The 45th Queen's Condition

  "What's wrong, Old Sun?" Li Chengqian asked.

  "Is this written truthfully?" Sun Simiao asked, pointing at the medical records.

  Li Chengqian took a glance and said, "Pneumonia?"

  It refers to asthma and lung disease.

  The queen obviously has a gynecological disease, how can it be written as a cold? It's impossible that these imperial physicians are so incompetent that they mistake gynecological diseases for colds.

  Facing Li Chengqian's suspicious gaze, Lin Siyi hastily explained: "Because the Empress Dowager has been ill for a long time and her body is weak, she suddenly heard that the Crown Prince was seriously ill with syncope a few days ago. She was so anxious that she had a heart attack, which led to this critical illness, so I wrote 'gas disease' in the medical records!"

  Sun Simiao nodded and said in agreement: "Indeed it is this principle."

  I understand, it's just that the aftermath of a miscarriage has been treated ineffectively all along. To put it nicely, they've been stabilizing the condition, but in reality, they're dragging it out and exhausting my body. My physical strength has been depleted to the point where I'm almost completely drained, and my body is getting weaker and weaker, leading to various complications and a comprehensive syndrome. This time, when I heard that my son was seriously ill, I was so frightened that I couldn't catch my breath and fainted, so the doctors wrote down "breath disease" in my medical records.

  Li Chengqian did not know that the historical records stated that Empress Zhangsun's cause of death was due to a pulmonary disease. However, when he arrived in the Tang Dynasty, he witnessed that Empress Zhangsun's main illness was actually gynecological disease, and the pulmonary disease recorded in history books was merely her final bout of acute heart failure. Some people might say that Empress Zhangsun died from pulmonary disease because Li Shimin's family all had pulmonary disease, which is a genetic disorder. Li Chengqian laughed, "Empress Zhangsun didn't have the surname Li, so does that mean genetic disorders are also sex-linked?"

  "Your Highness, I am puzzled by this 'false death'. What is false death? I have studied the medical records and every word is accurate. How could a faint be written as false death? But to die and come back to life? I, an old frog in a well, only now understand the high level of medical skill in the palace, beyond my abilities. This person who was dead can also be saved. I am thick-skinned, may I ask to see the divine technique?" Sun Simiao said with great admiration.

  The frog in the well, means the frog at the bottom of the well, from "Autumn Floods" of Zhuangzi. The term "frog at the bottom of the well" does not exist yet, so this is not Old Sun pretending to be a book bag.

  Upon hearing this, the three imperial physicians surnamed Cao all looked at Li Chengqian. Li Chengqian hastily closed his gaping mouth.

  Sun Simiao looked at Li Chengqian, then looked at Cao's family in confusion. Cao's family said: "Master Sun has humiliated the old man, but saving the empress is actually the crown prince!"

  Sun Simiao looked at Li Chengqian in disbelief.

  "That day, the queen's pulse had stopped, we have no way to revive her, it was the crown prince...". The one with the surname Cao told Sun Simiao about the situation that day.

  "Is this the legendary 'Zhen Guan'? Does it really have the divine effect of reviving the dead?" Sun Simiao was shocked!

  Then he looked at Li Chengqian.

  Li Chengqian nodded.

  "The Crown Prince is truly a divine doctor..." Sun Simiao was particularly excited, and a torrent of heartfelt words poured out like the Milky Way flowing into the Yangtze River...

  "Halt!" Li Chengqian shouted, "I know you want to learn the Zhen Guan Palm, but first things first, have you finished reading my mom's medical records? Cure her illness first, and I'll teach you the Zhen Guan Palm."

  "Thank you, Prince!" Sun Simiao thudded to his knees again.

  "What are you kneeling for again!" Li Chengqian asked, and also gave a white-eyed look at the "man dressed as a woman", this is not what I told you to kneel for!

  "Sun met many doctors in his life, but they all kept their skills to themselves. Today, I finally see the high moral character of the Crown Prince!" Sun Simiao said sincerely!

