Chapter 43: A House Call in the Middle of the Night

"Rest assured, the few of you can quietly smuggle me out of the manor tonight, and let Ziyue hold down the fort in my room first. Usually, no one comes by late at night."

"But..." Chunlei was still worried.

After all, the Eldest Young Madam was a married woman, and moreover, a daughter-in-law of the Prince's Estate.

"There are no 'buts'. Right now, have the brothers scout the location well, figure out the best way to slip out tonight without being easily noticed," Yu Yuanzheng instructed directly.

She was no traditional ancient young lady of high birth; the Three Obedience and Four Virtues were completely foreign to her.

Left with no choice, Chunlei had to obey her master.

That night, in the deep silence, two shadowy figures leaped over the back wall of Qiya Courtyard.

They then caught a third shadowy figure dropping down from above the wall.

Stealthily ducking and dodging, they arrived right at the westernmost base of the Prince's Estate's garden wall.

The two men scrambled up the wall once again and tossed down a rope, hauling up the shadowy figure waiting below the moment she grabbed hold of it.

In this manner, they successfully scaled the seven-foot-tall estate wall.

The three shadowy figures walked another third of a mile before reaching a carriage.

"Eldest Young Madam, please board the carriage," Qiufeng said, lifting the carriage curtain.

Without a word, Yu Yuanzheng climbed aboard.

Six guards escorted the carriage as it wound its way cautiously toward the Grand Princess's Estate.

To avoid encountering the city night patrol, the six men had mapped out the route well in advance.

They arrived at the back door of Grand Princess Huining's Estate just as the first watch of the night began.

An elderly wet nurse had been waiting there for some time to receive them.

"Is this Physician Zeng?" the elderly nurse stepped forward, holding a lantern.

"Indeed," Dongling stepped up and cupped his hands in a salute.

The elderly nurse glanced at Dongling, then shifted her gaze to the others.

She had not expected the divine physician to bring six guards along. Although they were all dressed in black and wore masks, one could tell at a glance that they were all formidable, well-trained martial artists.

From that single look, the elderly nurse knew she could not afford to be remiss.

Chunlei stepped forward to lift the carriage curtain and invited Yu Yuanzheng to disembark.

The elderly nurse watched as the shortest man among the group stepped out of the carriage. He, too, wore a full-face black mask, revealing only his eyes.

"This old servant pays respects to the divine physician. Please follow me," the elderly nurse said without wasting words, holding the lantern as she walked ahead.

The carriage remained parked by the back door.

Yuezhe was left behind to keep watch.

The group followed the elderly nurse into a courtyard. Given the lateness of the hour, it was impossible to discern the layout of the surroundings.

A light was still burning inside the courtyard.

"Divine physician, the patient is a woman. Might I ask the brave men to wait outside the courtyard?" the elderly nurse paused to request.

"Chunlei, come in with me," Yu Yuanzheng spoke in a voice that deliberately obscured her gender.

The two followed the elderly nurse into the courtyard, where a maid stepped out to receive them. Without speaking, she merely made a gesture of invitation.

Stepping into the inner parlor, they saw a middle-aged woman dressed in elegant simplicity seated in the main seat.

It was evident she had been waiting for them.

"Grand Princess, the divine physician has arrived," the elderly nurse reported.

"This junior, Zeng Yuan, pays respects to Your Highness the Grand Princess," Yu Yuanzheng saluted with cupped hands.

Chunlei did the same.

"Rise," Grand Princess Huining appraised the two before her. "It is truly presumptuous of me to summon you in the dead of night."

"May I ask which person is the patient?" Yu Yuanzheng asked directly, unwilling to waste time.

She dared not remain away from the Prince's Estate for too long; venturing out in the middle of the night carried a heavy risk.

"Accompany this princess to the inner chamber," the Grand Princess personally led the two inside.

Inside were three women: two clearly appeared to be maids, while the third sat before a table, wearing a veil.

Yu Yuanzheng guessed instantly that her face must have been disfigured.

"Divine physician, this is my eldest daughter, Xiangling.

Due to an accident in her childhood, her face was severely damaged. Now eighteen years old, she has yet to be betrothed.

Upon hearing that a divine physician had arrived in the capital—one even capable of curing Elder Jin's chronic cough—I must beg the divine physician to save my daughter."

As she spoke, the Grand Princess dabbed at her eyes.

"Mother, can he truly cure me?" Hua Xiangling asked doubtfully.

