Chapter 29

The grand Shangyang Hall was brightly lit tonight. Guards armed with swords and halberds stood outside the hall, stationed every three steps and patrolling every five steps, exuding a stern and murderous aura.

An imperial edict declared: No one is allowed to enter without permission tonight, violators will be killed on the spot.

A strong smell of vinegar wafted from inside the hall. Outside, it was crowded with people, but inside, it had already been cleared. Apart from the trusted eunuchs and palace maids busy fumigating the room, no idle person was in sight. The innermost hall was even emptier, with only a chair, a couch, and two large rows of glaringly bright giant candles along the walls.

The old emperor had pondered for two days and finally decided to accept the treatment. As time passed, all the doctors, whether imperial physicians or skilled folk healers, had either directly or indirectly told him that his injury was incurable. During this long period, only Su Ci had told him that it could be treated. Although the surgical treatment was terrifying and unsettling, after enduring for two days, the old emperor decided to take the risk. He did not want to die, and he could not die.

This supreme ruler, who had reigned for forty years, had decisiveness and an extremely strong execution ability. Once he made up his mind, the entire palace operated efficiently. In just two hours, everything Su Ci needed was arranged perfectly. In the warm pavilion, the old emperor leaned on a low couch and said, “I hope you won’t disappoint me.”

He had already mentioned heavy rewards before, so this was his final word. As for the 70% success rate that Su Ci had mentioned earlier, the emperor did not bring it up, and it seemed everyone had chosen to forget it.

“I will do my best.” Su Ci didn’t waste words repeating herself. If she failed to save the emperor, her only fate would undoubtedly be death. There was no need to say it – the pressure was immense. There is power but no justice.

She suddenly understood Yang Yanzong’s relentless climb to power. In the world of Jianghu, one cannot avoid getting hurt. Controlling others’ fate is always better than having one’s fate controlled by others!

“What are you thinking about?”

The old emperor was being helped by Sun Shiping to wash and change clothes. Su Ci and Yang Yanzong also retreated to the adjacent room to change and wash, putting on gowns, headscarves, and masks. She had asked Yang Yanzong to be her assistant; he had assisted once before and was the only one she trusted here.

Hearing his question, Su Ci wiped her face and whispered, “I was thinking we don’t even know if we can leave this palace safely this time.”

She joked, “If we succeed in the end, it would be a shame not to get some good benefits.”

He glanced at her. She was scared out of her wits!

Yang Yanzong’s eyes were deep. “Of course.” He said these words coldly.

Su Ci didn’t know what he was thinking, but he always planned several steps ahead. She didn’t have the energy to ponder it. The pressure was immense. She splashed cold water on her face and said, “Alright, let’s go in quickly.”

They couldn’t keep the emperor waiting. They left the warm pavilion and entered the inner hall. At the entrance, two fully armed generals of the imperial guards stood watch. Inside were two more people: Sun Shiping, Su Ci’s other assistant, and Huang Dewei, the commander of the imperial guards, a formidable general in his forties with eyes like cold lightning. The emperor naturally couldn’t fully trust Su Ci and Yang Yanzong with his life. Because Su Ci had repeatedly emphasized that the fewer people and items in the operating room, the better, it was finally decided that only the two of them would be present. As a martial arts master, he immediately sensed a kindred spirit in Yang Yanzong. The two top experts of their time exchanged a glance but said nothing.

Su Ci took a deep breath, calmed herself, and began washing her hands. She focused all her energy and started disinfecting and preparing for the surgery.

The old emperor’s temperature had risen again. The fever-reducing medicine and leg poultices were becoming less effective. After removing the medication, the skin was red, swollen, and soft to the touch. The old imperial physician had actually made incisions to drain the pus, opening three cuts on the outside of the leg, but it was only a temporary solution. The drainage method was not thorough, and the condition quickly relapsed after slight improvement. Using a crystal syringe sterilized by boiling, she drew a dose of penicillin solution. The skin test had already been done, and she administered the intravenous injection while the old emperor watched silently. Then, she signaled Sun Shiping to help the emperor take the anesthetic.

— Without anesthesia, Su Ci really wouldn’t dare to perform surgery on someone of his age. Fortunately, both the old imperial physician and she herself had effective anesthetic formulas. The drug took effect quickly, and the old emperor lost consciousness in about a quarter of an hour.

