Ye Qianning also leaned in for a closer look. Lying on the bed was a little girl, no more than six or seven years old. Her cheeks were flushed red, and her mouth was covered in fever blisters. Fourth Granny lifted her clothes, revealing a body covered in red pustules. Some had been scratched open, and pus stained her clothes.
Fourth Granny was shocked at the sight. She had seen rashes before, but never one that tormented a child so severely.
"Fourth Granny, look at her back," Ye Qianning said.
Fourth Granny gently turned the little Commandery Princess over. One side of her back was covered in a large patch of red rash, but there were no pustules.
Ye Qianning found it strange. 'A girl her age shouldn't have something like a spider rash. Spider rashes mostly affect adults. Some of the marks on her body resemble a spider rash, but others look like a different kind of rash altogether.'
"Well? Can you treat it?" the Princess Consort asked anxiously.
Beads of sweat dripped from Fourth Granny's forehead. 'Treat it? How am I supposed to treat this? This is no ordinary rash. I've never even seen anything like it.'
"It can be treated. Prepare hot water, silver needles, alcohol, ink, and a writing brush," Ye Qianning said.
Fourth Granny froze and turned to look at her.
The Princess Consort's heart was burning with anxiety. Hearing that it was treatable, she didn't care about anything else. "Quickly, go and prepare everything!"
Several maids hurried out of the room to make the preparations.
"Mama… I'm itchy, it's so itchy…" the Commandery Princess continued to cry restlessly.
The Princess Consort couldn't hold back her tears. She sat on the edge of the bed, stroking the little Commandery Princess's head to soothe her. "Be good, Xiang'er. The doctor said she can treat it. Soon, you won't be in pain or itchy anymore."
"Princess Consort, the medicine is here." A maid walked in, carrying a bowl of freshly brewed medicine.
"Doctor, this is the medicine prescribed by the Imperial Physician. Should she take it?" the Princess Consort asked.
Fourth Granny knew nothing about medicine, so she had no idea if it was safe to take. But since she was here, she had to keep up the act.
"Does drinking it relieve the symptoms?" she asked, mimicking the tone of the old village doctor when he treated patients.
"It only helps for a short while, and then the itching starts again. The Imperial Physician said it's just a common rash, but she's been drinking the medicine for seven or eight days now, and the rash on her body is only getting worse," the Princess Consort lamented through her tears.
"Bring the medicine here and let me see."
The maid handed her the medicinal soup.
Fourth Granny took the bowl and, looking the part, brought it to her nose to sniff. This medicine was brewed better than hers, and the smell wasn't as pungent.
Ye Qianning smelled the strong medicinal aroma and immediately knew what herbs were in the soup. The little Commandery Princess had two different types of rashes, and the medications for each were almost completely at odds with one another.
'Although the Imperial Physician's prescription can alleviate some symptoms, it makes the other rash erupt even more violently. Therefore, her rashes must be treated entirely externally, with minimal internal medicine.'
"Don't give her any more of this medicine for now." Fourth Granny handed the bowl back to the maid, thinking to herself, 'If it's only getting worse, then it's obviously not working.'
Hearing this, Ye Qianning couldn't help but be impressed. 'Fourth Granny is really reliable when it counts. Her hands are sweating from nervousness, but her voice doesn't falter in the slightest.'
"Princess Consort, everything the doctor asked for has been prepared." The maids came in one after another.
Ye Qianning walked over to look at the row of items. They were acceptable. She then said, "Your Highness, the Princess Consort, Fourth Granny needs quiet to perform the acupuncture."
"Please proceed with the treatment, Doctor. I promise I won't disturb you," the Princess Consort said, still worried.
"If the Princess Consort is present, Fourth Granny will be nervous. And when she gets nervous, her hand won't be steady."
"Yes, yes! This is the first time an old woman like me has ever met a Princess Consort. When Your Highness looks at me, I get so nervous I can't even hold a needle properly," Fourth Granny chimed in. She was genuinely nervous.
Hearing this, a maid supported the Princess Consort and advised, "Princess Consort, perhaps we should wait outside. You might not be able to bear watching the doctor perform the acupuncture."