Chapter 21: Medicinal Herbs

“Absurd.” Lu Side Consort blurted out.

The few herbs in the Anshen Decoction, combined with the spices soaked in the fabric, could induce a false pregnancy in a woman. Since she had personally handled both, she naturally refused to believe the doctor’s words.

At this moment, Li Tinghan shared almost the same suspicion as Lu Side Consort.

“Such a pulse pattern is truly rare. Even I have only seen it once before in my master’s records.”

Frowning and stroking his beard thoughtfully, the doctor recalled, “When that woman suffered from morning sickness, it was my master who took her pulse. Unexpectedly, the child stayed in her womb for twelve months. Upon reflection, we realized the pulse pattern was abnormal from the start. That woman’s pulse was identical to Miss Shen’s now.”

The doctor spoke with conviction. Shen Tubai couldn’t help but touch her belly; even she doubted whether there was truly a child inside.

Yet, there was one person who did not believe.

Seeing Li Tinghan taken aback, Lu Side Consort furiously kicked Doctor Wen twice. “Get up! Tell me whether there really is a child in Miss Shen’s belly and expose that quack’s lies.”

Doctor Wen had just regained consciousness from fainting and was utterly clueless about what had transpired.

The doctor sent by the Cui family remained calm and composed, saying, “Everything I’ve said is true. If Your Highness doubts me, I can prepare a prescription. After one month, come to take the pulse again, and all will be clear.”

Afterwards, the doctor recited several medicinal ingredients.

Shen Tubai keenly noticed Doctor Wen trembling more violently than ever.

Silently, she noted down the herbs. If she guessed correctly, this was likely the formula causing her false pregnancy.

Sure enough, once the doctor finished reciting, Doctor Wen trembled like a sieve. “Your Highness, have mercy! I am but a humble healer, unskilled and mistaken in diagnosis. Please spare me, Your Highness, spare me!”

“You wretched servant! What nonsense are you spouting? I ordered you to expose his trickery, yet you dare deceive the prince alongside him, betraying your master...” Lu Yuanshuang’s anger turned to threats as she kicked Doctor Wen fiercely.

“Enough!” Li Tinghan’s sharp voice cut through the chaos.

His gaze lingered on Shen Tubai and the doctor for two seconds before settling on Lu Yuanshuang. “Take Lu Side Consort away.”

“Your Highness, you cannot treat me like this. He is a fraud! Cousin!” Lu Yuanshuang struggled desperately, but no one dared defy the prince’s will within the mansion.

Shen Tubai slumped to the ground, staring blankly in the direction Lu Side Consort had left, clearly still dazed.

***

Li Tinghan cast a deep glance at her, then beckoned the doctor, “Come with me.”

Once only the two of them remained in the room, Shen Tubai finally relaxed completely.

She roused Chunchan, who had been feigning unconsciousness, deftly cut a piece from the fabric, and handed a pouch of silver coins to her.

“Soon, I’ll ask the prince to find another doctor to examine you. Try to find out exactly what medicines have soaked into this fabric.”

Chunchan nodded firmly.

Shen Tubai waited inside for a while, but the prince did not return.

“Where is Your Highness?” she asked.

Chunlan, who had been standing guard by the door, reported honestly, “The prince spoke with the doctor for a while, then left.”

Shen Tubai said, “Go to the front courtyard and say Chunchan is seriously injured and I’m worried. Ask the prince to find a doctor to examine her.”

“Yes.” Just as Chunlan was about to leave, Shen Tubai stopped her. “If you encounter Nurse Zhao in the front courtyard, bring her along as well.”

“Yes.”

Watching Chunlan’s retreating figure, Shen Tubai shook her head helplessly. The girl was a bit simple-minded—once given orders, she never questioned but simply obeyed. Fortunately, Chunchan was there to look after things, so she wouldn’t suffer losses outside.

Soon, Nurse Zhao appeared at the gate with Chunlan, though the resigned expression on her face suggested she had been chased over by Chunlan.

Upon entering, Nurse Zhao sighed, “You’ve learned your manners well; I have little left to teach you. But that girl is earnest—if I don’t come, she follows me step by step.”

Her words seemed to distance herself from the girl’s insistence, but Shen Tubai was the thick-skinned type. She pretended not to catch the implied meaning, greeting Chunlan with tea and taking Nurse Zhao’s hand as they reminisced.

She praised Nurse Zhao’s great kindness so profusely that one might have thought Nurse Zhao had saved her life multiple times during those days.

Eventually, Nurse Zhao grew embarrassed and interrupted, “Enough with the flattery. If you have business, just say it. This old woman will help you.”

Smiling softly, Shen Tubai sat close to Nurse Zhao and said, “I’ve moved to the rear courtyard now, and I will inevitably live alongside the other sisters. If I ever speak improperly and offend anyone...”

She left the words hanging, and Nurse Zhao understood her meaning immediately.

***

Nurse Zhao pondered for a moment, then nodded. “You want to know about Lu Side Consort’s background? It’s no secret. This old woman will tell you.”

Shen Tubai’s eyes brightened, filled with anticipation.

After Lu Side Consort left, Shen Tubai reflected on her behavior today and the events at the banquet. The more she thought about it, the more something felt amiss.

She instinctively sensed that the information she had gathered before entering the mansion was flawed. So she sought out Nurse Zhao, who did not disappoint her.

Nurse Zhao took a sip of tea. “First, about Lu Side Consort. She is the empress dowager’s niece. You already know she hails from the Lu family of Fanyang?”

Shen Tubai nodded.

Nurse Zhao continued, “You should also know about the empress dowager’s early years?”

Shen Tubai nodded again. The current empress dowager had once been the daughter of a fifth-rank minor official. At the time of palace selection, her father had already passed, almost causing her to fail the selection.

When she first entered the palace, she was not favored by the emperor but eventually won his favor with her intelligence. Together with the late emperor, she overthrew the powerful maternal relatives and ruled behind the curtain for over twenty years.

Thinking of the empress dowager’s journey, Shen Tubai felt her emotions surge.

“Have you ever wondered how the empress dowager’s elder sister could marry into the haughty Lu family of Fanyang, when the empress dowager herself nearly failed the selection due to her family background?”

“You mean...?” Shen Tubai sensed something but dared not dwell on it.

Nurse Zhao nodded firmly. “Back then, although the empress dowager’s elder sister, Lady Qin, was a year older, their grandfather had already passed away by the time she married.

“The empress dowager’s birth mother, Lady Yang, managed to find her the best husband she could — a local gentry, though in truth he was just a landlord owning vast fertile lands.

“Lady Qin’s husband’s family was harsh to her, especially since her natal family had no one to support her and she had borne only a daughter after many years. They even sought to seize her dowry and elevate their concubines.

“When the empress dowager learned of this, she sent that family to the northern border garrisons. When a scion of the Lu family of Fanyang sought to marry, the empress dowager arranged the match, and thus our Lu Side Consort changed her surname.”