Chapter 1395: Chapter 1373: Entering the Palace II
Xiang Ming raised his eyebrows high and asked with a smile, "Why so anxious? You haven’t even settled in here and want to hear gossip already?"
Bai Shan said, "Manbao was called into the palace."
The smile on Xiang Ming’s face faded a bit. After thinking for a while, he said, "It should be nothing, don’t worry."
He sat on the stone bench in the yard and said, "I’m not very sure about the details, just heard that the Crown Prince had a banquet after the New Year, got very drunk, and many people say he nearly succeeded in his goals but harmed his health instead."
Bai Shan: ...
At this moment, Eunuch Wu was also explaining this matter to Manbao, but unlike Xiang Ming’s indifferent tone, he was very worried and explained more thoroughly, "...Who knew the wine at the imperial banquet would be problematic? His Highness knew it wasn’t advisable for him to drink, so he only drank rice wine when necessary during banquets, and not much at that. But the wine in the jug that day wasn’t rice wine, nor was it white wine. At first taste, it was very mild, His Highness thought it was just like water, with a bit of sweetness."
Eunuch Wu said, "His Highness thought it was a new wine from the tribute of foreign states, and since it was sweet and didn’t have much taste, like sugar water, he didn’t ask for a change."
"As a result, he drank more and more, and later the intoxication suddenly hit, and His Highness got drunk, even vomiting a lot at the time." Eunuch Wu cautiously said, "At that time, they called for an imperial doctor, who said His Highness drank too much and was poisoned by alcohol. Afterward, he sweated profusely and inadvertently caught a cold, falling ill immediately."
Recalling the matter, Eunuch Wu was still frightened, asking Manbao nervously, "Doctor Zhou Junior, since His Highness broke the abstinence, does it mean his health is no longer good?"
Manbao asked, "Did His Highness drink again after that incident?"
Eunuch Wu hesitated twice, then said softly, "His Highness was very upset, and his temper wasn’t good for a few days, so he accidentally drank some more."
In other words, he felt all his effort was in vain and thus gave up.
Seeing Manbao frown, he quickly added, "But the Crown Princess persuaded him soon after, and he hasn’t touched a drop of alcohol for the past ten days."
Manbao nodded, "Let’s wait until we see His Highness to discuss further."
Eunuch Wu was anxious and could only hint, "Doctor Zhou Junior, if there’s any change in His Highness’s condition, maybe speak to the Crown Princess first."
As for whether to inform the Crown Prince, it should be up to the masters to decide. Otherwise, if it is not pleasing, what if they get angry?
At the palace gate, after being inspected, Manbao and Eunuch Wu entered the palace and began walking to the Eastern Palace.
Upon entering the Eastern Palace, the attendants who had received early notice were already waiting and promptly guided them to meet the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince was no longer living with the Crown Princess, instead moving to an empty study by himself, clearly showing that this matter caused a rift between the couple. Previously, every time Manbao came to see the Crown Prince for a consultation, it was always in the legitimate wife’s quarters, with the Crown Princess in the room.
Just as Manbao was about to step onto the platform, the Crown Princess hurried over from the other side. Seeing Manbao, she breathed a sigh of relief and, for some reason, felt a bit aggrieved.
She came forward, grabbed Manbao’s hand, and said, "Doctor Zhou Junior, you’re finally back..."
Midway, she thought of sending someone to Mianzhou to bring her back, but considering that it takes four or five days on horseback from the capital to Mianzhou, and on the return trip, Zhou Man couldn’t possibly ride as fast as the guards.
So even by carriage, it would take at least eight or nine days, which was almost the same time as initially agreed upon for her to return.
That’s why she didn’t make anyone take this extra trip.
The Crown Princess personally led Manbao into the room. As soon as they pushed open the door, a wave of heat hit them. Manbao paused to adjust before following the Crown Princess around a screen, and saw the Crown Prince dressed in his undergarments, half-reclining casually on the couch.
The Crown Prince lifted his eyelids to glance at her, reached out his hand, and said, "You’re here? Come, come, take a look, can I still father a child in this lifetime?"
The Crown Princess’s eyes reddened, tears almost falling, but with an outsider present, she forcefully held them back, pulling Manbao over and told the servant waiting on the side, "Go get the pulse pillow."
Manbao felt that the Crown Prince’s demeanor wasn’t quite right, but first paid her respects, then sat on the stool beside the couch. She carefully sniffed, confirming that the Crown Prince hadn’t been drinking, and finally felt relieved.
She observed the Crown Prince’s complexion. Although his demeanor seemed different, he looked pretty healthy, so she said nothing initially. When the attendant brought the medicine box, she took the pulse pillow and placed it on the low table on the couch, carefully checking the Crown Prince’s pulse.
Manbao asked, "Your Highness hasn’t been indulging in excess lately, have you?"
The Crown Prince’s face instantly turned livid and he asked, "Can’t you tell whether I’ve been indulging excessively?"
The Crown Princess quickly smoothed things over, "Doctor Zhou Junior is just confirming."
She turned to answer Manbao’s question, "The Crown Prince is very temperate and hasn’t indulged excessively."
Manbao nodded, withdrew her hand, and said, "It’s fine, just continue with acupuncture for another month or so."
The Crown Prince looked at her skeptically, "Even though I got drunk, it’s really okay?"
Manbao said, "It was just once, it’s not as if you indulge in alcohol regularly. It just requires a bit more time to recuperate."
She said, "If you’re anxious, I can reduce the acupuncture interval to every other day for better results."
The Crown Prince was slightly angered, "If acupuncture every other day is better, why did you slow it down to every two days, then every three days, and then once every five days?"
Manbao explained gently, "Your Highness, the body needs time to recover after each acupuncture session. It will adjust itself, and after it’s accustomed, we proceed to the next treatment. Through accumulating enough time, the body’s foundation will become solid — that is the basis."
"Your illness is not acute, so the treatment can’t be rushed," she said, "Your current condition has congenital causes but is more shaped by acquired factors, mainly due to early indulgence in women without self-restraint. The ice that took three feet to form won’t melt in a day. How can you ask to dissipate this three-foot ice quickly?"
"However, I see you might prefer immediate results over strengthening the foundation now. How to choose depends on you, Your Highness."
The Crown Prince’s pupils shrank, and he couldn’t help looking at the Crown Princess who stood by his side.
The Crown Princess didn’t expect there to be such an option, and for a moment, she and the Crown Prince exchanged tender looks, seeming to reach some tacit understanding in the silence.
The Crown Prince withdrew his hand and, sitting up straight from his leaning position, said coldly, "You all go out."
Eunuch Wu immediately led the palace attendants out. Manbao hesitated and stood up, wondering if she should leave too, when the Crown Princess grabbed her hand.
The Crown Prince glared at her, and Manbao remained standing.
When everyone had left and the doors closed, the Crown Prince asked, "If I chose the latter option, how soon could I father a child?"