Early the next morning, Li Xuan left Jingyang Palace and headed towards the Imperial Hospital.
The Imperial Hospital was not located in the West Palace, but rather in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.
And the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was in the Southern Imperial City.
The West Palace, where the Three Little Ones resided, as well as the Taiji Palace and the East Palace, were all in the northern part of the Imperial City, inhabited by members of the imperial family.
Divided by the main road along Anfu Gate and Yanxi Gate, the area to the south was the Southern Imperial City, mostly housing various functional departments within the Imperial City, such as the Directorate for Imperial Manufactories, the Grand Altar, the Court of State Ceremonials, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
The Imperial Hospital was established within the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, which was where Imperial Physician Xue usually performed his duties.
After being reminded by Ankang yesterday, Li Xuan also put the matter of inviting Imperial Physician Xue on his agenda.
On this matter, Li Xuan still wanted to avoid informing the Two Chief Eunuchs of the Internal Affairs Bureau for as long as possible, waiting until there were some results before speaking up.
In any case, with their capabilities, it wouldn't take long for them to find out the truth.
But Li Xuan still wanted to buy himself some buffer time.
The fewer people who knew about the secret between him and Ankang, the better.
Li Xuan easily left the West Palace, but outside the West Palace, he had to be more careful.
Inside the West Palace, encountering a cat was not uncommon, but outside the West Palace, as far as the eye could see, the vast Imperial City only contained patrolling Imperial Guards.
In such an environment, a Little Black Cat wandering around would be quite conspicuous.
Li Xuan had no choice but to try his best to stay in high places, suppressing any sounds he made to a minimum.
He certainly had the ability to leap directly from Jingyang Palace to the Imperial Hospital.
But first, he wasn't sure of the exact location of the Imperial Hospital.
Secondly, jumping directly like that would create too much commotion and would surely alert the Great Inner Experts.
Having learned his lesson before, Li Xuan already understood that there were many factions within the palace, and even with Chief Steward Shang and Zhao Feng's greetings, some people might not give face to the Internal Affairs Bureau.
Given this, it was better for Li Xuan to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Being a low-key cat was always the right choice.
Li Xuan observed as he walked and stopped, and fortunately, he could read, so he quickly found the plaque for the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.
[Court of Imperial Sacrifices]
The Court of Imperial Sacrifices managed ancestral temple rituals, and its functions seemed to be quite numerous.
After Li Xuan snuck in, he saw many small departments.
"The Suburban Altar, the Imperial Music Bureau, the Drum and Wind Instrument Bureau, the Sacrificial Animal Bureau, the Fen Temple Bureau, the Imperial Hospital…" "Oh, I found it."
Li Xuan searched around and finally found the place with the Imperial Hospital plaque.
As soon as he walked into the Imperial Hospital, he smelled a strong aroma of medicine.
Li Xuan didn't rush to find Imperial Physician Xue but instead wandered around inside the Imperial Hospital first.
There were many medical practitioners busy at work, all wearing distinct uniforms, which indicated a clear hierarchy of imperial physicians.
Moreover, Li Xuan noticed that there were many very young medical practitioners in the Imperial Hospital, some even appearing to be just teenagers.
"Surely they aren't all imperial physicians as well?"
Li Xuan curiously followed them and discovered that the Imperial Hospital was also a medical education institution.
Several classrooms were even holding lessons for students.
"I never thought Great Xing had a medical academy."
Li Xuan initially thought that the Imperial Hospital was filled with highly skilled famous doctors like Imperial Physician Xue.
"I wonder how these young people are selected, and what are their backgrounds?"
Li Xuan couldn't help but ponder.
If Fang Muyang had had the opportunity to study at the Imperial Hospital when he was young, his medical skills would probably be even better now.
Li Xuan looked at these carefree young men and women, who only needed to focus on studying medicine, and couldn't help but sigh silently.
When Fang Muyang was their age, he had already become an orphan, struggling to survive on the streets while also having to balance the studies Imperial Physician Xue taught him.
Compared to Fang Muyang, these young men and women in front of him were infinitely happier.
"Forget it, why am I thinking about these things?"
Li Xuan suddenly lost interest in continuing to wander around the Imperial Hospital and directly began looking for Imperial Physician Xue.
The medicinal smell in the Imperial Hospital was too strong; Li Xuan couldn't even pick up Imperial Physician Xue's scent.
But fortunately, the Imperial Hospital wasn't large, so he was bound to run into Imperial Physician Xue after a round, unless he was out for a consultation or not on duty at the Imperial Hospital today.
