Chapter Thirty: What on Earth Is This Fool Good At?

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Xue Yuan stepped onto the covered bridge, which was already crowded with nobles and dignitaries.

Princess Consort Chu Qiu'er, Ningzhou Prefect Chen Zaidao, Ningzhou Military Commissioner Li Cheng, Ningzhou Assistant Prefect Wang Huai, as well as Ning'an County Magistrate Zhao Yuanwang and Ning'an County Lieutenant Zhou Shen, had all arrived.

Yet all of them were clustered around another great personage, surrounding him like stars around the moon.

The newly appointed “Medical Sage” of Great Qian—Zhao Huaichun!

“Master Zhao, congratulations! At last, Great Qian has a Medical Sage of its own. We no longer need to bow our heads to Northern Wei!”

“Master Zhao’s single book has overwhelmed the entire medical world. You truly are the pride of Great Qian! We hope you’ll look kindly upon us fellow townsmen of Ningzhou in the future!”

“Master Zhao, it has been far too long since you last visited my residence. My wife often speaks of you. Do come by when you have the time.”

Prefect Chen Zaidao and the others surrounded Zhao Huaichun, showering him with praise.

And it was no wonder. After the discourse at Cold Mountain, Zhao Huaichun’s medical skill had openly reached the pinnacle of perfection. Moreover, anyone versed in Confucian cultivation knew that he would sooner or later become a Great Confucian!

What was a Great Confucian? Among the hundred schools of thought, those who attained extraordinary accomplishment could comprehend the righteous qi of Heaven and Earth. Once that righteous qi poured into their crown, they became Great Confucians!

The process might take ten years, or five—but it might also take only a single day!

And anyone who became a Great Confucian would certainly acquire a divine ability. At that point, their cultivation realm was no longer important, because they would have earned a place among the Ten Greatest Experts!

At present, Great Qian’s two Great Confucians—Chu Yanxiu of White Egret Academy and Wang Huainian of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau—were both ranked among the Ten Greatest Experts!

Thus, although Zhao Huaichun was not yet a Great Confucian, even the Prefect, let alone the emperor, had to treat him with courtesy.

Yet Zhao Huaichun, surrounded by praise, seemed distracted. He kept lifting his head and looking around.

Before long, Xue Yuan sauntered up.

Quite a few people saw him, but they tacitly pretended not to notice. No one wanted to become entangled with this foolish prince and risk displeasing the emperor.

“Oh? Why isn’t there a seat for me?”

Xue Yuan looked toward County Magistrate Li Yuanwang, who was responsible for coordinating every aspect of the Ascension Festival, and asked with a genial smile.

Li Yuanwang gave a dry laugh, then turned his head away as though he had not heard.

This had been deliberately arranged. His purpose was to provoke Xue Yuan into “losing his mind” and striking someone again!

That way, the experts from the Divine Constabulary could claim to be breaking up a fight, separate Xue Yuan from Sword Seven, and then seize the opportunity to capture Sword Seven.

At that moment, several Divine Constabulary experts dressed in ordinary clothing quietly shifted a few steps closer to Li Yuanwang, following the plan.

But Xue Yuan merely chuckled instead of getting angry. Why would he lose his temper over a man who was about to die?

When Princess Consort Chu Qiu'er saw Xue Yuan, she could not help frowning.

“Your Highness, you should return to the palace now and practice the rituals for tonight’s ceremony. Try not to make a blunder again, as you did last year.”

Her words immediately provoked a round of muffled laughter.

The ceremony’s procedures were actually quite simple, but every year this fool made a spectacle of himself, becoming the laughingstock of the entire city.

Xue Yuan merely smiled without saying anything.

At that moment, Qian Zhongxian came hurrying over with tiny, careful steps.

He could not take long strides at present. They might tug at his testicles!

“Everyone, my apologies. Mundane affairs detained me, and I’m late!”

He greeted the crowd with a flourish. Every year around this time, literary gatherings were held, giving him the perfect opportunity to display his talents.

