The Princess Consort dabbed the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, reluctantly leaving the room.
As soon as the Princess Consort left, Fourth Granny collapsed onto the edge of the bed, wiping her forehead. "That scared me to death."
"Fourth Granny, first wipe your hands with alcohol." Ye Qianning moved the candlestick from the table to the bedside, then placed the silver needles beside it.
"Pangtuan, what are you doing?" Fourth Granny asked, confused.
"The rashes on the Commandery Princess's body are of two different types. The ones with pustules need to be lanced with a silver needle first, then treated with cupping therapy," Ye Qianning explained.
Fourth Granny was shocked. "You're going to use needles? Pangtuan, don't be reckless! This is the young Commandery Princess. If anything goes wrong, it'll be more than just a beating."
Failing to cure her now would, at most, earn them a beating. But if they made things worse, it would cost them their lives.
"Just trust me." Ye Qianning was full of confidence. "Fourth Granny, don't just stand there. Disinfect your hands, then come and be my assistant."
Fourth Granny stared blankly for a moment, then sighed and turned to do as she was told, wiping her hands with the alcohol.
"Itchy... it hurts so much, so itchy..." the young Commandery Princess cried.
Ye Qianning's chubby little hands held her down. With one hand, she reached behind the girl's head and applied a bit of pressure. The crying child instantly fell silent.
"Pang... Pangtuan, what did you do? Why isn't she moving?" Fourth Granny's already anxious heart leaped into her throat.
'If Pangtuan accidentally killed this child, wouldn't our entire clan be executed...'
"Lancing the pustules will be very painful. I was afraid she couldn't take it, so I made her fall asleep for a bit. Fourth Granny, come and take off her clothes." Ye Qianning lit the candlestick, and a small flame flickered to life.
Hearing this, Fourth Granny felt a wave of suspicion. 'Today's Pangtuan feels completely different from usual.'
Ye Qianning took a silver needle and lanced the pustules one by one. She then wiped them with a disinfected cloth. After cleaning all of them, she performed a simple moxibustion.
Once she finished with the pustular rash, she moved on to the other type. This other rash was intensely red, with spots the size of pinpricks. This kind of rash would slowly spread across the waist, and treatment would become very difficult once it encircled the entire area. Fortunately, it wasn't too severe yet.
Fourth Granny hadn't held out much hope, but after just a short while, she felt a glimmer of it. 'When did her Pangtuan learn medicine?'
Her acupuncture technique was more skilled and nimble than a hand that had done embroidery for years. She just didn't know if this whole procedure would actually work.
Ye Qianning dipped the calligraphy brush from the table into the ink. She then walked to the bed and used the ink to draw a line around the area that was still clear of the rash. She waited for the ink to dry before gently placing the blanket over the girl.
"Pangtuan, what are you drawing on her?" Fourth Granny asked, puzzled.
"To prevent this type of rash from spreading."
"Ink can cure rashes?" Fourth Granny wondered.
"No, it can only stop the rash from spreading, it can't eliminate it." Ye Qianning was using a very primitive folk remedy.
It was strange, but a certain type of rash was peculiar in this way. As long as you drew a line with ink, the rash wouldn't cross it.
Fourth Granny seemed to half-understand. 'Ink can be used like that?'
"The rash will still need time to heal completely. I'll write a prescription for you to give to the Princess Consort later. Remember, it requires fresh herbs, ground into a paste. Apply it to the young Commandery Princess four to five times a day. After three days, you'll see the rash start to scab over." Ye Qianning instructed Fourth Granny on what to tell the Princess Consort and about the dosage of the herbs.
Fourth Granny nodded, committing everything to memory.
Ye Qianning picked up the brush, only to remember that this era used traditional characters. Others might not be able to recognize her handwriting. "Fourth Granny, you write it."
"My handwriting is ugly."
"As long as others can read it, it's fine."
"Alright then." Fourth Granny took the brush.
She had attended school for a few years in the past and could recognize some characters. As Ye Qianning listed the names of the herbs, she began to write them down in a wobbly hand.