42 If She Wanted Something in Return, She Would Do Her Best
Su Ying thought of those mind-fodder web novels she had read in the past when she was bored during those times when there was no fighting. She casually said, “Have you heard of Miracle Healer Valley?”
Sima Chen was astounded. “Miss, you hail from the Miracle Healer Valley? Please forgive my ignorance. Kindly wait for a moment in the room. I will go and inform my father.”
Su Ying nodded calmly and followed the maidservant into a room.
Not long after she sat down, a maidservant came in with a clean dress, saying that due to Princess Consort Ma’s illness, no contaminants must come into contact with her. Therefore, before anyone could give her a medical examination, they must take a bath and change into clean clothes.
Su Ying knew that this ruse was an excuse for them to conduct a body search on her. She cooperated fully and proceeded to the bathroom to take a bath and change her clothes.
After she had come out and tidied up, Sima Chen appeared outside the door.
“Miss, how may I address you?”
“My surname is Su.”
Sima Chen nodded slightly. “Miss Su, this way please.”
Su Ying stood up and followed him to the main courtyard.
The main courtyard was heavily guarded. Even though there were many servants and staff in the courtyard, the place was completely silent.
Sima Chen led Su Ying directly to the door of the room. The maidservant who was guarding the door bowed to him, then pushed the door open and led the two in.
The moment she entered the room, Su Ying could smell the strong scent of medicine. The air in the room was stuffy and unbearable.
“Father.”
The middle-aged man sitting in front of the bed stood up when he heard Sima Chen. He had a full beard that extended from his sideburns and a pair of ravenous eyes tinged with a peculiar scarlet hue. He was dressed in a vermilion round-neck narrow-sleeved robe, which accentuated his tall and mighty figure. Just one look from him made one feel a strong sense of oppression.
Prince Ma nodded and turned to look at Su Ying. His gaze was as sharp as a sword that was almost able to pierce through Su Ying.
Su Xun greeted him calmly. “I hereby pay my respects to you, Your Highness.”
Prince Ma scrutinized her closely. “You’re the one who responded to the notice?”
“Yes.”
“You hail from Miracle Healer Valley? How is Miracle Healer Xue related to you?”
“Sir, I do not know who is Miracle Healer Xue. I stayed in Miracle Healer Valley for many years and was taught medical knowledge all the while. After I have mastered the medical skills, my master allowed me to leave the valley to gain experience. I happened to see the notice in Prince Ma City when I passed by and decided to respond to the appeal indicated on it.”
What Su Ying didn’t know was that Miracle Healer Xue was just a name made up by Prince Ma to test Su Ying’s identity. However, he didn’t expect her to answer so flawlessly, so for a while, he couldn’t tell if she really came from the Miracle Healer Valley.
“Your Highness, illnesses don’t wait for people. Please allow me to take a look at Princess Consort first.”
Prince Ma was silent for a moment. He thought that if he kept an eye on Su Ying by her side, she would have no chance to try any tricks. Thus, he nodded.
The moment he saw this, Sima Chen turned around and stood to one side to excuse himself.
Su Ying looked at Princess Consort Ma lying on the bed. Her face was thin, and there was already a faint trace of death on her face. It seemed that she did not have long to live.
Su Ying pulled the blanket off Princess Consort Ma’s body and untied the front overlapping lapels. Prince Ma furrowed his brows when he saw her actions, but he didn’t stop her.
Su Ying immediately undid Princess Consort Ma’s clothes, revealing her chest.
When Su Ying had a clear look at the condition of her chest, she had already come to her own conclusion.
“May I know how long has the Princess Consort been like this? Tell me the initial symptoms.”
Prince Ma frowned and said, “More than a month ago, the Princess Consort suddenly felt a pain in her chest. Later, the physician said that her Qi and blood were blocked, and her chest Qi was not smooth. She started taking some medicine, but her condition didn’t improve even after taking the medicine. Instead, she felt more and more unwell. After that, she couldn’t eat anything, and the situation has remained like this until today…”
“Princess Consort Ma’s illness is a little troublesome, and the treatment will be somewhat different. I don’t know if Your Highness will be able to accept it.”
