The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Why Would You Say That?

Princess Qinyang looked outside and saw Lan Yi leading Judge Zhao in.

Judge Zhao was carrying his medical case, gasping for breath.

Upon seeing Princess Qinyang, he bowed unsteadily. ”I have arrived late. I beg for your forgiveness, Princess!”

Zhao Xuanping was now over fifty years old, and he had rushed over in a great hurry upon hearing of the Eldest Princess’s sudden illness.

But the rush was too much for his old bones, and he had arrived late after all.

He grew even more nervous upon seeing Princess Qinyang, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

’Everyone knows she’s the last person you want to cross! Now that I’ve arrived late, a harsh reprimand is probably unavoidable.’

To his surprise, however, Princess Qinyang wasn’t angry. Instead, she waved a hand dismissively. ”There’s no need to blame yourself. Doctor Ye has already examined the Eldest Princess.”

Zhao Xuanping was taken aback. ”Doctor Ye? Which Doctor Ye?”

’I don’t think there’s anyone by that name in the Imperial Hospital, is there?’

”Second Miss Ye,” Princess Qinyang explained.

Only then did Zhao Xuanping see Ye Chutang emerge from behind a screen, his face a mask of utter astonishment.

”Th-this is the Doctor Ye you were talking about?”

’She looks no older than seventeen or eighteen!’

Princess Qinyang, assuming he didn’t know who Second Miss Ye was, added, ”She is the daughter of Ye Zheng and the niece of Ye Heng, the current Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice.”

Of course, Zhao Xuanping wasn’t concerned with Ye Chutang’s identity, but rather...

”Princess, you—you let a mere slip of a girl treat the Eldest Princess?”

Ye Chutang, who had just finished gathering her things, heard this as she stepped out and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

Princess Qinyang was very displeased by his words, and her face instantly grew cold. ”What are you implying, Judge Zhao? Doctor Ye has properly run her own medical clinic! Furthermore, when the Eldest Princess suddenly collapsed, it was she who acted decisively and administered the needles herself. Why shouldn’t she be allowed to treat the Princess?”

’How utterly disrespectful!’

Hearing this, Zhao Xuanping slapped his thigh in agitation. ”Heavens! That’s completely unacceptable!”

’The Eldest Princess’s sudden collapse means her condition can’t be minor. In a situation like this, one must be exceedingly cautious.’

’How could Princess Qinyang let some unknown girl take matters into her own hands and treat the Eldest Princess!’

’And from the sound of it, she even used acupuncture?’

’Th-then—’

Seeing how agitated he was, Zhuxin couldn’t help but try to reassure him. ”Judge Zhao, please don’t worry. Doctor Ye said the Princess will be waking up soon.”

Zhao Xuanping, frantic with anxiety, felt that they had all taken leave of their senses.

’Is practicing medicine something just anyone can do?’

’If it were that simple, the world would be overflowing with miracle doctors!’

Ye Chutang wasn’t surprised by his reaction. Stepping aside slightly, she said, ”Since you don’t trust me, Judge Zhao, please go have a look for yourself.”

Zhao Xuanping hurried inside. As he passed Ye Chutang, he glanced back at her, his brow furrowed even more tightly.

”Young people shouldn’t be so impulsive, thinking you’re somebody just because you have a little skill. You should know that a moment of reckless showboating will ultimately do more harm than good!”

’If something truly happened to the Eldest Princess, ten of her lives wouldn’t be enough to atone for it!’

The corners of Ye Chutang’s lips curved slightly as she gave a small nod. ”You are correct.”

Zhao Xuanping was at a loss for words. Having no time to argue with her, he quickened his pace and went inside.

「...」

Meanwhile, the crowd of guests who had been waiting for a long time in another room also received word that Judge Zhao had arrived.

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

”That’s wonderful! With Judge Zhao here, there’s sure to be no problem!”

”It’s a shame Judge Zhao lives so far away. Fetching him back and forth must have taken a lot of time.”

Even if they didn’t understand medicine, they knew that for a sudden, acute illness, the sooner the treatment, the better.

