Chapter 44: Court Physician Chen

Birdsong came from the trees outside the hall, and the distant sky gradually brightened—it was already morning.

Inside the hall, Chu Mingheng propped himself up and sat on the edge of the bed.

Perhaps just awakened, his expression still carried a hint of coolness and languor.

He glanced toward the window where the birdsong continued incessantly. Through the gauze curtains, the morning light seeped in bit by bit.

Then he tilted his head slightly, his gaze lowering to see Lan Wu sleeping peacefully beside him.

A night had passed, and her complexion had improved considerably. He knew she had woken once during the night, but she was easy to coax, falling back into peaceful slumber after a short while.

Only, last night he had dreamed of Lan Wu again.

By now, he no longer knew whether those dreams were mere figments of imagination or something else entirely.

How strange.

Turning to the side, he reached out and pinched Lan Wu’s ear. As expected, he saw her frown, as if struggling not to wake.

This lazy thing, she truly hasn’t learned palace etiquette well.

Chu Mingheng didn’t rouse her, instead getting off the bed by himself.

Lan Wu slept for another hour or so before waking.

She called Lian Xi into the hall.

“What time is it?” Lan Wu asked as she got up to wash and freshen up.

Lian Xi replied, “Your Highness, it’s almost the end of the Chen hour.”

Lan Wu nodded, then heard her add:

“Your Highness, His Majesty said he has arranged for a court physician from the Imperial Medical Academy to tend to your health. She will be here shortly.”

In her previous life, Lan Wu had already undergone body conditioning, but now she had to start all over again. Still, she had no reason to be displeased.

Lan Wu simply hummed in acknowledgment as the palace attendants laid out several garments for her to choose from for the day.

“The pale orchid-colored one.”

She had changed clothes when she returned yesterday. The green dress she had worn only once was stained with blood, and since Beauty Rong had just suffered a miscarriage, it was inappropriate for her to linger. She had ordered it disposed of.

Her features were striking and alluring, yet in her own quarters, she rarely adorned herself. Even when she styled her hair, she kept it simple. Viewed this way, she exuded a serene and graceful beauty.

After finishing breakfast, it wasn’t long before the court physician Lian Xi had mentioned arrived.

The physician appeared to be in her thirties, with a gentle demeanor and a manner of speaking that was not rigid. More importantly, she was a familiar face.

Upon seeing her, Lan Wu even paused in her leisurely tea-sipping, feeling a sudden bitterness spread in her mouth.

“This humble official pays respects to Jieyu. May Your Highness enjoy boundless blessings,” the physician knelt and performed the proper salutation.

Lan Wu’s lips twitched slightly as she urged her to rise quickly.

“What is your name?” she asked with a smile, inquiring about the physician’s name.

“Your Highness, this humble official is named Chen Li. His Majesty specially ordered me to come and assist in conditioning Your Highness’s health.”

Chen Li, Court Physician Chen. What a long time it had been.

Lan Wu smiled amiably, swallowing hard. In her previous life, she had been thoroughly deceived by Court Physician Chen’s gentle appearance. The prescriptions she concocted grew increasingly bitter with each batch. Lan Wu had never been fond of bitter medicine, often waiting until it cooled to lukewarm before reluctantly drinking half, leaving the rest untouched once it turned cold. Court Physician Chen was diligent, however, and would watch her drink it…

But her prescriptions were effective. After more than half a year, the pain in her lower abdomen subsided. Though some discomfort remained, it was no longer the kind of agony that left her speechless.

Now, she had to start all over again.

Lan Wu looked at Court Physician Chen’s gentle smiling face and was not taken in by it, saying, “Then I’ll trouble you, Court Physician Chen. However, I absolutely cannot bear bitter medicine—sometimes I even retch after taking it, so it’s a common occurrence. I hope your medicine won’t be too bitter.”

Court Physician Chen was taken aback. All medicine is bitter by nature—how could it not be? The lady’s words made it sound as though she was truly afraid of taking medicine.

