Physician, Not A Consort

Yang Hanlun brought Lin Haihai to the emperor’s sleeping chamber. On the way there, Lin Haihai wore a tense expression and said nothing, so Yang Hanlun didn’t dare to say anything either and secretly observed her. Is she angry with him over what happened just now? When they arrived at the door, Lin Haihai suddenly parted her lips and asked, “Do you know of any abandoned mountain tops?”

“I do. Why are you asking about this?” Yang Hanlun was delighted that she finally spoke. 

“I want to clear the area and use it to plant medicinal herbs.”

“Plant medicinal herbs? You can buy them directly, so why bother planting them?” Yang Hanlun asked in confusion. 

“If I plant it myself, I can save a huge amount of money. The market for medicinal herbs isn’t stable right now and the herbs are very costly. Sometimes, these ingredients are hoarded by bad merchants and they sell them at high prices when the market supply is lacking. We are the consumers and this puts us at a disadvantage,” Lin Haihai analyzed. 

“But you earn lots of silver taels every day. Even if the medicinal herbs are on the costly side, it shouldn’t impact you too much. Why do you have to waste your efforts on this?” Yang Hanlun was somewhat displeased with her unscrupulous methods for he thought that her hospital was earning tens of thousands of silver taels on a regular basis.

Lin Haihai didn’t respond. In fact, she was embarrassed to say that her hospital hadn’t earned any money; instead, she was incurring losses daily. She was even prepared to use the 100,000 taels from her savings as the price of medicinal herbs had remained high ever since summer arrived. The more patients there were in her hospital, the higher her losses! She turned her head around unnaturally. How should she explain this? It was just like how she was in modern times. Doctors are usually well paid, but when her colleagues asked her to go shopping with them, she usually turned them down as they were able to buy branded goods while she could only watch from a distance and sigh. When her colleagues found out that she donated almost all her salary to an orphanage, everyone laughed and called her a fool. That persisted for a few years. They even had a nickname for her in the department — “Foolish Lin”. Due to her past experience, she would never tell anyone that she was losing money instead of earning money! 

Lin Haihai's lost look, coupled with her guilty expression, left a vapid feeling in Yang Hanlun's heart. Why is money so important to her?

“If you really want to plant medicinal herbs, I can help you search for abandoned mountain tops. But… nevermind my words. Go in and check on Imperial Elder Brother. I’m leaving now.” Yang Hanlun knew that even if he said what had planned to say, she might not listen to him so he would just let her have her way. 

Just as Lin Haihai was about to enter, Imperial Physician Shangguan had just arrived as well. He was here to change the dressing for Yang Shaolun’s wounds. Looking at his nervous expression and sweat-filled sharp head, she teasingly said, “Imperial physician, let me do it. You can leave. You’re the divine physician of the imperial palace. There’ll be trouble if someone can’t find you if they’re unwell.” 

Imperial Physician Shangguan expressed his gratitude, “This official shall trouble Consort Lin! But isn’t Consort Lin going to perform a surgery for the general today?”

“It’s cloudy today and it’s also raining. The lighting is inadequate to perform the surgery,” Lin Haihai patiently explained. 

“I see. This humble official will be taking his leave now.” Imperial Physician Shangguan took a few steps back and bowed at her before leaving. 

Lin Haihai glanced at the pale but handsome face lying in bed. His lips weren’t black anymore but his tightly pursed lips were dry. He had a tall nose bridge and his arched and dashing eyebrows were as dark as ink. He was a super handsome man. 

Lin Haihai asked the palace maid, “Has he woken up yet?”

“Replying to the physician, His Majesty woke up yesterday around midnight. After drinking water, he fell into a deep sleep again.”

“Okay. Remember to let him drink more water to expel the poison in his body.”

“This palace maid understands,” the palace maid submissively answered. 

She opened the medicine box and told the palace maid to place the ointment under the fire for a bit. Then, she sat by the bed and started removing Yang Shaolun’s clothes. The palace maid looked at her and wanted to say something, but hesitated. Lin Haihai knew her action was unreasonable. But from her perspective, she was a doctor and he was her patient. He wasn’t her brother-in-law and she wasn’t his sister-in-law nor was he the emperor and she the official. She helped him up and allowed him to recline halfway on her. Then, she slowly undid the bandage behind him. Yang Shaolun painfully opened his eyes. He was immediately greeted with Lin Haihai’s clear and big eyes. Lin Haihai blinked her eyes and called out doubtfully, “Brother Yang? Does it hurt a lot?”

