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

Inside the Wude Courtyard, Zhao Jinzhong spent most of the day reading military books.

Because Zhou Ruo went to the palace, he did not go to the Ling Shu Hall.

With Jia Yuntian looking after the clinic, they felt very reassured.

Zhou Ruo's shouts suddenly rang out from outside the quiet Wude Academy.

At the same time, Wu Bai reminded her, "Miss, slow down, don't fall!"

Zhao Jinzhong put down the military treatise in his hand and went to the door to greet Zhou Ruo.

He could tell from Zhou Ruo's voice that she was in a great mood, and he guessed that Zhou Ruo must have brought good news to the palace this time.

"Brother! Brother..."

Zhou Ruo had been calling "brother" the whole way, but finally, in front of Zhao Jinzhong, both she and her voice stopped, leaving only heavy breathing.

"Ruo Ruo, speak slowly, don't rush."

Zhao Jinzhong led Zhou Ruo into the house and poured her a glass of water.

"Brother...the Emperor...has sealed it..." Zhou Ruo was extremely thirsty and had been calling out all the way, her throat was practically parched.

She stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence, picked up her water glass, and gulped down the water.

Zhao Jinzhong was stunned. "The Emperor... has he gone mad?"

"Ah—" Zhou Ruo let out a long breath. It felt so good to drink a glass of water.

"Oh, the Emperor has bestowed upon me the title of Princess Ji'an. Brother, I'm a princess now!"

Zhou Ruo was so excited in front of Zhao Jinzhong that she danced around with joy.

Zhao Jinzhong then realized what was happening, and he said with a wry smile,

"Ruoruo, don't talk so dramatically next time. You scared your brother just now..."

Looking at Zhao Jinzhong's expression, Zhou Ruo asked him, puzzled, "Brother, are you unhappy?"

Zhao Jinzhong recovered his composure and said with a smile, "Happy, of course I'm happy! Our Ruoruo is the youngest princess of the Great Qing Dynasty!"

The general's mansion was especially lively that day.

After Eunuch Qin came to read the imperial edict, the General's Mansion immediately decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers to celebrate the conferment of the title of Princess Zhou Ruo.

Prince An also stated that he would host a banquet for guests in a few days, firstly to celebrate the recovery of the Dowager Consort from her long illness and to dispel any lingering illness.

Secondly, the Prince An's Mansion wanted to take this opportunity to inform the various noble families in the capital that Zhou Ruo was not only Princess Ji'an, but also a member of the Prince An's Mansion.

She was the beloved granddaughter of the Empress Dowager and a highly regarded young physician by the Emperor.

The next day, the emperor ordered a proclamation to be posted throughout the land, announcing that Zhou Ruo, the eldest daughter of the General's Mansion, had been granted the title of Princess Ji'an.

For a time, the news of Zhou Ruo becoming a princess spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital.

The people began to discuss:

"Do you know? That child is only five years old and isn't even the general's biological daughter."

"She was just an adopted daughter whom the general took in."

"What's wrong with an adopted daughter? She can heal people and has excellent medical skills."

"Yes, yes! The Ling Shu Hall in the city belongs to this Princess Ji'an."

"I also heard that the Ling Shu Hall was specially opened by the Prince An's Mansion for Princess Ji'an."

"How come this child is so lucky? He's been to both the General's Mansion and the Prince An's Mansion!"

"That's wonderful! With the Empress Dowager already in the picture, and now the Emperor as her backer, she's become a true winner in life at such a young age!"

The common people are always so well-informed.

It is said that for every person who is happy, there is someone who is sad.

While the general's mansion was still immersed in joy, a very unpleasant atmosphere arose in the prince's mansion.

"Hmph! Why?! Why does such a small child like her receive everyone's love?"

Wang Mengling hid in her room, sulking.

With nowhere to vent his emotions, he could only take it out on the pillow.

In just one morning, more than a dozen pillows were lost in the Wanghou Mansion.

The little girl, Xiaoyun, offered words of comfort with trepidation.

"Miss, please don't be angry. Getting angry is bad for your health. She's just a child, and she's not even half as beautiful as you."

Xiaoyun's words immediately brought Zhou Ruo's bright, doll-like face to Wang Mengling's mind, making her even angrier.

