The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 901 - 901 415 The Truth About the Illness (Two More)_3

Chapter 901: 415 The Truth About the Illness (Two More)_3 Chapter 901: 415 The Truth About the Illness (Two More)_3 “Your Highness!”

Lady Yao hastily bowed in greeting.

Prince Ning nodded slightly, his gaze shifting to Gu Jiao beside him, revealing a gentle smile, “Ah, it’s Doctor Gu. I didn’t expect you to come.”

Lady Yao said, “The Princess felt a bit of chest tightness in the afternoon. Remembering that the Prince mentioned Doctor Gu’s exceptional medical skills, I went to the Divine Heal Hall and invited Doctor Gu over.”

Prince Ning nodded in approval, “You did well. You may leave us now, I need to discuss the Princess’s condition with Doctor Gu.”

“Then I’ll go to the Divine Heal Hall to fetch the medicine,” Lady Yao said.

Lady Yao boarded the carriage.

Prince Ning gestured towards the mansion, “Doctor Gu, if you’re not in a hurry, perhaps you would like to sit in the Flower Hall.”

Gu Jiao said, “I’m in a hurry, Prince. Speak quickly. Also, since we’ve met, please settle the consultation fee.”

“Very well.” Prince Ning took out a fifty-tael banknote from his chest.

“One hundred taels,” said Gu Jiao.

Princess Xinyang always gave one hundred taels, directly raising her upper limit for consultation fees.

Prince Ning paused for a moment, and for an instant, he felt that Gu Jiao’s demanding tone was strangely familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

With her arms crossed, Gu Jiao said, “I told you, my consultation isn’t cheap.”

Indeed, Gu Jiao had kindly warned him, and Prince Ning hadn’t haggled over the price then; it was even less likely that he would try to bargain after she treated the Princess.

But Prince Ning truly hadn’t expected her definition of ‘not cheap’ to be so steep.

A blockage formed in Prince Ning’s chest.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford it, but there was an indescribable sense of suffocation.

In the end, Prince Ning still paid the one hundred taels.

Gu Jiao accepted the banknote, “If the Prince has anything to ask, go ahead.”

Having received payment, her business attitude improved significantly!

Prince Ning was taken aback by her sudden pleasant tone, and he opened his mouth to ask, “It’s about the Princess’s condition. I want to know what exactly is wrong with her.”

Gu Jiao said, “Weakness of the spleen and stomach, that’s one aspect; excessive worry, that’s another.”

Prince Ning frowned, “Excessive worry?”

Gu Jiao hummed in affirmation, “It’s depression. To put it in layman’s terms, it could be considered a mental condition. I’ve prescribed medicine, but still, your Highness should pay more attention to the Princess’s emotions regularly.”

“She… is it because of the child? I have been married to the Princess for many years. We have always been longing for a child of our own. Unfortunately, heaven hasn’t been accommodating, and we couldn’t keep this child either.”

He used the word ‘either,’ seemingly casual, but actually informing Gu Jiao that this wasn’t the first miscarriage for the Princess of Ning.

Gu Jiao was already aware from the Princess Rui’s confidences that the Princess of Ning had miscarried three times before. She was not surprised, and with her typically unperturbed demeanor, Prince Ning didn’t find her reaction suspicious.

Prince Ning asked, “Will the Princess be able to have children in the future?”

Gu Jiao said, “It’s hard to say. The most important thing right now is the Princess’s illness.”

Prince Ning nodded, then asked, “Does she… know about it?”

Gu Jiao replied, “I haven’t mentioned the depression.”

Prince Ning breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, “Thank goodness you didn’t say anything. I don’t want her to worry about her condition. I will be more mindful in the future.”

Gu Jiao gave a nod, “I take my leave.”

Prince Ning stopped her, “I’ve heard…”

“Hmm?” Gu Jiao turned her head to look at him.

Prince Ning’s gaze was gentle as he said, “Doctor Gu visited the palace yesterday, and saw the wife of Prince Rui and the Crown Prince’s wife.”

