Why Should She Give Up on Herself?
“Do you think having a few stinking coins gives you the right to humiliate people at will? What do you take us physicians for?”
Physician Qiu glared fiercely at Jiang Zhaoying, but she ignored him, holding Princess Tingyun as she slowly fed her water. Only after confirming that the pill had dissolved did she lay the princess flat, carefully observing whether there was any change in her complexion.
The one-thousand-tael banknote gleamed conspicuously on the stool.
The Crown Prince glanced at Shen Liuguang, who was about to press his blade against Physician Qiu’s neck to force him to prescribe medicine.
But at that moment.
A physician in his forties, dressed in coarse cloth, pushed his way forward and snatched the banknote.
“I’ll go prepare the decoction. Miss, is it just for a heart condition?”
If it was a heart condition, that was manageable.
“Yes.”
Jiang Zhaoying nodded, and the physician bowed.
“My surname is Yuan. I’m a physician who treats commoners, and my family has been doing so for three generations.”
Were these people blind?
This was one thousand taels of silver!
With this money, he could continue offering free consultations to the common people, rebuild his dilapidated clinic, and even construct a larger, better-equipped one.
It was just a matter of preparing a decoction. Not taking this opportunity to earn such money—wasn’t that just foolish?
Seeing that a physician had gone out to prepare the medicine, the murderous glint in the Crown Prince’s eyes faded slightly.
Jiang Zhaoying also felt somewhat relieved.
Physician Yuan took a few steps away but then returned, taking out a small bottle of medicine.
“Because my mother suffers from a heart condition, this medicine is always kept at home. If this young lady is truly in distress, have her take two pills. It might offer some relief.”
Each person’s heart condition is different, and the triggers vary, so he couldn’t guarantee the medicine would definitely work.
“Alright, thank you.”
Jiang Zhaoying took the medicine from Physician Yuan, who grinned before catching the furious glares from Physician Qiu and the others. Physician Yuan then turned and scurried away.
The Crown Prince rose with a stern expression and walked to the bedside. Jiang Zhaoying shifted slightly, allowing him to sit beside her as he stared intently at Tingyun.
After a short while.
Jiang Zhaoying carefully observed Princess Tingyun’s complexion, and seeing no adverse changes, she fed the second part of the pill into her mouth.
As she fed her, she explained.
“A single pill is too potent, yet it’s necessary to clear the condition. Perhaps we can try dividing it, allowing her body to accept it gradually, step by step.”
Princess Tingyun’s health had been frail since childhood, and she rarely left the palace. That was why, when she pleaded with the Crown Prince to go out this time, he made an exception to take her out for food, drink, and leisure.
However.
What Jiang Zhaoying couldn’t understand was that the imperial physicians in the palace were the most skilled. Logically, they should have been able to regulate her health properly.
Now.
The princess’s body was icy cold, and even with a warming pouch placed on her, she couldn’t seem to warm up. Seeing the lifeless pallor on her face, Jiang Zhaoying felt a flicker of confusion and sorrow.
Just as she finished feeding the second dose of medicine.
A sudden gust of wind blew outside the window, slamming it shut with a loud bang. The guards hurriedly stepped forward to close it properly. Jiang Zhaoying glanced at the window, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.
“Hmph, ignorant child. When something goes wrong, let’s see how you explain yourself.”
Physician Qiu, feeling humiliated by Jiang Zhaoying’s defiance, sneered mockingly. Yet his eyes remained fixed on Princess Tingyun, watching as her brows furrowed tightly, her body trembled uncontrollably, and she emitted faint, distressed moans, as if suffering to the extreme.
He watched with even greater fury, unable to hold back his scolding.
“You’re not a doctor at all, and you don’t know how to treat her. Even if you have some miraculous medicine, you’ll still end up killing her.”
The storm arrived abruptly.
The shadows of the branches, accompanied by large raindrops, pounded against the window shutters.
Like ghosts.
They seemed to be angrily rebuking Jiang Zhaoying for attempting to save a life—a soul that was meant to be taken away, one that no one should snatch.
Unease surged in her heart.
