Chapter 658: What's in the Gourd?

and gasped in fright, covering her mouth.>"Qi'er!" The madam also hurried over, wiping tears as she pleaded with Xiao Zhan: "Master, what are you doing"Xiao Zhan originally acted out of anger and lost..."I've thought about this. I believe the Emperor wouldn't want to reveal my identity unless absolutely necessary, so I still have time." Escape was impossible, but she had time to plan.

“Although that may be the case, Your Majesty has always been suspicious. It’s only been seven days since your marriage to the Prince Consort, so the Emperor likely already has a counter-plan in place. Therefore, you must be careful about everything. When you return, I will immediately inform Master and Uncle Master about this, and hopefully they can come up with a foolproof plan.”

“Senior brother, thank you,” Xiao Yu Ge said full of gratitude. Her senior brother and master were truly good people to her. She suddenly felt that in this life, she had gained a lot. In fact, she had also possessed them in her past life, but at that time, she was devoted to Qian Si Chen, ignoring everyone else. This life, she would definitely repay them well.

"Silly little sister, you don't have to be so polite with your senior brother." He stroked her head and smiled. "Don't worry too much, if anything happens, you still have your senior brother, your master, your grandmaster, and even the prince. We will all stand by your side. Come on, let's not keep the emperor waiting any longer."

"Hmm."

Inside the Hall of Nourishing the Heart.

"A young woman named Xiao Yu Ge."

"The commoner He Ming."

"Your Majesty!"

"Rise!" The Emperor waved his hand, signaling for them to stand.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The Emperor seemed to be in a good mood, with a smile on his face throughout the entire time. He looked at He Ming: "You are He Shenyi, the Divine Physician of Xiaoyao Wangfu"

"The title of 'Divine Physician' is something the humble one doesn't dare to accept." Crane Ming was indeed very modest. Although he wasn't old, he had already been famous in the martial arts world for a long time.

“The Crown Prince has reported everything about the incident at Wen’s Estate in Ruoshui City. This time, you two helped the Crown Prince break up the case of Wen’s Estate and appease the local people. Along the way, you even risked your lives to protect the Crown Prince. Your contributions are significant, and I am deeply pleased.” The Emperor finished speaking and ordered An Gonggong, who stood beside him, to read the imperial edict.

"The Imperial Concubine's adopted daughter, Xiao Yuge, step forward to receive the imperial decree!" An Gonggong, holding the imperial decree in his hand, stepped forward and motioned for Xiao Yuge with a sharp voice.

Xiao Yuge sighed softly and quickly glanced at the Emperor. She was baffled by his sudden claim that she was a foster daughter of the Xiangfu, wondering what he truly had in mind. Respectfully, she knelt before him to hear his decree.

"At present, the Xiangfu family raises a daughter named Xiao Yuge. She is beautiful and intelligent, both in character and talent. She excels in literature and martial arts, and her medical skills are extraordinary. She has repeatedly achieved remarkable feats and has been specially appointed as the Protector Country Princess. She is bestowed with a manor house, ten thousand taels of gold, and the fiefdom of Boshu County. She is instructed to temporarily reside in the capital city. This decree!"

Xiao Yu's face was filled with shock. She didn't expect the Emperor to suddenly bestow upon her the title of Protector Country Princess. What was this Emperor up to

"Protect the Country Princess, receive the imperial decree." An Gonggong saw that she was actually kneeling there motionless, so he reminded her in a low voice.

The Holy Edict is upon my head. Xiao Yu Ge naturally dared not disobey the Imperial Decree, so she forced a smile and accepted: “Subject Xiao Yu Ge accepts your decree! Thank Your Majesty for your grace! Long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor!”

"Well, Ge'er, you retreat to the side for now," the Emperor still smiled at her.

Xiao Yu Ge bowed deeply and stepped aside, clutching the imperial decree in her hand as if it were worth a thousand gold. Her heart was in turmoil.

At this time, An Gonggong continued, “He Crane steps forward and listens to the imperial decree!”

