Chapter 20 Arrogance Today, he can be considered to have borrowed the tiger's power.

Qiu Cheng only realized that Zhao Liangxu was there when she heard her voice. Zhao Liangxu had been hiding in a corner and she hadn't noticed her when she went upstairs.

In other words, Zhao Liangxu heard more bad things about him here than she did.

"What a coincidence! I didn't even notice you. It's been quite a while. How have you been?"

Qiu Cheng glanced at Zhao Liangxu's expression; it seemed she hadn't made any progress.

"You don't look well. Didn't you take your medicine on time?"

Qiu Cheng frowned.

Zhao Liangxu smiled: "I have been taking the medicine and applying it on time, but I have been through a lot these past few days and haven't had a chance to rest properly, so I look a little haggard. How about I be so bold as to ask the lady to examine me again?"

“Even if you don’t tell me, I will still take care of you. A doctor can’t give up halfway through treating a patient.”

The two reminisced about the past as if no one else was around, chatting very easily.

Zhao Liangxu noticed that the other two were still there, so she spoke frankly: "You two were talking about Princess Zhao of Northern Zhou with great interest, but don't you know that gossiping behind someone's back might be overheard by the person in question?"

Did the person hear it?

Chen Qinglie stared at the captivating woman before him, momentarily stunned.

What does "...myself" mean?

He snapped back to reality, his eyes widening in disbelief.

she is......

Zhao Liangxu?

She was Zhao Liangxu, who was sent to the eunuch's mansion.

Chen Qinglie found it hard to accept.

Zhang Changfei, standing to the side, stammered, "Y-you, you, you're that princess from Northern Zhou?!"

Although he enjoyed having fun and was considered a playboy in the capital, he had been strictly controlled by his grandfather a few years ago and found it difficult to integrate into the royal circle, so he naturally did not know what Zhao Liangxu looked like.

Chen Qinglie came from humble beginnings and rarely had the opportunity to meet important figures.

Zhao Liangxu crossed her arms and said in a cold tone, "Yes, I am Zhao Liangxu, the Zhao Liangxu you were just talking about so happily."

"What, you're stuttering now that you've met her in person?"

She leaned against the second-floor railing, her fingers rhythmically tapping her crossed arms: "Should I commit suicide out of shame and indignation to demonstrate my chastity? What a ridiculous joke I would be!"

Zhao Liangxu scoffed, "Then shouldn't all men who frequent prostitutes and take concubines be hanged? They've already lost their chastity long ago."

Qiu Cheng burst out laughing.

Zhang Changfei pointed at Zhao Liangxu with an incredulous look: "Shameless!"

Chen Qinglie frowned upon hearing this.

That's too absolute.

"You're shameless and spout nonsense. Be careful when you gossip behind other people's backs, or I'll rip your tongue out."

"You dare!"

Zhao Liangxu threatened, "Even Eunuch An didn't touch me, do you think I dare to pull out your tongue?"

Zhao Liangxu looked eager and ready to get started, as if she were really capable of doing it.

Zhang Changfei felt a pang of fear when he recalled Zhao Liangxu's infamous reputation.

What if... it's for real?

He's in an awkward position now.

Seeing the opportunity, Chen Qinglie grabbed Zhang Changfei and left, hastily leaving behind a "sorry" before departing.

Zhao Liangxu shrugged at Qiu Cheng: "It was just a trick on them, and they ran away like that."

Zhu Mu chimed in from the side, "That really vented our anger!"

Qiu Cheng also laughed. The commotion they had made had attracted the attention of several other guests at nearby tables.

"Why don't you come to my clinic for a visit?" Qiu Cheng suggested.

Zhao Liangxu was naturally more than happy to accept it.

Qiu Cheng's clinic is not large, but a plaque with the three ancient characters "Zhilan Hall" hangs there, giving it a sense of healing the sick and saving lives.

It's clear that this clinic is quite popular, with many people coming to seek medical treatment and buy medicine.

As Qiu Cheng explained, he led them inside: "Although it is my clinic, I am actually a palace lady-in-waiting. In reality, this clinic is run by my apprentice, and she runs it quite well."

Zhao Liangxu then remembered to introduce Zhu Mu: "This is actually the female official in the palace who treated me. Her medical skills are excellent."

Qiu Cheng waved his hand: "You are the patient and I am the doctor, there's nothing to talk about."

As they were talking, a woman about the same age as Zhao Liangxu walked over: "Master, who are these two?"

"My patients and guests."

Xiao Liu nodded in understanding and smiled as she welcomed them inside.

Qiu Cheng took Zhao Liangxu's pulse again: "You are indeed a little better, but the internal deficiency cannot be made up for with just this. If you sleep less in this condition, I will have to scold you."

Qiu Cheng was very blunt and forceful when diagnosing patients.

Xiao Liu brought over several packets of medicine powder and ointment, and then sat down at the table.

“Now that Master says this about you, I know you must be Princess Zhao, right?” Little Liu smiled, pursing her lips.

Zhao Liangxu looked at Qiu Cheng.

Xiao Liu'er explained, "Your illness is unique. Master often explains different illnesses to me, so naturally I know you."

Qiu Cheng handed the powdered medicine and ointment to Zhao Liangxu: "This is a prescription I came up with after diagnosing you. There is one rare ingredient in this prescription that is not commonly found in other pharmacies, so I gave it to you directly without charging you."

"this?"

Seeing that Zhao Liangxu was about to refuse, she interrupted, "Don't refuse. I just think this new prescription is better. If you find it effective, that would be the greatest reward for me."

Unable to refuse, Zhao Liangxu accepted it.

She joked, "With Lady Qiu like this, this clinic probably won't make any money."

