Chapter 853: Heart Disease

Everyone in the palace knew of the Imperial Medical Academy, but compared to its members, those in the Imperial Pharmacy were truly serving within the inner courts. All the imperial physicians and medical practitioners there had to pass strict evaluations every year, even supervised by officials from the Ministry of Rites; only those of the highest rank could work in the Imperial Pharmacy. Every evening, after the palace gates were locked, four imperial physicians would still remain on duty to meet the occasional needs of the noblewomen in the inner palace. However, it wasn’t these four physicians who ran the pharmacy—it was the eunuchs in charge.

Since the Imperial Pharmacy wasn’t part of the twenty-four government agencies, the eunuchs were merely called “our own people” and actually didn’t hold any official ranks; their formal title was merely “Imperial Attendant.” Yet this was a crucial position near the emperor. If imperial physicians were to examine the emperor, empress, or concubines, it had to be the eunuchs from the Imperial Pharmacy who introduced them. With frequent opportunities to meet the nobles, their status was even higher than that of those assigned to external duties. Moreover, all medicinal materials passed through their hands, yielding considerable profits.

Suo Lianzhou, who had been transferred from the Armory Bureau to the Imperial Pharmacy just two months ago, sat in a room with a heated kang, smiling as he warmed wine. The dishes on the kang table—four different colors—were exquisitely prepared and steaming warmly. With the long winter nights and bitter cold outside, drinking wine and eating snacks indoors was far better than dealing with those hardworking craftsmen outside. Besides, as the Military Affairs Department’s demands grew stricter, the Ministry of Works shifted all the responsibility onto the Armory Bureau. Fortunately, Suo Lianzhou had connections and was adept at navigating bureaucracy; otherwise, working under Minister Zhang would have been a difficult life.

At that moment, a young eunuch around seventeen or eighteen years old knelt on the edge of the kang, pouring wine for Suo Lianzhou with a smile. He said, “Eunuch sir, I heard that Minister Zhang has been staying near the Ancient and Modern Treasures Repository these days—just a few steps away from here. There are so many rumors going around these days, all kinds of things…”

“Don’t bring those rumors here. I’m not interested!” Suo Lianzhou already had a thick, barrel-shaped waist. Life in the Imperial Pharmacy was comfortable, and with hardly any noblewomen falling ill these days, he had gained even more weight. Picking up a piece of pork neck and tossing it into his mouth, he said irritably, “I asked to be transferred here because I’m tired of the constant inspections from the Armory Bureau, not because of any disputes with Minister Zhang! Besides, bringing someone to live in the palace is for important reasons—only fools would spread nonsense…”

Suo Lianzhou thought to himself that he was Liu Yongcheng’s adopted son. Now that Liu Yongcheng had been sent to Nanjing to retire, if he were still in charge of the military armory, someone might use his past mistakes against him, leaving him with no one to rescue him. So he quickly gave most of his wealth to the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Secretariat, Jin Ying, to secure a position that wasn’t high in rank but was free from much burden. After intimidating the small eunuch in charge of medicine, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He tapped the table with his chopsticks and, under the influence of alcohol, softly sang a few lines:

“I am a copper pea that can’t be flattened, blown up, crushed, or boiled through—still ringing loudly…”

His deep voice singing Yuan opera sounded awkward no matter how you listened to it, and the small eunuch beside him didn’t dare laugh. Just then, a commotion suddenly arose outside, and a middle-aged eunuch on duty rushed in: “Eunuch sir, eunuch sir! People from Renshou Palace have arrived. It’s the Crown Prince—he’s sick! They ask you to take the imperial physicians there right away!”

Hearing this, Suo Lianzhou’s newfound drunkenness instantly turned into cold sweat. He got up from the bed, moving his heavy body awkwardly, and hurriedly got dressed while letting the small eunuch help him put on his shoes. As he busied himself, he kept asking, “Did you ask clearly what’s going on? Wasn’t the Crown Prince in good health? Why suddenly fall ill? And what’s the severity of his illness? Are there any symptoms? So we can choose the right imperial physicians!”

“Eunuch sir, the people who came didn’t say anything else—just that all four imperial physicians must come!”

At that moment, Suo Lianzhou felt his scalp burning, and he even wanted to cry. Could it be that even heaven couldn’t stand watching him live a carefree life and had to find an excuse to torment him? After fastening the last buttons, he went outside, put on his thick blue velvet cloak, and stepped out. He spoke a few words with the people from Renshou Palace who refused to enter, then rushed back to call the four imperial physicians himself. Hearing that the Crown Prince was sick, the four physicians were also terrified.

After all, he was the emperor’s hard-earned son, born to his most beloved granddaughter, the Imperial Concubine. If anything went wrong, they wouldn’t even stand a chance of surviving!

