Noble Consort Liu looked at Xiao Chen.
"He looks normal enough, but he's just a fool. To call him a divine doctor—you must all be out of your minds!"
"Consort Liu, this is the Prince's wish," Steward Wu said, caught in an awkward position. "Mr. Xiao is a rare and gifted divine doctor whom the Prince spent a long time persuading to come here. Please make things easier for us, Consort Liu!"
"I simply cannot believe a fool has any real ability."
Noble Consort Liu refused to step aside, so Xiao Chen just stood there in silence.
Hearing her words, Xiao Chen turned and started to walk away.
At that very moment, the Prince of Zhennan strode into the hall.
"Divine Doctor Xiao, please don't go!"
With that, the Prince quickly invited Xiao Chen back inside.
Seeing the Prince arrive, Noble Consort Liu immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highness!"
The Prince gave a wave of his hand. "What would a woman like you know? This is my esteemed guest, a divine doctor I specially invited to the estate. If not for Divine Doctor Xiao, Qing'er's illness would likely be incurable!"
The Prince then made a polite gesture toward Xiao Chen. "Divine Doctor Xiao, please trouble yourself to take my daughter's pulse!"
Although Xiao Chen was displeased with Noble Consort Liu's attitude, the Prince was so humble that it would be truly unreasonable to storm off in anger.
He nodded and stepped forward to take Chai Keqing's pulse.
Once he had examined her condition, he understood the situation and planned to write a prescription and perform acupuncture to treat her shortly.
Meanwhile, Noble Consort Liu, standing off to the side, wore an extremely grim expression.
"Your Highness, this man is a fool. There is no way he can cure the Princess, is there?"
With that, Noble Consort Liu glared at Xiao Chen again. "For the sake of the Princess's health, I specifically went to the palace to beg the Empress Dowager, and she sent an imperial physician to examine her! The physician is waiting in the side hall right now!"
Upon hearing this, the Prince's eyes widened in anger. "You ignorant woman! Why air our family's private matters like this? To actually go behind my back and beg the Empress Dowager at the palace—have you completely lost your mind?!"
At this, cold sweat instantly broke out on Noble Consort Liu's forehead, but she forced herself to endure it. "Please forgive me, Your Highness. I only did this for the Princess's own good..."
"The finest medical minds in the entire realm are all in the palace. The Princess is gravely ill now, and countless doctors have been completely helpless. Consort that I am, my heart was racked with anxiety, which is why I went to the palace and begged the Empress Dowager..."
Although the Prince was angry, considering that Noble Consort Liu had acted out of concern for Chai Keqing, he did not press the matter too harshly.
However, the Prince had always been wary of the royal family and loath to trust anyone connected to it.
Above all, he doted on this daughter of his beyond measure.
He firmly believed that people from the palace could never cure her.
Yet Noble Consort Liu had already invited the imperial physician into the estate; if he were turned away without even checking Chai Keqing's pulse, there was no telling how she would twist the story back at the Empress Dowager!
For a moment, the Prince found himself caught in a difficult dilemma.
He had no choice but to ask for Xiao Chen's opinion. "Divine Doctor Xiao, since the palace has sent an imperial physician, what do you think..."
Xiao Chen naturally understood the Prince's train of thought.
The Prince did not trust the imperial physicians from the palace; instead, he believed in him.
Yet Noble Consort Liu had gone behind his back to petition the Empress Dowager and have a physician sent here—a move the Prince had known nothing about.
The influence of the court was closely intertwined with the Prince of Zhennan's Estate.
If the imperial physician were sent away empty-handed after making the trip, it would inevitably spark all sorts of idle gossip back at the palace.
At the same time, because the Prince was convinced that the imperial physician could not cure Chai Keqing, he wanted to consult Xiao Chen first.
Xiao Chen merely smiled. "Since he is a skilled physician from the palace, why not let him take the Princess's pulse as well? We can see if he has any alternative insights, and I might even learn a thing or two from him."
This was merely a display of humility on Xiao Chen's part. Who would have expected Noble Consort Liu to sneer coldly from the side: "The imperial physicians in the palace naturally possess genuine skill, unlike certain fools who manage to get themselves called divine doctors!"
"Enough! Are you ever going to stop?"
Hearing Noble Consort Liu call Xiao Chen a fool, the Prince flew into a rage.
"I have told you repeatedly that Divine Doctor Xiao is my esteemed guest. How dare you continue to speak to him with such insolence? Have I been spoiling you too much lately?!"
As a martial artist by trade, the Prince was accustomed to being rough around the edges.
At that moment, his face flushed red with anger, and he held back none of his fury in his words.
Hearing this, Noble Consort Liu shrank her neck back instinctively and hastily said in a soft, submissive tone, "It was my oversight. Please forgive me, Your Highness..."
"Why are you asking me for forgiveness? Hurry up and apologize to the Divine Doctor!"
The Prince still relied on Xiao Chen to save Chai Keqing, which was why he showed him such immense respect.
Yet Noble Consort Liu's behavior was bound to alienate Xiao Chen.
What would happen if Xiao Chen took offense at her remarks and refused to treat Chai Keqing any further?
That was why the Prince demanded that the Consort apologize to Xiao Chen.
Noble Consort Liu's voice suddenly turned shrill. "You want *me* to apologize to a *fool*?! Have you lost your mind, Your Highness?!"
*Crack!*
Almost instantly, the Prince swung his arm across.
Being a martial artist, even though the Prince did not use his full strength, Noble Consort Liu's face swelled up instantly from the slap.
She stared at the Prince in disbelief, tears welling up in her eyes from the sudden grievance.
The Prince's expression remained grim. "How many times do you need me to tell you? Apologize at once!"
Finally, Noble Consort Liu understood the depth of the Prince's resolve.
Daring not to second-guess him further or utter another word, she had no choice but to bow slightly toward Xiao Chen. "Mr. Xiao, it was my oversight. Please do not hold it against me."
Given that Noble Consort Liu was a person of noble status, how could Xiao Chen possibly stoop to petty arguments with her?
He merely waved his hand. "Consort Liu need not stand on ceremony. Let us not delay any longer—please have the imperial physician from the palace come in and examine her!"
And so, the imperial physician who had been waiting in the side hall was finally summoned to take Chai Keqing's pulse.
"Divine Doctor Xiao, why don't you tell us what you make of the Princess's condition?"
Noble Consort Liu believed that Xiao Chen was a fraud; even if he examined Chai Keqing, he would certainly be unable to make any sense of it.
Naturally, she wanted to expose him right in front of the imperial physician to vent her frustration.
Yet Xiao Chen spoke calmly: "The Princess is suffering from a deep coma caused by stagnation of vital energy and blood. Although she has suffered from a hidden ailment for years, in reality, as long as one finds the correct acupuncture points and applies needles to the Yongquan and chest Qi points, her condition can be alleviated."
Upon hearing this, the imperial physician took Chai Keqing's pulse, and a look of utter astonishment crossed his face. "This young gentleman is entirely correct! The Princess is exhibiting precisely these symptoms!"
Hearing this, the Prince was radiant with joy. "It seems Divine Doctor Xiao's medical skills are truly superb—he is a match for the imperial physicians!"
The imperial physician did not stint on his praise either. "The gentleman's medical skills are as fluid as a swimming dragon; they are truly peerless! Not even the Grand Academicians of the Imperial Medical Academy could compare to you, sir!"
As the imperial physician spoke these words, Noble Consort Liu's complexion turned dreadfully dark.
Even though she had been forced to apologize to Xiao Chen moments ago, deep down, she fundamentally refused to believe that a fool like Xiao Chen possessed such miraculous medical skills!