Quite some time had passed since the Eldest Princess collapsed, so...

But no one dared to voice this thought.

Ye Shixian, however, still looked deeply worried.

Seeing her mistress’s constant frown, Shaoyao whispered consolingly, ”Miss, please don’t worry too much. The Eldest Princess will surely be fine! Judge Zhao is here now!”

Ye Shixian pressed the bridge of her nose and gave a wry smile. ”It’s wonderful that Judge Zhao has arrived, of course. I’m just worried about my cousin... I’ve heard that every doctor diagnoses things differently, and they might prescribe different remedies even for the same illness. If my cousin’s diagnosis differs from Judge Zhao’s, things might get rather troublesome...”

Although she had lowered her voice, the room wasn’t large, and many of the people nearby heard her.

Everyone exchanged glances.

’She... has a point. Who knows what methods Ye Chutang used to treat her?’

’What if she delayed Judge Zhao’s examination? Then...’

Just then, Lan Yi pushed open the door and bowed to the assembled ladies.

”My apologies for the long wait. Judge Zhao has now arrived, so you may all return home and rest assured.”

The Chao Hua Banquet was clearly not going to continue. The Eldest Princess’s health was the most important thing, and having these people stay would only cause more trouble, so they were naturally being asked to leave.

None of the ladies were fools. With things said so plainly, what was there not to understand?

By waiting for Judge Zhao to arrive, they had already fulfilled their duties and shown proper courtesy. There was truly no need to wait any longer.

Soon, one of them responded, ”In that case, our minds are at ease. With Princess Qinyang and Judge Zhao here, we’re sure the Eldest Princess will be fine. We won’t disturb you any further. We’ll take our leave now.”

Once one person started, the rest naturally followed.

The ladies filed out. Some occasionally glanced toward the side room where the Princess lay but quickly averted their eyes.

Ye Shixian, however, walked at the very end of the line.

”Lan Yi, what about my cousin? Isn’t she leaving with us?”

She was dying to know what was happening over there!

’Why hasn’t Ye Chutang returned? What could be the reason?’

Lan Yi said politely, ”Second Miss Ye is staying behind for a reason. Please rest assured. Once things are settled here, the Long Princess Mansion will arrange a carriage to take her home.”

Ye Shixian had wanted to make an excuse to stay and wait, but she now understood it was hopeless. She had no choice but to leave, looking back reluctantly with every few steps.

Once she was outside the Long Princess Mansion and had boarded her carriage, Ye Shixian lifted the curtain to look back one last time.

Suddenly, her gaze sharpened when she saw another carriage pull up to the gate of the Long Princess Mansion.

Her heart began to beat faster.

’Is that... the carriage from the Dingbei Marquis Mansion?’

Ye Shixian felt a pang of regret. If she had known, she would have waited longer in the mansion. She might have had a chance to see the Heir of Duke Dingbei.

’It would certainly be inappropriate to turn the carriage around and go back now.’

Shaoyao followed her mistress’s gaze and snorted. ”The Eldest Princess is the maternal grandmother of the Heir of Duke Dingbei! That Ye Chutang dared to treat her so recklessly. The Heir will surely not let her off this time!”

A glint flashed in Ye Shixian’s eyes.

「...」

Zhao Xuanping entered the inner chamber and took the Eldest Princess’s pulse, his brow deeply furrowed.

Princess Qinyang followed him in. ”How is she? Have you determined anything, Judge Zhao?”

Zhao Xuanping didn’t answer her question, only asking, ”Was a prescription written?”

Zhuxin handed the prescription to him. ”Here it is.”

Zhao Xuanping glanced at it, then flung the paper away.

”What kind of prescription is this! Preposterous! Utterly preposterous!”

A gust of wind from the doorway sent the paper fluttering to the floor.

Ye Chutang tilted her head to look. Before she could speak, a long, elegant hand reached down and picked up the paper.

A cool, familiar voice drifted over:

”Judge Zhao, what is the meaning of this?”