Xiao Chunyu, which gave her a chance to save Che'er.

Everything is preordained by fate; helping others is also helping yourself.

The Queen believed that everything was a blessing.

"Your Majesty, the Marquis has sent people to protect you."

"That's good."

The Queen breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Speaking of which, the daughters of the Xiao family are no less capable than the men."

The Empress admired him greatly.

The previous Xiao Chunyu dared to drag her frail body, still recovering from childbirth, onto a bed of iron nails to petition the emperor, and forcefully sent the entire Wu family to prison, carving out a path to survival for herself.

The next Xiao Chunnuan, despite being bullied by her clansmen in Shu, managed to settle her family down through her own abilities and gradually turned things around, making her life prosperous.

Yes, the Xiao family reported everything that happened to them after they went to Shu to the Empress.

Now, for the sake of her relatives in the northern desert, Chunnuan, a young girl, has gone to the northern desert.

That takes a lot of determination and perseverance.

What else can a young lady from a prominent family do besides cry in this situation?

"I remember that the second daughter of the Xiao family was engaged to the second young master of the Zhang family back then?"

"Yes, after Physician Xiao's accident, the Zhang family immediately broke off the engagement."

"A blessed woman does not enter a door of misfortune." The Empress's lips curled into a sneer: "Let Mother find out which of our sons is suitable, and I will personally bestow a marriage upon her."

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid this is not appropriate."

The nanny quickly stopped her, it seemed that the lady had only listened to half of what the Lady of the Marquis had to say.

"Why?" the Empress said, "I don't think that just because she is the daughter of a royal physician, I should underestimate her abilities and talents. To tell you the truth, if Che'er were not going to inherit the throne, I would be happy to have her as my daughter-in-law, even if she is three years older."

"The reason I won't let her into the palace is that I don't want to trap her." The Empress stroked Panpan's chubby little face and said, "I am grateful to Physician Xiao for saving Che'er's life, so I cannot repay kindness with enmity. That girl does not belong in the palace. Trapping her in the palace would be to kill her."

"Your Majesty is discerning and kind-hearted."

The old woman quickly said, "I've heard that the second young lady of the Xiao family is engaged to the third young master of the Zhao family of Baicaotang in Changzhou, Sichuan." "Oh? Is that true?"

The Empress sighed with regret: "That Marquis's family is truly unfortunate."

The Empress became interested again.

"Does the third young master of the Zhao family have any extraordinary abilities?"

Something's wrong?

Would a woman like that be willing to marry so easily?
"It seems that they repeatedly extended a helping hand when the Xiao family was in trouble."

"The Zhao family must have accumulated countless good deeds and burned countless incense sticks in their ancestors' time," the Empress said, expressing her envy of the Zhao family.

Yes, many times others envy her imperial status and the wealth and honor she enjoys.

In fact, ever since Che'er fell ill, she would rather exchange a lifetime of wealth and glory for her son's lifelong peace and health.

Without life, you have nothing.

No official position commands as much respect as a skilled doctor; they are like gods, daring to snatch lives from the jaws of death.

In the capital, imperial physicians were not high-ranking pillars of the court, but they were figures that powerful families dared not offend.

Humans eat grains and get all sorts of illnesses. With a large family of young and old, who knows when we'll end up needing these imperial physicians?
That's someone who can save lives; we can't afford to offend them.

What a blessing it is to have someone in your family who is skilled in medicine!
"To keep people informed about the situation in Sichuan."

"Your Majesty, the war in Shu..."

"With the Emperor here, His Majesty is wise and has seen it all since ascending the throne. This little problem is naturally nothing for me to worry about."

As the saying goes, one should fulfill one's duties in one's position; right now, she only cares about her son.

In fact, it's not that she doesn't care, but rather that she's bringing it up here.

There are people planted by the Emperor in the Eastern Palace; some things can be said, and some things cannot.

The Empress and the Crown Prince chatted for a while longer.

She saw the child in her arms move slightly.

"What's wrong, Panpan?"

Panpan opened her eyes and looked at the Empress with a somewhat bewildered expression.

"Mother?"

"Hehe, this child is really half asleep. Come, come, take a good look and see who I am?"

"Oh, Your Majesty, Panpan dreamed of her mother giving birth to her younger brother."

"Oh my, your mouth must be blessed, it seems Mrs. Xia has good news."