When she was four years old, she had playfully knocked over a kettle of boiling water on a stove and suffered a bad fall, scalding half her face beyond recognition. From then on, under the pretext of recuperating her health, she had been sent away to live in a rural estate, only being brought back a few days prior.

In her childhood, her mother had secretly invited countless physicians for her, yet not a single one could effect a cure.

As time passed, the family had almost forgotten her existence; only her mother would visit her once every interval.

With a face like hers, even a daughter of heaven was cast into the dust.

Every time her mother saw her face, she would heave a heavy sigh.

With such a face, marriage was entirely out of the question; no family would ever marry a disfigured woman into their household.

Yet, as a county princess, she could not possibly marry a humble peddler or laborer.

"Let the divine physician try. You must give yourself a chance," the Grand Princess comforted her.

"County Princess, please remove your veil so that I may examine you," Yu Yuanzheng said gently.

"Be a good girl, let the divine physician take a look," the Grand Princess urged as well.

Hua Xiangling hesitated for several breaths before slowly removing her veil.

Yu Yuanzheng was met with a face that looked half-celestial, half-demonic.

Half of her cheek bore deep pigmentation changes left by the burns, and small patches of hypertrophic scarring had already developed.

At a sudden glance, anyone timid might truly have been startled by such a face.

Yu Yuanzheng stepped closer for a more careful inspection.

Fortunately, it was not the type of severe overgrowth; the main issue was the heavy pigmentation, dominated by alternating red and white patches.

The raised scar tissue could be surgically removed and treated with scar-reduction ointment, which presented no major problem. The real challenge lay in the stubborn pigmentation.

The crux of the matter was eliminating the pigment that had accumulated over many years.

Pondering for a moment, she recalled a method and a formula quite effective for removing scar pigmentation.

"Divine physician, how is it? Can it be cured?" Seeing that Yu Yuanzheng remained silent for a long time, the Grand Princess grew somewhat impatient.

"Replying to the Grand Princess, the County Princess's injuries are of too long standing, making treatment rather complicated. I can only say I will do my utmost.

However, the outcome will still be vastly superior to how she looks now. But the County Princess will have to endure some hardship.

I will need to use a blade to excise these scarred areas, allowing new skin to grow.

During the regrowth process, I will apply medication to prevent such raised protrusions from forming again.

Furthermore, I will compound a depigmentation ointment for consistent, long-term application. Results should be visible in roughly two to three months."

Hearing Yu Yuanzheng's words, mother and daughter felt a surge of joy.

"Then I must trouble the divine physician. Money is no object, nor is the procurement of any necessary medicines," Grand Princess Huining immediately stated her position.

Over all these years, not a single physician had ever given an affirmative reply regarding treatment the way Yu Yuanzheng had today.

"However, not having seen the patient beforehand, I was unaware of this condition and came completely unprepared. I must ask the two of you to grant me five days to prepare certain items before I return."

"That is no problem at all; it was we who were impetuous."

The Grand Princess did not put on airs, an attitude that greatly pleased Yu Yuanzheng.

What she feared most was encountering members of the royal family who acted aloof and put on grand displays.

"Divine physician, I must ask that this matter be kept strictly confidential. Due to her disfigurement, this daughter of mine has been raised in a rural estate and, under the pretext of illness, has never appeared in public all these years.

She was only brought back specifically upon hearing of the divine physician's arrival in the capital. Should the divine physician be unable to cure her, I will send her back to the estate once more. I ask the divine physician to understand a mother's heart."

The moment she heard this, Yu Yuanzheng understood Grand Princess Huining's intent.

She wished to conceal from the world that she possessed such an ugly daughter, while simultaneously protecting the child.

"Rest assured, Grand Princess. As healers, we never disclose patient privacy."

"Many thanks, the divine physician." Grand Princess Huining was highly satisfied with Yu Yuanzheng's tact.

She had specifically sought out this divine physician precisely because she had heard of his enigmatic nature.

A healer of unknown background would certainly not dare to offend members of the royal family if he wished to make a living in the capital.

Coming and going in haste, she safely returned to the Prince's Estate.

Not a single mishap had occurred.

Yu Yuanzheng settled in to sleep with peace of mind.

However, far off in the distance, a dark figure quietly made its way to the outer courtyard study.

He knocked softly a few times.

"Your Highness," the shadowy figure called out in a low voice.

"Enter," the Prince rose from the couch, showing no signs of sleepiness whatsoever, clearly having waited all this while.

"Your Highness, the person has returned," the shadowy figure reported.

"Go bring Chunlei to me," the Prince commanded in a chilling tone.