Chapter 132: The Beautiful Princess

The eunuch still hadn’t left. He swallowed his saliva and seemed hesitant to speak.

“What is it? Is there something else?” The Grand Empress Dowager noticed the eunuch had more to say and spoke lightly.

The eunuch hesitated for a moment before saying, “And… Nanhe Bozi, Fang Jifan…”

“Him?” The Grand Empress Dowager recalled hearing about this person recently. He was quite pitiful, having a brain illness, but the emperor seemed to think highly of him.

The eunuch said, “Yes, it’s that Nanhe Bozi mentioned by His Majesty the last time he came to pay respects. He visited Empress Your Highness and happened to run into the Marquis of Shouning and the Earl of Jianchang.”

“Continue,” the Grand Empress Dowager said without lifting her eyelids, showing little interest.

The eunuch glanced at the Grand Empress Dowager deeply before adding, “Nanhe Bozi, Fang Jifan, said that the Marquis of Shouning and the Earl of Jianchang suffer from a brain illness!”

“…” In that instant, the Grand Empress Dowager lifted her gaze, staring intently at the eunuch.

The eunuch was startled and quickly lowered his head, not daring to meet her eyes.

The Grand Empress Dowager thought for a moment, her expression unchanging. “I understand. You may leave.”

The eunuch nodded and retreated with quick, small steps.

The hall grew quiet again.

Zhou Qin noticed the Grand Empress Dowager’s unusual expression and asked, “Your Highness, what is…”

“Let this matter rest,” the Grand Empress Dowager sighed, her eyes dimming slightly.

“What?” Zhou Qin was indignant and said angrily, “Just let it go like that?”

“Don’t you understand? The Zhang brothers have a brain illness!” She paused, her gaze calm and steady. “Earlier, I was going to stand up for you because the Zhou family was in the right. Even if His Majesty wanted to protect the Zhang brothers, he would have no grounds. But now, with this brain illness, what can we say? Should the Zhou family and I stoop to squabbling with two fools who have a brain illness? You yourself said the Zhou family values face. So I ask you: can we afford to lose face over this?”

Zhou Qin was stunned and speechless. However… he seemed to understand the Grand Empress Dowager’s meaning. Originally, the Zhou family had the moral high ground, but if the Zhang brothers had a brain illness, pushing the matter would make the Zhou family appear unreasonable.

What status did the Grand Empress Dowager hold? She had lived through several reigns and was seen by the world as a paragon of virtue. She couldn’t possibly go and complain for the Zhou family over this.

There’s a saying that the dead should be respected, and the same goes for the sick.

Zhou Qin said resentfully, “This must be Fang Jifan trying to help the Zhang family. Why should it be a brain illness just because he says so?”

The Grand Empress Dowager glanced at Zhou Qin and said calmly, “Yes, it is a brain illness because he says so. Xiurong was sick, and he saved her. He’s someone who learned medicine through his own illness. If he says so, what can you say? Ah…” She sighed.

Zhou Qin couldn’t help but say, “Then this Fang Jifan is truly detestable, Your Highness…”

The Grand Empress Dowager waved her hand and sighed again. “You, at your age, still don’t understand human relationships. This Fang Jifan is just a child—how much scheming could he do? I have no grudge against him. If he spoke up, wasn’t it for Lady Zhang? And you want to hold a grudge against a child? Besides, by saying the Zhang brothers have a brain illness, he actually resolved this deadlock. The Zhou family has also saved face. It seems this Fang Jifan is quite clever. The Crown Prince always speaks highly of him. I thought he was just the Crown Prince’s playmate, but now it seems he’s more than that.”

Yes, with this conflict between the Zhang and Zhou families, they had become enemies. For the sake of face, even if it wasn’t a fight to the death, it wouldn’t end peacefully. In the outer court, the two imperial in-laws were at odds. And in the inner palace, would the two women also engage in schemes?

Although the Zhou family could suppress the Zhang family for now, the Grand Empress Dowager was old—how many more years could she live? Now, Fang Jifan had given the Zhou family a way out. After all, the Zhang brothers had a brain illness; perhaps they acted out because of it? What was the point of arguing with someone who was sick?

The Grand Empress Dowager showed a tired expression and said, “Let this matter rest.”

“Just let it rest?” Zhou Qin was still unwilling. “Your Highness…”

The Grand Empress Dowager pressed her hand down. “You, who have never suffered, always think it’s easy to rely on a big tree. Do you know why I always tell you to study more and avoid trouble? I came from a humble background, and the Zhou family wasn’t wealthy or noble before. Now that we are fortunate to have wealth and status, we must be even more cautious and not become arrogant. I will soon go to meet the previous emperors. What will you do then? If virtue doesn’t match position, there will be consequences. What do momentary arrogance and honor matter? The Zhou family’s foundation is shallow, and the road ahead is long. You must look far, not be short-sighted. If someone only sees what’s right in front of them, they will stumble in the future. When you return, send some medicine to the Zhang residence. Say you heard they have a brain illness and came to visit. What enmity is this? Those two brothers are greedy, but the Zhou family has done this much. Regardless of what they think, Lady Zhang will know what to do.”

