By the time Gao Xueping returned, it was already dark. All of the female physicians in the Imperial Physicians’ Courtyard had eaten dinner and were sitting in the courtyard talking. When they saw Gao Xueping, dusty and bedraggled, everyone went silent, and some couldn’t help but laugh quietly.

  “What are you laughing at?” Gao Xueping was already angry and embarrassed, and hearing the others laughing at her, almost hopped up with frustration.

  “Who’s laughing at you? Are we not allowed to laugh now?” A slightly older physician snorted. “Don’t think that the Imperial Physicians’ Courtyard belongs to your teacher. Those that are prideful usually do not lead to a pretty outcome.”
Gao Xueping’s eyes were red with anger. “What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said,” the older physician said with a smile.

  Ye Zhen sat silently on the side. People like Gao Xueping were prideful and arrogant, but also selfish and petty. She had been humiliated to such an extent today, and would definitely harbor anger and hatred in her heart. She didn’t know how she would repay her in the future.

  Gao Xueping looked at Ye Zhen with hatred, coldly speaking to the rest of the people, “Don’t celebrate so early. Lu Yaoyao is a princess. How would Chief Gong dare make her do the rough work? In the future, any benefits will automatically be hers. What then will the rest of you have?”
“We’ll have nothing, but you’ll have even less than we do,” Chen Jinru remarked.

  “Just wait to be used.” Gao Xueping snorted coldly, turned to enter her own room, and slammed the door.

  “Well, her top just blew off,” Chen Jinru whispered to Ye Zhen.

  Two of the female physicians were chosen by Imperial Physician Huang, and took a look at Ye Zhen’s group, before silently going to see Gao Xueping.

  “Lu Yaoyao, if I get the chance, I won’t let you off easily!” Gao Xueping looked at her own bedraggled self, angrily shouting.

  “Sister Gao, you need not be angry. As long as Lu Yaoyao remains in the Imperial Physicians’ Courtyard, you will have the chance to serve her justice.” One female physician advised her.

  “Sister Yang, she is a princess. How easy would it be to serve her justice?” Another stated.

  Gao Xueping laughed coldly. “What kind of a princess is she? She doesn’t even have a Princess’s residence. It is unknown whether she will be able to retain her status as a princess in the future.”
“That’s true. She is probably worried about this as well. Otherwise, why would she choose to be an imperial physician?” Yang Qianrou said.

  ♚
With the protection of Gong Tang, Imperial Physician Huang didn’t come looking for trouble with Ye Zhen for a couple of days in a row. She spent her time helping out in the Imperial Physicians’ Courtyard. She had a lot of time, and could even go with the imperial physicians out to make diagnoses or learn with them how to preserve medical records. Of course, she could only read those of commoners and not the nobles in the palace.

  But this was already pretty good for Ye Zhen.

  She studied in the Imperial Physicians’ Courtyard during the day and the divination at night in her room. Huangfu Chen had given her a book on divination and told her to study when she had the time. She had been studying these past few days, but what was strange was that every time she divinated on the time they would go out, the results would always be unfavorable.

  Had she miscalculated? It seemed like she wasn’t yet familiar with the art.

  The female physicians would have two days of break every month. Ye Zhen had planned to use these two days to go home and visit Old Madam Lu, but as she was preparing to leave the palace, Lu Wushuang sent someone to bring her to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility.

  “Gui Fei, is there something you need from me?” Ye Zhen wasn’t too willing to come to this palace. Seeing that Lu Wushuang was still pretending to be sick, she was a little annoyed.

  “Yaoyao, help me out.” Lu Wushuang held Ye Zhen’s hands, stating sincerely. “Two days ago, I berated Xu Xianfei in the Cining Palace. Empress Dowager has already refused to see me for two days. Yesterday, Eldest Brother wrote to me and told me how severe this was. I know that I have been arrogant and domineering for long enough in the palace, and have conjured the dislike of both the empress dowager and the emperor. I want to go see Xu Huiru, but she has made the excuse of being sick and refuses to see me. Yaoyao, can you go on behalf of me and apologize to her?”
Ye Zhen almost shook her off. How could Lu Wushuang be so shameless? What did she being disliked by Xu Huiru, the empress dowager, and Mo Rongzhan have to do with her?She herself was unwilling to lower her head and apologize but wanted her to go apologize on her behalf?

  Where did she get her confidence from, the assurance that she would definitely help her do something as stupid as this?

  “Even if I go, Xu Xianfei is unlikely to see me,” Ye Zhen said flatly.

  “She will definitely see you. You are a princess, and the empress dowager loves you. Yaoyao, help me out,” Lu Wushuang said humbly.

  Ye Zhen pulled her hand from her grasp. “Seeing as you know that you have done something wrong, then you should go on your own to see Xu Xianfei to show your sincerity. Nothing will change in the eyes of the empress dowager if you make someone else take the burden for you.”