Chapter 6: The Imperial Physicians Take the Pulse

An elegantly dressed, slightly plump woman who looked like a managing matron led several middle-aged men carrying medicine boxes into the room in a hurry, guided by the waiter.

Xia Tingning subconsciously stood up and moved aside to make way. She saw the newcomers gather around the couch.

Seeing this, Xia Tingning smiled slightly; it seemed the family physician from the other party had arrived. Since the prescription had already been written and all necessary precautions had been instructed, there should be nothing more for her to do here. Xia Tingning nodded to signal Wanyu to leave with her.

Walking slowly out of the 'Zuixiang Restaurant,' Xia Tingning's attention was drawn to two carriages parked side by side in front of the restaurant on the wide street. One of them was an extremely exquisite and luxurious carriage that was left unguarded.

Thinking of the young groom who had come upstairs just now, she suddenly realized that this carriage must belong to that elegant and otherworldly man from upstairs.

The guards and servants around him all addressed him as "Shizi" (Heir). A carriage like this was indeed something only someone of noble status could afford.

As she looked up, a striking emblem of the Jing Prince's Mansion caught Xia Tingning's eye; so, he was the Shizi of the Jing Prince's Mansion.

Xia Tingning shook her head with a smile, wondering when she had started paying attention to such things. Which Shizi he was had nothing to do with her; what good would knowing that do?

Casting aside the stray thoughts in her mind, Xia Tingning led Wanyu to the Xia family carriage that had been waiting at the door and headed home.

After getting into the carriage, Wanyu, holding a food box in her left hand and several oil-paper parcels in her right, carefully placed the dozen or so dishes packed from 'Zuixiang Restaurant' beside the tea table to prevent them from being accidentally bumped or knocked over.

Once seated, she picked up the palm-leaf fan resting on the seat and gently fanned Xia Tingning. While fanning, she thought of the barbaric young lady she had encountered in the 'Zuixiang Restaurant' and immediately said with a face full of indignation, "Miss, letting that barbaric and rude Wang Yujiao go just like that was far too easy on her. She almost caused you harm; she deserves a proper lesson no matter how you look at it."

Hearing this, Xia Tingning gave a light laugh. "You certainly hold a grudge."

Wanyu widened her eyes and hurriedly retorted, "How can you say your servant holds a grudge? It is clearly that Wang Yujiao who is pushing people too far. Not only did she push you, Miss, but she was also insolent in her speech."

She truly didn't know how the Wang family raised their children; when it came to the four words 'propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame,' that Miss Wang hadn't even touched the hem of them.

How could Xia Tingning not know the indignation in Wanyu's heart? She smiled and tapped her forehead. "Don't worry, I didn't say I would let her off that easily. Those who owe me must always pay it back."

Wasn't that Wang Yujiao just relying on her wealthy family background to be so arrogant and eccentric?

If one day she lost everything she relied upon, would she still be able to act so haughtily and willfully?

In other words, once the Wang family's business was struck a devastating blow by her, this pampered lady who had lived in luxury since childhood would end up in a state of wretchedness. By then, she would no longer have the capital to act lawlessly and overbearingly.

The Wang family would be the first target she would take a knife to in the business world.

One could only blame Wang Yujiao for coincidentally offending her. When dealing with enemies, Xia Tingning had never known the meaning of leniency.

***

Meanwhile, back in the Zuixiang Restaurant. The manager leading the group, Matron Li, hurried to the couch and looked at Baili Rongjin with a face full of tension. "Shizi, are you alright? You nearly scared this Matron to death."

She had originally been staying at the mansion, handling various trivial matters entrusted to her by the Princess Consort.

Unexpectedly, a maid came running in to report that a person dressed as a waiter had arrived at the door, claiming to be a worker from 'Zuixiang Restaurant.' He said the Shizi had fainted in their restaurant and had specifically asked him to fetch the family physician.