Once everything was ready, Suo Lianzhou personally led the four imperial physicians out of the imperial pharmacy in a hurry with the people from Renshou Palace. It was already the third watch of the night, and the sky was still dark. Although there were two lanterns ahead, the cold wind against their warm bodies, combined with his alcohol intake and recent shock, made him feel as if his feet were floating.

After much effort, he finally reached the Renshou Palace. As soon as he stepped inside and took a few steps, he heard noises behind him. Glancing back when no one else was watching, he saw that the palace door behind him had been firmly shut, with four strong middle-aged eunuchs standing there expressionlessly. At that moment, his heart trembled, and a badpremonition arose in his mind.

Could it be… could it be that someone had tricked him into coming here? But why trick him?

Suo Lianzhou’s anxious state reached its peak when he entered the main hall of the Renshou Palace and learned that it wasn’t the crown prince who was ill, but the empress dowager. He almost collapsed to the ground. The four imperial physicians beside him didn’t look any better either; their faces were pale. Normally, if the empress dowager fell ill, that was one thing, but what about now? In the past, Emperor Taizong would travel north for inspections or campaigns because there was always the crown prince in the capital. Now that the emperor was gone, it was because of the empress dowager. If anything happened to her, given the current situation in the capital, it would be even more serious than the crown prince’s illness!

Despite his fear, he still had to take the pulse. Suo Lianzhou saw the lead imperial physician kneel in front of the bed with the curtain drawn back, roll up the sleeve of his right hand slightly, place it gently on the wrist, and close his eyes to examine it for a while. His already pale face seemed even paler, and Suo Lianzhou’s heart skipped a beat as he instinctively turned to look at Zhu Ning.

Zhu Ning ignored the gazes of those in the room and kept her hands tucked in her sleeves, staring intently at the rosewood bed with a solemn expression, while quickly calculating in her mind. There were still several important officials left in the capital. Even though the incident that evening had caused a stir, things were already being brought under control. As long as the situation was kept secret and no one knew the empress dowager was ill, it wouldn’t be a big problem. But although the empress dowager was the mother of the nation and in her early fifties, she had never been prone to illness. She rarely even had a cold or cough. How could she suddenly fall ill…

As she was thinking, she saw the first imperial physician carefully stand up and step back, with another physician stepping forward to take the pulse. After a brief pause, she waved at the physician who had just finished examining the pulse. When he stepped forward to bow, she asked in a low voice, “What exactly is the empress dowager’s condition?”

Calling all four imperial physicians together that night was clearly to have them make a collective judgment. So at first, the physician hesitated and didn’t dare to speak. But as he saw Zhu Ning’s expression grow colder, he mustered up the courage, lowered his head, and said, “The empress dowager’s condition is not good. It seems to be a heart disease…”

“How come it wasn’t detected on regular check-ups?”
“Well… it occurred suddenly. The Empress Dowager was in good health usually, so it was naturally covered up…”
Hearing his stammering reply, Zhu Ning grew extremely angry and waved her hand to signal that he need not continue. After the four of them had their pulses checked one by one, she saw Suo Lianzhou standing there with his large frame and ordered them to go outside to discuss the results while she waited inside. Soon, a muffled voice came from outside the curtain.
“Princess, Eunuch Fan and Eunuch Jin have arrived.”
Although Empress Dowager Zhang trusted her as her confidant, Zhu Ning didn’t dare consider herself in charge of Renshou Palace. Earlier, she had sent someone to summon the imperial physicians under the pretext that the Crown Prince was ill, then consulted Empress Dowager Zhang before sending her trusted men to call Fan Hong and Jin Ying, while also instructing Zhong Huai to stay at the Imperial Horse Stables and not leave without permission. Now that the two had arrived, she gave a slight nod, said nothing more, and led them straight to Empress Dowager Zhang’s bed.
Fan Hong and Jin Ying were experienced in such matters. They sensed something was wrong as soon as they entered Renshou Palace courtyard, and upon seeing the situation in the warm pavilion, both turned pale. After kneeling in front of the bed to pay their respects, they heard a weak voice from inside.
“All matters in Renshou Palace shall be decided by Aning. You two are in charge of the internal affairs. After the cabinet submits its prepared memorials, you still need to send them to Renshou Palace as usual. Understood?”
“Yes, your servant understands.”
“Tell others that the Crown Prince is seriously ill. To prevent any further negative influences, no one is allowed to visit Renshou Palace. Also, seal off the Eastern and Western Six Palaces first.”
When Zhu Gaochi suddenly passed away and Empress Dowager Zhang was in charge of the capital, she had already sealed off the Eastern and Western Six Palaces. Therefore, although Fan Hong and Jin Ying were alarmed, none of them dared to disobey and bowed their heads in unison. They knew that if news of the Crown Prince’s illness spread, the Eastern and Western Six Palaces would likely react in various ways. So Fan Hong hesitated for a moment before asking, “Empress Dowager, should we send more people to the Eastern and Western Six Palaces…”
Empress Dowager Zhang, supported by a maid, had half-sit up, but her complexion remained extremely poor. She tried to speak but couldn’t, so she pinched the maid’s hand. The maid quickly called out, “Princess! Princess!”
Zhu Ning thought something had happened and hurried over. She lifted the curtain and saw that Empress Dowager Zhang was fine, though it seemed she wanted to speak. She quickly sat on the edge of the bed and leaned in to listen. After listening for a while, she turned back to look at Fan Hong and Jin Ying outside.

