Chapter 48: Wanting to Laugh, Yet Helpless

When Madam Mei heard the words “Doctor Tang,” a sharp glint flashed in her eyes.

She had clearly ordered the gatekeeper not to let any doctor enter today!

The gatekeeper of a noble household was responsible for announcing visitors to the masters.

Unfortunately, the gatekeepers Madam Mei had scolded were already unconscious, knocked out by Ling Yi. Naturally, they hadn’t been able to inform Madam Mei.

Seeing that Tang Chaoyang was already taking Qin Ruoming’s pulse, Madam Mei shot a look at the old maid beside her and barked sternly, “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and seize this useless charlatan who murdered the young master!”

The old maid immediately understood and led two maids to grab Tang Chaoyang.

Expressionless Ling Yi had initially planned to knock these brainless fools unconscious.

But he was shrewd enough to decide he’d rather leave them for his master to play the hero and rescue the damsel.

Ling Guyong swept a faint, chilly glance at Ling Yi, tugging the corner of his mouth. “….”

Ling Yi had been by Ling Guyong’s side the longest and was the person he trusted most. He could guess what this deadpan subordinate was thinking.

Unfortunately, Tang Chaoyang didn’t give them any chance to act out a hero’s rescue.

“Gu Yuan, step back.”

She swiftly pulled a small pouch of powder from her bag, flicked her wrist, and scattered the contents toward the approaching women.

The fine powder quickly spread through the air.

Before those women even realized what was happening, they inhaled a mouthful. Even people standing close by also breathed it in.

“Ah?”

“Ah!”

Those startled, instinctive screams erupted as soon as the powder hit them.

Standing not far away, Madam Mei and Prince Cheng were both caught in the blast.

“Someone come! Seize them!” Prince Cheng waved the cloud of powder away, hopping mad. “Are you all dead? Move!”

“Ah! Look—look at Madam’s face!”

Someone first noticed the old maid who had led the charge to seize Tang Chaoyang. She had inhaled the most powder, and now her face was erupting in clusters of blisters.

It was a terrifying sight.

“Aaaahhhhh!”

Screams rang out everywhere. Madam Mei clutched her face in panic, and Prince Cheng stumbled backward in shock.

They could feel heat rising on their skin.

The scene was like a pack of devils shrieking as their faces broke out in pustules.

Ling Yi’s heart nearly stopped—this Doctor Tang was clearly someone it was better never to provoke.

Meanwhile, Ling Guyong remained astonishingly calm as he watched. Now he finally understood how Tang Chaoyang’s own face had ended up in that condition.

“….”

He wanted to laugh but was helpless.

This was Prince Cheng’s manor. If things blew up too badly, even with the Su family protecting her, Tang Chaoyang’s identity would inevitably be exposed.

But Tang Chaoyang wasn’t an impulsive fool. With the Jinyiwei by her side, she could borrow their authority to intimidate.

Ling Guyong’s eyes flickered subtly. He remembered his identity as a Jinyiwei and raised a brow, lowering his gaze to the woman calmly checking the young master’s pulse.

Was she planning to use his status for protection?

Tang Chaoyang had no idea he’d already seen through her little scheme. All her attention was focused on Qin Ruoming.

Princess Consort Cheng was similarly oblivious to the chaos. Her whole being was locked on her son.

If her child died, she would drag the entire manor down with him.

If her son had never had any hope of survival, she wouldn’t have planned to bury the household with him. But he had clearly shown signs of improvement—why had he suddenly declined into this lifeless state?

Tang Chaoyang took out a pill and, using precise technique, slipped it into Qin Ruoming’s mouth. Her voice was cool and steady. “He can still be saved. Your Highness, let him go.”

Princess Consort Cheng’s eyes flickered. Tears of relief and desperate joy filled them as she finally loosened her grip and released her son.

Tang Chaoyang had no time to waste. She quickly removed her veil and face covering, swallowed one of her own pills, and began emergency resuscitation.

