Li Jiǎo’s face was pale as paper, the bloodstains on her skirt gradually spreading outward like a fragile butterfly with broken wings. Yet she struggled to grip Prince Rui’s hand tightly, urgently pleading: “My lord, if you don’t call for my Third Sister soon, it will be too late…”

“But can she save our child?”

“My lord, Physician Li was a living immortal who could bring the dead back to life. Now that he’s gone, only my Third Sister has inherited his medical legacy…” Li Jiǎo spoke with increasing difficulty, then closed her eyes in pain, her whole body trembling.

Prince Rui suddenly remembered how Princess Zhenzhen had once developed strange sores on her face, and it was Third Miss Li who had ventured out to sea to find medicine that cured her.

The court physician in his residence had originally served in the Imperial Medical Bureau, and his medical skills were no inferior to those of imperial physicians. Now that the court physician had already determined there was no hope, summoning the imperial physicians would merely be seeking psychological comfort.

This meant that only Third Miss Li could truly save his heir.

At this thought, Prince Rui suddenly stood up: “Jiǎo, I’ll send someone to fetch your Third Sister immediately.”

Li Jiǎo barely managed to open her eyes, crystalline teardrops hanging from her eyelashes: “My lord, the previous few times we sent for Third Sister, she never came…”

Prince Rui’s expression darkened as he spoke each word deliberately: “I will personally go to request her!”

As Prince Rui’s departing footsteps grew more distant, Li Jiǎo closed her eyes and gently bit her lip, concealing the despair in her depths.

Why was she so unlucky? She had already been so careful, living in constant fear every day, afraid of being plotted against by others, yet who knew it would still come to this result?

This child certainly couldn’t be saved. She could already feel this life slowly slipping away within her body. Since that was the case, she might as well drag Third Miss Li down with her misfortune.

She was unwilling to accept this. Why should she, the legitimate daughter of the first wife, face obstacles everywhere, while a daughter born to a crude stepmother could have a splendid life?

So what if she was the wife of Marquis Guanjun? When Third Miss Li came and failed to save her child, the prince would remember this debt. When the prince ascended to the throne in the future, there would always be time for reckoning.

“Ah, it hurts so much—” Li Jiǎo finally couldn’t think anymore, clutching her abdomen and crying out in pain on the bed.

At the Li residence, when Old Madam Deng met Prince Rui in the reception hall, though she remained composed on the surface, her heart was filled with confusion.

What was a dignified prince doing at the Li residence?

When Prince Rui explained his purpose, Old Madam Deng’s expression changed.

No matter how disappointed she was with her eldest granddaughter, that child had grown up under her watch after all, and the bond between grandmother and granddaughter couldn’t be severed.

After a moment’s consideration, Old Madam Deng immediately instructed Qing Yun to fetch Qiao Zhao.

Qing Yun hurried to the west side courtyard of Yahe Courtyard. After she finished speaking, Binglu couldn’t help but purse her lips: “Why would they look for our Third Miss when there’s trouble with the pregnancy instead of finding a doctor? How absurd.”

Qiao Zhao glanced at Binglu, signaling her not to speak carelessly, then instructed A’Zhu: “Go get the medicine box.”

When leaving, Binglu still couldn’t help but quietly tug at Qiao Zhao’s sleeve: “Miss, are you going to the prince’s residence?”

“What else?” Qiao Zhao quickened her pace.

With Prince Rui personally making the request, and with a life hanging in the balance, if she stubbornly refused to go, she would earn Prince Rui’s lifelong resentment.

Even if she didn’t consider herself, she had to think of Shao Mingyuan and the Li family.

When she arrived at Prince Rui’s residence with her medicine box, the imperial physician had already examined Li Jiǎo and reached the same conclusion as the prince’s court physician.

“My lord, this is—”

Seeing Qiao Zhao hurrying into the room where Li Jiǎo was housed, the imperial physician was stunned.

“Imperial Physician, you’ve worked hard. Please go have some tea.” Prince Rui was always gentle and approachable in front of outsiders, presenting a good-natured appearance.

“Could it be that My Lord has summoned Third Miss Li for treatment? Please forgive my directness, but the concubine’s condition is truly—” The imperial physician didn’t finish his words, but felt greatly displeased in his heart.

To summon a young girl after his diagnosis was truly insulting.

At this moment, the court physician spoke up: “Third Miss Li might just be able to work miraculous healing.”

He had personally witnessed how the prince’s body, originally like withered wood, had regained vitality under Physician Li’s treatment. Not to mention receiving the divine physician’s true teachings—even just receiving the divine physician’s guidance would be a fortune that ordinary doctors could only dream of. He believed that someone favored by Physician Li was not so simple, even if she was just a young girl.

“Miraculous healing?” The imperial physician glanced at the court physician and couldn’t help but sneer coldly, “Then I’ll wait and see.”

Ever since this man left the Imperial Medical Bureau to become the prince’s court physician, he had become increasingly pretentious. He wanted to see how embarrassing it would be later.

Qiao Zhao entered with A’Zhu and Binglu. As soon as she entered the room, she smelled the thick scent of blood.

Li Jiǎo lying on the bed was deathly pale, her loose hair matted with sweat into strands, looking utterly disheveled.

Qiao Zhao approached, and Li Jiǎo suddenly opened her eyes, a flash of surprise in their depths: “You, you came…”

“Elder Sister, don’t talk. I’ll help you stop the bleeding first. Binglu, ask everyone else to leave.”

Toward someone who had been constantly scheming against her, she didn’t want to hear her voice. What if she got annoyed and made a mistake with the needle?

“Alright, didn’t you hear our miss? Hurry up and get out.” Binglu was uncompromising when it came to driving people away.

The people in the room were all infuriated.

These three masters and servants were too arrogant. They were the ones who belonged to the prince’s residence, yet when these three arrived, they wanted to drive them out.

Seeing them not moving, Binglu stuck her head out and shouted: “My lord, our miss’s medical skills cannot be shared with outsiders, but the people in the room won’t leave when asked.”

Prince Rui’s temple veins bulged: “All of you get out! If anything happens to the concubine, are you prepared to be buried with her?”

Seeing the people in the room slink out dejectedly, Binglu pursed her lips and slammed the door shut.

Half an hour later, Binglu opened the door, and A’Zhu supported Qiao Zhao as they walked out.

Prince Rui hurried forward: “Third Miss, how is she?”

“Temporarily stabilized. The patient is no longer bleeding heavily, but she still needs to take medicine to preserve the pregnancy. My lord, please have someone take my maid to write the prescription. I’ve already given her the formula.”

Prince Rui’s face lit up with wild joy: “The child is saved?”

For him, there were countless beauties, but he had only this one drop of blood. As long as this child could be saved, he would pay any price.

Qiao Zhao nodded lightly.

Prince Rui couldn’t bother with anything else and was about to rush inside when Qiao Zhao reminded him calmly: “My lord, it would be best to let her rest well.”

“I know, I know. I’ll just go in and take a look.”

Watching Prince Rui’s retreating figure, Qiao Zhao suddenly smiled: “My lord, there’s one more thing I need to tell you.”

“Speak.” His mood having suddenly returned from hell to heaven, Prince Rui’s attitude toward Qiao Zhao was exceptionally gentle.

“Just now, on my way here, I encountered two women who, judging by their dress and bearing, should be your concubines. Observing their complexion and walking posture, one of them also seems to be with child.”

“What did you say?”

Qiao Zhao smiled: “I haven’t taken her pulse, so I can’t be completely certain.”

Courtesy demands reciprocity. Since Li Jiǎo kept scheming against her at every turn, she might as well share some happy news to make everyone cheerful.