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Turning back to Xiao Jizi, after he arrived at the Imperial Medical Bureau, he hurriedly dragged a young Imperial Physician toward Canglan Court.

The other Imperial Physicians at the Imperial Medical Bureau noticed the young eunuch’s bruised nose and swollen face, and assumed he’d gotten into trouble.

Hearing that it was a Little Daying seeking medical help, and that the destination was quite far, they each made excuses, claiming they were old and weak and couldn’t withstand such stress.

Xiao Jizi felt anxious, thinking that these sly old foxes probably thought the Young Master was too low-ranking to warrant a reward and thus didn’t want to bother.

Just then, a young Imperial Physician stepped forward and said he would go.

Before the words were fully out of his mouth, Xiao Jizi grabbed him and ran.

"The medicine chest, I haven’t brought the medicine chest," the young Imperial Physician shouted urgently. The medicine chest was his lifeline; he needed it wherever he went. How could he treat anyone without it!

Xiao Jizi quickly pulled him back to retrieve the medicine chest and then dashed off again.

This young Imperial Physician, named Huang Zude, was a recent addition to the Imperial Medical Bureau.

His family had a long lineage of practicing medicine, and by the time of his father’s generation, his mother had been of ill health and childless for many years.

They feared their family line would end until, unexpectedly, his father sired him at the age of forty.

In gratitude to their ancestors, his father named him Zude, which meant ’descendant’s virtue,’ signifying that they had been blessed with a child in middle age due to the virtue of their ancestors.

Eager not to let the family’s medical knowledge die out, his father started educating him from a very young age.

While others began their learning with the Three Character Classic, his first lessons were from the medical texts passed down through his family.

Determined to pass on the mantle carried by each generation before him, his father raised him to be an ’old-soul’ obsessed with medicine from childhood.

Before joining the Imperial Medical Bureau, he would either be home studying medical texts or out practicing medicine and gathering herbs. He was quite agile.

But even so, he realized he was no match for the young eunuch who was pulling him along. With great strength, Xiao Jizi dragged him along, running a great distance until he was breathless and could hardly catch his breath. They finally stopped in front of a courtyard.

"Young brother, I really can’t go any further. Let me rest for a moment," he gasped, bending over and leaning on the large doors of Canglan Court.

Xiao Jizi was also tired, but the thought of the Young Master being unconscious made him desperately anxious.

He firmly supported Huang Zude’s arm and said, "Master, we’ve arrived.

It’s only a few steps further. Please, just hold on a little longer.

After you’ve seen the Young Master, you can rest as long as you like.

I’ll see to it that you’re well taken care of with good tea and treats. "

Huang Zude waved his hand and took a couple more breaths before saying maturely, "Little brother, if the condition was truly urgent, we’re already late, and if it’s a common illness, a little while longer won’t matter.

How can one tend the sick with neither calm heart nor calm breath?

In practicing medicine, one must first calm the mind and spirit to properly diagnose the illness. "

Xiao Jizi listened to the man’s thorough explanation, unsure if he was correct, but it seemed that without resting, the physician wouldn’t be able to attend to the patient. He had no choice but to patiently wait, anxiously pacing beside him.

He muttered to himself that this young Imperial Physician, barely older than himself, was already calling him ’young brother.’ It was unclear whether this physician was reliable, but since the other Imperial Physicians had refused to come, he did not wish to waste any more time arguing with them.

Besides, those old slickers were indeed aging and probably couldn’t have run as fast even if he had carried them; it was best to let the man at hand see to the condition.

After a while, Huang Zude finally rested enough, and with a calm and focused demeanor, he proceeded into the courtyard with his medicine chest on his back.

Xiao Jizi watched with urgency, his eyes turning red, but he didn’t dare to rush him again. What if he said again that it was too late for urgent cases and unnecessary to hurry for common ailments and wanted to rest more?

But when Huang Zude reached the entrance to the Side Hall, he saw a tall, young girl standing guard at the door with a stick, thinking she was there to beat the Imperial Physician, which startled him.

Following behind, he saw the girl throw the stick away and finally heaved a sigh of relief.

Xiao Qing, seeing Xiao Jizi return with someone, quickly discarded the stick, opened the hall door, and welcomed them inside.

