In the warm spring of March, peach blossoms begin to bloom, and the courtyard of Kun Ning Palace is deep, with a piece of pale pink; colorful butterfly wings still have a chill, and yellow willow silk ribbons flutter in the wind.

  The wind is still cold.

  The sun shone through the sparse tree branches, casting dappled shadows on the eaves, like a magnificent carved brocade. A sparrow flitted across, as if gliding over the surface of the sunlight, stirring up ripples of golden light.

  Apart from birds flapping their wings, there was no other sound.

  Several young palace maids stood under the eaves, holding their breath and remaining silent.

  Through the carved window lattice, I faintly hear the sound of broken porcelain inside, it must be that Empress Dowager has smashed another medicine bowl.

  Then came the empress dowagers heart-wrenching and lung-splitting coughs, and the imperial physicians kowtowing thuds.

  The little palace maids were even more afraid, they were new here today.

  In a moment, the silver-red felt curtain was lifted, and an older palace maid came out, instructing the younger one: "Go tell Sheng Aunt to come over, and then help Empress Dowager brew another dose of medicine..."

  A round-faced little palace maid was quick-witted and responded immediately, saying "yes" and quickly left.

  The Empress Dowager has been ill for seven or eight months, with a persistent cough. All the famous doctors in the world have been invited to treat her, but to no avail. She is in a very bad mood. The palace maids make mistakes one after another and are punished immediately. In these six months, the palace maids of Kunning Palace have been replaced batch by batch.

  In the past, being selected to serve in Kun Ning Palace was a beautiful assignment, but now everyones face changes color at the mere mention of it, and they are afraid that they themselves will be chosen.

  These few little palace maids thought they were unlucky.

  Inside the Kunning Palace, on a red sandalwood inlaid with mother-of-pearl and carved with flowers, birds, and arhats bed, a woman lay dressed, looking haggard, her face purplish due to severe coughing.

  She tightly grasped the hand of her son, who was sitting on the edge of her bed in dragon robes: "......take......take these quacks out and interrogate them! I dont want them to treat..."

  Before he could finish speaking, he started coughing again.

  She was in agony, and anyone could feel it.

  The emperors face showed deep sorrow.

  Three imperial physicians knelt below, their heads pressed against the ground, cold sweat dripping from their foreheads.

  "Empress Dowager, take another dose of medicine and try?" The emperor implored, "If it is..."

  "Dont eat... dont eat!" The empress shouted, followed by a cough.

  The emperor did not dare say more and gently patted his mothers back instead.

  "Ive been eating for half a month, todays good, tomorrows bad again! My whole family has been ruined by these incompetent doctors! Let them treat livestock instead, let them all get out!" The empress dowager started scolding people as soon as her cough subsided.

  No matter how hard she tried to conceal her emotions, the woman who had been coughing for eight whole months had finally worn down the Empress Dowagers patience.

  Coughing is a painful thing, eating and drinking are uncomfortable, and you cant sleep at night.

  The empress dowager was tormented to the point of being gaunt, her cheekbones protruding high, and no longer saw the plump and dignified appearance of the past.

  The emperor felt it deeply and his thick eyebrows were tightly locked.

  How many doctors have been changed for the Empress Dowagers illness?

  Unfortunately, it has been ineffective all along.

  Two months ago, she was cured once, and Empress Dowager was overjoyed, letting the Emperor grant a title to that imperial physician.

  Less than half a month later, the Empress Dowager relapsed again, with a more severe cough than before. She went without sleep or rest for two whole days and nights, not even drinking water.

  The newly appointed Duke was stripped of his title and expelled from the capital.

  As a result, the imperial physicians who were originally eager to try their skills, one by one made excuses that they were not skilled enough and refused to treat the Empress Dowager.

  The emperor also sent people to find several famous doctors from among the people, but they were equally ineffective.

  Coughing in August...

  Even a strong and healthy man cant stand it, let alone the originally weak Empress Dowager?

  But whats the point of punishing the imperial physicians? They also did their best.

  "Get out, all of you!" The emperor said to the several imperial physicians. The emperor, who ruled supreme over the land, was just twenty years old this year and in his prime, but his voice carried a hint of melancholy.

  The empresss illness has also tormented the emperor.

