“Has your old illness fred up again?” Song Huaiyu pced the bowl of hot soup noodles he’d brought onto the floor, sat on the stone bed, and helped support Ji Ping’an, whose body was limp and leaning softly against his shoulder. In a weak voice, she said, “I think I’ve caught a chill.”

  (Transtor Xiaobai: It seems that my second male lead syndrome is acting up again...)

  As she spoke, she began coughing again, unable to suppress the infmmation in her throat.

  Song Huaiyu pced a rge hand on her forehead—it was burning hot. “Lie down first. I’ll go call for a doctor.”

  After settling her gently, he gnced at the window above. It was positioned right over her head. No wonder she was sick—this underground cell was cold enough at night, and the wind blew in directly through that window.

  Just as he stepped out of the dungeon, he ran into Dongchun, who had brought both Doctor Li and Yan Xishan with her.

  As it turned out, Dongchun had immediately gone to the Princess’s residence the previous day after hearing Ji Ping’an’s instructions, trying to meet Yan Xishan. But she was just a servant girl, and with no one to introduce her, she couldn’t even get close to Yan Xishan, the favored doctor of the princess. So she had rushed straight to Huichun Hall to find Doctor Li instead.

  It was already deep into the night. The clinic was closed, and despite Dongchun knocking for a long time, no one responded. She ended up squatting by the door all night until dawn, when Huichun Hall finally opened. She immediately dragged Doctor Li to find Yan Xishan, and the three of them hurried together to the prison.

  Doctor Li examined Ji Ping’an’s condition and immediately went out to buy and prepare medicine.

  Dongchun, frozen from a sleepless night and now seeing her mistress truly ill, had cried so much her eyes were swollen.

  With Dongchun’s help, Ji Ping’an ate some soup noodles and drank some warm broth. Her muddled mind finally cleared a bit. She looked weakly toward Yan Xishan. “Doctor Yan, thank you for coming.”

  “Miss Ji, what are you saying?” Yan Xishan replied. “Had I known it was you who offended the princess, I would’ve pleaded for leniency on your behalf.”

  “Doctor Yan, I have something I need your help with,” Ji Ping’an said. Her face was pale and damp with cold sweat, but her eyes were clear and steady. “You previously asked me about treating Her Highness’s unusual illness. I’ve reviewed her five years of medical records thoroughly and have a general treatment direction in mind. After seeing her in person yesterday, I’m about seventy percent certain. The remaining thirty percent is because I haven’t yet taken her pulse.”

  Doctor Yan respectfully asked, “Please instruct me.”

  Ji Ping’an said calmly, “Doctor Yan, the princess’s illness bears a strong resembnce to blood distention (xue gu zhang).”

  She wasn’t sure whether this term existed in the current era, but Yan Xishan didn’t look particurly surprised, which meant either the condition or something simir did exist.

  “In the beginning,” Ji Ping’an continued, “it likely stemmed from emotional shock over the prince consort’s death. The illness wasn’t fully cured, and along the way, she was given a lot of so-called tonics—meant to boost qi and nourish blood, calm the mind—but they actually harmed her.”

  Doctor Yan asked, “Which substances appear beneficial but are actually harmful?”

  Ji Ping’an replied, “Lead frost (qian shuang).”

  Yan Xishan frowned. That substance was indeed often used in calming decoctions in small doses, but she was the first to call it toxic.

  She coughed heavily again, and Dongchun brought hot water for her to drink. After a few sips, she managed to suppress the discomfort.

  “Because Her Highness has been ill for so long,” Ji Ping’an expined, “she’s tried too many treatments, and what began as a straightforward case of blood distention has now transformed into a complicated disorder. I’m in no condition to expin everything in detail right now, but if I ever get out of here, I promise to expin it thoroughly.”

  Doctor Yan nodded in understanding and asked, “Since you believe it is blood distention, the lower abdomen should be gradually swelling without relief. But how can that be, if…”

  “That,” Ji Ping’an stated calmly, “is because of you, Doctor Yan. You have been using Zhenwu Decoction, haven’t you? It’s the cause of the princess's periodic abdominal swelling followed by diarrhea.”

  “I… used the wrong prescription?” he asked.

  Ji Ping’an shook her head. “No. Precisely because you prescribed it, Her Highness is still alive. Otherwise, she would’ve passed away a year or two ago.”

  Doctor Yan asked gravely, “Then in your opinion, what should the next stage of treatment be?”

  Ji Ping’an replied, “Continue using Zhenwu Decoction, but add akebia (mu tong), fangji, and peppercorn seed (jiao mu). After three days, switch to Six Gentlemen Pill (Liu Jun Zi Wan), with additions of ligusticum (chuan xiong), fangji, dried ginger, aged rice, and lotus leaf.”

  Yan Xishan lowered his head, reflecting on the prescription. After a moment, his eyes lit up. “Marvelous! Mu tong and fangji relieve edema and clear heat. Jiao mu treats qi deficiency. Added to Zhenwu Decoction, they will boost its effectiveness and reduce abdominal bloating more quickly. The Six Gentlemen Pill, with chuan xiong and dried ginger, bances the bitterness of the previous herbs and restores qi and blood after the bloating subsides. Miss Ji, your thoughtfulness and precision are truly admirable.”

  After saying that, Yan Xishan asked, “Then how can we get rid of the strange odor from the Princess’s mouth?”

  Ji Ping’an shook her head. “I suspect it’s due to chronic heavy metal poisoning—lead and other trace elements in her long-term medication have corroded her organs. I’ll need to examine her in person to confirm.”