“You are able to cure Princess Consort Ma’s illness?” Prince Ma said with a frown.
“It’s very difficult to completely eradicate Princess Consort Ma’s illness, so even if she’s temporarily cured, she still needs to continue to take medicine to maintain her recovery progress.”
“How do you intend to treat it?”
“By cutting out the lesion.” Su Ying drew a circle on Princess Consort Ma’s chest with her hand. “If the lesion isn’t removed in time, she won’t be able to live past this month.”
“What? Cut out everything?”
“Your Highness, think about it. When you are injured on the battlefield, if the wound isn’t treated in time, it will fester and rot. Princess Consort Ma is in such a situation now. You can see that her lesion has already undergone obvious changes. If it isn’t removed in time, the lesion will spread to her internal organs. At that point, there is no way to save her anymore.”
Su Ying’s explanation allowed Prince Ma to understand Princess Consort Ma’s current condition more vividly.
However, Princess Consort Ma was already so weak. If Su Ying were to cut her flesh and drained her blood, Prince Ma was worried that Princess Consort Ma would not be able to survive.
However, if left untreated, she wouldn’t be able to survive beyond this month as mentioned by Su Ying. These were also the exact words left behind by many physicians.
When Sima Chen heard what Su Ying said, he couldn’t help but ask, “How much confidence do you have, Miss Su?”
“50 to 60% perhaps.” In fact, Su Ying was at least 90% confident, but she would never give the patient’s kin such high expectations. After all, no one could say for sure what accidents might happen during the surgery.
50 to 60 percent was not a low figure, in reality.
“If you want to treat her, it’s best for Your Highness to make a decision as soon as possible. The longer this illness drags on, the more danger the Princess Consort will be in.”
“Let me think about this for a moment.”
Su Ying didn’t say anything else and followed the maidservant out of the room.
She knew that Prince Ma would eventually let her treat the Princess Consort. This was because he had no other choice.
Sure enough, it didn’t take long for Prince Ma to let Su Ying return to the room. However, he didn’t ask her about the treatment plan for Princess Consort Ma, but rather, what Su Ying wanted.
“I’ll take as much gold, silver, and jewelry as you can give,” Su Ying said without any hesitation.
Prince Ma was astonished. He didn’t expect Su Ying to be so outspoken. However, this was also good. If she wanted something in return, then she would really do her best.
“Fine. As long as you can cure the Princess Consort, I will reward you with ten thousand taels of gold.”
Su Ying had no concept of how much ten thousand taels of gold was, but it sounded like a lot.
“Thank you, Your Highness. Before I start the treatment, I have a few requests.”
“Go ahead.”
“No one can be present while I am giving her treatment. Also, after the lesion is removed, the recuperation procedures must adhere strictly to my requirements. Otherwise, I won’t be responsible for any problems that may arise.”
Prince Ma was a little displeased, but he still agreed to her demands. “Alright. We’ll do as you say. If you need anything else, just tell me.”
“I need a clean room, a table for Princess Consort Ma to lie down on, and a small table for the utensils. From now on, Princess Consort Ma is not allowed to eat anything. She is not even allowed to drink water. After twenty-four hours, I will start the treatment.”
“Why can’t she eat or drink for twenty-four hours?” Sima Chen asked, puzzled.
“It’s very complicated to explain. You just need to know that if you don’t do as I say, the Princess Consort’s life will be in danger.”
Sima Chen didn’t ask any further after hearing what Su Ying said. Since he had already chosen to trust her, then he should not doubt her.
Outside Prince Ma City, the official in charge of replenishing supplies who entered the city earlier had already re-emerged, but the two little ones still did not see any sign of Su Ying after waiting for a long time.
“Father, why hasn’t Mother returned yet?”
Although older toddler Ji did not ask, his pair of big eyes kept looking in the direction of the city gate.
At this moment, Li Da ordered the entire team to prepare to set off. This time, the two toddlers became panic-stricken.