Chapter 1286: Chapter 1264: Protect the Fetus
When Manbao left the palace, she finally received a plump deer leg because it was a gift from the Emperor.
The gift was bestowed in absentia, and she didn’t even meet anyone to decline it.
Actually, she wasn’t particularly inclined to decline it; she just wondered why everyone preferred gifting deer legs instead of directly gifting a whole deer.
In the end, Manbao and Keke could only sigh at the sight of the deer leg, then cheerfully took it home, deciding to freeze it and eat it slowly.
At this time, the weather was very cold. Hanging the deer leg under the veranda, it froze hard overnight, and wouldn’t spoil for a good ten days to half a month.
If still worried about spoilage, it could be salted and cured, though salt was quite expensive.
Bai Shan said, “If we’d known deer meat was this easy to get, we should’ve been the ones inviting everyone over for a feast.”
Manbao nodded, and when she turned her head, she noticed Xiang Mingxue, who was sitting in a chair, also staring at the deer leg hanging under the eaves. She said, “Your wound is healed now, so you can eat this too. How about we stew some deer meat tonight? Stir-fried cubes wouldn’t be bad either.”
Bai Shan: “Braised in soy sauce would be great too. The sauce Brother Zhou Wu brought last time was delicious—combine it for braising, and it’ll be amazing.”
The two salivated as they spoke.
Xiang Mingxue: … He hadn’t said anything yet.
However, he glanced at his foot and nodded.
His wound had already healed. He was lucky—throughout the ordeal, he’d only suffered a low fever for two days, and since he’d been taking medicine continuously, the inflammation subsided quickly, and the fever went away.
After enduring the itchiness and numbness, the scar eventually scabbed over and fell off. He was still applying medicine every day now, which was said to stimulate the tendons and bones, allowing them to grow and heal faster.
According to Manbao, he could begin rehabilitation in a little while.
Although Xiang Mingxue didn’t say it out loud, he was still quite nervous deep inside. After all, he was likely the first in history to have his severed foot tendon reattached.
He didn’t know if it would survive.
Imperial Doctor Liu and Imperial Doctor Zheng had both examined him. Neither explicitly stated whether it would succeed, but Manbao seemed very confident, which in turn gave him some confidence.
Manbao’s confidence stemmed from observing the recovery outcomes of the three simulated models in her system. The lowest survival rate was sixty percent, and based on the input rehabilitation data, it should ultimately recover up to seventy percent. This meant that while the patient might still have some deficits, walking should not be a problem.
Not to mention, one of the survival rates reached eighty-five percent. Manbao felt that Xiang Mingxue’s surgery didn’t seem much inferior to those performed on the simulated models, so his tendon’s survival rate shouldn’t be too low either.
Besides, his recovery in recent days had been quite promising.
In a few more days, he could begin rehabilitation and start moving gradually.
However, among Manbao’s patients, the most anxious wasn’t Xiang Mingxue, nor the young prince in the palace, but Fifth Lady Han from the Li Residence.
Someone had revealed to Fifth Lady Han that her pregnancy might not be viable, and that they’d have no choice but to perform a Caesarean delivery. The Han and Li families had already decided to let Zhou Man perform the operation.
Consequently, for the past twenty days, no one had come to perform fetal position adjustments on her because it was no longer necessary.
When Fifth Lady Han heard the news, she became both panicked and fearful. On top of that, she was hurt and angry, which triggered premature labor.
Manbao was eating stewed deer meat around the stove with Bai Shan and the others when someone started banging loudly at her door.
When Manbao heard the commotion, she shoveled a few more bites of meat and rice into her mouth.
Even Bai Shan and the others felt that the noise sounded awfully familiar. While waiting for the servants to report, they stuffed food into her bowl. “Eat quickly, eat quickly, I’ll go with you later.”
Even Mr. Zhuang put a piece of meat on Manbao’s plate.
