Everyone Wants To Harm Me - Chapter 72

Deng Zishe had warned me that internal bleeding was not easy to heal, so I should be careful. I hadn’t expected it to be so difficult to recover.

After more than ten days, I still didn’t see any improvement. Perhaps it was because the wound kept bleeding, and my cough remained intermittent. When the cough was severe, I would cough up a mouthful of blood.

“I heard you caught tuberculosis and cough up blood every day.” The Third Prince even came all the way to my place to bring me bad luck. “They say you’re about to die!”

Fortunately, he knew not to voice the latter part of his statement, or I might have regretted ever saving him and letting him drown in the pond.

I snapped at him, “Wouldn’t that be perfect? You’d get revenge for your mother, and you wouldn’t even have to lift a finger.”

He hesitated, then asked quietly, “Was it really you who slandered my mother in front of Father and got her killed?”

“If others say it’s true, then it must be,” I replied, not bothering to pay him much attention. I walked over to the bookshelf to search for the prescription Deng Zishe had given me. I remembered it was sandwiched in the Compendium of Materia Medica.

“They said… you wanted to take over your aunt’s position and marry my father as a concubine, so you spread rumors to kill my mother and try to dominate the harem. But you didn’t marry my father, you married me instead. Why would you want to harm my mother? She’s your mother-in-law.”

I finally found the Compendium of Materia Medica on the shelf, turned around, and said to him, “First of all, I haven’t married you yet. You’re only eleven years old. It’ll take at least seven or eight years before you can get married. You should spend that time reading books, not thinking about these things. Secondly, the three greatest joys in life are promotion, wealth, and the death of one’s mother-in-law. Haven’t you heard of that?”

“It’ll take another seven or eight years? Won’t you be in your twenties then? Isn’t that too old?” He kept chattering after me. “What kind of proverb is that—promotion, wealth, and death of one’s mother-in-law? Only men from the previous dynasty can get promoted. Where’s the mother-in-law?”

I didn’t want to engage, so I kept walking.

He followed me. “Shouldn’t a dying person be lying in bed, unable to move? But you’re walking around the room upright. You probably won’t die that easily, right?”

I replied, “Don’t worry, Your Highness, if I really do die, someone will notify you. You can just stay in your own palace. No need to come over here and wait for me to drop dead.”

The little brat walked away, his neck stiff.

Coughing up blood daily from a lung condition did seem like a serious illness to outsiders. Princess Yongjia had visited me several times, even shedding tears in worry. I couldn’t tell her the truth, so I just reassured her that it wasn’t tuberculosis. I could still walk upright—surely I wouldn’t die so soon. If the day ever came that I lay flat, then she could cry for me.

The princess had been half-laughing, half-exasperated. “Upright or flat—who talks about themselves like that?”

She had thought to herself, Is it time to let him know about this? Hmph, he hasn’t shown his face at all—what, does he expect me to deliver myself to him? Fine, I’ll just send a vague message, see if he’s worried.

What did she mean?

But the princess hadn’t dwelled on it. She had been kind-hearted and occasionally had one or two such barely good thoughts, but they didn’t make sense to me.

The imperial physician had thought I had lung disease from a cold, but no matter how many times I was treated, it didn’t work. I took two doses of Deng Zishe’s hemostatic prescription, and the coughing and bleeding decreased, but the chest tightness and dizziness worsened, likely because the medicine wasn’t right for me. The physician advised against eating too much outside of my period, as it could block my blood vessels further.

After a long period of treatment, the Emperor had punished several imperial doctors. But punishment had been useless, and we couldn’t tell them the real cause of the disease. Even if we did, the imperial doctors from Luoyang’s aristocratic families might not have known how to deal with the poison from the rare insects in southern Xinjiang.

The Emperor asked me, “Didn’t you feel better a few days ago? Why has it worsened again?”

He had been afraid I might cough up blood and die before I had done enough for him.

I replied, “I took another prescription to stop the bleeding a few days ago, but it wasn’t quite right for my condition. I had severe palpitations and dizziness after taking it, so I dared not take it again.”

“Who prescribed it?” the Emperor asked. “Call that person quickly and have them prescribe something else for you!”

“It wasn’t the imperial physician in the palace. It was a traveling doctor I met by chance in the South City before entering the palace. His medical skills are unconventional, and his medicine is strong. The effect is powerful, but the side effects are also significant.”

