When the Empress Dowager learned that Imperial Physician Zhao Shuxuan had arrived, she jumped to her feet. Her well-maintained hand trembled as she reached out, and her maid, Du Bai, quickly supported her. "Quickly, quickly have someone carry A-Jun into the palace! My granddaughter, a child without a mother is so pitiful!"
The imperial physician was summoned and entered the palace in less than half an hour. The speed of his arrival conveyed a clear message to everyone: even if the princess lost a single hair, it would be a major event in the eyes of the Empress Dowager.
The fifth son of the Marquis of Ningguo, who had been pleading guilty at the gate for several days, was originally listless and dispirited. He had even stared a hole through the stone pillar in front of the mansion. The prince and princess refused to come out or let him in.
Jiang Jingming was truly furious. He didn't know what his father was thinking. Neither the Xie family nor the Wang family came to apologize. At most, they sent someone to deliver a gift as an apology, but the Wang family wouldn't accept it.
Why does he have to suffer here and make a fool of himself?
Just as he was idly staring at the stone pier in front of the gate, the side gate next to the main gate of the Prince's Mansion opened, and several palace maids and eunuchs hurriedly escorted a carriage towards the palace.
Lin Xiuxue and her personal maid Baihe also came out.
Jiang Jingming knew Lin Xiuxue. She was a young woman with a reputation for being talented and virtuous, and there were few people in the aristocratic circles of the capital who did not know her.
After the palace maids and eunuchs left, Uncle Fu and Bi Qiao slammed the door shut, not even glancing at Lin Xiuxue. She remembered that Zhao Shu kept crying out in pain, but they ignored her completely. Before leaving, Zhao Shu even said that it wasn't Lin Xiuxue's fault, that it was just her own flesh that was easily hurt.
His eyes were red with hatred.
Seeing Lin Xiuxue's sullen face, Jiang Jingming hurriedly got up, carrying a bundle of thorns on his back to stop her. "Miss Lin, what happened? Did that absurd prince and the willful princess wrong you? I knew it, neither of them are good people."
Lin Xiuxue frowned, giving Jiang Jingming a disdainful look. "You vulgar nouveau riche, don't you know that loose lips sink ships?" she thought. However, she didn't mind having another ally.
In the powerful circles of the capital, the number one figure has always been Princess Jun. She is favored by the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and occasionally the Empress. How could an uneducated, willful, and capricious woman possibly outshine her? She gets up early every day to study, practice calligraphy and music. She has put in a lot of hard work in everything she does, including music, chess, calligraphy, painting, tea ceremony, cooking, and handicrafts. What makes Zhao Shu think she can steal her thunder?
Now that there's an idiot willing to take the blame for her, why wouldn't she be happy to do it?
Having figured this out, the disdain for the nobles on his face vanished completely, replaced by a graceful smile. "Fifth Young Master, please stop. Remember to be careful with your words and actions. The matter between the Prince and the Princess is not for us to comment on."
After saying this, she gracefully boarded her carriage.
Jiang Jingming thought to himself, what can't be discussed? No, I have to have someone investigate.
Zhao Shu and Prince Yong arrived at Cining Palace without any obstacles. The Emperor and Empress also arrived. The Empress Dowager pulled Zhao Shu aside with concern and asked, "Does it still hurt? Where is the imperial physician?"
The old imperial physician felt he couldn't be more unlucky. The princess was perfectly fine, yet she kept crying out in pain. He had seen unreasonable people before, but he had never seen anyone this unreasonable!
If it weren't for the fact that he was being ostracized by everyone in the Imperial Hospital, how could he have been sent to Prince Yong's residence?
Despite his sorrow, he still carried his medicine chest and knelt before the Empress Dowager, reporting, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, and Your Majesty the Empress."
The Empress Dowager was anxious and didn't want him to go through all those formalities. The Emperor, with his keen insight, waved his hand and said, "My dear minister, you may dispense with the formalities. Quickly tell me and the Empress Dowager, what's wrong with A-Jun? Why is she in so much pain?"
The old doctor was quite old, over sixty, but in good health, with hardly any gray hair.
He replied solemnly, “Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the Five Elements are primarily water and fire. Fire is the source of life and transformation in the human body. Without fire, there is no transformation. Fire has yin and yang aspects; illness is caused by yin fire. To quell yin fire, one must focus on clearing its source. However, medicines that are too cold will damage the stomach qi. Damaged stomach qi leads to difficulty eating and can even endanger life. People insist that fire should be purged, but they do not know to nourish water to control fire and protect the stomach to generate fluids. The harm is not small. Moreover, the yin and yang of water and fire, and the yin within yang and the yang within yin, are the wondrous principles of creation. This is to nourish one's own spirit and ensure smooth flow throughout the body.” (Result from Baidu)
The old doctor talked at length, but apart from Zhao Shu, no one understood a word he said. He talked about fire and water, yin and yang, but all he really meant was that the princess wasn't sick and that if she took care of her temper, everything would go smoothly.
"Your Majesty, I will prescribe a remedy. After applying a few patches, you will see improvement." He knew that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor would not understand him, so he hurriedly wrote out the prescription.
Neither the Empress Dowager nor the Emperor understood medicine, so what could they do? They could only order someone to prepare the medicine.
After taking a bowl of medicine, Zhao Shu obediently stopped crying. The emperor and empress dowager were pleased, rewarded the old imperial physician, and began to show concern for Zhao Shu and her father.
"What happened? Why is she in so much pain all of a sudden?" The Empress Dowager was so heartbroken that she wished she could suffer in Zhao Shu's place. She choked up as she spoke, and then she thought of the motherless child, who was like a withered weed in winter, and her heart ached even more.
Zhao Shu felt very guilty. The Empress Dowager and the Emperor genuinely cared for her, yet she had to take advantage of those who truly cared for her.
Her eyes immediately welled up with tears. When the Empress Dowager and the Emperor saw that their beloved granddaughter (niece) was about to cry, they quickly comforted her.
"Granny Zhong, you speak," the emperor commanded, pointing to Granny Zhong who was standing to one side.
Granny Zhong stepped forward and recounted the whole story, even including Lin Xiuxue's expression at the time.
After hearing Zhong Mama's report, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor began to have reservations about Lin Xiuxue. How dare she speak to their beloved granddaughter (niece) in such a tone? How shameless does Lin Xiuxue have? Does she think she can be on equal footing with the Empress Dowager and the Emperor?
The Empress was also very uncomfortable. Her son was the Crown Prince, and she was the Empress. The Empress Dowager, her mother-in-law, hadn't made things difficult for her. The Crown Prince and A-Jun had a good relationship, and she also doted on A-Jun. She also liked A-Jun's good friend, Lin Xiuxue. She didn't expect her to be like this. She was so magnanimous. If she was given a chance, would she try to compete with her, the Empress?
In order not to rub salt into Zhao Shu's wounds, the emperor asked Prince Yong, "Nineteen, why did you suddenly want to inspect the garrison troops?"
Prince Yong's eyes were so bright they could practically sparkle. He hadn't yet recovered from the joy of his daughter's closeness and protection of him. Now that the emperor was asking him questions, he didn't try to hide anything and told the truth, just like Granny Zhong.
Upon hearing this, the emperor raised an eyebrow. "Ah Jun wants to be a great general?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Shu finally got to the point.
"Before answering Uncle's question, could Uncle answer one of your questions first?"
In this world, no one has ever been born who could make the emperor answer questions first, but now there is one: Zhao Shu.
The emperor was amused by Zhao Shu's serious demeanor. After being emperor for so long, he also needed a break.
"Tell me, Uncle, what profound questions can Ah Jun ask?"
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