Good heavens, Emperor Ping Zhao's sudden sitting up was as terrifying to those around him as a dying man suddenly jolting awake. The imperial physician was so startled he fell to the ground, having a momentary delusion of resurrection.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu Tao, standing nearby, was completely bewildered.
Especially after hearing his father's words.
His mood plummeted instantly into an abyss. He didn't know whether to describe his feelings as surprise and regret, or fear and worry; in any case, his emotions were extremely complex.
At this very moment...
He wished he could strangle himself from a few minutes ago. If he had known the Eldest Princess had the ability to cure Emperor Ping Zhao.
He would have died before letting her in.
However, the First Prince, the Fourth Prince, and others, amidst their shock, felt a sense of relief. If their father was fine, then their previous worries would naturally be resolved. They just didn't know if this was a last burst of vitality or a genuine recovery.
They also didn't know how long this recovery would last.
If Emperor Ping Zhao couldn't outlast the Crown Prince, then they might still face retaliation from the Crown Prince. The thought of this caused the slight joy that the First and Fourth Princes had managed to muster to be once again overshadowed by worry.
However, it wasn't appropriate to show it at this moment.
So, they could only offer their congratulations on Emperor Ping Zhao's recovery first.
After they finished their congratulations, Zhang Yu Tao finally managed to compose himself, forcing a smile onto his somewhat contorted face, and congratulated his father on his recovery. The eunuchs, palace maids, imperial physicians, and others, all chimed in with their felicitations on His Majesty's improved health.
After their performance, Ding Yun calmly took Emperor Ping Zhao's hand and explained with a smile:
"It's not some miracle elixir, just some pills I refined myself. I hope Father won't blame me for acting on my own initiative. I didn't expect these pills to actually be useful. If I had known earlier.
I certainly wouldn't have waited until now to give Father the medicine.
Instead, I've let Father suffer for so long."
"Pills you refined yourself?
Big Sister, when did you learn medicine? If your medical skills are so profound, why didn't you treat Father sooner.
Did you intentionally wait until Father was critically ill, so ill that he was beyond help, before unhurriedly coming here to save Father's life as a savior, so that Father would be eternally grateful to you? If so, your intentions are truly wicked.
Father, Big Sister she..."
Zhang Yu Tao was so enraged that he directly found fault, not considering the excitement of a person brought back from the brink of death. Before he could finish speaking, Emperor Ping Zhao interrupted him with a stern reprimand:
"Shut up. Do you think I couldn't hear what was happening outside just because I was gravely ill? Do you not know what happened? You sealed the palace gates, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving.
It wasn't easy for Luan'er to get in.
Fortunately, Luan'er is decisive and remembered the imperial decree I bestowed upon her years ago. She used the decree to enter and bring me medicine, otherwise, you would have significantly delayed me.
And you have the audacity to reprimand Luan'er.
I think you're impatient to see me dead!"
With Emperor Ping Zhao saying as much, Zhang Yu Tao dared not argue further. He could only quickly kneel and kowtow, stating that he absolutely had no such intentions.
And begged his father not to wrongly accuse him.
Of course, the main reason he was so obedient was that he hadn't expected things to change like this.
So he was completely unprepared. If he had been prepared earlier, he might have chosen to directly assassinate the emperor, but now, he had no preparations at all.
Therefore, he could only grit his teeth and endure for now.
He refused to believe that his so-called Eldest Sister truly possessed any miracle elixir. It was probably just a final burst of energy. He could tolerate it a little longer. He had already endured for so many years, what was a little longer?
Ding Yun didn't expect to defeat her second brother with just this much, so she deliberately said:
"Father, please don't blame Second Brother too harshly.
Speaking of which, I didn't know if my medicine would work for Father, so how could he know? I only entered the palace with the imperial decree this time because something miraculous happened to me. I thought, might as well try to save Father as a last resort, take a gamble, and see if I could save Father. If I couldn't, I would have gone with Father. Fortunately, Father has heaven's protection.
This is truly a blessing for our Great Zhang."
With these few words, Ding Yun not only outwardly pleaded for her brother but also subtly conveyed how dangerous it was for her to administer the medicine to him.
It was only fortunate that it worked; if it hadn't.
She would have definitely died with him.
As expected, with Ding Yun's words, Emperor Ping Zhao was even more touched. What a good daughter! Indeed, his years of affection were not in vain. If it were any of those other brats, they probably would have hidden away somewhere.
However, after a moment of emotion, Emperor Ping Zhao finally grasped the other implications in Ding Yun's words. Knowing that his daughter loved to show off and wait for others to ask, he deliberately played along and asked:
"Luan'er, you said something miraculous happened to you. What exactly was it? And who taught you such excellent medical skills? Do you have a teacher? It's such a shame you're not in the Imperial Hospital."
"Has Father not noticed anything?
Do I not seem any different from before?"
Because the original host had a personality that liked to show off, she would specifically go sigh and lament beside others, waiting for them to ask before speaking.
So Ding Yun found it difficult to speak directly and could only imitate the original host's demeanor, waiting for her father to ask.
Emperor Ping Zhao was already accustomed to his daughter's personality.
Thus, he naturally followed Ding Yun's lead, examining her carefully from head to toe, and then said with surprise, "You look much younger."
"Father, you indeed have good eyesight. I have indeed become much younger, and it's not a youthfulness concealed by makeup, but a true youthfulness. Look at the wrinkles at the corners of my eyes; they are almost gone now.
This is the miraculous change I spoke of.
As for the specific reasons and when I learned medicine.
Let me tell you slowly.
It was the year my mother passed away. That year, I privately thought that if there had been a more skilled physician, my mother might not have died. I also worried that if I were to become pregnant later, I might be harmed and lose my life, and so on.
So I privately studied some medicine. I collected many medical books from the palace and from common folk. However, I rarely treated others.
At most, I treated myself.
So I didn't know the level of my medical skills, and naturally, I wouldn't casually show off. And with so many imperial physicians in the palace, this amateur physician of mine had no confidence to compare myself to those imperial physicians, which is why I didn't treat Father. If I had known this would happen, I would have treated you, Father!"
At this point, Ding Yun deliberately paused.