Chapter 037

Zhao Youze's expression was not as surprised as the two thought. He was calm to a terrifying degree. Jiashan stared at him for a moment.

Mrs. Pei couldn't help asking, "Someone came to check Yuankang's eyes. Does Yuankang feel unhappy?"

Zhao Youze's face was very pale, and he said quietly: "No."

He stretched out a finger and scratched his head: "But I remember that when I was a child, my father and mother often invited doctors for me. But it was useless. I am afraid that the doctor my aunt invited will not be able to cure me, and it will make my aunt sad."

Mrs. Pei was silent. She was a lady of the upper class and had always been soft-hearted. Thinking of Zhao Youze, who was still so young, and had to constantly wander between "hope and disappointment", her eyes soon became red again.

Jiashan also clenched her fingers, turned her face slightly, and gently wiped the corners of her eyes.

Mrs. Pei suppressed her laughter, took a step forward, and held Zhao Youze tightly in her arms.

She patted his back carefully, just like how she coaxed Pei Yuantang to sleep when he was a child. Mrs. Pei's voice was a little hoarse, and she said, "Yuankang is obedient and sensible. God will not have the heart to let our child not see this for the rest of his life."

Zhao Youze nodded. He raised his hand and touched Mrs. Pei's face. Feeling the wet ground under his fingertips, he quickly smiled and said, "Aunt is crying. How come Aunt is more tearful than Yuankang? If Yuankang's eyes can be cured, it will be a happy event. Don't cry, Aunt."

Mrs. Pei suppressed the sadness in her eyes. She quickly wiped the tears from her face with a towel and said, "Yes, it's a happy event."

Zhao Youze also imitated Mrs. Pei and patted her back gently.

Jiashan whispered, "Call Kong Lihui in. Don't keep him waiting for too long."

Dan Cui said "yes", and a palace maid summoned Kong Lihui into the main hall.

Kong Lihui's name is Kong Lihui.

He was nearly forty years old, dressed in a simple coarse linen shirt, with a gaunt face and some graying hair at the temples, but his eyes were extremely bright.

There was a distinct herbal scent on Kong Lihui's body, and Jiashan could smell it before he even got close to him, not to mention Zhao Youze.

Zhao Youze snorted and frowned slightly.

Kong Lihui greeted the people from Jiashan first, and saw Zhao Youze standing aside. Although his facial features were very outstanding, his eyes were lifeless. When he came in, his eyes were motionless, and Kong Lihui had some idea in his heart.

He asked, "Is it this little prince who needs medical treatment?"

Mrs. Pei said, "Yes. He was born with an eye disease. Please take a look."

"Born?" Kong Lihui's face was slightly grim. He walked a few steps to Zhao Youze, lifted his eyelids, examined him carefully, and then carefully checked his pulse.

Jiashan was very anxious watching from the side. Although she was the one who invited Kong Lihui to come, at this moment, she seemed to have lost her confidence and was afraid that Zhao Youze would continue to be blind like this.

Seeing that Kong Lihui was still frowning, Jiashan couldn't help but ask, "What's the problem?"

Kong Lihui looked at her and said slowly: "It's not easy."

Jiashan and Mrs. Pei looked at each other. Jiashan's long nails dug into his palms, and Mrs. Pei also tightened her handkerchief. At this moment, even the breathing of the two became slow.

Zhao Youze, on the other hand, took the initiative to ask, "Is it incurable?"

Kong Lihui raised his eyebrows in surprise. In his lifetime, he had seen too many patients who were afraid of seeing a doctor and were reluctant to give advice. Very few people dared to decisively ask about the worst possible outcome.

Kong Lihui said: "Not really."

"This little prince is ten years old this year, right?" Kong Lihui glanced at Zhao Youze's height and asked softly.

Jiashan said: "Eleven years old."

Kong Lihui nodded and said, "I will not hide it from you, my dear friends. There is hope that the young prince's eyes can be cured. But after so many years of delay, I cannot guarantee that he will be able to recover in the end. I can only say that I will use all my life's knowledge to the best of my ability."

Jiashan let out a long breath. It was good to have hope. After all, Kong Lihui had almost succeeded in his previous life. What she feared most was hearing the words "powerless" from Kong Lihui's mouth.

Zhao Youze turned to Kong Lihui with some doubt and asked, "Really?"

Kong Lihui looked at him with sharp eyes: "Your Highness, don't you believe me?"

Without waiting for Zhao Youze to reply, Kong Lihui said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "I am a traveling doctor, not a charlatan. Your Highness can rest assured about this."

No matter what, Kong Lihui is the only hope at the moment.

