The room was completely silent. The Princess Consort wanted to push the door open several times, but she was afraid of disturbing the doctor. After an agonizing wait of over two hours, the door finally opened.
"Doctor, how is she?" the Princess Consort asked urgently.
"The numerous pustules on the young Commandery Princess's body have been treated. Now, as long as we gather the herbs on this prescription and apply them for a few days, the rash will scab over," Fourth Granny said, her tone as steady as an experienced doctor's as she handed over the crookedly written prescription.
A look of joy spread across the Princess Consort's face. "Quick, send someone to buy the medicine."
A maidservant took the prescription, turned, and quickly departed.
The Princess Consort walked to the bedside and gently stroked the young Commandery Princess's forehead. "Xiang'er."
The young Commandery Princess's eyes remained tightly shut.
The Princess Consort's hand froze. "Doctor, what is happening?"
"Please do not panic, Your Highness," Fourth Granny said. "Lancing the pustules with a silver needle is extremely painful. I was worried the young Commandery Princess wouldn't be able to bear it, so I put her to sleep for a while. She will wake up in an hour or so."
The Princess Consort breathed a sigh of relief and stood up. "Doctor, please stay here in the Prince Mansion for the next few days. Once my daughter's strange rash has completely healed, the Prince will be sure to reward you generously."
This was exactly what Ye Qianning wanted, but Fourth Granny grew anxious.
"Stay in the Prince Mansion? Oh, we can't do that…"
"And why not?" Seeing her refuse, the Princess Consort grew wary.
"Your Highness, it is not that we are unwilling," Fourth Granny said, looking troubled. "It's just that my granddaughter and I have come to the Capital City to find our relatives. The authorities told us to wait at our inn for news. If we stay in the Prince Mansion, our family won't be able to find us, and we'll be separated again."
"I see. You needn't worry about that," the Princess Consort said, waving a hand at a maidservant. "I will send someone to the inn to leave a message. Your relatives can simply come to the Changyang Prince Mansion to find you."
The maidservant understood immediately. "I will go at once."
"But…"
The Princess Consort cut off Fourth Granny's protest. "Doctor, please do not refuse. My daughter is tormented by this strange rash. If her condition changes when she awakens, we will need you here to look after her."
Now that it had come to this, Fourth Granny had no choice but to stay at the Prince Mansion, however reluctant she might be.
A maidservant led them to a guest room and repeatedly instructed them that someone would summon them if the young Commandery Princess felt unwell. Otherwise, they were to remain obediently in their room and not wander about the Prince Mansion.
Fourth Granny watched the maidservant walk away, her face etched with worry. "Now we're basically confined to the Prince Mansion."
"They won't let us leave until the young Commandery Princess's rash is better. Just try to relax and settle in, Fourth Granny." The plan was a success, so Ye Qianning, for her part, was at ease.
'It will take ten days to half a month for the scabs on the young Commandery Princess's rash to fall off. That should be enough time for me to expand my space.'
"Pangtuan, is that prescription of yours actually effective, or did you just make it all up?" Fourth Granny asked, her heart filled with uncertainty.
"Of course it's real."
"How do you know how to treat a rash?"
"Don't you remember? A while back, a lot of the children in the next village came down with rashes," Ye Qianning began, weaving a story from memory. "The county authorities sent several doctors, and they needed to go into the mountains to gather herbs for the treatment. It was Grandpa Wei and I who led the way for them. In the mountains, the doctors explained how to identify different herbs and their uses, and I just remembered everything they said."
Fourth Granny did recall such an incident. She couldn't help but praise her, "I had no idea your memory was so good, you little rascal. You scared me half to death back there."
"Just relax and enjoy the good food and comfortable lodging. Our one hundred taels of silver aren't going anywhere," Ye Qianning said with a laugh.
"I don't care about the money," Fourth Granny said. She wasn't one to be swayed by riches. "I'm just worried… what if your father comes looking for you and we're not there?"
"Didn't the Princess Consort just say she'd have someone wait at the inn?"