“Princess Zhao is wrong. Master is an official in the palace and already has a sufficient salary. This clinic is open to benefit ordinary people, so this kind of operation is common practice for a clinic,” Xiao Liu’er corrected.

“Little Willow is right.” Qiu Cheng nodded.

Zhao Liangxu didn't say anything more after hearing this, but her attention was drawn to Xiao Liu'er's name.

Xiao Liu'er was clever and quick-witted, and immediately realized what Zhao Liangxu wanted to ask: "Is Princess Zhao curious about my name?"

"There's nothing I can't say. My mother was the top courtesan at the Drunken Flower Brothel. She passed away shortly after giving birth to me. This name comes from my mother's surname and later became my stage name. After that, I was weak and almost died, and it was my master who saved me."

"I don't know my mother's real name either, I'll just keep this name as a memento."

Xiao Liu finished speaking in just a few words, but Zhao Liangxu could imagine the complexity behind it.

She noticed that Xiao Liu'er had a straightforward personality and immediately took a liking to her.

She felt that Qiu Cheng was truly an extraordinary person, and Xiao Liu'er was just like her; the master and disciple had a kind of insight that was different from ordinary people.

Zhao Liangxu chatted with Qiu Cheng for a long time until the sun was about to set, at which point Zhao Liangxu and Zhu Mu headed back home.

Zhao Liangxu was exhausted that day, and soon after returning home, she fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

Anhe received Zhao Liangxu's schedule for the day.

Of course, he couldn't let Zhao Liangxu travel so freely; he had already arranged for some people to record Zhao Liangxu's whereabouts.

When Anhe heard Zhao Liangxu say "pull out the tongue" with a fierce look on her face today, she immediately thought of the scene back then.

That look is really fierce.

Anhe secretly grumbled to himself.

Hearing Zhao Liangxu using his name to scare the other party, which sounded rather domineering, he couldn't help but laugh.

This made the scout tremble.

He then realized that he had just laughed, and immediately turned his mouth down, revealing a serious expression.

The scouts mistook Anhe's smile for a cold laugh.

For the next four days, Zhao Liangxu and Zhu Mu wandered around outside, enjoying a relatively easy time.

If Anhe hadn't come knocking on our door again...

"You will come with me to the palace."

Only five days into her freedom, Zhao Liangxu was stopped by An He and ordered to return to the palace.

"Why? Is it because Her Highness the Empress Dowager misses me?" Zhao Liangxu asked curiously.

Anhe rubbed her forehead and said irritably, "It's all because of you."

I?

What did I do?

"His Majesty has been urging you to come to the palace these past few days. You really have some nerve."

He shouldn't have let Zhao Liangxu return to the palace so soon, but Li Ying was making such a fuss that he couldn't do anything about it.

"Once you're in the palace, behave yourself and don't try to deceive His Majesty."

Anhe frowned and gave instructions.

He was very worried that, given Zhao Liangxu's current position in Li Ying's heart, if Zhao Liangxu really asked for something, Li Ying might actually be coaxed into doing it.

This is really difficult.

Zhao Liangxu responded with a "Don't worry" expression.

Led by An He, Zhao Liangxu, having become more familiar with the place after a few visits, entered the Qianqing Palace, where the assassination attempt had previously taken place.

Before Zhao Liangxu even entered the hall, she heard Li Ying shouting from inside: "Why hasn't Zhao Liangxu arrived yet! Where is Eunuch An? Where is Eunuch An?"

The palace servants were very efficient, and now the Qianqing Palace is completely unrecognizable from its previous chaotic state.

When Zhao Liangxu went inside, Li Ying's eyes lit up.

"Zhao Liangxu! You've finally arrived! Didn't I give you a token that allows you to come and go from the palace so easily? Why didn't you come once?"

He did not wear an overly formal dragon robe today, but only a casual outfit with dark gold patterns.

"Have you seen the reward I gave you?"

He walked up to Zhao Liangxu, who trusted Li Ying quite a bit after learning that Li Ying had been assassinated, but she never expected that Li Ying would rely on her to such an extent.

So she pretended to have forgotten to bow, and replied verbally, "I saw it, and the reward was plentiful. I've been quite busy these past few days, so I haven't been to the palace. Your Majesty, please don't blame me."

Anhe noticed Zhao Liangxu's subtle movements and glared at her.

Zhao Liangxu pretended not to see it.

Seeing that Zhao Liangxu was finally relieved, Li Ying didn't care about such trivial matters as bowing. He was in a much better mood: "It's nothing, it's nothing. If you're busy, you should have asked Eunuch An to inform me. I'm really worried."

It seemed that Zhao Liangxu had nothing to say or do after meeting Li Ying, and she looked to An He for help.

An He approached Li Ying and suggested, "Your Majesty has been restless these past few days. Now that you've finally met with someone, why don't you let Zhao Liangxu accompany you for a stroll in the Imperial Garden?"

Li Ying's expression softened: "That's fine too."

So Zhao Liangxu and An He walked side by side, following behind Li Ying.

Behind them were a group of palace maids and eunuchs waiting to serve them.

Thus, the large group of people entered the Imperial Garden.

There aren't many varieties of flowers blooming at this time of year, so the Imperial Garden looks rather deserted.

However, many trees that are in season, such as ginkgo, have turned from green leaves to gold.

Li Ying was still young, so she started playing a game of picking up leaves.

Zhao Liangxu picked up a few ginkgo leaves that looked nice and stood aside. She looked at the largest tree in the Imperial Garden and had some thoughts on it.

This tree looks quite old, and it is much thicker than the tree outside the Empress Dowager's palace. Even the branches at the top of the tree appear strong.

She thought that there weren't many insects at this time of year, making it a perfect time to climb trees and have fun.

She had never climbed a tree before, and that's why she felt it was necessary to give it a try.