Gu Jin followed his grandfather and stayed in a side hall next to Empress Dowager's Kunning Palace at night.

  Kun Ning Palace faces north and south, with nine connected corridors, glazed tiles and heavy eaves, magnificent and resplendent.

  This is similar to the Kun Ning Palace of later generations.

  But Gu Jinzhi remembered that during this period in history, the construction of Kun Ning Palace had not yet begun, and it would be many years before it did.

  Perhaps it's because of my own limited historical knowledge that I misread the unofficial history. Or maybe, this isn't a dynasty from history, but rather a parallel space.

  The latter is more likely, because historically, the emperor of this period was a great king who successfully usurped the throne and left his name for eternity, not the elegant and refined young man he saw in broad daylight.

  In real history, that great emperor was a bastard child, his birth mother and stepmother both died early, and there wasn't even an empress dowager...

  Knock knock.

  The old man's fingers heavily knocked on Gu Jinzhi's desk.

  She's been spacing out for a bit too long.

  Gu Jinzhi came back to his senses and smiled at Old Master Chong.

  "After being stunned for half a day, have you figured out the cause of Her Majesty's illness?" The old man asked with a stern face.

  The old man's expression was devoid of a single smile, just like when he and his grandson used to study together. He looked at Gu Jinzhi with a serious gaze, as if an incorrect answer would result in him using the ruler to slap the desk.

  Gu Jinzhi didn't expect that Old Master would find her in Beijing and ask her to diagnose the illness of Empress Dowager.

  She always felt that there were some words hidden between her and her grandfather, which was based on trust. She didn't dare to trust her grandfather, and she didn't want to tell him everything, so he didn't ask.

  The old man's character has always been eccentric.

  "Judging from the pulse and complexion, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is extremely emaciated, with only a hint of life left, it must be due to chronic coughing." Gu Jinzheng composed himself and discussed the illness, "My initial estimate is that the cough has lasted for about a year and a half, without any breaks, sometimes light, sometimes severe, often with frequent coughing at night." Gu Jinzheng spoke slowly, his tone extremely certain.

  She said to herself with a judgment that was never ambiguous, all were very affirmative, this is the courage of a great artist.

  The old man's heart was slightly moved, and the shock was stronger than ever before.

  At least, from the pulse and complexion of the Empress Dowager, he could only see that the Empress Dowager's body had been damaged for a long time, but couldn't tell the exact time.

  His face didn't show any emotion until Gu Jin finished speaking. He then nodded slightly.

  "The emperor told me that the empress dowager fell ill in July two years ago. At first, they thought it was just a cold and gave her some medicine to dispel the chill. But later on, she didn't show any symptoms of a cold, instead, she had a persistent low-grade cough. She wouldn't cough during the day, but at night, around midnight, she would start coughing and couldn't sleep," said Old Master Gu.

  Gu Jin nodded: "That's right."

  Two people were talking when a eunuch's voice came from outside, the Emperor asked Guo Shifei and Guo Jinzhi to go to Kun Ning Palace for a conversation.

  The conversation between the grandfather and grandson was interrupted.

  They entered the palace early in the morning, only because there were two divine doctors from Huguang who came to see Empress Dowager, and Gu Jinzhi and Gu Shifei stayed at the Imperial Hospital to talk with Qin Wei.

  It was not until the afternoon of Chou Zheng that they announced their ancestors and grandchildren entering Kun Ning Palace.

  The Empress Dowager Cixi had taken her medicine and was now resting peacefully. No one dared disturb her.

  Gu Lao and Gu Jin'er waited until the third watch of the night.

  The empress dowager woke up and saw it was Old Master Gu, her eyes revealing a few hints of delight.

  Mr. Gu said to let Gu Jinzhi take her pulse, and she just thought for a moment before letting Gu Jinzhi do so. It can be seen that she trusted Mr. Gu very much and gave him great face.

  Gu Jin did not fear trouble and smiled as she followed the Empress Dowager to pay her respects. She then sat down to have her pulse taken.

  She was also in the imperial palace when Emperor Taizong and Grand General Guo Ziyi's elder brother, Guo Yan'ao, came to pay their respects to Empress Dowager Zheng.

