Chapter 50

Chapter 50: Taking the Pulse After the autumn banquet, Cui Zeyu and Xie Yunting came to know each other. When they later ran into each other at a tavern, the two drank and talked jovially, and began to keep in contact. Xie Yunting came from a rough-and-tumble background and detested the rules and regulations of the Bianjing aristocratic families. After arriving in Bianjing, he found himself at odds with many people. But the Emperor relied heavily on him, so many in Bianjing dared not speak out against him, though they fumed inwardly. When Caiyue found Cui Zeyu, Xie Yunting happened to be visiting. Upon learning that Yu-jie had been slandered and that his sister was struggling to prove her innocence—and since this was, after all, a scandal of the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion—he asked Xie Yunting without a second thought if he could help. Xie Yunting snorted coldly upon hearing this, his eyes full of disgust. "They speak of righteousness and virtue, but it turns out they're all hypocrites. This is easy to handle. Since your sister claims Commandery Princess Rongjia faked her pregnancy, just have a physician come and take her pulse." "I'm afraid Commandery Princess Rongjia won't agree. My brother-in-law and Old Madame Song are both on her side. If they block it, my sister stands alone and can't prevail against them." Cui Zeyu was full of worry. "That's easy too. Commandery Princess Rongjia is the Emperor's niece. If his niece has a miscarriage, having the Emperor send an imperial physician to take her pulse is perfectly reasonable. Leave this to me—I'll bring the imperial physician for you." With that, Xie Yunting mounted his horse and rode to the palace. He carried an imperial token granted by the Emperor, so he could enter the palace without announcement. Cui Zeyu waited at the gate of the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion first. When he saw Xie Yunting arrive with the imperial physician, he hurriedly led the man to the Wutong Courtyard. Inside was Commandery Princess Rongjia's private chamber. As an unrelated man, Cui Zeyu could not enter, so he stopped in the outer room. "Sister, the Emperor learned of the Commandery Princess's miscarriage and, worried about her health, has specially sent an imperial physician." How could the Emperor know about Commandery Princess Rongjia's miscarriage? Everyone in the room was thinking the same thing. Cui Lingrong set aside everything else and hurried out—and indeed saw the imperial physician. Princess Consort Rong and the others arrived shortly after. Seeing the imperial physician had come bearing the Emperor's decree, Princess Consort Rong's brows knitted tightly. Cui Zeyu walked to his sister's side and signaled for her not to be afraid. "Sister, I'm here." "What is this?" Cui Lingrong gave him a look. Cui Zeyu immediately explained, "General Xie helped arrange it." His voice was neither loud nor soft—everyone in the room could hear. Cui Lingrong didn't know when her brother had become so close with Xie Yunting. Heaven was aiding her. She immediately said to Princess Consort Rong, "Your Highness, since this is the Emperor's wish, please don't obstruct it any further. Otherwise..." She paused, leaving the sentence unfinished. In her thinking, the imperial physician certainly knew nothing of the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion's affairs. If they insisted on blocking the physician, she wouldn't mind repeating everything again. The more people who knew, the more they'd see whether Commandery Princess Rongjia could afford it. No matter how Princess Consort Rong calculated, she could never have predicted that Cui Zeyu could summon an imperial physician. She had never taken Cui Zeyu seriously—an ordinary merchant, daring to oppose the Rong Prince Mansion! Turning her gaze to the imperial physician, Princess Consort Rong pondered how to make the physician understand her meaning. Just then, Xie Yunting's urging voice came from the courtyard. "Brother Cui, hurry up! I'm still waiting to go drinking with you. Don't dawdle—the Emperor is waiting for the physician to return and report!" Cui Zeyu clasped his hands and bowed to Princess Consort Rong. "Your Highness, the Emperor is merely concerned for Commandery Princess Rongjia's health. This is well-intentioned." At this moment, Song Shulan and Old Madame Song were both bewildered. Cui Zeyu was actually associating with Xie Yunting? In their view, Commandery Princess Rongjia absolutely had not faked her pregnancy—they believed her words. That being so, letting the imperial physician in to take her pulse would be fine. Otherwise, if Cui Lingrong said something inappropriate that reached the Emperor's ears through the physician, it would harm Song Shulan's official career. Song Shulan glanced at his mother. Old Madame Song stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, since this is the Emperor's goodwill, why not let the imperial physician enter?" Princess Consort Rong swept her gaze harshly across everyone in the room. She knew that once the physician entered, her daughter's faked pregnancy could no longer be concealed. Her gaze finally landed on Cui Lingrong's face. She took a deep breath and said, "Lady Cui, come inside with me first." Cui Lingrong's brows lifted slightly. Seeing her brother step forward to shield her, she quietly said it was fine and followed Princess Consort Rong into the inner chamber. No one else was in the room—not even Song Shulan and Old Madame Song were allowed in. Only Commandery Princess Rongjia, her mother, and Cui Lingrong remained. Princess Consort Rong looked at Cui Lingrong. "Today's matter—the Rong Prince Mansion will not pursue it further. Have the physician leave." "Your Highness, the physician was sent by the Emperor. This humble woman has no such authority." Cui Lingrong knew that Princess Consort Rong realized she had already lost. She absolutely could not compromise. If she didn't confirm Commandery Princess Rongjia's faked pregnancy today, many things would become impossible to clarify in the future. Cui Lingrong was rarely so forceful. She only glanced at Princess Consort Rong once before continuing, "Or is it that, as this humble woman said, the Commandery Princess faked her pregnancy, and