Li Xuan had previously asked Imperial Physician Xue, who said he only held three free clinics outside each month, spaced ten days apart, roughly once every ten days.
Counting the days, Imperial Physician Xue should not have been holding a free clinic in the capital today.
Speaking of which, our Imperial Physician Xue was also a restless individual.
In his younger years, Imperial Physician Xue was renowned throughout the land, holding the title of the greatest physician under heaven, before being recruited by the imperial court and joining the Imperial Hospital.
The imperial court had paid a considerable price to recruit Imperial Physician Xue back then.
Not only did they promise him free access to all medical texts in the palace, but they also pledged to help him compile medical books.
If done well, writing a book was an opportunity to leave a name in history, to be remembered for generations.
Imperial Physician Xue was precisely swayed by this point.
In this era, writing a book wasn't just a matter of having a pen and paper; the resources required were immense.
Just for the human and material resources needed to conduct experiments to verify one's theories, it was an astronomical figure.
Even with the support of the Imperial Hospital, Imperial Physician Xue's book remains unfinished to this day, which shows the difficulty involved.
But precisely because of Imperial Physician Xue's special status, he also held a transcendent position in the Imperial Hospital, enjoying much more freedom than others.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to have the opportunity to hold free clinics outside every month.
However, when Imperial Physician Xue held free clinics, he always concealed his identity.
The common folk in the market who were treated by Imperial Physician Xue didn't even know that the one taking their pulse was the greatest physician under heaven.
Li Xuan searched around the Imperial Hospital and finally found Imperial Physician Xue in an inconspicuous corner.
This seemed to be a place for drying medicinal herbs.
Imperial Physician Xue sat alone amidst a pile of medicinal herbs, on a small stool, with paper and a brush at his feet.
Imperial Physician Xue would occasionally pick up some herbs, smell them, and then chew on them.
Some he would swallow directly, others he would spit out, and then he would pick up his paper and brush to carefully record something.
"He's quite diligent in his work."
Li Xuan watched from the wall for a while, then jumped down, wagging his tail, and walked with cat-like steps between the herbs, soon arriving in front of Imperial Physician Xue.
Initially, Imperial Physician Xue didn't notice Li Xuan's arrival and remained engrossed in tasting herbs and recording his findings.
But then he caught a glimpse of a sudden dark shadow in his line of sight, and only then did he look up and discover Li Xuan's presence.
"It's you!"
Imperial Physician Xue couldn't help but exclaim, immediately looking left and right, and only relaxed when he saw no one nearby.
Li Xuan slowly walked forward, used his tail to take the brush from Imperial Physician Xue's hand, pulled out a new sheet of paper, and wrote on it:
"You are quite cautious."
Imperial Physician Xue read it and immediately said in an annoyed tone:
"Caution is the parent of safety."
"You've come to ask me to fulfill our agreement, haven't you?"
Imperial Physician Xue spoke quickly, put away his previous notes, and then asked Li Xuan.
Li Xuan nodded silently.
"Alright, tell me what you want me to do for you."
Imperial Physician Xue had long anticipated the arrival of this day.
Otherwise, after all, Li Xuan had already stated his intentions upfront when he helped Fang Muyang.
"Go treat Ankang."
Li Xuan wrote on the paper.
Imperial Physician Xue paused after seeing the content on the paper, then his gaze towards Li Xuan softened.
"Little fellow, forgive this old man's incompetence, I cannot cure Ankang's illness."
"Actually, Ankang is not sick; it's a congenital physical issue."
"I am powerless to do anything about it. You should ask for something else."
This was not Imperial Physician Xue trying to shirk responsibility, but rather that he truly couldn't do it.
Although Li Xuan had spoken nicely back then, saying he only helped Fang Muyang get rid of Zhao Four to make a friend.
But neither Fang Muyang nor Imperial Physician Xue were fools.
They couldn't rest easy until this favor was repaid.
This was also why Fang Muyang so resolutely refused Li Xuan's help.
In Fang Muyang's view, he was already a dead man, and seeking revenge was his own business; there was no need to implicate his master further.
But in the end, Imperial Physician Xue still chose to bear this debt of gratitude with his disciple.
After all, Imperial Physician Xue also carried a sense of guilt towards his disciple.
If he hadn't kept his identity hidden all this time, such a tragedy would not have occurred.
Imperial Physician Xue had not realized how much his disciple had suffered these past few years, because Fang Muyang always appeared optimistic and treated people kindly in front of him.
Many things only festered and worsened because 'you didn't say, and I didn't ask.'
