Qin Yuan couldn't help but laugh and said, "I knew Master could handle it."
"Stop flattering me. Where did you get that stuff you're using?"
The medicine Qin Yuan prescribed seemed to be a slight modification to the prescription from the Li family.
Li Lang was filled with suspicion.
Where exactly did the apprentice learn his skills?
Or perhaps the medical books left by the Chen family contain similar prescriptions?
Qin Yuan's smile faded, and she said seriously, "Master, aren't you surprised? I learned the Chen family's incense recipe in no time. I don't want to lie to you, but it's not convenient for me to say. I can only say that I have my own destiny."
Doctor Li paused for a moment, as if he had remembered something, and stopped asking. Instead, he said, "It is clear that there is a predestined master-disciple relationship between us."
Seeing his reaction, Qin Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and nodded with a smile: "Indeed, a teacher for a day is a father for life. In this life, your disciple and Xiao Dong will definitely take good care of you and care for you in your old age until your death."
Doctor Li was puzzled: "It sounds like it's been several lifetimes."
"It takes a hundred years of cultivation to share a boat ride. Without cultivation in the previous life, how could we share a boat ride? Our becoming master and disciple is naturally due to the predestined relationship of several lifetimes."
Qin Yuan laughed it off, half-jokingly.
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about that," Doctor Li scratched his temple and said, "With the Marquis's mansion here, why worry about no one to see me off in my final days? Just tell me about this matter..."
He chuckled and gestured with his fingers, his eyes crinkling with laughter: "How much silver should we ask the Marquis? For a man, this is quite a serious matter. A thousand taels of silver isn't too much, is it?"
Qin Yuan chuckled and said, "That's what he should give to his master, not much."
“Alright then,” Doctor Li said, satisfied.
His apprentices favored him, eagerly giving him money to spend.
"Then let's discuss how to prescribe the medicine. Speaking of which, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy..."
Doctor Li shook his head dismissively.
Qin Yuan cleared her throat and said, "Why don't we prescribe some medicinal bath formulas for the Marquis? He has been in the northern frontier for many years, and his body is somewhat weakened. He is still young and strong, so he can't feel it now. But when he gets older, he will feel uncomfortable, so there's no need for any tonics."
Doctor Li was very easy to talk to: "That's fine too."
The two discussed and agreed on the prescription inside the house.
Gu Jinghui was pacing anxiously in the room when Prince Qi arrived again. Since there was a funeral going on at home, he couldn't refuse, so he said, "Please come in."
When Prince Qi entered, he saw the table in a mess, glanced at Marquis Gu, and asked, "Third Brother, what made you so angry?"
Gu Jinghui said with a dark face, "Tell me, are you here to laugh at me or to offer incense to my sister-in-law?"
King Qi said, "Naturally, he heard something from the sidelines and used the excuse of offering incense to come and talk to Third Brother."
"I'm very busy, please make yourself at home. If you have nothing else to do, you can stay for a while and then leave."
King Qi said aggrievedly, "Third Brother is indeed treating me like an outsider. That woman from the Chang family... spews filth from her mouth. How about I stand up for you?"
Gu Jinghui waved his hand awkwardly.
"You believe all those rumors circulating outside? I know my own situation."
King Qi relaxed his brows, chuckled a few times, and then said, "It seems that Third Brother is really alright."
“Hmm,” Gu Jinghui sat down with an air of authority. “It’s not entirely true that nothing’s wrong. Doctor Li said that I’ve been in the northern frontier for many years and have been exposed to some cold and dampness from marching and fighting. I need to take care of myself before I can have a son.”
The King of Qi asked, "Is it the physician who treated your household for smallpox?"
"Yes, if Sixth Sister-in-law had listened to him, she wouldn't have lost her life. But she kept delaying treatment and insisted on calling the imperial physician..."
