Mentioning Jiang Tan’er, the Old Imperial Uncle found her quite interesting.
This man of his, with severe headaches, had a rather bad temper, so much so that many juniors acted like mice seeing a cat in his presence—timid and afraid to speak. Only this Jiang Tan’er was different, with a bold personality and pleasing words.
However, when Xie Heng heard this, his heart skipped a beat.
“N-not sure what would happen if it isn’t cured, Your Highness…” Xie Heng asked honestly.
How could he know how capable that little girl was? Even if she were highly skilled, no doctor in the world would dare boast that they could cure any illness.
“Are you saying your Xie family isn’t confident? Earlier, that Jiang girl was so certain—could it be your daughter deliberately deceived and mocked me?” the Old Imperial Uncle immediately said with displeasure.
Xie Heng felt a bitter taste in his mouth. What Miss Jiang said had nothing to do with their family!
“Wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare… These medicines were prepared by my daughter. Her arm is injured, so we must trouble Your Highness to wait a few more days…” Xie Heng hurriedly presented the pills, his hands trembling slightly, feeling helpless inside.
The Old Imperial Uncle calmly accepted the items and had the steward summon the house physician to check if there were any issues with them.
Looking at the trembling Marquis Xie before him, the Old Imperial Uncle still showed little respect.
They were all mud that couldn’t be plastered onto a wall.
When His Majesty was born, his birth mother’s status was too low, so he was handed over to the primary consort of the same palace for upbringing according to custom. However, that consort also had a son and treated His Majesty harshly, causing both mother and child to suffer greatly. The Xie clan had no favor or influence in the palace. To ensure His Majesty’s safety, Xie’s mother accused the consort of mistreating the prince at the cost of her own life, thus securing a new foster mother for His Majesty.
Later, the previous emperor became infatuated with a bewitching consort, allowing her to wreak havoc, which led to several princes in the palace contracting a seasonal epidemic and dying. His Majesty, due to his low maternal background, managed to escape unscathed.
Because of this, His Majesty gained attention, was cared for by the imperial clan, and was strictly supervised and educated, eventually earning the opportunity to become the heir.
As soon as His Majesty ascended the throne, he immediately posthumously honored his birth mother as Empress Dowager Wenmu Duanjing Ciyi and elevated the Xie family.
Granting a marquis title to a meritless maternal relative was inappropriate. However, Empress Dowager Xie had died for her son back then, which was deeply moving, and His Majesty was a filial son. The imperial clan and court ministers thus complied with His Majesty’s wishes.
But this Xie family…
Truly had nothing worthy of high regard.
Before long, the house physician finished examining the pills—they were non-toxic.
The Old Imperial Uncle was suffering from a severe headache at that moment, so upon seeing the medicine, he took one pill.
Over the years, the Imperial Medical Academy had prepared many pills for him, but the more he took them, the less effective they became. Medicines that once required only one pill now needed ten or more to have any slight effect. He had also consulted many folk doctors, but pain-relieving medicines were largely similar, with little variation.
Watching the Old Imperial Uncle take the pill, Xie Heng felt quite uneasy.
If this medicine had no effect…
Songyin probably wouldn’t need to come treat the Imperial Uncle anymore.
In the past, Xie Heng would have immediately risen to take his leave after delivering the items, but this time, he gritted his teeth and remained seated, gulping down several mouthfuls of tea.
Observing the Old Imperial Uncle’s expression gradually relax…
Was it effective? Probably?! Xie Heng didn’t dare ask directly, fearing he might be too presumptuous.
At this moment, Old Imperial Uncle Rong himself was somewhat surprised. It had been less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea since the medicine entered his mouth, yet he truly felt his head had lightened considerably. He had only taken one pill, and the reaction was so swift. It seemed that Songyin indeed had some skill!
“This medicine is good,” Old Imperial Uncle Rong spoke up. “This prince will not take your family’s things for nothing. I will have someone send the payment for the medicine back to you later. When your daughter’s arm is fully healed, please have her come diagnose me, how about that?”