Startled, she had hurriedly dropped her work, frantically summoned three family physicians into a carriage, and had the driver race toward this location at full speed.

The Shizi was the apple of the Prince and Princess Consort's eyes. Since birth, his constitution had been weak; if anything truly happened to him, she wouldn't be able to face the Prince and Princess.

Seeing Baili Rongjin half-reclined on the couch, Matron Li feared something was wrong and hurriedly spoke up, "Physicians, come quickly and check if there is anything amiss with the Shizi."

The physicians were all over fifty years old and lived lives of luxury; they had never ridden in a carriage traveling as fast as today's, and their bones felt as if they were about to be shaken apart along the way. Before they could even catch their breath after getting off the carriage, they were hurriedly dragged up to the second floor.

Currently, everyone was panting with sweat, taking a good while to recover.

The lead physician took a step forward first, reaching out to take Baili Rongjin's pulse, but he was blocked.

The people from the mansion had surrounded him so tightly that they blocked his line of sight, preventing him from seeing Xia Tingning's figure. He frowned slightly and said, "I am fine. All of you, step aside."

The physicians looked at each other in confusion. Did the Shizi mean he wouldn't allow them to examine his pulse?

Matron Li shouted urgently, "Shizi, how can you not let the physicians examine you? How will we explain this to the Princess Consort once we return?"

Baili Rongjin could only wave his hand and say, "All of you step aside. Let the physicians come one by one."

Everyone followed his words and stepped to the side, leaving only one physician to step forward and check his pulse.

Baili Rongjin extended his hand indifferently, his beautiful eyes scanning the room, but he did not find Xia Tingning's figure.

A faint trace of melancholy rose in his heart; had she left?

The physicians took turns checking his pulse, but just like the previous times, aside from knowing that the Shizi's body was as weak as usual, they still could not deduce the reason for his sudden fainting.

With no other way, the group could only discuss among themselves as before to prescribe a formula to nourish the Shizi's body, hoping the situation would improve.

Qing Yu watched the physicians shake their heads and sigh in frustration without reaching a conclusion. He also felt extremely helpless. These physicians were doctors whom the Prince had hired with heavy sums of money, and they were quite experienced in treating conditions like congenital deficiencies. Yet, their medical skills were still inferior to that young lady who had just examined the Shizi's pulse.

Although he and the Shizi had already learned the cause of the illness from that young lady and knew how it should be treated, since the Shizi had not spoken to explain it to the physicians, he naturally could not speak out of turn.

Seeing that the physicians could not figure anything out, Matron Li could only decide to send the Shizi back to the mansion first.

Baili Rongjin did not speak again; he simply rose from the couch and walked toward the door with indifference.

As he passed the round table, he paused, then reached out and took the honey jar sitting on the table into his arms.

Matron Li and the others did not find this behavior strange, assuming it was just some fresh item the Shizi had bought outside.

***

Inside the Jing Prince's Mansion, there was an exquisitely carved sandalwood bed with snow-white gauze curtains.

After dismissing all the unnecessary personnel, Baili Rongjin was currently sitting quietly on the bed, leaning against a soft cushion with his eyes closed to rest.

"Princess Consort, please slow down, watch your step!" A maid's urgent cry suddenly came from outside the door.

Immediately, the lacquered door was pushed open, and the Jing Princess Consort, dressed in magnificent palace attire, walked in with hurried steps and a face full of anxiety. A group of attending maids followed behind, avoiding the maids who were reaching out to support her out of fear she might trip.

Ignoring the advice of others, the Princess Consort walked anxiously to the bedside, looking at Baili Rongjin with tension and concern. "Jin'er, how are you? Is it serious?"

After speaking, she turned to look around, but seeing no sign of the physicians, she said urgently, "Where are the physicians? Why can't I see a single one? Where have all those maids and matrons gone? They should be guarding the Shizi properly. If anything happens to Jin'er, how many heads would they have to pay for it?"