Not long after Zhao Fen left, Ding Xiang arrived.
As soon as she entered, Dingxiang complained of being thirsty, ran straight to the table, grabbed a cup, and poured herself some tea.
"I've been going to the Imperial Pharmacy every day lately, it's exhausting."
Song Xibai smiled and massaged her shoulders: "My great doctor Ding, how did things go?"
Dingxiang immediately beamed with joy.
"That young physician surnamed Fu has already agreed to help, but his authority is not high. He can only examine the pulse records of lower-ranking concubines. The Consort Zhaorong you mentioned was posthumously honored as Consort Rong. He doesn't have the authority to do so."
Song Xibai waved his hand.
“This is not difficult. The New Year is approaching, and the palace usually bestows great rewards. He has been in the Imperial Hospital for quite some time and is qualified to be promoted to Imperial Physician.”
The Imperial Medical Academy had a complex internal structure, not just those who treated patients, but also those who managed medicines, disburse funds, and conduct training. "Imperial Physician" was a general term for the doctors in the Imperial Medical Academy, while "Imperial Physician" had a formal official rank.
The lowest rank for an imperial physician was only eighth grade, while the highest was the head of the Imperial Physician's Office, a fifth grade.
In fact, the original imperial physicians, who were specifically there to treat the emperor, initially numbered only four, later increasing to eight, and then the number became uncertain, depending on the emperor's mood.
Song Xibai had inquired and learned that there were currently sixteen imperial physicians in the Imperial Medical Academy. Among them, Physician Hong was about to retire, and with Song Xibai's father, there would be two vacancies.
After a moment's thought, Song Xibai brought up the matter of Zhao Fen, but Ding Xiang interrupted her before she could finish, saying that she wouldn't tell anyone.
"This is the basic professional ethics for us doctors. My grandfather taught me this when I was a child."
Song Xibai couldn't help but laugh.
"It's almost Chinese New Year, you should go home in a couple of days! Your parents must be very worried, go back and talk to them properly."
Dingxiang had been in the palace for so many days and was indeed homesick, so she nodded and agreed.
Her situation in the Eastern Palace was special; as long as the Crown Prince agreed, it wouldn't be difficult for her to leave the palace.
Even the Crown Princess's side treated Dingxiang with great respect.
Song Xibai lay down.
Meanwhile, the Crown Prince had just finished discussing matters with his advisors when he received a letter from the Emperor. He hurriedly changed his clothes and rushed over.
Inside the main hall of the Qianqing Palace, the Prince of Wu was kneeling with his head bowed. The moment the Crown Prince entered and saw him, several thoughts flashed through his mind, and he had already guessed what was going on.
He walked to the King of Wu's side, lifted his robe, and knelt down as well.
"Your son pays respects to Your Majesty."
The emperor, sitting at the head of the table, seemed to be asleep. After a few minutes, he slowly opened his eyes, glanced at the crown prince, and then tugged at his face, revealing a faint smile.
"Is the Crown Prince here? Get up! You are the Crown Prince, the heir apparent, there's no need for such grand gestures."
"The proper rites cannot be disregarded; Father Emperor is the true ruler of the country."
The crown prince remained expressionless until the emperor called him again, at which point he rose.
After regaining his footing, the Crown Prince seemed to notice the King of Wu and asked, "Why is Third Brother coming to the palace at this hour? Could it be that something good has grown in the greenhouse at your residence and you've come to present it to Father?"
The emperor remained silent, but the King of Wu breathed a sigh of relief, prostrating himself on the ground without daring to raise his head, repeatedly pleading guilty.
"Father, I had no prior knowledge of what happened today! I beg you to investigate thoroughly."
The emperor snorted coldly.
"That Lin woman is a concubine in your household, and the Yongchang Earl's family has been trying to get close to you. How could you not know that?"
The King of Wu trembled and said, “Father, I know that I have failed in my duty to discipline my children. I will accept whatever punishment you deem fit and will not dare to complain. But I truly know nothing about what the Yongchang Earl’s Mansion is plotting.”