Gu Jiao didn’t deny it, her expression open and aboveboard, “Is there a problem?”

Prince Ning smiled, “No. The Princess Xinyang mentioned Miss Gu to me. It’s not the first time you’ve been together with the Princess Xinyang, and it seems you have a rather good relationship. If Doctor Gu does not mind, you could come and keep the Princess Ning company more often in the future.”

Gu Jiao glanced at him, and said, “I am a physician, only patients need my company.”

Prince Ning laughed, “This prince was presumptuous.”

Gu Jiao withdrew her gaze and left the Prince Ning’s mansion, ordering Xiao Sanzi to drive the carriage to the Hanlin Academy. Unfortunately, Xiao Liulang had been called in to work overtime again.

Kong Mu recognized Gu Jiao, and knowing that she was Xiao Liulang’s wife, said to her, “He has gone to the Inner Council. It seems that Prime Minister Yuan needed extra hands and personally selected our top three scholars to go.”

The top three scholars, Xiao Liulang, Prince An, and Ning Zhiyuan.

Gu Jiao stroked her chin.

Prime Minister Yuan had a rather good reputation; moreover, he might become a relative in the future, not a bad person, so there was no need to worry about her husband.

Xiao Sanzi asked, “Miss Gu, shall we go back to the Medical Hall or to Bishui Alley now?”

After thinking for a moment, Gu Jiao said, “Let’s go back to the Medical Hall first.”

Gu Jiao returned to the Medical Hall and placed a hundred-tael banknote on the counter, leaving Shopkeeper Wang astonished, “What’s this?”

“Consultation fee,” Gu Jiao said.

“But… how come you brought back so much consultation fee after just one visit?” Shopkeeper Wang said, then he remembered the last time she mysteriously brought back a hundred tael from Vermilion Bird Avenue.

Shopkeeper Wang blinked, “Miss Gu, you didn’t go out robbing, right…?”

Gu Jiao looked at him languidly, “Who are you underestimating?”

Shopkeeper Wang grinned sheepishly, “Right, right, Miss Gu is an upright person, how could you go robbing?”

He hadn’t even finished speaking when he heard Gu Jiao say, “What’s there to rob for a hundred tael? If I were to do it, I’d go big.”

Shopkeeper Wang: “…”

Gu Jiao didn’t stay long in the Medical Hall when the wife of Prince Rui arrived.

Gu Jiao was not holding consultations today, and the wife of Prince Rui went directly to her small courtyard, quite familiar with the way.

Gu Jiao was sun-drying medicinal herbs, and the wife of Prince Rui came over, happily calling out to Miss Gu.

“The wife of Prince Rui?” Gu Jiao greeted her with slight surprise.

The wife of Prince Rui, gasping for breath, said, “You left too quickly, if you had stayed just half an incense stick longer, we could have met at Prince Ning’s mansion!”

Gu Jiao asked, “You went to Prince Ning’s mansion?”

The wife of Prince Rui’s expression turned grave, “I heard that Princess Ning was feeling unwell, so I went to see her. It’s strange, she was perfectly fine when she entered the palace this morning, so why did she suddenly feel chest discomfort after returning home? What exactly happened to her?”

So Princess Ning was perfectly fine in the morning but felt ill in the afternoon. Had something triggered her in between?

Depression is most vulnerable to triggers.

However, it’s not just triggers that can cause an episode. Sometimes the patient’s mood suddenly drops, and they can’t control it themselves.

Gu Jiao would not discuss a patient’s condition with anyone outside of their family. She carefully chose her words, “Her spleen and stomach are weak, and she has not fully recovered after her miscarriage. She needs to take great care in her recovery and might also be feeling a bit distressed.”

The wife of Prince Rui sighed, “Alas, my sister-in-law is truly pitiable. Thankfully, my brother is a good man, always very loving and caring towards her. Oh, that’s right, I ran into Mr. Chen today!”

At this, the wife of Prince Rui’s expression became serious, “He is the man who had a private meeting with the Crown Prince’s wife behind the rockery!”