Chapter 1077 A Surprise: Doctor Qiu Returned to His Home Village?
Rui’an Great Elder Princess was very surprised that Shao Wanru came over at this time. She took her hand and let her sit down. After looking her up and down and ensuring that she was no different from before, Rui’an Great Elder Princess breathed a sigh of relief.
She wanted to see her granddaughter before, but Shao Wanru told her not to come over and said if she visited, someone would inquire about the news.
“Why would you come to see me today? Is there anything wrong?” Rui’an Great Elder Princess asked with concern.
Shao Wanru had told her not to visit each other, but she suddenly came here. Rui’an Great Elder Princess was really worried.
“Grandma, I’m fine. I just want to see you. What happened before is over. It’s okay to come and see you now!”
Shao Wanru smiled, pulling and shaking her grandmother’s hand.
Shao Wanru didn’t want to get Rui’an Great Elder Princess involved in the matter of the painting.
It was best not to know about this kind of thing. Her grandmother was stubborn and had a quick temper, so it was safest to keep it from her.
What happened in her previous life was unimaginably queer. She didn’t have to explain too much to her grandma, which would only trouble her.
“Look at you. You’ve been so mysterious and didn’t let me see you. And you didn’t tell me what had happened in detail. What was going on? Why would the Emperor’s imperial guards come to your mansion?” Rui’an Great Elder Princess waved her hand and asked after everyone else had left.
This matter had worried her for several days. She believed in her granddaughter’s words and did nothing. Otherwise, she would have gotten out immediately to see the Empress Dowager in the Palace.
It was never a good thing for any mansion when the imperial guards of the Emperor showed up there, for they would usually come with fatal disasters. However, these guards generated “loud thunder, little rain” this time, which made others more skeptical.
Chu Liuchen was not in the mansion, so Shao Wanru was the first one they suspected.
Rui’an Great Elder Princess felt relieved and trusted her granddaughter after Shao Wanru strategically dealt with matters related to Marquis Xing’s Mansion with ease. She listened to Shao Wanru’s words and forcefully fought down her impulse to take any action.
“Grandmother, it was no big deal. They came for surviving evildoers of the former dynasty. Someone must have leaked the news to the Emperor on purpose, so he sent his guards over. Fortunately, the chief supervisor was there. As a princess who managed the inner court, I was of very little use then, though I had a n.o.ble status.”
Shao Wanru said smilingly, her watery eyes crinkling into a smile. Seeing that she replied with a casual air, Rui’an Great Elder Princess was convinced that the matter was nothing serious.
Rui’an Great Elder Princess breathed a sigh of relief because she feared something terrible had happened.
The chief supervisor of Prince Chen’s Mansion was someone even she had to show some respect for. He had once been the general steward in the deceased empress’s place and protected the young master wholeheartedly. To secure his young master’s safety, he even didn’t want to stay in the Palace. For this reason only, Rui’an Great Elder Princess appreciated this loyal general steward.
Thinking about what happened that day, she had a deep grat.i.tude toward the chief steward. Zhuozhuo was smart, but she was young after all and wasn’t very experienced. When encountering severe trouble, she would be fl.u.s.tered. Luckily, the chief supervisor made arrangements and solved this big problem.
Thinking of this, Rui’an Great Elder Princess still felt a burst of lingering fear. No one expected the Emperor to send the imperial guards to the Prince Chen’s Mansion. There were some guards sent by him standing before the gate of Prince Chen’s Mansion, but they were there to protect the Prince Chen’s Mansion instead of disturbing Princess Chen’s peaceful life.
She had thought that the Emperor was going to crush Prince Chen.
“When you return, bring a gift to the chief supervisor in your mansion and thank him for me!” said Rui’an Great Elder Princess.
“Thank you, Grandma, on behalf of him!” Shao Wanru accepted it fully at ease, smiling brightly.
