Chapter 236: Chapter 142: It’s Time to Go Back and See the Two Aunties

Passersby saw Lu Yuan take down the imperial notice and stopped in their tracks to form a crowd.

When the guards at the Imperial Capital City Gate saw someone take the notice, they recovered from their initial surprise, dispersed the crowd, and stopped Lu Yuan.

"Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Taking down an imperial notice is no trivial matter. Come with us." The guard looked at the scholarly man before him, unconvinced that his medical skills could surpass those of the Imperial Physicians in the city.

But this man had dared to take down the notice. What if he actually had some skill?

After all, in the medical profession, the older you were, the more respected you became. Medical expertise was forged through decades of experience.

The guard wasn’t a fool. He wouldn’t show the slightest hint of disapproval until he knew what this person was truly capable of.

"Lead the way." Lu Yuan couldn’t be bothered to argue with them.

He had taken the notice, so he would just do what it demanded.

Before the guard could even bring Lu Yuan to his superior, a Jinyi Guard had already reported the matter to the Emperor.

"Reporting to His Majesty the Emperor, someone took down the imperial notice ten minutes ago. He is currently being escorted to the Shuntian Prefecture by the city gate guards," a Jinyi Guard announced.

"Go! Bring him directly to the imperial study!" The Emperor’s hand trembled, unable to hide his excitement.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Before Lu Yuan even reached the Shuntian Prefecture, he was intercepted and led away by a group of Jinyi Guards.

On the way, Lu Yuan could sense that one of the Jinyi Guards was the same stranger who had been loitering around his residence a few days ago.

This confirmed Lu Yuan’s earlier suspicion: he was being watched by the Emperor’s Jinyi Guard.

「Inside the imperial study.」

Lu Yuan had just performed a ninety-degree bow with clasped hands and hadn’t even opened his mouth to speak.

The Emperor spoke first. "Why would a mere Seventh Grade County Magistrate from Taiping City come to the Imperial Capital?"

His words were laced with imperial authority and a hint of accusation.

"Your Majesty," Lu Yuan began, "before leaving Taiping City, I ensured all official business was concluded and arranged for a handover with my subordinates. No duties were neglected."

Lu Yuan spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly. He knew exactly what was going on.

’The moment I took down that notice, the Jinyi Guard must have dug up every last detail about me.’

Lu Yuan looked at the text floating above the Emperor’s head: [Multiplication Factor: 3].

’Heh, this Emperor’s Multiplication Factor is so low,’ Lu Yuan mused to himself.

Still, the Emperor was quite dignified, possessing a true imperial aura without a trace of vulgarity.

Who would have thought that this Emperor had started his rise to power from nothing but a beggar’s bowl?

The Emperor subjected him to a series of questions, all of which Lu Yuan answered truthfully.

Afterward, the Emperor led Lu Yuan to see his Empress. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The Emperor entered the Empress’s chambers, while Lu Yuan waited outside the door.

No matter how the Emperor tried to persuade her, the Empress still refused to see any physician.

Seeing that he hadn’t been summoned inside after so long, Lu Yuan naturally understood the reason.

He took the initiative and spoke up, "I, the Seventh Grade County Magistrate of Taiping City, have come to diagnose the Empress. Her Majesty is a mother to the world; for the sake of the nation, her health is paramount. A healthy Empress is the wish of all your subjects, and I can guarantee Her Majesty a long and prosperous life."

The Empress heard the voice from outside. Coupled with the Emperor’s persistent pleading over the past several days, she decided to relent.

"Let him come in," the Empress said weakly, lying on her side and staring at the ceiling.

Lu Yuan walked over and looked at Empress Ma.

Empress Ma was dignified and beautiful, with long, elegant hair.

Although she was already fifty, time seemed to have left no trace on her.

’The wealthy take care of themselves in any era.’

Her looks and figure were impeccably maintained, and combined with her natural scholarly grace, she was deeply loved by the Emperor.

Even while ill, the Empress’s appearance was still neat and graceful; only her eyes had lost a bit of their vitality.

Lu Yuan went through the traditional diagnostic procedures of observation, listening, questioning, and palpation, and soon had a clear understanding of Empress Ma’s illness.

Lu Yuan gave his diagnosis on the spot.

"The Empress has a bacterial infection that has caused stomach inflammation. This type of gastrointestinal illness can also cause headaches, often concentrated in the forehead and around the eyes."

