Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince
Chapter 304: Then the Princess Won’t Be Polite Anymore

Chapter 304: Chapter 304: Then the Princess Won’t Be Polite Anymore

Qi Yu nodded, "However, this is just my speculation. Whether the antidote is indeed in Chen Shi’s hands, master will have to personally investigate to find out."

Upon hearing this, Mo Qingshan muttered, "That kid Chen Shi is quite cunning; how am I supposed to investigate him?"

He had spent quite some time in the Imperial Hospital, and while others treated him with respect and courtesy, it was only Chen Shi who always looked at him with vigilant eyes.

One who didn’t know better would think he owed the man money.

Moreover, Chen Shi was an odd character. In the Imperial Hospital, he would always bury himself in his work and not interact with others, his reclusiveness reaching an extreme.

Yet he possessed a face that was reasonably handsome and clean, and whenever those princesses in the palace had some issues, they liked to specifically summon him by name.

Chen Shi never shunned these requests. He would go and dutifully take their pulse, prescribe medications, unwilling to utter an extra word.

Mo Qingshan shared all the information he had gathered during this period with Qi Yu, and in the end, he shook his head, "Chen Shi is very cautious in his words and actions. If the antidote is really with him, it’s probably going to be hard to find."

After hearing this, Qi Yu wasn’t too surprised. The fact that the Empress was willing to entrust something as critical as the antidote to this man indicated that she knew Chen Shi would definitely not betray her.

And, given the Empress’s suspicious nature, it was likely that Chen Shi had some sort of significant leverage in her hands.

"Let’s do this, master. When you enter the Imperial Hospital later, find a pretext to occupy Chen Shi and have Shi Zhou search his room to see if there’s any antidote," Qi Yu suggested after some thought.

The two had no objections, and the trio began to take action separately.

Qi Yu first took Shi Zhou to visit the Princess, and had a nanny find a set of Palace Attendant clothes for her to change into. This way, even if she was discovered, she wouldn’t stand out too much.

She stayed in the palace herself, accompanying the Princess for tea, quietly waiting for news from the others.

The Princess had long known that Qi Yu was coming to the palace today, but seeing that she first visited Xuanruo Pavilion, she knew that Qi Yu was not here just for tea.

Qi Yu responded with a light laugh, "Mother is truly astute beyond compare. Indeed, I came today with matters to attend to."

The Princess conjectured, "Is it related to the Noble Consort?"

Qi Yu nodded, not revealing the disputes between Liu Wensheng and the Empress to her.

If the Princess knew that the Empress had been secretly sending people to deal with them, she’d probably have difficulty sleeping peacefully again.

She found a random excuse to tell the Princess, "The Noble Consort is pregnant and worries that the Empress might harm her. She has been restless and anxious, and fearing unclean hands within the palace, she entrusted me to bring her some fetus-preserving medicine from outside."

The Princess, upon hearing this, indeed did not suspect a thing.

She nodded and then sighed, "That child also has a hard fate."

Qi Yu chatted with her for a while, and when she saw fatigue on the Princess’s face, she had the nanny help her back to her room to rest.

After the nanny helped the Princess to sleep and came out, she saw Qi Yu sitting leisurely in the courtyard, sipping tea, and laughed, "Princess, why not go inside? The sun out here is shining; you might get sunburnt soon."

Qi Yu took a sip of her tea and smiled, "You worry too much, nanny. I have always had thick skin and flesh; a little sun won’t harm me."

Seeing that her complexion was normal, the nanny did not insist further.

Just as she was about to leave, she heard someone calling her from behind, "Nanny, I have some questions I want to ask you."

Nanny Gui’s expression froze for a moment, and when she turned around, a smile was back on her face. She politely said to Qi Yu, "Whatever the Princess wishes to ask, please feel free to do so."

Qi Yu set down her teacup and looked at her with a half-smile, "Then the Princess won’t stand on ceremony."

Elsewhere, Mo Qingshan returned to the Imperial Hospital and grabbed someone to ask, "Has Imperial Physician Chen returned?"

The person looked at him suspiciously, not knowing why he was looking for Chen Shi, but still pointed towards the back courtyard, "Imperial Physician Chen just came back from Jingyang Palace and is in his room now."

Mo Qingshan released him, carrying a wine jug, and hurriedly headed towards the back courtyard.

The others in the Imperial Hospital assumed he had business with Chen Shi and didn’t delve further, but Lou Qingming glanced indifferently at Mo Qingshan’s retreating figure.

Mo Qingshan arrived at Chen Shi’s room door, coughed twice, and shouted inside, "Imperial Physician Chen, are you there?"

Chen Shi hurriedly opened the door and saw him, looking somewhat astonished, "What matter does Daoist Mo seek me for?"

Mo Qingshan brought forth the excuse he had already thought of, "The Empress suffered from heatstroke yesterday, and His Majesty is worried. He asked me to think of a prescription. After much consideration, since Imperial Physician Chen visits the Empress daily to check her pulse for peace, no one else could understand her condition better, so I must trouble you with this matter."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shi quietly let down his guard, his expression softened, and he spoke in a gentle tone, "This is part of my duties, not at all troublesome. Whatever you need me to do, Daoist Mo, just order me."

Mo Qingshan thought to himself, that’s exactly what he was waiting for him to say.

He grabbed Chen Shi and, while no one was paying attention, forcibly brought him into the storeroom for the medicinal herbs, pointing to the various herbs around, "Imperial Physician Chen, if you are not too busy, write a few more prescriptions, prepare a few doses of medicine, and later we’ll send some to every Princess’s quarters."

Chen Shi was startled by his blatant words, "Isn’t it only for Jingyang Palace?"

Mo Qingshan stroked his beard, calmly saying, "I was considering that as the days get hotter, the Princesses’ delicate health might not withstand the scorching heat. Why not be thorough and send a few doses to each Princess? It also shows the Imperial Hospital’s good intentions."

After saying that, he even patted Chen Shi’s shoulder and laughed heartily, "When His Majesty finds out, he will surely credit you greatly!"

Chen Shi was left speechless by his unreasonable words and, not being one to argue with others, knew he had been caught in Mo Qingshan’s scheme but still had to carry on diligently with the task.

Otherwise, if the Emperor doled out punishment, he would be the one to bear the brunt of it.

Although there weren’t many Princesses in the palace, there were still over a dozen. After some thought, Chen Shi said to Mo Qingshan, "Each Princess’s condition is different. If the task is left to me alone, mistakes are bound to happen. It would be better to convene everyone so we can all work together without fail."

Mo Qingshan calculated the time in his mind; even if Chen Shi found helpers, it would take at least one or two hours to get everything done.

He waved his hand grandly, agreeing to Chen Shi’s request.

Soon, all the Imperial Physicians in the Imperial Hospital began to bustle about. Chen Shi’s skill at writing prescriptions, coupled with his frequent visits to the Princesses’ quarters, made him familiar with everyone’s specific conditions.

Therefore, the task of drafting the prescriptions fell into his hands. Chen Shi worked tirelessly, writing over a dozen prescriptions without any complaint, and his handwriting remained clear and beautiful.

Mo Qingshan watched attentively from the side, noticing that this man was indeed capable. His brow furrowed again.

How had such a man become entangled with the Empress?