"Why does she receive so much love from so many people, and why is Brother Jinzhong so good to her!"

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got, and several more pillows were ruined.

Sure enough, jealousy drives people mad, and Xiaoyun experienced it firsthand.

Zhou Ruo was sneezing uncontrollably in Ji Ping's room, which made Ji Ping very worried.

"Has Ruo'er caught a cold?"

Zhou Ruo waved her hand, about to speak, "Achoo! Mother, I didn't catch a cold...Achoo!"

Zhao Jinzhong chuckled mischievously, "Perhaps it's because Ruoruo's fame has grown now, and many people are eyeing her!"

Speaking of "thinking about", Zhou Ruo suddenly remembered the Imperial Advisor, wondering if he was thinking about her.

"Brother, when I went to the palace to see the Emperor, I also saw the Imperial Advisor."

Zhao Jinzhong's breath hitched. "Why are you only telling me now? What happened?"

Zhou Ruo then recounted to Zhao Jinzhong the conversation she had with the Imperial Advisor in the Imperial Study that day.

"Didn't you find anything out about him?" Zhao Jinzhong asked, puzzled.

"Of course we found out. He made a lot of pills, and basalt was one of the ingredients he used in them."

"A lot of pills?" This was beyond Zhao Jinzhong's expectations.

"Isn't he the one who makes elixirs specifically for the Emperor?"

Zhou Ruo shook her head and said, "No! The pills the Emperor takes are easy to identify because they contain both basalt and vermilion grass."

"The Vermilion Bird Grass is not found in other elixirs."

Zhao Jinzhong pondered deeply, "So, the elixir His Majesty took wasn't poisonous?"

"Yes, brother, the elixir His Majesty takes is very special. The basalt enhances the medicinal properties of the other herbs."

Then the cold poison was eliminated by the Vermilion Bird Grass.

"The elixir His Majesty is taking won't have any adverse effects on his health for now, but he'll become dependent on it!"

Zhao Jinzhong understood that the Imperial Advisor wanted to control the Emperor and make him dependent on him.

So the Vermilion Bird Grass that Fu Daqian and his men risked their lives to pick back then was specially for the emperor to make elixirs.

What about the Crown Prince? What happened to him?

What about Wang Yucong? Why does he have the "Xu Xue San" (a traditional Chinese medicine) on his body?

Was he also present when the Imperial Preceptor was refining elixirs?

If Wang Yucong was at the alchemy site, then Wang Changlin...?

After careful deduction, Zhao Jinzhong felt alarmed.

He told Zhao Yucheng about his recent discoveries regarding elixirs.

Zhao Yucheng found it unbelievable. "Although the Imperial Preceptor did not harm the Emperor, his crime of making poisonous elixirs is unforgivable."

If the Imperial Advisor were to sell these poisonous pills to the people for profit, his crime would be even more unforgivable.

"Father, I suspect that Wang Changlin is colluding with the Imperial Advisor to concoct elixirs for profit."

Zhao Jinzhong shared his idea with his father.

Zhao Yucheng did not deny his son's speculation.

"If that old fox Wang Changlin is really like that, I'll be the first to not let him off the hook, and I'll settle accounts with him for all the harm he's done to my soldiers!"

He clenched his fists, and gritted his teeth as he thought of the shameful things Wang Changlin had done.

However, General Zhao, a veteran of countless battles, knew that he could not alert the enemy.

He instructed Zhao Jinzhong: "The evidence is insufficient now, Zhong'er, you must not act rashly."

Zhao Jinzhong nodded. "Father, I know. Ruoruo and I will keep an eye out and look for opportunities to gather more evidence."

The next morning, when Zhou Ruo and Zhao Jinzhong arrived at the clinic, there were already more than a dozen people waiting for her there.

Since Zhou Ruo was granted the title of Princess Ji'an due to her exceptional medical skills, her Ling Shu Hall business has suddenly become very popular.

Everyone had already lined up in order of arrival, as arranged by Jia Yuntian.

An elderly woman at the very back of the line caught Zhao Jinzhong's attention.

The other person was well-dressed, but looked somewhat anxious.

Despite this, she remained seated quietly in the empty seat at the clinic, her gaze always following Zhou Ruo.