But what had already happened could not be undone; Imperial Physician Xue could only do his best in the present.
Listening to Imperial Physician Xue's words, Li Xuan's heart suddenly tightened.
"This Imperial Physician Xue indeed has some skill; he had already seen through Ankang's problem back then."
Li Xuan had absorbed the chill from Ankang Princess several times, so he naturally knew that this was not a disease, but a special constitution.
However, even Imperial Physician Xue, the number one physician in Great Xing, had no way to improve this constitution.
But that wasn't important; Li Xuan could handle this matter himself.
It was just that the more superb Imperial Physician Xue's medical skills were, the more it proved that his diagnosis back then was correct.
In other words, Imperial Physician Xue's previous prediction that Ankang Princess would not live past eighteen should be quite reliable.
Ankang Princess was now twelve, and more than half of this year had already passed; at most, they had less than five and a half years left.
Five and a half years was not a long time, and this was the most optimistic estimate.
Even though Ankang Princess's body was becoming healthier, how could Li Xuan not feel anxious?
"Only by continuously becoming stronger can I guarantee Ankang's life," Li Xuan murmured in his heart.
He then wrote on the paper:
"I don't need you to necessarily cure Ankang Princess; I just need you to examine her."
"However, you need to proactively bring up this matter, saying that you've recently discovered a turning point in Ankang Princess's condition."
"You decide the excuse, whether it's a sudden breakthrough in medical skills or finding some folk remedy, it's up to you."
Seeing what Li Xuan wrote on the paper, Imperial Physician Xue frowned.
He couldn't understand why Li Xuan was doing this.
But this matter was not difficult for him.
It was just an attempt; even if he couldn't cure Ankang Princess, Emperor Yongyuan would not punish him.
It was just that if he was so enthusiastic about treating Ankang Princess, he was afraid that some people in the palace would criticize him.
But this small problem was not worth worrying about for Imperial Physician Xue.
"If you are sure, I can help with this matter."
Imperial Physician Xue looked at Li Xuan, who nodded and then wrote on the paper:
"I will wait for you in Jingyang Palace."
After writing these words, Li Xuan turned and left the place.
Imperial Physician Xue watched Li Xuan's departing back and didn't say anything more, only feeling inexplicably that Li Xuan's back seemed a little lonely.
And through today's events, Imperial Physician Xue couldn't help but waver in some of his previous conjectures.
He had originally thought that Li Xuan was acting on Ankang Princess's orders.
After all, he had only heard that Ankang Princess was skilled in beast taming, so he had preemptively assumed that it was Ankang Princess's good training that made Li Xuan so unique.
But now it seemed that Imperial Physician Xue felt he might have underestimated Li Xuan too much before.
"This cat is almost as intelligent as a human, isn't it?"
At this moment, Imperial Physician Xue couldn't help but recall when Li Xuan claimed to be an auspicious spiritual beast.
At that time, he had thought Li Xuan was just flattering himself, but now it seemed that what Li Xuan said might be true.
Imperial Physician Xue thought about these things, slowly collected the paper on which Li Xuan had written, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it on the ground.
Then, Imperial Physician Xue took out a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve and carefully poured a few drops of clear liquid onto the crumpled paper.
The next moment, the paper ball began to corrode rapidly, and soon white smoke appeared.
This process did not last too long; soon, the paper ball merged with the dust on the ground, indistinguishable from each other.
After dealing with these, Imperial Physician Xue continued his previous work as if nothing had happened.
Tasting medicine, recording... repeating endlessly... Two days later, Imperial Physician Xue arrived as promised.
Accompanying him was Zhao Feng, Chief of the Internal Affairs Bureau.
After knocking on the door of Jingyang Palace, the two were naturally respectfully invited in by Yuer.
"Yuer, Imperial Physician Xue is here today for His Highness's routine check-up; quickly go inside and inform her."
Zhao Feng instructed.
Yuer paused, then looked at Imperial Physician Xue.
"Routine check-up?"
Yuer remembered that after Imperial Physician Xue made his diagnosis, he never examined Ankang Princess again, so there was no such thing as a routine check-up.
But Zhao Feng saying so naturally had his reasons.
Moreover, just a few days ago, Ankang Princess had just mentioned wanting Imperial Physician Xue to examine her again, and now Imperial Physician Xue had arrived.
Yuer naturally suspected Li Xuan, but her face still maintained an expression of confusion.
That's right, Li Xuan had not told Ankang Princess and Yuer about this, precisely to make their reactions more natural in front of Zhao Feng.