The sound of the crane's cry and Xiao Yu's song both startled at the same time. He Crane Ming knew that the emperor had bestowed the title of county princess upon his younger sister, it must be because of her auspicious aura, the life of a blessed woman. But why did he also want to bestow rewards He didn't want to be an official!

At that moment, he could only grit his teeth and step forward to accept the imperial decree. To his surprise, the emperor actually appointed him as the director of the Imperial Medical Bureau. He was shocked beyond belief. Wasn't every director usually promoted from the bottom up But he had been directly elevated to this position. It was simply unbelievable.

"Your Majesty, this humble subject is poorly educated and has spent years wandering the Jianghu. I fear I am unfit for the position of Imperial Physician. I beg Your Majesty to reconsider!" He Ming did not dare, nor did he want to accept this imperial decree. It was better to be a free-spirited doctor than to be confined within the palace walls as an official. Even thinking about it filled him with dread. Today, even if it meant defying the emperor, he had to try.

"Dare you! Are you defying the emperor's decree" An Gonggong bellowed. After all, this reward was a great opportunity in his eyes, and yet someone refused it How strange!

I thought the Emperor would be furious, but unexpectedly, he wasn't angry at all: "Divine Physician He, I have appointed you as the Imperial Physician, bestowed upon you the Imperial Physician token, not to make you attend court meetings like them every day, but simply to grant you a title. You can still move freely in the Jianghu as you always have. If one day my Lan Zhao country needs you, then participate in affairs using your capacity as the Imperial Physician, how about that"

The emperor knew that a rare talent like He Ciming, while his strong stance could keep him, couldn't hold his heart. So, he used official positions to bind him, ensuring that in times of need, he would receive He Ciming's assistance.

This was equivalent to giving him an official position at the fifth rank, with a salary. Normally, he wouldn't have to sit in Taiping Hospital like everyone else. Anyone who heard this would think it was an amazing opportunity.

"The commoner thanks Your Majesty for your great grace!"

Ke Hueming was pleased, but he couldn't feel joy. He knew that the Emperor had given him freedom on the surface, but secretly there was a fine thread connecting him. However, since the Emperor had spoken, he had no choice but to accept the order.

"Your Majesty, from today onwards, you will address the Emperor as 'Your Majesty'," An Gonggong whispered with a smile.

He bowed his head slightly to him.

"My esteemed ministers, please withdraw. I have some private matters to discuss with Ge'er alone." The Emperor motioned for He Ming to step aside, leaving Xiao Yu Ge behind.

"I take my leave!" After glancing at Xiao Yu Ge, He Ming bowed and withdrew.

"Your Majesty..." After He Crane's words, Xiao Yuge was about to speak, but the Emperor gestured for him to stop.

"Song'er, I know what you want to ask. You have saved me and the Crown Prince. You deserve this title as the county princess. Besides, someone as intelligent as you should already understand why I did this, right" The Emperor stared at her, it seemed like she had become even more beautiful since they last met. There was also a rare air of boldness in her demeanor, something not commonly seen in women. He should have realized this sooner.

“I’m slow-witted, Your Majesty. Please enlighten me.” Xiao Yuge pursed her lips. Since a showdown was inevitable, she might as well stand up straight and speak plainly. She wasn't afraid of the emperor even though she was barefoot; if he pushed her too far, she wouldn't care about any imperial edicts. At worst, she’d simply leave. The world was vast, and with Feng Laogou’s disguise techniques, she didn’t believe the emperor could find her.

"Ge'er, that day when I saw the Master, he once said that the adopted daughter of Xiangfu was a blessed girl. At that time, Xiao Yu'fu was the adopted daughter of Xiangfu, so even I thought she was the blessed girl. But I never expected you to be the true adopted daughter of Xiangfu, and therefore, you are the real blessed girl. This concerns the national fortune, Ge'er, I think you should understand the reason." the stage, cleared his throat, and said: "Today's auction is this Phoenix-Singing Qin in the hands of Master Wuyue. The starting price is 50,000 taels of silver. The highest bidder not only gets this...