Chapter 1224 - 900: Windborne Malady
Upon hearing those words, everyone’s gaze fell upon the nanny.
Nanny Feng was frightened and hurriedly said to Shang Ruyi, "Princess, please see clearly, I didn’t do anything—Young Master really was fine, I don’t know why he just started crying."
Tushere whispered from the side, "I was watching from the side too, she didn’t do anything, but Young Master somehow just started crying."
Yu Wenquan said impatiently, "If Yuanyuan doesn’t like her, replace her then."
Nanny Feng looked pitifully at Shang Ruyi.
She had lost her husband and child and originally had no attachment to this world. But having been fortunately chosen to enter the palace as the nanny to the Young Master, and with their daily interactions, she had poured all her emotions into this child. To be replaced would mean being driven out of the palace. For her, it would mean losing not just a job but also her livelihood.
At this moment, Yu Wenye, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke, "Father, your son has an unreasonable request."
Yu Wenquan looked at him, "Speak."
Yu Wenye said, "I would like to ask Father to temporarily release Physician Su from prison, to let her take a look. After all, she has been taking care of Ruyi and the child’s health since the child’s birth, and she knows many things better than others."
Du Ruoming’s face stiffened, and he lowered his head.
Yu Wenquan furrowed his brow, looked at him, then looked down at the little Yuanyuan, who had stopped crying and was reaching out to grab his beard. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Very well, there are also some things I want to ask her. Minister Yan."
Yan Shaoxuan immediately stepped forward, "I am here, Your Majesty."
"Send someone to bring out Su Qinglan immediately."
"I will obey the order."
With the Emperor’s command, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice dared not delay and went personally, his silhouette disappearing outside Liangyi Hall instantly.
Everyone in the hall waited quietly, the dozen or so people making not a sound, not even a cough or a breath. The only sound in the vast hall was the laughter coming from little Yuanyuan. He had grabbed his grandpa’s beard and, overjoyed, was pulling it downward constantly. Yu Wenquan was not angry and let him pull out several of his beard hairs, smiling and teasing him, "This kid, really strong."
After waiting for about the time it takes for a meal, suddenly footsteps were heard outside.
Eunuch Yu hurried out to meet them, after a brief delay, he returned with Yan Shaoxuan, flanking a slender figure in the middle. It was Su Qinglan, slowly entering from outside. It was apparent that Eunuch Yu had just taken Su Qinglan to clean up briefly and change clothes before meeting the Emperor. The clothes were ill-fitting, her hair slightly disheveled, and although her face was barely clean, it was pale and almost bloodless.
Seeing this, Shang Ruyi felt a pang in her heart and immediately furrowed her brow.
Su Qinglan walked in step by step, her steps heavy as if weighed down by lead. Although she had been examined, she had not been tortured in the Ministry of Justice Prison. Yet, the past days had been a nightmare for her. Now, re-entering Liangyi Hall, seeing the solemn faces around her, felt like suddenly moving from the Eighteen Layers of Hell into the Heavenly Palace.
She slowly made her way to the center of the grand hall and bowed deeply to Yu Wenquan, "Guilty minister Su Qinglan, pays respect to the Emperor, long live His Majesty, long live, long live."
Yu Wenquan looked at her with a complex expression. Although the words from the Crown Princess Consort and Princess Qin had slightly lessened his suspicions towards Su Qinglan, the matters involved the rebels of Wanggang Village and the assassination attempt on him at the Hot Spring Palace, so he couldn’t easily change his stance. Thus, he said, "Su Qinglan, do you acknowledge your guilt?"
Su Qinglan said, "I am guilty, Your Majesty."
"Speak."
"I failed to discern right from wrong and associated with the rebels. It is my failure in discernment."
Yu Wenquan narrowed his eyes slightly, "So, you still do not admit that you associated with the rebels to harm me?"
Su Qinglan immediately raised her head, her eyes red, "I did not, and I dare not. If I had known Jiang Xian was a rebel from Wanggang Village, how could I dare associate with him?"
"..."
"Even if I had the courage of heaven, I would not dare to harm the Emperor!"
Yu Wenquan fell silent, looking at her for a moment, then said, "Whether what you say is true or false, I will investigate thoroughly."
"..."
"But for now, I can give you a chance to atone for your crimes with merit."
Su Qinglan immediately said, "What does the Emperor command?"
Yu Wenquan turned to look at Eunuch Yu, who immediately stepped forward, "Physician Su, the matter is regarding the Young Master—"
Thus, he recounted the events that had just occurred to Su Qinglan. As she listened, her eyes flashed repeatedly, looking at the swaddled child in Yu Wenquan’s arms, glancing at Shang Ruyi, and finally settling on the nanny’s somewhat panicked face.
