Chapter 49: Long Illness Makes a Doctor

Empress Zhang saw her daughter like this, her face already as pale as dust. She immediately said, “Summon the imperial physicians, summon them right now.”

Emperor Hongzhi was so anxious he stamped his feet, hurriedly stood up, and shouted sharply, “Didn’t we just say she was perfectly healthy a moment ago?”

The eunuchs quickly made the Princess lie flat on the couch. After a short while, the medical officials, led by Zhou Rong, returned.

As soon as Zhou Rong heard that Her Highness the Princess had fainted, he was scared to death. Trembling with fear, he entered the hall and felt the Emperor’s anxious and angry gaze. He hurried forward to examine her. A group of imperial physicians gathered around the phoenix couch as if a great disaster had struck. After observing, listening, checking the pulse, and asking questions, Zhou Rong was dumbfounded.

“How is she?” Emperor Hongzhi asked anxiously, looking at the Princess and demanding sharply.

“This…this… she was just fine a moment ago, how could she suddenly have an attack? Your old minister… your old minister deserves death. I think… I think… perhaps Her Highness has contracted Wind-Cold Disorder.” Actually, the symptoms really resembled those of Wind-Cold Disorder, but Zhou Rong was not very confident. Because the attack was too sudden and there were no warning signs beforehand. Most importantly, if he now spoke too confidently and something went wrong, not only would his position as medical official be over, but he might even lose his life.

Emperor Hongzhi could hear the hidden meaning in his words. What did he mean by “perhaps” Wind-Cold Disorder? Now that his own daughter was so severely ill, how could there be any “perhaps” about it? Emperor Hongzhi trembled with urgency.

Beside him, Empress Zhang looked utterly pale. Suddenly, she remembered something: “Fang Jifan said a couple of days ago… that the Princess should pay attention to her health. Could it be… could it be that he already noticed symptoms? If he could spot the symptoms…”

Emperor Hongzhi immediately said, “Summon him, summon Fang Jifan! Ride fast horses to bring him here, have him rush into the palace on horseback!”

The bedchamber instantly became filled with a murderous atmosphere.

Zhou Rong and the others were so terrified they felt their souls leaving their bodies. They busily pretended to continue examining her. They were actually all highly skilled doctors, but now they suddenly faced such an urgent situation. Although each had their own diagnosis, they weren’t very certain. Just moments ago, because they spoke too confidently, they nearly lost their heads. If they now spoke too definitively again, it would be like gambling with their own lives.

So they all looked at each other, at a loss, unable to make a decision.

…

Fang Jifan had just returned from buying land from the Zhang Brothers and felt relieved. Unexpectedly, before he even reached home, he was intercepted on the way. Then someone immediately prepared a fast horse and led him into the palace.

Even after passing through the Meridian Gate, no one made him dismount to walk. They galloped all the way to Kunning Palace.

Along the way, Fang Jifan understood that there had been a sudden emergency in the palace, and since he was summoned to the palace, then… it must be related to Her Highness the Princess.

Thinking he needed to save someone, he didn’t dare delay. When he entered the bedchamber, he saw many eunuchs and palace maid officials gathered there, a bustling crowd all in disarray. Emperor Hongzhi was pacing back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back, appearing extremely anxious.

Fang Jifan stepped forward, but before he could even begin to greet them, Emperor Hongzhi said seriously, “Minister Fang, why did you say the Princess didn’t look well the day before yesterday?”

Probably hearing the commotion, Empress Zhang, who was sitting on the couch weeping with her head bowed, lifted her eyes. Her phoenix eyes glistened with tears, a pitiful sight. Fang Jifan almost didn’t recognize her. The last time he saw her, she was dignified and elegant, majestic and splendid; but today, her face was drenched with tears, and she looked extremely haggard.

Empress Zhang lifted her eyes, looked at Fang Jifan, and said, “Since you knew Xiurong didn’t look well, and the imperial physicians didn’t notice anything unusual, then do you know what illness she has?”

Her Highness the Princess had indeed fallen ill.

Empress Zhang’s implied meaning was: You, Fang Jifan, said Her Highness the Princess didn’t look right and needed to pay attention to her health. Presumably, you should know what illness this is. So… it’s up to you!

Empress Zhang looked at Fang Jifan full of hope, which actually made Fang Jifan feel somewhat embarrassed. Empress Zhang, seeing Fang Jifan seemed a bit flustered, thought he was showing fear, and couldn’t help feeling a bit desperate. This Fang Jifan looked so young, just a child. At such a tender age, he probably hadn’t even read medical books. How could they expect him to cure an illness?