“I shouldn’t have let you waste your energy right away. When your aunt entered the palace, she also suffered from strange diseases and was in danger multiple times. She cured them herself using the methods of the Miao witch doctors in southern Xinjiang, but it was inconvenient to tell the imperial physicians. This traveling doctor…” the Emperor thought for a moment, then said, “I’ll allow you to go home for two days to visit your relatives and invite the doctor to the Duke’s Mansion. After treatment, return to the palace.”

I hesitated. “Back then… I disguised myself when I visited him. Bringing him to the Duke’s manor would reveal my identity to both him and my family. They still think my aunt’s illness was congenital, and I didn’t inherit anything like it. This sudden illness might raise suspicions. And there are too many mouths in the Duke’s household…”

The Emperor considered it for a moment and said, “Then go in disguise and seek treatment in the South City. Go quickly and return soon.”

I asked, “The palace maids around me are still young and have never left the palace. Please send someone capable… Send Eunuch Liang to accompany me.”

“I’ll naturally send someone to escort you,” the Emperor said. “Liang Lu is responsible for the key to the palace gate. He can’t leave easily. Let Li Minghai accompany you. He goes out frequently and is familiar with the outside world.”

Li Minghai brought two apprentices. One of them turned out to be Li Sibao, who had feared Chang Yu’s ghost and pulled out the lotus flowers from Yan’ning Palace. He still looked nervous when he saw me. The other, Zhang Sanquan, seemed quick-witted and someone whom I hadn’t seen before.

The four of us changed into casual clothes and pretended to be ordinary passers-by.

At noon, we followed the motorcade out of the side gate of the palace, where water was transported, and took a small cart to the South City.

To my surprise, when we arrived at the South City, Deng Zishe’s Yuqiao Hall was crowded with people seeking treatment, including many wealthy individuals in fine clothing.

“Oh!” Li Minghai pulled me back. “I actually met someone I know here!”

I was wearing a mask, so I wasn’t worried about being recognized. I turned and asked, “Who?”

Li Minghai pointed to a man in ochre clothes supporting a woman in the middle of the crowd. “That’s the Minister of the Imperial Household Department. We see each other often. Let’s go quickly, don’t let him recognize me.”

He pulled me down a side street and sent Li Sibao to inquire. When Li Sibao returned, he said that Doctor Deng had recently opened his practice and saved the life of Lin Taishi’s concubine, who was in labor. Both mother and child had been safe. Lin Taishi had a son in his old age and wrote a plaque as a gift. Doctor Deng had become famous overnight and was now very popular, especially with women. But he treated all patients equally, and even dignitaries had to queue up to see him.

Lin Taishi had been a staunch supporter of the Third Prince. After his uncle’s demotion, the Third Prince had relied on him. Taishi Lin was also a renowned calligrapher, and his plaque was of extraordinary value.

Li Minghai smiled. “I’m afraid the young lady will have to wait in the clinic alone. I’ll go to the shop over there for a while, have a couple of oil cakes, and wait for you.”

I glanced in the direction he pointed. The shop’s curtain read Jinxianji. It looked familiar. “Is this oil cake place that famous?”

“It’s decent, decent enough,” he said, playing it down.

“During the Lantern Festival, I believe Prince Xin also visited it.”

Li Minghai paused, then laughed. “Sure enough, nothing escapes the young lady’s eye.”

I had been suspicious, so I casually tested him, and to my surprise, he admitted it. “What’s the big deal about an oil cake shop? It’s just a cover. There are several others in the South City and the North City. They don’t just sell oil cakes.”

No wonder Prince Xin had loved it so much. After moving out of the palace to open his mansion, Prince Xin hadn’t gone out much. His only hobby was his appetite, often inviting chefs from famous—

“His Highness certainly knows his way around,” I said, glancing back at the crowd in front of Yuqiao Hall. “I knew Dr. Deng before he became famous. I always thought he was skilled and unique—destined for greatness. But I never imagined he’d become the darling of Luoyang’s elite. If I’d realized sooner, it would’ve been a valuable connection. Now that he’s famous, even the Assistant Supervisor has to wait in line—too late to win him over.”

“Still, since you’re old acquaintances, it might be worth a try,” Li Minghai said.

