"Sister, don't be angry. It's common to be out of favor in the Crown Prince's residence. This time it's Peixi, but next time it might be someone else."
Song Tangxue came here specifically to enjoy her distorted expression. In her past life, she had given everything for Li Zhaoxian, only to watch him walk towards another woman in the end.
It truly is a cycle of cause and effect.
The next day.
Song Tangxue temporarily left the Crown Prince's residence. His Highness the Crown Prince was then diverted to other places by the Emperor to help with the flood relief. Song Tangxue then went to find Doctor Xie. She felt a little guilty because she had not been here for a long time. Doctor Xie had taught her everything he knew, but she had rarely come here.
Doctor Xie lived in a place that seemed like a fairyland. The swirling smoke made people feel as if everything before them was an illusion. An old man with a white beard sat in a stone cave, calculating something in his hands.
"I need three ounces of astragalus, but Shi Fan wants five ounces. However, the medicinal properties of the two herbs clash. What should I do?"
"Why not add some Huangling powder?"
Upon hearing the voice, the old man immediately looked up, clearly surprised, but he forced himself to feign anger.
"So you finally decided to come back! I thought you'd forgotten about this old man!"
Xie Lingyi, who had mistakenly entered this place, rescued him and became one of his disciples. He was the one who passed on his medical skills. The old man was eccentric and always had an inexplicable pursuit of medical skills. Once, in order to understand the contents of a book, he did not close his eyes for two days and two nights. In the end, she and her senior brother had to work together to carry the old man back to his room.
"Master, I'm back now, aren't I? The recent floods are quite severe, you must take good care of yourself." After this one parting, Song Tangxue's identity has become that of the Crown Princess, completely different from the maid whose life was in danger back then.
The old man's attitude softened. He wasn't really upset that Song Tangxue hadn't come; he was just worried that she wasn't having an easy time in the court. Even though this place was remote, he heard about everything that happened in the court.
"Alright, look at how radiant you are. It seems you're doing quite well as the Crown Princess."
Song Tangxue gave a bitter laugh, as she couldn't easily explain the reasons to her master.
“You’ve come at the right time. I was planning to go to the neighboring county to treat the refugees. You and Xuan’er should go to another place. There is still a plague spreading there, and the people are suffering terribly. The emperor is a foolish ruler and hasn’t sent anyone here.”
Song Tangxue's senior brother, Shen Yuxuan, was much more skilled in medicine. He would go up the mountain to collect herbs every time it was this time, and he should be back soon.
Just then, a cheerful voice rang out at the door: "Master, I'm back! I found a lot of good things on the mountain this time!"
The man stopped at the doorway, staring in shock at the woman before him, the medicine basket in his hand involuntarily falling to the ground.
"Junior sister, you're finally back!"
The next moment, Song Tangxue was held tightly in a man's arms. The man's body trembled slightly, and he even had a sob in his voice.
"You heartless little brat, you left me and Master here all by yourself and went to the capital to enjoy a life of luxury. You haven't sent a single letter in all these months. Do you even care about us anymore?!"
Song Tangxue felt guilty. She had thought about sending them a letter these days, but the situation in the court was unpredictable, and she was being watched by His Highness the Crown Prince at all times, so it was really not appropriate to write a letter.
If Xin were stopped by the Crown Prince's confidants, he would discover their whereabouts. Xie Lingyi had devoted his life to medical skills and was naive to worldly affairs. He did not want the two of them to be involved in the turmoil of the court.
"Alright, your junior sister is doing well now, isn't she? Now that you're back, I'm planning to send the two of you to Liaocheng to treat the refugees."
The situation in Liaocheng was even more critical than in Fengxian. The imperial court had already abandoned that place, sending a few imperial physicians there but no longer paying attention to it.
The two of them went there together. The people there were living in misery and suffering greatly. They couldn't even afford the most basic food and clothing. Song Tangxue used the last of her silver to buy them some food.
Shops in Liaocheng were closing down one after another, leaving only one guesthouse still operating precariously. They chose to stay there temporarily.
Song Tangxue returned to her room and tidied up briefly. This was already the best room in the inn, but it was still filled with a musty smell. Seeing the people's worried faces, her heart ached as well.
Because of the flood, many houses were destroyed and many people were displaced. They would make do in a shed. Song Tangxue would secretly slip them some silver coins so that they could at least stay in an inn.
This was the first time Song Tangxue felt she hadn't brought enough money to catch more people.
The two of them set up a free clinic on the side of the street, where they did not charge people money and everyone could come to get treatment. In no time, the news spread throughout the streets and alleys.
"Take your time, everyone. We will see it all. Please don't rush."
Song Tangxue spent the morning seeing patients, but the situation remained dire. The people's health was deteriorating, and some newborns were even dying. The medicinal herbs they had prepared were quickly used up, and they would go up the mountain to collect herbs at night. Three days passed in this manner.
As their reputation grew, the people all knew that there were two doctors here who could treat patients without spending money. The doctors who used to charge exorbitant prices lost their business and were naturally furious. In a fit of anger, they went to the county magistrate.
The county magistrate's residence was quite lively today, with countless doctors gathered there, including two imperial physicians previously sent by the emperor, which gave the magistrate quite a headache.
"Sir, these two are absolutely outrageous! We doctors need money to treat patients, and it's only right that we pay for medical treatment. But they've gone too far and stolen our business. How are we supposed to survive now!"
"That's right. We came here to provide medical treatment on His Majesty's orders. They are young, and their medical skills are certainly not better than ours. Are we just going to let them continue treating patients? If something happens to the people, you will be the first to be blamed!"
“Your Excellency, please step forward and drive these two away. We have never seen these people in Liaocheng before, so they must be outsiders.”
...
A group of people were making a ruckus in front of him, and the county magistrate didn't know what to do. After the flood, these imperial physicians greatly increased their consultation fees, which made the people who were already suffering even more miserable.
They would naturally go to a place where medical treatment was free, since they had finally found one. If they were to drive the two out of Liaocheng, the people would not let them off the hook.
The magistrate was in a difficult position, as neither side was in a good position, but the imperial physicians were pressuring him, so he had no choice but to agree to drive them out of Liaocheng within the next two days.
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