Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

Soon, Fuyun returned and reported, "Young Madam, it was a family on the passenger ship next door who encountered trouble. Her husband was unloading their goods at the dock when he accidentally pierced his foot with a rusty nail. At first, they didn't take it seriously and just bandaged it hastily with a strip of cloth. But after traveling by water for the past few days, and with the hot and humid weather, the wound has festered and is oozing pus. Now he's unconscious, and the old doctor on board is helpless. That's why the woman is crying."

Jiang Sese's expression changed slightly after hearing this.

Rusty nails, infected wounds, ulcers, high fever...

On an ancient ship lacking medical care and medicine, this was almost tantamount to a death sentence.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Sese said, "Hongdou, go and fetch the little wooden box I keep close to my body. The small porcelain bottle wrapped in thick cotton cloth inside is the penicillin. Also, bring a small jar of distilled water and a clean, soft cloth!"

Upon hearing this, Hongdou did not hesitate and immediately turned around and ran back to her cabin.

Hongdou moved very quickly and returned with the items in a short while.

Jiang Sese quickly explained the usage and precautions, then asked Fuyun to accompany Hongdou.

Under the escort of guards, Hongdou and Fuyun disembarked from the official ship and boarded the passenger ship where cries of sorrow were incessant.

The people on the boat were stunned when they saw the people disembarking from the official boat, especially a maid carrying something. The weeping also temporarily stopped.

Hongdou found the old doctor, whispered her purpose, handed him the penicillin, and relayed Jiang Sese's words.

The old doctor took the small porcelain bottle, looked up at Hongdou in disbelief, his voice trembling with excitement: "This...this...could this be the miraculous medicine that's been circulating in the capital lately? I've heard it can bring the dead back to life, heal wounds, and cure malignant sores and festering sores?!"

Hongdou was surprised that the medicine's reputation had spread to the common people. She was proud of her wife, but remained humble and said, "Doctor, you flatter me. This medicine is not a miracle cure. It is just a wound medicine that our wife, Princess Chenjia Jiang Sese, made in her spare time. It is indeed very effective for certain malignant sores and pustules. When she heard that someone on your ship was seriously injured, she specially ordered me to bring it over for a try."

"Princess Chenjia?" The old doctor gasped.

The patients' families and passengers who had been listening to them in despair and confusion suddenly erupted into uproar.

They had heard bits and pieces about Princess Chenjia's name, especially her marriage to Xie Jue, the Grand Secretary of the court, and the rumors circulating in the capital recently about her ability to make miraculous healing medicines.

To my utter surprise, at this critical moment, it was this princess who extended a helping hand!

It's like going out for fun and it starts raining, but then a big star comes along and hands out umbrellas to everyone.

"It's Her Highness the Princess!" The woman, who had been crying uncontrollably, was the first to react. She knelt down with a thud towards the official ship, kowtowing repeatedly with tears streaming down her face, "Thank you, Her Highness the Princess! Thank you, Her Highness the Princess, for saving my life!"

The other passengers, as if waking from a dream, also bowed down, saying, "Your Highness, the Princess, is merciful!"

The old doctor was so moved that tears streamed down his face. His hand holding the medicine bottle steadied even more, and he bowed deeply towards the direction of the official ship: "Thank you, Your Highness, for the medicine! I will do my utmost!"

The old doctor dared not delay any longer. He immediately cleaned the wound again, and then, with trembling fingers, carefully followed Hongdou's instructions, took a little powder, dissolved it in water, and dripped the medicine into the deep wound that exposed bone.

Everyone's heart was in their throat.

The woman clasped her hands together and muttered incantations, praying that the princess's medicine would work.

Just then, a voice abruptly broke in, carrying a hint of amusement and inquiry, clearly reaching everyone's ears: "Penicillin?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man leaning against the corner of the cabin.

The man stood there smiling, like a wisp of mist that had been unintentionally scattered and then gathered again by the mountain breeze.

What was most striking were his eyebrows. Extremely long and thin, as if someone had used the finest ink to draw them in a single stroke in a gentle breeze. They weren't close to his brow bone, but rather slightly upwards before softly drooping down, the tips almost drifting into his temples, as if they might dissipate into two wisps of smoke at any moment. Such delicate eyebrows should have given off a feminine air, but on his face, they only made him seem otherworldly.

