Chapter 12: Worn and Tattered

Ling Gurong returned to the imperial palace, changed into fresh clothes, and immediately went to Cining Palace.

He had rushed back because the Empress Dowager had suddenly fainted.

“Mother, you must take good care of your health,” Ling Gurong said helplessly.

Empress Dowager Dong waved her hand and looked at the young emperor before her, a faint smile in her eyes.

“This old body of mine is riddled with old ailments. Your Majesty need not worry. I know your heart is full of filial piety.”

The emperor took a bowl of medicine from the hands of the senior palace maid and personally fed it to Empress Dowager Dong.

“Why did the Empress Dowager suddenly faint?” Ling Gurong asked, directing his question at the group of imperial physicians kneeling nearby.

Several physicians kept their heads lowered. Although the new emperor had only been enthroned for a few months, even his light questioning put them under great pressure.

The head imperial physician replied, “Her Majesty suffered a past head injury. The flow of qi and blood is stagnant. When circulation is blocked, she will faint. Her health can only be gradually restored through gentle recuperation.”

Ling Gurong swept his gaze over the physicians, his tone growing heavier. He instructed them to find a way to fully cure the Empress Dowager.

Once the physicians had retreated from the hall, Ling Gurong turned to Empress Dowager Dong with a guilty expression. “Mother, it’s my fault you’ve suffered.”

Empress Dowager Dong gently patted the young emperor’s arm. She was the only one in the world who could treat the emperor in such a manner.

“Your Majesty, you mustn’t say such things. That incident was long ago. I am content and grateful to have you by my side. I am old now—illness and death are just part of life.”

“You will live to a hundred,” Ling Gurong said sincerely.

His birth mother had been just a palace maid. The late emperor, in his debauchery, had taken her, and she unexpectedly conceived a dragon heir on the first try.

The maid was then granted the title of Changzai, but she died of illness when Ling Gurong was only three years old.

At that time, the late emperor had dozens of children who survived. He probably didn’t even know he had a son named Ling Gurong.

A three-year-old without a mother in the palace—it was a miracle he survived.

As a child, Ling Gurong had been like a wild wolf cub. When he was hungry, he ate even flowers and grass. It wasn’t until he was ten and encountered Consort Dong that his life began to improve.

Once, while accompanying the late emperor on a hunting trip, they were attacked. The guards had all gone to protect the emperor, and Consort Dong hit her head while shielding Ling Gurong.

Thinking of this, the cold sharpness on Ling Gurong’s chiseled face softened.

The Empress Dowager sighed. “The rear palace still feels too deserted. I miss that girl Xinrui. I wonder how she and Fei Yan are doing. Nanny Gong, send the fresh dates the Household Department delivered today to the Prime Minister’s residence for Xinrui.”

Ling Gurong smiled faintly. “Chief Steward Feng, personally take bird’s nest, shark fin, and an East Sea luminous pearl to the Prime Minister’s residence.”

Chief Steward Feng agreed and couldn’t help but marvel at how favored Madam Dong was.

“Don’t worry. With us and Fei Yan around, no one will dare bully her. Please rest well, Mother. I will visit you again tomorrow.”

Ling Gurong still had many memorials to review and couldn’t stay at Cining Palace for too long.

After leaving Cining Palace, he returned to Mingsui Hall for a meal. As he ate, he thought of what the female physician he had met earlier had said—that he had an illness.

Although he hadn’t taken it seriously at the time, the memory lingered, and he sent for the head imperial physician to examine him again.

After the physician saluted, he took the emperor’s pulse. A moment later, he withdrew his hand. “Your Majesty, your pulse is steady and strong.”

This meant the dragon body was in excellent condition.

There were no hidden ailments.

—

That morning, Tang Chaoyang had gone to the teahouse to save Lu Fanyi. After returning to the General’s Manor and washing up at noon, she went to Jinhe Hall to dine with the old Madam Su.

