Go and capture those thirty-six fierce villains.

Qin Ning bowed and said softly, "Your Majesty, it is I."

The beautiful woman's gaze was intense. She remained silent for a long while before calmly speaking.

"Aren't you going to defend yourself? That physician may be unscrupulous, but he is still a member of the Liangyi Medical Institute, which serves my Prince Su's mansion."

With so many people present, I don't believe you don't know... Qin Ning continued to maintain the cupped-hands gesture, raising his voice slightly.

"As a physician from the Imperial Medical Academy, he obstructed my service to the Prince's Palace due to personal grudges. In my humble opinion, he deserved to be beaten!"

"Meow!"

The little black cat on his shoulder also let out a triumphant meow.

The garden fell silent once again.

After a long while, the beautiful woman smiled, a smile that surpassed the beauty of all the flowers vying for attention in the garden.

She rose and walked to the pavilion: "Sharp-tongued. But you're right about one thing: you eat my royal salary but don't think about serving me. You deserve a beating!"

The beautiful woman paused and continued, "I summoned you here to treat the prince's illness; you represent my reputation!"

"When you see the Prince later, show him all your skills. If anyone can cure the young master's strange illness, I will guarantee him a life of plenty and peace!"

After the beautiful woman finished speaking, she waved her pink and white sleeves and said, "Take them to see the prince."

Maidservant: "Your Highness, aren't you coming along?"

"He doesn't want to see me, so I won't bother him." With that, the beautiful woman sat back down in her original spot, her face still bearing a melancholy expression as she gazed wistfully towards the side of the garden.

Qin Ning silently retreated back into the crowd, his back drenched in cold sweat.

He never expected that this concubine, who loved vying for the emperor's favor, was actually a high-level cultivator.

When she said the word "face" just now, the aura she inadvertently revealed made him subconsciously tense up, and a faint fear of death permeated the air.

No wonder there weren't many guards along the way. With someone like her around, it's hard to say whether the guards would protect her or she would protect the guards.

Leave the garden.

After walking along a corridor paved with white marble and passing pavilions with roofs covered in yellow and green glazed tiles, the group arrived at a garden filled with artificial hills and flowing water after passing through two very grand archways.

We crossed another small bridge.

Qin Ning could see from afar that there was a large expanse of flat land in the center of the garden.

The center of the flat ground.

The two men sat facing each other, seemingly playing chess. The one on the left wore a red, narrow-necked robe with four coiled dragons embroidered on it. He was slightly plump, with a kind face, and his black hair was streaked with white strands, making him look quite old.

If he wore ordinary clothes and was thrown onto the streets of Bei'an City, he would just be an ordinary fat old man.

Judging from his appearance, it would be difficult for ordinary people to associate him with the Prince Su who fought alone against an army of over 100,000 at Jiatian Peak.

To the right was a middle-aged man with jet-black hair and a resolute face. He was wearing an ordinary blue long gown, which not only had no embroidery, but was also not made of silk, but of the lowest grade of coarse linen.

Qin Ning couldn't guess who this person was, but the feeling he gave her was extremely profound. It was as if he harbored countless secrets, and if you looked at him for a while, you would be deeply drawn into them.

Besides these two, there was a reclining chair on the open ground, with a man in his thirties leaning against it. He looked quite similar to Prince Su in appearance and was also wearing a red brocade robe, but with fewer dragons than Prince Su.

This must be the patient... Qin Ning's gaze swept over the two people behind the recliner. They were quite old and both had medicine pouches on their waists.

Yes, no need to ask, these are the two physicians from the Liangyi Institute.

"Your Highness, the Consort is deeply concerned for the Prince and has specially sought out renowned doctors from among the common people to treat him." The maidservant approached and bowed respectfully.

Prince Su didn't even look up, his small eyes still fixed on the chessboard. He wiped the sweat from his temples and said, "Sending medicine every day isn't enough, this time you even sent people. This little girl is just being silly. How could these people possibly cure Yan'er's illness?"

He waved his hand: "Let them go back. Go back and tell your master to give her some peace and quiet."

The young maid stood there stunned for a long time before she mustered up the courage to whisper, "Your Highness, are there two seventh-rank acupuncturists among this group?"

Prince Su looked up and pointed with his round chin at the two people behind the rattan chair: "They are both seventh-rank acupuncturists. Yan'er's illness cannot be cured by seventh-rank physicians. Go back and tell her to stop making trouble."

