Chapter 86: Is This Even Possible?

The eunuch spoke weakly, but Qiao Qingyun could not afford to care about anything else and moved on to the next patient.

“How is it?” she asked.

The woman hurried back and forth, and the imperial physicians nearby were struck dumb; every infected palace servant now had a needle in their hand.

“Your Highness, what is the principle behind this medicine?” one of the physicians stammered.

“What do you mean, ‘principle’?” Qiao Qingyun replied, bewildered and frowning.

“This, this needle…?” he pressed.

“Oh, this is called intravenous infusion,” Qiao Qingyun explained. “You refine the medicine, then insert it into a vein and deliver it directly into the bloodstream. It bypasses the process of absorption altogether.”

“Ah?” The imperial physicians exchanged astonished glances, each more incredulous than the last.

“It can be done this way?”

“Yes. For an ordinary cold or fever, after about a quarter of an hour with the needle, the fever will subside. Another shot in the evening to consolidate the effect, and one more the next morning, and it will be completely cured.”

The imperial doctors could barely believe what they were hearing. To them, this was pure fantasy. So many people had died of fevers and colds—countless lives lost—yet in Qiao Qingyun’s hands, it seemed as common as daily bread.

“How is he?” Qiao Qingyun approached the first eunuch she’d treated, her brow creased with worry.

“Thank you, Your Highness. I can see a little more clearly now.”

Qiao Qingyun was momentarily taken aback, then suddenly understood. “Goodness, perhaps the medicine was too strong for you. Wait a moment, I’ll dilute it with some saline solution to ease the effect.”

With that, she hurried over to Chun Cheng and Xu Lu, fetched a bag of saline, and injected it into the medicine pouch.

“That should do it. Finish your infusion, and when the medicine is nearly gone, tell Chun Cheng or Xu Lu to remove the needle. I’ll go prepare some medicinal food.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” the eunuch replied. Though he felt some strength returning, he was still too weak to move about freely.

“Qiao Qingyun!”

Just as the woman was rushing toward the Imperial Medical Bureau, a sudden gust of wind seemed to sweep her off her feet and drag her backwards.

“Ah!”

Qiao Qingyun cried out, her eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at Yuan Zaichun.

“Your Highness, I’m very busy right now. I don’t have time to play games with you. Time is life, do you understand?”

Seeing Yuan Zaichun’s demeanor, Qiao Qingyun fumed inwardly. She had never met a man like him—carefree on ordinary days, and now, at such a critical moment, actually hindering her from saving lives?

“How is your health?” Yuan Zaichun asked. “They said you fainted.”

Qiao Qingyun froze, then burst out laughing. “Your Highness, I am not your beloved. Bu Shenglian should have entered the palace with you—you should be worried about her, not me.”

With that, she shook her hand free with such force that Yuan Zaichun, caught off guard, stumbled to the side. She strode off without looking back.

“You—” Yuan Zaichun called after her, but for some reason, watching Qiao Qingyun’s retreating figure, he felt an unexpected pang of loss—a feeling he had never experienced before. He did not understand what had come over him lately.

“Your Highness!”

Behind her, Zhong Shi caught up. He had witnessed everything. In recent days, having followed Qiao Qingyun, he had learned much of the healing arts, and could now assist Ning Su with injections and minor tasks.

“Thank you for your help,” Qiao Qingyun said as she turned to carry medicine. Seeing this, Zhong Shi hastily took the burden from her.

“Your Highness, let me carry it. You shouldn’t exert yourself.”

“It’s nothing. It’s good to exercise my strength,” Qiao Qingyun replied without a hint of affectation. Each took a bundle and returned to the others, where they began to prepare decoctions right in front of the eunuchs.

But the smell was far from pleasant. Many of the eunuchs, overwhelmed by the bitterness, were nauseated to the point of vomiting.

Qiao Qingyun felt awkward and gave a sheepish grin. “Should I add some candied fruit for you?”

The first eunuch she had treated, Yuan Bao, quickly shook his head. “There’s no need, Your Highness. For you to come and save us is already the greatest fortune we could hope for.”

“Oh, enough now, no need for flattery. Rest assured, commoners outside have been cured by these same remedies. Take your time.”

Hearing this, those who had suspected Qiao Qingyun of wanting to poison them relaxed their guard.

Throughout the night, Qiao Qingyun did not leave the quarantine area for a single step. The people here were people too, and with everyone masked, what was there to fear from infection?

“Your Highness, please rest for a while. I’ll take over your shift. There are plenty of us; if we each take half an hour, everyone can get some sleep.”

“All right.”

Qiao Qingyun nodded. She was indeed exhausted, utterly spent. She had barely lain down before the sound of snoring filled the air.

Zhong Shi smiled, his eyes full of indulgent affection. She truly was worn out.

The next morning, Qiao Qingyun clambered up from the ground in disarray. What greeted her was the Emperor, standing before her with all his ministers—a sight that left her utterly dumbfounded.

Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

Why are there so many people here?

“Crown Princess, are you all right?” the Emperor asked anxiously. He knew Qiao Qingyun’s health had been at its limit, and today she had simply fallen asleep on the floor.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Qingyun hurriedly knelt. “Replying to Father, I am quite well. I was just a bit tired last night.”

“You shouldn’t be sleeping here,” the Emperor said, unable to hide his concern. After all, she was his daughter-in-law.

But Qiao Qingyun shook her head. “If a critically ill patient had an emergency in the night and I was still asleep, wouldn’t that be a life lost because of me?”

The Emperor couldn’t help but reveal a hint of admiration in his gaze, the corners of his mouth lifting in approval.

“Who taught you medicine?”

In fact, the Emperor had not intended to visit at first—who would want to come near this place? But after hearing the ministers’ tales of strange instruments, his curiosity got the better of him. Upon arriving, he saw Qiao Qingyun using the sky as her cover and the earth as her stove, and was deeply moved. Even the imperial physicians would not make such sacrifices.

“Your Highness, Yuan Bao’s fever is back,” someone called.

At that, Qiao Qingyun had no time for anything else. She jumped up and hurried to Yuan Bao’s side.

“Your Highness, am I going to die?” he asked.

“Don’t talk nonsense. You’ll be fine. Even if the King of Hell wants to take you, he’ll have to get past me first. Go fetch the fastest fever-reducing injection—we’ll give it our all.”

From the start, Qiao Qingyun knew Yuan Bao’s case was the most severe, which was why she had cared for him first.