Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 85
Chapter 85 - Able to Conceive a Child
Yun Chu had heard of Divine Doctor Si's reputation long ago.
He had become famous in his thirties and served as an imperial physician in the palace for a few years, but yearning for the life of a free crane among the clouds, he resigned and set off to wander the world at the age of forty.
He only returned to the capital once every three to five years to pulse-diagnose members of the imperial family, and of course, he would also take advantage of this opportunity to earn some extra money, staying in the capital for roughly half a month or so.
Yun Chu followed Madam Lin into the apothecary where Divine Doctor Si was temporarily holding consultations.
Everyone knew the name of the divine doctor, but very few people knew that Divine Doctor Si was holding consultations here. Walking inside, the interior was exceptionally quiet and serene.
"This must be Madam Xie, right?" Divine Doctor Si stroked his beard, looked at Yun Chu, and said, "Judging by Madam Xie's physiognomy, it does not look like someone incapable of bearing children. Allow this old man to take your pulse first before we speak."
With that, he motioned for Yun Chu to sit down and bare her wrist.
Yun Chu curtsied and said, "Troubling Divine Doctor Si to make this trip, but this is not for my pulse to be diagnosed; it is for someone else."
As soon as she said these words, Madam Lin's expression shifted drastically. "Chuchu, what kind of nonsense are you spouting? Do you have any idea how busy Divine Doctor Si is, and do you know how difficult it is to ask a divine doctor for a consultation..."
"Mother, do not be angry," Yun Chu said softly. "I have never thought of having children again, so why trouble the divine doctor with a meaningless task?"
She gave Tingshuang a glance. Tingshuang turned around and walked out, leading a person inside.
Madam Lin looked over and saw a figure draped in a black cloak with a black veil hat on his head, making it impossible to even distinguish whether the person was male or female.
After entering, that person seemed rather uneasy, until Yun Chu spoke, "Young Master Wu, come over here and remove your hat so that Divine Doctor Si can examine you."
Young Master Wu stepped forward and extended his hand. Seeing that hand, Madam Lin was so frightened that she hurriedly stepped back. What kind of hand was that? It had black skin, bulging blood vessels, and was covered all over in round, fleshy balls, the largest of which was the size of an infant's fist. The skin had broken, and it was still oozing pus...
When the veil hat was removed, Madam Lin was so terrified she nearly fainted, not even daring to take a single glance.
"This..." Divine Doctor Si's gaze tightened as he extended his index finger to rest upon Young Master Wu's pulse. "You—you are a member of the Wu family!"
Disbelief flashed in Young Master Wu's eyes. "The divine doctor knows of the Wu family?"
Divine Doctor Si nodded. "Over forty years ago, members of the Wu family begged my master to treat a hereditary illness unique to the Wu family. Unfortunately, my master's abilities were limited at that time, and he only wrote a few prescriptions to control the condition before leaving the Wu family. However, over the years, my master never stopped researching this illness, and he taught all of his research achievements to me. I have refined the treatment methods based on my master's work... But over twenty years ago, when I went to look for the Wu family, I received the tragic news that all members of the Wu family had perished."
Tears burst forth from Young Master Wu's eyes. "Of the entire Wu family, only I have dragged out a miserable existence until today..."
Neither human nor ghost, he had lived for over twenty years.
Had his mother not stubbornly insisted that he live, he would have sought an early end to his life long ago.
"I have already found a breakthrough for your Wu family's illness. However, believing that everyone in the Wu family had perished, I left the medical records and case files back in my old ancestral home in Qingzhou," Divine Doctor Si stated. "Once I finish treating Her Majesty the Empress, you will accompany me to Qingzhou."
Hope bloomed in Young Master Wu's dead-silent eyes. "Thank you, Divine Doctor!"
He knelt directly on the ground and kowtowed.
Divine Doctor Si helped him up. "This illness is not easy to treat. Once we go to Qingzhou, you will need to stay there for at least five to ten years for treatment. Whatever matters you need to handle, settle them as quickly as possible during this period, and then leave with me."
Young Master Wu hastily nodded and withdrew.
Yun Chu retrieved a small wooden box from Tingshuang and handed it to Divine Doctor Si. "This is the consultation fee for treating Young Master Wu."