After Eunuch Yu finished speaking, Shang Ruyi added, "Now, Doctor Du cannot find any reason, so His Majesty has asked you to take a look. Physician Su, you must seize this opportunity well."
Su Qinglan looked at her, took a deep breath, and said, "Your humble servant understands."
After speaking, she slowly stood up and walked a few steps towards the Emperor. She stopped two steps away from him, glanced at Little Yuanzi who was happily playing in the swaddle, and said nothing more. Instead, she turned towards Nanny Feng, observed her for a moment, and immediately said, "Nanny Feng, have you just recovered from a cold?"
Nanny Feng nodded quickly and hurriedly said, "Yes, Your servant caught a cold a few days ago, but I have recovered."
Su Qinglan asked, "What medicine did you use?"
Upon hearing this, Du Ruoming frowned, recited the prescription he gave Nanny Feng in one breath, and then said coldly, "Doctor Su, do you think there is a problem with the prescription I gave her?"
Su Qinglan shook her head and said, "The prescription is not a problem, but the effectiveness—"
Du Ruoming sneered, "Doctor Su indeed has sharp eyes. The effectiveness is indeed not strong. But since Doctor Su can see the weak effectiveness, how can you not see that this nanny’s health is related to the Young Master? If I prescribed the usual dosage, she would recover, but what about the Young Master?"
Su Qinglan said, "I did not say that Doctor Du’s prescription was wrong."
"Then you—"
"Nanny Feng just said she caught a cold a few days ago and has recovered today, but the effectiveness of this prescription is absolutely not enough for her to recover in such a short time. So, Doctor Du, do you have any other aids?"
At this time, Du Ruoming’s expression changed slightly.
As if realizing something, when he spoke again, his voice was a little lower, as he saw Su Qinglan turning to walk towards Nanny Feng, cautiously saying, "I also prepared some incense for her."
Standing in front of Nanny Feng, Su Qinglan just took a sniff and said, "There is clove in the incense, right?"
At this moment, Du Ruoming was already drenched in sweat.
Before he could speak, Shang Ruyi immediately asked, "Clove, what’s wrong?"
Su Qinglan turned her head to look at her, seemed to hesitate for a moment, while Yu Wenquan on the other side had already frowned and said, "Explain clearly, what is wrong with the clove?"
Su Qinglan took a deep breath, immediately turned to Yu Wenquan and said, "Your Majesty, according to my years of medical practice, the human body differs. Different people can have adverse reactions to different medications, foods, and even floral scents. It’s what is referred to in medical books as being affected by external evils."
"Is there such a thing?"
"Yes. For instance, people from the Central Plains can eat nuts like peach kernels without issues, but most barbarians will break out in rashes all over, and severe cases may suffocate and die. The Turkic people on the grassland love cow and sheep milk and dairy products, but when people from the Central Plains consume them, they often experience bloating, diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. This is an intolerance to milk and dairy products."
Yu Wenquan nodded again and said, "Then what about the clove you mentioned earlier?"
Su Qinglan said, "Actually, this is still under investigation by me. It may be that the Young Master has an intolerance to clove."
Yu Wenquan immediately said, "Then why didn’t you mention it earlier!"
Su Qinglan hurriedly knelt down and softly said, "The Young Master is still very young, and his health has been good since birth without any medication, so I have not confirmed his intolerance to clove yet. However, the Young Master is probably naturally sensitive; he naturally dislikes the smell of clove. In the past, whenever I went to Qianqiu Palace to check the pulse of the Princess, if the medicine box happened to have clove, he would become very restless and anxious. It was from that time that I started to suspect."
"..."
"It’s just that I hadn’t had time to diagnose it before—"
The rest of the words were left unsaid, but even without saying, everyone understood.
Little Yuanzi is only three months old, and indeed it is not easy to determine his body’s reaction to medication, and Su Qinglan noticing his potential intolerance to clove was already very meticulous. As to why she didn’t have time for a diagnosis—it was naturally because she was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice Prison.
And now, Little Yuanzi cried whenever Nanny Feng held him because Nanny Feng’s body carried the scent of incense containing clove!
Yu Wenquan remained silent for a moment and said, "You may rise."
Su Qinglan said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
After speaking, she cautiously got up from the ground, but said no more, even taking a step back, blending her already frail body into the shadows within the great hall.
At the same time, everyone’s gaze shifted from her to Du Ruoming.
Yu Wenquan gloomily said, "Doctor Du, do you have anything else to say?"
Du Ruoming was covered in sweat, collapsed to his knees with a thud, "Your Majesty, your servant is guilty, your servant—"
At the same time, Yu Mingyue frowned and instinctively glanced at the Crown Prince, only to see him silent, his lips tightly pressed into a line, seemingly displeased. He originally wanted to say something but closed his mouth at this moment.
Just then, Shang Ruyi suddenly said, "Father, your daughter has something to say."