Feng Li sat up, rolling up his sleeves, and started clawing at his arms.

His two sturdy, fair arms were now covered in a large expanse of redness, with streaks of raw, bloody scratch marks.

“Quickly, go take a look at him!” Han Ying flung the bed curtain aside and turned to leave.

He Zhongnan stood up and rushed over in a hurry.

“Prince Ye, what is…” He hastily lifted the bed curtain, hung it up, and knelt beside the bed.

“General He, the affliction Prince Ye suffers from can spread from person to person. Please leave at once!” the imperial physician stammered.

“Get out!” Feng Li frowned and swept his sleeve.

But He Zhongnan did not leave. He remained kneeling upright in place.

“Prince Ye, this lowly one did not know it was this serious. This lowly one is at fault!”

He Zhongnan turned back and looked at the physician. “Physician, why aren’t you hurrying over to examine him?”

“If something happens to Prince Ye, can you bear the responsibility?”

The physician looked at He Zhongnan, then at Han Ying.

“Consort Ye, perhaps… we should discuss this outside?”

“This lowly one already has a method of treatment, but no one should approach this chamber right now, just in case.”

When He Zhongnan turned back, he saw that Feng Li had nearly scratched his arm raw.

He stood up at once and said, “Let’s go, we’ll discuss it outside. We need to prepare the medicine for Prince Ye quickly.”

“Yes, yes.” The physician nodded timidly.

Han Ying glanced once more at Feng Li, then turned and strode out.

“There’s a way. Hurry and write the prescription for the prince. If there’s any delay, all of you will lose your heads!”

He Zhongnan watched everyone leave, then turned to pour Feng Li a cup of tea.

Han Ying reached the door and heard a loud “bang.”

When she turned around, she saw He Zhongnan had fallen to the floor.

“Get lost!” Feng Li shouted angrily.

The physician also stopped in his tracks.

Han Ying suddenly strode back.

She came to the bedside, sat down, took hold of Feng Li’s arm, and pulled up his sleeve.

Feng Li wrenched his arm away with force, pulling his hand back.

“Get lost!” he spat out, seemingly in pain.

Han Ying stood up and kicked the edge of the bed hard.

“Was it to avoid me that you deliberately infected yourself with this illness?”

Feng Li kept clawing at his hands and body, his expression full of anguish, paying no mind to anyone or anything said to him.

He Zhongnan crawled up and knelt before Han Ying.

“Consort Ye, this lowly one begs you to save Prince Ye. He’s had this happen before.”

“At that time, Prince Ye scratched himself until he was covered in blood. Consort Ye, please, let the physician save him first.”

He Zhongnan kowtowed on the ground, his voice ringing out loudly.

The physician hastily stepped back and also knelt down.

“Consort Ye, this lowly one knows how to treat him. Please allow this lowly one to go prepare the prescription first. If this continues, Prince Ye will hurt himself.”

“This lowly one also begs Consort Ye to leave this bedchamber first, to avoid being infected.”

Han Ying let out a cold snort, stood up, and truly left.

“You get out too!” Feng Li swept a glance at the remaining He Zhongnan. “Hurry and bring some medicine in for this prince.”

“Yes, yes.” He Zhongnan cupped his hands, stood up, and turned to leave.

The physician prepared a prescription for Feng Li, and the medicine was brewed at the fastest possible speed.

In the end, Han Ying did not stay behind. She only left He Zhongnan with one sentence before leaving.

“Take good care of Prince Ye. If anything happens to him, you alone will answer for it!”

Han Ying left with her own people, leaving the physician behind.

The Swallow Residence finally returned to calm…

In the days that followed, Feng Jiu’er did not go to the Ye Manor again, nor did she send anyone to inquire about matters there.

Instead, she would occasionally go into the palace to gather news from within.

One day, someone came to the wellness hall, claiming to be from the harem and wanting to see Feng Jiu’er.

Feng Jiu’er did not refuse, and followed the messenger alone into the palace.

She hadn’t expected that the person who wanted to see her would be the Empress.

“Empress.” Feng Jiu’er knelt in the hall.

The Empress waved her hand. “All of you, leave.”

“Yes.” The maids and the old matron bowed their heads and left.

The Empress raised her hand and removed the gauze covering her face.

Feng Jiu’er looked at her face and frowned. “Empress, what happened to your face?”

The condition was, surprisingly, exactly the same as Noble Consort Ya’s.

“Come here and take a look for me.” The Empress beckoned with her hand.

“Yes.” Feng Jiu’er nodded, stood up, and walked over.

She knelt beside the Empress and carefully examined her face.

“Empress, this is an allergic reaction to medicinal powder. It’s not too serious. It will surely clear up within seven days.”

The Empress did not seem surprised by Feng Jiu’er’s words, and asked softly, “A while ago, did Noble Consort Ya also have the same condition?”

Feng Jiu’er withdrew her outstretched hand and knelt to the side.

“Empress, this lowly one has her own principles when treating people. We agreed to keep our clients’ matters confidential, so this cannot be said!”

“This lowly one hopes the Empress can understand!”

“Mm.” The Empress nodded and waved her hand. “Just see to the treatment then. Whatever reward is due, this palace will not shortchange you by a single coin.”

“Yes.” Feng Jiu’er nodded.

Feng Jiu’er got into the carriage that had brought her in and left the palace.

Soon after, she brought along Xiao Yingtao, Qiao Mu, and Jian Yi, driving her own family’s carriage into the palace.

The Empress was different from Noble Consort Ya — her bearing and conduct were far more dignified and composed than the Noble Consort’s.

This was the conclusion Feng Jiu’er reached after treating the Empress for over two hours.

During that entire time, the Empress had barely spoken a word.

Once the treatment was finished, Feng Jiu’er and an old matron each supported the Empress from either side.

“Empress, your face looks much better now,” the old matron said with a delighted expression.

The Empress touched her face, her emotions showing little change.

“It does feel more comfortable. Go see Miss Feng and the others out.”

“Miss Feng, how long will each day’s treatment take? This palace will have someone bring you in.”

Feng Jiu’er bowed slightly and replied, “For the next six days, half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the afternoon will suffice.”

“If the Empress has no other instructions, this lowly one will take her leave now.”

“Very well!” The Empress waved her hand. “Arrange the timing with the old matron, and try not to delay your work too much.”

“Thank you for the Empress’s consideration!” Feng Jiu’er bowed once more, stepped back a few paces, and turned to leave.

She left the bedchamber, taking with her the two who had been tidying the medicinal herbs in the hall.

Over the following days, Feng Jiu’er, along with Qiao Mu and Xiao Yingtao, went into the palace every day.

Besides the appointed time with the Empress, they also did not neglect Noble Consort Ya’s requests.

Noble Consort Ya’s days seemed to grow better and more comfortable by the day.

As for the Empress, she remained gloomy and despondent day after day, with her condition liable to flare up at any time.

Feng Jiu’er could heal her face, but not her heart.

Moreover, when it came to matters unrelated to herself, Feng Jiu’er would not ask a single extra question.

On the seventh day, the Empress’s face had fully healed, her complexion even better than before.

Feng Jiu’er had packed up her things and was about to leave when the Empress suddenly called her to stop.

“Miss Feng, could you do one more thing for this palace?”