The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 1113 - 192: Conversation

Chapter 1113: Chapter 192: Conversation

After determining the treatment plan, Director Xiao and others left the inner chamber for Manbao to administer the first acupuncture session to the Empress.

Most of the princes and princesses also left, only the Crown Prince stood still and did not move.

The Third Prince had initially stood up to leave, but seeing that the Crown Prince did not move, he too stopped and stayed.

The Emperor seeing them could not help but frown, waving his hand and saying, "What are you standing there for? Get out quickly!"

The Crown Prince said, "I want to stay and watch over Mother."

The Emperor gave him a stern look, "How old are you? Take your younger brothers and sisters out!"

The Empress also waved at the Crown Prince, smiling and saying, "Go ahead, take care of your younger siblings."

The Crown Prince could only leave, but he did not bother with the Third Prince anyway.

The Third Prince followed him out.

Suddenly, only the Emperor, the Empress, and the royal nurse were left in the room. The royal nurse glanced at the Emperor and stretched out her hand to draw the curtains, leaving only the Emperor outside.

Manbao signaled the Empress to remove her clothes and took the needles to start the acupuncture.

This time, the session was lengthy, lasting an entire hour, as it involved two separate sessions of needle application. The royal nurse stood inside the curtain watching Manbao, seeing her twirl the needles and slowly inserting them one by one into the Empress’s head, shoulders, and chest; she couldn’t help but swallow her saliva.

The Empress initially wanted to chat with Manbao, but after the needles were inserted, her heart slowly calmed, and drowsiness surged over her, gradually leading her to fall asleep.

Manbao, keeping track of time, removed the needles and gently nudged the Empress, prompting her to turn over, then started applying needles on her back.

The Empress, drowsy and blurred, barely opened her eyes before closing them again.

The royal nurse, seeing this, let out a soft sigh of relief.

Recently, due to illness, the Empress had always had trouble sleeping at night; sometimes she would finally fall asleep only to awake coughing.

Manbao sat by the bedside watching the Empress, knowing that this patient was unlike any other she had treated. So although she wanted to take the opportunity to step out and chat with the Emperor, she resisted.

Manbao propped her chin, daydreaming while looking at the Empress, then turned to see the royal nurse still standing upright and asked softly, "Won’t you sit?"

The royal nurse smiled, knelt down thanking Manbao, glanced at the Empress, and whispered, "Doctor Zhou Junior, Her Majesty often cannot sleep well at night. Is there a way to help with that?"

Manbao shook her head and said, "For ordinary people, calming fragrances or sleep-inducing medicines could be used, but the Empress suffers from an illness of qi, and it’s best not to use those with fragrances."

The royal nurse then remembered that Director Xiao had also cautioned that they never use incense in their accommodation.

The royal nurse sighed.

When the time was right, Manbao removed the needles, and the Empress still lay sleeping soundly. The royal nurse hurriedly pulled over a blanket to cover her.

Manbao checked, then pressed a point on her waist. The Empress slightly furrowed her brows and moved uncomfortably, turning over immediately.

But she remained asleep.

The royal nurse, seeing this, was startled.

Manbao signaled her to quickly sort out the blanket. Once it was properly adjusted, they together rolled up the curtain.

The Emperor, sitting alone outside and drinking tea, hurried over upon seeing them roll up the curtain. Seeing the Empress sleeping peacefully with a relaxed expression, he too let out a sigh of relief.

Knowing she was a light sleeper, the Emperor kept silent. After looking at the Empress for a while, he nodded slightly at Manbao, signaling her to follow him out.

The Crown Prince and the others had already gone to the front hall to wait, and only the maids serving the Empress were outside. The Emperor pondered momentarily and did not move forward. Instead, he chose a smaller path to the side.

Manbao followed him.

After walking for a bit and seeing her following closely, the Emperor could not help but smile and cheerfully said, "You are quite bold. Aren’t you going to ask what I am taking you to do?"

Manbao scratched her head, "Didn’t Your Majesty say you wanted to talk to me?"

Seeing that she hadn’t changed much from before, the Emperor chuckled and nodded, "Indeed, I wanted to have a talk with you."

The Emperor looked back, and Gu Zhong immediately waved his hand backward, instructing the following maids to retreat and not follow any further.

Only Gu Zhong lagged a few steps behind.

Manbao, trailing two steps behind the Emperor, heard him sigh and then asked, "Is your Junior Brother adapting well to his studies?"

Manbao replied, "He’s quite accustomed."

She casually asked, "Your Majesty, do you want to meet my Junior Brother?"

The Emperor, not expecting her sudden question, paused before laughing, "There’s no need for that. Let your Junior Brother focus on his studies so that he can serve the court in the future."

However, Manbao strongly recommended her Junior Brother, "Your Majesty, my Junior Brother is very talented, and meeting him now could be beneficial for what we plan to do in the future."

Emperor: "...What you plan to do in the future?"

"Yes," Manbao raised her head to look at the Emperor, catching his gaze. Many thoughts flashed through her mind—the instructions from her mentor, Bai Shan’s advice—she swallowed the words she was about to say, but she did not back down. Instead, she skipped over much and directly said, "Isn’t this also what Your Majesty hopes for?"

The Emperor looked at her for a long while, speechless.

A few steps behind, Gu Zhong’s sweat was about to break out.

After staring at Manbao for quite some time, the Emperor turned his head and continued walking forward with his hands behind his back, "Your reason for coming to the palace is passable, but on what grounds can he enter the palace?"

Manbao thought it over, indeed, Bai Shan had no knowledge of medicine. She quickly caught up, "If it’s difficult for him to enter the palace, perhaps Your Majesty could leave the palace?"

The Emperor just laughed, "I would like to leave the palace, but alas, the court officials would not agree."

Manbao hummed quietly in her heart, thinking: You’ve even traveled to the distant land of Yizhou, and now you can’t manage a stroll around the capital?

Who are you kidding?

However, Manbao didn’t dare to voice these thoughts. Instead, she started pondering hard, thinking of any feasible way for Bai Shan to meet with the Emperor legitimately and appropriately.

Seeing her deep in thought, the Emperor smiled and softly suggested, "Actually, you are also suffering. Your complaint is the same as his. You can lodge it here first, and then let him follow suit."

After pondering for a moment, Manbao said, "I need to go home and discuss with my family. Besides, the Empress’s illness still needs to be treated."

"Right," the Emperor quickly replied, "This matter is not so urgent. Let’s stabilize the Empress’s condition first."

Manbao then looked at him deeply and nodded.

The two made a round before returning to the grand hall. The Crown Prince quickly approached them, bypassing his father, and directly asked Manbao, "How is my mother?"

Manbao replied, "She is sleeping. Her sleep isn’t good, so let her sleep for now, but don’t let her sleep too long. Wake her in half an hour."

The Crown Prince breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the Emperor and said, "Father, why not grant a general amnesty, accept people into the humane path, and pray for blessings for the Empress."

After a moment of thought, the Emperor agreed, "That’s a good idea. Let’s also invite high monks from Puguang Temple into the palace to pray for the Empress."

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