Chapter 194: Seeing Through Without Pointing It Out

Actually, she was not very familiar with Prince Huai's mansion either.

She had lived there for less than a year before she was married off and left.

Miss Jun walked on the pathways of Prince Huai's mansion, following the eunuch past the front halls to the harem.

The mansion was luxuriously decorated, but now it was empty, like a mausoleum.

This place had always been a mausoleum.

"Miss Jun, this is the place. Please wait here while I go and report our arrival," the eunuch said.

Miss Jun nodded in response, standing outside the hall. She glanced briefly around her; Jiurong's place hadn't changed much since before, but now she had no mood to care about that. She looked towards the hall doors just as the eunuch was pushing them open.

"Your Highness, Princess, the doctor recommended by the Imperial Hospital has arrived," he said to someone inside.

Sister!

My sister is here too!

Miss Jun couldn't help but step forward.

"Please come in."

A woman's voice came from inside.

The eunuch turned back and gestured to her. Miss Jun had already quickly approached, stepping over the threshold into the line of sight of someone.

Miss Jun paused in her steps, looking at the person standing before her.

The doors and windows of the hall were tightly closed, the light was dim, and Lu Yunqi's figure amongst them appeared even more sinister.

Miss Jun lowered her gaze slightly, performing a small courtesy, and walked past him into the hall.

The room was filled with the scent of medicine, but she could still smell a faint fragrance amidst it.

That was her sister's usual scent.

She lowered her head to look at the Big Green Stones beneath her feet, taking one step at a time, and even though she didn't look up, she felt she could see the woman sitting on the bed in front of her.

"Princess..." she bent down to kneel.

"No need for such formality."

The gentle female voice came from above her head.

Miss Jun still bowed her head to the cold ground, which cooled her burning body, preventing her from losing control and throwing herself into her sister's arms, weeping.

A pair of chilly eyes in the room rested continuously on her back, as if seeing through her very soul.

Two palace maids rolled up the curtains, and Miss Jun rose to see the person in front of her.

Princess Jiuli was dressed in simple, clean clothes, with her hair neatly arranged and light makeup, showing no sign of the despair and panic one would expect from facing the impending death of a relative.

She was using a handkerchief to wipe the face of a young boy on the bed, her expression serene, as if she was not looking at a sick child, but a deeply sleeping one.

Just like before, even during times of chaos and war, her sister was able to live leisurely, as if clouds were rolling by in the sky.

Miss Jun moved closer to look at Jiurong lying on the bed.

"Shall I take his pulse?" Princess Jiuli turned her head toward her.

As their eyes met, Miss Jun trembled slightly, unable to move her gaze away.

So close, she was standing in front of her sister again.

"Miss Jun, shall I take his pulse?" Princess Jiuli asked again, her voice soft, her demeanor warm. She showed no displeasure at being stared at directly, no surprise or confusion, and certainly no excitement.

Miss Jun lowered her eyes and responded affirmatively.

Princess Jiuli stood up to make way, without any trace of suspicion, and without asking about her origins. Was this trust?

It was not, it was simply indifference.

To accept what cannot be refused, the only thing she could do was to live out these unavoidable days gracefully.

Without fighting, arguing, fussing, grieving, or hurting.

Miss Jun moved forward, lowered her eyes, and leaned down to examine Jiurong.

It had been more than a year since she last saw him; he had grown a lot. She reached out and touched Jiurong's forehead, checking for fever. Her hand moved to Jiurong's eyes, observing the pupils and whites. She passed her hand over his nose, checking his breathing, then touched his cheek, and pinched his earlobe, finally resting her hand on Jiurong's pulse.

At this moment, a year's worth of tension settled.

.................................

Imperial Physician Jiang also entered the gates of Prince Huai's mansion, with several imperial physicians following him quickly.

"Sir, the news has spread throughout the city, everyone's talking about how severe smallpox is," one imperial physician said. "This must be Jiuling Hall's doing."

"That's right, they just want everyone to know how terrible smallpox is so that if it can't be cured, it won't be their fault," another imperial physician added.

"How dare they spread such things in the capital, let the Five Cities Military Department arrest them," another imperial physician suggested. "They are disturbing the peace of the people."

"How can you catch them, they're not fools. This kind of rumor spreading, the law doesn't hold everyone accountable," another imperial physician shook his head and said. "Arresting people indiscriminately because of this will only make the capital more chaotic."

Everyone was discussing, but Imperial Physician Jiang remained calm.

"What's there to worry about," he said. "Let them spread whatever they want."

He said this with a laugh.

"What if this illness isn't smallpox."

As if there were any ifs, but rather a certainty, the imperial physicians came to their senses—indeed, this was not smallpox. How could Miss Jun, with her exceptional medical skills, fail to notice?

They all snapped back to reality.

"She could point out our misdiagnosis; that would be a great merit as well as a huge boost to her reputation," one imperial physician smiled and said.

"By the time the outside world realizes how overblown the fear of smallpox is, it will all have been for naught," another imperial physician commented with a laugh.

"Although the misdiagnosis is quite a blow to our pride," one imperial physician stroked his beard and said earnestly, "if we can cure Prince Huai's illness, what does pride matter?"

Imperial Physician Jiang had been silent since his initial remark, merely listening to the imperial physicians' discussions, and soon they arrived at Prince Huai's bedchamber.

With the entrance of Imperial Physician Jiang and his entourage, the originally gloomy bedchamber became somewhat lively.

Watching Miss Jun put away her pulse-taking instruments, one imperial physician stepped forward.

"Miss Jun," he said solemnly, "what do you think of Prince Huai's condition?"

Miss Jun put her pulse-taking instruments away.

"Prince Huai's condition is quite serious," she said.

"Indeed, we are truly at a loss, and we've thought of Miss Jun, who is well-known for her medical expertise," the imperial physician sighed and then, looking at Miss Jun, a flicker of expectation passed in his eyes, "...perhaps you have a way to tackle this kind of disease."

He had already put forth his face, and now it was Miss Jun's chance to gleefully slap it.

Speak up now, show your smugness; tell us this isn't smallpox, tell us all the imperial physicians have been blind.

Miss Jun placed her pulse-taking instruments into the medicine chest and took out some acupuncture needles, smiling at these words.

She laughed.

To laugh at such a time, while Prince Huai was ill, with Princess Jiuli and Lu Yunqi both present.

She found joy in exposing other doctors' mistakes, seizing the opportunity to make a name for herself, disregarding the suffering of the patient Before her.

Laugh, the happier you laugh now, the more bitterly you'll cry later.

The imperial physicians watched the girl before them with suppressed expressions.

The girl before them, however, continued to smile, undiminished.

"Yes, I have done some research on smallpox," she said, nodding and pulling out an acupuncture needle, "I have a way to crack it."

Silence fell over the room.

What did she say?

The imperial physicians were momentarily stunned, struggling to process her words.

"You're saying this is smallpox?" Imperial Physician Jiang spoke up, he had already guessed something, but still found it hard to believe.

Miss Jun looked at him, nodding, her expression somewhat strange.

"Of course it is; hasn't everyone diagnosed it as such? Imperial Physician Jiang, do you have any doubts?" she said.

My doubt is, are you blind? Where on earth did you see smallpox?

Imperial Physician Jiang looked at Miss Jun, his face turning the color of iron.

This unashamed wretch.

*******************************************

Thank you to Xiuyu Burial Flowers, Jing San Shao, ?Last Shot?, Nina Noah's Ark, Ye San Mo Ricardo, Ice of the South, md12 for supporting He's Bi.

Thank you, finally the weekend haha but I have to be on duty on Sunday~~~~(>_<)~~~~