  The empress signaled them to be quiet and not disturb Gu Jinzi.

  At that time, both the Emperor and Guo Yanwei were shocked beyond words.

  A little kid was there crying, always making people feel amused.

  Gu Jinzhi had just finished taking the pulse, when the emperor was about to ask her something, a eunuch outside came in and said: "Prime Minister Xia is waiting for Your Majesty in the Imperial Study, with an urgent memorial to present."

  The emperor looked at the empress dowager with difficulty.

  The Empress Dowager said weakly: "Your Majesty, you are busy...go..."

  The emperor then paid his respects and left with Guo Yanwei.

  Gu Jinzhi finished taking her pulse and naturally didn't dare tell Empress Dowager about her condition.

  The empress dowager didn't believe her either, and didn't ask her what she thought of it. She only asked her: How old are you this year? What books have you read at home? Have you ever spoken of your husband's family? Was the journey to the capital enjoyable?

  On winter nights, night falls especially early.

  The Empress Dowager knew that the curfew was approaching in the city, so she let Gu Jin and Old Master Gu rest in her side hall: "Later, the Emperor will definitely ask, you can stay here tonight..."

  Gu Jinzhi and Old Master Gu stayed in a side hall of Kun Ning Palace.

  As expected, they had just finished eating and sat down to discuss the Empress Dowager's illness when the Emperor summoned them.

  The emperor changed into a dark blue dragon-embroidered robe, sat upright in the western wing of the Kunning Palace and summoned Guo Shifei and Guo Jinzhi to speak with them.

  The grandfather and grandson knelt down as soon as they entered the house and paid homage to the emperor.

  "Quickly, calm down." The emperor's voice was warm and thick, very pleasant to hear.

  Gu Jin got up quickly and also helped his grandfather up.

  The emperor looked at her, and a faint smile appeared in the bottom of his eyes: In previous years when he encountered festivals, he occasionally met several young ladies from noble families in the palace. Those young ladies would tremble with fear when they saw the emperor. Of course, sometimes he also saw gentle and elegant, knowledgeable and reasonable ones.

  However, none of them were like Gu Jin. She wasn't being generous and elegant, but rather... she simply didn't think the emperor was scary at all.

  He is a brave child who is not afraid of anything.

  He also knows how to support his grandfather and is a very filial child.

  The emperor himself was a filial person and also governed the world with filial piety. He especially liked people who were filial.

  He didn't think Gu Jinzhi's behavior was presumptuous, instead he nodded slightly.

  "Take a seat." After the old man and his grandson had made their bows, the emperor ordered eunuchs to bring over embroidered stools for them to sit on.

  The two of them thanked him and sat down.

  "The Empress Dowager's illness, this morning the doctors from Huguang, Qian and Mo, both made a diagnosis. I haven't even asked them to prepare medicine yet, I still want to hear what Duke Guo has to say." The Emperor said in a gentle voice, with a very amiable attitude.

  His mother was ill, and he was very humble in his attitude towards every doctor.

  Last time Gu Shi Fei opened Fang Zi, after eating for two months, the Empress Dowager's condition improved a bit. However, her coughing illness did not completely disappear.

  By October, the days were cold and the ground was frozen, and Empress Dowager began to relapse.

  It may alleviate some symptoms, but it's not easy either.

  This year and more, the doctors who can alleviate the empress's condition are no more than five, so the emperor did not blame Gu Shi Fei, but instead asked him to think of another way.

  Gu Shi Fei said his method would have to wait until two months later.

  Two months have passed now. His method is unknown, but it's known that he brought his granddaughter into the palace.

  The emperor did not intend to confront the doctors for the time being; he needed them to save the empress dowager's life.

  So he was very tolerant of every doctor. Otherwise, if Gu Shi Fei brought a child into the palace, the emperor would be furious.

  "The old minister also couldn't think of a solution for the time being." Gu Shi Fei's voice was neither humble nor arrogant, as if not being able to cure the illness wasn't his fault as a doctor, but rather an ordinary and common thing.

  His mental state is better than anyone else's.

