Shen Shijiu was locked up in a side hall for a day and a night. During that time, someone came to deliver him food, but he was not allowed to go out.
The next day, the door of the side hall was reopened and several palace servants came in to take him away.
Shen Shijiu lowered his head obediently and followed the palace servants through the long corridor, passed through several palaces, and came to the Hall of Mental Cultivation where the emperor handled state affairs.
The palace maids withdrew, and Shen Shijiu knelt alone in the hall. The emperor was not there, but he did not dare to move. He could only kneel down and wait obediently.
I don’t know how long I waited, so long that Shen Shijiu’s knees were almost numb, before footsteps were finally heard outside the door, followed by a bright yellow figure appearing.
The emperor walked to the desk with a stern face and sat down. Without even looking at Shen Shijiu who was kneeling in the hall, he began to read the memorials as if no one was around.
Shen Shijiu quietly raised his eyes and looked at the emperor, then quickly lowered them again. He rubbed his knees, not daring to move.
After a while, a eunuch came in and walked up to the emperor and said something. The emperor looked very angry and threw a memorial in front of Shen Shijiu with his hand.
"Is that what he said?" the emperor asked coldly.
The eunuch nodded and bowed respectfully, "I will reply to the emperor's words word for word. He said he doesn't want to."
The emperor stood up and slowly walked towards Shen Shijiu who was kneeling in the hall.
"I know that he has a special relationship with this little genius doctor. I didn't expect that he would dare to be so tough even though the person is in my hands."
The emperor stood in front of Shen Jiujiu, squatted down, stretched out his hand to lift up Shen Jiujiu's chin, and narrowed his eyes slightly, "Tell me, does he really think that I won't kill you?"
Shen Jiujiu was completely confused and had no idea what the emperor was talking about. He just felt that the gaze he was looking at was cold and terrifying, and it really did contain a strong murderous intent. He was so scared that his body was shaking a little, but he still tried his best to stay rational.
"Your Majesty... I, I have thought about it carefully. Although, although I cannot cure the Queen's muteness, I know of a very powerful doctor. Maybe, he... he will have a way."
The emperor stared at Shen Shijiu's eyes, trying to see if he was lying, but the man's eyes were clear and bright, like a clear lake, revealing sincerity and earnestness.
At first, the emperor ordered Shen Shijiu to be brought into the palace not just to diagnose the patient's pulse, but to use him as a bargaining chip, so he didn't expect him to be able to diagnose any illness.
But now that Shen Shijiu said this, the emperor had a glimmer of hope again.
"Tell me about it."
Shen Jiujiu introduced Jiang Yubai to the emperor. He was right. Jiang Yubai's medical skills were indeed ranked number one in the world. Shen Jiujiu's medical skills were also very good, but still not as good as Jiang Yubai's.
At this moment, Jiang Yubai, who had been staying in the clinic obediently, sneezed a few times for no reason, and then glared at Cheng Feng beside him fiercely, "Are you secretly cursing me in your heart again!"
Chengfeng looked confused and innocent.
After listening to Shen Jiujiu's words, the emperor stood up and asked the eunuch beside him to investigate Jiang Yubai.
The eunuch obeyed the order, but before he walked out of the gate of the Yangxin Palace, he ran into a man. He was horrified and pointed at the man in front of him and said, "You... you... how dare you come to see the emperor without a summons! Come! Capture him quickly!"
However, the man who was walking towards them ignored the eunuch's shouts and walked around him and went straight into the hall.
—After stepping into the hall, I saw the little man kneeling obediently in the hall.
The emperor also looked over, but when he saw the person coming, he was not surprised, but seemed to have expected it.
"I have seen the emperor."
Hearing the familiar voice, Shen Jiujiu suddenly raised his head and looked over, and met the eyes of Pei Zheng who was standing not far away. Pei Zheng then raised his lips and smiled at him, full of gentleness and comfort. Shen Jiujiu's originally nervous mood immediately relaxed a lot.
"You are really a big shot. I have invited you many times but you refused. If I hadn't brought you to the palace, I would have never seen you again." The emperor restrained his aggressive aura and smiled slightly, "Lord Pei."
In a foreign country, in the imperial palace, Pei Zheng was humble.
"Your Majesty, you are joking. I have no official position for a long time and I am not worthy of being called your Excellency."
"What if I say you are worthy?" the emperor said, "If you agree to serve as an official in the court and assist me, I can grant you a position above the emperor, and you can become the powerful official you once were."
Pei Zheng bowed, "Your Majesty may have forgotten that, after all, I am still a citizen of the Celestial Empire. Although the Celestial Empire has fallen, Changling still exists. I will not be a person who forgets my roots, and I'm sure that Your Majesty will not trust someone who can flee to another country at will."
"Changling is just a small country now, not as big as the Northern Territory. What's more, I am telling you all this because I trust you. Otherwise, when would I need to waste my breath talking to others like this?" The emperor raised his voice, his tone already a little anxious.
