Chapter 371: Surgical Removal
Hah! Even if she had a solution, she wouldn’t act on it now.
The Emperor’s decision to appoint the Crown Prince had already broken her heart. Any lingering trace of affection between them as husband and wife was completely severed.
Why would she hope for the Emperor to recover?
Instead of waiting for the Emperor to regain his health and eliminate all obstacles for the Second Prince, she would rather see him die while the Second Prince was still weak.
That would be the best outcome.
“Crown Prince, isn’t your remark too rash?” The Empress spoke calmly. “If I had a way to cure His Majesty, I would gladly trade my life for his recovery. But as you said, this physician comes from an unknown reclusive family. How can we entrust the Emperor’s safety to a stranger?”
“I will stake my title as Crown Prince on it. Does that satisfy you, Mother?”
The Crown Prince’s unwavering resolve shocked everyone in the hall—even Ye Jiamei.
At that moment, she finally saw the Crown Prince’s face clearly for the first time.
Although she had lived in the Lan Yue Dynasty for more than ten years, this was the first time she had ever seen the Crown Prince in person.
His handsome features seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t recall where she had seen him before.
The Empress Dowager gazed at the Crown Prince, her aged eyes filled with emotion.
With things reaching this point—and seeing the Empress Dowager’s reaction—the Empress clenched her teeth.
She had no choice but to relent.
If she pressed any further, it would become too obvious that she did not want the Emperor to recover—and that could provoke the Empress Dowager’s wrath.
“The Crown Prince is truly filial,” the Empress Dowager declared. “Since he has personally guaranteed it, we have no further reason to object. Let us leave and allow Doctor Ye to proceed.”
Hearing the Empress Dowager’s decision, Ye Jiamei finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Now she could begin treating the Emperor in earnest.
From a medical standpoint, the Emperor’s condition was not something that could be cured overnight.
She also worried that her sudden disappearance would cause anxiety for Yu Haojie and Yu Luo.
Her gaze swept across the dragon bed, noting the heavy silk canopy that blocked all light.
If she lowered it, no one in the palace would be able to see inside—even if someone was hiding within the chamber.
Only then did Ye Jiamei feel reassured.
After the Empress Dowager issued a few final instructions, she led everyone out.
Ye Jiamei stepped closer to the dragon bed, taking extra precautions.
She first administered an injection to keep the Emperor unconscious, then swiftly transported him into the hospital to conduct a full examination.
The results confirmed her suspicions—the Emperor had a large tumor in his abdomen.
Fortunately, other diagnostic tests revealed that aside from the tumor pressing against his organs, he had no other serious ailments.
Ye Jiamei was relieved.
She proceeded with a biopsy, extracting tissue samples for further analysis.
The lab report wouldn’t be immediate, but preliminary indicators suggested that the tumor could be surgically removed.
Regardless of whether it was malignant or benign, removing it would relieve the Emperor’s symptoms and allow him to fully recover within ten days.
However, Ye Jiamei was still curious—was the Emperor truly so unfortunate as to have developed a cancerous tumor?
Upon exiting the imperial chamber, she barely had a moment to speak before the Empress Dowager rushed forward with the others.
“Doctor Ye, how is His Majesty? Do you have the means to cure him?”
“Reporting to the Empress Dowager,” Ye Jiamei replied, “I have conducted a thorough examination of His Majesty and can confirm that there is a large foreign growth in his abdomen. Fortunately, it is the rapid expansion of this growth that is affecting his health. If we remove it and allow His Majesty time to recover, he will fully regain his strength.”
Her words were like a divine blessing to the Empress Dowager and Crown Prince—the best news they had heard in over a month!
All the imperial physicians and outside experts had only said that there was an unknown mass in the Emperor’s abdomen, but none had proposed a method to remove it.
Yet Ye Jiamei had just stated outright that it could be extracted.
“Wonderful, absolutely wonderful!”
Before anyone else could react, Consort De had already begun weeping with relief.
Even the Crown Princess, normally composed and indifferent, was now smiling through her tears.
The Empress Dowager herself was visibly moved, her eyes brimming with emotion.
She reached out, grasping Ye Jiamei’s hands tightly, nodding repeatedly.
“I knew you would be capable, Doctor Ye! Tell us—when can the procedure be done? His Majesty has not eaten in three days. If we delay further, his life may be in danger.”
The Crown Prince was impatient—he wanted immediate action.
He also subtly hinted at urgency, pressing Ye Jiamei to proceed.
Ye Jiamei’s eyes flickered toward the Empress, who remained expressionless.
She then bowed slightly toward the Crown Prince.
“Your Highness, extracting the foreign mass from His Majesty’s abdomen will require an extreme procedure. Are Your Highness and the Empress Dowager willing to proceed?”
“Extreme? Explain.”
The Empress Dowager’s grip tightened on Ye Jiamei’s hand, her earlier joy now replaced by suspicion.
“Surgical removal.”
Ye Jiamei spoke frankly—there was no point in hiding the truth.
If they wanted to save the Emperor, she had to cut him open and remove the tumor.
She could have proceeded in secret, performing the surgery first and explaining later—but these traditional-minded aristocrats were not to be trifled with.
The Empress, for one, would seize any excuse to have her executed.
Sure enough, as soon as she uttered those words, the entire room fell into stunned silence.
Everyone’s faces went pale, and even the Empress Dowager released her grip, her eyes darkening with fury.
They looked at Ye Jiamei as if she had committed an unpardonable sin—as if she deserved execution on the spot.
Seeing their shock and hostility, Ye Jiamei sighed in regret.
“I understand that my words may seem outrageous to Your Majesties,” she admitted. “You may even suspect me of treachery. However, I assure you—this is the truth.”
She paused for a moment, then added meaningfully:
“And let me remind you—if I had intended to harm His Majesty, I could have done so while we were alone. There would have been no need for me to fabricate excuses.”