She remembered me! Yang Shaolun was spirited, but he couldn't speak due to the vicious pain. He could only softly let out some sounds. 

“Don’t talk. You were wounded deeply. Although your internal organs weren’t hurt, it’s still pretty serious!” Lin Haihai warned him.

Yang Shaolun’s gaze dimmed. He endured the pain and asked softly, “Are you okay?”

Lin Haihai looked at him strangely and replied, “I’m fine.”

“That’s good…”

“Don’t talk. I’ll change the dressing on your wound now. It might hurt a bit but you have to endure it, understand?” 

Yang Shaolun nodded. 

Lin Haihai called an eunuch over to hold Yang Shaolun’s body still as she took the old bandage off. She grabbed the warm ointment from the palace maid’s hands and softly spread it on him. Yang Shaolun trembled and he tightly grasped Lin Haihai’s arm. Lin Haihai knew that the ointment could help reduce inflammation, so it was inevitably going to hurt a bit. She made light and slow movements and tried her best to not touch his wound. After she was done bandaging him, Lin Haihai noticed that Yang Shaolun was running a fever; this was very dangerous. She immediately ordered someone to fetch a bowl of warm water and told the eunuch to summon an imperial physician over. Looking at Lin Haihai’s solemn expression, the palace maid and eunuch didn’t dare to disregard her words and immediately did as they were instructed.

Lin Haihai straightened Yang Shaolun’s clothes and touched his forehead. It is burning; his temperature is at least 39℃. She blamed herself for having overlooked this. An infection would always most certainly be accompanied with a fever. If it was bacteria, then that’ll be bad. She recalled how she hadn’t disinfected the tools for transfusing blood with advanced technology. What if there was bacteria? And what if his body rejected the blood that was transfused to him yesterday? She had lingering fears just thinking about it. If my fears actually came true, then Brother Yang… Lin Haihai couldn’t help but cry when she thought that she might be the reason for his death. 

Her tears dropped on Yang Shaolun’s face. He weakly opened his eyes to see Lin Haihai crying in front of him. He felt as though he was soaring in happiness right now. But more so, he felt bad. Is she worried for me? Or did she recall the atrocity the bandits committed on her? He squeezed a faint smile at Lin Haihai, making the latter feel sour inside. She wiped her tears and said, “You have to recover soon. Don’t let your family worry about you!” Yang Shaolun closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. He felt void of strength. If it weren’t for the willpower inside his heart that kept him going, he would’ve passed out into the endless darkness already! 

The imperial physician rushed over and Lin Haihai immediately ordered him to prescribe antipyretic and then wipe down Yang Shaolun’s body with alcohol. The palace maid had also brought warm water over. Lin Haihai soaked the towel. While wiping down Yang Shaolun’s body, she pulled his clothes to the side. She was really worried. She lowered her head and softly whispered into his ears, “Brother Yang, you have to hang in there.”

“The Empress Her Highness is here! Imperial Consort Li is here!” the eunuch exclaimed this loudly by the door. Lin Haihai looked up to see two beautiful women. The woman walking in front was slightly older and was donned in yellow palace clothes with an embroidered phoenix. She looked elegant and had an upright aura around her. The woman behind her wore red palace clothes. She had pink cheeks and her hair was combed up into a bun. She was in her teens, but she wore a proud and aloof expression and emanated a cold aura. She was a complete ice beauty. She was beautiful, but the intense boldness overflowing from her eyes didn’t make her lively nor amiable. What a pity.

When the two women saw Lin Haihai, they were both shocked. A palace maid walked out from behind the ice beauty and pointed at Lin Haihai, scolding, “Presumptuous! Who are you? Why haven’t you knelt down when you saw Her Highnesses? You lowly servant! How dare you try to seduce His Majesty while he’s injured? Brazen!”