  Yan Xishan said, “Then I’ll return to the Princess’s residence immediately and petition Her Highness to let you treat her.”

  “No!” Ji Ping’an quickly stopped him.

  Yan Xishan frowned. “Why not?”

  Ji Ping’an expined, “Doctor Yan, before anything happened to me, you tried to recommend me, and the Princess still didn’t trust me, a mere merchant’s orphan, and refused to let me treat her. Now that I’ve offended her and ended up imprisoned, how would she possibly believe me? She’d think I bribed you in order to escape punishment, and that I’m shamelessly trying to exploit her illness.”

  Yan Xishan fell silent. What she said was true. He had been too hasty and hadn’t thought it through.

  He asked, “Then in your opinion, what should we do?”

  Ji Ping’an sat up in bed and bowed deeply to Doctor Yan. “I beg you, Doctor Yan, to present the prescription under your name and have Her Highness take the medicine. If her condition improves after seven days, then you can mention my name again. I believe she will trust me by then.”

  It was a risky proposal.

  The more complicated the illness, the more cautious one must be with medication, especially for someone like the Princess. Although Ji Ping’an’s prescription was logical and expertly crafted, particurly in how she adjusted Zhenwu Decoction and the Six Gentlemen Pill, Yan Xishan had only heard the diagnosis secondhand. If there was even a slight error, the treatment could cause more harm than good.

  There was a big difference between recommending a physician and administering medicine from an unknown source. In the former case, if the treatment failed, he’d be scolded at most. In the tter, if something went wrong, it would be considered attempted poisoning of royalty and cost him his life.

  Yan Xishan hesitated, clearly torn.

  Ji Ping’an quickly added, “Doctor Yan, I have full confidence in my prescription. If you doubt me, you can test it out yourself first.”

  Then, she bowed three times. “If Doctor Yan is willing to help me avoid this disaster, the Ji family will gdly offer ten thousand taels of silver in gratitude.”

  Ten thousand taels of silver!!

  Yan Xishan was shamefully tempted.

  Ten thousand taels. One risk. A lifetime of wealth and comfort!

  “Ahem—”

  Though dazzled by the silver, he still managed to cough a few times and pull his thoughts away from the fortune. “Miss Ji, I believe in your medical skills.”

  Ji Ping’an raised an eyebrow. “So?”

  Yan Xishan straightened his back. “Money may move the heart, but I, Yan Xishan, am not that kind of person.”

  Even Dongchun couldn’t help but look at him with a pointed stare, as if to say: If not you, then who?

  Yan Xishan coughed again. “Even if I help you, it’s for the Princess’s health. Please don’t speak of silver again. Once I’ve reviewed your prescription in the context of the Princess’s symptoms, I’ll make any necessary adjustments and administer it. All of this will be my personal decision.”

  Taking a bribe and accidentally causing a mistake in treatment were two different crimes. Clearly, Yan Xishan was choosing the safer gamble.

  Ji Ping’an smiled. “Then I thank you, Doctor Yan.”

  Yan Xishan gave a modest expression. “A doctor’s duty is compassion.”

  Ji Ping’an didn’t expose him and simply smiled. “You’re right, Doctor Yan. It was shallow of me.”

  Just as Yan Xishan left, Doctor Li arrived with freshly decocted medicine. After Ji Ping’an took it, her body began to warm slightly, and she felt a bit better. Doctor Li left behind some pills and instructions to take them on time before leaving.

  Once he was gone, Ji Ping’an asked Dongchun to leave as well.

  Dongchun shook her head. “I’m not leaving. I want to stay here and take care of you.”

  Ji Ping’an sighed. “Who gets to have a servant while in prison?”

  Dongchun pouted. “I’m staying, no matter what.”

  “Silly girl.” Ji Ping’an stroked her head. “You can help me more on the outside by looking for evidence to prove my innocence. Don’t stay here and suffer with me.”

  She then pulled Dongchun into a hug and whispered in her ear, “Once you’re out, don’t return to the Song household. Go to Doctor Li. Have him shelter you for a few days.”

  Dongchun’s eyes turned red again.

  Just then, Song Huaiyu entered and exchanged a gnce with Ji Ping’an. He seemed to understand her pn and turned to Dongchun. “The prison doesn’t allow unreted persons. Letting you in was already a favor.”

  Dongchun gred at him angrily.

  He remained calm. “If you won’t go, I’ll have the constables escort you out.”

  “Fine!” she stomped and stormed off.

  Terrible man! Second Young Master Song is a terrible man!

  There was a faint smile in Song Huaiyu’s eyes. He motioned for someone to bring in new bedding. Picking up a hat from the stack, he pced it on Ji Ping’an’s head. “It was my mistake yesterday—I forgot about the window. That’s why you got sick. From now on, I’ll have fresh bedding and warm water bags delivered every four hours. The damp ones can be aired out in rotation so you won’t catch a cold again.”

  Ji Ping’an froze in pce.

  Song Huaiyu was being… unusually considerate.

  “Thank you, Cousin Huaiyu,” she said.

  He replied lightly, “You’re suffering in pce of Zhishu. It’s only right I take care of you.”

  So that’s the reason.

  Ji Ping’an nodded. “Still, thank you for your kindness.”

  He had the damp bedding taken away and repced with clean, warm bnkets. Then he turned to leave—but paused at the doorway and added solemnly, “Hang in there a few more days. The case will be resolved soon.”

  Ji Ping’an blinked in surprise, and by the time she came to, he was already gone.

  ....

  Ji Ping’an felt the soft bedding, warm and infused with the scent of sunshine.

  As Dongchun returned to the Song residence, she happened to run into Song Zhishu on the road.