Physician Fu was urgently summoned to Prince Jin's Mansion. Fu Cheng, worried about his grandfather, had come along as a medical apprentice, carrying the heavy medicine chest on his back.
However, Qing Feng did not allow him to enter Prince Jin's quarters, insisting he wait outside the door.
At this moment, Physician Fu could not spare any thought for his grandson. He hurried inside, his steps feeling a bit weak and unsteady as he approached the bed.
"Your Highness?"
Prince Jin lay on the bed, his face a pallid, grayish white. Several meridians on his neck were distinctively dark purple, the discoloration creeping toward his jawline.
He was awake, his dark eyes brimming with suppressed pain as he stared fixedly at the top of the bed, not even blinking.
Physician Fu's heart jumped into his throat. He saw Prince Jin's hands gripping the edge of the bed so tightly that his veins bulged and his knuckles had turned white; his entire body was rigid and strained.
Prince Jin had not yet risen to dress. He wore only thin white silk inner robes, through which his tensed legs could be seen trembling slightly.
"Has the hidden ailment flared up?" Physician Fu dared not delay. He immediately flipped open the medicine chest and pulled out his silver needles.
"His Highness slept for a long time today," Qing Feng said from the side, his face filled with anxiety. "He had just woken up and hadn't even stood up yet when this happened."
"Could it be because he's been keeping vigil at the palace these past few days? Perhaps he's exhausted?"
They had tried to advise the Prince against keeping vigil for so many days, but the Retired Emperor had favored Prince Jin for many years. To see him off properly was simply his duty as a son.
Physician Fu didn't have time to answer. He pinched a silver needle, intending to strike an acupoint on Prince Jin's chest. But the moment he pulled back the silk collar, his pupils constricted and his hand began to shake.
A mass of blackness was rolling beneath the skin of Prince Jin's chest. It pushed upward until the skin looked swollen and paper-thin, rising and falling rhythmically as if a black beast were trapped beneath the surface, struggling desperately to break free of its shackles.
Wisps of this blackness crawled upward like living tentacles, snaking along Prince Jin's neck toward his face.
This dark force was pressing directly over Prince Jin's heart, making it clearly difficult for him to breathe.
Qing Feng's expression changed drastically upon seeing this.
"Physician Fu!"
Quick, save the Prince!
It was Physician Fu's first time witnessing such a bizarre affliction. Holding the silver needle, he found himself momentarily at a loss for where to strike.
"What on earth is this thing..."
He saw that Prince Jin's eyes were starting to bulge. He knew that if he didn't do something immediately, even the Prince's heartbeat would become a struggle.
Physician Fu gritted his teeth and rapidly drove the silver needle into the Tanzhong Acupoint.
His fingers felt a slight numbness. Prince Jin's body was wound so tight and his muscles were so hard that the needle almost wouldn't go in.
But once the needle was seated, the rolling black mass slowed down perceptibly.
The grip Prince Jin had on the edge of the bed loosened slightly. Physician Fu immediately signaled Qing Feng to help as he placed more needles in the Neiguan and Shenmen acupoints.
He wasn't entirely confident, but fortunately, it seemed to be having an effect.
After several needles were placed, Prince Jin's body relaxed by a few degrees. He exhaled heavily, looking like a man who had just clawed his way back from the brink of death.
Physician Fu's forehead was drenched in sweat.
Seeing Prince Jin's lips move, he asked urgently, "Your Highness, could we please invite Second Miss Lu here?"
He didn't know if such a strange ailment should be exposed before Lu Zhaoling, but he truly had no confidence that he could save Prince Jin on his own.
"Perhaps the Second Miss will have a way!" he added.
Prince Jin finally managed to find his voice, though it was hoarse. "Go... fetch her."
The moment he had collapsed earlier, he had wanted to tell Qing Feng to get Lu Zhaoling, but Qing Feng hadn't understood his meaning and had gone straight for Physician Fu instead.
Qing Feng was still a bit confused. Was Second Miss Lu a doctor? Was her medical skill even greater than Physician Fu's?
Even so, he didn't dare to linger and immediately dispatched someone to fetch Lu Zhaoling.
When the Prince's Mansion carriage arrived at the gates of the Lu residence, Lu Ming was in the front courtyard looking at the three Qiangong lanterns.
Even though they were white funeral lanterns, he was still considering whether to invite a few colleagues over as guests just so they could see them.
Some of those petty colleagues had been speaking to him with biting sarcasm lately, saying his daughter had beaten the son of Marquis Qingfu. They claimed that once the Retired Emperor's funeral rites were over, Heir Zhu would certainly settle the score with him.
He would invite those people over and let them see for themselves the Marquis had even sent him Qiangong lanterns!
Besides, the Lu family had never had anything worth flaunting. Now that they had these Qiangong lanterns, shouldn't he show off just a little?
"This craftsmanship is truly exquisite."
Lu Ming looked at the lanterns, praising them from time to time.
When the candles were lit at night, the patterns were revealed, creating complex and magnificent shadows. He had stood there for a long while the previous night just watching them.
"Master, someone from Prince Jin's Mansion has arrived. They say the Prince is requesting the Second Miss's presence immediately," the gatekeeper hurried over to report.
Lu Ming turned around just as the guard from the Prince's Mansion followed the gatekeeper into the yard.
"Greetings, Lord Lu. His Highness has an urgent matter. There can be no delay."
The guard's posture was so aggressive it seemed that if Lu Ming said one more word, he would charge into the back courtyard himself to find Lu Zhaoling.
Lu Ming felt a prickle of discomfort. Am I not technically Prince Jin's future father-in-law? Why are the mansion guards so overbearing? Do they have no respect?
However, he didn't dare let it show on his face. He quickly summoned a servant. "Quickly, go invite the Second Miss."
While the servant went to get her, he turned to the guard. "I wonder what urgent matter the Prince has? My daughter was raised in the countryside and knows nothing. Can she really be of any help? Or perhaps His Highness intends to reprimand her? She has caused quite a bit of trouble these past few days; is the Prince angry?"
The guard was named Qing Lin.
He had been by Prince Jin's side on the day of his return to the capital, so he had naturally seen Lu Zhaoling before.
Hearing Lu Ming, the girl's biological father, immediately claim she knew nothing and had caused trouble, a look of mockery crossed his face.
"I have no comment."
From what he had seen, did Second Miss Lu look like someone who needed to be hauled away for a reprimand?
Lu Ming's irritation grew. Even a mere guard from the Prince's Mansion is this arrogant. How annoying.
He felt he needed to quickly finalize the marriage between Zhaoyun and the Second Prince. Only the Second Prince could raise his status significantly in one fell swoop.
Prince Jin clearly didn't truly value Lu Zhaoling as a future Consort; otherwise, his subordinates wouldn't be so rude to him.
Lu Zhaoling came out, followed by Qingyin and Qingbao.
"Greetings, Second Miss. His Highness has an urgent matter and requests your presence at the mansion," Qing Lin said. His attitude shifted instantly to one of deep respect, causing Lu Ming to roll his eyes at the sky.
"Let's go," Lu Zhaoling said without a second thought, heading straight for the door.
"Zhaoling!" Lu Ming called out to her. When she turned to look back, he forced a kindly smile. "Do not be rude before the Prince. Come back early."
This rebellious girl... she didn't even greet me or pay her respects when she came out. Does she even see me as her father?
Lu Zhaoling's gaze swept across his face before lingering on the three lanterns. Her eyes held a deep, inscrutable meaning.
"Lord Lu should just worry about minding himself."
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