Today, Fei An’an had already been sent to the clan school and wouldn’t return home until late afternoon.

After eating with the old Madam, Tang Chaoyang sat beside her and acted coquettishly. “Grandmother, may I take your pulse?”

Madam Li arrived just in time to hear Tang Chaoyang offer to take the old Madam’s pulse.

The old Madam smiled happily and readily agreed.

Madam Li was speechless at the old Madam’s unconditional spoiling of Tang Chaoyang.

Could anything this girl said be trusted? Madam Li certainly didn’t believe she knew medicine.

Tang Chaoyang’s mother had been the old Madam Su’s legitimate second daughter. She died young, leaving only Tang Chaoyang as her bloodline. Naturally, this made the old Madam even more doting toward her.

Old Madam Su laughed. “Grandmother will let you take her pulse. Doctor Tang, please begin.”

She rolled up her sleeve and placed her wrist on the table, her eyes filled with indulgence.

Madam Li picked up her teacup and took a light sip.

Just a few days ago, Doctor Hu from the household had taken the old Madam’s pulse and declared her well.

She wanted to see if Tang Chaoyang’s diagnosis would match Doctor Hu’s.

Though Madam Li didn’t say it aloud, she clearly looked down on Tang Chaoyang.

Tang Chaoyang sat upright, fully focused on taking the old Madam’s pulse.

The old lady watched Tang Chaoyang’s serious expression and smiled even more warmly.

Madam Li put down her teacup and quietly observed. The girl’s posture looked quite convincing.

She waited for Tang Chaoyang to speak.

After a moment, Tang Chaoyang withdrew her hand and checked her grandmother’s complexion and tongue. “Grandmother, do you often experience bloating in your stomach? Acid reflux? Nausea?”

The old Madam nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”

Madam Li was startled. How did Tang Chaoyang know that?

“Do you also experience headaches, dizziness, or irritability?” Tang Chaoyang asked again.

The old Madam nodded once more. “I get dizzy, irritable. Getting old comes with all sorts of problems.”

“Grandmother’s stomach qi isn’t descending, and phlegm-dampness is obstructing the middle. This causes bloating, nausea, and acid reflux. I’ll prescribe some medicine—take it for three days, and you should feel relief.”

“Pay attention to your diet. Have the kitchen prepare medicinal meals like Poria pig stomach soup, lotus seed and lily porridge, or tangerine peel porridge. These will benefit your health.”

The old Madam’s eyes widened. “My dear granddaughter, you really do know how to take pulses?”

Tang Chaoyang laughed bitterly. “…So you never believed me?”

The old Madam sheepishly nodded.

Tang Chaoyang smiled. “Grandmother, your stomach problem is easy to manage, but you also have internal heat disturbing the heart and rising liver yang. That will need consistent regulation.”

“The household doctor probably already prescribed you something, right? Let me take a look at the formula later. Starting tomorrow, I’ll do acupuncture for you to help regulate your condition.”

Now it was Madam Li’s turn to be stunned. Tang Chaoyang’s diagnosis matched Doctor Hu’s almost exactly.

Doctor Hu had indeed prescribed medicine and given dietary instructions.

The old Madam, though aware of her own health issues, was now genuinely happy. Who would dare call her granddaughter an uneducated noblewoman now?

“Good! Good! Good! Grandmother will follow all your instructions.” The old Madam was all smiles.

Madam Li had already composed herself but was still inwardly shocked…

Tang Chaoyang added, “Grandmother, the four-hundred-year-old wild ginseng I gave you yesterday—keep it for emergencies. It could save your life.”

The old Madam had opened the box last night and found the precious wild ginseng inside.

A four-hundred-year-old wild ginseng—an incredibly rare medicinal treasure.

Madam Li’s expression shifted slightly. “Four hundred years old? Chaoyang, where did you get that?”

These two had come from Cold City to the capital with worn and tattered clothes, clearly having lived a hard life.

Where on earth would they get something like wild ginseng?