Given her grandma’s character, she would thank the current chief supervisor. If she refused the present, it would arouse her grandma’s suspicion, so it was best to accept it cheerfully.
“Grandma, hasn’t Infanta Yuan’an’s face fully recovered? I heard that the former doctor had good medical skills. Didn’t the treatment work?” Shao Wanru changed the topic and asked curiously.
Rui’an Great Elder Princess planned to visit the Prince Chen’s Mansion, but she dropped this idea because Infanta Yuan’an and Ruiping Great Elder Princess suddenly called on her.
Her question successfully attracted Rui’an Great Elder Princess’s attention. She shook her head and said, “That doctor is good, but I heard that he had returned to his home village!”
“Was he back home?” Shao Wanru was stunned for a moment because this reason came as a total surprise to her.
“Did Doctor Qiu have a hometown? Where was his hometown? After a few changes on his household register, no one would know which place was his real hometown.”
“That was what I heard. There was something wrong with his family, so he had to go back. He left some medicine for Infanta Yuan’an, but she accidentally broke the medicine container. So, she was anxious to find another doctor with excellent medical skills.” Rui’an Great Elder Princess sighed.
Rui’an Great Elder Princess was frank and outspoken but had a sympathetic heart. She couldn’t bear to see Infanta Yuan’an in tears. When they came over that day, although Infanta Yuan’an had a veil on her face, she took it off and showed the wound to her. There were indeed scars on her face. A woman’s appearance was the most precious. In particular, Infanta Yuan’an was about to marry Prince Zhou.
With such a face, her wedding couldn’t be a decent event for her. Instead, it was going to be humiliating.
“Did Doctor Qiu return home?” Shao Wanru didn’t believe it from the bottom of her heart. She had lived in the Marquis Xing’s Mansion for three years but had never seen Doctor Qiu go back home. Mingqiu Nun had mentioned Doctor Qiu was an orphan. Thus, how could he have a hometown?
It was obviously an excuse. “But what matter of vital importance that Doctor Qiu had to handle in person?” He even gave up treating the wound on Infanta Yuan’an’s face halfway!
“Did he leave to see another person more important than Infanta Yuan’an? Or were there any other reasons?” Shao Wanru really couldn’t figure it out at the moment.
With all kinds of thoughts in her heart, Shao Wanru still looked calm and said with a smile, “Why wouldn’t Infanta Yuan’an go to find an imperial physician in the Palace? All imperial physicians in the Imperial Inst.i.tute of Medicine have excellent medical skills. How could they want a doctor in my mansion? Besides, Doctor Qi never gives medical advice to outsiders.”
Qi Jue had left with Chu Liuchen, which was unknown to others. Yet, Shao Wanru didn’t intend to reveal the information to others.
“Ruiping Great Elder Princess told me that Yuan’an didn’t trust the imperial physicians in the Palace, saying they couldn’t cure her. These imperial physicians with poor judgment even asked her to wipe off the ointment on her face.” Rui’an Great Elder Princess explained.
Shao Wanru was speechless for a while. Infanta Yuan’an looked down upon the imperial physicians working for the Palace but only took a fancy to the miracle-working Doctor Qi in the Prince Chen’s Mansion. The reason sounded pretty unconvincing.
“What did you tell them?”
“I only said you were not in good health. You had struggled to go out once, but you could hardly pull yourself up to meet outsiders. Even I didn’t go to disturb you for fear of consuming your limited energy. So, I told them they could only wait and see,” said Rui’an Great Elder Princess. Then she looked at Shao Wanru and reminded her, “I refused them with this excuse, but today you came out in good condition. I’m afraid that Infanta Yuan’an will come to us again and may even go directly to the Prince Chen’s Mansion. You should be prepared for that.”
“Don’t worry. I got it.” Shao Wanru responded with a nod. Since she had come to the Rui’an Great Elder Princess’s Mansion, she was not seriously ill. It would no longer be proper for them to turn down their request for this reason.
