Chapter 81: The Princess's Request

The gaze of Princess Wu Qingluan sparkled; she had not expected Fang Xian to be so young, and yet possess such extraordinary medical skills, profound knowledge, and cultivation no less than her own. Her curiosity about him deepened all the more.

"Ah, that's the voice of Divine Physician Fang—he's speaking to us."

"So it turns out Divine Physician Fang was indeed framed. Now that the truth is revealed, that's a relief."

"I knew he would never cause a patient's death! It was because the patient didn't take the medicine, nor eat or drink—anyone would be overwhelmed in such a state!"

"Punish the villain severely and clear Divine Physician Fang's name!"

"Let's all head home now. There are too many people on the street; since Divine Physician Fang is unharmed, we should disperse."

"You officials ought to keep your eyes open and stop making trouble for Divine Physician Fang. Don't be deceived by evildoers in the future."

As Fang Xian called out, the gathered townspeople began murmuring amongst themselves. Those on the outskirts slowly started to turn away, and soon more and more departed, leaving Wu Qingluan, watching from the restaurant above, secretly relieved.

"Arrest those men!" At this point, Zhou Liang had no choice but to order his constables to seize the young man and his companions, placing them in shackles.

"Lord Zhou, you may interrogate them at your leisure. However, the patient's body remains weak and requires rest. I am handing him over to you safe and sound now. Should anything happen afterward, it will no longer be the responsibility of our clinic," Fang Xian said with a smile. After handing over the patient to Zhou Liang, he turned and returned to his clinic, while Li Daqi and the others continued to direct the queue of patients.

"What a spectacle we've witnessed today! I wonder which fool concocted such a clumsy scheme to frame Divine Physician Fang?"

"Wu Ji, send someone to Huayang Prefecture to keep a close eye on this case. I want to see the results of the interrogation. If anything happens to the patient, let Magistrate Qiu of Huayang explain himself directly before the Martial Emperor," Wu Qingluan stood and said coldly as she gazed out the window—her words clearly meant for those present.

Now that the Princess had intervened, they found themselves at a disadvantage, forced to consider sacrificing some pawns. Their resolve to remove the Princess from her position as Marshal of the Feifeng Army only grew stronger; once the army was out of her hands, she would be nothing more than an ordinary princess.

"Marshal, today's events have caused quite a stir. The Martial Emperor will surely hear of it. Since they were so eager to frame Divine Physician Fang, though their plot failed, I fear they may have further schemes in store," Wu Ji remarked as they left the restaurant.

"I'll visit Mr. Fang first, then head to the palace," Wu Qingluan replied, pausing in her stride.

"Forgive my offense, Your Highness. I did not know your true identity," Fang Xian said, feigning shock with a cupped-fist salute, though in truth he was not surprised at all by Wu Qingluan's status.

"It was out of necessity; you are not to blame, sir. To be candid, the patients with consumption whom you treated recently were all sent by my hand. I wished to see if you truly could cure the illness. I acted thus out of concern for the Crown Prince. Now, with others interfering to prevent you from treating him, I must appeal to you—please, do not refuse," Wu Qingluan spoke with great humility.

"Your Highness, to save lives is the healer's duty. Whether the patient is a crown prince or a commoner, I treat them all the same. My rules will not change. If His Highness wishes to seek treatment, please bring him to the clinic," Fang Xian replied, insisting that the Crown Prince be brought to him.

"Could you not make an exception? Even if I am willing to bring him, I fear the Martial Emperor would not consent," Wu Qingluan implored.

"Tell the Emperor that only I may be able to save the Crown Prince's life. If he is willing, send him; if not, it's his decision. I am too busy each day to spare time for palace visits," Fang Xian replied, shaking his head.

Seeing no alternative, Wu Qingluan hurried to the palace. Outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Chief Eunuch Zhang Zhili greeted her respectfully, "Your Highness, Princess."

"Eunuch Zhang, is His Majesty receiving an audience with any official?" she inquired.

"Your Highness, His Majesty is meeting with General Kou Jianhai, commander of the Imperial Guards, questioning him regarding the disturbances by the North Gate," Zhang whispered.

After a time, General Kou Jianhai emerged, saluting the Princess before departing. Zhang Zhili then entered to make his report.

"Qingluan, come in," a dignified voice called. Wu Qingluan strode into the hall and looked up at the Martial Emperor, Wu Qingdi, seated upon his dragon throne.

"Your humble sister pays respects to Your Majesty," she greeted, bowing low.

"Qingluan, I've heard tens of thousands gathered on North Main Street earlier. Do you know what happened?" Wu Qingdi asked, motioning for her to sit.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I was present and am aware of the matter." Wu Qingluan recounted Fang Xian's arrival in Wu Capital to practice medicine. She explained that the authorities had been misled by villains, attempting to arrest Divine Physician Fang without discerning right from wrong, which sparked the people's outcry and drew those whom Fang had helped to rally in his defense.

"This Divine Physician Fang not only treats countless commoners free of charge but can cure the most difficult maladies and has even healed several patients with consumption. Is this true?" Wu Qingdi asked, astonished.

"To speak plainly, those patients with consumption were sent by me, so I could see whether he could cure the disease. The patient in the mildest condition has already recovered; the other two, though more severe, are improving. I had intended to wait until all were healed before asking him to treat the Crown Prince, but given events, we must act sooner," Wu Qingluan said.

"In that case, summon Divine Physician Fang to the palace at once. If he cures Xiao'er, he shall have any reward he desires," the Emperor said urgently.

"Your Majesty, Divine Physician Fang is a man of peculiar temperament; his rule is that patients must come to his clinic for treatment. There are always dozens, sometimes hundreds, waiting outside, and he simply cannot leave to enter the palace," Wu Qingluan was forced to explain.

"So bold! Even I cannot command him to come?" the Emperor grunted.

"Please, Your Majesty, do not take offense. These men of the outer world are all like this. He did claim, however, that perhaps only he can save the Crown Prince. Let me bring the Feifeng Army and escort His Highness to the clinic," Wu Qingluan said quickly.

"Very well. Do as he requires. But tell him this: if he cannot cure Xiao'er, then the title of 'Divine Physician' is undeserved, and I shall have his head," the Emperor replied coldly.

Wu Qingluan, sensing his anger, hastened to reassure him. "Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will personally oversee Divine Physician Fang and guarantee he causes no harm to the Crown Prince. If he fails, I shall send him to the Death Battalion as cannon fodder."

With the Emperor's permission, Wu Qingluan immediately went to the Eastern Palace to confer with the Crown Princess, bolstered the palace guards, and summoned three thousand elite riders of the Feifeng Army from outside the city. With an additional three thousand personal guards from the Princess's mansion, the Crown Prince's safety was ensured.

Moreover, Wu Qingluan stationed a thousand Feifeng soldiers near North Main Street, only a few hundred meters from the Divine Physician's clinic, both to maintain order and secure the site.

Such conspicuous movements naturally drew the attention of many interested parties. Soon, word spread that the Crown Prince was to seek treatment at the Divine Physician's clinic.

"If this man is a criminal, why not simply arrest him? Or even kill him outright?" In the Ninth Prince's residence, several ministers had gathered in secret to discuss the matter with Prince Wu Yuntian, who frowned as he questioned Wang Yuanlang.