Otherwise, with Zhao Feng's astuteness, he would immediately see through their flaws.
Yuer's puzzled expression was seen by Zhao Feng, and Zhao Feng's attention shifted to Imperial Physician Xue.
Imperial Physician Xue suddenly requesting to examine Ankang Princess seemed truly peculiar to Zhao Feng.
But if it was truly as Imperial Physician Xue said, that he had a new treatment method and wanted to try it on Ankang Princess, that was understandable.
To some extent, Imperial Physician Xue and Zhuge Fang, Chief of the Imperial Kitchen, were similar people, possessing an extraordinary obsession with the pursuit of their craft.
Soon, Yuer brought out Ankang Princess, who was equally puzzled.
Ankang Princess, seeing Imperial Physician Xue, whom she had met years ago, in addition to Zhao Feng, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise:
"Imperial Physician Xue, long time no see."
"Why have you come?"
This greeting made Imperial Physician Xue feel a bit awkward.
But Imperial Physician Xue immediately chuckled and explained:
"This old man has recently had some insights in medicine and thought of a method that might improve Your Highness's constitution, so I specifically came to try it."
"I hope I haven't disturbed Your Highness."
Ankang Princess immediately waved her hand and said:
"Not at all, Imperial Physician Xue is too polite."
"Speaking of which, I'll have to trouble Imperial Physician Xue."
"This is this old man's duty; Your Highness need not be so polite."
Imperial Physician Xue exchanged pleasantries, then asked Ankang Princess:
"Is Your Highness convenient now?"
Ankang Princess paused, not expecting Imperial Physician Xue to be so eager.
But after thinking about it, she had no reason to refuse, so she nodded and agreed.
Seeing Ankang Princess agree, Imperial Physician Xue had Yuer push Ankang Princess into the room.
Zhao Feng was about to follow in but was stopped by Imperial Physician Xue.
"Chief Zhao, please wait outside."
"Hmm?"
Zhao Feng frowned, immediately asking in confusion:
"What's wrong? Is there something to avoid?"
According to the palace rules, imperial physicians were not allowed to have solitary contact with anyone they were treating in the palace.
"The little palace maid inside is enough; as for Chief Zhao, please stop here."
"My newly comprehended medical skill cannot be spread yet."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Feng immediately widened his eyes, thinking:
"What does this old fellow mean?"
"Is he afraid I'll secretly learn his medical skills?"
But before Zhao Feng could question him, Imperial Physician Xue had already walked into the room on his own.
However, Zhao Feng also knew that Imperial Physician Xue naturally had such a personality and was probably not targeting him, so he couldn't flare up.
Imperial Physician Xue held a special status in the palace; who could guarantee they wouldn't get sick in their lifetime?
Even an expert like Zhao Feng would sometimes need Imperial Physician Xue, so he was unwilling to casually fall out with him.
Zhao Feng stood outside the door and said grumpily:
"Since that's the case, I'll wait in the courtyard for Imperial Physician Xue's good news."
Imperial Physician Xue turned and chuckled at Zhao Feng, feigning ignorance of the implied meaning.
Then, Zhao Feng looked left and right, asking Yuer, who was about to close the door:
"Where's Li Xuan?"
"Is he not in Jingyang Palace?"
Yuer looked around the courtyard and replied:
"If he's not in the courtyard, he must have gone out to play."
Upon hearing this answer, Zhao Feng, who had intended to tease Li Xuan to relieve boredom, immediately felt bored and dutifully sat by the stone table in the courtyard, waiting for Imperial Physician Xue to finish his diagnosis.
Yuer smiled and nodded at Zhao Feng before closing the door.
In the room, Ankang Princess and Imperial Physician Xue sat opposite each other, with one of Imperial Physician Xue's hands resting on Ankang Princess's pulse.
Great Xing was not so strict that imperial physicians were not allowed to touch a princess even when examining her, requiring a "silk thread pulse diagnosis."
While taking the pulse, Imperial Physician Xue looked up and saw Li Xuan sitting on the roof beam.
Li Xuan silently watched Imperial Physician Xue, hoping that this time he could provide a different diagnostic result.
Imperial Physician Xue nodded at Li Xuan, then continued to concentrate on listening to Ankang Princess's pulse.
But gradually, Imperial Physician Xue's brows slowly furrowed, and his expression became solemn.
Imperial Physician Xue again looked at Ankang Princess's complexion, and after a thorough examination (observing, listening, questioning, and feeling the pulse), he stroked his beard and muttered to himself:
"This doesn't make sense…"