“Oh, the qilin prodigy has arrived!” Prefect Chen immediately cupped his hands toward him.

“Ah, not at all. You flatter me, Prefect Chen!”

Qian Zhongxian returned the greeting, the smile on his face growing even broader.

Seeing this, the others quickly rose to welcome him as well.

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After all, he held the Ning Prince’s great seal, and many official documents were not valid until he had stamped them.

Watching Qian Zhongxian laugh and converse with everyone, Chu Qiu’er’s lips curled faintly upward.

She thought, Brother Xian’s literary talent and elegance are second to none beneath Heaven, so naturally he is treated with courtesy wherever he goes. Unlike that fool, who is fit only to be ridiculed!

She then said to Qian Zhongxian, “Steward Qian, Medical Sage Zhao is here as well. One of you excels in poetry and prose, while the other specializes in medicine. Both of you belong to the Confucian tradition. You should have a proper conversation.”

Qian Zhongxian hurriedly pushed through the crowd and approached Zhao Huaichun with an ingratiating smile.

“Divine Physician Zhao, congratulations! I’ve heard that during your discourse at Cold Mountain, you overwhelmed the physicians of the entire world. I am filled with admiration! I wonder whether tomorrow evening, Divine Physician Zhao might be willing to honor me with—”

He knew that he had left a poor impression on Zhao Huaichun in the past, so this time he intended to curry favor with him properly.

But before he could finish, Zhao Huaichun shoved him aside and suddenly charged toward Xue Yuan.

“Your Highness! You’ve arrived? Come, come, sit beside me!”

Grinning obsequiously, he seized Xue Yuan’s hand. He looked exactly like a fiercely loyal old servant.

In an instant, everyone present was struck dumb.

What was going on? Zhao Huaichun—the victor of the Cold Mountain discourse, the newly appointed Medical Sage of Great Qian, whose prestige now nearly rivaled that of the Great Confucian Chu Yanxiu—was actually flattering a fool?

Qian Zhongxian was even more embarrassed. He stood there like a statue.

He had approached Zhao Huaichun full of enthusiasm, yet the man had not even bothered to look at him!

He had thought that after Zhao Huaichun had treated his testicles three times, there would at least be some affection between them. Who would have imagined that it had merely been a transaction...

After pulling Xue Yuan back, Zhao Huaichun plopped himself down on Li Yuanwang’s seat, shoving his backside against him and knocking him straight to the floor.

“Heh heh, Magistrate Li, go find yourself another chair. This seat belongs to His Highness now!”

Li Yuanwang’s old injuries had not yet healed. He landed heavily on the ground and nearly could not get back up.

Humiliated in full view of everyone, he looked like a little wife being beaten by her husband in the street—burning with shame and fury, yet unable to protest.

Xue Yuan found the sight amusing. After sitting down in Li Yuanwang’s seat, he nudged the man’s back with his foot, signaling him to get farther away.

Li Yuanwang ground his teeth furiously.

He truly could not understand it. Why did a fool like this have an expert such as Sword Seven serving him, and now a master like Zhao Huaichun helping him as well?

Was this the blessing of the foolish? Or did he possess some hidden talent?

Zhao Huaichun paid no attention to any of this. He immediately leaned close to Xue Yuan and said with a sly grin, “Your Highness, as it happens, this old man recently received the title of Medical Sage. I want to take on a personal disciple. Would you be interested?”

“What kind of sage? I’ve only heard of a sage in gynecology,” Xue Yuan asked earnestly, blinking his large eyes. “But can I learn midwifery from you?”

“You little—”

Zhao Huaichun glared at him and nearly exploded. But he quickly forced a smile back onto his face.

“You can learn if you wish. You only need to become my disciple!”

“But you said before that you were going to be my household servant!” Xue Yuan brought up the old matter again.

Zhao Huaichun immediately slapped his thigh and laughed.

“Your Highness is straightforward indeed! I’ll move into the palace tomorrow!”

Xue Yuan: “...?”

