Now I really have to marry the princess.

Yang Zhengdao, Aba, and Tan Feng walked back to Xingdaofang.

It's unknown whether the injured "Shadow" can be healed.

With Su Hongyi around, "Wu Ying" will surely be sent to the palace and cared for by the Imperial Horse Stables.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, they heard Xi Junmai's suppressed sobs coming from the inner hall, mixed with Xi Youniang's weak cough.

Yang Zhengdao strode into the inner room.

The doctor whom Liu Zhong had invited was standing by the bed, shaking his head repeatedly.

Xi Junmai squatted down in front of the bed, holding Xi Youniang's small hand tightly.

"Doctor, does this young lady from the Xi family have a lung abscess?" Yang Zhengdao hurriedly stepped forward to inquire.

The doctor bowed and said, "Young Master Yang, the young lady is indeed suffering from lung abscess. However, her lungs and internal organs are damaged, she has a high fever, and her pulse is erratic. Please forgive my inability to help her."

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhengdao breathed a sigh of relief; it was good that it was just a lung abscess.

Lung abscess is caused by a prolonged cold that eventually leads to a lung infection.

Penicillin can cure any infection.

In the post-antibiotic era, bacteria and viruses have generally developed drug resistance.

However, bacteria and viruses of this era clearly do not have this ability.

Therefore, penicillin's therapeutic effect is naturally excellent, and it is no exaggeration to call it a panacea.

Yang Zhengdao had Liu Zhong pay the consultation fee, saw the doctor off, and then instructed A-Wu and A-Liu to prepare the tonifying medicinal herbs.

In addition to receiving anti-infection treatment with penicillin, Xi Youniang's weak body also needed some nourishment.

Xi Junmai, who was standing guard by the bedside, couldn't help but show a hint of joy when he saw Yang Zhengdao begin to instruct people to prepare the medicine.

He bowed to Yang Zhengdao again, his lips moved, but he didn't say anything.

Yang Zhengdao patted Xi Junmai on the shoulder: "He Fengyu has already agreed and will be here later."

Xi Junmai's eyes reddened, and he nodded emphatically.

"However..." Yang Zhengdao paused, then continued, "Young Master Xi, this medication is extremely dangerous, are you aware of that?"

Although the experienced medical officers from Shang Pharmacy are in charge and the risks are completely controllable, it is still necessary to emphasize this to Xi Junmai again.

"I understand, Junmai!" Xi Junmai immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute. "My sister has already escaped death this time. If anything were to happen to her... she would never dare to blame you, my lord. I will never forget your great kindness in this lifetime."

Yang Zhengdao sighed and patted Xi Junmai on the shoulder again.

Orphaned and with a sick younger sister, he's practically a protagonist archetype, yet he's only mentioned briefly in historical records.

His glorious achievement of defeating ten thousand enemies with only one hundred and twenty riders was like a shooting star, fleeting and ephemeral.

Just as Yang Zhengdao was about to turn and leave, Xi Junmai's voice came from behind him.

"My lord, from now on you can just call me Junmai."

Yang Zhengdao's lips curled into an uncontrollable smile. He turned his back to Xi Junmai, waved his hand, and said in a deep voice, "Don't mention this matter again. Zhengdao will never be the kind of person who takes advantage of kindness."

It wasn't that Yang Zhengdao was hypocritical; it was simply that one should treat a loyal and courageous man like Xi Junmai with sincerity and reciprocate with genuine kindness.

In the afternoon, around 1:00 PM.

He Guanzhong, accompanied by two physicians and carrying a wooden box, entered Yang Zhengdao's residence.

He Guanzhong examined Xi Youniang again and confirmed that she had lung abscess.

The physician first used a skin test needle to perform a skin test on Xi Youniang.

This skin test needle is much more sophisticated than the one Yang Zhengdao made back then, which suggests that the Imperial Pharmacy has made some improvements over the past month or so.

Even so, this still seems a bit too crude for a little girl.

The physician used a skin test needle with a narrow front and a wide back groove to prick the skin on Xi Youniang's arm.

