“I recognize her. She was suspected of contracting smallpox while distributing aid to refugees outside the city. She is currently staying at Mu’en Hall, and I am responsible for her treatment.”
Shen Yu’s words brought a flicker of surprise to the Empress’s face, but it vanished in an instant.
“You are not afraid of smallpox at all?”
A person who had been in contact with a smallpox patient, even if they appeared normal on the surface, could make those who boasted of a physician’s benevolent heart keep their distance.
Even the old-timers at the Imperial Academy of Medicine would fall silent at the mere mention of “smallpox.”
But Shen Yu was different.
She showed no trace of fear and had instead taken the initiative to assume responsibility for treating Cao Xiangning.
She could have refused treatment like other physicians, using the fear of smallpox infecting herself as an excuse.
Even if the patient was the daughter of Marquis Dingyuan, Cao Zhen, he would never dare to openly coerce a physician in the capital.
Moreover, the Empress knew Cao Zhen’s character.
If Shen Yu had shaken her head, he would have turned and left without causing her the slightest trouble.
“I have complete confidence in the vaccine.”
Shen Yu pointed to the scar on her arm, a mark left from her own cowpox vaccination.
The dark scar stood out somewhat abruptly on her fair arm, but it was Shen Yu’s greatest source of confidence against smallpox.
“Your Majesty’s body may be slightly weakened for a short time after receiving the vaccine. Once you endure that period, I dare to stake my life on it—I guarantee Your Majesty will never contract smallpox.”
“You must be especially careful to keep warm during this time, particularly in this late autumn season… Your Majesty, perhaps we should put some clothes on first?”
Shen Yu knelt on the floor.
To be honest, she was already starting to shiver slightly from the cold.
They were both only wearing a single undergarment, so why was the Empress so composed while Shen Yu was trembling from the cold?
If this continued, she would definitely catch a cold tomorrow.
“No matter. I know my own body best. I am discussing Cao Xiangning’s matter with Physician Shen.”
The Empress didn’t seem to feel cold at all.
She even proceeded to tell Shen Yu about her relationship with Cao Xiangning.
It turned out the Dingyuan Marquis Residence and the imperial family had been related by marriage long ago, with intricate connections.
The relationship between Cao Xiangning and the Empress was also quite significant.
In terms of seniority, she was the Empress’s cousin, a very close relative.
As the Empress’s younger sister, Cao Xiangning’s forgetful stubborn disease naturally fell within the Empress’s sphere of concern.
The Empress’s demand was simple: cure Cao Xiangning, and she would give Shen Yu one hundred thousand taels of silver to manage Mu’en Hall.
If she could do it, the money would be transferred immediately.
If she couldn’t… then the Empress couldn’t be blamed for using excuses like an empty national treasury or the private imperial treasury’s inability to make ends meet to put Shen Yu off.
But the more Shen Yu listened, the more something felt off.
Cao Xiangning’s stubborn disease had been seen by famous physicians across the land, yet none could cure it.
Even Shen Yu had no leads on it.
So, how was this any different from not wanting to pay?
However, judging from the Empress’s tone, she seemed to be on very good terms with Cao Xiangning.
When Cao Xiangning brought Shen Yu to see the Empress at night before, Shen Yu had knelt outside the palace gate until she fell asleep, while Cao Xiangning and the Empress were still deep in conversation.
The aid for the refugees outside the city, the sanctions against the noble families who smashed Mu’en Hall, and Miss Xiaoyue’s assistance…
Shen Yu felt all of these were likely secured by Cao Xiangning through her appeals to the Empress.
Although this stubborn disease was difficult to treat, with the Emperor’s personal request, how could Shen Yu possibly refuse?
There was no choice but to promise she would do her utmost.
The sovereign and her subject conversed for a long time.
It wasn’t until the sky grew dark that the Empress finally allowed Shen Yu to leave.
After putting her clothes back on and stepping out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Shen Yu felt a cold draft under her skirt.
A sense of humiliation sent a shiver down her spine.
Her underwear was naturally left behind.
What on earth did that dog emperor want with that thing?
The late autumn night was bitterly cold.
Shen Yu sneezed several times in a row.
‘Oh no, if this keeps up, I’m going to catch a cold, aren’t I?’
Shen Yu rubbed her itchy nose.
The Hall of Mental Cultivation was indeed quite cold, and she had spent several hours talking with the Empress while… well, not exactly talking… more like having a frank, bare conversation.
Not catching a cold after that would require superhuman constitution.
Fortunately, Shen Yu had a well-established method for preventing wind-chill colds.
She would go back, take a hot bath, then fetch a few ready-made herbs from Mu’en Hall’s medicine cabinet, decoct them, and drink them while hot.
By the time she woke up tomorrow morning, she would definitely feel refreshed and fully recovered.
‘I just don’t know if that dog emperor will catch a cold. But looking at how composed she was… Grandpa said she fought her way to the throne and has practiced martial arts since childhood. Her resistance should be quite strong, right?’
However… things were not as simple as Shen Yu imagined.
Late at night, just as Shen Yu was about to slip into the warm bed Yin Qiu had prepared for her, she was interrupted by a series of urgent, loud knocks on the door.
This was immediately followed by Eunuch Li’s frantic voice…
“Physician Attendant Shen, something terrible has happened. His Majesty has a high fever that won’t subside and has specifically requested you to enter the palace to diagnose her illness.”