  Several imperial physicians hastily rose to their feet, paid their respects to the Emperor and Empress Dowager, and withdrew from the Kunning Palace.

  Two of the imperial physicians had their backs completely soaked, while another one was trembling with fear. The three of them didnt dare to breathe until they left the Kun Ning Palace.

  The sky in March, when its overcast, a chill pervades everywhere.

  The spring chill is sharp, and the yellow willows are also trembling.

  The three doctors bid farewell and returned home separately.

  One of the imperial physicians was named Qin Wei Si, who was a supervisor at the Imperial Hospital.

  As he came out of the palace gate, just about to get on his carriage, he saw someone walking towards him from afar. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Eastern Pavilion University Scholar Gu Yanwu, one of the emperors favorite officials, who had entered the imperial court at the tender age of 42 and was the youngest of all the senior officials, with a boundless future ahead of him.

  Everyone in the company flatters him.

  Qin Weizhi was a minor official at Taiyuan Hospital, a small fifth-grade officer. Seeing Guo Yantao, he naturally went up to pay his respects.

  "... Has Empress Dowagers illness improved somewhat?" Gu Yanwu asked Qin Wei with a hint of a smile.

  The Empress Dowager had been ill for seven or eight months. Outsiders might have vaguely heard some rumors, but as a close minister, Guo Yanwei was crystal clear about it.

  Qin Wei sighed: "This old ministers skills are not refined, and he cannot alleviate the empress dowagers suffering; his guilt is deserving of death!"

  "Director Qin, dont belittle yourself, who doesnt know youre a master of medicine?" Gu Yan comforted him. "In this world, everything is about fate. Director Qin and the Empress Dowager just didnt have that kind of medical fate."

  Qin Wei smiled wryly four times.

  If this imperial physician cant even cure the Empress Dowagers cough, hell lose his head.

  The two of them chatted for a few more sentences before taking their leave.

  Gu Yanwu heard that the Emperor was attending to the Empress Dowagers illness by her bedside, and he also followed Qin Wei out of the palace gate, returning home.

  Returning to the Chengguo Gongfu, Gu Quan directly returned to his own courtyard and discussed with his wife Ning: "Write a letter to Yanling Fu, let the old man come back to Beijing to see the Empress Dowagers illness? If she recovers, our familys wealth and nobility will be added another layer."

  Yanling Prefecture is also known as Changzhou Prefecture, located in Jiangsu Province.

  Mr. Gu, the old master of the house, was also a hospital doctor in his early years. He was promoted to Duke because he cured the emperors illness. However, later on, he gradually fell out of favor with the emperor and resigned himself. He took his third son and family back to their hometown in Yanling Prefecture to spend their days in comfort.

  Its been more than six years since I left.

  The old masters medical skills are mediocre, but his luck is good, otherwise how could he be promoted to the rank of Duke?

  If it werent for the fact that he had no other choice, Guo Yan would not have thought of his father who was of little help to his career.

  "......Grandfathers medical skills, we as his children know best. Many famous doctors couldnt cure the Empress Dowager, what method does he have? Are you letting him come back to lose face? Besides, Grandfather has always been detached from worldly affairs, last month people from Yanling came and said that Grandfather was teaching Old Thirds daughter Jinzhi to read, enjoying his late years in peace, why disturb him?"

  Gus third son, Gu Yanjun, returned to his hometown six years ago with Old Master Gu.

  Gu Yanzhongs eldest daughter is named Gu Jinzhi.

  Madam Gus wife, Ning, is perfect in every way, but she is proud and unwilling to curry favor.

  Gu Yanwu was disinclined in his heart and didnt bother to discuss with Ning Shi again. He went to the study himself and wrote a letter each to his third brother and sister-in-law who were serving their father at their old home.

  He had him hastily sent to Jiangsu Yanling Prefecture.

  A month later, it was the season when the flowers in Jiangnan were competing with each other in beauty and the willows were swaying gently.

  Madam Song, the third wife of the Gu family, received a letter from her elder brother-in-law, Gu Yanwu, in the capital. She glanced at it for a few moments and lost interest, putting it aside. She got up, changed into new clothes, and took her daughter, Gu Jinzhi, and son, Gu Xuanzhi, to visit her sister-in-laws family.

  Today is her sister-in-laws birthday.