It seemed like her goal was met.
The corner of Bai Luochu"s mouth arched up slightly. The disgusting feeling of that strange odor had been wiped out and she seemed to be in a brilliant mood, allowing her to eat a few more bites of the lunch.
When Zi Su saw that Bai Luochu was in a good mood, she gathered her courage to ask, "Young Lady, I heard that the divine physician was invited by the First Prince. Then… Could this divine physician perhaps be the Young Lady?"
Bai Luochu didn"t try to hide the fact and nodded. "It is me."
"Young Lady actually has such skill! This is really great. Young Lady will definitely be respected in the future." Zi Su was very happy to hear this information and it felt as though she was truly happy for Bai Luochu.
"That"s right. After dinner today, you can go and rest. Treat it as a short break." Bai Luochu looked at Zi Su and said.
Zi Su thought that Bai Luochu was feeling happy because she would be a respected physician in the future. She agreed in delight as she thought that she would be able to enjoy some benefits when Bai Luochu was happy.
In fact, this was all going according to Bai Luochu"s plan. Since she was now considered a renowned figure in the capital city, that person she was waiting for should be paying a visit to her tonight.
Even after nightfall, Bai Luochu didn"t cultivate and she simply did some light reading. It was her most leisurely night since her reincarnation. Even though she was reading the book, the page stayed the same. It was obvious that the book was just a cover as Bai Luochu was quietly waiting for something.
It was deep into the night. Today was the first day of the month and a crescent moon hung in the sky. The night wasn"t bright and beautiful but the stars sparkled in the darkness, making them particularly resplendent. As Bai Luochu was reading, she became more and more curious. Why wasn"t that person here yet?
Just as she was thinking about it, the sound of a door opening entered her ears.
"Young Lady must have waited for a long time. I am late." The voice belonged to none other than the Second Prince, Pei Qingfeng.
"I have been expecting you for a long time, Your Highness." Bai Luochu placed the book in her hands down and looked towards Pei Qingfeng while speaking indifferently.
When Pei Qingfeng saw that Bai Luochu didn"t move, he knew that he would have to bring out the previously mentioned reward before they could continue the discussion.
"I have already prepared and brought the reward that you asked for previously. Will Young Lady please take a look." As he finished speaking, he opened up the box that was filled with medicinal ingredients and placed it in front of Bai Luochu.
Bai Luochu didn"t reserve herself and glanced at all the medicinal ingredients. They were really the things she had requested. She then kept all the ingredients before thinking about how she wouldn"t be lacking in them for quite a period of time. As her mood got better, her manner of speech became more lively as well.
"Is the Second Prince here to look for me to treat an illness?" Bai Luochu asked a question she already had an answer to.
Pei Qingfeng understood that Bai Luochu was angry because of his distrust towards her. Also, it was because he allowed Su Luoqing to vent her anger on her. Right now, Bai Luochu was definitely thinking of venting her anger on him.
Pei Qingfeng spoke calmly. "The poison in my body is weird. Young Lady once mentioned that you are unable to neutralize it with your current ability. I don"t wish for Young Lady to be overly troubled. Today, I am here for Young Lady to treat my legs."
Pei Qingfeng considered curing the poison array in his body, but it was just too difficult. He also had to observe this Young Lady"s ability before he made a decision. He couldn"t make a rash decision and allow her to neutralize the poison in his body.
There was another thing. If the poison truly needed one to exhaust a lot of mental and physical strength, he didn"t want to make things difficult for her. Most importantly, the contest for the throne was getting more intense and there were more people monitoring him. He wasn"t able to guarantee that those people wouldn"t notice the flaw, or lack thereof, in his legs. It was better to plan in advance.
"Sure. Your Second Highness doesn"t have to worry. I will definitely treat your legs and make it so that outsiders will not be able to notice anything wrong. I can even make it fully recover whenever you want them to." Bai Luochu spoke convincingly without a change in expression.
"Then you may begin." Pei Qingfeng said without hesitation.
Bai Luochu carefully disinfected the silver needles and when she was about to p.r.i.c.k on Pei Qingfeng"s acupoints, she noticed Pei Qingfeng pulling back.
"Your Highness doesn"t have to worry. These silver needles are brand new. The ones that I used for Young Lady Su"s treatment were for forcing out the poisoned blood. I already threw them away." Bai Luochu managed to guess Pei Qingfeng"s concern and she quickly provided an explanation.
Pei Qingfeng seemed relaxed after listening to the explanation. He finally felt at ease to allow Bai Luochu to treat his legs.
Once the silver needles entered the acupoints, Pei Qingfeng felt his legs going slightly numb. He gradually lost his ability to move them. Bai Luochu"s treatment was rather quick and she only took the time it took one stick of incense to burn in order to turn Pei Qingfeng"s legs the way he wanted it. She then took out a bottle of pills and handed it over to Pei Qingfeng before explaining, "In order to prevent these legs from burdening you, you can consume these pills in an emergency. It will allow you to regain the functions of your legs for a short period of time."
The secret guard that came along with the Second Prince saw that Pei Qingfeng"s face was rather pale and he instantly a.s.sumed that something went wrong during the treatment. He questioned, "Why is His Highness" complexion so awful?!"
Perhaps due to his impatience and overprotection of his lord, the guard sounded a little anxious.
"Have you ever seen a patient afflicted with a grave disease with a florid complexion?" Bai Luochu didn"t mind it and she looked at the guard like she was looking at a r.e.t.a.r.d.
"You don"t have to worry. I simply made your complexion a little unsightly. In fact, it doesn"t do any actual harm to you." Bai Luochu casually explained to Pei Qingfeng.
Pei Qingfeng nodded. He naturally understood the condition of his body better than anyone else. When he looked at his numbed and "useless" legs, he felt even more confident in Bai Luochu"s abilities.
"You must be tired after all the work. It is already deep into the night. I shall take my leave." As soon as the words entered her ears, Pei Qingfeng disappeared into the night.
Bai Luochu looked at the dark sky and stretched her body. She washed her face and rinsed her mouth before going to sleep.
The next day, early in the morning... Bai Luochu finished her cultivation session and Zi Su had just finished freshening her up. Before she even had the chance to have breakfast, someone sent a message. "Young Lady, the First Prince has requested that you make your preparations. The Empress Dowager has called for Divine Physician Bai to enter the palace."
Empress Dowager?
Bai Luochu had to respond to the summons from the Empress Dowager. She pondered for a moment and replied, "I understand. Please wait for a moment for me to pack up some things." She then put on her disguise as Divine Physician Bai before taking the things required for diagnosis and treatment. She then headed to the front hall and followed the eunuch who had been waiting for her.
The palace was still as huge as ever. Only after making plenty of turns did they arrive at the Empress Dowager"s palace. As soon as Bai Luochu entered the palace hall, she saw a graceful, poised, and aged woman seated on the host seat in the hall. Bai Luochu recalled the appearance of the Empress Dowager during the palace banquet and a.s.sumed that they were the same person.
"This commoner pays his respects to the Empress Dowager. Long live the Empress Dowager for a thousand years!" Bai Luochu immediately gave a proper greeting to the Empress Dowager.