  "Get up! What's with the big fuss over a small matter? Let's get down to business!" Li Chengqian waved his hand.

  He found that Lao Sun was like Liu Laolao entering the Grand View Garden, making a big fuss about everything. Afraid others wouldn't know you're a country bumpkin!

  "The man dressed as a woman" pulled Sun Simiao up, and Sun Simiao modestly handed the medical records in his hand to Gao Yisheng, then said: "The queen's condition, based on my pulse diagnosis just now, and this medical record, I have understood the basic cause of the disease!"

  "You said."

  "The Empress suffered a miscarriage, and the dead fetus remained in her belly due to its premature birth. The yin evil energy invaded the yang body, damaging the Empress's health. Although the imperial physicians and precious medicines from the palace protected the Empress's body, the dead fetus remained inside, causing her illness to worsen day by day. Now, the Empress's yang energy is almost depleted. I fear that if it weren't for Crown Prince Gaozong's timely intervention, I would have come in vain this time." Sun Simiao said solemnly.

  As soon as he heard that the fetus had died inside, Li Chengqian didn't understand what Lao Sun said about yin and yang energy, but he already understood that the Empress was suffering from infection and bleeding caused by the dead fetus in her womb. Therefore, to cure the Empress, they had to take out the dead fetus.

  But was this possible in ancient times? Was it highly dangerous?

  "Do you have a way?" Li Chengqian raised his eyebrows and asked Lao Sun.

  "There is." Sun Simiao replied calmly, "I often see new mothers' first child stillbirth in the countryside. After years of research and accumulation of experience, I have invented a method to remove the dead fetus. Up to now, there are already over a hundred new mothers who have been saved by me!"

  Judging from his tone, he didn't seem to be bragging. "What's a new wife?"

  "A thirteen- or fourteen-year-old bride."

  It's already been a day, thirteen or fourteen is still an elementary school graduation age, in ancient times they were married at this age!

  She took a glance at Cao and the other two imperial physicians, whose faces were normal, then thought that Su Hong had also married at the age of fourteen, it seemed that this was the custom in ancient times.

  No wonder old Sun encountered so many patients like this!

  My whole body feels uncomfortable!

  "What a pity!" Sun Simiao sighed, "If I had known that the Empress was suffering from this illness, I would have brought the set of tools from my home. If I go back to get them, it will take ten days or half a month for me to return, and I fear that the Empress's body may not be able to wait."

  "What tools?" Li Chengqian asked.

  "A set of iron instruments for extracting a dead fetus."

  "Is it complicated? Can you draw it out? There are all sorts of craftsmen in the palace, can't you have them make it?" Li Chengqian said.

  "It's not complicated, I'll draw it out in a moment."

  "Well, then tell me what's your plan for treating the illness!" Li Chengqian asked.

  Sun Simiao said fluently, "Use this set of tools to guide, then use the method of stimulating the Empress's body with medicinal water and acupuncture needles to open her passage. Then, external force will squeeze her abdomen, causing the dead fetus to come out from the passage. After the dead fetus is taken out, the Empress can slowly recover."

  It means using acupuncture and acupoints to open the queen's cervix and vagina, then manually pressing on the abdomen to squeeze out the dead fetus. I just don't know what kind of tools he uses.

  "Are you absolutely sure?"

  "I am fully confident, it's just a matter of Her Majesty's physical condition now," said Sun Simiao.

  After all, the queen's body is too weak, and it's still uncertain whether she can accept it!

  Li Chengqian looked at Cao, but Cao didn't say a word. Sun Simiao chuckled and said, "I'll go down first to draw the tool." Then he went downstairs with the "man dressed as a woman".

  "Your Highness, what Sun Daifu said is reasonable. Through acupuncture and pressure, the harm to the Empress's body has been minimized. I just don't know what kind of tool he used!"

  。

  。

  。