“It’s a tricky matter. She had received treatment from another doctor but hasn’t fully recovered. If her scars heal after the doctor in your mansion takes over her case, her previous doctor will get the credit. However, if she doesn’t recover, it will be your mansion’s fault. Prince Zhou’s wedding is a big deal where there’s no room for risk,” Rui’an Great Elder Princess spoke without reservation because Shao Wanru might be too young and ignorant to understand how serious this matter was.
“Grandma, trust me. I know it, and I won’t take this task!” Shao Wanru a.s.sured her.
“But if she comes to you, what would you do? You can’t refuse her directly, can you?” Rui’an Great Elder Princess was still worried. After thinking about it over and over again, she felt Shao Wanru shouldn’t have come out during this period. It was best for her to get out after Chu Liuchen went back home.
When Chu Liuchen was home, no one dared to go and ask for an insult in the Prince Chen’s Mansion.
At present, when her granddaughter was in charge of the mansion, unlike Chu Liuchen, she had to receive guests with courtesy!
“If she asks for help in our mansion, I have a solution. Rest a.s.sured, Grandma!” Shao Wanru said with complete confidence, smiling and patting her chest with a.s.surance.
Looking at the confident look on her delicate small face, Rui’an Great Elder Princess laughed despite worries filling her heart.
Then she took her hand and sighed. “Zhuozhuo, if you need anything, just tell me. I know I am not very capable, but I can always do something to protect you.”
Her grandma looked worried and concerned, and Shao Wanru couldn’t help feeling deeply touched. She reached out to hug Rui’an Great Elder Princess and said, “Set your heart at ease about it, Grandma. With you, I feel secure!”
In her previous life, Rui’an Great Elder Princess was forced to live an ascetic life in a nunnery, lone and helpless because all her families were dead. Though she had a n.o.ble and distinguished status, Rui’an Great Elder Princess had no choice but to end up in the nunnery. Shao Wanru wouldn’t believe it was her genuine and sincere desire to accept such a fate.
The eye corners of Rui’an Great Elder Princess reddened slightly. She reached out to pat Shao Wanru on her thin shoulder, feeling very weepy. Her granddaughter was really sensible and intelligent. At such a young age, Shao Wanru was so prudent and capable that she could even make strategic plans for her grandma and Hao’er. Thinking of her laborious efforts, Rui’an Great Elder Princess was suddenly overcome by sorrow.
If Shao Wanru had grown up in soft surroundings, she wouldn’t have endured so many hards.h.i.+ps and racked her brain to survive. Rui’an Great Elder Princess would rather see her granddaughter live happily under the protection of her parents and other family members, though she might become naive and ignorant.
How could she have gained such a keen insight into matters if she had never been pushed into a desperate situation?
Shao Wanru rarely talked about the affairs of the Qin’s Mansion to Rui’an Great Elder Princess. Even if she mentioned something, she would put bad things aside and only share joyful things that happened in her childhood. Rui’an Great Elder Princess knew her granddaughter didn’t want her to feel worried, so she reported only what was good while concealing what was unpleasant.
Her granddaughter was just so considerate that she secretly bore a heavy responsibility. But how many heavy burdens could such a delicate girl shoulder?
“Grandma, I’m fine and feel very happy with Prince Chen, you, and Hao’er.” Shao Wanru seemed to have seen through her mind, and threw into her arms and said softly. She hugged Rui’an Great Elder Princess tightly and let her go with a smile.
“You, you…” Rui’an Great Elder Princess couldn’t utter a word. “Why does she ask for so little? A little happiness can make her happy.” Rui’an Great Elder Princess choked with sobs, feeling very distressed about Shao Wanru’s great strength of character.
“Grandma, I have something to trouble you today!” Seeing her grandma cry, Shao Wanru hurriedly shook her sleeve and begged like a spoiled child.
“What is it? Tell me!” Rui’an Great Elder Princess asked anxiously because she was eager to help.