Zhe Qing lacked "talent."
Not only did she lack "genius," but she also lacked capable people.
Even if they weren't like Imperial Physician Yu, Zhang Yushu, or Xuesheng, as long as they had good ideas, she was willing to use them. For example, she had high hopes for this Qin Kuan.
Just then, Qin Kuan suddenly turned around as if struck by inspiration, and she smiled at him.
According to Qin Kuan's own account later, at that moment, he felt his heart flutter like a little deer leaping, and the cicadas' chirping in summer no longer seemed grating—oh, it wasn't just then; ever since he learned that Her Highness's palace was called Chanming Palace, he had developed patience for the little cicadas.
However, he soon realized that although Her Highness smiled at him first, she wasn't smiling only at him.
This made Qin Kuan quite unhappy.
He stepped past the crowd, walked over, and with a somewhat reserved and awkward demeanor, said, "Your Highness, you've arrived. When… did you come?"
Had she heard everything he just said?
Ah! He was both excited and anxious!
But Zhe Qing didn't speak much with him—after all, he was General Qin's son. She simply said, "I arrived just a moment ago, but I was deeply moved by what you said on my behalf earlier, Young Master Qin."
She pondered for a moment and then straightforwardly added, "Moreover, what you said earlier aligns closely with what I've been thinking. Since ancient times, birth, aging, sickness, and death have been determined by heaven—birth is beyond our control, aging is beyond our control, and death is even more beyond our control. Only sickness is something we can contend with heaven over."
"There's an old saying: 'Money can make the devil turn the millstone.' When the rich fall ill, they can still spend money on medicine to bribe the underworld officials. But what about the poor when they fall ill? The rich must first send them medicine."
"Young Master Qin, your idea is excellent. Your hundred taels of silver might be gone in the blink of an eye if spent on a jade pendant, but if converted into medicine, it could save countless commoners. On their behalf, I thank you, and I thank all of you."
She smiled and looked at each of the eight people once more.
This wouldn't do.
Mo Qi, quick with words and actions, hurriedly said, "Your Highness, what you said is truly reasonable. Originally, the four words—birth, aging, sickness, and death—were beyond our control in every way. Now, thanks to Your Highness, the art of divine healing has been revived, allowing the people of Dayu to seize more opportunities from heaven."
As scions of noble families, they all knew to some extent what Zhe Qing was currently doing.
"Your Highness's virtue rivals the sun and moon, deeply inspiring Mo Qi. Your Highness, although I lack Your Highness's talent, I am willing to serve you loyally. I, your servant, wish to eliminate malpractices for Your Highness and serve as your vanguard."
After Mo Qi finished speaking excitedly, Qin Kuan grew nervous. He also wanted to express his oath of service to Her Highness, but his usual lack of reading now exposed its shortcomings. He could only pitifully add, "Your Highness, I feel the same."
Mo Qi: "…"
Hmph, a copycat! He continued, "Your Highness is of noble royal lineage and now busy with affairs, traveling outside daily. I admire this, yet I also have concerns."
At this point, he suddenly adopted an expression that young people understand without words, hesitating and stammering, "I, I fear… I fear Your Highness might encounter unruly commoners while out, or that Your Highness's travels might not go smoothly—Your Highness—I have studied for ten years. Though my learning is shallow, I understand right from wrong, know etiquette and laws, and have also learned martial arts. I can protect Your Highness. I hope Your Highness will allow me to stay by your side."
Qin Kuan: "………" Damn it, he spoke for so long—even if he wanted to plagiarize or imitate, he couldn’t remember how to say it!
So, he could only rage helplessly and shout loudly, "I feel the same way, Your Highness."
These words caused everyone else to tremble, their minds racing with thoughts.
Having been sent into the palace, everyone knew full well what their future held. They understood that, to a large extent, they had either been entrusted with great responsibility by their families or had already been abandoned. Thus, they were even more aware of what they should do.
So, they all rushed to say, "Your Highness, I feel the same way."
Zhe Qing: "…"
Well, that wasn’t entirely necessary.
She could tell that although the eight of them said the same thing, their attitudes were different. For example, Qin Kuan was likely just a young man with a simple crush, purely wanting to show off in front of her. Mo Qi, on the other hand, both aspired to achieve something and subtly expressed admiration for her—though whether it was genuine or an act was unclear.
As for the others, like the one in red, he clearly didn’t want to become her "consort" but still sought benefits from her, so he cautiously tested the waters, only speaking up after others had declared their loyalty.
Zhe Qing felt she still preferred to use Qin Kuan.
After some thought, she said, "Tomorrow, I will visit the medical college. For now… Qin Kuan and Mo Qi, come with me. We’ll rotate others out gradually in the future."
When she returned, she would also look into how to properly establish a charitable organization. Actually, she had planned to do this later, at least after some matters had stabilized. But starting small wouldn’t hurt—it would be a good opportunity for the right people to gain experience.
Qin Kuan’s face flushed with joy, while Mo Qi’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
The others were somewhat disappointed.
After Zhe Qing left, Qin Kuan, unusually, didn’t pick a fight with Mo Qi. Instead, he mocked the man in red, putting on an air of utter disdain: "Tsk, tsk, tsk—"
Then he suddenly paused but didn’t say anything more, merely straightening his posture before walking away.