Daji swiftly returned with the report: “Miss Man, it’s a servant from the Li Residence. They say Fifth Lady Han is experiencing premature labor and may be giving birth.”
Zhou SiLang was still a bit confused. “Manbao, so you’re taking delivery cases now? Do you even know how?”
Bai Shan coughed lightly and stood up with Manbao. “Fourth Brother Zhou, I’ll accompany Manbao. You stay here and keep eating.”
Zhou SiLang hesitated, wondering whether he should also go along to see.
Bai Erlang sat composedly and, seeming to pick up on Zhou SiLang’s hesitation, explained, “Fourth Brother Zhou, there’s no need for you to go. Even if you do, you won’t be allowed into the inner courtyard. Large households have strict rules; grown men seldom have access to the inner quarters.”
By then, Manbao had already gone back to her room to fetch her medical kit and left with Bai Shan.
The servant from the Li Residence was waiting anxiously at the door with a horse-drawn carriage, but Manbao and Bai Shan didn’t take his carriage and instead rode in the one driven by Daji.
The two carriages quickly headed toward the Li Residence.
When they arrived, Imperial Doctor Tan and Imperial Doctor Liu had just reached the residence as well.
The two imperial doctors were on good terms with Minister Han and were also familiar with Manbao. After exchanging nods in greeting, they proceeded toward the backyard together.
By this time, dusk had fallen. Red lanterns were glowing under the veranda, and Fifth Lady Han’s courtyard was in utter chaos with servants running around frantically.
Eldest Lady Han emerged from the inner room with reddened eyes. Upon seeing the doctors and Zhou Man, she rushed forward. Though still somewhat composed, she didn’t grab onto Imperial Doctor Liu or Imperial Doctor Tan but instead clutched Manbao’s arm and cried, “Young Lady Zhou, please go and take a look. She’s bleeding…”
All three of them were startled and hurried inside. “How could she suddenly have premature labor? Last time I checked, her fetus was still stable.”
Once inside, they found Fifth Lady Han clutching her stomach in pain with tears streaming down her face. She tightly gripped Nanny Han’s hand, asking repeatedly, “Does Father not want me anymore? Does he not want me anymore…”
Manbao immediately stepped forward to take her pulse, but upon seeing her, Fifth Lady Han flinched in terror and waved her hand to keep her away…
Manbao paused, noticing the fear in her eyes, and decisively stepped back to let Imperial Doctor Tan take her pulse instead.
Imperial Doctor Tan immediately began to coax her softly, “Fifth Lady, don’t be afraid. Let me check your pulse first to see where it hurts the most.”
Fifth Lady Han hesitated and looked at Imperial Doctor Tan with some skepticism.
Imperial Doctor Tan smiled, “Fifth Lady, do you still remember me? I treated you for an illness two years ago, didn’t I?”
Only then did Fifth Lady Han calm down slightly. Nanny Han seized the opportunity to comfort her, “Fifth Lady, who in this world could care for you more deeply than your father and eldest sister? If you don’t even trust your father, who else can you trust? I don’t know who has been poisoning your thoughts, but you must believe that apart from your husband, the ones who care for you most in this world are your father and eldest sister.”
Eldest Lady Han, tearing up at the side, added, “Fifth Lady, why would Father and I ever harm you? What would be the point? For the child in your womb? Father already has no shortage of grandchildren; as for me, no matter how dear a nephew may be, it can never compare to a dear younger sister. Why can’t you understand this?”
Finally, Fifth Lady Han extended her hand for Imperial Doctor Tan to check. After feeling her pulse, Imperial Doctor Tan subtly nodded toward Imperial Doctor Liu and Manbao, then partially closed his eyes to concentrate on assessing the situation. He also asked her where it hurt the most but refrained from conducting a physical examination. After a moment’s thought, he said, “The premature labor has been triggered, but don’t worry. I’ll prescribe a remedy to protect the fetus and see how things go.”