What kind of Medical Sage was this? Had he no shame at all?

And yet... Xue Yuan rather liked him!

If the old man moved into the prince’s palace, it would gain another expert. Then there would be hope of recruiting Wind and Thunder Valley as well. This was an excellent development!

But would he have to improvise an entire medical classic for him by then?

Come to think of it, how was he supposed to fabricate such a thing?

Meanwhile, Prefect Chen Zaidao and the others, who had vaguely overheard their conversation, were already standing there like wooden statues.

The dignified Medical Sage was actually willing to go to the prince’s palace to serve as a household servant?

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A talent of such magnitude—surely even the emperor would not dare order him around so freely?

They could not understand it. They simply could not understand it at all!

Chu Qiu’er was even more dumbfounded.

“How... how did he manage to establish such a deep friendship with Medical Sage Zhao?”

“Why do I always feel that ever since he ‘slept’ with me that one time, he has somehow become different?”

...

At that moment, a flower boat happened to pass beneath the bridge.

To change the subject, Xue Yuan hurriedly grabbed the flowers from the table in front of him—including those placed before Zhao Huaichun and the others—and threw all of them overboard. There must have been more than a dozen bouquets.

The moment he did so, a tremendous uproar erupted from both banks of the river.

“Look! Isn’t that Lin Shishi from the Celebration Spring House? The prince threw all the flowers to her!”

“She truly is Ning’an’s foremost courtesan. Even a fool—cough, cough—even His Highness can recognize her charms!”

“Bah! Ning’an’s foremost courtesan is Qin Sanniang! Still, Lin Shishi is certainly in luck today. With such a huge bouquet, she’ll probably be crowned the foremost courtesan of the year!”

Only then did Xue Yuan realize that the flowers were essentially votes. By throwing so many down at once, he had practically guaranteed Lin Shishi the title of foremost courtesan.

But why did the name Lin Shishi sound so familiar?

That’s right. Wasn’t she the woman who had thrown herself at a poor scholar, only for him to turn the affair into a story with which he boasted to others?

Xue Yuan looked down. Lin Shishi, standing on the pleasure boat, was indeed breathtakingly graceful, with a beauty capable of toppling cities.

Yet when she saw how many flowers he had tossed her, she merely smiled at him. She showed little delight—in fact, there was even a trace of disdain in her eyes.

Xue Yuan immediately felt displeased.

I’m the top donor here, and you look down on me? You threw yourself at a penniless scholar, yet treat me like some gullible fool?

The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to inspect her attributes.

Unfortunately, just as he was about to do so, the boat entered the bridge’s tunnel, and her figure vanished from sight.

...

The flower-boat viewing portion of the covered-bridge festival came to an end. The other nobles and dignitaries formed groups and went off to dine, but no one invited Prince Xue Yuan. He could only return to the palace accompanied by Sword Seven.

By the bridge, Li Yuanwang watched Xue Yuan’s departing figure and said to Jin Shanye, “Divine Constable Jin, who would have thought that fool wouldn’t fall for the trap? No matter. We still have one more opportunity during the formal ceremony tonight.”

Jin Shanye said indifferently, “It makes no difference. I’ve encountered many swordsmen like him. We’ll capture him sooner or later.”

Li Yuanwang cupped his hands.

“Then I’ll have to trouble you, Brother Shanye.”

Jin Shanye waved his hand.

“We’re fellow townsmen. There’s no need for courtesy. But you must take care of the matter I assigned you.”

Li Yuanwang frowned upon hearing this.

“I’ve already sent people to recheck the list of guests attending the ceremony. Divine Constable Jin, exactly who is planning to infiltrate the ceremony and cause trouble? Even you cannot find out who it is?”

Jin Shanye bared his teeth in a grin.

“It isn’t my case. One of my junior sisters is investigating it, and I want to help her.”

Li Yuanwang immediately displayed an expression of sudden understanding.

“Rest assured, Divine Constable Jin. I will mobilize the strength of the entire county to assist you!”

...