After flirting with the aloof prince, the concubine ran away pregnant.

Tao Yao was tidying her hair in front of the mirror when she heard this and glanced at her mother in the mirror. "Mother, who is that Taoist doctor! So many sick officials and nobles in the capital go there for treatment, and he even cured my cold."

She put down the comb and turned around, her eyes gleaming: "Once Yunxi lights that incense, my brother will naturally look at me differently. Let's see what tomorrow night brings."

Standing behind her, Granny Wen opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back. In the end, she simply nodded and said, "Then tomorrow, I will prepare a plate of water chestnut cake, which the young master likes, for you."

She didn't understand why her daughter was so obsessed with the prince, but she owed the child too much. She would help Tao Yao get whatever she wanted.

.

The next day, Afu was cleaning the study with Yunxi and the mute servants Abian and Ajiao.

After wiping the top shelf of the bookshelf, Afu climbed down the ladder and dusted off her hands.

Yunxi squatted on the ground to change the old ash in the incense burner. She moved very gently and carefully poured the remaining ash from the bottom of the burner into a winnowing basket.

At this moment, Granny Wen came over from the corridor and stopped at the door: "Miss Afu, it's getting hot early this year, Tingzhuxuan should be ready by now."

"Take Abian and Ajiao over there. Clean it up today, because the young master will be moving there to cool off in a few days."

Although Afu felt it was a bit rushed to clean Tingzhuxuan today, Granny Wen was always efficient and decisive, so it was just a matter of putting in a little more effort.

She glanced at the remaining work in the study, not much was left, and turned to Yunxi, saying, "Finish the rest, change the incense, and wipe the floor again with mugwort water before you leave."

Yunxi nodded: "Don't worry, sister, I know what to do."

The door closed behind her, leaving Yunxi alone in the room.

She squatted in front of the incense burner, still clutching the packet of yellow incense ash in her hand.

.

At the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), Xie Xun returned from the Dali Temple and sat down in his study.

The room was filled with the familiar, bitter scent of mugwort, a method Afu often used. He smelled the aroma, and the weariness between his brows eased a little. He then opened the official documents and began to read.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he gradually realized that something was wrong.

Beneath the bitterness of mugwort lies a faint fragrance, almost imperceptible, as if slowly seeping out from some corner.

He put down his pen, followed the scent, and looked up. Yunxi was standing by the incense burner, her hands hanging down, waiting for instructions.

"What do you smell like?" he asked, his voice turning cold.

Yunxi froze, head bowed, not daring to move.

"You're serving me with your body still smelling like you?" Xie Xun looked at her. "Is this how Afu taught you?"

Yunxi knelt down, her voice trembling, "This servant knows she was wrong, this servant will go back and wash herself..."

"Get out." Xie Xun withdrew his gaze, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Yes." Yunxi hurriedly retreated.

Xie Xun pressed his temples and said towards the door, "Changsong, go and call Afu to serve you."

Changsong responded and quickly left the courtyard.

Xie Xun sat alone behind his desk. Just as he picked up the official document, he suddenly felt the words in front of him begin to blur.

He put down his pen, closed his eyes, and tried to calm himself down, but a sudden surge of heat rushed through his body. It wasn't the passion he had experienced before, but a burning pain from surging blood, and the veins in his arm throbbed.

He tried to stand up by holding onto the edge of the table, but his legs gave way and he slumped back into his chair.

At that moment, the door was gently pushed open.

Tao Yao, wearing a light red jacket and carrying a red lacquered food box, strode in briskly: "Young Master, Tao Yao has come to bring you water chestnut cakes."

She saw Xie Xun slump into a chair, his face flushed, his forehead covered in sweat, and her heart pounded faster.

Is the medication taking effect?

She put down the food box and hurried forward: "Young Master, what's wrong? Do you need Tao Yao's help?"

She reached out to help him, but just as her fingertips touched his sleeve, Xie Xun suddenly looked up.

Those eyes were bloodshot with pain, and their gaze was sharp: "Call a doctor."

Tao Yao was stunned.

"Call a doctor!" Xie Xun slammed his fist on the armrest of the chair, the wood making a dull thud, and blood seeped from his knuckles.

His body convulsed from the pain, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but he showed no signs of being confused or infatuated.

Tao Yao was startled by his appearance, her face turning pale: "Brother Prince, are you alright?"

She was so frightened that her legs went weak, and she stumbled out of the study, shouting, "Is anyone there? Quick, call a doctor! Call a doctor!"