I tilted my head at him. “Once we’re back in the palace…”

“You don’t need to say more, Miss. We’re on the same boat. I understand.”

I looked at Yuqiao Hall again. “Such a long line, and you’ll have to wait for at least two hours. You can go ahead and do your work; it should be enough time, right?”

“Enough, enough. Thank you, Miss.” Li Minghai smiled. “Then I’ll go, and I’ll have my apprentice stay with you?”

I shook my head. “I’m a woman with two male servants; that’ll attract attention. If you need help, take them with you, and we’ll meet here again after your work is done.”

Li Minghai thanked me again, then took his apprentice to the oil cake shop.

After a while, I saw the owner pack up the sign and close the door.

I went back to Yuqiao Hall by myself. As I walked through the crowd, trying to look inside, I was scolded by those waiting: “Go to the back; don’t cut in line!”

Inside the shop, aside from Deng Zishe, there were two other doctors and four or five apprentices. When patients arrived, the other doctors would handle the basic diagnosis, leaving the more complicated cases to Deng Zishe, so he wasn’t too busy.

Standing at the door, I lifted my veil. Deng Zishe noticed me, but he remained seated, a smug smile on his face as he thought, I’m now a famous doctor in Luoyang. My value is much higher than before. Even the emperor has to queue up!

I was furious but had no choice but to go back to the end of the line. It stretched more than ten feet away. Just as I was about to stand in line, one of the apprentices came up behind me and led me to the side, away from the crowd. We circled around the back of the street and went to the back door of Yuqiao Hall.

Deng Zishe was waiting in the back. “Weren’t you in the palace? Don’t tell me you escaped—are the guards going to raid my house now? I just made a name for myself!”

“I didn’t escape. The Emperor granted me leave to seek treatment from you. I have to return afterward.”

He looked at me seriously. “What’s happened again? Can’t the imperial doctors in the palace cure it?”

I explained the coughing and blood vomiting after the fall into the water.

He asked me to open my mouth, inspecting me. “When did it start?”

“Mid-last month… July 14th.”

“It’s been more than half a month, and you’ve only come now?” He glared. “A cut on the hand is painful enough, but the lungs—do you think you’re invincible?”

“I didn’t… want to involve you or anyone else…” I muttered, feeling the weight of my decision. If I kept vomiting blood, I would be done for eventually, which was why I had come to him, despite the risk.

Deng Zishe sighed. “I’m a great doctor. You don’t need to hide anything from me. If there’s a problem, just say you want to see Doctor Deng, the one who treated Master Lin.”

“Isn’t it Master Lin’s concubine?”

“It’s the same thing,” he replied, pulling out a medicine box from under the table. He handed a bag of medicine to an apprentice. “Send this to Jixian Square.”

At the mention of Jixian Square, my heart skipped a beat.

It had been over a month. Was Yu Chongrui still not healed? Still needed medicine? Hadn’t the princess said it was just a surface wound? Was Deng Zishe really that reliable?

Deng Zishe asked me to lie down on the couch. After a while, he listened to my chest with his small leather stethoscope. “The lungs should be fine, but the tracheal wall is broken. It’s been delayed so long, there’s probably blood stasis in the lungs.”

He prepared a new ointment that smelled similar to the one he had used last time for my nosebleed, but this time it was diluted. He put it in a censer with water, lit a candle beneath it, and used steam to deliver the medicine.

“The injury is in the lungs, so you can’t inhale smoke. We’ll use this method to let the medicine work its way in slowly. It’ll take time to take effect,” he explained. “We’ll try steaming for two hours. If it works, I’ll mix more for you to take home. Just steam before bed every night.”

Deng Zishe closed the doors and windows, then went back to the front hall to treat other patients. I inhaled the lingering scent of the medicine and soon felt drowsy.

I didn’t know how long I slept, but when I woke up, I felt much more comfortable from my throat to my lungs. Just as I was about to take a deep breath, I opened my eyes and saw Yu Chongrui sitting beside the couch. The air caught in my chest, and I nearly choked.

I turned over onto my side, patting my chest repeatedly until I stopped coughing. His hand was gently placed on my back, confirming that it wasn’t an illusion.

Deng Zishe came in, and his eyes widened in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

Yu Chongrui replied, “I came to get the medicine.”

“Didn’t I send Xiaoliu to deliver it to your house?”

“He sent it to the wrong place.”