Manbao stepped onto the chair, took down the booklet at the top, and flipped through it. She glanced at Director Xiao, who was frowning not far away, and asked with a cheerful smile, "What’s wrong? You’ve been unhappy the whole day?"
Director Xiao frowned and said, "I have so matters on hand. Today is the day for the Emperor’s regular health check. Imperial Doctor Liu is at the Imperial Hospital for lessons."
Manbao imdiately volunteered, "I’ll go for you."
Director Xiao couldn’t help but look up at her. Seeing her so eager, he suspiciously asked, "Why do you want to go?"
"Isn’t it because you don’t have ti?" Seeing Director Xiao fixedly looking at her, she said, "Alright, I miss His Majesty a little and can go to see him."
Director Xiao looked very unbelieving. Yesterday was the fifteenth, the Great Court eting; didn’t she already go?
Zhou Man opened her round eyes and stood on the chair holding a booklet, asking, "Would you like to go for you? If not, I’ll be borrowing the booklet to read."
Director Xiao glanced at the booklet in Zhou Man’s hand. The whole row was pulse records of the previous emperor’s consorts; he knew Zhou Man was currently writing about symptoms and various dications from pregnancy to childbirth, likely for research.
Director Xiao only hesitated for a mont before nodding, "Alright, you go for then."
In the Imperial Hospital, Zhou Man was a sixth-rank doctor, barely at the threshold for requesting the Emperor’s health pulse. She was familiar with the Emperor, so there should be no problem.
Manbao imdiately stuffed the booklet back and said to Imperial Doctor Lu on duty today, "I won’t borrow it temporarily."
She jumped off the chair to pack her dicine chest.
Imperial Doctor Lu frowned and complained to Director Xiao, "Director, is it really alright for Zhou Man to go see His Majesty like this?"
Director Xiao waved, "Don’t worry, Zhou Man is quite discreet; today everything is happening all at once. I’ve seen the Empress Dowager and need to see Prince Gong. You keep an eye on things at the Imperial Hospital."
Imperial Doctor Lu opened his mouth to speak. He’s busy, but the rest of them aren’t. He is also a sixth-rank doctor and can equally request the Emperor’s health pulse.
But ultimately, such words are hard to say aloud, so Imperial Doctor Lu could only hold them in.
Thus, in the afternoon, Manbao appeared in the Emperor’s study carrying her dicine chest.
The Emperor extended his hand and watched her curiously, "Why are you the one coming to request my health pulse?"
When he’s not sick, Zhou Man is generally not responsible for his health pulse, after all, she must request the health pulse for the Empress, the princesses, and several consorts in the harem, she is one of the busiest doctors in the Imperial Hospital.
Manbao said, "Director Xiao is busy today, and Imperial Doctor Liu is at lessons."
What about Imperial Doctor Lu and the others?
But seeing Zhou Man had already placed her hand on his pulse, the Emperor did not ask further.
The process for the health pulse is mutually familiar, and the Emperor answered Zhou Man’s routine questions about what he ate, drank, and how well he slept.
Then Zhou Man asked, "Your Majesty, have you been in a good mood these last two days or have you been upset?"
The Emperor glanced at her, "You also know I can be upset, huh?"
Manbao then rembered that the Emperor seed to have argued with Lord Tang during yesterday’s Great Court eting, but it didn’t seem serious enough to cause real upset?
Manbao asked, "Would you like to give you a few needles to relieve your grievance?"
The Emperor hesitated but ultimately couldn’t resist and went to the inner room to change clothes, after a while, he lay on the couch.
Gu Zhong laughed as he placed a silk cloth over the Emperor’s back to keep him warm, and Manbao inserted needles while advising, "Your Majesty, although joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness are normal human emotions, being constantly upset is bad for the health."
"Hmm, you should say that more often to Wei Zhi and the others."
Manbao: "...Your Majesty, shouldn’t you be thinking about how to control your emotions so you aren’t so upset?"
The Emperor said, "I’ve learned to cultivate my mood for decades, and my temper is good now; what should it beco after more cultivation?"
He didn’t want to use the word "timid" to describe himself.
Well, the Emperor blocked all of Manbao’s prepared statents.
She sighed, the other party is in a bad mood; how can she ntion it?
Hearing her sigh, the Emperor couldn’t help but laugh, "Co now, you are so young, do you also have worries?"
"How could I not? Although I’m young, I have a whole heap of academic, career, and family matters." Manbao selected acupuncture points for the Emperor while chatting, "But I seldom get upset, so I’m quite in good health."
The Emperor felt a bit angry again, this ti by the doctor, "Who can anger you?"
"There are many," Manbao quickly replied, "Bai Shan always bullies , and Bai Er always supports him, though I seldom get truly angry."
The Emperor didn’t feel better; rather, he felt more stifled, like when he tells Wei Zhi and the others that the Empress bullies him.
After speaking, Manbao rembered sothing and forcibly steered the conversation to Bai Erlang, "But my Third Junior Brother is still quite good; he occasionally helps ."
The Emperor thought she was changing the subject and cooperated by asking, "Hmm, is your Third Junior Brother quite fair?" Actually he felt she was getting a fire started.
Unknowing, Manbao nodded reluctantly, "Fairly, I suppose."
Manbao finished giving the Emperor acupuncture, and although his mood improved sowhat, Manbao left only feeling average.
Gu Zhong noticed early on that Zhou Man had concerns but couldn’t guess what they were. However, it seed related to the Emperor.
Thus, while assisting the Emperor in changing clothes, Gu Zhong ntioned, "Lord Zhou Junior seems to have concerns."
While receiving acupuncture, the Emperor was lying down, "Really?" he asked.
Gu Zhong nodded, smiling.
After thinking for a mont, the Emperor harrumphed, "No wonder she volunteered to request my pulse; since she’s not saying, we’ll pretend not to know."
But inside, he was slightly curious, wondering what Zhou Man might need from him?
Within a couple of days, the Emperor vaguely guessed because their family rarely gathered for a al together.
The Emperor held the young crown prince, teasing him gently as he watched him cautiously shift his position on the couch, laughing alongside the Empress seated beside him.
The Crown Prince then asked the Emperor, "Has Father decided on a consort for Mingda?"
Mingda and Changyu sat in the small room behind the screen, looking at two outfits the Crown Princess brought from her family; they were made by her family’s embroiderers, which she felt were beautiful and thus brought them as gifts for her sisters-in-law.
The Emperor could vaguely hear the Crown Princess say, "Adjust the dinsions at the waist and shoulders a bit, and they’ll work. This simple one suits Mingda."
The Emperor sighed, "Is it that easy? I’ve sent letters to Wang Min and Lu Hui, asking them to have their family’s young mbers co to the capital for a look."
The Crown Prince, intrigued, "Did they agree?"
The Emperor, very frustrated, "Wang Min didn’t refuse, but Lu Hui didn’t accept, saying he’s busy recently and can’t co to the capital."
Apart from the Wang and Lu Families, the Emperor also ntioned this to so ministers in court with whom he enjoys a good rapport, looking to see if they have any unmarried young mbers at ho.
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