After Marrying a Vegetative Princess, I Went Crazy With Joy!

The female officer called out Su Li’s name with a severe tone, indicating that she was very angry. It seemed that Su Li’s status as a son-in-law was completely disregarded. Even if Su Li was a legitimate son-in-law, he had no authority to criticize the governor of the princess’s mansion.

What was the governor of the princess’s mansion’s status? It was equivalent to the head butler of the entire princess’s household, and this position was conferred by the royal harem, not chosen by the princess herself. Therefore, even the princess could not decide who would hold the position of the governor of the princess’s mansion.

Additionally, most of the governors of the princess’s mansion had taken care of the princess since they were young, so their status was extraordinary. Some of the more authoritarian governors of the princess’s mansion could even control when the son-in-law could have intercourse with the princess and how frequently it could occur. In short, their power was immense.

Regarding the son-in-law position, to be honest, it was not a prestigious job and didn’t carry any status. Fang Yiai ‘Fang Xuanling’s 2nd son’ couldn’t even control Princess Gao Yang’s affair and had to stand guard outside the door. One could only imagine how low the status of a son-in-law was during the Tang Dynasty.

The governor of the Princess Mansion always spoke respectfully to Su Li, not because he held any power, but rather to give him some face. However, when the female officer saw Su Li taking off Princess Changle’s socks and massaging her legs, she was enraged. How dare this peasant perform such a bold and obscene act on an unconscious princess!

Su Li replied calmly, stating that he was massaging the princess to unblock her meridian. Despite the calmness in Su Li’s expression, the female officer was still skeptical, putting the well-being of the princess first.

She turned to the imperial doctor for evidence, who confirmed that Su Li’s massage technique was genuine and came from the school of manipulation in Vegetarianism. The imperial physicians were highly skilled medical practitioners with vast medical knowledge, and their approval reassured the female officer.

“The servant bumps into the son-in-law in a hurry. Please forgive my rudeness!” The female officer saluted. Su Li shook his head and waved his hand. “It’s okay. You must be very worried about the princess as well.”

The other party apologized, but it didn’t have any effect. Su Li knew very well what his status was. Even if his father were the prime minister, he wouldn’t dare to act tough when facing the governor of the princess’s mansion. Compared to some arrogant and overbearing female officers, Su Li found the female officer in front of him to be quite reasonable. She knew when to advance and retreat, understood social hierarchy, and genuinely cared for their lord.

After Su Li finished speaking, the female officer stood up straight and turned to the imperial doctor. She said, “Please, sir, take another look at the princess.” The imperial doctor nodded and approached, but he didn’t feel Princess Changle’s pulse. In fact, he had already checked her pulse several times since she fell into a coma.

The strange thing was that during the first two days, her pulse was abnormal for a coma patient—fast and irregular. They prescribed medicine accordingly, assuming it was a traumatic coma. Although, the situation changed later on. A few days after taking the medicine, Princess Changle’s pulse became normal, just like that of a healthy person. But she still didn’t wake up.

This particular illness was known among the people as the “lost soul disease.” It belonged to the realm of metaphysics and was not within the expertise of the palace’s imperial physicians. As a result, Princess Changle’s subsequent treatments included summoning spirits, seeking blessings, and performing dances for the great gods. The layout of many areas in the Princess Mansion had even been rearranged according to Feng Shui principles. Although, all these efforts proved fruitless.

Unfortunately, there were very few records about the lost soul disease in medical books, and no treatment plan existed. The cause and nature of the disease were vague, and since the pulse condition appeared normal, there were no clear clues to follow. The disease remained incurable, and the exact nature and cause of it were unknown. Therefore, the approach to Princess Changle’s daily diet had to be extremely cautious.

Currently, the governor had informed Su Li that feeding the Princess with protein, fruits, and vegetables might be more beneficial. Su Li had read about such practices in a book on treating illnesses.

The imperial doctor leaned in, observing Su Li’s massage techniques, and asked, “Do you have any knowledge about this disease? I can see that your technique is quite professional, although it appears somewhat conventional, as if following a set of instructions. But it seems to be sufficient for activating blood circulation and clearing meridians.”

Su Li furrowed his brow at the imperial doctor’s question. Initially, he had intended to persuade the doctor to prioritize Princess Changle’s health. Additionally, he saw this as an opportunity to gain favor by providing nursing care close to the princess. Although, such an intimate matter involving Princess Changle would require the approval of a medical professional and would likely need to be reported to Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun.

“How much do you know about this disease?” Su Li didn’t answer but asked in return.

“We don’t know much about it. Most people believe it is caused by the loss of a soul, but I don’t think that’s the case… Furthermore, the opinions of the imperial doctors are unclear, and some people think it’s a coma…” The imperial doctor said with a furrowed brow.

