Palace of Heavenly Purity.
Almost as soon as Emperor Zhangping brought Qing Luo back, a moment later, Imperial Physician Wang and Imperial Physician Guo from the Imperial Medical Academy hurried over, each carrying a medical kit, panting for breath.
Before they could even kneel to pay their respects, Emperor Zhangping waved his hand to stop them and said in a deep voice, “No need for formalities. Go and examine Attendant Pei.”
Imperial Physician Wang and Imperial Physician Guo did not dare to delay in the slightest.
They took turns to examine her, and when they diagnosed what ailed this Noble Lady, they both quietly breathed a sigh of relief in unison.
Fortunately, it was only heatstroke, not some intractable disease.
As imperial physicians, what they feared most was encountering difficult or obscure illnesses.
If they cured them, their future would be boundless and bright, but if they failed, the best outcome was losing their official hats, and the worst was losing their lives.
The hurried and anxious appearance of that young eunuch earlier had made them mistakenly believe…
Fortunately, it was not the Emperor who needed treatment, and the illness suffered by this lady was not a thorny one.
“How is it? What happened to Attendant Pei? Why is she still unconscious?”
Three consecutive questions revealed the anxiety within Emperor Zhangping’s heart.
Imperial Physician Wang replied respectfully, “Replying to the Emperor, Attendant Pei is suffering from heatstroke. She needs to be cooled down first; you may use a cold towel to wipe her head.”
Emperor Zhangping nodded slightly.
Soon, Su Yu followed Imperial Physician Wang’s instructions and applied a cold towel to Qing Luo to cool her down.
“Also, Attendant Pei has injuries on her face and knees; deal with those as well.”
“Yes.”
It was Imperial Physician Guo who replied.
Emperor Zhangping knew that he was skilled in treating external injuries, so he let him tend to Qing Luo’s wounds.
While Imperial Physician Guo was treating the injuries, Emperor Zhangping watched from the side, his pupils suddenly constricting.
Having knelt for two hours, the Little Concubine’s knees were swollen, bruised, and stained with blood.
Emperor Zhangping’s expression grew increasingly cold and stern.
The palace servants present all felt the imperial pressure emanating from the one in the high position.
They were all trembling with fear, cold sweat dripping down.
Apart from the slight noises made by Imperial Physician Zhang while treating the wounds, the room was excessively quiet.
If an embroidery needle were to fall at this moment, it would likely be heard.
“Wait. Zheng Fu, go and get the White Jade Ointment.”
Just as Imperial Physician Guo had finished cleaning the wounds and was about to apply the medicine, Emperor Zhangping suddenly spoke up to stop him.
The ointment used by the Imperial Medical Academy for treating external injuries was already excellent; its effectiveness went without saying, and it generally left no scars.
If the concubines in the harem suffered any bumps or bruises, they would all be desperate to use such an ointment.
However, this type of ointment had one drawback: it caused intense pain upon application, being more irritating than ordinary ointments.
Emperor Zhangping thought of how delicate and weak the Little Concubine was, and how much she feared pain.
Last time she bruised her knee, she had been in such pain just from applying ordinary ointment. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Now that she had already fainted from the pain, if applying the medicine caused her to wake up in agony, wouldn’t that be even more suffering?
His private treasury contained countless rare treasures, including holy medicines for healing.
Although they were worth a thousand pieces of gold and hard to come by, using them on the Little Concubine was worth it.
At the very least, it would not make the Little Concubine suffer that pain again.
Zheng Fu hurriedly accepted the order and left.
After retrieving the White Jade Ointment, Imperial Physician Guo finally applied the medicine to Qing Luo’s injured knees.
Imperial Physician Guo couldn’t help but click his tongue in secret.
For this Attendant Pei, the Emperor was truly generous.
There were probably only a few tubes of White Jade Ointment in the entire world.
The Emperor hadn’t even used it when he himself was injured, yet now he was willing to use it on an Attendant.
Hearing is not as good as seeing; he truly believed that Attendant Pei had already risen to become the Emperor’s favorite concubine.
“Will there be any lingering internal injuries?”
“Replying to the Emperor, although Attendant Pei knelt for a bit too long this time, it was not a long-term, chronic kneeling, just an accidental occurrence. As long as she rests for a few days and recuperates, there will be no sequelae, nor will there be any scars.”
