Now she found this playboy a bit annoying.
“You must have a hobby. For example, my biggest hobby is…”
“Yuncheng?”
Just as Shen Yu was getting annoyed by Wen Boyan’s chatter, she didn’t realize they had already arrived at the Wen Mansion’s main gate.
At this time, Wen Boyan’s father, Minister of Personnel Wen Zheng, stood at the door in a plain robe, quietly waiting for Shen Yu’s arrival.
“Minister Wen.”
Shen Yu respectfully clasped her hands and bowed to Minister Wen.
Seeing Shen Yu carrying her medicine box, Wen Zheng immediately put on a beaming smile, a completely different person from his stern demeanor in court.
“Imperial Physician Shen, you’ve arrived. I’ve been waiting for you for a while. I hope my foolish son hasn’t offended you.”
“It’s all my fault. Usually, I’m too busy with official duties and lacking in his discipline. His mother spoils him too much. A doting mother ruins her children. Failing to educate my child is my dereliction of duty.”
“But my daughter, on the other hand, is gentle and elegant, graceful and generous. She’s poles apart from this boy.”
When Wen Zheng mentioned his son, his face showed frustration at his failure to live up to expectations.
But when he mentioned his daughter, his face was full of smiles.
“It’s just that my daughter has been sickly since childhood. Countless famous physicians have tried to regulate her health, all to no avail. Today, after the morning court, His Majesty specifically kept me behind to discuss the matter of opening maritime trade. During that time, His Majesty mentioned you many times, Imperial Physician Shen.”
“His Majesty praised your medical skills endlessly. That’s why His Majesty specially recommended you to me, saying that you could probably cure my daughter’s illness.”
Without his official robes, Wen Zheng had no airs at all.
He smiled warmly at Shen Yu.
But when he looked at his unworthy son, the smile on his face vanished completely.
And Wen Boyan, being a show-off by nature, liked to hang around in front of his father.
Hence the scene of Minister Wen’s face changing faster than flipping a book.
When he looked at Shen Yu, he was all smiles.
When he looked at Wen Boyan, his face turned ashen.
“Yuncheng, do you have nothing to do? Have you reviewed today’s lessons? In half an hour, the master will be here. If you can’t recite the text, I’ll personally take the master’s place and spank you.”
Seeing that his father was really getting angry, Wen Boyan stopped his showboating and quickly bowed his head in apology.
“Father, why don’t we let Imperial Physician Shen see to little sister’s illness first?”
“That’s right. Let’s not chat here. Imperial Physician Shen, please come in.”
Wen Zheng dismissed the maids in the mansion and personally led Shen Yu inside.
The Wen Mansion was originally bestowed by the Former Emperor when Wen Zheng’s father, the Grand Academician of the Wenyuan Pavilion, served him.
It had been nearly eighty years now.
In this prime location in the Capital City, the mansion’s spaciousness and luxury exceeded Shen Yu’s imagination.
Just the front courtyard alone had countless landscapes like ponds, gardens, pavilions, and rockeries.
The decorations were extremely refined, even more so than the Imperial Palace.
After all, it was the estate built by the former Grand Academician of the Wenyuan Pavilion and the current Heavenly Official of the Ministry of Personnel.
A father’s son is no dog—both father and son had achieved remarkable success.
Honestly, they could be considered the cream of the crop.
But…
Shen Yu glanced out of the corner of her eye at Wen Boyan, who was following behind them without any dignity, looking left and right, not at all like the son of a minister.
He even secretly teased the pretty young maids passing by.
It could only be said that the Wen family’s fortune was completely severed by Wen Boyan’s generation.
“My daughter is right in here. Imperial Physician Shen, please wait a moment. I’ll go inform her.”
Wen Zheng led Shen Yu to a quaint little courtyard.
“My daughter has been bedridden for years, so her mood is inevitably hard to predict. She’s quite wary of strangers…”
“Imperial Physician Shen, if my daughter offends you later, please be lenient. I apologize to you in advance on her behalf.”
