Princess Fuyun stopped crying and looked at King Qi blankly.

King Qi said calmly, "Gu Jinghui's fate is peculiar; no matter what, he will live a long life."

one way or another?

What does this mean?

Her eyes were red and swollen, and she wanted to ask again, but King Qi had already turned and left, leaving only one sentence: "Don't make another mistake."

Princess Fuyun sighed.

The ninth princess, born to Empress Lin, is not much older than her and it's almost time to choose a husband for her. The crown prince is sickly, and her own brother also wants the position.

She and the Ninth Princess will probably have to compete for it.

Fighting was the only option for this brother and sister.

...

Xie Chunwan retorted angrily, "Who can brag?"

Physician Liu spoke up, looking warily at Physician Li, clearly sensing a threat.

He lived a simple life with Doctor Li at Renhetang, handling everything himself; he had never experienced anything like this before.

Doctor Li smiled and said, "Eighteenth Brother, don't trouble him too much. Tomorrow you just go with Physician Liu to see these patients. He will send a message to the Marquis saying that he is worried and that you are not involved in anything."

Hongye, along with her maids and servants, cleaned two rooms and then ordered people to fetch furniture and arrange it carefully.

Doctor Li said, "It's already very good. If you need anything, we can talk about it later. We'll be meeting up often."

I paused for a moment, then said smugly, “Now that it’s been discovered earlier outside the manor, there are fewer people with smallpox. You don’t have any ancestral prescriptions that specifically treat it. When your ancestors practiced medicine in Jiangnan, they treated many difficult and complicated diseases and even helped the government prevent and control plagues. However, they were very particular about their health and refused several times. They eventually joined the Imperial Hospital, which is why they are famous.”

Doctor Li smiled and said, "Da Dong, that's nothing yet. He needs to break some bad habits so he won't become arrogant and complacent after being rich and powerful."

The servant arranged by Gu Shiba had not yet arrived, so he hurried down in two steps, took the teapot, and said solicitously, "Let the servant come first, you rest first."

Gu Shiba and Hongye then took their leave.

That was also to prevent Xie Chunwan from doing anything wrong.

"Hmm," Da Dong blinked in response, stood on tiptoe, stretched out his slender arm, and reached under the low table to get the teapot to pour tea for Doctor Li.

They then covered the windows with screens, laid out the bedding, tied up the curtains, and placed an incense burner in the room, lighting the medicinal incense that Qin Yuan had prepared.

Gu Shiliu said, "Alright, we'll be eating soon. Madam hasn't ordered the kitchen to prepare their portions yet. Just have the servant go and get them."

After the two had dinner, they got out of bed before washing up and heard loud bird calls coming from inside.

As the two spoke in unison, they noticed that Physician Liu's expression grew increasingly grim, and they both thought to themselves, "They've taken the bait."

Doctor Li understood and immediately laughed, "Alright, go and take a look tomorrow. The older child has smallpox, and since it was discovered early, a few doses of medicine will make it worse. The disease is most dangerous if left untreated, or if too few people are infected, then it will be difficult to treat."

The Dingbei Marquis's mansion was truly a display of wealth and splendor.

Da Dong immediately got up.

The master was incredibly greedy and stingy, always trying to stretch every penny in half, yet he called himself rich.

Gu Shiba praised him generously, "To be able to exist in the capital for a hundred years, this is a century-old brand. No wonder Madam always speaks ill of Renhetang. The prescription for the smallpox prevention medicine used outside the mansion was given by Renhetang."

Gu Shiba said, "Xie Chunwan, that is Doctor Li from Renhetang, and that is my apprentice Da Dong. The Marquis said that there are fewer and fewer patients outside the mansion, and he was afraid that Physician Liu would be busy, so he asked Doctor Li to help."

Gu Shiba gave Li Langzhong a wink and said in a low but respectful voice, "Li Langzhong, you must be tired today. You should rest early. The servants will go to the kitchen to get food later. Just tell me what they want to eat. If I serve them badly, just let me know."

The servant had already poured the tea and respectfully placed it on the table. Upon hearing this, he immediately said, "I have memorized all the menus from the kitchen. If you want to order food, you should memorize the names of the dishes."

With his hands behind his back, Physician Li said confidently, "That depends on who you meet. If you encounter someone who is self-important but actually capable, it will be very difficult."

Da Dong pouted.

Physician Li laughed and said, "I have never heard of Renhetang. After all, Renhetang is a clinic opened by the imperial physicians themselves. However, Renhetang is a family business passed down in the Li family, and it has been around for over a hundred years in the capital."

“Oh,” Da Dong obediently lay down to sleep, and said, “But that’s a matter of the Marquis’s mansion, a matter of Senior Sister and Senior Sister’s husband.”

"Shh," Doctor Li told me to speak, and said emphatically, "He's been reciting medical books by himself. Tomorrow, follow you around and talk more and look less, to protect yourself. Remember that?"

Hongye had already made the arrangements and said with a smile, "If you two need anything, just have someone pass on the message to me."

As they talked, they reached the courtyard and ran into Physician Liu, who had returned. Seeing that two familiar faces were missing from the courtyard, Physician Liu asked with a flickering gaze, "Who...who were those people?"

Da Dong glared at me, about to speak.

Doctor Li and Da Dong also left the room. Da Dong whispered, "Master, that Physician Liu, I..."

Da Dong was quite uninhibited. I looked up at Doctor Li and saw him sitting comfortably in the armchair, legs crossed, his fingers tapping his knees casually. I asked, "Master, what shall we eat?"

Da Dong whispered, "There are no birds chirping inside."

Doctor Li scolded again, "What is he doing sleeping?"

Da Dong looked at Da Si in surprise.

evening.

The servant was also quiet, but when there was something to do, he would stand quietly, yet he was very oblivious to others' feelings.

Hongye quickly added, "Madam said she wants to arrange a separate servant for him."

Physician Liu stopped and said with delight, "I have never heard of Renhe Hall. Your Excellency is being deceived by some shallow people. It is true that there are fewer patients, but I cannot reduce my workload."

Everyone turned to look and saw that Physician Liu was still wearing an apron, covering the upper half of his face, so they couldn't see what he looked like. He was accompanied by a servant carrying a medicine box.

Xiao Dong stared blankly at it and said, "The Marquis's mansion is truly generous."

Gu Shiba tilted his head and winked at Doctor Li, saying, "Doctor Li went to the servants' quarters to check on the old lady and the others. Should we go to check on the Eighth Madam's courtyard tomorrow? The masters' conditions keep deteriorating, and even though the Eighth Madam is strong, she doesn't seem to be able to hold on much longer."

After Li Langzhong and Xiao Dong came out of the main room, Gu Shiliu brought them directly here.

What a flurry of activity!

“Absurd!” Physician Liu said angrily, “If smallpox were incurable, who would be afraid? It can kill people.”

"He's stupid. When he saw people causing trouble, he thought he could live. There was no one inside to keep an eye on him, so he could just sleep peacefully. He's just a junior medicine boy."

After saying that, he left the house, his steps unsteady.