Su Ci took a couple of deep breaths, rewashed her hands with soap, scrubbing six or seven times, and then rubbed them with alcohol. She then took out one of the surgical knives she had specially ordered from a linen pouch. Pressing on the marked area of the emperor’s injury, she confirmed the location of the bone fragments through the skin and swelling. Before this, she had used gold needles to stop the bleeding at the acupoints. This technique was created by her grandfather, who had participated in a government-sponsored medical aid team in Africa. The local environment and situation were often complex, and logistical resources were frequently inadequate. So, he modified the family needle technique to create this gold needle acupoint hemostasis method. Although it wasn’t as immediate as vascular clamps, it was still effective.

After returning to China, this needle technique wasn’t used much, but now it was proving to be very useful for Su Ci. With a light stroke of the sharp, thin blade, blood appeared, along with a burst of pus, red mixed with white, emitting a foul smell with a hint of decay. This made Sun Shiping and Huang Dewei, who were intently watching, tense up.

Su Ci glanced at Yang Yanzong, but before she could look up, he was already leaning over with a retractor. His posture wasn’t very practiced, but his hands were precise and steady. The incision was small but very precise. As soon as the surgical field was opened, Su Ci immediately used tweezers to move everything aside gently and found the culprit bone fragment in the severely inflamed muscle tissue.

Su Ci skillfully removed the necrotic tissue, cleaned the wound, placed drainage tubes, and began suturing the muscle layers. The sound of the needle and thread moving swiftly filled the room. Su Ci’s focused and serious demeanor had a unique charm. Yang Yanzong noticed sweat beads forming on her forehead and immediately signaled Sun Shiping to wipe them away with a handkerchief.

After wiping away the sweat and changing her mask, her dark eyebrows and hairline were damp, her forehead exposed, making her skin appear exceptionally fair. The bright red under her nose added a striking beauty. Her focused gaze and serious expression were incredibly captivating at this moment. Yang Yanzong’s eyes lingered on the red of her lips for a moment before he looked away without a word.

Su Ci’s hands were steady and quick. This wasn’t a complicated surgery; the main challenges were the patient’s age, condition, the severity of the subcutaneous inflammation, and postoperative medication support. The inflammation had persisted for so long that Su Ci was quite worried before the surgery. But once she made the incision, she was relieved to find it wasn’t as bad as she had feared. The imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Institute indeed had real skills.

Su Ci spent nearly an hour removing three pieces of residual bone fragments and placing drainage tubes in each. After cleaning and suturing the last wound, she carefully bandaged it.

“The drainage tubes must not be moved for the next few days. Only after confirming that the inflammation has improved and no more pus can they be removed.”

Su Ci spoke confidently. At this point, saying it might not work was pointless; it was better to be less timid. Every doctor must give the patient’s family confidence, and this was ingrained in her. She appeared calm on the surface, but inside, she was somewhat anxious because the success of the surgery depended heavily on the postoperative medication support.

— She only had low-concentration penicillin. Even though she had increased the dosage, she was still worried it might not be enough!

“Three injections a day. We should see results in about two days if all goes well.”

Sun Shiping, having witnessed the surgery, spoke to Su Ci with much more respect: “Alright, Miss Su. Please take extra care.”

Could she not take care?

Even if she wanted to slack off, she couldn’t!

Sun Shiping asked about the care instructions and the key points of using the injections and medicine and kneeling by the bed to attend to the emperor personally. The old emperor woke up in the middle of the night after the anesthetic wore off. He didn’t say much to Su Ci about how he felt, as it was still too early to tell. After another day, someone came to take Su Ci and Yang Yanzong to rest.

By this time, it was already getting dark. The heavy snow had finally stopped, and the red walls and white snow in the twilight were solemn and beautiful. Unfortunately, no one coming in or out, including Su Ci, had the mind to appreciate it.

After a whole night and day of mental and physical exhaustion, she finally left Shangyang Hall, feeling her back soaked with sweat she hadn’t even noticed before.

“Oh my, I’m exhausted.”

This time, she and Yang Yanzong were moved to a different place. They didn’t return to the small, old, and remote palace room but were assigned to a two-courtyard palace called Deqing Palace, not far from Shangyang Hall. Yang Yanzong stayed in the east wing, and she stayed in the west wing. She went over to check his place, and it was the same as hers—spacious, bright, with plenty of dragon charcoal for heating. The bedding and pillows were all new, and there were palace attendants to serve them. The dinner brought to them was no longer from a cold stove, a significant upgrade in treatment.