After Pei Zheng came to the Northern Territory, the Emperor soon found out about this. Because of the previous reputation of Prime Minister Pei of the Celestial Empire, everyone in the world knew him. The Emperor of the Northern Territory intended to win over Pei Zheng, but the people he sent to deliver the message were sent away by Pei Zheng in just a few words, and his words were so convincing and sincere that no one could refute them.
Pei Zheng was also very familiar with the national situation of the Northern Territory. He knew that the emperor was struggling for power with the Queen Mother's party and was in need of a right-hand man, otherwise he would not have valued him so much.
On the one hand, Pei Zheng did not want to get involved in other countries' internal struggles. He had made plans and did not want to live in the Northern Territory permanently. Sooner or later, he would bring Xiaoren and Li'er back to
Go to Changling Kingdom, after all, that is their home; on the other hand, Pei Zheng knows that if the Emperor of Northern Territory really wants to force him, he would have thousands of means to use, but he did not use any of them on Pei Zheng, which shows that the Emperor of Northern Territory is still a moral man.
Now that they have found an excuse to trap this little guy in the palace, he probably has no other choice but to see me. Just now, when I insisted on breaking into the palace, no one really stopped me, which further confirmed what Pei Zheng was thinking.
"I know that the emperor is facing internal and external troubles and is eager to seek talents, but he is also very righteous and respectful to the wise," Pei Zheng said with a smile, "I know a little about the situation in the court of the Northern Territory, and I have some superficial opinions. If the emperor does not mind, I would like to discuss it with the emperor. If I can help the emperor solve his problems, it would be great. But I am sorry that I cannot obey your order on this official appointment."
Having said that, Pei Zheng's meaning was very clear. He could give advice to the emperor behind the scenes, but he would never be able to enter the court of the Northern Territory.
The emperor took a deep look at Pei Zheng. He also knew his temper. It was useless to say more. He could only sigh and said, "That's it."
Afterwards, Shen Shijiu was taken away by a eunuch and waited in the outer hall, while Pei Zheng stayed in the inner hall to discuss the state affairs of the Northern Territory with the emperor.
Shen Shijiu waited outside the palace gate for a long time, and his little face turned red from the cold wind outside. Then the palace door was opened and Pei Zheng walked out.
"Brother Pei!" Shen Jiu rushed over, threw himself into Pei Zheng's arms and asked, "Are you okay? Did the emperor do anything to you? Did he punish you? Did he want to lock you up?"
Pei Zheng reached out his hand and covered his cheek. "It's okay, nothing happened. The emperor said that we can go home now. I am here to take you home."
"Really?" Shen Jiujiu asked with some concern, "Will the emperor not chop off my head?"
Pei Zheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "When did the emperor say he would chop off your head?"
Shen Shijiu pouted, "But, that maid said that if I can't cure the queen's muteness, the emperor will be like this..."
He wiped his neck while speaking, "So, I told the emperor that Brother Yubai is a very good doctor and may be able to find a way."
Pei Zheng asked in surprise, "Did you recommend Jiang Yubai to the emperor?"
Shen Shijiu nodded in confusion, "Yes... Yes... What's wrong? Did I say something wrong..."
Pei Zheng patted his little head, took his hand, and followed the palace servants out of the palace.
"You are... not wrong, but Jiang Yubai has been a royal doctor for a long time. If he knew that you recommended him to the Emperor of the Northern Territory..."
Pei Zheng glanced at Shen Shijiu, who was worried and self-blaming, and comforted him, "... He will definitely be very happy."
Pei Zheng had just said a lot to the emperor. The two of them happened to have the same political views, but they had different opinions on many things. The emperor suddenly wanted to recruit Pei Zheng even more. Pei Zheng firmly refused and assured the emperor that before he left the Northern Territory, he would definitely go to the palace to meet the emperor as long as the palace summoned him.
In exchange, the emperor also promised not to take the initiative to provoke war against Changling Kingdom within a few years, and if Pei Zheng needed any help while he was still in the Northern Territory, he would also provide all possible assistance.
After Pei Zheng and Shen Shijiu left the palace, they walked towards the clinic.
There were many pedestrians coming and going on the street. Although the weather was very cold, the sun was bright and clear. As they walked, their bodies warmed up and they no longer felt cold.
After crossing several crowded streets, Shen Shijiu suddenly stopped in the vast crowd and turned to look behind him.
He seemed to feel that something was wrong just now, as if someone familiar was passing by him, but he did not recognize him.
When I turned around again, that familiar feeling disappeared in the sea of people.
Pei Zheng also stopped and asked in a concerned voice, "What's wrong? What are you looking for?"
Shen Shijiu was a little confused. He opened his mouth to answer when he heard Pei Zheng's words, but he didn't know what he was looking for.
"Are you a little scared? Hmm?" Pei Zheng hugged his shoulders and touched his forehead. "Let Jiang Yubai make some medicine for you when we get home."