Before the assassins at the city gate could be found, the Crown Prince of Dongting fell ill, and another argument broke out in the court.

Some complained that the Crown Prince of Dongting was simply causing trouble for everyone, while others suspected that this was also one of Dongting's schemes, to have the Crown Prince of Dongting die in Beiyan, so that they could use this excuse to get back the Third Prince of Dongting without giving anything in return.

Regardless of the circumstances, the primary goal now is to stabilize the Crown Prince of Dongting's condition. However, neither the doctors found from the common people nor the imperial physicians from the palace have been able to help the Crown Prince of Dongting. For a time, both the people of Dongting and the people of Beiyan began to panic.

"Your Highness, it is said that Madam Lu is skilled in medicine. I wonder if we could ask Madam Lu to take a look at the Crown Prince of Dongting?"

In the imperial court, someone mentioned He Jiuniang, and everyone then remembered that He Jiuniang was indeed a very capable doctor, and that she had treated the old emperor's illness.

However, after arriving in the capital, various matters arose, and He Jiuniang had no opportunity to demonstrate her medical skills, causing everyone to forget about this matter.

"Yes, Madam Lu is an outstanding doctor. If she is willing to take a look, there might still be a glimmer of hope."

Others also stood up to agree, recognizing the gravity of the matter and emphasizing that this was not the time for infighting; everyone took it very seriously.

The Crown Prince naturally knew that He Jiuniang was an outstanding doctor, but given He Jiuniang's status, it would be somewhat disrespectful to the Lu family to let her treat the Crown Prince of the Eastern Court.

Moreover, He Jiuniang wasn't someone he could just invite whenever he wanted; he had to ask her opinion first.

"I will consider this matter. Court is adjourned."

After saying that, he got up and left, not giving anyone a chance to say anything more.

The court officials also felt uneasy, feeling that the Crown Prince was being far too protective of the Lu family. He Jiu Niang was a doctor in Jingzhou, so why was she acting so arrogant in the capital?

The Crown Prince, however, immediately sent someone to summon Lu Baichuan and his wife to the palace after the court session to discuss how to handle the matter.

Should we leave the Crown Prince of Dongting ill, or should we allow him to recover as best we can so as not to disrupt the original plans?

Just as He Jiuniang was about to leave the military camp, the people sent by the palace arrived, and the two of them entered the palace together.

On the way, He Jiuniang learned about the situation from the eunuch and found out what was going on in the court today, which immediately calmed her down.

However, the two did not waste any time and entered the palace as quickly as possible, where they saw the Crown Prince looking at the memorials with a worried expression.

"Your Highness."

The couple bowed to the Crown Prince together. The Crown Prince hurriedly put down his memorial and invited the two to sit down. Before he could say anything, He Jiu Niang spoke first: "Your Highness need not worry. It was I who caused the Crown Prince of Dongting to fall seriously ill."

"Um?"

The Crown Prince was stunned for a moment. Just now, he was worried about what would happen if the Crown Prince of Dongting really died in Beiyan.

Wouldn't that mean getting no benefit at all and only causing trouble for yourself?

But now He Jiuniang said that she did it, and no matter what, the Crown Prince's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, immediately settled down.

He Jiuniang did it; she knew what she was doing. At least this person won't die.

What are your plans in doing this?

The Crown Prince knew that He Jiu Niang was not the type to cause trouble easily, and there must be a reason for her doing this.

"Yesterday, the Crown Prince of Dongting sent a visiting card to my home, saying that he wanted to pay a visit."

If it had been secretly delivered to our door, I might have suspected that he was trying to curry favor with us. But he delivered it so openly, it's obvious he's doing it for Your Highness, to let everyone know that he has close ties with the Lu family.

Bai Chuan is already hated by so many people in the court. If he gets caught doing something wrong now, how can he have a good life?

I felt that the Crown Prince of Dongting was living too comfortably, so I gave him something to do so he wouldn't have the energy to scheme and harm people.

He Jiuniang spoke with righteous indignation, not feeling that there was anything wrong with what she did.

Lu Baichuan and the Crown Prince were both surprised by how things turned out, and they never expected the Crown Prince of Dongting to be so restless.

The Crown Prince agreed with He Jiu Niang's approach, but still said, "Can his body withstand it? In any case, he can't die in Bei Yan, otherwise things will get complicated."

"Don't worry, don't worry, it's nothing serious. I reckon the Dongting people will come knocking on the door soon. I'll go give them a prescription that will stabilize their condition and I can also take the opportunity to extort some money from them."

He Jiuniang had a wonderful idea. Anyway, the Crown Prince of Dongting was rich, so it would be a waste of her effort to make that trip in the middle of the night if she didn't take advantage of him.

The Crown Prince and Lu Baichuan exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.

However, this can be considered as helping the Crown Prince get rid of a major threat. In the next few days, other envoys will be arriving soon. He has to be busy with other things and also worry about the Crown Prince of Dongting causing trouble, which is quite troublesome. Now that the Crown Prince of Dongting is lying obediently in bed and has no energy to cause trouble, he is much more relaxed.

When leaving the palace, Lu Baichuan carried a small wooden box, a reward from the Crown Prince for He Jiuniang.

He Jiuniang helped him deal with the Crown Prince of Dongting so easily, so naturally she should be rewarded.

Lu Baichuan took her home, and not long after, Dongting did send someone to seek medical help. This time, their attitude was much better, which must have been because the Crown Prince had given them a hint.

Even though they were unwilling, they still brought generous gifts to the door for the sake of their crown prince's health.

Because of the generous gift, He Jiuniang didn't put on airs and readily agreed, with Lu Baichuan accompanying her.

Before leaving, Madam Sun held her hand and instructed, "Although that Crown Prince of Dongting is truly despicable, it would be bad luck for him to die in our Beiyan. Do your best to keep him alive, understand?"

Even Madam Sun understood this, so how could He Jiuniang not understand? She smiled and said, "Don't worry, I understand!"

On the way, He Jiuniang said to Lu Baichuan, "The country is not safe during this period. We should send more people to keep an eye on Dongting. I'm afraid some people might take advantage of the situation and try to kill the Crown Prince of Dongting. That would be a bad deal for us."

"Yes, that's what I think too."

Lu Baichuan nodded, and was just about to send someone over when he got back.

"But, it's just to write him a prescription, isn't it a bit too much of a favor for you to go with him personally?"

He Jiuniang looked up at him and felt that he didn't need to come with her at all.

"It's alright, I'll go and take a look. It'll be a way of showing concern on behalf of Bei Yan."

Lu Baichuan spoke with such conviction, as if it were the truth.

He Jiuniang pouted and rolled her eyes. If you're jealous, just say so. Why bother showing concern?

Seeing her funny expression, Lu Baichuan reached out and pinched her cheeks: "Don't roll your eyes."

"So, do you admit you're jealous?"

"I don't admit it."

"Then I'll flip it again... mmm..."

The coachman outside was all smiles, his mouth practically splitting at the corners of his mouth. The master and mistress had such a good relationship; it made them, the servants, happy too.

In order to allow his master to properly cultivate their relationship, the coachman slowed down the pace of the journey considerably.

As for the Crown Prince of Dongting who was waiting for emergency treatment, he didn't care. Anyway, there wasn't a single good person in Dongting. Let it be delayed for a while. His wife was capable enough!