"My poor daughter..." he bellowed, his voice tearing.
The Emperor and Cai Chong were startled by his sudden outcry, then couldn't help but laugh.
"Lord Zhou," Cai Chong coughed lightly to remind him, "it was Madam Qi who struck the young prince."
It wasn't Madam Qi who was struck by the young prince; stop crying so unjustly first...
"How could she, a mere weak woman, possibly overpower..." Zhou Maochun shouted, eyes wide, then stretched his voice into a whine.
"She brought twenty people, and the young prince only had four," Cai Chong said, barely suppressing a laugh.
Zhou Maochun opened his mouth, then slapped his thigh and drew out his tone again.
"My poor daughter! As the saying goes, even a cornered rabbit bites. Just imagine how terribly she must have been bullied..." he declared.
"Enough, old man. Although Young Marshal Sima is a bit absurd, bullying women is something he truly hasn't done," the Emperor chuckled, turning to Cai Chong. "Are the people here?"
"They are here," Cai Chong quickly bowed and replied.
After all, this involved the Sima royal family; the sooner the matter was controlled, the better. Thus, the imperial guards had immediately escorted the entire group from the Qianjin Hall away. By the time half the Bingma Division arrived, they only saw the hall, completely empty save for the wreckage.
"Come, come, let's take a look," the Emperor said, seeming quite eager.
Stepping into the main hall, he saw the people inside.
Slumped in a rocking chair, groaning repeatedly, surrounded by three or four palace attendants trying to soothe him, was naturally the young prince. Kneeling on the other side were two figures: one was Qi Yue, and the other was Old Doctor An.
The moment the Emperor and Zhou Maochun saw Old Doctor An, they both had a sudden realization—now they knew why the fight had broken out.
From all the information gathered, this troublemaker usually caused chaos because of his tendency to protect his own.
The Emperor knew perfectly well what the Sima family's attitude would be upon seeing Old Doctor An.
The corner of his mouth couldn't help but curve slightly upward.
Those previous incidents were only hearsay, but seeing it firsthand now only confirmed it further.
This woman truly dared to lay hands on someone!
"What right do you have? You actually dared to hit someone and still be brought here?" the young prince managed to curse Qi Yue between bouts of pain, then yelled at the surrounding attendants, "Send her straight to the dungeons and have her executed!"
Qi Yue kept her head down, ignoring him.
"Arrogant! See how arrogant you are now! Do you know who I am? Are you scared now? Damn it, you wretch, you're quite lucky; you get to see the Imperial Palace once before death..." the young prince railed, then turned his anger on the palace attendants. "What's wrong with you eunuchs and guards? Are you stupid this time? This kind of person should be killed on the spot; why bring her in together?"
When the crowd rushed in, he recognized them as the Emperor's people—these were figures who acted lawlessly, domineeringly, and could execute first and report later.
He had been waiting to see those brutes beaten to death on the spot, but unexpectedly, they received the same treatment as him!
Of course, it wasn't entirely the same; at least he was sitting and reclining now, while they were kneeling!
As he was still shouting, the Emperor arrived, and several people hastily bowed in greeting, though the young prince was excused from the full ceremonial kowtow.
"Your Majesty..." he cried out, his voice strained.
Before his words fully left his mouth, a louder voice drowned him out.
"Daughter, oh daughter, how are you!"
Zhou Maochun rushed forward several steps, looking at Qi Yue kneeling on the ground and shouting, even squeezing out tears, as if the sight before him were unbearable.
The young prince froze for a moment, then understood as well.
He had thought so—anyone who dared to resort to violence so easily in the capital surely wasn't ordinary. It turned out this was Zhou Maochun's daughter!
If the father is a scoundrel, the daughter must be just as arrogant!
No wonder she could be brought into the palace so brazenly!
But so what?
"Hey, hey, you surnamed Zhou!" The young prince sat up, pointing a finger at Zhou Maochun. "The one lying here covered in bruises is this King! Look clearly before you start crying!"
