Chapter 511: Visiting the Empress Dowager

Chapter 511 Entering the Palace to Meet the Empress Dowager

She felt a slight warmth in her heart. "Alright, once I finish treating the Empress Dowager, I'll come back in the evening to dine with my brother and sister-in-law."

Nanny An frowned slightly, wondering if she was overthinking things. She couldn't help but feel the siblings' conversation carried hidden meaning.

She urged, "Doctor Yun, let's hurry into the palace. The Empress Dowager must be getting impatient!"

"Fine!" Ji Yuntang gave a slight nod. Without yielding to Nanny An, she climbed straight into the carriage.

This irritated Nanny An endlessly, but she followed and boarded the carriage as well.

Along the way, Ji Yuntang chattered on without pause, driving Nanny An up the wall.

She said, "Doctor Yun, our Empress Dowager prefers quiet and dislikes noisy people. You may say such things in front of me, but don't say them in front of the Empress Dowager—she won't be pleased."

Ji Yuntang looked at her in surprise. "Oh? Didn't you just say your Empress Dowager has a good disposition?"

Nanny An mentally kicked herself for speaking up. She quickly explained, "The Empress Dowager does have a good temper, but because she suffers from chronic headaches, she is very sensitive to all kinds of sounds. She often gets headaches so bad she can't sleep, which is why she greatly prefers quiet."

"Around Cining Palace, you can't even hear a single insect or bird. The servants have to walk on tiptoes, afraid of disturbing the Empress Dowager's rest."

Ji Yuntang's lips twitched. Just from hearing this, she could tell Nanny An was lying.

Being averse to noise was understandable. But Empress Dowager Yuan actually making her servants walk on tiptoes showed she didn't have a good temper.

At the very least, the old lady's mood was probably quite unstable day to day.

The carriage made its way to the imperial palace, where Nanny An led Ji Yuntang to the entrance of Cining Palace. She said, "Doctor Yun, please wait here for a moment. I'll go in and let the Empress Dowager know you're here."

Ji Yuntang hummed in acknowledgment, but her eyes fell on Nanny An's feet.

Sure enough, she noticed Nanny An walked on her toes, her whole body leaning forward.

The other servants did the same.

And around Cining Palace, she sensed many unfamiliar presences.

Just from these presences alone, she could tell that nearly a hundred experts were hidden in the vicinity.

These were likely the eighty-eight shadow guards that Hua Feixue had mentioned, specifically tasked with protecting Empress Dowager Yuan's safety.

Ji Yuntang was certain that if she dared to harm Empress Dowager Yuan, these shadow guards would immediately jump out and kill her.

At that moment, a maid in green walked out and said respectfully, "Doctor Yun, our Empress Dowager requests your presence."

Ji Yuntang picked up her medicine box and strode in. She wasn't the type to be cowed like a servant, tiptoeing around to please others.

When she came before Empress Dowager Yuan, Ji Yuntang neither knelt nor bowed, but instead said,

"The Empress Dowager takes such good care of herself. At over fifty, your face still looks as young as someone in their forties."

At first glance, the words seemed harmless, but Empress Dowager Yuan was displeased.

Wasn't that just a roundabout way of calling her old?

Just as she was about to scold Ji Yuntang for her disrespect, Nanny An whispered in her ear, "Empress Dowager, please calm down. She's from the countryside and doesn't know palace etiquette. She didn't mean to offend you."

"Your Majesty brought her here today to treat your illness, so don't let this hold up the important matter."

Hearing this, Empress Dowager Yuan realized Ji Yuntang acted this way even in the General's mansion, and hadn't deliberately spoken to her like that. Only then did she feel a bit better.

"I heard you cured Miss Shen after she fell into the water. Coincidentally, I have a few servants in my palace who are unwell. Take their pulses first and examine them."

"If you treat them well, I'll reward you generously."

Ji Yuntang knew exactly what Empress Dowager Yuan was up to—she was just testing her.

Testing whether her medical skills were real, and whether she was worthy of treating her.

These four patients were the first test Empress Dowager Yuan had thrown at her.

Seeing Ji Yuntang standing there dumbly without responding, Nanny An walked over and whispered in her ear:

"I know about Doctor Yun's rule of treating only ten people a day, but since you've already made an exception for our Empress Dowager, why not make one more?"

"If you do well, you might even earn the Empress Dowager's favor in the future."

Ji Yuntang hesitated for a moment, then seemed to make up her mind.

"Fine, I'll make one more exception. Please have the Empress Dowager send the patients in!"

Empress Dowager Yuan signaled with a glance, and Nanny An quickly went to pick a few patients.

Four people came—two men and two women, including an older nanny.

Ji Yuntang was about to step forward to take one of their pulses when Empress Dowager Yuan raised a hand. "Doctor Yun, hold on."

"I've heard some highly skilled folk doctors can diagnose a pulse through a silk thread. I've never seen it before. I wonder if Doctor Yun could show me today?"

Ji Yuntang frowned deeply. This old witch wasn't satisfied with testing her—she had to make things difficult for her too?

But as luck would have it, she actually knew how to do silk-thread pulse diagnosis.

Ji Yuntang curled her lips into a smile. "Fine, since the Empress Dowager wants to see it, I'll show off my skills today."

With that, she had Nanny An bring her a silk thread and tied it around the patient's wrist.

She herself sat on the other side.

Ji Yuntang placed her fingertip on the thread and said, "Your pulse is rough and sluggish, affecting the flow of qi and blood. Wind-dampness has invaded your body. You must often have stiff joints, leg pain, and back pain, right?"

"Not only that, you often feel thirsty and restless, have trouble sleeping, and even when you do fall asleep, you have nightmares. The next day you feel exhausted and weak all over."

Upon hearing this, the nanny's eyes lit up instantly. "Doctor Yun is absolutely right—these are all my symptoms."

Ji Yuntang said, "It's not a serious problem. It's just qi deficiency and blood stasis. I'll prescribe you a remedy. Go back and take it for half a month, and you'll be fine!"

After writing the prescription, Ji Yuntang proceeded to take the pulses of the other three people, accurately describing symptoms that matched each of them perfectly.

Empress Dowager Yuan's gaze darkened. She hadn't originally taken Ji Yuntang seriously, and had deliberately brought up the silk-thread diagnosis merely to test her. She had even specifically instructed Nanny An to find servants who had been ill for years and had never been cured.

Unexpectedly, the girl really did have some skill. Without the servants saying a word, she had already identified all their symptoms.

With that in mind, Empress Dowager Yuan decided to have Ji Yuntang examine her as well.

"Your medical skills are indeed impressive. Now, come and take a look at me."

For her own safety, she still had Ji Yuntang use the silk-thread method, and also dismissed all the servants except Nanny An.

Ji Yuntang didn't mind at all, but as she continued taking the pulse, she sensed something was off.

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