Your Highness is her accomplice?" "Cui Lingrong, do you know what you're saying?" Princess Consort Rong would never admit to the faked pregnancy, nor could she implicate herself. She shifted to threats instead. "I've heard that your father has been an official for many years and is still only a lowly fifth-rank official. It seems your Cui family has little ability. And your brother—I've heard nothing impressive about him either. Cui Lingrong, do you truly believe the strength of an ant can shatter a mountain?" "To answer Your Highness, I have no intention of bringing anyone down. I only wish to clear my own name." Cui Lingrong remained steadfast. "Besides, if the Commandery Princess is truly innocent, let the imperial physician take her pulse. After that, you may deal with me however you see fit." "Fine, fine, fine! You truly are immovable!" Princess Consort Rong's face flushed red with anger. On the bed, Commandery Princess Rongjia also began to panic. She was about to speak when she heard Cui Lingrong call for the imperial physician to come in. The imperial physician outside had no idea what was happening. Hearing someone call for him, he entered the room. "Her Highness is also very worried about the Commandery Princess's health. Please, imperial physician, take the princess's pulse at once." Cui Lingrong spoke first. The imperial physician sensed the strange atmosphere, but he had come on the Emperor's orders, so he would only take the pulse and ask no further questions. Princess Consort Rong's brows knitted tightly, while Commandery Princess Rongjia broke out in a cold sweat on her forehead, refusing to offer her hand. Song Shulan walked over and said soothingly, "Don't be afraid, Princess. The imperial physician's skills are superb. He will surely be able to restore your health." Cui Lingrong added, "Indeed, Princess. What are you worried about? Or is it that you truly have—" "Rongjia!" Princess Consort Rong cut off Cui Lingrong's words and looked at her daughter. "Let the imperial physician take your pulse." Commandery Princess Rongjia stared at her mother in disbelief. Was her mother abandoning her? Seeing her mother give her a slight nod, Commandery Princess Rongjia extended her hand in despair, turned her head away, and closed her eyes. The imperial physician began taking her pulse. His brow furrowed deeper and deeper. Having practiced medicine for over twenty years, he momentarily doubted his own skills. "How strange." "What is strange?" Song Shulan asked eagerly. Old Madame Song also craned her neck to look, waiting for the imperial physician to continue. Cui Lingrong did not look at the physician. She already knew the result—there was no need to guess what he would say next. She was watching Princess Consort Rong instead, wondering why she had agreed to let the physician take the pulse. "I have practiced medicine for many years, and I can confirm that the Commandery Princess has indeed consumed some cold-natured foods, but she has never been pregnant. The bleeding and discomfort are due to her body being too cold, which makes her menstruation painful." After the physician finished speaking, he noticed something else and widened his eyes in shock. As he hesitated over whether to speak of it, Song Shulan's face turned ashen. The princess was not pregnant? Old Madame Song gasped. "What? Not pregnant?" The physician confirmed, "This is absolutely certain. I do not know why she was previously misdiagnosed. As for this bleeding, it is simply her menstruation arriving, which was mistaken for a miscarriage." Whatever he did not need to know, the physician never asked—this was the lesson he had learned in over twenty years at the Imperial Medical Academy. After much deliberation, he decided to pretend he had not detected the other finding. "In that case, I shall go write a prescription. The Commandery Princess's constitution is too cold and requires proper care." Not wanting to get entangled in the affairs of noble households, nor offend the Rong Prince Mansion, the physician withdrew. Cui Lingrong turned to Princess Consort Rong. "The matter has been clarified. I ask that Your Highness give me and my daughter justice—" Before she could finish, Princess Consort Rong delivered a slap across Wang Shanxi's Wife's face and berated her, "How have you been attending to her? How could you not know whether the princess was pregnant?" Wang Shanxi's Wife immediately understood and knelt, kowtowing. "This old servant is at fault. It was only because the princess's menstruation had not come, combined with morning sickness and Doctor Xu's diagnosis, that this old servant had no reason to doubt." "If you cannot do your duty, then do not serve at the princess's side any longer!" After scolding her, Princess Consort Rong immediately ordered, "Someone! Convey my command—go and arrest Doctor Xu. I want to see why he would harm my daughter!" With that, Princess Consort Rong looked at Cui Lingrong with gratitude. "I misjudged people. I never imagined a viper lurked among my own attendants. Had you not insisted, our mansion might never have known when we would be harmed." Able to bend and stretch as needed—truly impressive skill. Cui Lingrong marveled inwardly. No wonder she was fit to be a princess consort—far more adept than Commandery Princess Rongjia. She looked at Princess Consort Rong with a faint, ambiguous smile. "Indeed, this must be investigated thoroughly. If the princess was unaware, then surely Doctor Xu alone could not have managed this so easily?" A sense of foreboding struck Princess Consort Rong. Clearly, Cui Lingrong had no intention of stopping while she was ahead. Cui Lingrong continued, "The princess has so many attendants around her. The matrons have all given birth themselves. It would be one thing if a single person failed to notice something amiss—but how could an entire group of them overlook it? Moreover, my people found Qingxue secretly burning sanitary cloths. How do you explain that? If they were Qingxue's own cloths, why would she burn them? Was it not to cover up for the princess, to throw others off the scent?" Four consecutive questions left Princess Consort Rong dumbfounded. So this was why Cui Lingrong had been so certain Rongjia was not pregnant—she truly had evidence in hand!