She found it amusing, then recalled the instructions His Majesty had specially sent someone to relay to her before she came: Zhen Jieyu was young and a bit mischievous, but everything was for the sake of her health. She need not listen to her whining or complaints—just do what needed to be done.

Now that she thought about it, His Majesty had already anticipated that Zhen Jieyu would beg her not to prescribe bitter medicine.

But how could that be allowed?

Court Physician Chen put on a flattered expression and said, “Your Ladyship must not speak of troubling me. When I came, I received His Majesty’s order to take good care of your health.”

For a moment, Lan Wu was left speechless.

When Court Physician Chen began to take her pulse, Lan Wu’s thoughts stirred. After waiting a while and answering her questions one by one, she finally brought up what was on her mind.

“Court Physician Chen, who from the Imperial Medical Academy is currently attending to Rong Shuyi’s health?”

Chu Mingheng had told her not to overthink things, but from yesterday until today, the more she pondered, the more something felt off. That was why, with Court Physician Chen here, she took the opportunity to ask a few more questions.

Hearing her inquire about the Shuyi who had miscarried, Court Physician Chen’s expression remained unchanged. Since she asked, she answered: “Replying to Your Ladyship, it is Imperial Physician Xu. Imperial Physician Xu is highly skilled and will surely take good care of Shuyi.”

Lan Wu actually didn’t know many imperial physicians, so she simply nodded upon hearing this.

“Then do you know how many months along Rong Shuyi was?”

“It should have been over two and a half months. However, Shuyi’s pregnancy was unstable, and it wasn’t detected when the imperial physician took her pulse.”

Logically, such words should not be spoken. His Majesty had ordered that no one discuss Rong Shuyi’s miscarriage, but Court Physician Chen likely guessed what Lan Wu wanted to know, so she lowered her voice and quietly told her this.

Lan Wu blinked. Two and a half months—although early pregnancy symptoms vary from person to person, it was rare for someone like Rong Shuyi to be unaware herself and for the imperial physician to fail to detect the pulse.

When the incident occurred, it caused quite a stir, but now things had settled down peacefully.

Lan Wu knew she had earned Rong Shuyi’s resentment—and not just Rong Shuyi. If she were to count, one hand probably wouldn’t be enough.

She wasn’t afraid of being resented or plotted against. She was just one person, and she had already seen all the tricks the imperial concubines could pull.

As summer approached, the weather grew hotter, and the hotter it became, the lazier Lan Wu felt, unwilling to go elsewhere.

Although Chu Mingheng no longer stopped her from reading those storybooks, she still felt somewhat guilty reading them in his presence. Most of the time, she behaved obediently in front of him. Occasionally, when she went to the Imperial Study, she would practice calligraphy or paint flowers, birds, insects, and fish.

But with a paintbrush in hand, she truly couldn’t produce anything decent—forget capturing the spirit, even the form was difficult to achieve.

The first time Chu Mingheng saw her painting, she had drawn a grapevine—a messy tangle that looked like a bird’s nest from somewhere.

He watched as Lan Wu enthusiastically painted all afternoon, finally bringing over a thin sheet of painting paper to seek praise.

Praise, of course, was not what she received. Instead, she earned a punishment, because Lan Wu boldly claimed she had painted the grapevine from the summer scene painting hanging on the wall of the Imperial Study.

The painting hanging in the Imperial Study was naturally a fine one, and Lan Wu had unjustly tarnished its reputation. As punishment, Chu Mingheng ordered her to copy thirty pages of calligraphy, forbidding her return until she finished.

Lan Wu wrote furiously until dusk. Once done, she declared she was returning to Longyu Pavilion, leaving behind even the painting of the grapevine she had completed.

In her past life, Chu Mingheng had praised her painting for its significant improvement. Though it was her first attempt at a grapevine, how could it have been so poor?

She would no longer go to the Imperial Study to invite disdain.