Chapter 7: The Princess Mother Hates Taking Medicine!!!

Emperor Yongchang was a hardworking emperor. He followed the ancestral system and held a grand court meeting on the first day of every month and a morning court meeting every three days. All ministers and princes participating in government affairs were required to attend.

The sky was bright and clear, yet still bitterly cold. Zhang Jinwei tucked his frozen hands into the sleeves of his official uniform, his handsome face stern and solemn, a trace of his usual warmth and friendliness nowhere to be seen. He stood alone at the palace gate, seemingly waiting for someone.

In a moment, the Third Prince, Zhou Cong, emerged from the narrow palace passage, surrounded by a group of attendants and staff. This highly successful prince, dressed in a crimson robe with a dragon pattern, had a pair of shrewd, slanted eyes. With a glimpse, he spotted Zhang Jinwei standing nearby.

"Hey, Zhang Zhuangyuan!" Zhou Cong stopped, raised his eyebrows, and said in a leisurely tone, "Who are you waiting for? The Hanlin Academy is busy with official business. I just saw that the Hanlin scholars have all returned to the academy to work. What are you doing?"

Zhang Jinwei stepped forward, standing in front of Zhou Cong. He raised his hand and saluted, his expression cold, "In reply to Your Highness Prince Yu, I was indeed waiting for a distinguished guest. As luck would have it, he finally arrived."

Last year, Emperor Yongchang had proposed the title of Prince to several of his coming-of-age sons, and Zhou Cong was given the character "Yu." Although Zhang Jinwei called him Prince Yu, he thought coldly in his heart: "Why is the 'Yu' in the name? I'm afraid it's not the 'Yu' in 'Jing Yu', but the 'Yu' in 'doing what you want'!"

"So you are waiting for me. I wonder what Mr. Zhang wants to talk to me about?" Zhou Cong asked knowingly.

Zhang Jinwei didn't like beating around the bush and went straight to the point, "Three days ago, the princess returned home, but fell ill upon returning. The doctor said it was due to excessive fear and a cold. I was wondering why she was so frightened after just returning to the palace. After carefully questioning the servants, I learned that the princess had a conflict with His Highness, so I came to His Highness today to inquire about what happened that day."

"How could this prince come into conflict with Sister Jiayi?" Zhou Cong's face showed surprise. "Sister Jiayi is very charming and dignified. This prince loves her very much, so how could she possibly provoke him? It must be us servants who are being mean. Zhang Zhuangyuan, you must make a clear distinction!"

Zhang Jinwei said, "The elders around the princess say that you and the princess have been at odds since childhood. A few days ago, you ran into her in the Imperial Gardens and said some unkind things to her. You also pinched her wrist, and now there's a large, horrifying bruise... Your Highness, is this true?"

After he finished speaking, his eyes pierced Zhou Cong with great brightness, like torches.

Zhou Cong's smile faded upon hearing this, his long brows lowered, a fierce aura emanating from him. He approached Zhang Jinwei and sneered, "Even if it's true, so what? Even if Zhou Xian marries you, she's still my sister. Is it really necessary for you, Zhang Jinwei, to interfere in my affairs with her?"

"She is my wife. Her business is my business." Zhang Jinwei refused to give in and stood straight against Zhou Cong's authority.

He looks gentle, but he is actually a tough guy inside, otherwise he would not have been able to work his way up from a poor scholar to the throne.

Zhou Cong sneered: "Hmph, Zhang Jinwei, I advise you to look carefully. As long as it happens in the Tian Family, he, Zhou Shan, will have to follow the Tian Family's rules for the rest of his life!"

Zhang Jinwei said calmly, "The rules of the royal family? Could it be that a brother bullying his sister and not apologizing is also the royal family's rules? If Prince Yu insists on this, why not go to the Emperor and discuss this matter, how about that?"

"You!" Zhou Cong's face flashed with anger for a moment, and his expression changed several times. Thinking that his father still had some complaints about him, he had to suppress the idea of making a big deal out of it.

He gritted his teeth, took a step back, thought and thought, and finally put on a conciliatory smile. "Alas, it's my fault. As a brother, I actually scared my sister. In a few days, when sister Jiayi is well again, I will personally bring gifts and apologize to my sister!"

Zhang Jinwei hadn't expected that the usually arrogant Prince Yu would actually take the initiative to admit his mistake. He frowned slightly and said, "I hope Prince Yu will keep his word."

Zhou Cong smiled nonchalantly and said, "When did I become someone who doesn't keep his word?"

Even though the matter was settled, Zhang Jinwei bowed and was about to leave when the arrogant Prince Yu spoke again, "But don't blame me for not warning you in the future—Zhou Xian is a little liar. Zhang Jinwei, you must not be completely bewitched by him, otherwise...tsk, you'll become the biggest joke in the world!"

Zhang Jinwei glanced at Zhou Cong with a sharp look, but saw that the prince had already walked very far away and was surrounded by a group of people.

…

"Drink it!"

The woman had a sharp voice. She was dressed like a ghost, with white clothes, white flowers, and a white face. Her fingertips were bloodshot as she pointed fiercely at a bowl of medicinal soup on the table. An almost foul smell wafted out of the soup.

Zhou Xian knelt on the ground, his stomach nauseous. The mere smell of this made him sick. The medicine was extremely bitter, and after drinking it, he couldn't speak for half a month. He couldn't even go to the Shangshufang, so he had to stay in the remote Pearl Pavilion, torturing himself with Fu Ningxiang.

"Good boy... drink it quickly..." The woman suddenly burst into tears, curling up on the bed, weeping miserably. The senior palace maids rushed forward, trying to comfort and persuade her. The woman finally caught her breath and suddenly raised her head, staring at Zhou Shan with her clear black and white eyes.