The Emperor had by now taken his seat on the Dragon Throne, remaining silent, his expression revealing neither pleasure nor anger.
"Where are the bruises all over?" Zhou Maochun glanced at the young prince and said stiffly, "Your Highness, please don't tell such jokes in front of the doctor."
The young prince was so angered he rolled up his sleeves.
This old man was becoming more and more outrageous... He had relied on the Empress Dowager's lingering favor to be high-handed and tyrannical for so many years, yet he hadn't curbed his behavior! It was one thing to be rude to others, but to be so disrespectful to him!
The Emperor tapped the table.
Everyone dared not speak, and the room fell silent.
"Tell me, why the fight?" the Emperor asked.
"Your Majesty, I have no idea why! This woman started hitting people the moment she entered!" the young prince shouted first, pointing at Qi Yue. "I even told her my name, and she still hit me!"
But it was precisely because he mentioned his name that she struck... If he hadn't said anything, perhaps there would have been no trouble...
The few who understood the situation in the hall lowered their heads.
"Your Majesty, this is all my fault..." Old Doctor An said, trembling as he bowed low.
"I asked why the fight?" the Emperor said impatiently, frowning, then slammed an object on the desk with a loud thud.
The sudden sound made the hearts of everyone in the hall jump three times; they became deathly quiet. The young prince was no exception; beyond the shock, he felt immense astonishment.
It seemed the Emperor had no intention of taking his side; otherwise, he wouldn't have asked in this manner. He couldn't help but glance at Zhou Maochun. Although he had heard the old man was favored by the Emperor, he hadn't expected the favor to run this deep!
"I went to seek medical treatment, and they wouldn't let me, so I said a few words, and they started hitting people," he quickly explained, sounding somewhat wronged.
"He smashed the shop first," Qi Yue stated, looking up. "This shop was bestowed by Your Majesty's own decree. If anyone dares to vandalize it, this humble woman absolutely will not let it rest!"
The Emperor was stunned, then found it hard to suppress a smile, lifting a hand to brush his nose to conceal it. The young prince's eyes widened.
"Your Majesty, this shop was opened by you?" he cried out. Then he looked at Zhou Maochun and Qi Yue. This time, he had truly kicked an iron plate! No wonder this woman was so audacious!
"Why didn't you say so at the time?" he shouted.
"Seeking treatment, was it?" The Emperor interrupted him. "Zhou Maochun."
Zhou Maochun, who was currently holding the pose of a grieving, angry, yet helpless, loving father towards his daughter, responded with an "Yes, Your Majesty."
"Examine him," the Emperor commanded.
"I'm fine now!" the young prince quickly yelled.
"If you're fine, then get out quickly," the Emperor said dismissively.
The young prince offered no further ceremony, bowed, excused himself, and fled in a flash.
This colossal incident resolved in a few words? The people remaining in the hall hadn't quite snapped back to reality.
"You didn't actually hit him, did you?" Zhou Maochun couldn't help but whisper to Qi Yue.
Qi Yue gave him a look that implied she wasn't so foolish.
"The moment I made a move, I dragged him to the wall," she murmured.
Zhou Maochun chuckled smugly.
The Emperor snorted.
"Are you done?" he inquired.
Zhou Maochun and Qi Yue lowered their heads and knelt obediently.
"Very well, Madam Qi, you truly dare to speak; you lie to my face without batting an eye," the Emperor huffed.
"This humble woman is not lying," Qi Yue stated, kowtowing. "If not for Your Majesty, I would be a prisoner downstairs now. How could I possibly be fulfilling the imperial command to prepare medical supplies through Qianjin Hall? The moment I entered, I saw people smashing and vandalizing, and I couldn't think of anything else—I only thought of Your Majesty's reputation..." She spoke, looking up with a determined expression.
This time, the Emperor couldn't hold back; a short laugh escaped him. Since he had started, he might as well laugh fully, and he burst into hearty laughter.
