She had come to understand that Jiang Ji was beyond saving, and decided not to bother any further, letting things unfold slowly.
Soon, a palace maid brought another pot of hot water and the imperial physician.
"This humble official pays his respects to Noble Consort Shu," the physician said, bowing.
"Rise, and examine him," Nan Zhiyun said. The physician looked at Jiang Ji. It was not common for an imperial physician to be summoned to treat a servant.
"Yes," the physician replied, showing no reluctance. Noble Consort Shu's current standing meant they could only curry favor.
"Jiang Ji, please sit. It will be easier for the physician to take your pulse," Nan Zhiyun said. Jiang Ji found it difficult to refuse, as the physician was already present and it would be impolite to be ungrateful. He truly hadn't expected Nan Zhiyun to summon an imperial physician for him.
Perhaps out of curiosity, Jiang Ji slightly raised his head as the physician took his pulse and met Nan Zhiyun's gaze. It was only for a moment before Jiang Ji looked away, lowering his head in some embarrassment, as if afraid to meet her eyes.
Seeing this reaction, Nan Zhiyun began to doubt if she was that intimidating. It must have been the fault of his previous master, she thought, causing so much harm.
"His hands seem to be severely injured as well. Please examine them too," Nan Zhiyun added, recalling the thick bandages on Jiang Ji's hands, which looked quite gruesome.
The physician respectfully agreed and proceeded to remove the bandages from Jiang Ji's hands. Nan Zhiyun couldn't resist looking and was horrified by what she saw.
His hands were a bloody mess, with large areas of contusions and what appeared to be deep wounds. Nan Zhiyun winced in pain just by looking.
The physician himself was shocked. Such a serious injury, with no medicine applied, how had he endured it? If left untreated, his hands might be crippled.
"How is it? Is it serious?" Nan Zhiyun asked, genuinely concerned.
"Replying to Noble Consort Shu, there is a lot of dead flesh on his hands that needs to be scraped away. The process may be quite painful," the physician stated honestly.
Scraping flesh? Nan Zhiyun was startled. How much would that hurt?
"Is there no other way?" Nan Zhiyun asked, feeling reluctant.
"The dead flesh remaining on the hands must be removed first," the physician said.
Nan Zhiyun was at a loss. She glanced at Jiang Ji and saw that he seemed to be enduring it. If they really had to scrape the flesh, would he be able to bear it?
"Your Ladyship, please rest assured, this servant can endure it," Jiang Ji said, perhaps sensing Nan Zhiyun's worry.
"...Then we will follow the imperial physician's advice," Nan Zhiyun said, unable to think of any other solution.
"Yes," receiving Nan Zhiyun's consent, the physician no longer hesitated and began preparing his tools.
Before starting, the physician handed Jiang Ji a towel to bite down on, which Jiang Ji obediently did. The physician then disinfected his instruments and began the scraping process.
Nan Zhiyun found it unbearable to watch. Jiang Ji was sweating profusely from the pain, but the towel in his mouth prevented him from crying out. Of course, Nan Zhiyun felt that even without the towel, he wouldn't have cried out.
Both of Jiang Ji's hands were injured, making the process quite difficult. Nan Zhiyun eventually couldn't bear to watch any longer and made an excuse to leave for a while. However, she couldn't walk away on her own now, so she waited outside.