313 Entering the Princess Mansion
As the two were speaking, the horse carriage arrived at the entrance of the Princess Mansion. After the carriage stopped, they were brought down and led inside.
Upon entering the Princess Mansion, they were taken directly into a room.
"You two just wait here; the Princess and the Prince Consort will be here soon."
After the man who had tied them up spoke, he stood motionless beside the door.
Zhao Zhitong and Wei Zijian stood still, not daring to move or look around. Before long, an elegant and richly dressed woman entered.
From her attire, she must be the Princess, they surmised.
As expected, when she stepped into the room and saw Zhao Zhitong and Wei Zijian, she hurriedly exclaid, "Ah, why haven’t you two been untied yet? Really! Soone, hurry and untie them."
Upon receiving the order, the servant quickly stepped forward and loosened the ropes binding Zhao Zhitong and Wei Zijian.
Only then did the two of them flex their wrists and bow to the lady.
Duchess Anping waved her hand. "Ah, no need for such formalities."
She then glanced at Zhao Zhitong, then at Wei Zijian beside her. Recalling that the little divine doctor was said to be a woman, she confird it was Zhao Zhitong.
However, seeing Zhao Zhitong’s age—she was about the sa age as her own daughter—the Duchess couldn’t help but feel a sliver of doubt. "Are you Divine Healer Zhao?"
Zhao Zhitong hurriedly replied modestly, "I dare not claim such a title. I am just a humble physician; I cannot bear the na ’Divine Doctor.’"
Duchess Anping smiled. "So, it is you. Little Divine Healer Zhao, don’t be so modest. The current Pri Minister and General Feng both praised you; their judgnt must be sound."
This was too high a praise for Zhao Zhitong to accept. She imdiately said, "Your Highness, you flatter . Elder Zhang and General Feng were rely being kind. They only had ordinary toothaches, not serious illnesses. I truly dare not accept the title of ’Divine Doctor.’"
Princess Anping smiled knowingly. "Elder Zhang and General Feng rarely praise anyone. For you to earn comndation from both of them ans you must possess genuine skill."
"Besides, General Feng’s toothache was a chronic ailnt he’d suffered from for many years. Countless physicians and imperial doctors failed to cure it, yet you healed him with your first attempt. How could you not be a Divine Doctor?"
This was also why she had been willing to take a chance and have soone seek out Zhao Zhitong.
She then smiled again and said, "I know what you are worried about, but you can rest assured."
"I had Divine Healer Zhao brought here this ti. I specifically ordered my servants to bind you and make a grand show of you disembarking at the entrance. You absolutely must not bla for this."
"This way, you can tell everyone that people from the Princess Mansion abducted you to treat the Princess’s illness. Then, those imperial doctors from the Imperial Physician Bureau won’t hold any resentnt against you."
Zhao Zhitong nodded. This is indeed why I thought being bound and brought here wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
But she still said modestly, "Your Highness, you think too highly of . I’ve heard the Princess’s illness is quite peculiar, and even Imperial Physician Order Dr. Zhuo of the Imperial Physician Bureau is helpless against it. I am just a physician from a small county town; I wouldn’t dare to display my ager skills before such esteed imperial doctors."
As her voice fell, a voice suddenly ca from outside.
"Hmph. At least you have so self-awareness."
The next second, a scholarly-looking man walked in. He glanced at Zhao Zhitong, snorted disdainfully, and shook his head. "Princess, are you really going to entrust the well-being of such a precious young lady, the Princess, to a rustic physician—and a re slip of a girl at that, one who’s barely co of age?"
"This is far too reckless, isn’t it?" he said, turning to the Prince Consort. "Prince Consort, you should also try to persuade Her Highness. How can the Princess’s precious body be entrusted to soone like this? Isn’t this trifling with the Princess’s health?"
The Prince Consort faltered, suddenly uncertain himself.
Although he was the one who had brought news of Divine Healer Zhao, seeing this... wet-behind-the-ears young girl, he couldn’t help but question his own judgnt.
"Ping’an, I think Dr. Zhuo has a point..."
Princess Ping’an frowned, her displeasure clear as she cut off the Prince Consort. "Dr. Zhuo," she began, her voice sharp, "what are you implying? If I don’t ask Divine Healer Zhao to treat the Princess, who then should I seek?"
Zhuo An scoffed, "Isn’t it obvious? Naturally, you should turn to the imperial doctors of our Imperial Physician Bureau. We specialize in treating nobility. How could a rustic physician, accustod to treating common country folk, possibly be fit to attend to the Princess?"
"Hmph!" Princess Ping’an retorted, her voice cold with anger. "Yes, I did seek out your Imperial Physician Bureau. And what was the result? She’s had no shortage of dicine, nor a lack of consultations from you. But have any of you managed to cure her?"
"What? Your Imperial Physician Bureau cannot cure her, so now you forbid from seeking help elsewhere? So, are you saying my Princess has no choice but to wait for death, is that it?!"
Zhuo An chuckled. "Of course not, Your Highness. I am rely concerned you might be deceived. After all, anyone can boast of an unearned reputation."
"Understand this, Your Highness: the finest physicians in the realm are all within our Imperial Physician Bureau. If our Bureau declares a condition incurable, then no one in this world can cure it."
His words caused Princess Ping’an’s face to darken.
Zhao Zhitong’s impression of this Zhuo An soured further. His words reeked of arrogance.
It seems my earlier analysis was correct, she thought.
To see Dr. Zhuo speak with such audacity to a princess of the imperial house made his arrogance plain, and also hinted at the standing he must have in the emperor’s eyes.
Beside her, Wei Zijian was seething. What does he an, if their Imperial Physician Bureau can’t cure a disease, then no physician in the world can?
He was about to speak up for Zhao Zhitong but fell silent when she shot him a warning glance.
The Princess, her anger giving way to a cold sneer, said, "Dr. Zhuo, such bold claims! You should know the saying, ’Beyond the mountain, there are higher mountains; beyond one master, there are other masters.’ There are countless skilled physicians in this world; surely they are not all confined to your Imperial Physician Bureau."
"If your Bureau is truly so capable, why were you all powerless against General Feng’s toothache, yet Miss Zhao cured him? Aren’t you afraid of becoming a laughingstock if word of this spreads?"
Upon hearing this, Zhuo An turned his gaze to Zhao Zhitong.
He had heard about General Feng’s toothache being cured, but hadn’t paid it much mind since that physician wasn’t in the Capital City and posed no threat to him.
This ti, however, was different. He was the one who had diagnosed the Princess’s illness, and he was the one who had declared it incurable.
If this... fledgling girl managed to cure her, his own reputation would be utterly shattered.
So, he forced a smile and asked, "You are Divine Healer Zhao, I presu?"
Zhao Zhitong imdiately replied, "I wouldn’t dare claim such a title. General Feng and the others are rely too generous with their praise for this humble one. I am just a simple country physician, not a ’Divine Doctor.’"
"Oh?" Zhuo An raised an eyebrow. "So, you admit you’re rely fishing for fa, that your reputation is all fabricated, and you possess no real skill?"
He then laughed derisively. "Princess, look at her! She’s just an ignorant slip of a girl. At her age, she should be at ho clinging to her mother’s skirts and whining, not gallivanting about pretending to treat illnesses!"
"Who says that?"
Wei Zijian, who had been restraining himself, could finally bear it no longer. He couldn’t stand by and listen to this contemptible imperial doctor slander his master again and again.
He imdiately spoke out in his master’s defense, "My master is the renowned Divine Doctor of Anyang County! There’s no illness my master cannot cure!"
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