Finally, after much trouble, the Imperial Physician was able to see the patient.

Xiao Jizi and Xiao Qing watched Huang Zude’s every move without blinking.

Huang Zude’s right hand caressed his smooth chin, a gesture he had learned from his father. With his left hand, separated by a handkerchief, he felt Lian Hua’s pulse.

After a good while, he stood up to examine Lian Hua’s complexion, and finally, he flipped up her eyelids.

In his heart, he harbored some doubts. The fainting was quite obvious, but as for other matters...

It was best to look into the fainting first. Thinking this, he rose and walked out of the inner room, followed closely by the anxious gazes of Xiao Jizi and Xiao Qing.

Upon reaching the hall, Huang Zude began to inquire, "What has the Young Master been eating recently?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Qing eagerly started recounting the recent meals from the most recent to those further back, sweet and sour spare ribs, mushroom chicken soup, ...

The more Huang Zude listened, the tighter his brows furrowed. Noticing his distress, Xiao Jizi grew extremely anxious, thinking something was wrong, and hurriedly asked, "Master, is something wrong?"

Huang Zude waved his hand dismissively, "Nothing’s wrong, don’t interrupt." It was just that the Young Master had quite the appetite; it was making him hungry.

Finally, when Xiao Qing mentioned candied hawthorn, Huang Zude clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Stop! That’s it, your Young Master has eaten something inappropriate.

Coupled with excessive worrying and emotional fluctuations recently, it has led to fainting.

Fortunately, the body is in good condition, nothing serious.

I’ll prescribe some fetus-preserving medicine for the Young Master to drink, and that should do. "

Xiao Jizi and Xiao Qing both sighed in relief upon hearing that nothing was wrong, and nodded repeatedly, expressing their thanks constantly, "Thank you very much, Master."

Huang Zude took out paper and pen, sat down at a table in the hall, and began to write the prescription.

As he wrote, he said, "Hawthorn is good for invigorating the spleen and whetting the appetite, but it can excite the uterus and cause contractions.

Eating too much of it may lead to miscarriage. From now on, it must be avoided."

Xiao Jizi and Xiao Qing listened and nodded. True enough, the Young Master had felt unwell the days after eating hawthorn. This must be noted.

After finishing, Huang Zude blew on the piece of paper to dry it, handed over the two sheets to them, and continued, "It’s only because the Young Master has a strong constitution that a miscarriage hasn’t occurred already.

But even the strongest body cannot withstand such strain.

You must be more careful in the future. Here are the prescription and the dietary restrictions, keep them safe. "

Xiao Qing took the papers and looked at them but, being illiterate, she had no idea what was written on them.

Xiao Jizi also glanced at them and then tucked them safely into his chest, preparing to accompany Imperial Doctor Huang on his way out and head to the Imperial Pharmacy to collect the medicine, a place not far from the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Seeing that his business here was finished and there was nothing more for him to do, Huang Zude packed up his medicine chest and headed towards the exit.

Xiao Jizi quickly followed to see him out, bowing respectfully, "Thank you, Master. May I invite you to stay for a cup of tea before you leave?"

Huang Zude was indeed a bit thirsty, but he could hold out; tea could wait. He vaguely felt there might be something else ailing the Young Master and that he needed to hurry back and consult his books.

So, he waved his hand and said, "No thanks, it’s my duty.

I’ve only joined the Imperial Medical Bureau a few days ago, and the Young Master is the first person I’ve treated in the Harem.

You need to take care of her with attention.

A pregnant person should not be treated the same as one who isn’t; you can’t be careless. "

Xiao Jizi was confused, "What? What do you mean by ’pregnant’?"

Huang Zude paused in his step and said, "I mean, pregnant! Didn’t you know?" He was new and didn’t understand the situation in the Harem; he had assumed they were already aware.

Xiao Jizi felt as if he had been struck by lightning, completely stunned! The thought kept swirling in his head: The Young Master is pregnant? Pregnant?

Ah right, the prescribed medicine was fetus-preserving medicine!

No wonder the Imperial Physician kept mentioning miscarriage, which he hadn’t understood at the time. But now, everything he had said made perfect sense!