Zhou Qin could only sigh and say, “I understand.”

The Grand Empress Dowager showed a faint smile. “That Fang Jifan is quite interesting. It would be good to have him visit someday. I’m old and don’t care about much else, except I can’t let go of the Crown Prince. I need to know who is around him. Today, he resolved this deadlock, and that’s quite impressive.”

Zhou Qin couldn’t help but mutter to himself: This Fang Jifan is clearly on Empress Zhang’s side. He was scheming for Empress Zhang, so why did it seem like the Zhou family had gained something from him?

…

Meanwhile, Fang Jifan had arrived at the Princess’s bedchamber. Naturally, several eunuchs accompanied him. Well, he had gotten used to it.

In these times, there were strict rules between men and women. Even as a doctor, he needed to have people with him. It wasn’t necessarily because they worried he would misbehave, but to avoid gossip.

Fang Jifan entered the room properly. It seemed the eunuchs had informed the Princess in advance, as she was already sitting there, waiting for him.

When Fang Jifan entered, the Princess’s eyes flickered with complex emotions.

It was hard for her not to feel complicated. The last time she tried to lecture him seriously, it ended… rather badly.

Thinking of this, the Princess felt uncomfortable again, even feeling her face grow warm.

Fang Jifan noticed the Princess’s embarrassment clearly. He smiled and bowed naturally. “Greetings, Your Highness.”

As he lifted his head, he saw an old matron and several eunuchs sitting in the corners of the room.

The Princess smiled faintly. “Please sit.”

The matron sitting nearby said, “Your Highness, let’s check your pulse first.”

A hint of amusement flashed in Fang Jifan’s eyes. Check her pulse? They clearly wanted him to leave quickly. Well, he wasn’t in a hurry to go.

He sat down boldly in a chair and said, “I’m thirsty. Bring me some tea.”

Then, he crossed his legs, looking as if there was nothing they could do about him.

The old matron’s face stiffened. Clearly, she felt shocked. In the palace, no one had ever been so insolent.

But…

She found she had no way to deal with Fang Jifan.

The eunuchs hesitated for a moment, but one of them obediently went to prepare tea.

A short while later, the tea was brought. Fang Jifan took the cup, carefully sipped the hot tea, and found it fragrant. He couldn’t help but say, “The tea in the palace is so much better than the tea at my home.”

This opening remark made the Princess feel a little less embarrassed. She said, “Is that so? I can’t tell the difference.”

“Actually, I can’t either,” Fang Jifan sighed. “I was just pretending to be impressive…”

The Princess clearly didn’t understand this new term. “Pretending to be impressive?”

“Ahem…” The old matron coughed violently, as if she had pulmonary consumption.

Fang Jifan ignored the old matron and said casually, “It’s a psychological thing. I always feel like even the dogs in the palace are bigger and fiercer than those outside. Haha, not the best comparison.”

Fang Jifan felt that since he was used to being thick-skinned, he wasn’t restrained at all.

But as the host, the Princess couldn’t help but blush slightly. She frowned a little. “But there are no dogs in the palace.”

“Then…” Fang Jifan thought hard before saying, “Let me change the comparison. The women in the palace are much more beautiful than those outside, especially…”

“Ahem, ahem, ahem!”

Immediately, the old matron exaggeratedly covered her chest, as if she were about to cough up blood, the sound shaking the tiles.

“Especially the Princess,” Fang Jifan said without hesitation, speaking his mind.

The Princess was first stunned, then the tips of her ears turned red, and she quickly looked away.

The old matron clearly couldn’t take it anymore and said angrily, “Fang Jifan, how dare you!”

The Princess immediately looked worried. The old matron was a trusted aide of the Empress Mother and held a significant position in the palace. Even the Princess was somewhat wary of her, afraid that whatever the matron said to the Empress Mother, if believed, would cause trouble. She wasn’t afraid for herself but worried Fang Jifan would suffer.

Unexpectedly, Fang Jifan remained calm and composed. He took another sip of tea and said, “I’ve always been bold. I have a brain illness!”

He said this with such conviction that the Princess widened her eyes, her pupils contracting, feeling… both amused and exasperated.

“…” The matron then remembered that this ‘doctor’ did indeed have a brain illness. Not only that, but it had been mentioned earlier that his brain illness was unique. It seemed that when he wasn’t having an episode, he was always rude, and when he was having an episode, he became quiet and muddled.