If you ignored the guards at the gate and the elite imperial guards in the courtyard who were there to monitor them, the treatment was quite good.

Su Ci made a light-hearted complaint, glancing at the armored guards standing motionless in the cold wind. Yang Yanzong, behind her, closed the window gap.

The two of them were very close, whispering. After making sure there were no other eavesdroppers, Yang Yanzong pulled Su Ci to the farthest point from the guards and lowered his voice, “How is it?”

He was asking about the old emperor’s treatment, his expression serious.

Su Ci patted her forehead to wake herself up a bit, “He shouldn’t die for now… The key is the next few days. If there’s improvement, even if it’s slow, he will eventually recover.”

But before she could finish, Yang Yanzong covered her mouth with his hand, his eyes sharp, “Silence.”

Her casual tone made his brow twitch. He glared at her and scolded, “How can you talk like that?!”

This girl’s courage was truly immense. Did she not realize she was talking about the emperor? Just one charge of disrespect could cost her her head.

Su Ci quickly covered her mouth, looking at him and whispering, “Isn’t that why you’re here?”

She had noticed Yang Yanzong listening carefully, ensuring no one was around. Speaking so softly, there was no way a third person could hear them. They were in this together; otherwise, she wouldn’t have spoken so freely. She wasn’t foolish!

“I trust your skills,” Su Ci added, giving him a small compliment.

Sweet-talking. Yang Yanzong snorted lightly, pinching her cheek, “In such a large palace, do you really believe there’s no one stronger than me? Like Huang Dewei?”

Su Ci smiled, her big eyes looking at him, “Huang Dewei? The commander from the inner hall earlier? Hmm,” she pretended to think, tapping her chin, “I think you two are evenly matched.”

The male lead’s skills were certified in the original book. Huang Dewei, the so-called top master of the inner palace, was at most on par with him.

Strength is essential. Yang Yanzong’s future success would require luck and nine parts of skills and ability. Su Ci wasn’t joking when she said she trusted him.

Although she knew this girl was a sweet-talker, her words were still very pleasing to the ear. Yang Yanzong chuckled but finally let it go, “Be more careful with your words next time,” he admonished.

Su Ci found it quite novel. She knew very well how adaptable Yang Yanzong was. In the original book, when he was violated, he repeatedly crossed his own boundaries to fight back, even against imperial power.

Such a person wouldn’t have a deep-seated reverence for imperial power; he wasn’t like those pedantic scholars. However, she took Yang Yanzong’s lesson to heart and nodded obediently, “Mm-hmm!”

Her fair, delicate face, nodding obediently, always looked particularly cute when she was being compliant. But her lively eyes betrayed her, making it clear she wasn’t one to follow rules easily.

Yang Yanzong looked down at her, pinched the small dimple by her lips, and his gaze lingered on the soft red of her lips. Since last night in the operating room, when he had been distracted by her, he had felt the urge to grab her chin and kiss her hard. Unfortunately, now wasn’t the time.

“Just focus on the treatment; leave everything else to me.”

“Mm-hmm!”

That was for the best. In terms of scheming, she couldn’t outmatch Yang Yanzong, the master strategist. It was best if she didn’t have to worry about these stressful matters.

Yang Yanzong let go of her, and she ran to the round table to eat. The palace attendants had just brought two food boxes. Su Ci opened hers to find stir-fried chicken with mushrooms and river shrimp, with the same soup and red bean cakes for dessert. Yang Yanzong’s box had braised beef and lion’s head meatballs in broth, with chestnut cakes for dessert.

She liked lion’s head meatballs and chestnut cakes, so she happily swapped the two boxes, opened hers, and started eating heartily.

Eating was paramount. She had missed several meals and needed to fill her stomach before dealing with anything else. She ate with gusto, but the food was still a bit hot. She blew on a meatball before taking a careful bite, sipping the soup in small sips, and sighed in comfort, her whole face seeming to brighten by two shades.

Yang Yanzong stood in the distance, unmoving. He glanced out the window, then turned back, staring at Su Ci’s profile for a moment, his gaze deep. Whenever he thought he had understood Su Ci enough, she constantly refreshed his perception.

