MCSCPM -Chapter 119 Her Worries

“Imperial Physician, the medicinal ingredients you gave me must be of the highest quality.”
A trace of worry flashed across the little palace maid’s face. Although she was only a low-ranking maid in the Empress’s palace, in a situation like this, if she failed to handle things properly, the one who would suffer in the end would definitely be her.

“This humble official understands,” the imperial physician replied indifferently, though he could not help feeling somewhat displeased. He was an imperial physician of the State of Xize, yet he was being lectured by a young woman—and worse, that infamous, extremely ugly so-called “female miracle doctor.” Thinking of this made him rather unhappy.

“What do you think is going on with Her Majesty this time? Why did the female miracle doctor react like that when she saw the Empress faint?” the little palace maid asked in confusion. Usually, although the miracle doctor was very ugly, she had always been extremely confident when treating the Empress.

Today, not only had she failed to diagnose why the Empress had fallen unconscious, but the miracle doctor herself had also fainted. This situation puzzled the maid.

“What reaction?” the imperial physician asked curiously. What kind of illness could possibly stump the miracle doctor?

“Today, the female miracle doctor seemed completely at a loss about Her Majesty’s condition. It looked very tricky,” the little palace maid said, frowning.

“Perhaps the reputation of this ‘female miracle doctor’ is nothing but empty fame,” the imperial physician said mockingly.

“Imperial Physician, you can’t say that. All the illnesses the Imperial Medical Academy couldn’t cure were cured by the female miracle doctor.”

“Well… what you say is true. Take these medicinal ingredients and hurry back to brew the medicine for the miracle doctor,” the imperial physician said helplessly. It was a fact he could not deny.

“Alright then—can’t argue with you, so you’re sending me away,” the little palace maid said with a playful smile before leaving.

The imperial physician watched her departing figure thoughtfully. Could there really be an illness in this world that even the female miracle doctor could not cure?

“Female Miracle Doctor, I’m back. These are the medicinal ingredients I brought from the Imperial Medical Academy. They can help nourish your body,” the little palace maid said cheerfully.

“Go and brew these into a decoction, and add this herb as well.” As she spoke, Yin Qingyue took out a grayish-brown herb from her sleeve.

“This is…?” The little palace maid was puzzled. She hadn’t expected the miracle doctor to carry her own herbs with her.

“You don’t need to worry about it. Just brew this together with the other ingredients,” Yin Qingyue said as she handed the herb to the maid. The herbs prescribed by the Imperial Medical Academy could nourish the body, but their effects were limited. If combined with her own specially prepared herb, their effectiveness would be maximized.

“Understood. This servant will take care of it right away,” the little palace maid replied and hurried off to the kitchen with all the herbs. The Empress’s life was entirely in Yin Qingyue’s hands.

What Yin Qingyue couldn’t understand was that she had clearly removed all the toxins from the Empress’s body. Yet she could not think of any reason why the Empress had fallen unconscious again.

“What is going on?” Yin Qingyue muttered to herself in the room. This had never happened before; today’s events were truly strange.

Her greatest worry now was that the antidote had not truly eliminated all the toxins in the Empress’s body, causing the Empress to fall into a coma after taking it.

If that were the case, all responsibility would fall on Yin Qingyue. When the time came, not only would the Emperor punish her, but her own life might not be spared—let alone any hope of escaping the Luocheng Courtyard.

She steadied herself slightly. The most important thing now was to find out exactly what had caused the Empress’s coma.

In the Imperial Study, Nangong Xiao was reviewing memorials, exhausted beyond measure. His handsome eyes were filled with nothing but court affairs.

“Reporting to the Crown Prince!” A eunuch rushed into the Imperial Study in a panic.

“What is it? Why are you so flustered? Have you no sense of decorum—don’t you know to announce yourself?” Nangong Xiao said displeased. He still had so many memorials to review, and his mood was completely ruined by this eunuch.

“This servant dares not. It won’t happen again. It’s… it’s an important matter,” the eunuch stammered.

“If there’s a next time, you’ll be punished with twenty strokes,” Nangong Xiao said without even lifting his head.

“Th-thank you, Your Highness.”

“Speak. What is it?”

“Reporting to Your Highness, the Empress… she…” The eunuch spoke haltingly, unable to get the words out.

“What exactly is it? Speak clearly!” Nangong Xiao suddenly stood up.

“The Empress has fallen unconscious,” the eunuch finally said.

“What? Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Nangong Xiao said angrily, his face filled with concern. Hadn’t the Empress only just awakened not long ago? How could she have fallen unconscious again?

“What about the female miracle doctor?” Nangong Xiao asked anxiously.