At this moment, in the Xia residence, Xiao Chunyu was vomiting with tears streaming down her face.

"Madam, this servant will go and invite Mr. Wang."

Mo Lan was very anxious. Suddenly, the lady was vomiting so badly; she must be sick.

"It's nothing, you probably ate something wrong, or maybe your stomach got cold last night."

Chunyu waved her hand: "It's nothing serious, so there's no need to go see the royal physician."

Sometimes she couldn't believe that she would one day fall into such a lucky place.

The abandoned wife of the Wu family, whom everyone in the capital avoided, married General Xia with a daughter and became the mistress of the general's mansion.

Not only was this marriage personally bestowed by the Emperor, but she was also able to take over the management of the household affairs from the old lady as soon as she entered the mansion.

Moreover, the old lady was very kind to her and Panpan, and showed no dislike whatsoever.

The general dotes on her deeply, and if calling the royal physician alarms the mother and son, they'll be incredibly worried.

“Madam, you should probably see the family physician.” Jianlan stood to the side, hesitant to speak.

"what happened?"

When Mo Lan and Jian Lan saw Xia Guangcheng enter through the curtain, they bowed and took their leave.

Because they knew that it was inconvenient for servants to be by the general's side when he entered the room.

"What's wrong ma'am?"

"General, it's nothing..."

Xiao Chunyu, who had said everything was fine, rushed into the bathroom again.

“Yu’er…” Xia Guangcheng exclaimed in surprise: “What’s wrong? Is she ill? Summon someone and ask Mr. Wang for help.”

Mr. Wang was the physician of the General's Mansion. He was called "Mr." because he did not practice medicine for the general public.

It is said that he was the father of a former subordinate of the general. Because the subordinate died on the battlefield, the general had no other father but this man, so he brought him to the capital to support him.

It was later learned that Mr. Wang was a skilled doctor in his youth, but he offended powerful figures and was framed and embroiled in a lawsuit, after which he stopped practicing medicine.

After arriving in the capital, he was grateful for General Xia's kindness in providing for him and took the initiative to assume the responsibility of being the physician of the prefecture.

"General, no need, I'm fine."

Xiao Chunyu didn't want him to worry: "You don't need to worry, I'm fine."

They can eat and sleep well, no, they can eat and sleep a lot, but they get hungry again soon after eating, and they have a strong craving for food.

Thinking about her cravings, Xiao Chunyu wondered if it was influenced by Panpan.
That child is too greedy. She wants to eat this one minute and that the next. I originally wanted to control her a bit, but I couldn't resist the old lady's pampering. Whatever she wanted to eat, she would bypass me and directly ask the old lady for it. The old lady would immediately arrange for the cook to make it.

It must be said that Panpan is also a filial child. She always thinks of herself when it comes to food, either bringing it to the house herself or having the servants send a portion to the courtyard.

Before long, the daily snacks and pastries kept coming in non-stop.

For example, right now, after vomiting up everything in her stomach, she felt empty and wanted to eat again, and even felt dizzy from hunger for a moment.

"General..."

"what happened?"

Xia Guangcheng realized something was wrong and pulled the person into his arms: "Someone, quickly, please invite Mr. Wang, hurry..."

The lady has fainted!

Mo Lan was so startled that she ran away as fast as she could.

The lady is ill, so we invited Mr. Wang.

Upon hearing this, Madam Xia immediately came to see her daughter-in-law.

"How is it, Mr. Wang?"

The mother and son asked in unison.

"Madam and General, please don't worry. Let me take your pulse again."

Mr. Wang knew that this matter was of great importance and could not be taken lightly.

Moreover, seeing how anxious Madam Xia and the general were, we needed to be even more careful.

After taking the pulse on the right hand, I switched to taking the pulse on the left hand.

"Sir, what illness does my wife have?"

Xia Guangcheng's heart was very heavy!
Knowing that she wasn't in good health and had been recuperating, I sometimes... I wonder if I'm just overworked. I really want to slap myself a few times.

"Madam, General." Mr. Wang released his hand from taking her pulse: "Congratulations, Madam, congratulations, General. Madam's pulse indicates she is pregnant; she is more than two months along."

what?
Madam Xia looked at her son in shock.

Xia Guangcheng was also shocked.

"Mr. Wang, you haven't misread the pulse?"

The mother and son asked in unison, expressing an emotion that went far beyond mere surprise.