Hearing Lu Yuan’s words, the Empress nodded slightly in agreement.

The Emperor didn’t understand what "bacteria" were. "Bacteria? How do we eliminate them?"

This disease wasn’t frightening. To Lu Yuan, her current symptoms were completely treatable.

’As for why Empress Ma eventually died of this illness in history, it was probably because she refused diagnosis by the Imperial Physicians, allowing a common ailment to develop unchecked until it was irreversible.’

Physicians of this era were afraid of losing their heads, so naturally, none would dare to offer a diagnosis unprompted.

Lu Yuan respectfully said to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, for this illness, we must first change her diet; she should only have liquids today. Second, her stress must be minimized and she must rest. Then, I will brew an herbal medicine for her to take for seven days, after which her condition should improve significantly."

"Finally, she will need acupressure massage on certain parts of her body."

The Emperor listened and asked, "How is it done?"

Lu Yuan stood up, clasped his hands, and said, "The massage needs to be applied to the Guanyuan, Hegu, and Zusanli acupoints, as well as the lower abdomen and abdominal muscle area."

The Emperor naturally didn’t understand any of this. "You perform the massage on the Empress and teach me how to do it."

Lu Yuan immediately protested, "To touch the Empress’s person would violate the propriety between ruler and subject. I dare not!"

"You are absolved of any crime!" The Emperor was not one to be bound by such formalities.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan began demonstrating the technique for each acupoint to the Emperor.

After Lu Yuan’s treatment, much of the color returned to Empress Ma’s face.

Seeing this, the Emperor was delighted and immediately decided to reward Lu Yuan.

"What reward do you desire?" the Emperor asked, sitting by the bed and holding Empress Ma’s hand as he looked at Lu Yuan.

"I desire nothing, Your Majesty. I only wish for the Empress’s swift recovery!" Lu Yuan said respectfully.

"This..." The Emperor was at a loss for words. He couldn’t figure out the man standing before him.

’He seeks neither fame nor fortune, so why did he take the notice to treat her? Is it really as simple as just wanting to cure an illness?’

The Emperor was highly suspicious but didn’t show it. He simply had a nearby eunuch escort Lu Yuan out.

On his way out, Lu Yuan let out a long, deep breath. ’That should be the end of it.’

Fortunately, it had been a close call but without any real danger. Just as he had guessed, Empress Ma’s illness was not some rare or complicated disease.

Lu Yuan had to admit that he had taken a gamble this time.

Lu Yuan thought that in the future, especially within the Imperial City, he had to stay away from gambling. After all, you can’t always make the right bet!

’One small misstep and my life could have been on the line!’

System Reward: 10 sets of Golden Soft Armor, 100,000 taels of silver!

’What? What kind of reward is this?’

On the way back, Lu Yuan suddenly heard the system’s broadcast. ’Could this be the reward for completing the Emperor’s task?’

’Is a [Multiplication Factor: 3] already giving out this much stuff?’

None of these items were particularly valuable to Lu Yuan, though the Golden Soft Armor was somewhat eye-catching.

As for the 100,000 taels of silver, that would only have been useful when he was dirt poor.

The current Lu Yuan naturally didn’t care about this silver. He’d just toss it in the System Space to gather dust.

When he had married Su Liyan, the system had also rewarded him with silver, but back then, what Lu Yuan needed most was startup capital.

To Lu Yuan, his Fairy, Su Liyan, was herself worth more than any countless fortune. Material possessions couldn’t compare.

Lu Yuan stopped thinking about the system reward.

He thought about his past few days in the Imperial Capital. He had brought his mother-in-law here, and it seemed like everything he needed to do was now done.

Lu Yuan was already starting to calculate when he should return to Taiping City to see his two "aunts."

During his days away, even though he had a mobile phone to contact them anytime, anywhere...

...it did little to extinguish the fire of longing in his two aunts, especially Song Meiqin, who was eagerly awaiting his return.

Song Meiqin had shouted over the phone that she had gotten her body into prime condition and was just sticking her big ass out, waiting for Lu Yuan to come back and plant his seed.

Lu Yuan had it much better than his two aunts; after all, he still had Su Liyan by his side.

But as for the two aunts back in Taiping City, once a flower has bloomed, it’s impossible for it to close its petals again.

’Alright!’

’That settles it. Once the Empress’s condition improves, I’ll bid farewell to the Emperor and the Crown Prince of Yan.’

’I’ve been away for too long. It’s time to go back and see my two aunts.’