Chapter 87: The Crown Princess Is a Living Bodhisattva

Watching as Yuanbao’s eyes slowly closed, Qiao Qingyun grew anxious and kept slapping his face.

“Don’t sleep! Don’t sleep, don’t sleep! Are you one of the laborers here? If you can pull through, I’ll give you silver!”

“Don’t sleep!”

She shook him desperately—his mind had to stay clear, otherwise, the medicine would be useless.

“My lady.”

Yuanbao slowly regained consciousness, though his voice was weak. The emperor stood watching from the side, face covered with a veil, not daring to come closer.

“My lady, if I recover, can I stay by your side and learn medicine from you? Many who came in with me have died... all of them...”

“Yes, yes, I promise you, just don’t fall asleep!”

As she spoke, Qiao Qingyun plunged a needle into his arm—after all, an intramuscular injection would let the medicine spread quickly.

Yuanbao lay on the ground as Qiao Qingyun fixed her gaze on him. After a long moment, she glanced at the person beside her. “Listen—does he have a heartbeat?”

“Yes.”

Xu Lu immediately took out her stethoscope and placed it on his chest, then let out a long breath. “Teacher, don’t worry. His vital signs are still stable.”

“I know, I know...”

At almost the same moment, Qiao Qingyun’s vision went black, and she suddenly collapsed forward.

“My lady!”

Zhong Shi reached out and caught Qiao Qingyun in his arms. Hong Ying froze for a second, then hurried over with Qing Luo to help lift her back up.

“My lady, are you all right?”

The emperor, seeing this from outside, quickly called out, “Bring her out, the imperial physician is here.”

“It’s nothing... it’s nothing. Father, you should go back first—this place is dangerous, you should leave.”

Qiao Qingyun had clearly gone without food for too long and her body could no longer bear it. After a while, she came to herself.

The emperor, of noble birth, had no choice but to leave in a flurry, surrounded by his retinue.

Qiao Qingyun rested for a bit and kept watch for half an hour. In truth, this medicine was extremely dangerous for him at this stage—if anything went wrong, it would be fatal.

But Yuanbao’s condition was too critical for ordinary remedies to work.

Time ticked by. At last, just as Qiao Qingyun thought all was lost, Yuanbao let out a faint groan.

“Mm…”

“Hmm?” Qiao Qingyun started. The others all widened their eyes and hurried to Yuanbao’s side.

“Yuanbao, how are you? Are you better?”

“My lady…”

Yuanbao was drenched in sweat, but as he looked at her, he felt strength returning to his limbs. Trying it out, he managed to prop himself up against the wall and slowly stand.

“My lady, I…”

“Haha, I can’t believe you’re actually cured!”

Qiao Qingyun was amazed—and overjoyed. The odds of this were as slim as winning the lottery.

“Thank you, my lady, for giving me a new lease on life.”

With that, Yuanbao knelt before her, leaving Qiao Qingyun momentarily stunned as she hurried to help him up.

But Yuanbao was determined to kneel, and he kowtowed three times before her.

“Thank you, my lady. If not for you, I’d be dead like the rest, facing the King of Hell. In the future, should you ever need me, I will go through fire and water without hesitation!”

Qiao Qingyun and the others burst out laughing.

“Haha, there’s no need for you to go through fire and water. Just live well, that’s all I ask—don’t let my effort in saving you go to waste.”

While most masters kept their distance, Qiao Qingyun did not—she even ate and slept with them. Whatever they ate, she ate too, and refused to switch to anything else.

Half a month passed, and peace gradually returned to the palace. Even the illnesses among the concubines were cured.

Only Yuan Zhaichun had not seen Qiao Qingyun in all this time. Each attempt to enter was blocked by guards; no one was allowed in.

For days now, Bu Sheng Lian had tried everything to get close to him, but Yuan Zhaichun rejected her every time.

For Yuan Zhaichun, there was nothing he couldn't refuse. Yet the thought that Qiao Qingyun, in her distress, had only cried out twice before he’d slapped her, made him feel deeply uneasy.

“What’s come over His Highness lately? He doesn’t eat or drink, and he’s so cold to Miss Bu?”

“Haven’t you heard? The princess consort is fighting for her life in the quarantine zone. Many eunuchs have already been cured, and now they all regard her as a living Bodhisattva.”

“Really? Is that true?”

“Indeed. I don’t know what makes Miss Bu so special that His Highness favors her so, but truly, only the princess consort can help him now.”

“Tsk tsk tsk—favor gained by beauty alone never lasts.”

As the maids gossiped and drifted away, Bu Sheng Lian stood behind them, her expression twisted with rage. Her nails dug sharply into her flesh.

Qiao Qingyun, you’re really hard to kill—how are you still alive!

Inside the quarantine, Qiao Qingyun sneezed several times in a row. Yuanbao, who was helping her, rushed over in concern.

“My lady, are you all right?”

“It’s nothing, just a bit of a chill. Some herbal medicine will fix it.”

Qiao Qingyun made no fuss. Finally, on the last day, she looked at the now-healthy group and smiled. “Congratulations, you’ve all snatched your lives back from the brink.”

“Thank you, Princess Consort!”

These palace maids and eunuchs had already resigned themselves to death, thinking they’d soon be buried. Fortunately, Qiao Qingyun had arrived in time. One after another, they knelt to her.

“Get up. Don’t thank me—this was the emperor’s arrangement. If he hadn’t let me into the palace, would things have been any different?”

Qiao Qingyun gave all the credit to the emperor.

When the doors finally opened, tears welled in Qiao Qingyun’s eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

“My lady.”

Zhong Shi came over, watching her with concern. “Why are you crying?”

“Sigh, only after facing life and death do you realize how precious life is. The city outside should be safe by now. Tonight, let’s leave the palace and stay at the clinic.”

Zhong Shi stared in surprise. “You… you’re not going back to the prince’s residence?”

“The prince’s residence will never accept me in the end. The sooner I leave, the sooner I’ll have peace.”

There was a hint of bitterness in Qiao Qingyun’s voice. To her, those who come after only succeed because those before neither fight nor strive.

She chose to step back, letting Bu Sheng Lian accompany Yuan Zhaichun. The woman he pined for had returned—he must be ecstatic.

“My lady?” Zhong Shi looked at Qiao Qingyun anxiously and called her again.