The summer days dawned early.
Seeing the sky turning pale, Xiao Yun scrambled out of bed and headed to the palace.
Wang Qingyao, disturbed by his movement, found herself unable to fall back asleep. Yin Zhu and the other maids helped her rise.
Now "blind," she lived a life of being waited on hand and foot.
Whenever she intended to do something herself, Yin Zhu and the others would preempt her.
Huang Shiyu, fearing she would be bored, came daily to read to her.
Bian Siyue, in her efforts to cure Wang Qingyao's eyes, had returned to medical texts she had long abandoned.
The thought of Bian Siyue recently researching acupuncture sent shivers down Wang Qingyao's spine.
Wang Qingzhen and Wang Qingzhu had visited her immediately upon hearing of her misfortune, both struggling to believe it.
Wang Qingzhen, in particular, had red eyes.
In her eyes, Wang Qingyao had always been an invincible presence, a strong pillar she could rely on without worry.
Her blindness, in Wang Qingzhen's view, was akin to the sky falling; she could do nothing. Moreover, Wang Qingyao was the Consort of Prince Ding'an.
How could a blind consort maintain her position?
Wang Qingzhen wept inconsolably, as if she were the one who had lost her sight.
Wang Qingyao comforted her for a long time, but she still had tears welling up.
Wang Qingzhu, however, had more faith in Wang Qingyao.
She said, "Eldest Sister, you are blessed by heaven. Even without sight, Prince Ding'an will still cherish you. Third Sister, you need not worry excessively."
Wang Qingzhen mistook her words for sarcasm and shot her several glares.
From the Wang family, Bai Junya and Madam Gu had also visited.
Bai Junya was already six or seven months pregnant, her belly large.
Wang Qingyao could tell at a glance that she was carrying a boy.
Wang Qingyao asked a few questions with a smile. Bai Junya's voice choked, and she held Wang Qingyao's hand, unable to speak for a long time.
Alas, everyone seemed to pity her.
Madam Gu had no deep affection for Wang Qingyao; her visit was purely out of politeness. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wang Qingyao saw them out.
Fang Yuan also came and cried.
Zuo Yun and Feng Jiangduo were more pragmatic, both diligently searching for renowned physicians among the common folk for her.
Having caused so many friends to feel sorrow and concern, Wang Qingyao felt a twinge of guilt.
After finishing her breakfast and listening to Huang Shiyu read a collection of strange tales, a maid announced that Madam Tian sought an audience.
Wang Qingyao's first thought was that Madam Tian was Tian Yu's mother.
She wondered why Madam Tian, with whom she had had little contact for a long time, would visit now. Was she here to mock her?
After all, several rather unpleasant incidents had occurred between Wang Qingyao and Madam Tian.
As it turned out, it was Bai Junchun who arrived.
Tian Yu had been transferred back to Duanjing, and Bai Junchun had naturally returned with him.
Wang Qingyao hadn't expected her to come to see her.
"I spent several years in Yunnan and Guizhou and heard of a divine physician in Yunzhou. However, this physician had no fixed abode and his whereabouts were unknown; few had ever seen his true face. If the Consort could find him, perhaps he could cure your eyes."
Wang Qingyao was slightly surprised. She had assumed Bai Junchun was here to reminisce, not realizing she also cared about her eyes.
However, since she was feigning blindness, she didn't display much excitement. She merely replied perfunctorily, "Really? I will have the Prince send people to search for the divine physician you mentioned."
Bai Junchun thought Wang Qingyao had seen too many doctors without success and had grown disheartened, paying little attention to her words.
She then said urgently, "Consort, this divine physician is truly remarkable. There are many legends about him in Yunzhou. Consort, please do not give up. He is truly amazing. It's always worth a try..."
Wang Qingyao's heart stirred. A divine physician?
"What kind of divine physician is he?" she asked. "Can you tell me some of his deeds?"
Bai Junchun was taken aback. Wang Qingyao's demeanor was so different, and she seemed eager to hear gossip, as if she were holding a bag of melon seeds.
She racked her brain, then stammered, "There aren't many specific stories... I only heard that he can cure any illness, and even bring the dead back to life..."
Wang Qingyao chuckled. That sounded a bit exaggerated.
Still, legends often had a basis in truth.
Wang Qingyao suddenly wondered if this divine physician could concoct an antidote for the Green Demon.
"What does this divine physician look like?"
Bai Junchun showed a look of guilt. "I'm not sure. I only know he's around forty or fifty years old and has a goatee. I don't know anything else."
"It's alright," Wang Qingyao reassured her. "I will have the Prince investigate."
Bai Junchun nodded, then remembered Wang Qingyao couldn't see and said "Mm" again.
Wang Qingyao then inquired about her children, and Bai Junchun's face lit up with a gentle smile. "My eldest daughter is three years old, and my son is only ten months."
Ten months old meant they were about the same age as Wang Qingyao's twins.
Once mothers start talking about their children, they have an endless supply of topics.
Wang Qingyao and Bai Junchun chatted for a long time before Bai Junchun reluctantly took her leave.
As soon as Bai Junchun departed, Bian Siyue arrived, carrying a basin of something dark and unidentifiable, her face beaming.
"Consort, Consort, this is a miraculous medicine I concocted according to an ancient text. If you apply it continuously for a month, your eyes will be restored."
Wang Qingyao looked at the dark, lumpy substance and recoiled several steps in alarm. "What miraculous medicine? Don't mess around."
"I'm not messing around, Consort. I'm telling you, this ancient text was left to me by my master, and my master is a divine physician..."
This was the second time Wang Qingyao had heard the title "divine physician" today.
Were divine physicians appearing in droves these days?
"How did your master become a divine physician?"
Wang Qingyao asked Zhi Zi to take the basin from Bian Siyue's hands. Bian Siyue pouted, trying hard to prove that her master was indeed a divine physician and that the ancient texts he left behind were useful.
"My master, oh, he was incredibly skilled. He could even bring the dead back to life. Once, a person was on their last breath and was brought to my master. My master saved him with just one dose of medicine."
Wang Qingyao suddenly recalled that the first time she heard about the Green Demon was from Bian Siyue, who said she heard it from her master.