The moment the needle pricked the flesh, Xi Youniang's small body visibly trembled, and her arm instinctively pulled back, but was firmly grasped by the physician's hand.

Xi Junmai's heart tightened, and he asked with heartache, "Sister, does it hurt?"

Xi Youniang bit her lower lip, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes from the pain.

She shook her head and forced a faint smile: "Brother, it doesn't hurt!"

The physician secured the skin test needle firmly against Xi Youniang's arm, then dripped penicillin solution into the groove, allowing the medicine to seep into the subcutaneous tissue.

Xi Youniang clenched her teeth and didn't utter a single sound from beginning to end.

After a cup of tea, there was no abnormality in Xi Youniang's arm, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, so the medicine could be administered.

The physician opened the wooden box, inside which were seven or eight porcelain bottles neatly arranged, containing penicillin solution that the Imperial Pharmacy always kept on hand.

He Guanzhong took out a bottle and a small spoon, containing only two or three drops, which he mixed with half a spoonful of warm water and gave to Xi Youniang.

He put down his spoon and explained, "Young Master Yang, for external injuries, the dosage is five qian (approximately 15 grams). For internal use, start with five fen (approximately 1.5 grams). If the young lady shows no abnormalities within an hour, we will increase the dosage."

Yang Zhengdao hurriedly bought gifts on behalf of Xi Jun to express his gratitude, and then led He Guanzhong to the outer room.

The two medical officers stayed behind to observe, while Xi Junmai stayed by the bedside without leaving for a moment.

After Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu served tea, He Guanzhong told Yang Zhengdao about the task of researching the prohibition of marriage between close relatives at the Imperial Pharmacy and asked Yang Zhengdao for advice.

Yang Zhengdao had no advice to offer; all he could say was "facts speak louder than words," which was nothing more than citing examples and making comparisons.

As for scientific knowledge such as genetics, Yang Zhengdao was not confident that he could explain it clearly, nor could he convince He Fengyu.

But as they talked, Yang Zhengdao suddenly realized that He Fengyu was asking about politics, not medicine.

He then realized that the principle of "no marriage between close relatives" was not as simple as just ruining the marriage between Changsun Chong and Li Lizhi.

The phrase "no marriage between close relatives" offended all the powerful and influential families.

Prominent families such as Cui, Lu, Zheng, and Wang were able to survive the chaos of the Northern and Southern Dynasties precisely because of their generations of intermarriage.

Emperors may be replaced, officials may be replaced, but powerful and influential families remain steadfast.

Compared to the consolidation and inheritance of power, what does it matter to powerful families if a few problematic children are born from consanguineous marriages?

Perhaps the problem of consanguineous marriage has long been noticed among these large families that have intermarried for generations, but no one has spoken out about it.

Now Yang Zhengdao has lifted this fig leaf.

Li Er, the first emperor of all time, possessed unquestionable political acumen, and he clearly seized this opportunity.

Now, Li Er is using the fact that Li Lizhi's marriage has been ruined to get the Imperial Pharmacy to prove that close relatives should not marry.

The next step for Li Er would be to use the pretext of loving the world and caring for the people's livelihood to have the Ministry of Justice legislate a comprehensive ban on marriage between close relatives.

Don't assume that there were no marriage laws in ancient times.

The Tang Code contains a law on marriage, which explicitly prohibits marriage between people with the same surname and incestuous marriages.

Those who marry within the same surname shall each be sentenced to two years of penal servitude; those who marry within the same kinship rank or higher shall be considered adulterers and forced to divorce.

With the evidence provided by the Imperial Pharmacy, Li Er could legitimately add a ban on marriage between close relatives to the law.

Thus, the prohibition against marriage between close relatives could become a powerful tool in Li Er's hands to curb the power of aristocratic families.

Thinking of this, Yang Zhengdao broke out in a cold sweat.

Was that horse-riding "accident" this morning an act of revenge? Or a warning?

How should one conduct oneself in this hidden, seemingly uneventful power struggle?

Should one remain humble and avoid trouble? Should one observe the situation and wait for the right moment to act? Or should one take the initiative and become the knife in Li Er's hands?