After Ding Yun's initial examination, the imperial physicians' diagnosis proved correct; her daughter indeed had a common cold that had lingered for too long.
She was simply a bit more seriously ill.
"A condition that could have been cured with just a few doses of Ma Huang Tang at the start, yet it's been dragged on for so long. Was it the imperial physicians' incompetence or were they acting under instructions?
The Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Illnesses is hardly a rare text.
It's practically required reading for many traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.
It's likely deliberate..."
Having understood the situation, Ding Yun immediately suspected foul play, not necessarily that someone had intentionally caused the illness, but that someone might have exploited the situation.
In other words, the illness itself might not have been intentionally inflicted, but the treatment, or lack thereof, could have been influenced.
Though angry, she was powerless for the moment. After all, she didn't even hold the status of a concubine.
She was merely a Daoist nun, a Celestial Master.
How could she investigate such matters thoroughly?
She could only suppress her anger for now and focus on saving her daughter.
Thus, Ding Yun proceeded to wipe her daughter's forehead, assisting with physical cooling.
It wasn't until the palace maid she had sent out earlier returned with the red date porridge and millet porridge she had requested that Ding Yun gently woke her daughter, offered a few words of comfort, and then carefully began feeding her the millet porridge.
She herself was not idle. Halfway through feeding her daughter, she quickly consumed her own bowl of red date porridge. At this point, the female official who had been dispatched to fetch ginger and prepare brown sugar ginger soup also returned, bringing the finished soup with her.
"Celestial Master, how can you feed the princess porridge?
The imperial physicians said she must fast for three days!"
The female official had not stopped Ding Yun from requesting porridge earlier, assuming it was for herself. However, upon seeing Ding Yun feeding the porridge to Princess Yongqing, she immediately put down the food box and shouted, attempting to intervene.
"The imperial physicians said so? Can the imperial physicians cure Yongqing?
Which imperial physician said that? Have him come here right now! You bunch of quacks, either fools or villains.
You can retreat as well. You no longer need to attend to Yongqing from now on; I will care for her myself."
As she spoke, Ding Yun, like a protective mother hen, stood in front of her daughter, shielding her from the approaching female official who tried to stop her, and berated her.
The female official, blocked by Ding Yun, looked furious. She couldn't understand why this usually demure and obedient former Empress had suddenly become so bold. However, this didn't mean she would back down. The female official did not retreat; instead, she stepped forward:
"Celestial Master, if you don't understand medicine, don't casually criticize or question the imperial physicians' abilities. And don't forget your status; you are now merely Celestial Master Jing Ci. Caring for Princess Yongqing is my duty, and you have no right to take it away.
On the contrary, you are acting rather impertinently.
As a Celestial Master, do what a Celestial Master should do!
Otherwise, do not blame me for reporting to the Empress. You should remember that Princess Yongqing's legitimate mother is now Her Majesty the Empress!"
The other party's words were clearly a threat, both to Ding Yun and to her daughter.
By constantly emphasizing that the legitimate mother was the Empress, she was implying that the Empress had the right to discipline the princess and control her marriage. Whether her future husband was a human or a beast would depend entirely on the Empress's whim, urging Ding Yun not to make a mistake.
"Slap!"
Hearing this, Ding Yun stepped forward and delivered a slap:
"You dare to threaten me!
My previous forbearance does not mean I fear you. A mere eighth-rank female official dares to threaten me? You can report to the Empress, but do you think I cannot see Her Majesty the Empress Dowager? Be gone!
I don't want to see you here again!
Otherwise, every time I see you, I'll hit you again!"
"You... you dare to hit me!"
"I hit you because I hit you. Do I need to pick an auspicious day for it? Who do you think you are?"
The female official clearly still feared the Empress Dowager, who stood behind Ding Yun. She knew the Empress might not support her, but the Empress Dowager was highly likely to support this deposed Empress and oppose the Empress. In such a scenario, the Empress would almost certainly abandon her.
After all, it was difficult for the Empress to defy the Empress Dowager.
Therefore, she could only cover her face and try to leave with a parting threat: "You... you just wait!"
Then, she turned and hurried away.
"Your Highness, is this wise?"
Xu Furong, the personal palace maid who had been standing by Ding Yun's side, finally asked in a worried whisper.
"What if it's not wise?
I only have these two daughters left. Anyone who tries to harm my daughters will face my unending wrath!"
With that, Ding Yun thought for a moment and then instructed:
"Go contact my elder sister, the current Shanggong, Hu Shanwei, and ask her for help. I don't want to see that female official again. Also, ask her to help me sort out all the female officials and palace maids in my Chang'an Palace. I don't ask for much, just help me find some who are more obedient and keep to themselves."
The original host's sister, Hu Shanwei, had entered the palace much earlier than the original host. She had already become a female official in the Hongwu era and had served through the Jianwen, Yongle, Hongxi, and now the Xuande reigns, becoming a fifth-rank Shangshu.
Among female officials, she had reached the pinnacle.
Since the Tang Dynasty, the highest rank for female officials had been the fifth-rank Shangshu, a position with no further possibility of promotion. Therefore, although Hu Shanwei had been a fifth-rank Shangshu since the Yongle era, she remained so even in the Xuande era.
When the original host was Empress, her relationship with her sister was quite good. However, after her deposition, she immediately broke off contact with her sister,
fearing that her sister would be implicated.
She even deliberately avoided her sister when she came to visit.
However, Ding Yun felt that the original host didn't need to be so cautious. While she had been deposed, her sister was a veteran of five reigns. If her status and experience were that of a man in court, she would likely wield immense power. As a female official now,
no matter how bad things were,
she wouldn't be easily dismissed.
Moreover, Ding Yun didn't believe she wouldn't cause trouble. Therefore, there was no need to be as cautious as the original host, almost severing ties with all her relatives. It wasn't a big deal to ask her sister, Hu Shanwei, for a favor.
"Yes! This servant will leave immediately!"
Upon hearing Ding Yun's instructions, the palace maid's earlier worries vanished. As the saying goes, a local official is better than a distant one. If the highest authority among the female officials intervened, that eighth-rank female official who had just left would certainly be unable to cause any trouble.
After agreeing, Xu Furong left at once.
She was going to find Shangshu Hu.
Meanwhile, Ding Yun remained to care for her daughter, feeding her the remaining millet porridge and, after that, the brown sugar ginger soup.
This was to help her sweat out the cold.
She also told her stories to help her sleep.
She would observe the effect first. If there was improvement by tomorrow, she would continue with this approach. If there was no improvement by tomorrow, she would either have to see how her golden finger worked, or personally go to the Imperial Hospital and find a young, unfamiliar imperial physician to diagnose her and prescribe Ma Huang Tang.
Younger physicians might be less jaded and possibly less susceptible to bribes. In any case, they would certainly be better than those older, experienced ones who were set in their ways.