"What's wrong with you? You're taking good medicine, but you're crying and making a fuss and refusing to drink it! Do you want people to find out that there's something fishy going on, so that you and I can die together in this palace?!" the woman said coldly. The look she gave Zhou Shan didn't contain any tenderness, but more resentment.

Zhou Shan was also crying. The twelve-year-old boy had begun to show the characteristics of a teenager. His voice became hoarse and a Adam's apple appeared in his throat. Although it was not obvious, it was enough to make Fu Ningxiang frightened. She was so nervous that she refused to let Zhou Shan see outsiders.

She specially asked Doctor Li for a miraculous medicine, which should be taken every month during the spring period to make Zhou Shan lose her male characteristics so that she can better disguise herself as a woman.

Whenever Zhou Xian took the medicine, Fu Ningxiang would become crazy and scold anyone she caught; when Zhou Xian drank the medicine unwillingly and rolled around in pain on the bed, she would hug him and cry, saying "I'm sorry" all the time.

The medicine was bitter, extremely bitter, so bitter that Zhou Shan couldn't speak. He could only slightly open his mouth and breathe in and out. At the end of this long nightmare, Zhou Shan was held tightly in the arms of the ghost-like Fu Ningxiang. The woman's cold tears fell on his face, flowing down his cheeks and into his mouth, a thousand times more bitter than the medicine.

Zhou Xian was awakened by suffering.

The porcelain spoon was warm, and it was placed against his dry, slightly chapped lips. The bitter medicine flowed along the seam between his lips and into his mouth, making him so bitter that he woke up and mumbled in a hoarse voice, "It's bitter... I hate medicine..."

"Is the medicine too bitter?" A man's faint voice came to his ears, as if muffled by a layer of wooden board. Zhou Xian took great effort to hear what he was saying.

Another unclear female voice came: "The princess has hated taking medicine since she was a child. Your Majesty, please put it aside for now and let this maidservant feed it. You rushed here as soon as you got off the yamen without even changing your official robe. I asked Qianshan and Muxue to get you some casual clothes. Go and change quickly." It was Aunt Yuxi.

The man said, "It's okay. Aunt, please go get the paper bag I just brought back. Inside is freshly baked date cake and malt sugar. The princess will have some sweets to cleanse her mouth after she takes the medicine."

"Oh, okay." Yu Xi sighed and walked away.

Zhou Xian thought dazedly, "You can't put sugar in medicine. What should be bitter should be bitter. Why does it have to be saved for last?" Why is it always like this in the world? It's so annoying.

The man fed him another mouthful of medicine, which was so bitter that it choked him. He coughed several times and finally woke up completely.

"Princess, are you awake?" Zhang Jinwei was wiping his mouth with a handkerchief. Seeing that the girl on the couch had opened her eyes, he gently helped her up and half leaned her against the cushion.

He smiled gently and said, "The princess has been in a coma for several days. I asked the imperial physician to examine her. He said she caught a cold and was frightened. If she is carefully nursed back to health, there won't be any root cause of the disease. Is there anything else that's bothering you?"

Zhou Xian had just woken up and was feeling rather tired. She asked, "Is this Imperial Physician Li Jing?"

"That's right." Zhang Jinwei responded as he scooped up a spoonful of medicine and brought it close to Zhou Xian's mouth. "Here, take the medicine."

Zhou Xian subconsciously hid in the bed. He felt like vomiting as soon as he smelled the medicine. He looked at Zhang Jinwei with horror, as if the man was holding not a cure, but something designed to poison him.

"It's human nature not to like taking medicine, but the princess is sick, so she has to take medicine to get better faster." Zhang Jinwei smiled, "In a few days, His Royal Highness Prince Yu will come to the mansion to apologize to the princess. If the princess is still sick, he will be very proud again."

"What did he come here for? To apologize?" Zhou Xian stared at Zhang Jinwei warily. "You... went to see him?"

Zhang Jinwei continued to smile. "Doesn't Prince Yu need to apologize for bullying his own sister? He's been out of favor with His Majesty lately, and he's very angry. I think he doesn't want His Majesty to find out about this. When he comes, the princess will definitely take revenge on him!"

Aren't you a well-known gentleman?

Zhou Xian was shocked and looked at Zhang Jinwei with more and more fear. He curled himself up in the quilt and realized for the first time that the person he married seemed not to be simple.

"If you do something wrong, you have to pay the price." Zhang Jinwei smiled. He looked at the girl under the quilt and said softly, "Just like when you are sick, you have to take medicine obediently. Princess, take the medicine quickly."

horrible! ! !

Zhou Xian froze in place, not daring to move.

"Alas." Zhang Jinwei sighed. He extended his hand towards the girl and said carefully, "Princess, take your medicine today. In a few days, when I am resting, I will take you out for a walk. Is that okay?"

Zhou Xian's eyes lit up.

Going out...really?

He asked softly, "Won't the Jinyiwei find out?"

"Since I want to take the princess out, I naturally have a way to conceal it." Zhang Jinwei looked like he had everything under control. He picked up the medicine and continued, "Come and take it quickly."

Zhou Xian was persuaded by him and had to endure the discomfort, taking the medicine slowly, mouthful by mouthful, with a spoon.

Zhang Jinwei lowered his eyes as he fed the girl the medicine, spoonful by spoonful. He saw that her face was pale, her cheeks a sickly red, her eyebrows as thin as willows, furrowed in the bitterness of the medicine. With each sip, she would open her mouth, revealing a tiny bit of the red tip of her tongue, like a kitten exhaling.

Still very well behaved.

In order to avoid leaving any trace, Zhang Jin moved his eyes away from the tip of the girl's tongue.

He smiled lightly in his heart, little liar...?