Chapter 50: Emperor’s decree, a frightful thing (2/2)

“Eunuch Xue doesn’t need to mind, please rise,” Han Yunxi said politely. This was no ordinary servant.

“Eunuch Xue, please take a seat,” Grand Concubine Yi spoke, and the eunuch sat on one side. In response, Han Yunxi found a seat next to Long Feiye.

“Yunxi, why don’t you explain to Eunuch Xue how you don’t know any medical skills, only how to treat poisons? Otherwise, it’ll be hard for Eunuch Xue to explain things,” Grand Concubine Yi said once she had collected herself.

These words made Han Yunxi’s heart stop. This…this, it couldn’t be that the rumors reached the emperor’s ears as well, so he wanted her to treat an illness?

Her heart was flurried, but her expression remained composed. “Eunuch Xue, what exactly is the matter?”

“To reply esteemed wangfei, the emperor heard of your prowess in the medical arts. You can treat dubious cases that stumped even Imperial Physician Gu and Divine Doctor Han, so this old servant would like to invite you into the palace and examine the pulse of the crown prince,” Eunuch Xue explained politely.

Han Yunxi’s lips twitched. These three words, ‘Examine the pulse,’ were spoken so deftly!

The crown prince was the empress and empress dowager’s treasure, cultivated by the emperor himself. But seven years ago, he fell sick with a strange illness. Han Congan was requested to treat him but still couldn’t diagnose him after all this time. Han Congan spent much of his energy and sacrificed quite a few relations to arrange for a discussion panel with the other directors of the medical academy, but he still couldn’t cure this disease.

There were all sorts of incurable diseases in the world, but somehow Han Congan managed to diagnose the crown prince with a pregnancy pulse[7].

How could a man get pregnant?

Everyone assumed this was a misdiagnosis, yet the directors of the medical academy all verified that it was indeed a pregnancy pulse. This angered the empress dowager and created her hate towards the Han family. She forgot all about how Lady Tianxin had saved her life and threatened to kill Han Congan multiple times. Of course this was all a big secret. The only people who knew were the emperor, empress dowager, empress, the Duke of Qin and Han Congan, as well as Imperial Physician Gu and a few medical academy directors. As for everyone else, all they knew was that the crown prince had a strange illness of which rumors abounded.

After the medical academy directors left, tragedy befell Han Congan. His consultation with those doctors yielded no results, so the empress dowager and emperor invited others in for a look. They too, showed no results, so Han Congan had to continue treating him in case they revealed too much. From then on, all of the resentment and hate fell on his shoulders.

Han Yunxi was aware of this only because of the original body’s memories. The old Han Yunxi had a chance to hear this all by accident. Now the emperor wanted her to take a pulse? Perhaps he wanted her to take her father’s place?

“Eunuch Xue, there’s been a big misunderstanding!” Han Yunxi suddenly stood up, face worried. “Eunuch Xue, although the Han is a medical family, I was born slow-witted and stupid. Everyone knows I don’t understand anything about medical arts. Perhaps the emperor listened to those rumors outside and misunderstood me?”

Eunuch Xue smiled. “Esteemed wangfei is really modest. There are no waves without wind, no smoke without fire. Esteemed wangfei must have such abilities for outsiders to spread such rumors.”

“It’s a mistake, a misunderstanding. My mufei just went out to set things straight,” Han Yunxi wanted to cry, but she had no tears.

Yet Eunuch Xue just said, “Esteemed wangfei, even if the news outside are mistakes, we can believe in the truth, yes? The young general’s incident and Princess Changping’s situation, the emperor has heard of them both. Both their illnesses confounded Imperial Physician Gu and Divine Doctor Han, but your medicine cured them within half a day. After hearing this, the emperor rejoiced and praised you as ‘blue that is made of indigo, but is more vivid than indigo’[8]. There is much of your mother Lady Tianxin’s bearing about you.”

Eunuch Xue spoke with boundless joy, but Han Yunxi was deeply grieved to hear such words.

“Esteemed wangfei, this time it was the empress who gave her personal recommendation. Esteemed wangfei really has hidden depths! If you’re any more modest, be careful of angering the imperial countenance,” Eunuch Xue joked.

The empress!

What did you call causing someone to fall from excessive praise? This was truly it! What were the rumors outside compared to this?

Han Yunxi sat back as she finally understood. She glanced towards Grand Concubine Yi’s face but only saw a ridiculing curve to her lips, as if she was watching a good show. Next to her, Murong Wanru seemed to be showing sympathy, but her eyes intentionally betrayed a sliver of self-satisfaction.

-o-

[1] Ninth Heaven (??) – jiutian, the highest of the heavens. Chinese mythology believed in nine levels of heaven.

[2] adding oil to vinegar (????) – tianyou jiacu, to add details while telling a story to make it more interesting.

[3] let loose…doves (?…??) – fang…gezi, idiom likely meaning to let someone’s hopes fly away.

[4] Emperor Tianhui (????) – name of Tianning’s reigning emperor. Tian can mean sky, heaven, Hui can mean emblem, fine, glorious.

[5] Eunuch Xue (???) – xue gong gong, Xue is the surname, gong gong is a respectful term of address for an elderly man or a court eunuch.

[6] Xue Guiping (???) – Eunuch Xue’s full name. Gui is cassia or sweet-scented osmanthus, Ping can mean calm, peaceful, level.

[7] pregnancy pulse (??) – ximai, a measure of the pulse that indicates the patient is pregnant. Ancient Chinese doctors used pulses to determine various illness just by the patient’s heartbeat rhythm or similar.

[8] blue that is made of indigo, but is more vivid than indigo (????????) – qinchu yulan ersheng yulan, idiom meaning that the student surpasses the master.