Lin Haihai was slightly displeased, but these were her circumstances. Since the circumstances couldn’t accommodate her, she would have to accommodate the circumstances. She gently placed Yang Shaolun down. While she was at it, she touched his forehead to see if his fever had subsided yet. Who knew that the ice beauty immediately rushed over and pulled Lin Haihai away before slapping her backhanded. Lin Haihai didn’t expect that Imperial Consort Li would hit her so she wasn’t prepared for it. As a result, she took the full blow. Everyone around gasped in shock. 

“Servants, drag this lowly maid away and beat her to death with a cudgel!” the ice beauty instructed harshly, her countenance revealing her rampant haughtiness. Lin Haihai was furious. She had never been slapped by anyone before. For a moment, she didn’t know how to react. She stood there in a daze while touching her face and glaring unbelievably at the ice beauty. 

“Sister, don’t be angry. It’s not too late to figure out the situation first before punishing her. Take care of the baby in your stomach,” the upright woman behind the ice beauty parted her lips and said. She called a palace maid over and asked, “How did His Majesty get injured?”

“Replying to the Empress, according to the imperial guards, when His Majesty heard that Sixth Princess Consort was captured by the bandits in Heavenly Wolf Mountain, he led his elite soldiers to annihilate them. Who knew he'd suffered from their scheme.”

The palace maid’s words stunned Lin Haihai. He actually personally led soldiers to annihilate the bandits because he thought I was captured? He is the emperor! In a split second, Lin Haihai was overwhelmingly moved that her grievances from being slapped were gone with the wind. Although she knew that Yang Shaolun stood up for her because she was his brother’s wife, it was undeniable that he got injured because of her! Lin Haihai sniffled, her tears threatening to drop. Brother Yang, you must recover well! 

The empress glanced at the teary Lin Haihai and asked, “Who are you? Why are you here?”

“I’m a physician. I’m here to treat him.” Lin Haihai didn’t dare say that she was the sixth princess consort. After all, the empress just found out that she was the reason why her husband was lying motionlessly in bed. If the empress found out she was the culprit, wouldn’t the empress hate her to death?

“Nonsense! There are numerous imperial physicians in the palace, why would you be needed? You don’t know your place. How dare you address yourself as ‘I’ in front of this Imperial Consort? And how dare you address His Majesty as ‘him’? You know no manners! Slap her!” Imperial Consort Li sternly ordered. Two palace maids immediately came over and curtised in front of Imperial Consort Li before approaching Lin Haihai, wanting to hit her. The latter stepped back as Imperial Physician Shangguan immediately stopped them. “Imperial Consort Li, please calm down and be wary of the imperial foetus.” Imperial Consort Li raised her eyebrows and asked, “You brought this lowly woman into the palace?”

Imperial Physician Shangguan immediately shook his head. He was feeling anxious. Consort Lin, ah, Consort Lin. Why didn’t you reveal your identity? He had no idea what Lin Haihai was thinking. 

Besides being scared that people would find out that she was the cause of Yang Shaolun's injury, Lin Haihai also knew that she wasn’t the real sixth princess consort. She was going to leave eventually. She probably wouldn’t even enter the palace in the future. When Yang Hanlun married the Chen Family’s young miss, she could then make her exit. Therefore, there was no need for others to find out. Yesterday, when she came to the palace to treat Yang Shaolun’s injury, she didn’t tell anyone about her identity. The servants all thought she was just a physician. Only Imperial Physician Shangguan and the imperial guard guarding the main door knew she was the princess consort. Therefore, she shot Imperial Physician Shangguan a look, hinting to him not to reveal anything. 

“I am a physician. The Sixth Prince invited me here,” Lin Haihai responded neither servile nor overbearing. 

Actually, there were some palace maids and eunuchs who knew that Lin Haihai wasn't an ordinary commoner. However, Imperial Consort Li was pregnant and Yang Shaolun pampered her a lot. She even disregarded the empress, so even if Lin Haihai was of no ordinary background, could she be higher than the empress on the hierarchical ladder? Hence, no one dared to say anything in case they accidentally offended Imperial Consort Li. They would be beheaded then! After all, in this imperial harem, the death of a palace maid or eunuch was as insignificant as the death of an ant; no one cared. 

“Great. You dare to talk back! Why are you guys just standing here? Get her!” Imperial Consort Li instructed harshly. The two palace maids immediately inched closer to Lin Haihai.