Jiang Zhaoying pressed her fingertip against the princess’s pulse point and found that her pulse was indeed growing weaker and weaker. Her expression gradually darkened.
She looked at Princess Tingyun and spoke gently.
“Princess, Princess, I can help you detoxify. You’ll never have to suffer like this again. I can also cure your illness. I can make you healthy again, so you must stay strong. Don’t be afraid.”
Princess Tingyun had no will to survive at all. Perhaps the torment of her illness had been too much to bear, making death seem like her only escape.
She placed a warm pouch in the princess’s palm and gently stroked her cheek over and over again.
“Princess, I promise you, I will let you live well and healthily. As long as you stay strong a little longer, the poison can be neutralized today, and you’ll never feel pain again. You absolutely must not give up on yourself, alright?”
…
The private room had fallen silent at some point. The doctors nearby all looked at Jiang Zhaoying with scorn.
Scared now?
About to die?
The Crown Prince sat beside Princess Tingyun, listening to the windows rattling under the assault of the branches. A murderous aura seemed to envelop him completely.
“Your brother will also protect you. He won’t let you marry someone you don’t like, nor will he let you be sent away for a political marriage. In the future, you’ll live according to your own heart, marry the person you love, and see the sights you cherish. Princess, don’t you want to try that?”
…
But.
Princess Tingyun’s pulse continued to weaken, and her complexion grew increasingly pale, eventually taking on a grayish hue.
These were signs of impending death!
Seeing her willingly give up on her own life, Jiang Zhaoying felt a surge of sorrow in her heart. Only when someone was truly broken to the core would they abandon themselves.
Why was this happening?
Deep down, Jiang Zhaoying couldn’t help but feel panic and anxiety. She wanted to save Princess Tingyun—she was so young, so beautiful. Why would she give up?
She leaned down.
Gathering Tingyun into her arms, she lowered her gaze as tears fell.
“Princess, why are you giving up like this? Why? I can promise to keep you alive. I truly can.”
She had died on this day in her previous life, and now she was dying again on this day in this life.
She refused to accept it!
Suddenly remembering something.
Jiang Zhaoying looked toward the Crown Prince, whose aura was dark and oppressive.
“Young master, I have something I wish to ask you.”
The Crown Prince’s gaze was icy as he looked at Jiang Zhaoying, whose eyes were filled with pleading and tears. He nodded.
“I want to know what kind of life she usually leads. Is it so difficult? Otherwise, why would she give up on her own life?”
“You say she’s giving up on herself?”
The Crown Prince’s heart trembled violently.
“Nonsense.”
Doctor Chou, however, looked displeased and angrily rebuked her. He knew Tingyun was dying—this young lad couldn’t save her.
The Crown Prince raised his hand.
Jiang Zhaoying knelt beside the Crown Prince’s knee. He leaned down and whispered something into her ear. Jiang Zhaoying’s long eyelashes trembled violently as she hurriedly rushed over and gathered Princess Tingyun back into her arms, whispering softly into her ear.
“I have a way, Princess, I can help you…”
She kept whispering something into Princess Tingyun’s ear, making promises and repeating them one after another.
The Crown Prince watched her actions, a slight crack appearing in his icy gaze. Though he did not know why Xu Zhiyan happened to have the medicine, or why Jiang Zhaoying was going to such lengths to save Tingyun.
But the tears in her eyes.
They were like a light, piercing through the darkness in his gaze.
“Give her more medicine.”
Jiang Zhaoying’s voice trembled fiercely. Shu Yun hurriedly brought over the third portion of the medicine, and Jiang Zhaoying fed it into Tingyun’s mouth.
“This is the antidote for the poison in your body. No one else can cure it, but my medicine can. My mother went through great pains to obtain it, and I only have this one dose. Princess, don’t let it go to waste, alright?”
The heavy rain continued to fall, the wind carrying the damp scent of soil as it surged through the cracks, as if urgently trying to bury Princess Tingyun in the earth.
Jiang Zhaoying watched the copper water clock on the table, her hands holding Tingyun gradually beginning to tremble.
In her previous life.
She had died at this very hour!