The room fell into silence.
Sunlight filtered faintly through the glazed roof tiles above, not bright enough to fully illuminate the space, which was why the windows had been opened. Outside, the broad leaves of the banana trees rustled softly in the breeze, making the quiet inside feel even deeper.
Zheng Qian stepped forward to examine Prince Rui.
At that moment, Xiao Zhan had already slipped back, crouched atop the canopy above his own bed, watching her every move.
She had seen his body.
Just one glance—and she had reacted with such shock that it warmed his heart.
So… you still remember me.
Hurry… he needed to return to his body. He wanted to tell her that he remembered her too.
Xiao Zhan had rushed back ahead of time because he knew why the Emperor and his mother had summoned Zheng Qian. They must have heard about her saving Wen Zhao and hoped she could save him as well.
If she really could…
That would be wonderful.
He could hardly wait to stand before her again, alive and whole.
He also knew that his residence was now sealed tight with guards. Outsiders couldn't enter—perhaps even cats wouldn't be allowed in. If Zheng Qian wasn't permitted to bring him along, he wouldn't be able to hear her diagnosis.
So he had come first.
Fortunately, it wasn't far.
Now, Zheng Qian was carefully examining his body.
She even pressed her ear against his chest.
The cat stiffened slightly.
They had been close like this before—when he once held her in his arms as he escorted her home. But back then, he had felt nothing.
And now…
He still felt nothing.
After finishing her examination, Zheng Qian asked the Emperor:
"How long has His Highness been unconscious?"
"Nearly four months," the Emperor replied.
At the side, the Empress Dowager revealed a trace of grief, though she quickly suppressed it.
Xiao Zhan turned to Zheng Qian again.
She hesitated slightly before speaking.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness… please forgive me. I cannot cure the prince."
"What?"
The Emperor's eyes filled with disappointment.
When Xiao Mingyu had claimed Zheng Qian could bring the dead back to life, a spark of hope had ignited within him. Over the past months, he had summoned countless renowned physicians—none had succeeded.
The Empress Dowager pressed a hand to her chest. "Is there truly no way at all?"
"His Highness has been unconscious for nearly four months, but there are still signs of response," Zheng Qian said. "He can drink water and medicine, perhaps even swallow soft foods. Occasionally, he might sneeze… but he cannot wake up. Is that correct?"
The Emperor nodded. "If you understand the symptoms so well, how can you not treat it?"
A flicker of hope returned to the Empress Dowager's eyes.
This young woman hadn't even been told the symptoms, yet she described them perfectly. Clearly, she had real skill.
"There must be a diagnosis," the Emperor pressed. "So why is there no cure?"
Zheng Qian lowered her gaze slightly.
"I cannot treat it."
The Empress Dowager asked softly, "Then what caused this illness? The imperial physicians have never encountered such a case."
"The causes are complex," Zheng Qian replied. "It may have begun with cardiac arrest and temporary loss of breathing—without timely resuscitation like what I did for Wen Zhao. Or it could be brain trauma… poisoning… even a tumor in the brain."
"Then… there truly is no cure?" the Empress Dowager asked again.
Zheng Qian shook her head.
Even in advanced eras, she thought, conditions like this were notoriously difficult to treat. Without knowing the exact cause, she wouldn't dare prescribe anything.
The Emperor and Empress Dowager fell silent.
Their thoughts diverged.
The Emperor felt his expectations collapse—perhaps Xiao Mingyu had exaggerated. Perhaps Zheng Qian was not as extraordinary as rumored.
The Empress Dowager, however, wondered only one thing:
If he never woke up… would he die?
Above them, Xiao Zhan lay frozen.
Even she couldn't cure him.
Even this "immortal" who had descended into the mortal world admitted defeat.
Did that mean he would remain like this forever?
No…
Perhaps not even that long.
"…How much time does he have left?" the Empress Dowager asked quietly.
Zheng Qian answered honestly:
"Half a year at the least… several years at most. Your Highness, please don't lose hope. Medicine may not help much, but sometimes… patients wake on their own."
She paused, then added:
"You can also speak to him often. Does His Highness have someone he cares deeply about? If that person talks to him frequently, he may wake sooner."
The Empress Dowager fell silent.
Someone he cared about…
If Cheng Lanqing hadn't been captured and humiliated by the Xiongnu, perhaps he would already have had a family.
She had been beautiful, clever—perfect in every way. The Empress Dowager had once adored her as a future daughter-in-law.
But fate had been cruel.
After her capture and suffering, Cheng Lanqing had taken her own life.
Xiao Zhan had avenged her by killing the Xiongnu chanyu—and vowed never to marry.
"Enough. Miss Zheng may leave," the Emperor said coldly. "Escort her out."
Zheng Qian blinked.
That fast?
She bowed and withdrew without protest.
The Emperor's expression remained dark.
The Empress Dowager sighed softly. "Your Majesty, why blame her? Even the greatest physicians failed—she has already done well to explain so much."
"I misjudged her," the Emperor replied. "I placed too much hope in her after seeing Zheng Chi's prosthetic."
The greater the hope, the deeper the disappointment.
He was merely irritated—not enough to punish her, only to dismiss her.
Xiao Zhan paid no attention to them anymore.
He slipped out through the skylight and hurried back toward Prince Ancheng's residence.
He knew Zheng Qian would return there—and look for him.
A heaviness settled in his heart.
Am I really going to die?
If he died…
Would there be anyone left in this world who could protect her?
Zheng Qian was escorted back to Prince Ancheng's residence.
Her brother and Xiao Mingyu were seated inside, chatting over tea. The cat lounged lazily on the steps, basking in the sun.
She walked over and scooped it up, lightly tapping its head.
"A Chou, stop running around!"
Xiao Mingyu ordered tea to be served.
Once the servants withdrew, he asked:
"Well? How did it go?"
"I told them I couldn't cure him," Zheng Qian replied calmly. "The Emperor sent me back."
Xiao Mingyu frowned. "Did you at least try?"
"No need," she said. "I know my limits."
Xiao Mingyu fell silent.
Perhaps… recommending her to the Emperor had been too rash.