Chapter 37 Zhang Bao

  Wang and Sheng Qiye returned to the upper house, saw Sheng Siyan still sitting at the table in a daze, and hurried over to ask: "What's wrong? Are you uncomfortable?"

  Just now, although Sheng Siyan seemed fine, it's possible that the snake venom might take effect again after a while?

  Wang came over in a hurry to take Sheng Siyan's pulse.

  Her pulse is steady and calm, completely unlike someone who has just been bitten by a highly venomous snake like the mountain wind.

  Wang was speechless for a long time, then said: "It just so happens that we have prepared the auspicious dish of dragon and phoenix, later you should eat more snake meat to nourish yourself."

  Sheng Siyan thought with a hint of divine inspiration: Now she had truly become the human that those snakes on Yao Mountain hated to the bone. She not only ate so many of their kind, but also their "king".

  Uh, not only did I eat it, but I also killed this glasses king snake...

  Sheng Qiye also came over to take a look at Sheng Siyan and said, "As long as nothing's wrong, that's good." Then he looked around the room and said, "This courtyard is a bit small, tomorrow when people arrive, it might not be enough to accommodate them."

  Sheng Siyan came back to her senses and curiously asked: "Ah, are we going to have guests? Who are they? Are they our relatives?"

  Wang's face sank, and she shielded Sheng Siyan behind her, saying to Sheng Qiye: "Things here are not over yet, let's wait a bit longer before talking."

  Sheng Qiye refused, saying: "We are all one family. If there is porridge to eat, we will eat porridge; if there is vegetables to eat, we will eat vegetables. What's the point of distinguishing between each other? It's better to live together in harmony."

  Sheng Siyan listened to this and felt that something was off, her heart racing slightly. She quickly glanced at Sheng Qiye, then turned her gaze back to Wang Shi and asked, "Mother, what's really going on?"

  Wang held her hand and looked down without speaking.

  Sheng Qiye looked at Wang Shi's appearance, thinking that he owed her a lot, and for a moment, he also felt a bit embarrassed to speak up, so he said: "That's right, let's wait until we've finished dealing with things here before going to pick them up."

  Wang lowered his head and took Sheng Siyan to the kitchen to serve dishes.

  After dinner, Mrs. Wang cleaned up the table and went to the kitchen to wash dishes.

  Sheng Siyan and the others of the Wang family left, only then did she secretly ask Sheng Qigong: "Dad, what's going on? Don't think you can fool me, I'm already ten years old, I'm a grown-up."

  Sheng Qiye patted her head and sighed, saying: "I originally just wanted to leave some incense for the Sheng family, so I took a concubine."

  "Ah?!" Sheng Siyan couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, quickly covering her mouth, not daring to let Wang hear.

  "Father, how can you do this? Mother and I have been living a hard life here, but you're doing well, with your concubines and even having children! - Are there several of them?" Sheng Siyan's disdain was completely unmasked.

  Sheng Qiye said with a sigh: "At that time, I didn't know if there would be a day when I could see the sun again, so..."

  "What about Mother?" Sheng Siyan said bluntly, "What if that concubine bullies Mother just because she gave birth to a son? And I'm the daughter, what if your illegitimate child doesn't get along with me?"

  Even Wang, who was standing at the door and didn't want to come in, burst out laughing at Sheng Siyan's exaggerated "tragic" scenario.

  She walked in, pointed at Sheng Siyan's forehead with her finger and scolded: "Where did you hear these nonsense? Which concubine of which family dared to call the shots with the mistress? And which illegitimate child dared to go against the elder sister? ——Even the emperor who ascended to the throne as a bastard did not dare to be disrespectful to the eldest princess born in wedlock!

  "Really? Has there never been a case of 'favoring the concubine and abandoning the wife' here?" Sheng Siyan asked excitedly. She hated these kinds of palace struggles the most, she didn't want to compete with these people at all!

  Wang and Sheng Qiye were both left speechless.

  Sheng Qiye looked at Sheng Siyan with a puzzled expression and said, "The children in our family are all taciturn and rarely speak, how did you become so eloquent?"

  Wang's face turned red with rage as he pushed Sheng Qiye away, saying: "This is your fault! What do you mean by this?" Was he suspecting Wang of being unfaithful?

  Sheng Qiye hastily said: "I didn't mean it, I really didn't mean it!" He apologized and bowed for half a day before Wang Shi's anger subsided.

  Sheng Siyan secretly sighed in her heart, but still had a smiling face, giggling as she watched Sheng Qiye apologize to Wang Shi.

  Sheng Qiye settled down in the small courtyard of Wang's family and Sheng Siyan.

  Although Wang did not allow him to go and bring his concubine and children, Sheng Qiye still secretly wrote a letter to them, asking them to come over.

  However, his concubine actually replied to him, saying that he should take care of the Sheng family's affairs properly, and they would come over later. Not wanting to come now, so as not to divide Sheng Qiye's heart.

  In the letter, she wrote sentimentally about her longing for Sheng Qi Ye. Although it didn't make Sheng Qi Ye happy, he wasn't angry anymore either.

  Since they don't want to come for the time being, and he has a lot on his plate. Wang also had a knot in her heart, if they really came, it's possible that they would fight.

  So Sheng Qiye didn't force it anymore and focused his mind on what he was currently doing.

  In just a few days, the Empress Dowager indeed issued an imperial edict throughout the land, seeking good doctors to treat Emperor Xiaoming's illness.

  He promised that as long as Xia Mingdi's condition improved, he would immediately reward him with a thousand taels of silver and grant him an official position.

  Famous doctors from all over the world flocked to him immediately.

  Sheng Qiye was also very anxious and wanted to take the lead.

  Sheng Siyan, however, felt that the notice seeking a divine doctor was somewhat strange. She privately advised Sheng Qiye: "After all, no one's medical skills are as excellent as yours, why rush into the palace so hastily? Good things always come out last, let's wait and see how this matter develops."

  Sheng Qiye was quite surprised by Sheng Siyan's insight, but he also thought that what Sheng Siyan said made sense.

  "After waiting for fifteen years, there's no need to rush in just a moment or two." Wang also advised Seventh Master Sheng. He is now the last male heir of the Sheng family's lineage and cannot be careless.

  They waited for half a month, but there was no news of any divine doctor being rewarded.

  Instead, there were continuous rumors of fake divine doctors and misinformation about Xiaoming Emperor's illness.

  The fresh blood of the "divine doctor" who was beheaded and pushed out from the Meridian Gate dyed red the moat in front of the palace gate.

  The empress dowager was furious in the palace, unable to understand why so many people had entered the palace, not just a few quack doctors, but actually assassins!

  They entered the palace, seemingly with only one goal in mind: to kill the Emperor!

  "How could this be?" The Empress Dowager complained to Zheng Sufen, "I want to save the Emperor, how come all those who enter the palace are of such poor quality?"

  Zheng Suxin was also hard to persuade. Because she too had a imperial doctor's seal, if she advised the empress dowager not to believe in these divine doctors gathered from among the people, she feared being accused of "being jealous of talent and resenting ability".

  Moreover, relying on her and those imperial physicians from the Taiyi Hospital, they were indeed at a loss as to how to treat Your Majesty's illness.

  There was no other way, so Zheng Suxin used the "Qiankun Dainao Yi" to shift the empress dowager's gaze: "Empress Dowager, I think that there are also divine doctors among the people. Perhaps someone doesn't want a real divine doctor to enter the palace, so they're intentionally stirring up trouble. You also know that if His Majesty were to pass away, who would gain the most benefit?"

  ……