Demanding a Kidney From Your Liu Family
The next day in court, Xuan Tian Ming brought up Feng Yu Heng’s request. Liu Huai was very surprised, even feeling that this was definitely some trap that the ninth prince and Feng Yu Heng had planned together to wait for the Liu family to fall into it. The Emperor, however, was very supportive of this. He even told Liu Huai that there was no need to return home. Someone from the palace would go and visit the Liu manor to tell them. Anyone that was related to the Liu family would be quickly invited into the palace.
Liu Huai partially covered his face with the wide sleeve of his court clothes and secretly moved to the eighth prince’s side, but he found that Xuan Tian Mo’s expression remained unchanged. There was not the slightest change in emotion from this matter. Liu Huai faintly sighed to himself. This eighth prince had always been like this. He very rarely got angry in front of others, and he very rarely expressed his true thoughts in front of others. Regardless of what he was thinking, it was very hard to tell based on his expression. Moreover, the eighth prince seemed to have been taking the path of family relations, as he was very concerned with the Emperor’s wellbeing, such that he paid more attention to that than the competition for the throne. Those that did not know much believe that this was a very filial prince with no aspirations for the throne; however, they did not know that this person was not remaining idle in the shadows.
Liu Huai could not leave the palace and could only watch as Zhang Yuan immediately left for his home with this imperial decree. After court was dismissed, he followed the Emperor and went directly to An Ju Palace.
Concubine Liu was quite well today. Feng Yu Heng had come over early in the morning and had given her medicine. Under the influence of the Western medicine, she could manage to sit up in bed. Though her complexion was still quite poor, she was at least able to say a few words, and she looked much better than in the previous days.
When Liu Huai saw his younger sister like this, he could not help but begin to feel some hope inside. Concubine Liu’s illness was something that he had asked every imperial physician about, and they had all reached the same conclusion. She could not be saved. The reason that Feng Yu Heng had been called in was really to trap her and have her treat a patient that could not be saved. With that happening, he would work with the other officials to do what had been done with the Yao family many years earlier. Concubine Liu could not be saved. This was something that even the eighth prince had guaranteed. Why was it that there now seemed to be a bit of recovery?
Some sweat appeared on Liu Huai’s brow. Staring at Concubine Liu, it seemed as though he wanted to try and find some sort of clue from her body. Or was she forcefully enduring it for all to see?
Concubine Liu noticed that her elder brother had been staring at her the entire time and could not help but feel emotional, saying: “I’ve truly made elder brother worried this past little while. This One has not been able to help the family much over the years. Now, I’ve fallen ill and still need to have elder brother help out. I truly feel apologetic.”
Liu Huai quickly said: “Please do not speak like such an outsider. Regardless of what is said, this official hopes that Your Highness can quickly recover.”
“Elder brother, don’t worry.” Concubine Liu consoled him: “This One’s illness cannot be treated by anyone in the palace, but through Princess Yu’s miraculous abilities, my health has already started to improve. Also, Princess Yu has said that as long as the Liu family can cooperate, this One’s illness can definitely be cured.” After saying this, she verified it with Feng Yu Heng: “That’s true, right?”
Feng Yu Heng nodded with a smile, “That’s right. To treat Your Highness’ illness and save Your Highness’ life, it requires the Liu family’s cooperation. This cooperation requires a certain payment. I just don’t know if the members of the Liu family are willing to make this sort of payment.”
“Princess Yu, don’t worry!” Before Liu Huai could speak up, Concubine Liu had already said, “The Liu family is this One’s family. No matter what the payment, they will agree.”
“Un.” The Emperor nodded along, “Based on dear official Liu’s repeated pleas for Us to invite A-Heng into the palace to examine your illness, it was already clear just how much importance the Liu family places in you.” After saying this, he asked Liu Huai, “Dear official Liu, what do you say?”
What could Liu Huai say? He gritted his teeth and nodded, adding: “Your Majesty is correct. As long as Her Highness Concubine Liu’s illness can be cured, the Liu family is willing to shoulder any payment.”
The Emperor nodded and said with satisfaction: “This is what an older brother should look like.”
Feng Yu Heng sat to the side and watched Liu Huai, rubbing salt in the wounds: “Her Highness Concubine Liu can finally be at ease this time around.”
Liu Huai really could not understand what Feng Yu Heng meant, but the Emperor was present. It would not be good to ask too much. He could only stand there and think about it while hoping that the rest of the Liu family could quickly enter the palace for Feng Yu Heng to quickly reveal the answer. Although the moment that the sword swung down was frightening, only those that had truly set foot on the execution stage knew that the most terrifying moment was not when the head was cut off. Instead, it was when the sword rested on their neck; however, the order to carry out the execution was not given for an extended period of time. Liu Huai currently felt as though he was a piece of meat on a chopping board, and he might be cut up at any moment!
Fortunately, he did not need to wait for too long. Zhang Yuan had already brought a large group of people from the Liu family into An Ju Palace’s gates, and they all stood in the yard. At the same time, Xuan Tian Ming and Xuan Tian Hua, who had left the palace after court had been dismissed, had returned; however, they had brought ten normal citizens from the capital into the palace. Adding in the imperial physicians that had also gathered, An Ju Palace instantly began to feel cramped.
This scene caused Liu Huai to feel very shocked. He felt even more shocked when he saw Xuan Tian Hua standing in the yard.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, the Emperor spoke up: “A-Heng, everyone is present. Go ahead and tell us how the Liu family can help out!”