Placing her palm on the hollow between Qin Ruoming’s ribs and sternum, she pressed down rhythmically.

After counting the compressions, she tilted his head back, lifted his chin, and breathed air into his mouth.

“Let me.”

Ling Guyong had watched her movements long enough to grasp the technique and timing.

Ling Yi tensed, ready to take over from Tang Chaoyang, but Ling Guyong was already moving in to relieve her.

The dignified emperor of Jin, willingly performing such strange resuscitation procedures on her behalf.

While Ling Guyong continued the chest compressions, Tang Chaoyang took another pill and held it to his lips. “Swallow.”

Usually, before an emperor ingested anything, it would be checked for poison.

But Ling Guyong didn’t hesitate. His thin lips parted slightly, taking the pill straight from her fingertips.

His lips inevitably brushed her finger.

On one side of the courtyard, everyone with blistering faces shrieked in chaos.

On the other side, the two of them worked together in perfect calm to save a life.

*

Prince Cheng pointed a shaking finger at them, shouting for the guards rushing over to seize them.

Tang Chaoyang felt Qin Ruoming’s faint but steady pulse and let out a breath of relief. “Carry him inside. I’ll perform acupuncture.”

“Master, allow me.”

Ling Yi moved so fast this time that he had already picked Qin Ruoming up and carried him in. He absolutely did not dare watch his master continue doing this kind of thing.

Tang Chaoyang stood, turned, and faced the surrounding guards with a calm smile. “If you want your faces to return to normal, you’ll keep still and quiet. Otherwise, you can live out the rest of your days with pus-covered faces.”

When everyone saw that Tang Chaoyang herself had a blistered face, they were terrified it was some contagious disease and didn’t dare come near her.

Ling Guyong watched her, standing there with her horrifying face, threatening people in such an imposing tone.

“….”

To be honest, if the situation weren’t so serious, he wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from laughing.

The scene was simply too funny.

Among everyone present, probably only Ling Guyong still thought this Doctor Tang was adorable.

Which showed just how strong his heart was.

Princess Consort Cheng rose to her feet, her voice hoarse and cold. “Doctor Tang, I’ll leave my son to you. I’ll handle this here.”

Tang Chaoyang nodded faintly and quickly stepped into the house. Ling Guyong followed with unruffled composure.

It was at this moment that Prince Cheng caught a glimpse of Ling Guyong’s profile as he walked through the door.

He looked familiar…

But before he could think further, Princess Consort Cheng ordered the side courtyard’s doors closed.

“Mei has plotted against my son—seize her.”

She straightened her messy hair, her gaze icy as it fell on Madam Mei.

Madam Mei shrank behind Prince Cheng, her voice full of pitiful grievance. “Your Highness, I’m innocent. I didn’t try to harm the young master—where is your proof? If you hadn’t called in this bizarre doctor, our faces wouldn’t look like this!”

Her pustule-ridden face made her aggrieved tone almost laughable.

Prince Cheng focused on that last accusation, glaring furiously at Princess Consort Cheng.

Anyone capable of using this sort of powder must be a dangerous fraud.

Princess Consort Cheng never expected that Madam Mei could still find a way to set a trap for her even now.

But today, she would make Madam Mei understand what a real trap was.

“Seize Madam Mei. Anyone who dares to stop it—your whole family will be sold into slavery!”

Today, Princess Consort Cheng was truly enraged.

Her maids surged forward to grab Madam Mei.

Because of the threat that their entire families would be sold if they interfered, no one dared step up to defend her.

At this moment, only the prince himself could shield her.

Madam Mei hated Princess Consort Cheng to the bone. She had been the pampered favorite concubine in this household for so many years. This was the first time she had tasted the humiliation of her low status.

But she wasn’t afraid. She was certain the prince would save her.

Madam Mei felt no fear toward Princess Consort Cheng. She scoffed inwardly, full of smug disdain.

She was still going to make that meddlesome Doctor Tang pay, to have the authorities haul her away and lock her up!