The eyes beneath his brows were pale, with extremely dark pupils, like two black pearls of mercury floating in white mercury. When he looked at someone, his gaze was not sharp, yet it seemed to penetrate the skin and see right into your soul.

Hongdou was stunned at first glance. It was hard to say whether this person was handsome or beautiful. She felt that both of these human standards were off in his case.

The man examined the penicillin in the old doctor's hand with great interest, then looked up at Hongdou, a half-smile playing on his lips: "This is the miraculous medicine that can cure malignant sores? Your Princess Jiachen..."

The man paused deliberately before slowly continuing, "...Is this all you can do? Can't you order anything else?"

Chinese, Math, English, Politics, History, Geography, Physics, Chemistry, Biology—does he only know penicillin?

Could it be some kind of "nine leaky fish" (a derogatory term for someone who misses out on something)?

These words sounded like curiosity at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they carried a subtle hint of disdain and provocation, as if questioning whether Jiang Sese's abilities were limited to this.

Fu Yun, standing beside him, immediately furrowed her brows.

Fuyun cannot tolerate anyone showing the slightest disrespect or questioning towards Jiang Sese.

In particular, the man's words seemed to show disdain for the life-saving medicine that the lady had painstakingly developed!

Does this guy even know how many people penicillin has saved?!

Fu Yun immediately stepped forward, her pretty face frosty, as if she were about to slap the man across the face if he dared to say another word: "Insolence! The lady is kind-hearted and skilled in medicine, and the medicine she makes is meant to save lives. How dare you presume to comment on it? This medicine is precious, and its uses are self-evident. How could an outsider like you presume to understand the princess's talent and kindness! Get out of here immediately and don't disturb the doctor's treatment!"

Hongdou quickly tugged at Fuyun, wondering what kind of person this was, and how could he speak so offensively?

But Fuyun didn't think so. He was probably not afraid of offending anyone except the emperor.

The surrounding passengers also cast disapproving and wary glances at the man in blue. The princess had just bestowed life-saving medicine, and this man came out to speak in a sarcastic tone. He was truly despicable!

The man in blue, instead of being annoyed by Hongdou's direct rebuke, burst into laughter as if he had heard something amusing.

The clear laughter sounded particularly out of place in the sorrowful and tense cabin.

The others' gazes towards him finally turned into a faint sense of sympathy. Could this guy have something wrong with his head?

The man chuckled, then glanced meaningfully at the penicillin again, his gaze seemingly piercing through the cabin and landing on the rooftop of the official ship, shrouded in a light veil.

"Interesting, very interesting!"

The man left behind this ambiguous remark, ignoring Fuyun's angry glare and the sidelong glances of the crowd. He then moved swiftly through the crowded cabin, like a fish swimming through the throng, disappearing in a few steps at the cabin door. His figure vanished into the shadows of the nearby ships, as if he had never been there.

The unexpected incident left the passengers on the passenger ship looking at each other in bewilderment, finding the man quite strange. However, saving lives was the priority at that moment, and they couldn't worry about anything else.

Seeing that the matter was settled, Hongdou pulled Fuyun, who was still staring intently in the direction where the man in blue had disappeared, and returned to the official ship under the escort of the guards.

The two went up to the second-floor terrace and walked through the sheer curtains.

Hongdou said, "Young Madam, the medicine has been given to the old doctor. He was so grateful that he has already administered the medicine to the injured person."

Jiang Sese breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, saying, "That's good."

Jiang Sese was about to turn around and go back to the cabin when she found Fuyun standing to the side, her cherry lips tightly pursed, her brows furrowed, and her usually calm eyes clearly showing a hint of anger.

Fu Yun has been with her for so long, and it's rare to see her like this.

"Who upset you?" Jiang Sese asked curiously.

Fu Yun took a deep breath and said, "Young Madam, someone spoke rudely to you on the neighboring ship just now."

Jiang Sese was slightly taken aback.

Just because she is Princess Chenjia, no one in the entire capital except Emperor Jingyuan dares to give her a hard time to her face.

"Who is it?" Jiang Sese asked.