Chapter 9: Don't Drive Them to Death

The Princess wiped the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief and left the room, looking back with reluctance.

As soon as the Princess was gone, Fourth Granny slumped onto the edge of the bed, raising a hand to wipe her forehead. "You scared me to death."

"Fourth Granny, please use the alcohol to wipe your hands first." Ye Qianning moved the candlestick from the table to the bedside, then placed the silver needles beside the bed.

"Fatty, what are you doing?" Fourth Granny asked, puzzled.

"The rashes on the little Princess's body are two different types. The ones with pustules must be pricked with silver needles first, and then treated with cupping," Ye Qianning said.

Fourth Granny was startled. "You’re going to perform acupuncture? Fatty, don't mess around. This is the little Princess; if something goes wrong, it won't just be a matter of a few strokes of the cane."

If she couldn't cure her now, at most she’d get a beating, but if she messed the child up, it would cost them their lives.

"Just trust me." Ye Qianning was full of confidence. "Fourth Granny, don't just stand there. Disinfect your hands first, then assist me."

Fourth Granny was stunned, let out an "oh," and turned to wipe her hands with the alcohol as instructed.

"Itchy... so painful, so itchy..." the little Princess cried and fussed.

Ye Qianning’s chubby little hand held her down, while her other hand reached behind the child's head and applied a slight bit of pressure. The crying little one instantly went silent.

"Fa... Fatty, what did you do? Why isn't she moving?" Fourth Granny’s heart, already in her throat, jumped to her mouth.

If this child was played to death by Fatty, they would surely have their entire clans wiped out...

"Pricking the rashes will be very painful later, and I was afraid she wouldn't be able to bear it, so I let her sleep for a while. Fourth Granny, come and take off her clothes." Ye Qianning lit the candle, and the tiny flame flickered to life.

Fourth Granny felt suspicious upon hearing this; she felt that today's Fatty was different from usual.

Ye Qianning used the silver needle to prick the pustules one by one, wiping them afterward with a disinfected cloth. Once they were all cleared, she performed a simple moxibustion.

After clearing one type of rash, she moved to the other. The second type was intensely red, the size of pinpricks. These rashes would slowly spread across the waist, and once they circled the body, they would be very difficult to treat. Fortunately, it wasn't too serious yet.

Fourth Granny hadn't held much hope, but after a short while, she seemed to see a glimmer of it. Since when had her Fatty learned medicine?

Her acupuncture technique was more skillful than the hands of someone who had embroidered for years, though she didn't know if this method would actually work.

Ye Qianning dipped a writing brush into the ink on the table, then walked to the bed and used the ink to circle the areas where there were no rashes. She waited for the ink to dry before gently covering the child with the quilt.

"Fatty, what are you drawing on her?" Fourth Granny asked, confused.

"To prevent this type of rash from spreading."

"Ink can cure rashes too?" Fourth Granny wondered.

"No, it just stops the rashes from spreading; it doesn't eliminate them." Ye Qianning was using a very primitive folk remedy.

It was strange to say, but there was one type of rash that was quite peculiar; as long as you drew a line with ink, the rash wouldn't spread to the other side.

Fourth Granny nodded, half-understanding. Ink could be used like this?

"It will take time for the rashes to heal. I’ll write down a prescription; give it to the Princess later. Remember, it must be fresh herbs, ground into juice. Apply it to the little Princess four or five times a day. In three days, you will see the rashes scabbing over." Ye Qianning instructed Fourth Granny on how to explain things to the Princess and the dosage of the herbs.

Fourth Granny nodded, noting everything down.

Ye Qianning picked up the brush, only then remembering that this era used traditional characters, and others might not recognize her handwriting. "Fourth Granny, you write it."

"My writing isn't very good."

"As long as others can read it, that's fine."

"Alright then." Fourth Granny took the brush.

She had attended school for a few years in the past and knew some characters. As Ye Qianning called out the names of the herbs, she began to write them down in a crooked hand.