Wen Zheng nodded slightly.
Shen Yu waved her hand dismissively, indicating she didn’t mind.
“Healing the sick and saving the dying—there’s no reason to pick and choose patients.”
“Imperial Physician Shen has a physician’s benevolent heart. Truly a great talent. Please wait a moment.”
After saying that, Wen Zheng pushed open the courtyard gate and walked in.
Shen Yu and Yin Qiu waited outside.
About a few minutes later, they heard a clear sound of smashing coming from inside the courtyard.
Then came a burst of irritable arguing.
The voice sounded like an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old girl, very young.
But the crying voice was full of grievance.
“Oh no, little sister must be having another episode. Imperial Physician Shen, don’t wait. Come with me quickly.”
Although Wen Boyan was usually lazy and irresponsible, he was unquestionably good to his little sister.
After all, she was the only precious daughter in the family.
His father often said that little sister was like real gold that fears no fire.
Without her strange illness, she was infinitely better than Wen Boyan.
Both siblings were doted on by their parents.
In fact, because little sister was younger, their parents loved her even more than their son.
Even so, little sister wasn’t spoiled into a playboy like Wen Boyan.
It just showed that all the Wen family’s good genes had been inherited by little sister.
“I don’t want to! I don’t want to… Father, I won’t see anyone. My illness can’t be cured. Make him leave. Make him go.”
“All those imperial physicians from the palace couldn’t cure me. I don’t want to be treated anymore. I’m fine now. I’m fine…”
“Shuhe, be good. This time, the imperial physician your father found is different from before. This one was recommended by His Majesty.”
“No, no, Father… Make her leave!”
Smash!
When Shen Yu hurriedly entered, Wen Shuhe happened to throw a tea cup.
Shen Yu instinctively reached out and caught it.
Luckily, there was no tea in the cup, or Shen Yu would have gotten scalded.
“Imperial Physician Shen—”
Just as Wen Zheng was about to say more good things to convince Wen Shuhe of Shen Yu’s medical skills and accept treatment, Wen Shuhe saw Shen Yu standing at the door with her medicine box and froze on the spot.
Shen Yu also looked at Wen Shuhe and instinctively paused.
Wen Shuhe was slender, like a willow branch swaying in the spring breeze.
A little force and she would break.
Probably due to prolonged bed rest, her complexion was a pale white—not the cold white of frost and snow, but like fine rice paper soaked in moonlight, a warm, soft white.
Her two faint brows were slightly furrowed.
Beneath them, her autumn-water eyes were always hazy with a thin mist.
When she looked at people, her gaze was soft and cool, like a feather brushing across the water’s surface.
During the exchange of glances with those clear eyes, she coughed twice, the sound gentle.
She instinctively covered her lips with a handkerchief, and on the white silk handkerchief bloomed a pale pink plum—blood from the cough.
And in Wen Shuhe’s eyes, seeing Shen Yu for the first time, she felt only an overwhelming beauty.
That heart-throbbing sensation was indescribable.
“How can there be such a beautiful woman in this world?”
Wen Shuhe lightly covered her cherry lips with the blood-stained handkerchief.
She thought her soft, airy murmur wouldn’t be heard by anyone, but everyone present heard what she said…
Wen Zheng even coughed awkwardly a few times.
“Daughter, this is Shen Yu, Imperial Physician Shen. She was personally appointed by His Majesty as a seventh-rank Inner Court Physician. She’s definitely the top scholar of the Medical Recruitment Exam. She has a great deal of experience with various stubborn diseases. Just the day before yesterday, she even cured Princess Yulan, who was on the verge of death.”
“At that time, all the imperial physicians at the Imperial Academy of Medicine thought Princess Yulan was beyond saving, but Imperial Physician Shen brought her back from the Guimenguan.”
“She definitely has a way to deal with your lingering illness.”
Seeing that his daughter wasn’t averse to Shen Yu, Wen Zheng quickly pressed his advantage.
