When Yun Chuhuan arrived at Yun Shu's quarters, the imperial physician was already present.
The elderly doctor, white-haired and wrinkled with age, was gripping Yun Shu's wrist, his expression deeply troubled—so much so that he tugged out two strands of his own beard in frustration.
He had practiced medicine for decades, yet he had never encountered a case like this.
One might assume she'd caught a chill, but her pulse felt perfectly healthy. And yet, she lay there in a deep, unresponsive sleep, her body noticeably colder than normal.
He couldn't make sense of it.
After pondering for some time to no avail, the old physician turned once again to Ting Xue.
"You are certain the Princess showed no signs of discomfort yesterday while in the Academy hall? Only after returning did she begin to cough and complain of a headache?"
"Yes, that's correct!"
Ting Xue nodded with absolute certainty, her face pale with worry.
"After Her Highness left Fengyi Palace yesterday, she gave a small cough. Upon returning, she said her head hurt and she wasn't hungry, so she decided to rest early. I didn't think much of it at the time. But this morning, when I came to wake her... no matter how I called, she wouldn't wake up."
"She wouldn't wake up?"
Yun Chuhuan's eyes widened. He had assumed that Fifth Sister's so-called 'illness' was just a common cold—perhaps some coughing or a mild fever. But this… this sounded much more serious. He rushed to Yun Shu's bedside and gave her shoulder a nudge.
"Fifth Sister!"
There was no response at all.
Yun Chuhuan's expression changed drastically. Panic creeping into his voice, he said, "Could it be that Empress Mother poisoned her?"
"Sixth Prince, mind your words!" The physician jumped in fright and quickly clarified, "This old servant has examined Her Highness's pulse. There are no signs of poisoning."
"Then why hasn't she woken up?"
"This…"
The physician fell silent.
Could it be that his skills were lacking, that he'd failed to detect poison?
No, no. He couldn't allow that suspicion to fall on him. The accusation that the Empress might poison a princess—how could he afford to be involved in such a matter?
Cold sweat began to bead across his forehead. He pressed Yun Shu's wrist again, carefully rechecking her pulse.
After a long moment, he finally rose with a tremble and bowed to Yun Chuhuan.
"Your Highness, this old servant believes that Fifth Princess may have simply been overexerted. Combined with a bout of cold wind, her body is weakened… perhaps after a few more hours of rest, she will awaken on her own."
"You're saying all we can do now is wait for her to wake up?"
Yun Chuhuan frowned deeply, clearly displeased.
"Then what use are you?"
"This old servant... this old servant can prepare a tonic to help nourish Her Highness's body. Once she awakens, it may aid in her recovery."
The sweat on his forehead grew heavier.
Yun Chuhuan still found the man nearly useless, but he knew nothing of medicine himself. Helplessly, he waved his hand with a huff.
"Then hurry up and write it!"
"Yes, Your Highness."
The physician let out a silent sigh of relief and quickly scribbled down a prescription, handing it to the nearby maid.
While everyone else in the palace was in a frenzy, Yun Shu herself was sleeping soundly.
Each time she shifted her consciousness into the villa, her real body would fall into a dormant state. Her behavior inside the villa had physical consequences—if she exercised there and broke into a sweat, her body outside would also start heating up and sweating. And when she slept in the villa, her body outside would enter a deeper sleep, with even her breathing and body temperature slowing down.
She hadn't dared use the villa's luxurious bed for a long time, not wanting to frighten Ting Xue. But now, with this rare opportunity, Yun Shu slept straight through to midday.
By then, even Emperor Xuanwu had been alerted.
As Yun Shu awoke in the villa, she could hear Yun Chuhuan's voice outside, reporting to the Emperor.
"Fifth Sister didn't feel well yesterday when she came back. I asked her about it, and she said it was probably just from standing outside Fengyi Palace too long. She thought resting would help.
But now that I think about it, something feels wrong.
It was Empress Mother who had her summoned to Fengyi Palace, so why was she made to wait outside the entire time? Could she have been punished?
In weather this cold, standing outside could easily lead to exhaustion and a chill… But Father Emperor, she's been asleep for so long. Why hasn't she woken up yet?
Are we sure Fifth Sister wasn't poisoned?"
Yun Shu, still in the villa, laughed quietly to herself.
"Hahaha! Leaving him behind yesterday was absolutely the right move.
Good kid—I'll grill you some skewers later."
But first, she needed to push this further. She wanted her Imperial Father to truly understand just how vulnerable she was under the Empress's thumb.
Without Emperor Xuanwu's protection, if the Empress ever did decide to strike, Yun Shu wouldn't stand a chance on her own.
She sprang out of bed, slipped into the villa's gym room next door, and started with a brisk walk, then a jog, then a full run. The numbers on the treadmill climbed steadily.
Meanwhile, back in Fenyang Palace, the unconscious Fifth Princess finally began to break into a sweat.
"The Princess seems to be heating up!"
Ting Xue, who had been struggling to feed medicine to Yun Shu, noticed beads of sweat forming on her mistress's forehead. She reached for a handkerchief to dab them away, but as her fingers brushed Yun Shu's skin, the warmth seared her hand. Her eyes welled up with panic.
"Physician! Please, quickly, come check!"
The old doctor didn't dare hesitate. He pushed past Ting Xue and took Yun Shu's pulse once again.
Yes—strong and vigorous. Just like someone who had recently finished intense exercise.
The physician was speechless.
He was doomed.
He had just taken the pulse of a princess who'd supposedly been unconscious for a full day… and it felt like she'd just run a mile.
Inwardly, he screamed in despair.
And of course, Emperor Xuanwu was standing right behind him at that very moment, anxiously awaiting a report.
"What is the Fifth Princess's condition?"
"Your Majesty… it may be that the Princess caught a cold, which caused fluctuations in her body temperature…"
Forcing himself to speak, the physician cobbled together the most reasonable explanation he could muster.
"In summary… Her Highness needs more rest."
"Hasn't Fifth Sister already rested long enough?"
By now, even Yun Chuhuan was starting to panic.
Yes, he had joked before about wanting Imperial Father to fine Fifth Sister so he could get a reward. And sure, when he first heard she was sick, he'd been glad for an excuse to skip lessons.
But in truth, he really did like Fifth Sister.
She was smart, fun, and always made him tasty food and clever little gadgets.
"You useless quack!"
===
"Quack" refers to a fake doctor or someone pretending to have medical knowledge, especially one who is dishonest or unqualified.
Example: "That guy isn't a real physician, he's just a quack selling miracle pills!"
It comes from "quacksalver," an old term for someone who peddled fake medicine.
It's an insult—used to accuse someone of being a fraud, usually in the medical field.