A four-year-old medical prodigy descended to the mortal realm, and the entire capital sought her tre

Finally, the Ministry of War announced: "Zhao Jinzhong has won this martial arts competition!"

"Aaaaaaah! I knew it!"

"Great! My Zhao Jinzhong is finally back!"

......

The audience was filled with excitement, emotion, and tears... everyone was happy for Zhao Jinzhong's victory.

The prize for the champion is one hundred taels of silver.

In addition, there was a temporary award: ten taels of gold bestowed by the Crown Prince upon the leader.

When Zhao Jinzhong was carrying a full plate of gold and silver off the stage, he was blocked by several people.

"Young General, our master requests your presence. Please come with us."

Zhao Jinzhong immediately recognized the man as one of the Crown Prince's guards, but he feigned ignorance and asked, "Who is your master?"

"Young General, there's no need to ask any more questions. You'll find out when you get there."

Zhao Jinzhong gave An Chang a wink, and An Chang, along with Zhou Ruo and An Nan, quietly followed them.

As expected, the guards led Zhao Jinzhong to the largest private room on the third floor of Tianyu Restaurant.

Pushing open the door, Zhao Jinzhong was invited inside.

"I will be loyal." The Seventh Princess rose to greet him.

Zhao Jinzhong immediately bowed to the Seventh Princess, "Seventh Princess."

"There are no outsiders here, so there's no need for formalities with me."

Zhao Jinzhong turned around and looked at the Crown Prince.

Zhao Jinzhong immediately bowed to the Crown Prince: "Your subject Zhao Jinzhong greets Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

The crown prince was surprised. "You recognize me?"

"Before the match, at the teahouse across the street, An Chang had already introduced me to him," Zhao Jinzhong admitted.

"Oh, right! I remember now! Haha! Rise, young general!"

Just as the Crown Prince was about to invite Zhao Jinzhong to sit down, he heard a child's voice coming from outside the private room:

"Brother! Brother! Let me in, I need to find my brother!"

Upon hearing Zhou Ruo's voice, Zhao Jinzhong said to the Crown Prince,

"Your Highness, my sister is outside, along with An Chang and his sister."

The crown prince waved to the guards at the door and said, "Let them in!"

Once inside the private room, Zhou Ruo immediately spotted Zhao Jinzhong. She rushed over, asking anxiously,

"Brother, are you alright?"

An Chang and An Nan bowed to the Crown Prince and the Seventh Princess in turn.

Zhao Jinzhong gently patted Zhou Ruo's back and said softly, "Brother is alright."

"Sister Zhou Ruo!" The Seventh Princess called out to Zhou Ruo from behind.

Hearing the voice, Zhou Ruo turned around and excitedly pulled away from Zhao Jinzhong's embrace: "Pretty sister!"

Amidst the jubilation, Zhou Ruo looked at the Seventh Princess's face from left to right, then asked her, puzzled.

"Why are you still wearing a veil?"

The Seventh Princess subconsciously touched her veil, glanced at the Crown Prince out of the corner of her eye, and then said to Zhou Ruo,

"Oh! The sun is too strong, I'm afraid of getting sunburned, but I'm used to wearing it."

The Crown Prince stepped forward and examined Zhou Ruo closely before asking, "Zhao Jinzhong, is this your sister?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

The prince smiled and said, "They're quite cute."

"Hmm?" When Zhou Ruo turned around and saw the Crown Prince, she immediately felt that something was wrong with him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

The group took their seats one by one.

The Crown Prince cut to the chase, "I'm looking for a martial arts partner. Zhao Jinzhong, are you willing?"

Zhao Jinzhong was secretly pleased, but he still had to put on a show.

He rose, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to the Crown Prince, saying, "Your subject is terrified, fearing he is not up to the task."

The Crown Prince laughed, "You are the champion of this martial arts competition, and also the young general personally appointed by Father Emperor. If you are not up to the task, who is?"

Zhao Jinzhong declined again, saying, "The skills of my predecessors, such as the commander of the Imperial Guards and the Imperial Bodyguards, are no less than mine."