“Reporting to Your Highness, the female miracle doctor also fainted. She is now resting in the Xiyang Courtyard and has been said to be out of serious danger.”
By now, the eunuch was drenched in sweat, staring at the floor and not daring to raise his head, afraid that another wrong word might anger his master. At that point, it wouldn’t just be twenty strokes—it would be his head.

“The female miracle doctor is resting in the Xiyang Courtyard?” Nangong Xiao asked doubtfully.

“Yes, Your Highness. She is resting in the side courtyard of the Yangwei Palace.”

“Alright, you may go. Next time there’s an urgent matter, report it earlier,” Nangong Xiao said. What he truly worried about was Yin Qingyue’s condition. As for Empress He Minmin, he hardly cared at all—but he could not show it in front of others. He was the Crown Prince of Xize, after all. If people saw that he cared more about the female miracle doctor than his own mother, and such words reached his father’s ears… Nangong Xiao dared not think further.

“Yes, this servant obeys,” the eunuch replied, wiping the sweat from his forehead, keenly aware of how difficult life in the palace was—one small mistake could bring punishment.

“Prepare some top-grade medicinal ingredients. I am going to the Yangwei Palace to visit Mother,” Nangong Xiao said with a worried expression. Yet all that filled his mind was the woman named Yin Qingyue.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Looking at the memorials in his hand, everything seemed to slowly become clear. The irritation in his heart vanished in an instant.

“May she be safe,” Nangong Xiao murmured repeatedly, his face full of concern.

“Your Highness, the Empress will be fine,” the eunuch beside him said. Seeing the worry on Nangong Xiao’s face, he assumed the Crown Prince was anxious about the Empress. In truth, Nangong Xiao was worried about the female miracle doctor by the Empress’s side.

“I know. I don’t need you to remind me,” Nangong Xiao said irritably.

At this moment, the image filling Yin Qingyue’s mind was entirely that of Prince Jing—his white robes and those unforgettable eyes.

“Yin Qingyue, what’s wrong with you? Why are you thinking of him?” she scolded herself, patting her head. Perhaps she really was muddled from illness to be thinking of that man.

Yet the most poisonous thing in this world was emotion itself.

Deep in Yin Qingyue’s heart, a feeling was quietly growing, silently waiting for the day it would break through the soil.

“I clearly remember adding all the necessary ingredients. There shouldn’t have been any mistake. Could it be…?” Yin Qingyue frowned slightly. She remembered that after preparing the antidote, she knew nothing else. When she later woke up, she was told she had fainted from extreme weakness. At that time, the antidote had been in Prince Jing’s hands—and he had only given it to her later.

“Could it be that he tampered with it?” Yin Qingyue’s eyes widened in disbelief. Prince Jing tampering with the antidote was impossible, both emotionally and logically. If anything happened to the Empress, it would have nothing to do with him at all. The one most implicated would be Yin Qingyue herself.

If that were the case, Prince Jing had no deep grudge against her—why would he harm her? Yin Qingyue couldn’t understand it. Previously, she had discovered other toxins in the Empress’s body, which proved that the Empress’s poisoning was far from simple.

“Life in the harem is truly not simple,” Yin Qingyue said helplessly. She and the Empress were now in the same boat—if the Empress died, she would not survive either.

“Female Miracle Doctor, Female Miracle Doctor, the medicine is ready!”
The little palace maid brought in all the freshly brewed decoction from the kitchen. A strong medicinal fragrance quickly filled the room.

“Female Miracle Doctor, once you drink this, you’ll have the strength to treat Her Majesty again,” the maid said happily, ladling out the medicine. She poured part of it into another bowl so that by the time Yin Qingyue finished drinking hers, the temperature of the second bowl would be just right. In the Empress’s palace, everything had to be meticulous—this was the bare minimum.

Looking at the bowl of medicine in the maid’s hands, Yin Qingyue couldn’t help but sigh. Fortunately, she had transmigrated into the body of a wealthy young lady, not a palace consort or maid. If she had to do such work herself, she truly wouldn’t be able to bear it.

“Female Miracle Doctor, you can drink it now,” the little palace maid said carefully, offering the bowl.

“I can do it myself,” Yin Qingyue said with a smile.

“Female Miracle Doctor, you’re already like this—your body is very weak. Let this servant help you,” the maid insisted, slowly bringing the medicine to Yin Qingyue’s lips.

As the decoction went down, Yin Qingyue felt strength gradually return to her body. The overwhelming weakness she’d felt earlier faded away. As expected, her own herbs had fully brought out the effectiveness of the nourishing medicine.