Chapter 1047 - 1049 Saving Consort Yue_1
The Empress Dowager dared not delay and hurried out. Bai Ruozhu bowed to Princess Diao Bin and quickly followed.
Bai Ruozhu had heard that the Emperor’s lineage was thin, with currently only one prince and two princesses. Moreover, the prince was not born of the Empress but of a palace maid of very low status.
There must be reasons for the scarcity of heirs in the palace, but Bai Ruozhu did not want to think too much. She did not wish to be involved in court intrigue, yet now that Consort Le was the Empress Dowager’s niece, and having received the Empress Dowager’s favor, she could hardly refuse to help.
When she saw the name of Consort Le’s residence, Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but think of "Floating Clouds." Wasn’t this an inauspicious name suggesting that everything would be as fleeting as clouds?
Upon entering Fuyun Court, even the usually good-tempered Empress Dowager’s anger flared, for there was only one Imperial Doctor treating Consort Le; not the chief or deputy chief of the Imperial Medical Bureau, nor was it the renowned Imperial Doctor, but merely an ordinary on-duty Imperial Doctor.
The Empress Dowager took several deep breaths to suppress the fury in her heart, blaming herself for always being amiable and, recently preoccupied with Princess Diao Bin’s matters, not keeping a close enough watch on Consort Le, allowing this child to suffer.
Consort Le had an oval face and was very beautiful. Pregnancy hadn’t made her face much rounder, and as she lay in bed, her complexion was pale, her willow-leaf eyebrows painfully furrowed.
"Where are the people from the Imperial Medical Bureau? How important is the royal heir? Is this how you take care of her?" the Empress Dowager raised her voice sharply, her face darkening.
The Imperial Doctor, terrified, shivered and hurriedly replied, "Please calm your anger, Empress Dowager. Yesterday the Empress fell ill, and the two chiefs of the Imperial Medical Bureau were busy treating her."
The Empress Dowager snorted coldly, "How timely of her to fall ill."
Without paying any more attention to the Imperial Doctor, she quickly walked to Consort Le’s bed to check on her. At this moment, Consort Le weakly opened her eyes, grabbed her hand, and tearfully said, "Empress Dowager, please save my child."
"Don’t be afraid. I have brought a skilled doctor. Relax a bit, and you will get better," the Empress Dowager said, her eyes reddening as she looked at Bai Ruozhu with a pleading gaze.
She dared not assure that the child was safe, and could only comfort Consort Le that things would get better. Now, she could only pin her hopes on Bai Ruozhu.
Bai Ruozhu nodded to the Empress Dowager, stepped forward to take Consort Le’s pulse, and although Consort Le seemed a bit surprised, she did not question her and even mustered the strength to thank her.
Bai Ruozhu’s impression of Consort Le improved considerably. In a gentle voice, she said, "Your Highness, rest assured, everything will be fine."
Indeed, Consort Le had disturbed the fetal Qi and had the show, a rather dangerous sign. But it happened that Bai Ruozhu knew the method to stabilize the pregnancy. She had once even taught Doctor Li how to save Wang LaiDi’s child. In a situation even more perilous than today’s, they had managed to secure the pregnancy.
She took a silver needle from her hair and said, "The acupuncture will be quick, and you won’t feel much. Your Highness need not be nervous."
Consort Le nodded. As long as her child could be saved, she was willing to endure any pain, even if it meant cutting into her flesh.
However, the Imperial Doctor standing nearby intervened. He bowed to the Empress Dowager and said, "Empress Dowager, this must not be done so rashly. This woman is not an Imperial Doctor from the Palace. How can she be allowed to treat Consort Le so casually? The Imperial Medical Bureau cannot bear this responsibility if something happens!"
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager’s fury skyrocketed, "Responsibility, responsibility, you are all just afraid of taking responsibility. Where has your medical ethics gone, the ethics of saving lives? Stop obstructing and get out of my sight!"
The Empress Dowager was truly furious. Her temper was normally very good, so this rare outburst frightened everyone present.
The Imperial Physician retreated nervously, and no one else dared to make a sound, while Bai Ruozhu remained very calm and had already begun to perform acupuncture on Consort Le.
She had not considered whether she would be held responsible if the treatment failed; perhaps it was confidence in her medical skills, or maybe she was more concerned about saving the innocent child in Consort Le’s womb.
Her needling technique was swift, and soon after she finished a set of needles, Consort Le’s bleeding stopped.
Immediately she began using techniques to preserve the pregnancy and massaged Consort Le; not long after, the Consort’s bouts of abdominal pain had also begun to improve.
Seeing hope, Consort Le’s complexion also brightened significantly, and she said excitedly, "My stomach doesn’t hurt anymore, is the child saved?"
Bai Ruozhu nodded and replied, "Saved, but in the days ahead you must be especially careful, especially during the first three months, the fetal qi must be properly settled."
When the Empress Dowager heard this, she hurriedly said, "You are moving into my Cining Palace today, otherwise I cannot be at ease."
Consort Le revealed a worried expression upon hearing this, "This, this isn’t really appropriate, I fear they will criticize me based on the rules."
"Who dares? Am I, the Empress Dowager, too amiable that my position in this Palace has been forgotten?" The Empress Dowager became furious, her good nature stretched too thin; did they really think the Ding Family was so easily bullied?
Bai Ruozhu also spoke out, "Consort Le, what’s more important, your own child or the gossip of others?"
Consort Le instantly realized, "You’re right, I’ve been too cautious."
The Empress Dowager sat by Consort Le’s bedside to chat with her, while Bai Ruozhu stepped aside. Her eyes glanced over a vase, and she thought to herself that it must be this.
However, to be on the safe side, she did not say anything. When she stepped aside, she raised her hand to insert the acupuncture hairpin back into her hair, and as a result of a fling of her sleeve, she accidentally knocked over the vase.
As the vase hit the ground and shattered, it startled everyone in the room. Bai Ruozhu quickly put on a frightened look and said, "I was too careless, disturbing the Empress Dowager and Consort Le, I truly deserve to die."
"It’s alright, it’s alright; broken pieces bring peace. Just be careful not to cut yourself," the Empress Dowager urgently called Bai Ruozhu over, away from the fragments, while palace maids hurriedly came forward and swiftly cleaned up the pieces.
"It’s a minor matter, Ruozhu, don’t take it too hard. If it weren’t for you today, I am afraid..." Consort Le started to say and then her brow furrowed again.
Bai Ruozhu looked at the chrysanthemums scattered on the ground and asked, "Consort Le, do you like chrysanthemums?"
"Not particularly fond of them, it’s just that the chrysanthemums bloomed profusely recently, so the palace maids put them in vases," Consort Le replied, obviously oblivious to any implication, while the Empress Dowager sneakily glanced at Bai Ruozhu.
Afterward, Bai Ruozhu advised Consort Le and her head palace maid on some matters to be cautious about, and Consort Le did not move to Cining Palace that day, because Bai Ruozhu said her condition was not suitable for immediate movement and it was best to rest for a couple of days first.
Bai Ruozhu left Fuyun Court with the Empress Dowager, and as they walked, the Empress Dowager commanded the attendants to follow behind. She took Bai Ruozhu’s hand and asked in a low voice, "Ruozhu, I know you are cautious by nature and wouldn’t carelessly break the vase, was there something wrong with that vase?"
Bai Ruozhu gave a wry smile; she knew she couldn’t hide it. Surely this act would also be reported by the palace maids of Fuyun Court to the person behind the scenes, and regardless of whether she did it intentionally or accidentally, the other party would definitely hate her!