Xie Heng’s heart rose to his throat.
He intended to say exactly what Songyin had told him!
“Although this medicine is extremely precious and hard to come by, how could I dare accept Your Highness’s silver…” Xie Heng’s mouth was dry, his old face flushed red.
Hearing this, Old Imperial Uncle Rong was somewhat taken aback and finally looked directly at Xie Heng.
Emphasizing the rarity of the item—this was asking for a favor from him. Had this mirror polisher grown some courage?
However, feeling the unprecedented lightness in his head, Old Imperial Uncle Rong’s patience increased a bit. The pain-relieving medicine given wasn’t much; according to the previous explanation for recuperation, it should be a half-month’s supply. He didn’t know if the Xie family’s physician had more of these pills. If she did, even if Songyin couldn’t completely cure his headache, with these pills, he could at least live peacefully for a long time.
Thinking this, Old Imperial Uncle Rong’s attitude softened somewhat: “If it can free me from the torment of this headache, as long as it’s something within this prince’s power to give, feel free to ask.”
“My… my son Jiling, nineteen years old, just passed the military provincial examination a few days ago… He is a courageous one and wants to enter the military camp as a deputy general. It’s just that the positions… I heard there aren’t many openings, and I am incompetent, not knowing how to arrange it…” Xie Heng stammered through his words.
Listening to this, Old Imperial Uncle Rong’s beard twitched several times.
He had truly never seen such a useless Marquis.
At this moment, he even felt a bit sorry for His Majesty.
“Marquis Xie, back then, His Majesty not only granted you a noble title but also changed the names for you and your son. Do you know what these names mean?” Old Imperial Uncle Rong looked at him speechlessly.
“‘Heng’ signifies success, clarity, and distinction. His Majesty hoped that you and your son would harbor lofty ambitions and not let down the imperial favor. Yet you… I don’t even want to say it. You, a full-fledged Marquis, wanting your son to become a mere deputy general—such a trivial matter—and you have to come begging to me! My favor, used for something like this!?” Old Imperial Uncle Rong looked at this man, feeling both angry and amused.
Xie Jiling had already passed the military provincial examination. Hearing he ranked near the top, directly taking a deputy general position, no one would say anything; it would be perfectly reasonable!
But Xie Heng was notoriously incompetent, afraid of offending anyone, so naturally those above would look down on him a bit, bullying and dismissing Xie Jiling casually.
Xie Heng also felt ashamed. He knew that with his Marquis rank, handling such a small matter should be very simple. But in the capital, few looked up to him; he held no real power, had no connections. Even the smallest matters were not easy to manage.
“Fine, you may go back. This trivial matter, I’ll help you with it,” Old Imperial Uncle Rong said, then narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “This idea of asking for an official position… it probably wasn’t your own thought, was it? Was it Xie Jiling, or perhaps your daughter who just returned home who gave you this idea? Quite clever indeed.”
Such a small matter, in principle, shouldn’t require a favor at all.
Compared to these pills, the return was simply not equivalent.
However, the Xie family’s scheme this time was not simple either—it was both a plea and a threat, showing they had grown quite a backbone.
Within half a month, the selection of officials through the military provincial examination would be mostly finalized. If he didn’t help the Xie family resolve this matter, even if Xie Songyin truly had the ability to cure his illness, she would likely find excuses to delay.
An ordinary physician could be threatened with their life and family, but the Xie family… after all, were close relatives of the Emperor’s birth mother and could not be dealt with casually.
“Th-thank you, Your Highness…” Xie Heng’s muddled mind briefly sorted things out, only realizing that the matter had succeeded.
As for whether Prince Rong was pleased or displeased at the moment… he couldn’t tell.
The thoughts of the noble were difficult to guess, and even if guessed, it was of little use. He neither knew how to console others nor how to flatter. The more he spoke, the more mistakes he’d make, so it was better to obediently accept the words now and not concern himself with anything else.