With White Jade Ointment applied, how could there possibly be any lingering internal injuries?
Imperial Physician Zhang thought the Emperor was making too much of a fuss.
Hearing that there would be no lingering internal injuries, Emperor Zhangping waved his hand and dismissed the two imperial physicians.
Emperor Zhangping walked to the side of the bed.
He saw that the Little Concubine’s originally moist lips had become devoid of color, and her usually rosy little face was pale and weak, looking completely lifeless.
The side of her face covered in ointment was even more ghastly to behold, and her beautiful brows remained tightly furrowed, as if she could barely endure the intense pain.
A trace of pity arose in Emperor Zhangping’s heart, and he couldn’t help but reach out to smooth the Little Concubine’s furrowed brows.
“Bear with it; it won’t hurt for long.”
“I know you are delicate and afraid of pain; I used the best medicine.”
After talking to himself for a while and instructing Su Yu to take good care of the Little Concubine, Emperor Zhangping got up and left.
“Your Majesty, it is time to eat.” Zheng Fu stepped forward at the opportune moment to remind him.
It was already long past the time the Emperor usually ate lunch, but when it was time for the meal, the Emperor’s mind was entirely on Attendant Pei.
How could he have dared to mention the meal at that time?
He would surely have been reprimanded.
He wouldn’t claim to understand Emperor Zhangping one hundred percent, but Zheng Fu still had at least that much tact.
Emperor Zhangping still had government affairs to attend to in the afternoon.
As the ruler of a nation, he naturally wouldn’t treat his own body as a joke.
Upon hearing Zheng Fu’s reminder, he went to have his meal.
Knowing that Emperor Zhangping was in a bad mood today, they had prepared the imperial meal with even greater care.
Not only were the dishes rich and varied, but they were also refreshing dishes suitable for summer.
Although the imperial meal was quite delicious and appetizing, Emperor Zhangping had no appetite.
He ate a little casually and then put down his silver chopsticks.
“Zheng Fu, summon the head of the Imperial Kitchen.”
The head of the Imperial Kitchen was also surnamed Zheng.
It was said that they were of the same family five hundred years ago, and both were top-tier servants for Emperor Zhangping.
Therefore, Head Steward Zheng had a good relationship with Zheng Fu, the capable confidant by Emperor Zhangping’s side.
When he heard he was summoned, Head Steward Zheng’s heart skipped a beat.
Was the imperial meal not to the Emperor’s taste?
“Eunuch Zheng, please give me a hint. Which dish is the Emperor dissatisfied with?”
Zheng Fu wasn’t sure himself, so he said truthfully, “Looking at the Emperor, he doesn’t seem angry. I fear there is some other matter to be instructed. Be quick-witted later, act according to the situation, and do not cross the Emperor at this time.”
“I know, I know. Many thanks for the advice, Eunuch Zheng.” Head Steward Zheng was a smart man and understood everything as soon as he heard it.
As long as the problem did not stem from the imperial meal, it would be easy to handle.
…
When Head Steward Zheng returned to the Imperial Kitchen, all the Imperial Chefs gathered around to inquire about the news, asking questions in a hurry.
“Head Steward, what did the Emperor say when he summoned you? Was he dissatisfied with the dishes we prepared today?”
“Which dish went wrong? Tell us, Head Steward, so we can be careful in the future and not make the same mistake again.”
“Are we going to be punished…”
Head Steward Zheng shook his head, with a strange expression on his face, “None of that. The Emperor wants us to cook a dish.”
A dish that had never been heard of or seen before.
According to the Emperor, it was a rare and delicious delicacy in the world.
The Imperial Chefs were stunned.
What kind of dish could make the Emperor of a nation think of it so much?
The Emperor was not a person who focused on food, and there were few times when he specifically named what he wanted to eat.
Since there was no error with the imperial meal, the Imperial Chefs felt relieved.
Then they asked Head Steward Zheng what dish the Son of Heaven wanted them to make.
As cooks, their enthusiasm and passion were suddenly stirred up.
“It is a new dish. How about this: I will describe the general method, and you all study it. We will see which one the Emperor prefers when the time comes.”
At this moment, Head Steward Zheng did not take this task upon himself alone.
He was already the Head Steward, and he didn’t lack this opportunity to show his face again.
It was time to let the young Imperial Chefs show their skills.