CHAPTER 173: CHAPTER 173 INTENTIONALLY SETTING A TRAP

"Understood, thank you for the guidance, Second Aunt."

After losing a day, Mrs. Yun was also feeling quite exhausted.

Lin Wanyi noticed the fatigue in her expression and then said.

"Second Aunt, you should go and rest first. There’s likely to be a long wait ahead."

Mrs. Yun nodded; the Second Princess’s condition was not good, and it would take at least half a month of conditioning for any change.

Thus, enduring day after day was not the way.

For a medical practitioner, the most important thing is to protect oneself, so as to be able to heal more people.

This point, Mrs. Yun understood even more clearly than Lin Wanyi.

The side room happened to have an empty bed, so today Mrs. Yun rested in Huifang Courtyard.

Dong Yuzhong was a caring person too.

He immediately arranged for people to send the news to the Dong Family overnight.

Knowing that Second Madam Yun would stay in the palace for quite a few days, the one most worried was Second Young Master Dong.

His wife’s temperament was cold, and he feared she might offend someone in the palace.

If that truly happened, he would have no chance to defend her.

The more he thought, the more anxious and frantic he became.

In contrast, Old Master Dong remained calm.

"Don’t worry, since the decree wasn’t for punishment but for keeping her in the palace, it shows there’s still hope for the Second Princess’s illness. We all know the abilities of the Second Madam; there’s no need to scare ourselves, but it’s good to prepare more herbs needed for internal injuries just in case."

"Eldest Master, make sure this task is done well."

"Father, rest assured, since I’ve been appointed as the Warehouse Committee Official, I will not disgrace the Dong Family’s name."

Though the official title was under Old Master Dong’s name, in actual practice, it was Eldest Master Dong who dealt with the palace.

Otherwise, if it were under Eldest Master Dong’s name, the Second Dong household would not have the fortune to escape the registry.

This point, the Emperor considered thoroughly.

A sleepless night, with anxiety rampant in the palace.

Especially after the decree offering significant rewards for physicians, everyone was relentlessly seeking renowned doctors to be sent into the palace.

Firstly to please the Emperor, secondly aiming for the Sixth Rank Medical Director position.

Unfortunately, many couldn’t even pass Doctor Dou’s first hurdle, let alone truly treat the Second Princess within the palace.

Near Huifang Courtyard, the closest courtyard was already tidied.

With Dong Yuzhong and Qin An present, naturally, everything was perfectly set.

Because Xia An was quite knowledgeable about medicine, she was temporarily reassigned to serve beside Mrs. Yun.

Helping to take care of the Second Princess.

Going out early and returning late was indeed exhausting.

All of this was clearly seen by Qin An.

Initially, he considered whether to send the selected few immediately to Lin Wanyi for her use.

But Dong Yuzhong stopped him.

At this critical moment, it’s better not to involve too many strangers.

Everything could wait until the situation settled.

Qin An agreed upon hearing this.

Fortunately, Lin Wanyi wasn’t a troublesome person; with Chunqi and Qiu Ming attending her, it was sufficient.

Ever since Princess Consort Lan gave birth to a daughter, she hadn’t woken up.

Doctor Cheng watched over her daily, fearing that one lapse of attention would end her breath.

Zhuai Yun and Zhuimeng, while concerned for Princess Consort Lan, also worried about the Second Princess, who had been taken by the Emperor.

Continuously sending messages outside the palace, hoping the Lan Family would quickly send Zhuixia in.

But only to learn that Zhuixia had disappeared.

A bad feeling rose in their hearts.

Could it be that Zhuixia deliberately set this up?

The more they thought, the more fearful they became, but with their mistress unconscious, they didn’t know what to do.

Thus, they could only hope daily for Princess Consort Lan to pull through.

Perhaps their devotion was enough, or maybe Princess Consort Lan’s survival instinct was strong.

After four or five days of coma, she finally came to.

The first words upon waking were not about her child, but about her future.

"Wasn’t the Princess born on the Mid-Year Festival? The Emperor didn’t say anything, right?"

The two maids now had no idea how to respond.

Compared to the Mid-Year Festival’s birth, whether the Second Princess will survive is of secondary concern.

But mindful of her condition, they cautiously comforted her.

"Don’t worry, Madame, the Emperor is very fond of the Second Princess. Knowing that you are unconscious here, he specially took the Second Princess to Qiqing Hall for care."

Princess Consort Lan was somewhat incredulous.

It’s just a princess, how could she receive such honor?

Could the maids be deceiving her?

But seeing their sincere demeanor, she seemed to believe them a bit.

"Truly? Is the Emperor truly fond of the Second Princess?"

"Of course, otherwise have you ever heard of which Prince or Princess was taken care of by the Emperor upon birth?"

Princess Consort Lan was very weak at this moment, so she hadn’t delved into the hidden questions behind these words.

"That’s good, that’s good. I must properly recover; I’ll have to give birth to another Prince for the Emperor in the future."

Upon hearing this, the two maids exchanged glances, with sadness in their eyes.

They just didn’t know how to explain it to Princess Consort Lan.

Princess Consort Lan, having just awakened, spoke and was now tired again.

Thus, without much thought, she fell asleep.

Seeing her breathing gradually calm, Zhuai Yun and Zhuimeng gently left the room.

Zhuimeng said anxiously.

"What should we do? Given the circumstances, how can we tell her? If Madame knew the Second Princess is hanging by a thread, and herself... wouldn’t it be stabbing a knife into her heart?"

"Best to keep it hidden for now; didn’t Doctor Cheng say Madame should rest more?"

The two maids were worried but helpless.

Princess Consort Lan managed to endure the crisis, yet the Second Princess’s condition was again unstable.

A few days ago, she began to improve after breastfeeding, but a cold bath made her chill.

The young baby soon started feverish.

Brain damage is already risky, and now there’s another instance.

If not for Mrs. Yun and Doctor Dou’s joint effort, the Second Princess would not have seen the next day’s sun.

After two days of turmoil, the fever subsided, but the Second Princess’s body became increasingly fragile.

Even her breathing grew weaker.

The Emperor stood with his arms folded, looking at his daughter, barely a few days old, feeling unspeakable agony.

After several deep sighs, he entered another room, asking Mrs. Yun and Doctor Dou.

"Be honest, is this life painful for the Second Princess?"

Painful?

Such a term felt powerless when applied to a baby who barely opened her eyes.

Can she sense pain?

Perhaps she could.

Yet she couldn’t speak.

If she grows up, she wouldn’t remember this.

But growing up was questionable.

Doctor Dou, long in the palace, knew some words shouldn’t be said directly.

But Mrs. Yun was different; she believed the Second Princess wouldn’t survive a month.

Tormenting a few-day-old baby like this, even if she survived, she might not grow healthily.

Thus, she spoke up immediately.