—It wasn’t that he didn’t want to continue mocking, but he realized he lacked the right words to insult him properly.
After all, Mo Qi had just used seemingly very appropriate words to praise Her Highness. If his own insults weren’t refined enough, wouldn’t he be outdone?
Even though the two matters seemed unrelated, Young Master Qin’s competitive spirit was just that strong!
Zhe Qing made a brief stop at the study hall without even sitting at her desk before leaving again. On her way back to the Cicada Song Palace, she unexpectedly ran into General Qin.
His expression wasn’t very good. Clearly, he hadn’t succeeded in what he had wanted to accomplish.
Zhe Qing stood still, waiting for him to bow before saying slowly, "General Qin, are you leaving the palace?"
General Qin’s expression grew even darker.
Zhe Qing knew her father, the Emperor, had stood firm this time.
For an emperor to be forced to assert himself with his ministers like this… she imagined her father wasn’t happy either. She’d have someone send over some roasted lamb later.
The weather was stiflingly hot. Seeing that General Qin still hadn’t spoken, she nodded slightly and prepared to leave. But then General Qin suddenly stopped her and said, "Your Highness—I believe you are thinking of the people, which is why you want to establish the medical college and pass down these teachings."
"Your Highness, I—"
But before she could finish her words, Zhe Qing interrupted him, saying, "General Qin was born into a noble family, excelling in both literary and martial arts from a young age. With his literary talents, he could bring prosperity to the nation, and with his martial prowess, he could secure the state… Over so many years and through so many events, I have heard my father speak of you. He said that General Qin possesses a heart dedicated to protecting the home and defending the nation—this is your original aspiration. You treat your soldiers as your own flesh and blood, a true great general."
She smiled and said, "However, while the general has his original aspiration, I too have mine."
General Qin frowned. "Your Highness's original aspiration?"
In recent days, Zhe Qing had been researching the production process of Movable Type Printing. The related search bar had recommended a phrase to her, which she felt was particularly fitting at this moment.
"My original aspiration is somewhat similar to yours, General."
At this moment, while she was still the Fourth Princess, her original aspiration was most powerfully expressed through these words.
Slowly, word by word, she declared, "General, although I am a woman, my original aspiration is to establish the heart of heaven and earth, to secure the destiny of the people, to carry forward the lost teachings of the sages, and to open the path to peace for all generations."
If you spread rumors using the excuse that women are inferior to men in times of turmoil and are destined to bring ruin to the nation, then I will prove you wrong by creating a world of peace.
She looked at him. "I believe, General, you should feel the same."
Zhe Qing turned and left, leaving General Qin alone, deep in thought with a furrowed brow.
At the same time, on the border of Yun Zhou, an old physician was studying a miraculous medicine.
Beside him lay a person completely wrapped in bandages, while another person, speaking with a Jing Du accent, crouched nearby.
"This miraculous medicine… truly a blessing from the heavens for our Great Yu. Without it, Gazi would not have survived this time."
The old physician pondered for a moment. "What is this medicine called?"
The imperial physician from Jing Du who had delivered the medicine quickly replied, "Her Highness the Princess calls it Yunnan Baiyao Upgrade One, but we refer to it as Bone-Healing Powder."
Bone-Healing Powder… The old physician smiled. "A good name, a good name."
He thought for a moment. Was this the only one?
The imperial physician shook his head. "Just among the good things I know of, there is more than this one. Have you heard of Ma-fu Powder, old sir?"
And so, he explained this and that, concluding, "Aren’t you, old sir, very interested in the human body? In the academy Her Highness the Princess has established, there is a Department of Surgery."
The old physician listened intently, and the imperial physician whispered, "Her Highness the Princess says that pharmacology is excellent, but sometimes, in certain places, acupuncture is not feasible. For instance, when flesh has died, it must be removed; when the belly is torn, it must be sutured; when something harmful grows inside the body, it must be cut out. This is what she wants us to learn in surgery now. By combining pharmacology and surgery, where pharmacology falls short, surgery can complement it, and the range of treatable illnesses expands greatly."
The old physician was deeply moved. He had been on the border of Yun Zhou for many years, often treating the wounded on the battlefield. When someone died, he would, when he had time and away from prying eyes, secretly perform dissections to understand what lay inside the human body.
He had once acted in secret, but now Her Highness the Princess had openly brought this matter to light.
He asked, "Has no one protested?"
After all, the dead should be respected.
The imperial physician whispered, "On the surface, rabbits are used. But in secret, those in prison who are guilty of heinous crimes—"
He did not finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear.
The old doctor nodded and asked, "When do you plan to return this time?"
The imperial physician shook his head honestly. "I'm not planning to go back yet. Before I left, Her Highness the Princess told me not to rush back. She asked me to follow the others she sent and help find the sheep she's looking for before returning together."
The old doctor frowned. "Find sheep?"
The imperial physician nodded. "Yes, Yun Zhou has many sheep—and not only that, but I'm also supposed to teach everyone how to build kang beds. Her Highness said Yun Zhou is bitterly cold, and countless people freeze to death in the winter. If they had kang beds, it would be much better."