Yang Yanzong was sharp enough to detect from Su Ci’s casual remark, “He shouldn’t die for now,” that she had no inherent reverence for the emperor or imperial power. He really began to wonder how Su Di raised his daughters, each one more peculiar than the last—first Su Yan and now Su Ci. He shook his head, walked to the round table, and raised an eyebrow, staring at Su Ci for a while. But the girl was only focused on eating her own food. She looked up at him, puzzled, “Why are you standing there? Hurry up and eat, or it’ll get cold.”

Yang Yanzong glanced at the other food box, which was tightly covered. They were eating together, yet she only remembered to set her own place.

“I thought it was a woman’s duty to take care of her husband’s food and clothing?”

Su Ci wasn’t afraid of him. She bit her spoon and smiled cheekily, “But we’re not married yet, right?”

Your logic doesn’t hold up!

However, she still reached out to help him drag the food box to prevent him from making a fuss over it.

…

But as long as the emperor’s condition remained unclear, they couldn’t truly relax. After eating, the palace attendants came to collect the food boxes and dishes. Su Ci didn’t say much more and went back to rest. She tossed and turned in bed, thinking about the old emperor, her parents, and her sister in this life. Su Ci thought that if she really accidentally died, losing her head would be a bit ugly, but having experienced it once, she wasn’t afraid. It was just that her parents and sister would probably be sad, right?

She wondered if it would implicate them as well. Thinking of this, she felt down and started praying, “Old Emperor, be strong. You must pull through. I don’t want to die yet!”

After waiting for two more days, during which Su Ci administered the medication every morning, noon, and night, she didn’t check the wound or take the pulse. Each time she came, the old emperor was lying with his eyes closed; whether he was genuinely asleep or not, she couldn’t tell. His temperature fluctuated, and she didn’t know the exact situation. However, from the subtle signs she observed up close, she quietly told Yang Yanzong that the emperor’s condition seemed to be improving.

From the third day, their treatment at Deqing Palace improved. Their meals, which had been two meats, one vegetable, one soup, and one dessert, became four meats, three vegetables, one soup, and two desserts, with much more elaborate presentation. The palace attendants needed two large food boxes to carry everything.

Su Ci finally breathed a big sigh of relief. Her observations were indeed correct. The most difficult hurdle had been overcome, and the improved treatment meant the emperor’s condition was starting to get better!

Her heart finally settled. Improvement was good, even if it was just a sign; she was confident he would eventually recover.

— Although the old emperor was indeed aged and frail, Su Ci felt he had very strong willpower. This was crucial, as a patient’s willpower often played a vital role at many critical moments, even compensating for some disadvantages of old age and frailty. She could finally sleep peacefully, savor the delicacies prepared by the imperial chef, and even chat with Yang Yanzong about possible rewards.

However, on the very night she felt relieved, something unexpected happened. It had nothing to do with the old emperor but shook the entire palace. That night, after having an early dinner and chatting briefly with Yang Yanzong, just as she was about to send him back to his room so she could sleep, they suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside.

Rapid footsteps!

Rushing in from the palace gate, Yang Yanzong quickly looked up, and Su Ci, still puzzled, soon heard it too. The footsteps ran along the red corridor straight to her door!

It was Sun Shiping!

In the dead of winter, he ran so fast that his hat fell off, his face flushed, and panting heavily. Without stopping, he grabbed Su Ci’s hand and pulled her out, “Quick! Prince Zhao has been poisoned!”

“Miss Su, hurry!!!”

Prince Zhao was only four years old this year. The Old Prince Zhao was the youngest brother of the old emperor. The two brothers had struggled for half their lives without producing a son. The old emperor had five princesses, but the Old Prince Zhao had no children, not even a daughter. However, perhaps it was fate that the legitimate line of the former emperor should not be extinguished. The month when the old Prince Zhao unexpectedly passed away, his concubine fainted in mourning and was diagnosed with pregnancy. Eight months later, she gave birth to Prince Zhao’s posthumous son. From the day she was diagnosed with pregnancy, the old emperor had her brought into the palace, and the young Prince Zhao was born there. Undoubtedly, he was the old emperor’s intended heir!

Upon hearing this, Su Ci and Yang Yanzong glanced at each other. The palace was indeed full of hidden currents!