In the small kitchen of Yongshou Palace, a young palace maid asked curiously while decocting medicine for the empress dowager.

The others also looked over at him.

The eunuch in charge said arrogantly, "Don't you have eyes? Without the Queen Mother's approval, how can you still boil medicine here? Also, be more respectful in the future. What kind of female doctor is this from the folks? She is a doctor from the First Hall, the daughter of the Duke of Protectorate!"

Another maid was puzzled: "How can a rich lady become a female doctor...er...doctor...female doctor!"

Female doctors had a low status in the Great Zhou Dynasty and generally would not treat men. They only delivered babies and treated some unspeakable gynecological diseases.

Not to mention men, even women think that female doctors are lowly.

Sometimes, the people who look down on women the most are women.

The eunuch in charge was actually quite sad. How could a young lady become a female doctor?

I heard that she grew up in the countryside, her family was poor, and she couldn't get enough food. Maybe she had no choice, right? "Stop talking nonsense. These are not things you can talk about! If I hear you talking about Doctor Su again, you'll be in trouble!"

"Yes! Eunuch Cheng!"

The Queen Mother is a difficult patient, but as long as her weak spot is identified, her cooperation is much higher than Wei Ting's. At least she will not make various excuses not to give the injection.

He is a ruthless person.

"Queen Mother, how do you feel?" Su Xiaoxiao asked.

"It's okay." The Queen Mother said lightly.

The eunuch in charge gave Su Xiaoxiao a wink.

That's what it means.

After Su Xiaoxiao gave the empress dowager acupuncture, her head felt less heavy and her qi and blood seemed to flow more smoothly.

Su Xiaoxiao said: "This set of acupuncture techniques is inherited from my master's family."

"Who is your master?"

"Fu Sheng."

"Who is Fu Sheng?"

"The son of Doctor Fu Kun."

"Fu Kun..." the Queen Mother murmured, "Ah, him? I have some impression of him. He was a good doctor, but it's a pity that he passed away so early."

He faked his death and lived in the town for many years afterwards.

But there's no need to argue with the Queen Mother about this.

The Queen Mother said indifferently, "Are you recommending a doctor to me? What? If one person succeeds, the whole family will benefit? Don't blame me for not reminding you. I haven't even seen the shadow of the person you promised me!"

Su Xiaoxiao raised her eyebrows and said, "You have to be well to see it!"

The Queen Mother snorted coldly: "You'd better not be kidding me, otherwise even if you cure me, I won't appreciate it!"

Su Xiaoxiao raised her hand: "I know."

At noon, Su Xiaoxiao had lunch with the Empress Dowager in Yongshou Palace.

The Queen Mother ate the medicinal food she had cooked.

The Queen Mother had a poor appetite and disliked the taste of medicine, so ordinary medicinal food was not acceptable to her.

The Queen Mother was halfway through her meal when she glanced at the eunuch in charge.

The eunuch in charge understood and asked with a smile, "Doctor Su, what did you use to make this medicinal food? It smells so good."

Su Xiaoxiao patiently explained, "It is stewed with Chinese yam and five grains. Chinese yam has the effect of strengthening the stomach and spleen, benefiting the lungs and relieving coughs, while five grains can nourish qi and blood. The Queen Mother's spleen and stomach are not good. If it is not taken care of, no matter how much soup she swallows, she will not be able to absorb it."

The eunuch in charge suddenly realized: "Ah, that's how it is."

Doctor Su explained things in a simple and easy-to-understand way, unlike those imperial physicians who always talked about abstruse medical theories and left them confused.

In the afternoon, Su Xiaoxiao played chess with the Queen Mother for a while.

The Queen Mother looked at Su Xiaoxiao's unconventional moves and couldn't help asking, "Girl, who taught you how to play chess?"

"A friend." Su Xiaoxiao said.

Coming out of Yongshou Palace, Su Xiaoxiao met Hu Jiusheng who was just leaving the palace for duty.

Ever since he knew that Su Xiaoxiao was Fu Sheng's apprentice, Hu Jiusheng has disliked Su Xiaoxiao in every way.

He didn't even look at Su Xiaoxiao and just walked forward.

Su Xiaoxiao walked over with a half-smile on her face: "President Hu, don't be in such a hurry to leave. You look like you're afraid of me. What's wrong? Have you done anything wrong to me?"

Hu Jiusheng stopped and glanced at her coldly: "Stop talking nonsense!"

"Oh, are you angry?" Su Xiaoxiao looked at him with a sneer and said lightly, "Whether you did it or not, you know it best in your heart, right?"

"I don't understand what you're saying!"

"Oh, then let me explain it more clearly. You also know about what happened back then, right? Did you deliberately let Doctor Fu take your pulse?"

Hu Jiusheng's face changed drastically! Su Xiaoxiao narrowed her eyes dangerously: "It seems to be true. Hu Jiusheng, God is watching what you do...ah, no, I am watching."

Su Xiaoxiao said, moving closer to him step by step.

"There is a price to pay for betraying your teacher and ancestors."

After saying that, Su Xiaoxiao left without looking back.

Hu Jiusheng stood there in a daze, breaking out in a cold sweat.

"President Hu!"

A young man's voice woke Hu Jiusheng up. When he regained consciousness, he realized that he had unknowingly walked to the small bridge beside the pond.

He turned around and glanced at the other person, then quickly bowed and saluted: "Your Highness!"

Xiao Duye came over gracefully and looked at him with a smile on his face: "What's wrong with Judge Hu?"

Hu Jiusheng cupped his hands and said, "Ah, nothing, I was just thinking of a recipe. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Your Highness."

Xiao Duye asked, "Are you worried about my grandmother's illness?"

Hu Jiusheng said with a stiff face: "...Exactly."

Xiao Duye sighed: "What a pity, it's useless for you to worry. My grandmother didn't even give you a chance to get treatment. Speaking of this, I'm wondering, aren't you my third brother's? Why did he abandon you and choose a doctor from the folk?"

The eunuch at the side said: "Your Highness, you forgot that the Qin family has an engagement with the Third Prince."

Xiao Duye suddenly realized, "So, Third Brother is paving the way for my future Third Brother's wife? It's such a pity for Hu Yuanpan. He has so much ambition but nowhere to display it. He has become a stepping stone for others."

These words touched Hu Jiusheng's heart.

But he couldn't admit it, otherwise, once he was accused of colluding with the prince, it would probably displease Emperor Jingxuan.

Xiao Duye smiled slightly: "Hu Yuanpan, since the third brother doesn't cherish you so much, why do you continue to work for him? Why not--"

Dadada! A horse came galloping and slammed into Xiao Duye!

No one, including Xiao Duye himself, had time to react.

The next second, Xiao Duye was hit hard by the horse and fell into the pond with a plop! The eunuch shouted: "Your Highness——"

Wei Ting rode his horse and paced back and forth on the wooden bridge, looking at Xiao Duye who was struggling desperately in the water with a look of surprise.

"Oh, it's your highness. I'm sorry, the horse is out of control."

"Who allowed you to have your way in the palace—"

Gulu, before Xiao Duye could finish his words, he sank down with a splash.

Someone come!

Your Highness can't swim——

I still found some time to write a chapter. I won’t say more. I have to go queue up to sign up!

Remember to vote, yay!

(End of this chapter)