Fearing that Kong Lihui might feel resentful, Jiashan took a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off Zhao Youze's forehead, saying, "My brother has seen many doctors since he was a child for his eyes. Even many doctors in the palace felt helpless, so he was a little discouraged. Please forgive me if my words offended me."

Kong Lihui stared at Zhao Youze for a while before turning his eyes to Jiashan. He bowed his head, made a half-salute, and said modestly, "I dare not."

Jiashan smiled, got up from her seat, and personally helped Kong Lihui up.

Kong Lihui quickly wrote out a prescription. Jiashan took a look at the prescription and then told Suyu, "Go to the Imperial Hospital and ask Doctor Gong to prescribe the medicine."

After that, he turned to Kong Lihui and said, "I'm sorry to bother you to stay for a while. I can only rest assured after you confirm that the medicine you got is correct."

It was common sense for the people in the palace to be more cautious. Kong Lihui smiled and said, "It's as it should be."

After prescribing the medicine, Kong Lihui took out a few silver needles and wanted to give Zhao Youze acupuncture. Jiashan then asked Dancui to take the two of them to the side hall and take care of them carefully.

After they left, Madam Pei drank a sip of hot tea and said, "Don't worry about Kong Lihui. His roots and lifeblood are all in Jiangnan. With your uncle watching over Jiangnan, nothing will go wrong."

Jiashan nodded slightly and said, "I'm sorry that my uncle and aunt have been worrying about me and Yuankang these days."

"Silly child," Madam Pei put down the teacup and scolded her lightly, "How can we talk behind each other's backs when we are one family? Yuankang is so pitiful. If he can really recover smoothly, I will be willing to do anything for him."

Mrs. Pei had always been very kind to Jiashan. During the time when her mother passed away, Mrs. Pei would often come to the palace and stay with Jiashan all night.

In her previous life, after she got married, her aunt often visited her because she was afraid that she would be lonely.

Jiashan's eyes were slightly sore, and her heart softened. She rarely said in a coquettish voice, "Aunt is the best."

Mrs. Pei's eyes were also filled with warmth. She had no daughter, but besides Pei Yuantang, she also had a naughty son. She really loved Jiashan as if she were her own daughter.

Mrs. Pei said, "Don't be so quick to thank me."

She slowly raised her eyes, scanned the surroundings, and asked softly, "There is no outsider here, so I want to ask you. Are you planning to inform His Majesty about the treatment of Yuan Kang's eyes, or are you keeping it a secret?"

Hearing Mrs. Pei bring up this matter, Jiashan frowned slightly, and said calmly: "I was just thinking about discussing it with my aunt."

"The year Yuankang was born. First, there was a landslide in Lantian and then a severe drought in Yuzhou. The famine lasted for nearly two months." Jiashan's expression was indifferent. A glimmer of snow flashed in her eyes. She sneered and said, "Because of this, many people with ulterior motives said that the Queen Mother's pregnancy was uncertain."

"It just so happened that Yuankang was born blind. Many people said that the prince's condition was a confirmation of the ominous rumor." Jiashan was almost in a trance as she thought about the past. She said, "Plus, my mother died early, so I must have worried about Yuankang's eyes."

Jiashan's tongue tasted slightly bitter. She smiled sadly and said softly, "For these reasons, Father has not been very fond of Yuankang in recent years. If we are sure that we can cure Yuankang's eyes, then that's fine. I'm just afraid that if we are not sure, it will be counterproductive and make Father even more dissatisfied with Yuankang."

When Zhao Youze was born, Mrs. Pei had already married into the Pei family. At that time, she would often come to the palace, bringing Pei Yuantang, Jiashan and several little princes to accompany her. So she also understood these old things.

Now, after listening to Jiashan's detailed account, she was filled with emotion and sighed, "Even though I said that, it is not good to hide it from Your Majesty."

"I'm afraid he thinks you have ulterior motives," Mrs. Pei said before she paused, "and it may alienate the relationship between you and your daughter."

Jiashan sighed slightly: "I know what my aunt said."

"Then according to my aunt's opinion, should we report this to our father?" Jiashan raised his head and asked.

Mrs. Pei took a few sips of tea and said softly, "Wait until Kong Lihui has found some clues for Yuan Kang, then go."

Jiashan's brows were still furrowed, and she nodded: "Okay."

Perhaps this topic was a bit heavy, and after a moment, Madam Pei smiled and glanced at Jiashan, then changed the subject and said, "When I entered the palace, I also ran into Commander Zhan of the Jinwu Guard, and he greeted me."

Zhan Yue was a third-rank official, so he certainly didn't need to greet Madam Pei. Madam Pei said jokingly, thinking that Zhan Yue must have performed the etiquette of a younger generation from Jiashan's perspective.