"They all have to serve their father and don't have time to spend with me."

"But..." Zhao Jinzhong still wanted to find a reason.

An Chang smiled at him from the side, thinking, "He's so cunning."

"Alright, alright!" The Crown Prince interrupted Zhao Jinzhong, preventing him from saying any more words of refusal.

"You don't need to come and practice martial arts with me every day, once every three days is enough, and your monthly salary is equivalent to that of the head of the Imperial Guards."

I'll also give you a pass, allowing you free entry and exit from the palace. How about that?

Zhao Jinzhong glanced at the Seventh Princess, who smiled and nodded at him.

He looked at An Chang again, but An Chang wasn't about to indulge him. "You're still hesitating? If you're not going, then Your Highness, I'll be your martial arts companion!"

"Hahaha! How about it, Zhao Jinzhong? Someone's starting to compete with you!" The Crown Prince was secretly pleased with An Chang's help.

Zhao Jinzhong reluctantly agreed, saying, "Then I shall respectfully comply."

"Alright, make your preparations first. I'll have someone send you the token in a few days, and you can come to the East Palace the day after tomorrow."

Zhao Jinzhong smiled and said, "Your Highness, I thank you for your kindness."

The Crown Prince and Zhao Jinzhong chattered on and on, but Zhou Ruo didn't hear a word they said.

She sat diagonally opposite the prince, staring at him intently.

Zhou Ruo felt that the Crown Prince was very strange; the acupoints in his upper, middle, and lower dantian areas were vaguely empty.

It's a bit empty, but not completely empty; it's like it's just starting to feel empty.

The Crown Prince had been aware of Zhou Ruo's gaze, but he was too preoccupied with communicating with Zhao Jinzhong to pay attention to it.

Now that he had reached an agreement with Zhao Jinzhong, the Crown Prince finally met Zhou Ruo's eyes.

The crown prince asked Zhou Ruo, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Zhou Ruo heard the Crown Prince's question. She listened carefully to his voice and tone, and felt the power in his words.

"You're sick." Zhou Ruo blurted out the three words to the Crown Prince.

The crown prince was stunned; he never expected anyone to speak to him like that.

Zhao Jinzhong was startled. He quickly stopped Zhou Ruo, saying, "Ruo Ruo, don't be rude! Quickly apologize to His Highness the Crown Prince!"

The Seventh Princess and An Chang were also stunned. They didn't know if Zhou Ruo was joking or if he was really saying that the Crown Prince was sick.

However, this statement is inappropriate in either case.

"Crown Prince... what is that?" Zhou Ruo asked Zhao Jinzhong, whose face looked rather grim.

Zhao Jinzhong suppressed his anger and explained to Zhou Ruo, "The Crown Prince is the heir apparent, the future emperor."

Zhou Ruo understood and nodded. "That's pretty impressive. But he really is sick!"

The Crown Prince looked very unhappy, staring at Zhou Ruo with a displeased expression.

Zhao Jinzhong rose and apologized to the Crown Prince, saying, "Please forgive me, Your Highness! My sister only has a little knowledge of medicine, she..."

The Seventh Princess suddenly spoke up: "Jinzhong, you're too modest. Zhou Ruo's medical skills are far more than you claim to know a little about!"

"Your Majesty, I have witnessed Zhou Ruo's medical skills. I presume she did not mean to offend me when she said those words just now."

"Yeah, yeah!" An Chang chimed in from the side, "Ruo Ruo, quickly explain yourself, what do you mean?"

All eyes turned to Zhou Ruo. She shifted her position slightly, placed her hands on the table, and asked the Crown Prince,

Do you often burn incense?

The prince's face began to relax. He remembered that he always lit incense before studying at his desk every day. "Yes, that's right."

Zhou Ruo then asked, "Are you wearing a jade pendant on your chest?"

Upon hearing this, the crown prince immediately touched his chest. He nodded in surprise and then took out the emerald green jade pendant hanging on his chest.

How did you know?

Zhou Ruo didn't answer, but continued to ask, "When you sleep, do you hug a round thing? Made of copper?"

The crown prince was shocked.