King Qi sighed, "Back then, because of the late Empress Dowager's affair, the Imperial Medical Academy was in complete chaos. The head physician at that time was just an insignificant little physician who gained favor by currying favor with Eunuch Gao and the Empress Dowager. Now he has turned the Imperial Medical Academy into a mess, and no famous doctor in the country wants to join it. It's nothing that he misdiagnosed you. If he were capable, my brother wouldn't have died, and that cripple wouldn't have been hanging on by a thread for so long."
Gu Jinghui didn't respond to that question, but instead said, "Physician Li's medical skills are superb. The smallpox in my household was mostly suppressed thanks to him. Did you come for that incense recipe?"
"Has your sister-in-law solved it?"
King Qi unconsciously tugged at the ribbon of his crown that was tied around his chin.
Gu Jinghui pretended not to notice his concern and said, "I don't know either. I've been spending time with Lao Liu these days. She's busy taking care of Lao Liu's wife. My mother and sister can't help at all. It's all up to her."
King Qi placed his hand on his knee and said softly, "Since that's the case, we can talk about it when Third Sister-in-law has time. It would be good if she could solve it, but if she can't..."
He paused, then added, "That's my fate."
His tone was desolate, tinged with sadness.
Gu Jinghui quickly reassured her, "Don't worry, I will make sure she does her best to solve it."
Just as the Prince of Qi was about to express his gratitude, Gu Jinghui hurriedly called a servant to tidy up the study and led him to sit down in the outer hall.
Just as they were seated, someone came to report that His Highness the Crown Prince had come with the Ninth Princess to offer condolences and specifically requested to see Marquis Gu.
Gu Jinghui asked, "Shall we go out together to greet them?"
King Qi nodded.
The two walked down the corridor and were greeted by the pale and sickly Crown Prince.
The Ninth Princess followed behind.
"I never expected to run into the King of Qi."
His Highness the Crown Prince smiled amicably, but there was no real smile in his eyes.
Gu Jinghui said, "Today, our manor is truly honored. We just saw the departure of Prince Jin, and now His Highness the Crown Prince and Prince Qi have arrived. Oh, and the Ninth Princess is here as well. I wonder if Prince Qishan and Prince Qin will also happen to arrive."
His Highness the Crown Prince took Gu Jinghui's hand and led him inside, as a sign of intimacy.
"The Marquis of Dingbei is a pillar of the nation; how could we not come?"
King Qi remained silent, simply following quietly by his side.
The Ninth Princess asked coquettishly from the side, "Has Seventh Sister been here?"
Gu Jinghui said, "I did not come with His Highness Prince Qi. If she came alone, my wife would surely have been the one to entertain her."
The Ninth Princess remained silent.
A hint of a smile flashed in the King of Qi's eyes.
His Highness the Crown Prince and the Ninth Princess sat for a short while before leaving. Prince Qi, not wanting to linger, also left the Marquis's residence.
The Ninth Princess asked Prince Qi in front of the Marquis's residence, "Seventh Sister has not come. Is she busy preparing her dowry?"
Empress Lin then arranged a marriage for Princess Fuyun with Wu Hanlin, a poor scholar who had once achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations.
Wu Hanlin came from a poor family and had no powerful connections. He did odd jobs at the Hanlin Academy.
The Ninth Princess held it in utter contempt.
The King of Qi retorted, "Fu Yun's dowry has been prepared since she was a child. She's not from a poor family with no connections, so she doesn't have to make everything herself."
The Qi King's maternal family was once a powerful and influential clan, where gold was like dirt and rare treasures were commonplace. Empress Lin, on the other hand, came from humble origins. She entered the palace as a maid through a selection process from among the common people and was assigned to sweep and clean in the Cining Palace. Later, she gained the emperor's favor and was protected all the way to the position of empress.
In terms of dowry alone, Princess Fuyun was comparable to dozens of Ninth Princesses.
Without waiting for her to speak, the Prince of Qi bowed slightly to the Crown Prince, then gracefully mounted his black horse, Ti Xue Wu Zhui, and rode away with his guards.
His Highness the Crown Prince coughed a few times and said to the Ninth Princess, whose face was contorted with anger, "Get in the carriage. Why did you provoke him?"
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