Actually, Fang Jifan wasn’t scared; he was astonished that the historical details matched so perfectly. He hurriedly said, “Your minister would like to examine Her Highness the Princess’s condition!”

There was no time to lose.

Empress Zhang hesitated slightly and exchanged a glance with Emperor Hongzhi. They clearly had some reservations about Fang Jifan.

But…

Right now, the imperial physicians were helpless, so they had to try any possible cure and let Fang Jifan give it a shot.

Fang Jifan stepped forward and saw several imperial physicians whispering by the couch. He took a general look at the Princess lying on the bed. Her face was bright red, clearly due to a high fever. Fang Jifan tried reaching out to touch her forehead, but a eunuch nearby immediately coughed in alarm: “Ahem… don’t touch randomly.”

Saying this, he hurriedly placed a scented handkerchief on the Princess’s forehead, then said, “This will do.”

Fang Jifan’s eyes widened. Checking temperature through a scented handkerchief? If I need to check her pulse, would I have to use a thread as a medium, feeling the pulse through a string?

“Touch it,” the eunuch urged.

Fang Jifan stopped touching and said, “I can’t feel it this way. I won’t touch.”

“You… you…” The eunuch glared at him.

“But…” Fang Jifan said, putting his hands behind his back and announcing loftily, “I already know what illness the Princess has.”

Shocking words if not meant to stir!

Actually, Fang Jifan didn’t need to check the pulse or touch the forehead to know. There had been discussions in later academic circles about this Princess’s early death, believing it was caused by a relatively special type of viral cold.

In this era, even lords and nobles, or imperial descendants, sometimes died from a common cold due to unclear understanding of pathology. It was a frequent occurrence.

Hearing that Fang Jifan had already identified the cause of the illness, several imperial physicians stopped their discussion and crowded around him.

Emperor Hongzhi and Empress Zhang also anxiously stepped forward, staring fixedly at Fang Jifan.

Although so many people were watching him, Fang Jifan was used to having a thick skin and still maintained a confident appearance.

Zhou Rong took a deep breath and looked at Fang Jifan, who had no hair on his lip and obviously couldn’t be relied upon. He couldn’t help feeling suspicious. It was one thing that he himself was helpless, but this Fang Jifan guy was clearly even more unreliable. Her Highness the Princess’s illness was no joke. They were all in the same boat; if something went wrong, they would all be finished, and no one could escape.

The medical profession relied on experience. Fang Jifan having experience? That would be ghostly.

Zhou Rong said, “Since Young Master Fang has reached a conclusion, may I ask what illness Her Highness the Princess has contracted?”

Fang Jifan hesitated internally. He couldn’t just say it was a viral cold, could he? He needed to think of something. Got it…

“It’s Brain Illness.”

“Brain Illness?” Zhou Rong was baffled. No, these didn’t seem like symptoms of Brain Illness. Would Brain Illness cause high fever? Do you take me for an idiot? He composed himself: “How did Young Master Fang come to this conclusion? Moreover, I see Young Master Fang didn’t even check the pulse, yet you speak so assertively. Isn’t that too rash?”

He raised this doubt, causing Emperor Hongzhi, who had just felt a glimmer of hope, to deflate immediately. Empress Zhang bowed her head again, gently wiping her tears, feeling even more desperate inside.

Fang Jifan, however, said full of confidence, “I, Fang Jifan, have studied Brain Illness for over ten years and am very familiar with it. So I recognized it at a glance. Why would I need to check the pulse?”

Zhou Rong and the others immediately bristled with anger. Boasting like that, aren’t you ashamed?

Even Emperor Hongzhi and Empress Zhang glared angrily at Fang Jifan. At a time like this, so critical and urgent, and you’re still spouting nonsense?

Fortunately, Zhou Rong voiced everyone’s doubt: “Young Master Fang is only in your teens, yet you claim to have studied it for over ten years? This… seems rather exaggerated.”

“You don’t know crap!” Fang Jifan retorted righteously. “Actually, I was studied.”

“Studied?” The old imperial physician was somewhat bewildered, unable to grasp Fang Jifan’s meaning.

Fang Jifan seemed to think this old imperial physician was rather slow. He thought hard and came up with a phrase: “Long illness makes a doctor.”