The maid's courage was completely shattered.

She opened her mouth, lowered her head weakly, and was about to turn and leave.

At this moment, the man in the rattan chair said softly, "Father, Auntie meant well, so let them give it a try."

"Yan'er is kind-hearted... Very well, let these people come up and try. After they're done, give them some money and leave quickly." Prince Su looked at the two doctors behind the rattan chair, "Please keep an eye on things, you two."

"Your Highness is too kind. This is our duty."

Qin Ning secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If the young master hadn't spoken up, he would have almost stepped forward to recommend himself.

"Those who have prepared the herbal medicine, please bring it up first. If you have other methods, please go over there and wait in line."

The deputy physician from the Liangyi Clinic stepped forward, while Qin Ning, Huang Mu, and the fifty-something-year-old seventh-rank acupuncturist walked to the side.

The others carefully took out their prepared herbal medicine from their medicine boxes.

After tasting the first four bowls, the deputy physician frowned and said, "These are just more stimulants that only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. They might even harm the young master's spirit." When he tasted the last bowl, he laughed in anger.

"The young master already sleeps for eleven hours every day. You brewed a bowl of calming medicine because you're afraid he hasn't slept enough. This isn't the way to use poison to fight poison."

The owner of the medicine bowl looked ashamed and silently lowered his head.

The deputy doctor looked at Qin Ning and the other two, "It's your turn, who wants to go first?"

They won't even give him a chance to take his pulse? Although he wasn't a proper doctor, Qin Ning roughly understood the procedures of these traditional healers, and he sighed inwardly.

Huang Mu, standing to the side, was eager to try: "I'm only at the eighth rank, so let me go first."

Qin Ning readily agreed. The other seventh-rank acupuncturist also nodded reservedly.

Then, he saw Huang Mu take out a brightly colored garment from his medicine box and drape it over his back. He then took out a single-sided hand drum covered with animal skin, painted red, and decorated with dark bells and silk, and held it in his hand.

In addition, he even took out a small one and gave it to the little beast on his shoulder that looked a bit listless.

"Cough! I will not deceive Heaven, nor will I lie to Earth, nor will I..." Huang Mu muttered to himself, lightly striking the drumhead in his hand, and began to circle around the Prince Su's son on the rattan chair. The little beast followed suit behind him.

As the sun set and darkness fell, every household bolted their doors... Qin Ning looked on in surprise, his mind automatically replacing the lyrics the other person was singing.

This should be considered witch doctoring...

He saw that as Huang Mu continued to sing and dance, a faint light emanated from the other person's body, vibrating with the drumhead, and slowly entered the body of the Prince of Su.

At the same time, a faint black aura emanated from the Crown Prince of Su's body, drifting towards the single-layered dough drum in Huang Mu's hand as if guided by some unseen force.

Before long, sweat was already beading on the man's forehead.

After barely managing to walk three laps, Huang Mu collapsed to the ground, and the little beast did the same after managing to walk half a lap more. A moment later, the sounds of snoring from the two could be heard.

They were sleeping soundly, but it was a bit inappropriate.

The physician standing guard beside the prince was not surprised. He bent down to listen to the prince's chest and then gestured for someone to carry the two sleeping on the ground away.

After a moment, he looked at Prince Su, who was still engrossed in playing chess: "Your Highness, if this person jumps like this every day, it will probably keep the Crown Prince awake for an extra quarter of an hour each day."

"Oh? Then can this person jump more times each day?" Prince Su asked curiously, fiddling with a black stone in his hand.

"Your Highness, he should wake up in twenty-four hours."

"...just adding to the chaos."

Prince Su angrily slammed his black piece onto the chessboard, but a second later his face showed a look of regret. "Ahem, may I take back my move?"

The man dressed in ordinary clothes had an expression as if carved from a mountain stone. He slowly shook his head and gently put down the white piece in his hand.

"I guess I won't be able to become a retainer..." Qin Ning glanced at Huang Mu, who was snoring and whistling, then looked at another seventh-rank acupuncturist and gestured, "Elder, please go first."

A quarter of an hour later, the seemingly impressive seventh-rank acupuncturist turned pale and was forced to retreat.

Qin Ning was the only one left who had not yet stepped forward.