“The Empress Dowager said that the six inner palaces can be left to them; as long as the outside is strictly guarded, they won’t be able to cause any trouble. The Eastern Depot has limited personnel, so rather than keeping them here, it’s better to take care of matters outside properly so as not to trouble the Emperor upon his return. The same goes for the Imperial Secretariat—memorials from the Cabinet must not be delayed, and we must avoid arousing suspicion outside.”
“Well… Concubine Sun and Consort Wu…”
At Jin Ying’s question, Zhu Ning’s expression also changed slightly. She hurriedly glanced at Empress Dowager Zhang, only to find that her expression suddenly shifted. Ignoring everything else, she loudly called for the imperial physicians. Moments later, four imperial physicians rushed in. Without caring about distinctions between inside and outside, the leader quickly checked her pulse, immediately admitted fault, opened the medicine box, and inserted an acupuncture needle into Empress Dowager Zhang’s hand. Another needle followed, but before he could act again, he hesitated.
If it weren’t for the urgency, he wouldn’t have dared to insert the first needle, but the rest would be troublesome. After all, herbal medicine wasn’t as quick as acupuncture. If their diagnosis was correct and it was a sudden heart attack, acting quickly might be essential. As he racked his brains in worry, Zhu Ning saw that Empress Dowager Zhang had fainted. Gritting her teeth, she snatched the needle pack from his hands.
“You tell me the acupoints; I’ll do it!”
“Princess!”
“Stop talking nonsense!”
“Yes. Acupuncture at Neiguan and Hegu on the hands, and Yongquan on the soles of the feet. Alternate between these three acupoints. She can take medicine only after she wakes up…”
She ordered two maids to take the imperial physician outside to write a prescription and prepare the medicine. She also sent Fan Hong and Jin Ying out first. Then, Zhu Ning pulled back the thick brocade curtain and returned to sit beside Empress Dowager Zhang, gritting her teeth and saying, “Empress Dowager, you must hold on!”
She wrapped Empress Dowager Zhang tightly in a brocade quilt, then lifted the lower part of the quilt and gently removed her socks. Setting the needle pack aside, she picked up one needle, took a deep breath, and quickly inserted it into Empress Dowager Zhang’s foot. Gently twisting the silver needle, seeing that Empress Dowager Zhang still hadn’t awakened, she had no choice but to proceed. Although she had learned acupuncture from Xiao Wu and had often treated her father, Prince Zhu Tu, for rheumatic joints when he was alive, this situation was far more critical.

A brazier with dragon-shaped flames was burning indoors, keeping the room warm as if it were spring. So within a short while, she began to sweat profusely, and soon even the clothes on her back were soaked. It was unclear how much time passed before she heard a faint voice. Turning her head, she saw that Empress Dowager Zhang had awakened. She let out a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the edge of the bed, taking some time before speaking up.
“The Empress Dowager is awake!”
Although she still felt suffocated, Empress Dowager Zhang had finally regained consciousness. When she saw Zhu Ning remove the silver needles from her Yongquan, Neiguan, and Hegu acupoints, wrap them up, and cover her lower body with the brocade quilt again, she immediately understood what had happened. Her gaze toward Zhu Ning was filled with deep gratitude. When the imperial physician came in and bowed, presenting the prescription along with the pre-made pills to be taken with water, she nodded slightly, signaling him to go fetch the herbs and prepare the medicine. Only after everyone left did Zhu Ning sit down again on the edge of the bed.
“I was really scared just now… The imperial physicians dared not use needles, so I took the risk…”
“Aning, you’re so good…” Empress Dowager Zhang no longer had much strength to speak; she simply held Zhu Ning’s hand gently. “You must take good care of the Crown Prince to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the situation… Also, early tomorrow morning, send Zhang Yue out of the palace and give him instructions…”