Zhou Lichong and Ms. Doctor Liu had t privately a few tis. Under the influence of his aunt, Bai Shan, and his uncles, every ti he visited, he brought Ms. Doctor Liu a little sothing, be it flowers picked from the garden, small trinkets bought outside, or so snacks...
Ms. Doctor Liu also sotis reciprocated with gifts. Because it was cold, she made him a hand warr for outdoor use.
Their relationship quickly ward, and seeing this, the Liu family agreed to the marriage after Director Xiao’s second visit.
Director Xiao wasn’t too surprised. After all, it was a pre-arranged marriage, so whether they held off once or twice didn’t make much difference.
Once the Liu family agreed, the Zhou family chose a good day to bring Zhou Lichong for a formal marriage proposal. At the ti, Manbao was still serving in the palace.
Therefore, it was Director Xiao who attended, with Imperial Doctor Liu and Old Zhou making the decision together.
The two families exchanged the eight characters and engagent gifts, and the marriage was formally set.
Manbao could only accept congratulations with Imperial Doctor Liu in the palace. The next day, when she went to the Imperial dical Office for lessons and saw Ms. Doctor Liu, she felt a bit odd, as she was not only her disciple but was also about to beco her niece-in-law.
Zhou Liru was more mischievous; when they were on good terms, she respectfully called her Senior Sister. But if they had a spat, she’d cheekily call her sister-in-law, making Ms. Doctor Liu blush and get flustered.
Manbao ignored their squabbles; usually, after class, she’d give them extra tutoring and assign more howork before returning to the palace.
Today was the sa.
At the palace gates, Manbao jumped off the carriage, picked up her book basket, and leisurely headed towards the Eastern Palace. When she entered, she saw it was bustling with activity, with many people unloading items from carriages and carrying them inside.
She couldn’t resist stopping to watch for a while.
Eunuch Wu was directing the unloading and, upon seeing Manbao, quickly jogged over to greet her, "Junior Imperial Doctor Zhou, back from your lessons?"
Manbao promptly returned the courtesy with a bow and curiously asked, "Where did all these things co from?"
"The Prince has returned, and these are New Year goods he bought from Jiangnan."
"Is the Prince well?"
"He is well, though a bit thinner than when he left, but still spirited," Eunuch Wu laughed.
He continued, "With the Prince just back, he is sure to want a health check. I was about to fetch Junior Imperial Doctor Zhou, but as luck would have it, you’ve returned."
Manbao smiled and said, "I’ll first put my book basket away and bring back my dicine chest."
Eunuch Wu agreed with a laugh.
Manbao returned to Chongwen Pavilion, set down her book basket, and took up her dicine chest to see the Crown Prince.
Whenever the Crown Prince returned from outside, it was customary to have a doctor examine him to prevent acclimatization issues and to perform a health check.
Even Wei Zhi received this courtesy, as Imperial Doctor Zheng had been ordered to attend to him.
The Crown Prince was indeed much thinner than before. After a month or so, he had grown a beard, which made Manbao stare at him several tis, thinking he looked older.
The Crown Prince noticed her constant glances and couldn’t help but give her a side-eye, asking haughtily, "What are you looking at?"
Manbao opened her mouth, then tactfully said, "Your Highness, would you consider shaving your beard?"
Such a drastic change.
The Crown Prince frowned, touched his beard, and said with so pride, "It took a while to grow it; why should I shave it off?"
Manbao opened her mouth; she couldn’t say he looked old and unattractive with the beard.
Just then, the Crown Princess ca in with the little prince in her arms. Manbao remarked, "I was just worried the little prince might not recognize you."
The Crown Prince snorted, "Nonsense, my son wouldn’t fail to recognize ."
The Crown Princess, smiling, concurred and approached with the child, coaxing him, "Eagle Boy, who’s this? Is it Father?"
The Crown Prince also smiled gently at the little prince, reaching out to touch his face.
The little prince glanced at his father, then turned to look at Manbao. Reaching out to her and babbling, though it was unclear what he ant.
When the Crown Prince kept stroking him, scratching his face painfully, the child uncomfortably turned his head. Finding he couldn’t escape, he simply closed his eyes and began to wail.
The startled Crown Prince imdiately withdrew his hand and glanced at his fingers, "Did I hurt him?"
The Crown Princess, distressed, began to soothe the child. Seeing a slight redness on his cheek, she couldn’t help but glower at the Crown Prince.
He stopped having his pulse checked, took back his left hand from Zhou Man, and went to check on the little prince. Noticing the redness on his cheek, he looked down at his fingers and realized there were many calluses on them, marks left by martial training.
Plus, recent travels had left him with new calluses from pulling the reins.
The Crown Prince dismissed the little prince as too delicate, but his gaze anxiously sought out Zhou Man.
She also stepped forward to inspect, gently touching his cheek and saying, "It’s okay, just wash it with warm water, and it should be fine."
The Crown Princess then carried the child away to wash.
Manbao said, "The child’s skin is tender, so it’s easy to scratch. Just be more careful in the future."
She gestured for the Crown Prince to sit down and continue the pulse check.
The Crown Prince didn’t have any minor ailnts; for issues like overexertion and sleep deprivation, Manbao didn’t prescribe dicine, instead suggesting so dicinal als and advising more rest.
While she was writing the prescription, the Crown Prince glanced at Eunuch Wu. Seeing this, Eunuch Wu led the palace staff out of the hall and shut the door, standing outside to face the cold.
When Manbao finished writing and looked up, everyone was gone, so she glanced at the Crown Prince.
He asked, "I heard the Empress Dowager’s health isn’t good?"
Manbao thought for a mont and nodded, "She’s a lot better now, but she’s still on dication."
Currently, Manbao had taken on a new task. Every two days, she had to check the Empress Dowager’s pulse and perform acupuncture. Occasionally, she brought Ms. Doctor Liu to practice under her supervision.
Although Director Xiao had agreed to let Ms. Doctor Liu take the Empress Dowager’s pulse personally, and the Empress Dowager wasn’t particular about who perford the acupuncture, she insisted that Zhou Man determine the acupuncture technique.
She estimated that in the coming months or even longer, she’d be taking the Empress Dowager’s pulse, determining the acupuncture thod, and occasionally performing the acupuncture herself, until...
The Crown Prince asked, "How is the Empress Dowager’s condition?"
Manbao hesitated, but under the Crown Prince’s intense gaze, she considered that he was family. Since he wasn’t asking about the Emperor’s health, she hesitated only briefly before saying, "Not very good."
The Crown Prince was sowhat prepared, as the Crown Princess had discreetly told him upon his return that the Empress Dowager was coughing up blood.
The Crown Prince pursed his lips and asked, "Is it incurable?"
Manbao shook her head. So things she couldn’t say directly to the Emperor, but she had fewer reservations with the Crown Prince, "The Empress Dowager has been ill for too long."
Since last winter, her health wasn’t great. Over the past year, she’s been on and off dication. Though it appears to be due to an ill wind causing a cough, it’s actually her body reaching its limit.
She’s only hung on because she doesn’t want to die just yet.
Manbao said, "If the weather holds, she might still see the little prince’s first birthday celebration."
She didn’t say what would happen otherwise, but the Crown Prince understood.
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