The pulse-diagnosis fee was five thousand taels of silver, and she had brought an additional ten thousand taels for the treatment costs. Since she had obtained the hot springs from the Wu family ancestors, she bore the responsibility of seeing things through to the end for Young Master Wu.
Unexpectedly, Divine Doctor Si waved his hand. "Over forty years ago, my master already collected the consultation fee from the Wu family and will not collect a second time. Besides, I also have my own selfish motives; if I cure Young Master Wu, when I meet my master in the netherworld a hundred years from now, I will be able to hold my head high in front of that old man."
Since Divine Doctor Si insisted on refusing, Yun Chu had no other recourse.
Fortunately, Young Master Wu's illness could be cured, and this alone was already better than anything else.
After Young Master Wu's matter was resolved, Yun Chu offered her farewells.
Divine Doctor Si spoke up. "This old man is here by order of Her Majesty the Empress to diagnose Madam Xie's pulse. Does Madam Xie wish to make this old man disobey the Empress's imperial edict?"
Madam Lin pressed down on Yun Chu's shoulder, forcing her to sit back down, and then rolled up her sleeve, allowing the divine doctor to take her pulse.
Divine Doctor Si rested his index finger on Yun Chu's pulse and said, "There is some deficiency cold in the uterus, but it is not severe. Although the qi and blood are obstructed, after recuperation, conceiving a child should not be difficult... Have Madam Xie and Master Xie not shared a bed for the past year?"
Yun Chu's expression stiffened.
Could the divine doctor even tell this from a pulse?
Divine Doctor Si withdrew his hand, picked up a brush, and began writing a prescription with brisk strokes. "Follow this prescription to obtain the medicine. Persist in recuperating for three months, and it will completely cure the uterus cold condition. At that time, increasing the frequency of sharing a bed will allow you to conceive a child."
Madam Lin picked up the prescription, stowing it away in her sleeve as if it were a treasured artifact, and then pulled a large stack of silver banknotes from her sleeve to hand over.
This time, Divine Doctor Si did not refuse. He accepted the silver banknotes and casually stuffed them into his medicine chest.
Walking out of the apothecary, Madam Lin sighed and said, "Back then, when you consulted countless physicians, they all said your infertility could not be cured and that you would never conceive a child in this lifetime... In reality, it was not your problem at all; those quack doctors simply lacked any real skill. Look, the moment the divine doctor makes a move, one knows why he is called a divine doctor. In the future, you will be able to have children of your own."
Yun Chu wore no expression on her face.
The mother and daughter boarded the carriage one after the other. Once inside, Madam Lin finally asked, "Has Jingyu not gone to your chambers for a whole year?"
Yun Chu had no desire whatsoever to answer this question, so she deflected by talking about something else. "Have Ran'er's dowry preparations been completed?"
"Chuchu!" Madam Lin raised her voice. "Tell me, is what the divine doctor said true?"
"Mother, why do you need to know about these things?" Yun Chu pinched the bridge of her nose. "My lord and I share deep marital harmony, and we have sons and daughters; our days are very comfortable, so Mother need not worry for me."
Madam Lin's breath hitched.
The more someone claimed their days were comfortable, the more impossible it was for those days to be comfortable.
She didn't even dare to imagine why Chuchu would be unwilling to have a child of her own.
Was it that Chuchu didn't like children? No, Chuchu treated the several concubine-born sons and daughters as if they were her own flesh and blood; it was impossible that she didn't like children.
That left only one possibility: Xie Jingyu was unwilling to have a true legitimate child with Chuchu.
"Very well, Mother won't ask anymore." Madam Lin lifted the carriage curtain to look outside. "Look, that silk shop is the dowry I prepared for Ran'er. Would you like to go take a look and perhaps pick out a few bolts of fabric to take back and make a few garments?"
Yun Chu was just about to speak when she saw a carriage pass by theirs.
She recognized it—it was an imperial carriage from the palace.
Madam Lin glanced at it and remarked, "It seems Imperial Concubine Yin has arranged for someone to invite the second young miss of the Tan family into the palace, likely to size her up as a prospective future princess consort for the Prince of Pingxi.”