Jiashan blushed slightly and said in a serious tone, "He is the one who has the most trouble."

"He told me that if there is any inconvenience, I can go to him." Mrs. Pei asked, "Did you tell him about Yuankang's matter?"

Thinking of what Zhan Yue whispered in his ear that night, Jia Shan said, "He should have guessed it. After all, he is not an outsider, so it's good that he guessed it. My aunt will be taken care of by entering the palace."

Hearing Jiashan say Zhan Yue was not an outsider, Mrs. Pei couldn't help but smile. She shook Jiashan's hand and said, "I think he is very brave and a good match for you."

"Although Commander Zhan has no title, I heard from your uncle that His Majesty relies on him very much." Madam Pei laughed and said, "Don't bully others by relying on your status as a princess."

She bullied him? I wonder who is bullying whom!

Jiashan snorted softly and raised her chin slightly: "Aunt really underestimated him."

Mrs. Pei tapped Jiashan's forehead with amusement, then pulled her over and gave her some instructions on the private matters between women.

The uncle and nephew talked together for the whole afternoon. When the sun was about to set, Mrs. Pei left with Kong Lihui.

Jiashan was always worried about Zhao Youze. As soon as Kong Lihui left, she called Zhao Youze over and asked him a few questions about his feelings.

Zhao Youze scratched his face, thought for a moment and said, "It just hurt a little when the needle was inserted. Other than that, there is nothing unusual for the time being."

"Oh, and," Zhao Youze added, "the medicine that Kong Lihui prescribed is very bitter. Can I have two more preserved fruits today?"

He raised his innocent little face and asked Jiashan with sparkling eyes.

Jiashan taught him with a smile: "Didn't Mr. Xu teach Yuankang that good medicine tastes bitter?"

After the lecture, Jiashan said firmly: "No."

Zhao Youze said faintly, "Okay."

It was normal not to experience anything on the first day. Jiashan invited him to have dinner with him and reminded him not to forget Mr. Xu's homework.

Zhao Youze nodded, finished his dinner, and subconsciously asked Su Yu to take him to the study to review.

Jiashan was relieved to see her younger brother like this. But when she thought about leaving the palace soon, she couldn't help but feel a little worried. She rubbed her eyebrows, and Dancui came again and said, "Your Highness, Princess Ruyang is here."

Jiashan's eyes moved: "Please come in."

This time, Ruyang came to say goodbye to Jiashan. Ruyang had lived in the palace for a month, which was a long time for her.

Hearing that Ruyang was going back to Guanli, Jiashan hurriedly tried to persuade her to stay, saying, "It's only November now, why don't you stay for a while longer? The New Year's Eve is coming soon, and I want you to stay in the palace and have some fun together."

Ruyang's eyebrows were calm, and she shook her head: "I have lived in the temple for so many years. I am not used to the sudden excitement."

"And after the New Year, your wedding with Yanqing will be put on the schedule. It will not be appropriate for me to stay in the palace." Although Ruyang looked calm, there was some joy in his words when he mentioned Zhan Yue and Jia Shan's wedding. It seemed that he was really happy.

Ruyang was a widow and had become a nun. According to current rules, it was indeed inconvenient for her to appear at the wedding banquet. Jiashan had no choice but to say, "Then we will go to the temple again and prepare a separate banquet for your aunt. Your aunt is not good at drinking, so we can use tea instead of wine."

Ruyang smiled: "It is a blessing for Yanqing to marry you."

Jiashan blushed and said stubbornly, "I just hope he can think the same way."

"Don't worry, he thinks the same as I do." Ruyang said softly with a friendly smile in her eyes, "If he hadn't come to me personally to ask for it, I wouldn't have asked Your Majesty for it."

"I'm afraid marrying you is his long-cherished wish." Thinking of Zhan Yue's look at that time, Ruyang said with a smile.

Jiashan raised his eyes slightly, with some unfinished meaning hidden in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows.

Ruyang is an experienced person. Looking at Jiashan's expression, he can guess that she must have Zhan Yue in her heart. Ruyang felt a little relieved.

She turned her head and saw Jiashan's brilliant face. Ruyang couldn't help but droop her eyelashes. She said softly and slowly: "Today, I came here not only to say goodbye, but also to tell you some old stories."

Ruyang's expression was different from usual solemnity. Jiashan couldn't help but raise his eyes and asked softly, "What?"

"About the Fu family." Even though Ruyang was trying hard to hold back the pain, his tone was filled with sadness.

Jiashan felt a tightness in his heart when he thought of the Yongding Marquisate where all the achievements over the past few decades had been destroyed.

She was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "You go ahead."