Seeing the emperor's displeasure, the crown prince pretended to be angry and patted the King of Wu on the back.
"What trouble have you caused to anger Father so much? Why don't you kneel down and admit your mistake? What are you talking back for? If you are innocent, Father will handle it fairly. Do you think he would wrong you?"
The King of Wu flinched and then bent down again.
"Father, I was wrong."
The emperor's expression was gloomy. He tapped his fingers back and forth on the table. After thinking for a moment, he summoned the leader of the Imperial Guards outside.
"Issue the decree: immediately surround the Yongchang Marquis's residence with men and hand it over to the Dali Temple for interrogation. You must find out who is behind the Yongchang Marquis's residence! Not even a fly should be let go!"
The Imperial Guard leader accepted the order and left. The Emperor's expression softened slightly, and he then told the Prince of Wu to get up.
"Alright, how old are you? Still so impulsive? Go back and properly appease the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion and the General of Xuanwei's Mansion! Their marriage is imminent, and I intend to adopt the eldest daughter of the General of Xuanwei's Mansion as my goddaughter and bestow upon her the title of County Princess. The marriage of the County Princess should naturally be handled by the Imperial Clan Court. From today onwards, Prince Wu, you will go to the Imperial Clan Court to help your Uncle Prince Hui with the arrangements for the County Princess's marriage."
After the emperor finished speaking, he couldn't help but cough twice. Once he had calmed down, he summoned the eunuch in charge of writing to draft the imperial edict.
The Crown Prince and the King of Wu exchanged a quick glance before looking away.
Once the imperial edict appointing the county princess was written, a eunuch would carry it to the Grand Secretariat and hand it over to a designated person for processing.
Afterwards, the emperor expressed his concern for the crown prince for a few moments, then waved his hand, dismissing them.
The Crown Prince and the Prince of Wu walked out of the Qianqing Palace. The Crown Prince glanced around and spoke.
"It's getting late, I'll see my third brother off."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
The two exchanged polite greetings and walked towards Taihe Gate one after the other.
The two remained silent the entire way, keeping a distance of three or four steps, appearing polite yet distant.
Once they reached the palace gates, King Wu boarded his carriage, then bowed to the crown prince and silently expressed his gratitude.
After watching the King of Wu leave, the Crown Prince's expression darkened slightly, and he returned to the Eastern Palace.
The following day at the grand court assembly, well-informed officials already knew that the eldest daughter of General Xuanwei had been adopted by the emperor as his goddaughter and granted the title of county princess.
Therefore, the long-debated matter of how to bestow titles and rewards upon the General of Xuanwei seemed to have been settled all at once.
The officials seemed to have discovered a blind spot, as if they had unlocked their inner potential.
General Xuanwei's merits are too great to be easily bestowed with a title, but his children can be honored instead!
As a result, the court officials began to discuss with great enthusiasm what titles to bestow upon General Xuanwei's sons.
By the time the court session ended, the decision had been basically made.
On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the day before the Lunar New Year, several imperial edicts were delivered to the general's mansion at the same time.
The Xuanwei General was enfeoffed as the Earl of Zhongyong, just after the Earl of Yongchang was dismissed, so the total number of nobles in the capital remained unchanged.
Subsequently, the eldest daughter of the newly appointed Marquis of Zhongyong was granted the title of Lady Jiahui, the eldest son was granted the title of Heir Apparent, the second son inherited the title of General Xuanwei, the youngest son was not granted a title, but the deceased old woman was posthumously granted the title of First-Rank Protector of the Nation Lady.
It can truly be said that when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs benefit from it. In no time, the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion was bustling with visitors.
The Marquis of Zhongyong's residence, after receiving the imperial decree, closed its doors to visitors the very next day.
So what was Song Xibai doing at this time?
She had just received a gift from the Princess of Wu.
A truckload of fresh vegetables!
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