Doctor Lu arrived quickly. As soon as he entered, he felt Xie Xun's pulse, then took out silver needles and inserted several needles into his fingertips and behind his ears.

Dark red blood seeped from the needle hole, thick and black.

After a few needles, Xie Xun's breathing finally calmed down a bit, but his face was still frighteningly pale.

Changsong and Granny Wen rushed over immediately upon hearing the news.

Doctor Lu took another pulse, his brows furrowing more and more: "The blood in the body is boiling, which is a symptom of blood dryness, but there is no trace of poisoning in the pulse. It seems to have been caused by something."

Tao Yao's eyes flickered slightly as she glanced at the incense burner under the windowsill on the right. Fortunately, the incense ash had burned out and there was no smell anymore.

"In my decades of medical practice, I have never seen such a strange illness. Even with acupuncture every fifteen minutes, I can only barely suppress it for an hour. If I cannot find the cause within an hour, or if I cannot find a more skilled physician..."

Doctor Lu paused, his voice turning somber, "I'm afraid we won't be able to wait until tomorrow morning."

Tao Yao's hands trembled slightly inside her sleeve, but no one noticed.

Her eyes were red and filled with disbelief.

After struggling and hesitating for a moment, she quickly stepped forward and said, "Dr. Lu, why don't we ask that Taoist doctor to take a look? Lu Wuxiang, who is famous throughout the capital recently, is said to be able to cure many strange diseases."

Doctor Lu nodded: "The Daoist medical lineage has always been known for its unexpected and remarkable abilities; it's worth a try."

Tao Yao immediately replied, "I know that Taoist doctor. He has eccentric rules. My mother went to see him a few times before and knows how to invite him."

Changsong said, "Then please ask Granny Wen to go and return quickly."

Granny Wen and her daughter exchanged a glance, then quickly went out to fetch the Taoist doctor.

Time passed slowly. Xie Xun leaned back in his chair. He had already had his blood drawn for the third time. His breathing gradually became calmer, but he still did not open his eyes.

Granny Wen finally returned, holding a piece of paper in her hand, her expression one of self-reproach: "I am ashamed. The Taoist doctor said that he was unable to make house calls and only gave me this prescription."

Doctor Lu unfolded the prescription and examined it for a while, his brows furrowing more and more: "This prescription is indeed mysterious; I have never seen such a method of using medicine in my life. But this medicinal guide... is rather strange."

He paused for a moment: "This medicine requires the blood of someone with a cold and yin constitution as a guide, to be taken once a month on the fifteenth, for three consecutive months, in order to neutralize its effects."

Changsong asked, "What is meant by a cold yin constitution?"

"A woman with an extremely cold constitution." Doctor Lu's gaze swept around and landed on Tao Yao. "This Miss Tao Yao has been raised with a cold constitution since childhood, which fits the description."

His gaze shifted to the side again, as if searching for something, before finally settling on the direction of the door: "And that Miss Afu, she counts too."

Tao Yao stood to the side, her tense shoulders and back had just relaxed for a moment, but she froze again when she heard the second half of the sentence.

She subconsciously looked at Granny Wen, but Granny Wen kept her eyes down and didn't look at her.

Changsong pressed further, "Doctor Lu, are these two young ladies' constitutions... the same?"

Doctor Lu stroked his beard and pondered for a moment: "It's the same, yet different."

"Miss Taoyao's coldness is due to the invasion of external pathogens and prolonged illness leading to tuberculosis. The coldness is stagnant in her meridians and cannot be dissipated. Although her blood has a cold nature, it is acquired later in life."

He looked towards the doorway, his gaze deepening slightly: "But Miss Afu's coldness, I sensed something was wrong when I took her pulse last time. Her fainting that day, on the surface, seemed to be caused by the cooling medicine, but upon closer examination of her pulse, I could feel an extremely deep-seated yin-cold energy beneath, a congenital coldness."

"In my decades of medical practice, I have only seen a pulse like this once. It is the Yin energy in her birth chart that has seeped into her bones and blood. This kind of constitution is extremely rare, and her blood is truly cold Yin blood."

There was a moment of silence in the room after he said that.

Tao Yao asked, "Then... can I use my blood?"

Doctor Lu shook his head and said, "It can be used, but its efficacy will be slightly weaker."

Tao Yao stood under the lamp, bit her lip, and then stepped forward to instruct, "Use my blood! Doctor Lu, go and brew the medicine. The young master's illness can't wait for Afu to return."