After eating the Purple Golden Pill, Yuan Qingling slept for over an hour before waking up. As expected, she felt the pain from her wound had reduced significantly. What's more, she could feel the wound was no longer oozing.
She got out of bed and walked around. The pain did seem much less intense—at least she could walk without tearing the wound open and causing sharp, stabbing pain.
Xi Mama came in and saw she was up. "The Consort is awake, good. Go for a walk outside to circulate your qi and blood after taking the Purple Golden Pill."
Yuan Qingling said, "Alright, I was just thinking of going for a walk."
"This old servant will accompany you."
The two had just stepped out of the courtyard when they saw a panicking young eunuch rushing over, his face pale. "Consort, Prince Chu urgently requests your presence in Qian Kun Hall!"
Xi Mama grabbed his arm. "What's happened? Why are you in such a rush?"
The eunuch looked on the verge of tears. "Fubao fell from Wenchang Tower. He's barely breathing. When the Retired Emperor heard, he immediately fainted. The hall is in chaos. They've sent for the Emperor already."
Xi Mama paled in shock. The Retired Emperor doted on Fubao like his own grandson. If anything happened to Fubao, the heartbreak and fury would surely exacerbate his illness.
Sudden distress was the worst thing for his condition. She hurriedly called to Yuan Qingling, but saw she had already rushed off despite her injuries.
Yuan Qingling strode quickly to Qian Kun Hall. It was indeed chaotic inside. The Empress and Chu Mingcui stood anxiously to one side while Yuwen Hao and Prince Qi were at the bedside. The imperial physician was also frantically taking the pulse and examining the Retired Emperor.
Neither the Emperor nor Empress Dowager had arrived yet.
Yuan Qingling hurried over and whispered something in Yuwen Hao's ear. He glanced at her, then went to hold off the physician first. "Doctor, how is His Majesty?"
Yuan Qingling immediately came over and slipped a Lingshidan pill under the Retired Emperor's tongue. With her back to the Empress and Chu Mingcui, they didn't see her actions, but Chu Mingcui kept her eyes fixed on Yuan Qingling, noticing something amiss.
The Retired Emperor was fine, just a brief fainting spell.
Seeing the physician step up to administer acupuncture after Yuan Qingling gave him the pill and his breathing grew steadier, she let out a breath in relief and stepped away, asking the eunuch from before, "Where's Fubao?"
The eunuch said, "The Consort of Prince Qi was afraid of distressing the Retired Emperor, so she had Fubao buried outside the hall."
"He wasn't dead yet?" Hearing this, Yuan Qingling panicked, hair standing on end as she rushed outside.
Sure enough, she saw two eunuchs digging a hole under the sophora tree while Fubao lay bloodied on a small brocade blanket, barely clinging to life.
Yuan Qingling didn't hesitate to gather Fubao and the blanket into her arms and hurry towards the West Warm Pavilion.
Seeing it was the Consort of Prince Chu, the two eunuchs didn't dare obstruct her and could only watch as she took Fubao away.
Yuwen Hao had called Yuan Qingling over to treat the Retired Emperor. But after giving him something, she'd run off instead. Fortunately the Retired Emperor revived, so he went after her to rebuke Yuan Qingling, only to see her carrying Fubao away.
Yuan Qingling rushed back to the West Warm Pavilion and laid Fubao on the bed. She took out a stethoscope and listened to Fubao's heart, abdomen, lungs and spleen.
As she'd guessed, the fall from such a height had ruptured his spleen.
"Good boy, this is going to be tough, but you have to pull through!" Yuan Qingling stroked Fubao's head. Though his eyes were open and blood dribbled from his mouth, he seemed to understand her words, feebly trying to strike his former vigorous pose but unable to do more than let his paws slowly go limp.
Before opening her medicine chest, Yuan Qingling closed her eyes and prayed for surgical instruments.
When she opened it, her heart sank.
The chest contained a full set of surgical supplies.
This wretched yet lovable medicine chest.
She hurriedly set up an IV drip to stop the bleeding. Just as she finished, the door opened.
"You're not with His Majesty..." The words faded on his lips as he saw the scalpel in Yuan Qingling's hand pointed right at him.
"Help me!" said Yuan Qingling.
"Fubao..."
"He can still make it!" Yuan Qingling swiftly explained, throwing him a towel she'd used to wipe blood earlier. "I'm going to operate to repair his ruptured spleen. Help suction away the blood. The Retired Emperor cares deeply for Fubao. His death would be a tremendous blow that could directly impact his illness."
Yuwen Hao took the towel, staring dazedly as she put on a surgical mask. She looked ugly like this, yet strangely beautiful at the same time.
After anaesthetising and shaving the incision site, Yuan Qingling swiftly located the spleen with practiced, professional motions.
"Suction the blood!" Seeing Yuwen Hao frozen and staring at her, she shouted.
Jolted back to awareness, he used the towel to soak up the blood around the incision. She then plunged her bare hands in. It was quite a gory scene, yet she showed no trace of fear or disgust.
Blood splattered onto her face, forehead and eyebrows.
"A blood vessel burst!" Yuan Qingling's expression shifted slightly. "Got to suture it first."
He instinctively reached over to wipe the blood off her forehead and brows. It had stained the space between her brows like an enormous mole, strangely bewitching.
"Thanks!" said Yuan Qingling with her head lowered, using clamps on the vessel before threading it with forceps and stitching it up.
The blood vessel was repaired but the spleen continued bleeding heavily.
Growing anxious, Yuan Qingling spoke as she stitched, "Hang in there Fubao. We can get through this. You must get well—the Retired Emperor needs you."
Yuwen Hao found himself anxiously concerned for a mere dog.
"Doesn't this hurt him?" he finally couldn't resist asking.
"He's anaesthetised!" Yuan Qingling replied without looking up.
"..." He had suffered the same fate as this dog!
Watching her layer by layer suturing Fubao's skin and flesh with the expertise of sewing clothes, more questions sprouted in his mind.
But he was too proud to ask.
"The surgery is done. Whether he survives depends on his fate now," said Yuan Qingling with a breath of relief as she started cleaning away the blood.
Fubao lay motionless on his back, tongue lolling out at an angle, eyes closed—the very picture of pitifulness.
Yuwen Hao rose to his feet. Half-squatting for nearly an hour had numbed his legs.
Only then did he realise how tiring that posture was, especially for her with injuries. Yet she hadn't made a single sound of pain this whole time. This woman's endurance was astounding.
"What should we do with Fubao? Leave him here?" asked Yuwen Hao.
Yuan Qingling looked at him. "Fubao wouldn't have jumped from that high up himself."
Yuwen Hao's gaze shifted subtly. "What do you mean?"
"I don't know," said Yuan Qingling, leaving it at that. Yuwen Hao would understand.
Harming Fubao could impact the Retired Emperor's condition.
Fubao's accident had immediately caused the Retired Emperor's illness to act up. From this, the culprit's motive was clear.
"Yuan Qingling, don't mention your speculations to anyone for now," said Yuwen Hao heavily.
Yuan Qingling wiped her hands. "Your Highness, even if I don't say it, His Majesty will realise."
Yuwen Hao said solemnly, "No matter who guesses, both you and I will keep our mouths shut about this."
Seeing his grave, sombre expression, Yuan Qingling knew he had been plagued by misfortune this past year. No matter what happened, the blame always somehow landed on him in the end.
Yuwen Hao suddenly said, "Fubao fell from Wenchang Tower."
His face turned ashen.
