maidservant

Chapter 154 The Eldest Princess Saves the Day, Situ Zhen Arrives for Treatment

Yun Shan weakly opened her eyes and said in a shallow voice, "Thank you for saving me, Your Highness." She tried to sit up straight, but her strength made it very difficult.

Seeing this, the nanny beside the princess quickly brought the prepared warm water to Yunshan's lips and carefully fed her to drink it. Her movements were gentle and skillful, as if she was afraid of hurting the wounded girl.

The princess's eyes were full of concern as she said softly, "Come back to the manor with me first, and rest for a day or two before going back."

The carriage moved slowly forward and eventually entered the residence of Chief Minister Li.

By this time, Li Niao had already taken leave and was pacing anxiously back and forth in the courtyard, eagerly awaiting news. When she saw Yun Shan being helped out of the carriage, tears instantly welled up in her eyes.

"How could she have been beaten like this!" Li Niao sobbed uncontrollably, her trembling fingers pointing at Yun Shan's blood-stained clothes, she said with a mixture of grief and indignation, "That corrupt official was too audacious!"

Li Niao became increasingly agitated as she spoke, unleashing a torrent of questions: "He oppressed you so much, why didn't you fight back! How could you have been so passive before! Why were you so desperate for a man?!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized that she had almost mentioned Lin Xiao, the name that had broken Yun Shan's heart.

The eldest princess keenly noticed the change in Yun Shan's expression and quickly interrupted Li Niu, cleverly changing the subject, afraid of touching on Yun Shan's deep-seated pain.

"If it weren't for Physician Liao coming to report the news, we wouldn't have known you were in such a predicament recently," the Princess said with emotion.

Looking at Li Niao, who was anxiously crying for her, Yun Shan felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She forced a smile, but accidentally aggravated the wound at the corner of her mouth, and blood seeped out.

She said weakly, "I'm so tired, stop scolding me." Her voice was so faint it was almost inaudible, revealing her exhaustion and helplessness.

The eldest princess immediately sent a message to Xiaoyue, informing her that Yunshan would be recuperating at home for two days. She also specifically mentioned that she had sent a letter to the palace, and that a royal physician would come to treat her.

In no time at all, Situ Zhen arrived in a hurry.

Even though Yun Shan had changed into clean clothes and combed her hair simply, her pale face and weak demeanor still made Situ Zhen's heart tighten.

The usually chattering and talkative apprentice was unusually quiet at this moment, simply lying quietly on the couch.

Silently, Situ Zhen took Yun Shan's pulse, his fingertips resting on her wrist, his brows furrowing more and more deeply.

Only after he finished taking Yunshan's pulse did he regain his usual composure and describe Yunshan's condition in a measured and methodical manner.

After everyone had left, leaving only the master and disciple in the room, Situ Zhen finally couldn't hold back any longer and said sternly:
"If you keep wasting your energy like burning lamp oil, your body will eventually collapse completely."

Yunshan gently shook her head, forcing herself to retort, "Master, why scare me? I checked my own pulse, and it's not as serious as you make it out to be."

Upon hearing this, Situ Zhen paced back and forth in the room in anger, his voice rising unconsciously: "It seems your medical skills are too shallow! You idiot!"

"You clearly have powerful backers and the protection of His Majesty's calligraphy, so why don't you know how to use these to protect yourself? I always thought you were a smart and insightful person who knew how to assess the situation, but now, are you willing to risk your life for a fiancé?"

Yun Shan lowered her eyes and remained silent, letting Situ Zhen's rebuke echo in her ears. She gripped the corner of the blanket tightly, a hint of bitterness rising in her eyes, but she did not utter a word in rebuttal. Situ Zhen continued as he paced back and forth, "However, your marriage is a royal decree. If you want to discuss marriage again in the future, I'm afraid it will be fraught with difficulties."

“But in my opinion, so what if there is no man? You have medical skills to rely on, you are self-reliant and strong, you can set up a household with women and support yourself.” He walked around the room again and again, his steps never stopping, and his words never stopping.

Suddenly, Situ Zhen strode to Yun Shan's bedside, his expression turning serious: "Heart disease is the hardest to cure, especially for those like you who have given your hearts to the wrong person and loved but could not be together. Even after practicing medicine for many years, I am helpless in this situation."

Upon hearing this, Yun Shan's eyes flashed with a hint of doubt, and she asked softly, "You?"

Situ Zhen looked around warily, and seeing that no one was in the room, he lowered his voice and said, "You probably know nothing about Consort Cui's affairs."

He paused for a moment, then slowly began to recount: "Consort Cui and Fan Xing have known each other since childhood. Fan Xing is the son of the late emperor's bodyguard. When he was young, he served as the martial arts bodyguard for the current emperor and the princes. The three of them often played in the palace."

"Later, the prince was enfeoffed as Prince Jing and left the palace to establish his own residence; Cui was approaching the age of coming of age and also returned to the Cui residence, and the three of them were temporarily separated."

"At the age when she was just beginning to experience love, Cui and Fan Xing developed feelings for each other. But fate played a trick on her. When Prince Jing was made crown prince, the Cui family had to send Cui to the Eastern Palace."

"At that time, Consort Cui was willing to break with her family and even planned to give up her status as a noble lady, only wanting to elope with Fan Xingyuan. Even His Majesty knew about this, but he forcibly suppressed it."

Yun Shan listened intently, her brows furrowed. Having lived in the palace for so many years, she had never heard of this secret before.

"However, Fan Xing backed down at the last minute, unable to relinquish his position as a close advisor to the Crown Prince, and chose to flee. From then on, Consort Cui was disheartened and eventually entered the Eastern Palace."

"Since His Majesty already knew about it, he shouldn't blame them, right?" Yun Shan asked cautiously.

"Judging from the current situation, that is indeed the case. Fan Xing was later promoted to deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, and Consort Cui also held a prestigious position in the harem," Situ Zhen explained.

Yun Shan looked puzzled: "How did you learn about these secrets?"

"You don't know this, but Consort Yang in the palace somehow discovered Consort Cui's past with Fan Xing and secretly spread the news."

"Unfortunately, she only knew one side of the story and was completely unaware that His Majesty had already seen through everything. As a result, she tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead, and was severely reprimanded by His Majesty, who not only deducted her salary but also confined her to her quarters."

However, this incident stirred up Consort Cui's old ailments, and she fell ill.

After hearing this palace secret, Yun Shan felt a tightness in her chest. The power struggles and intrigues within the palace over the years, coupled with her recent experiences, made her feel that the entire capital was filled with a suffocating atmosphere of oppression.

Situ Zhen stopped talking and solemnly advised, "Although quite a few people know about this, you are now far away from the palace, so it's best to pretend you've never heard of it."

Yun Shan understood immediately, blinked gently, and silently buried this secret in her heart.

Then, Situ Zhen sighed, spread out his medical record, skillfully wrote down the prescription for internal medicine, and took out a box of finely ground external ointment from his pocket.