No way. There were too few explanations of this disease in medical books. “I’ve read about this disease in a book, and it’s called wood stiffness!” The condition was described in Sun Simiao’s Thousand Gold Prescription as “wood stiffness,” which referred to a vegetative state and the typical symptoms of the brain being impaired, resulting in the mechanical non-response of the body.

Its main symptom was that the brain was stimulated, leading to uncontrolled behavior of the body. This indicates that Sun Simiao had formally categorized this mental illness, separating it from metaphysics.

“Wood stiffness?” the imperial doctor exclaimed. “It’s simply the brain being stimulated to the point where it can no longer control the body…”

Su Li listed some typical diseases mentioned in medical books where the brain was shocked and resulting in abnormal intelligence and behavior.

“Is there a solution?” The imperial doctor asked eagerly upon hearing those words.

“No solution… The book divides this condition into many subtypes, most of which have no known cure. They can only recover autonomously. In severe cases, individuals may be paralyzed and bedridden, but there are instructions on how to care for their bodies.” Su Li explained.

Then Su Li proceeded to share the vegetative nursing methods that had been prepared long ago, combining ancient and modern Chinese medicine. Additionally, Su Li provided evidence of corresponding medical skills for each nursing method. In simple terms, the aim was to differentiate the complications caused by long-term bed rest and a monotonous diet from those directly related to the vegetative condition.

“In this way, bedsores and physical weakness have nothing to do with this disease…” The imperial doctor nodded thoughtfully.

“Yes, the challenge lies in the inability to move or control one’s body, and the combination of these factors makes it difficult to manage.” Su Li explained.

“So, I believe I understand now!” The imperial doctor nodded.

From Su Li’s perspective, Princess Changle’s illness was caused by a brain problem, and apart from losing consciousness, everything else seemed normal. Therefore, everyone, except for her head, had to be viewed as a normal person. The level of imperial doctors was not low, and the issue was merely a matter of their thinking.

In other words, Princess Changle couldn’t be treated as a patient. Instead, the goal was to make her, someone who had lost the ability to care for herself, appeared like a normal person. However, a normal person couldn’t lie in bed for an extended period, eat all their food at once, remain in one position, stay out of the sun constantly, or remain still. But since Princess Changle couldn’t control her own body, an external force was necessary to help her move.

Otherwise, even normal individuals would become weak and frail after lying in bed for an extended period. Some elderly individuals who were previously active were unable to get out of bed after being sick and bedridden for over ten days, as their muscles had atrophied.

“In this way, the princess truly cannot always lay on the bed!” The imperial doctor agreed, acknowledging the difficulty of the situation.

The female officer struggled to understand, but upon seeing the imperial doctor’s cheerful expression, she hastily spoke up, “Excuse me, sir, do you have any leads?”

The imperial doctor’s smile faltered, and he shook his head. “All I have is what the Duke(son-in-law) said and did, which sparked an idea in my mind. I am ashamed that I cannot cure the princess. Following this approach, I can only improve her condition slightly, giving her more vitality. However, as for when she will wake up, I do not yet know…” the imperial doctor explained.

“Please, sir, I request you to help!” the female officer pleaded, clasping her hands together. So she wouldn’t wake up, but at least it would be beneficial to improve the princess’s condition. Helplessly, she watched as the princess grew weaker and thinner with each passing day.

“Upon being reminded by the young master, I remembered a nourishing food recipe. If ordinary people follow this formula, they can extend their lives and maintain good health. It would be fitting to administer it to the princess. As for the massage, the son-in-law’s medical skills are adequate,” the imperial doctor proposed.

They suggested treating Princess Changle’s body as that of an ordinary person. Although the imperial doctor regarded Su Li’s massage techniques as mediocre, they seemed sufficient for this task. Furthermore, it was not a simple matter that could be completed in a short time. They needed to find a way to provide enough exercise for Princess Changle’s body to prevent muscle atrophy, at least three or four hours a day.

The imperial doctor himself was elderly and lacked the physical strength required. On the other hand, Su Li possessed good medical skills and had proposed the plan.

Additionally, as Su Li was the son-in-law, using him would avoid suspicion. Clearly, there was no one more suitable for the job than Su Li. After a brief pause, the female officer gazed at Su Li and nodded in agreement.

“I request the son-in-law’s assistance. If you require anything, do not hesitate to ask,” she declared. Su Li’s face lit up with joy.

Finally, he had been granted permission to rehabilitate and attend to Princess Changle! He would be justified in feeding, massaging, and exercising her muscles and bones from now on. Even the imperial doctor recognized the legitimacy of his professional expertise, leaving no room for objection from Li Er. Wouldn’t this result in an increase in the number of points he could receive every day?

Technician No. 18 Su Li, applying for the job!