CHAPTER 1281: CHAPTER 1259: UNSEEN (EXTRA UPDATE FOR BOOK FRIEND "HUATINGZI" FOR THEIR REWARD)

"It’s not entirely impossible, just rather difficult to conceive. Even if one manages to conceive, it’s hard to maintain the pregnancy. If the pregnancy is sustained, the condition of the fetus may not be ideal. Even if the child is safely born in the end, their health and intelligence may still be affected."

Crown Princess: ...

Everyone looked at the Crown Princess with concern and began to advise her earnestly, "Your Highness, you should relax a bit. Learn to let go of external matters and don’t let yourself be caught up in petty disputes."

The Crown Princess waved her hand, asking most of the people to leave, and then turned to Manbao and asked, "What should I do to nurse my health?"

Manbao replied, "It’s not difficult. You need to calm your mind and take herbal medicine to regulate your body for a month. Then, next month, I’ll prescribe some contraceptive medicine. After stopping the medicine for another month, by then, the Crown Prince’s body should be sufficiently recuperated, and you can start considering having children."

The Crown Princess raised her brow and asked, "The Crown Prince’s illness requires three months of treatment?"

Manbao nodded, "Roughly. We’ll assess the situation when the time comes. Generally, results can be seen within two months. The key is that the Crown Prince must strictly follow medical advice: avoiding alcohol and abstaining from intimacy for the next two months."

Crown Princess: "Didn’t you say it would take four months?"

Manbao blinked and replied effortlessly, "Not wrong either. Three months might not be enough, but four months offers a higher success rate."

The Crown Princess understood and burst into laughter.

Her laughter eased the tension in the room, and everyone relaxed considerably.

The Crown Princess chuckled, "You are quite cunning. But don’t let the Crown Prince overhear this."

Manbao replied, "If Your Highness doesn’t mention it, the Crown Prince won’t find out."

She didn’t acknowledge the two maids standing behind the Crown Princess, clearly her trusted aides. If the Crown Princess chose not to speak, they surely wouldn’t either.

The Crown Princess smiled and nodded, "Alright."

Twisting the teacup on the table, the Crown Princess said, "Doctor Zhou Junior, why don’t you tell me how to prepare for conception so I may become pregnant more quickly?"

Manbao immediately thought back to a booklet she had given her elder sister long ago. This was familiar territory for her—she had helped nurse her elder sister’s health back then, and with the booklet to assist...

Just as the Crown Prince entered the hall with his entourage, he saw Zhou Man and the Crown Princess sitting stiffly on the couch together. Although he wasn’t sure what they were discussing, the Crown Princess’s face was slightly flushed, and her expression carried mingled embarrassment and joy.

The Crown Prince couldn’t help but glance at the Crown Princess twice before suspiciously looking at Zhou Man.

Manbao cleared her throat, her gaze somewhat evasive. She stood up and saluted the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince waved her off, exempting her from the formalities. Once the attendants served tea, he ordered everyone to withdraw, leaving only Eunuch Wu and the Crown Princess behind.

Manbao understood this was for a medical consultation, so she stepped forward and checked his pulse.

She had reviewed his condition during her previous visit and had discussed his case with Teacher Mo to map out a complete treatment plan.

At this moment, she was simply reconfirming his condition, so it took just a short while. She didn’t ask any further questions and directly said, "Your Highness, please go into the inner chamber and remove your clothing. I’ll perform acupuncture."

The Crown Prince was pleased that she refrained from asking awkward questions in front of the Crown Princess. He stood and moved to the inner chamber.

Eunuch Wu followed him in to assist.

The inner chamber was warmed by three braziers due to the winter chill. After removing his clothes, the Crown Prince lay under the covers.

Manbao retrieved her acupuncture kit, carefully locating the acupoints before inserting the needles. While she worked, she queried the Crown Prince about his sensations—whether they were painful, tingling, or felt like pressure.

Once all the needles were inserted, Manbao periodically adjusted them. The Crown Prince felt a gentle warmth rise in his abdomen, leaving him drowsy.

Though the room remained slightly cold despite the braziers, the Crown Prince began to sweat lightly. Both Eunuch Wu and the Crown Princess noticed this and cautiously wiped away the sweat to prevent him from catching cold.

The Crown Prince remained asleep.

Manbao finished her work, paused to rest her hands, and glanced at the sleeping Crown Prince. She motioned for the Crown Princess to take a look as well.

The Crown Princess leaned in to observe, and Manbao whispered quietly, "Do you see it? His eyes are shadowed with dark circles, and his complexion is haggard—these are signs of a weak constitution."

Crown Princess: ...

Manbao continued softly, "In the future, you should encourage the Crown Prince to sleep early, refrain from drinking, and abstain from intimacy. Reevaluate his condition after three months."

The Crown Princess could only nod.

Nearby, Eunuch Wu cocked his ears to listen and silently committed these instructions to memory.

The Crown Prince sank into a deeper sleep, even snoring as Manbao removed the needles.

Eunuch Wu carefully adjusted the covers over him, while Manbao quietly commented to the Crown Princess, "Did you notice? The Empress always wakes up after I remove the needles. This shows just how badly the Crown Prince has been overexerting himself with late nights."

The Crown Princess nodded silently.

Manbao packed her needle pouch into her medical box and stood up. Looking toward Eunuch Wu, she asked, "Have you prepared the medicine I prescribed during my last visit?"

"Yes, it’s all been prepared," Eunuch Wu replied respectfully, "Would you like to examine it?"

Manbao: "Yes, let’s take a look. I’ll add two more ingredients for better sleep—he can soak in the medicated bath tonight and then go straight to bed."

Eunuch Wu promptly called for the medicine pouch.

Manbao inspected the contents, nodding in approval. Finding no issues, she wrote down the additional two ingredients and their proportions. "Add these and brew them all together for the bathing concoction."

Eunuch Wu smiled and said, "Doctor Zhou Junior, would you mind rewriting the complete prescription? As you know, all medical records need to be archived."

Manbao didn’t object and immediately supplemented the prescription, handing the updated document to Eunuch Wu.

The Crown Prince remained deeply asleep, even while Manbao finished reviewing the medicine and snacked on refreshments. As noon arrived, she prepared to leave.

She said to the Crown Princess, "If in half an hour the Crown Prince hasn’t woken up, you should wake him. Otherwise, sleeping too much during the day will affect his rest at night."

She added, "I’ll come to the palace tomorrow during lunchtime. That way, the acupuncture will coincide with his nap, which is better for his routine. Neither too early nor too late is ideal."

The Crown Princess couldn’t help but inwardly praise how thoroughly Manbao attended to her work. Most other imperial physicians didn’t bother with such details during their house calls.

The Crown Princess personally escorted Manbao to the main palace door, then asked, "Don’t you also have to perform acupuncture for the Empress tomorrow?"

"It’s alright. I’ll treat the Crown Prince first and then the Empress."

The Empress’s condition had already stabilized, so treating her wasn’t particularly strenuous.

The Crown Princess had already instructed gardeners to pot up the nine plants Manbao had chosen earlier that morning, ensuring enough extras of each plant to account for potential failures. A separate cart had been prepared solely for transporting them.

When Manbao noticed the cart behind her carriage loaded with floral pots, her joy was written all over her face. Keke was equally pleased.

Both human and system felt that the Crown Prince and Crown Princess should be treated diligently so that next time, they could wander the flower gardens of another palace.

Eunuch Wu, noticing her delight while she eyed the flower pots, cautiously asked, "Doctor Zhou Junior, is there something special about these plants?"

"Yes," Manbao responded with a profoundly serious expression, "I’ve never seen them before."