His laughter left everyone in the hall somewhat bewildered.
"This is the first time I've seen a woman deliver flattering words with such solemn sincerity, just like those court officials... It’s too amusing..." the Emperor said, still laughing.
"Your Majesty, this humble woman speaks from the heart..." Qi Yue quickly said.
The Emperor laughed again, waving his hand.
"Enough, enough, stop feeding me that line," he said, unable to stop chuckling.
Is it that funny? I didn't even say much? Aren't those just conventional platitudes?
Qi Yue couldn't help but mutter to herself.
"Zhou Maochun, you really should learn from your daughter," the Emperor said to Zhou Maochun after finally managing to curb his laughter.
Zhou Maochun nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, yes, Your Majesty. I have noted it. From now on, if anyone dares to disrespect our Imperial Academy of Medicine, I will strike them! We absolutely cannot let Your Majesty lose face!" he declared loudly.
"Get out," the Emperor laughed again, cursing. "You learn the wrong things!"
Zhou Maochun cheerfully agreed and safely withdrew.
The hall returned to silence.
"Aren't you afraid that your flattery might not work?" the Emperor suddenly asked, his hand gently tapping the armrest, producing a rhythmic sound. "You must know who the Sima royalty is, don't you?"
Qi Yue kowtowed solemnly.
"I am not afraid, Your Majesty is a good person," she replied. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have spared Old Doctor An's life back then."
The Emperor remained silent, looking at Old Doctor An kneeling beside him. Old Doctor An's body trembled. He seemed to understand something and yet not understand, feeling only a surge of intense emotion in his heart.
"Your Majesty, this guilty subject thanks Your Majesty again for the grace of protection," he said, bowing to the floor, his voice already choked with emotion.
The Emperor looked at him.
"After all these years, you haven't changed much. Good, very good," he remarked.
Old Doctor An was already sobbing uncontrollably.
"This guilty subject never expected to have the honor of seeing Your Heavenly Visage..." he cried, wanting to say more, but ultimately unable to, sobbing where he lay on the ground.
Qi Yue had never seen the usually composed Old Doctor An lose composure like this; she felt an indescribable sensation in her heart.
A eunuch entered from outside, briskly walking and bowing before whispering something to Cai Chong. Cai Chong hesitated for a moment, neither moving nor speaking.
"What is it?" the Emperor proactively asked.
Cai Chong then stepped forward and whispered a few words. Cai Chong’s voice was very low, and Qi Yue, kneeling on the floor, did not hear it.
The Emperor glanced at Cai Chong, a half-smile playing on his lips, causing Cai Chong to lower his head a little further.
"Everyone speaks so righteously!" the Emperor laughed, shaking his head. "I don't have time to entertain them! All of you, leave!"
Qi Yue heard this. Supporting Old Doctor An, they both kowtowed their thanks and exited.
As they pushed Old Doctor An toward the palace gate, they saw Chang Yuncheng standing alone in the very center of the gate. Their gazes met, and both froze momentarily, then they both hurried forward.
"Are you alright?"
They asked in unison.
"I am fine."
They answered in unison as well. Old Doctor An, who was still caught up in emotional excitement, was amused by their synchronized response.
"You dare to come out looking for me at a time like this? Aren't you afraid of being implicated and earning a bad reputation?" Qi Yue asked with a smile.
"Let them curse. Even if they curse, you are still my treasure," Chang Yuncheng replied.
Qi Yue playfully nudged his nose.
Just as they were about to get into the carriage, several eunuchs emerged from inside the palace.
"Lord Chang, please wait," one of them called out.
Chang Yuncheng and Qi Yue both turned back quickly, watching the approaching eunuchs.
"Lord Chang, His Majesty has two items for you to choose one," the lead eunuch said with a smile.
What items? Qi Yue looked on with some confusion as two young eunuchs, each holding a brocade box, stepped forward and presented them before Chang Yuncheng.