  So the Empress Dowager trusted him, and the Emperor also trusted him.

  "This old minister's granddaughter has been following me to learn medicine since she was a child, and she is indeed talented. She has some insight." Gu Shifei pointed at Gu Jinzhi.

  The emperor's eyebrows furrowed slightly, then relaxed again. He smiled and said: "Miss Gu is only ten years old? She can already diagnose illnesses at such a young age, truly a prodigy..."

  Gu Shi Fei's expression didn't change, and he didn't humbly decline with a single word of "excessive praise". This made the Emperor curious: Could it be that there really is an extraordinary talent in the world who transcends the ordinary?

  "Your Majesty, I am a 12-year-old girl who has just learned the basics of feminine virtues. I wish to serve Her Majesty the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty..." Gu Jin rose to her feet, curtsied, and replied.

  The emperor then had her sit down and asked: "As for the empress dowager's illness, does Miss Gu have any brilliant ideas?"

  "It's an honor I don't dare to accept." Gu Jin said with a smile, his voice clear and crisp. "However, Min Nu was able to guess the views and prescriptions of the past doctors and imperial physicians..."

  The emperor was somewhat surprised at her answer.

  “…Coughing is always associated with the lungs, either diffusing the lungs, clearing the lungs, or downbearing stomach Qi to moisten the lungs. The prescription is no more than Citrus reticulata, Perilla frutescens, Pseudostellaria heterophylla, Astragalus membranaceus, and Fritillaria rostrata.”

  The emperor's face showed a look of astonishment, and he stared at Gu Jinzhi in disbelief.

  Since the empress dowager contracted this strange illness, the emperor invited famous doctors; those from the Imperial Hospital were not effective, so he went to the capital and nearby places to find renowned physicians; still ineffective, he even sent people to distant Huguang and Jiangnan...

  The prescription he had seen before, and the pathology had been analyzed by those doctors countless times.

  It is indeed as Gu Jin said, all without leaving the lungs, using all methods to treat the lungs.

  Each time it's medicine, also as Gu Jin said these things.

  If another new doctor is invited, and he says the same prescription and pathology as before, the emperor can also distinguish between good and bad.

  This is called "a long illness makes a good doctor".

  No one spoke like Gu Jin did, saying all these words in one breath.

  The emperor was shocked by her for a moment, and his distrust and prejudice against her were reduced by three points at once.

  "...Grandfather's medical skills are superb, and his treatment didn't just start from the lungs, but also cured tonsillitis." Gu Jinzhi concluded.

  Gu Shi Fei didn't say a word. His fingers were also tightly clenched together.

  If she had only felt that Gu Jing was particularly confident in the past, then where did her clairvoyance come from today?

  Mr. Gu was self-satisfied with his extensive knowledge and experience, and had a detached temperament, but he was still shaken by Gu Jin's words, which left him feeling uneasy and distracted.

  The emperor then said to Gu Jin: "Gu Lao's prescription didn't have much of an impact on me, I just thought it was something the two of them had discussed."

  Ke Gujin's ability to say so much is also something that the previous doctor did not mention.

  The emperor's heart rose with a glimmer of hope.

  This thread of hope is entangled in his struggle with distrust towards Gu Jingzhou and this child.

  "Miss Gu, is there a more brilliant diagnosis?" The emperor was finally occupied by that thread of hope.

  As long as there is hope, he should try it for his mother's sake.

  "...In the previous edition of the Medical Classics, there was a book called "Yan's Medical Talks". In it, Yan criticized and ridiculed an unknown doctor who said that 'all five zang organs and six fu organs can cause coughing', thinking it was nonsense. I think, however, that Yan's insight is shallow, and that the doctor who said all five zang organs and six fu organs can cause coughing has a unique and brilliant perspective."

  The emperor didn't understand medicine, so he looked at Old Master Gu.

  Mr. Gu's expression was very strange.

  He seemed to want Gu Jingzhou not to be too arrogant, but then remembered something and his expression fell again, continuing to remain unmoved.

  The emperor was in doubt: what Gu Jin said, was it right or wrong?

  ——*——*——*——

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