Feng Yu Heng nodded, as people carried Concubine Liu into the yard on a soft chair. Finally, when the rowdiness had died down, Feng Yu Heng spoke up: “Before revealing the treatment method, I ask Father Emperor to allow A-Heng to explain Her Highness’ illness to everyone. Everyone, Her Highness is suffering from kidney failure. It is because her kidney function is declining that her health has deteriorated to such a disastrous degree. Although I have already done everything possible to ease Her Highness’ suffering with medicine, just using this method cannot extend Her Highness’ life. Things will still be as described by the imperial physicians, with Her Highness only having one month left to live.”
This was the first time that Concubine Liu had heard about her own illness. In an instant, she became a bit emotional. Sitting on the chair, she did her best to try and reach for the Emperor’s hand while calling out: “Your Majesty! Your Majesty, save this concubine. This concubine doesn’t want to die!” Unfortunately, the Emperor was standing rather far away, nor did he have any intention of walking over. No matter what, she could not reach him. Seeing that she could not reach the Emperor, she began to reach for Feng Yu Heng, “Princess Yu! Imperial Daughter Ji An! I’m begging you, you must save me.”
Feng Yu Heng partially turned and raised her voice to say: “A-Heng already said it. Treating Your Highness is not impossible, but it requires the Liu family to cooperate and make a payment.”
“The Liu family will definitely agree!” Concubine Liu shouted this for everyone in the Liu family to hear. She was already severely ill, and she looked a bit like a ghoul. She was also old and ugly, and the Liu family did not even want to look at her. Suddenly hearing her shout this, everyone felt a bit reluctant. But in the end, Concubine Liu was a high-ranking member of the imperial harem. Also, the Emperor was present. Even if they had any thoughts of their own, they could not voice them. Thus they lowered their heads in silence, while Liu Huai gritted his teeth and responded: “Your Highness is right.”
“Very good.” The person that spoke was Feng Yu Heng, “Since the Liu family has no objections, I will speak a bit about the treatment method. Listen up! Ever since this princess took over Hundred Herb Hall three years ago, a series of new medical procedures and medicine have been pioneered. I trust that everyone living in the capital must have heard about it, and most people have even gone to Hundred Herb Hall to experience it. Hundred Herb Hall’s surgeries are known by everyone. For example, reconnecting bones, c-sections and organ transplants.” As she spoke, she looked at the ten citizens that Xuan Tian Ming and Xuan Tian Hua had brought in, “Today, some citizens were brought in to serve as testimonials. They will prove that my Hundred Herb Hall has this sort of ability.”
After she said this, the citizens immediately kneeled, as someone led the way and said: “What Princess Yu said is true. We are all people that have been treated at Hundred Herb Hall. We have personally seen Hundred Herb Hall’s surgical methods. I myself suffered a burn and was treated personally by Divine Doctor Yao Xian, who performed a skin graft. Some skin from my thigh was taken and placed on my neck.” As he spoke, he lifted the collar of his shirt to allow everyone to take a look.
After he finished speaking, a woman continued: “At the end of last year, I gave birth. Because of a difficult delivery, it seemed as though two lives were about to be lost. It was a female doctor at Hundred Herb Hall that had performed my surgical delivery. Cutting my belly open, pulling the child out then sewing me back up. After the surgery, I was able to get out of bed within seven days. There were no problems.”
With these two people acting first, the remaining citizens began to reveal their own experiences with surgery at Hundred Herb Hall. Among them, there was one that had spoken of how they had received a “kidney transplant.” After the success, they had managed to live another two years. Once these words came out, everyone in the Liu family trembled, as they looked at Feng Yu Heng in horror.
Feng Yu Heng did not mind this, as she said to them: “This princess remembers you. At that time, you were also suffering from severe kidney failure. You had an older brother from the same parents. After examination, your kidneys were perfectly compatible, and your relationship as siblings was deep. Your elder brother willingly offered you his kidney, which saved your life.”
That person kowtowed to Feng Yu Heng, gratefully saying: “This lowly one’s life was saved by Princess. This lowly one will never forget Princess’ great benevolence.”
“How is your elder brother doing?” Feng Yu Heng asked him: “I remember that your elder brother had found a wife at the time of the surgery. It was because your family was well off, and you brothers did not need to worry about physical labor that we carried on with the procedure.”
That person immediately replied: “Elder brother is very well. We take special medicine that has been prescribed by Hundred Herb Hall every day. There is no exhaustion, and we are in good health.”
“Princess Yu, what is the meaning of this?” Suddenly, Liu Hua’s madam, Li shi spoke up. With a horrified expression, she asked Feng Yu Heng: “Could it be that the method Princess Yu was speaking of was a kidney swapping?” She was extremely puzzled, “What is a kidney?”
Feng Yu Heng did not explain much about what a kidney was. She just told Li shi: “The kidney is an organ in the human body. Normally, people have two kidneys, and they are located in the small of the back. The so-called kidney swapping surgery is a bit less accurate. From a medical perspective, it would be called a kidney transplant. This is a major operation that sees a functioning kidney take the place of a failing kidney. Usually, this is done in the late stages of kidney failure.” As she spoke, she glanced at Concubine Liu: “As for Her Highness Concubine Liu, she happens to have this sort of illness.”
Li shi trembled and muttered: “Could it be that a kidney will be transplanted into Concubine Liu?” Following this, she said with some confusion: “If a kidney is to be transplanted, just transplant one. What does the Liu family need to be here for?” To pay money? That could not be it. Concubine Liu had married into the Imperial Palace, which meant that she was the Emperor’s woman. Regardless of whether or not she was favored, there was no logic in having her former family pay when she fell ill.
She looked at Feng Yu Heng in confusion then heard Feng Yu Heng say something that truly ate at their hearts: “The reason that the Liu family was called into the palace is that the kidney needs to be found, and it needs to come from relatives.”