“He once told why he adopted a godson…”
Qin Zheng’s voice was soft and delicate as she spoke. Across from her sat Empress Dou.
—The reason she had traveled with Ji Sui was to visit the Empress in the capital. The Empress had given her a token. If Qin Zheng wanted to enter the palace, she could present it at the Empress’s estate, and arrangents would be made.
After explaining the origins of the godson situation, Qin Zheng’s throat seed rusty. She appeared to have more to say but didn’t know how to express it. She remained silent, her head slightly lowered.
The Empress reached out and covered Qin Zheng’s hand with her own.
Startled, Qin Zheng looked up. The warmth from the Empress’s soft palm seed to spread throughout her entire body.
The Empress gently asked, “Ah Zheng, what do you usually spend your days doing?”
This was sothing she could articulate without hesitation.
“In my daily life, apart from reading and learning dance, I go to the countryside to provide free dical treatnt for those who cannot afford it.”
As Qin Zheng spoke, her expression remained unchanged.
She had no lofty ideals and never considered herself guided by the benevolence of a healer. She simply wanted to keep herself occupied. That said, she did feel compassion for the poor who couldn’t afford treatnt. But this compassion was the sa as when she saved the Crown Prince’s life or helped a little rabbit with an injured leg she found by the roadside.
Empress Dou smiled at her. “Ah Zheng’s dical skills are remarkable. The slight illness I had this ti was sothing Ah Zheng detected.”
The room fell silent again.
A ray of warm sunlight stread through the gap in the window, illuminating the frosted edges of a wintersweet branch in the vase. The frost shimred from the tips of the petals down to the base of the stem, its golden edges faint and crystalline.
A light blush colored the edges of Qin Zheng’s ears.
Embarrassed, she said, “My knowledge is crude at best, and the prescriptions I write only use inexpensive herbs. Your Highness is kind to even consider taking them. If it were an imperial physician…”
The Empress’s gentle smile turned into a soft laugh. “I wasn’t born Empress. When I was younger, not to ntion rare dicinal ingredients, even cheap herbs were a luxury I couldn’t always afford. In fact, the prescriptions you write feel familiar to . And they’re effective, too. Just one dose made feel much better.”
Qin Zheng grew even more self-conscious. The faint blush on her ears spread to her cheeks.
The Empress asked, “Since Ji Sui is so concerned about what will happen to you after his ti, do you have any plans of your own?”
The rosy flush on Qin Zheng’s face faded slightly.
She straightened herself, summoning her resolve to answer the Empress seriously: “I don’t know. Perhaps I’ll live as a simple village doctor… but I’d definitely have to scar my face.”
The Empress’s knowing gaze t Qin Zheng’s. Tears welled up in Qin Zheng’s eyes, turning them red.
“Even with Ji Gong’s influence, even with guards assigned to protect , n still try to harass when I’m treating patients. Wearing a veil hasn’t helped. In the future… it will only get worse. I might as well ruin this face.”
“Maybe Ji Gong is right. Marrying and having soone to rely on would make things much easier. But I don’t want that… Your Highness, I don’t want to marry.”
The incident with the Crown Prince had left a deep psychological scar on Qin Zheng, making her even more resistant to the idea of marriage.
The Empress said, “Ah Zheng, have you ever considered that your own skills are your greatest source of support?”
Qin Zheng froze.
“Your dance skills could allow you to work as a dance instructor in a princess’s household. With the protection of the princess’s residence, who would dare mistreat you? And your dical skills—”
The Empress’s voice softened further. “The Crown Prince is not drawn to beauty, and his health is poor. If soone were willing to reside in the Eastern Palace and tend to his health, it would put my heart at ease. While the capital has skilled physicians who are heirs of dical legends, one of them has a husband who was exiled. His Majesty harbors suspicions toward her, fearing she might tamper with the dicine. As a result, she cannot be entrusted with the task of treating the Crown Prince.”
Qin Zheng lowered her head in a daze, staring at her hands, which often prepared dicinal herbs. Her fingers twitched slightly, as if wanting to grasp sothing, yet hesitating.
“This isn’t charity, nor is it pity—” The Empress’s words gripped Qin Zheng’s heart tightly. “Your future depends entirely on your dical skills.”
“If my son lives another twenty or thirty years, by then you’ll be in your thirties or forties. As a palace physician, no one will dare lay a finger on you. The only person who could wield power over you would be the next emperor. But if my son lives even ten more years, you’ll already be in your fifties. By then, the world will be full of young, beautiful won. Why would the next emperor turn his attention to you?”
“Ah Zheng.”
Empress Dou gently folded Qin Zheng’s hand into a loose fist.
With a serious expression, she said, “Ji Sui is overwheld with worry, but what I need to tell you is this—”
“In this lifeti, the only person you can truly rely on is yourself.”
The practice of adopting an heir and drafting a contract is inspired by the historical docunt The Renxu Year Adoption Contract of Hu Zai Cheng from Longle Village.
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