“Father, I…”
At this moment, Wen Shuhe’s face was flushed.
It was unclear whether she was embarrassed by her rude behavior earlier or feeling at a loss in front of Shen Yu.
“Then we’ll step out first. Hurry, Yuncheng, let your little sister chat with Imperial Physician Shen.”
“And this little assistant of Imperial Physician Shen, if it’s convenient, please also step into the reception hall for now. Yuncheng, go ask your mother to prepare some fine pastries to entertain Imperial Physician Shen’s little assistant.”
Considering Wen Shuhe’s mood, Wen Zheng naturally wanted to let the two young women of similar age talk alone.
After finally finding a reliable physician that his daughter didn’t reject, Wen Zheng had to seize the opportunity.
“Oh, okay, Father.”
Wen Boyan hurriedly rushed out.
Yin Qiu glanced at Shen Yu, and with Shen Yu’s nod of permission, she also followed Wen Zheng out of the small courtyard.
They hadn’t taken a few steps when a beautiful woman’s soft exclamation came from outside.
“Zhaomei’er? Child, what’s the rush?”
“Mother, Father told me to come get you for some pastries. And, can you not call me by my nickname in front of others?”
“I know, I know. What’s there to be afraid of? I’ve called you that for over twenty years. Oh, this must be Imperial Physician Shen’s little assistant. She’s so cute. How old are you?”
Hearing the voices outside, Shen Yu couldn’t help but smile.
She looked at Wen Shuhe beside her, who also wore a faint smile.
Her beautiful lips curved upward, a sweet, clear smile.
“Your elder brother’s nickname is Zhaomei’er?”
“Yes, our parents gave it to him.”
Wen Shuhe smiled even brighter.
With that topic as a starting point, Shen Yu chatted briefly with Wen Shuhe, and the two quickly became more acquainted.
Wen Shuhe explained why she didn’t want to see doctors.
It wasn’t just that the previous doctors were useless.
Some doctors had wandering hands, even attempting to molest her, leaving a significant psychological shadow.
She also apologized to Shen Yu for her rude behavior earlier.
“I really didn’t expect that Imperial Physician Shen would be a young woman.”
Wen Shuhe looked Shen Yu up and down.
Her delicate eyebrows curved into beautiful crescent moons.
The more she looked at Shen Yu, the sweeter and deeper her smile grew.
“It’s all His Majesty’s favor. Those doctors were too much, completely lacking medical ethics.”
“Yes. There was one doctor my father found from somewhere. He said the root of my illness was in my lungs and wanted to examine my lung condition. He repeatedly asked me to loosen my clothes, saying he needed to put his ear to my chest to hear the abnormal sounds in my chest clearly.”
“That man’s appearance was truly hard to praise. I would rather die…”
“In a fit of anger, I stopped seeing any doctors.”
Wen Shuhe lowered her eyes.
When talking about these things, her pretty face blushed.
She was a well-bred young lady from a good family, how could she tolerate such frivolity?
“I see.”
Shen Yu nodded.
“Then, Imperial Physician Shen, what do you think of my illness? How can it be cured?”
“Well…”
Shen Yu’s expression turned serious.
She had noticed earlier that when Wen Shuhe coughed a couple of times, the handkerchief covering her mouth showed a few bloodstains.
Coughing up blood was not a good symptom.
The causes were many and complex.
And regardless of the illness, reaching the stage of coughing up blood was usually very dangerous.
“In my opinion, the key also lies in the lungs.”
“Then how do you examine it?”
Wen Shuhe’s gaze suddenly shifted evasively.
“I’m afraid… I’ll also need you to loosen your clothes.”
Shen Yu’s tone held some hesitation.
Wen Shuhe had already developed a shadow from other doctors’ similar behavior.
Shen Yu was worried she might not cooperate.
But as soon as Shen Yu finished speaking—
“Okay!”
“Huh?”
Wen Shuhe agreed a bit too quickly, catching Shen Yu off guard for a moment.
“I’m afraid…”