As soon as she figured out the original body's life story, Ding Yun immediately activated the golden finger she had brought with her. This was her usual practice: at least check if the golden finger was useful first.
If it wasn't useful, she'd think of other ways.
If it was useful, then of course she'd go with the simplest approach.
[Real Simulation Cultivation Device]
Looking at the name of this golden finger, Ding Yun was quite bewildered, because judging by the name alone, it didn't seem to be of much use, not like a golden finger at all.
It was more like a game system.
And a rather shoddy web game system at that.
But golden fingers still had to be tested, so Ding Yun still activated this simulated cultivation device, intending to figure out how to use it first.
[Real Simulation Cultivation Device binding successful]
[Scanning host's basic information...]
[Scanning planetary environment...]
[Deducing simulated cultivation plan...]
[Estimated time: Ten Shichen, please wait patiently]
Seeing this, Ding Yun couldn't help but roll her eyes. Ten Shichen meant twenty hours later. Rounding it up, it was practically a day and a night. She could wait, but who knew if the original body's little daughter could wait? So Ding Yun immediately put aside this so-called simulated cultivation device for the time being.
She then hurried to get up and familiarize herself with the original body.
Afterward, she forced herself up and out of the small scripture hall she used for praying and chanting scriptures. She called for the palace maids outside to help her, her steps hurried as she rushed to the West Hall to see her daughter.
Although she, the Empress, had been deposed, she had not moved out of the imperial palace. In fact, the entire Chang'an Palace was under her jurisdiction, becoming a place akin to a cold palace. In ancient imperial palaces, the so-called cold palace was not a specific palace named "cold palace." Instead, any palace where a deposed concubine resided could be called a cold palace. It was desolate and rarely visited. In winter, hardly any charcoal was sent, making it a true cold palace.
However, the original body had the Empress Dowager's backing, so her life was manageable.
It wasn't too cold in the palace.
Her two daughters were also allowed to stay in Chang'an Palace with the original body because she had prayed to the Empress Dowager. But this companionship wouldn't last for many years, because according to the rules, they would have to move to the Princess's Mansion after their coming-of-age ceremonies and marriage.
In the future, they would only be able to return to the palace during festivals.
But fortunately, they were still living here now, so it wasn't too difficult for Ding Yun to see her daughter. With the help of the palace maids, she took a few more steps and arrived at the West Hall.
As soon as she entered the room, Ding Yun could feel that the temperature inside was noticeably higher than outside. Her daughter, Princess Yongqing, lay on the bed, weak and barely conscious.
She would cough occasionally.
"Order someone to bring some red date porridge and millet porridge."
As soon as she reached this point, Ding Yun felt extremely hungry. Coupled with the original body's significant blood loss and the fact that her daughter seemed not to have eaten for a long time, she quickly gave instructions. Then, she asked the female official standing nearby:
"What did the imperial physician say?"
After a personal palace maid retreated, a female official standing by Princess Yongqing's bed immediately bent her knees slightly, bowed, and replied respectfully, "Immortal Master, the imperial physician said that the Princess is weak and can only be supported with warming and nourishing medicines. It depends on fate..."
The original Empress's position had been abolished, and her current title was Jingci Immortal Master, so it was normal for the female official to call her Immortal Master.
"Can only be supported with warming and nourishing medicines? Does that mean only warming and nourishing medicines can be used, or is he afraid to prescribe any risky medications? What kind of useless, incompetent doctors are in the Imperial Medical Academy?
Tell me, what medicines has Yongqing taken?
What has she eaten recently?"
How could Ding Yun not know the character of the imperial physicians in the imperial palace? They were all people who sought to avoid mistakes. Even if they had the ability to cure diseases, they would rather back down if there was any risk. Prescribing "Tai Ping Fang" (safe prescriptions) was their specialty. What was Tai Ping Fang? It was a prescription that absolutely wouldn't kill anyone, and if someone died, it wouldn't be their prescription's fault.
Their prescriptions were harmless and faultless!
Harmless and faultless!
However, Ding Yun could understand. After all, no imperial physician could guarantee the recovery of anyone. They didn't dare to treat serious illnesses, and Tai Ping Fang could cure minor illnesses, or even if left untreated, they might recover. But if anything went wrong, who knew if they would be executed or their families would be exterminated.
What if they were accused of harming the imperial heir?
That would be a fatal operation.
Even if a Tai Ping Fang resulted in death, the one who suffered the most would be themselves, and it would be virtually impossible to implicate their families.
It was precisely because she knew this that Ding Yun only grumbled a few words and didn't pursue it further. Then she began to inquire about the prescriptions and what her daughter had eaten, intending to see if she could treat her daughter. She couldn't rely on the imperial physicians, and the golden finger was temporarily unreliable. Now she could only rely on herself. She couldn't just watch her daughter die of illness.
As soon as Ding Yun finished asking, the female official quickly began to report, first mentioning the quantities of various medicinal herbs:
"The prescription is to boil five bowls of water into one bowl of medicine, to be taken every three hours. As for what the Princess has eaten recently, the imperial physician said that perhaps fasting could be tried as a treatment. The Princess has been fasting for two days already, and will be able to eat again at noon tomorrow.
The imperial physician said this might be effective."
Hearing this, Ding Yun gasped, feeling suffocated. These were the legendary imperial physicians of the imperial palace. With such doctors, it was reasonable that the royal family members living in the imperial palace had short lifespans and died young throughout the dynasties.
No wonder some feudal lords outside could live to seventy or eighty and have a hundred or eighty children, while the average lifespan of emperors in the imperial palace was only in their early forties, a few years shorter than the average lifespan of all citizens in the country. What was the use of medical services and medical standards that might not even be as good as those of relatively wealthy commoners, when doctors with superb skills were afraid to use medicine?
One bowl of medicine every three hours, which meant four bowls a day. The green porcelain medicine bowls were almost as large as a child's face. For a child less than ten years old to be force-fed four bowls of medicine a day, how could they have any appetite? Not to mention that the imperial physician had directly forbidden them from eating.
For rich people's illnesses, a few days of fasting to cleanse the intestines might be acceptable, but this child was already extremely weak. Fasting for another three days—were they afraid the child wouldn't die?
"That's enough. Stop the medicine for now. Go to the Ministry of Food and ask for some ginger. Boil some ginger and brown sugar water.
Also, you don't need to worry about Yongqing here anymore.
I will take care of her. You can all leave for now."
Since it was a cold, Ding Yun reasoned that drinking some brown sugar ginger soup to induce sweating couldn't be wrong. It wouldn't make her condition any worse, so Ding Yun immediately gave the order.
After speaking, she sat down and touched her daughter's forehead.
Although most of the future knowledge in her mind had been sealed when she entered this world, she still had basic common sense for checking colds and fevers.
Cold, heatstroke, or viral colds.
It was easy to check.
But no matter what, it definitely couldn't be the flu, because all the people serving her were fine, and none of them were sick. How could it be the flu?