The burning gazes of the crowd made Luo Ying and her two sisters somewhat uncomfortable.

Although they were all daughters of the Grand Marshal, Luo Sheng alone had already done all the outrageous deeds. They were all honest people.

Compared to her sisters’ awkwardness, Luo Sheng walked over calmly and composed, instructing Hong Dou to request a number token from the gatekeeper boy.

Hong Dou smiled before speaking. “Young brother, give me a number token.”

She needed to smile a bit sweeter so as not to delay the young miss’s important matter. This was what Kou’er had nagged her about, and she felt there was some truth to it.

A fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl with big eyes and snow-white skin—when she smiled, it was especially sweet.

The gatekeeper boy unconsciously curved his lips. “You are?”

“We’re from Grand Marshal Luo’s estate. Today, to request the divine physician to treat the Grand Marshal, all four young ladies have come.” Hong Dou spoke quickly.

The gatekeeper boy’s face immediately turned stern, his tone cold. “I’m truly sorry, but today’s number tokens have all been distributed.”

“All distributed?” Hong Dou’s voice shot up, her face full of disbelief. “What time is it now? They’re already all gone?”

The gatekeeper boy pointed at the tea stalls. “There are many people today.”

The crowd filling the tea stalls remained silent, but their gleaming eyes betrayed their mentality of watching a spectacle.

As expected, the people from the Grand Marshal’s estate were refused by Divine Physician Li again. This time it was even worse—they didn’t even get a number token.

It was true there were many people outside Divine Physician Li’s gate today, but most were purely watching the spectacle and hadn’t claimed number tokens.

They still had this much integrity—they couldn’t delay those who truly needed the divine physician’s examination just to watch the excitement.

“My apologies. Please come earlier tomorrow.” The gatekeeper boy indicated with a stern face that Hong Dou could leave.

“Tomorrow?” Hong Dou’s willow-leaf eyebrows shot up, throwing Kou’er’s instructions to the back of her mind. “Our Grand Marshal’s condition cannot be delayed any longer. How can we wait until tomorrow?”

“There’s no helping it. Only those holding number tokens have the qualification to enter. This is a rule established by the divine physician.” The gatekeeper boy said impatiently.

Of course he knew Grand Marshal Luo’s situation couldn’t be delayed, but so what?

He remembered very clearly how displeased the divine physician’s expression had been when Grand Marshal Luo’s several sworn sons had come to seek medical treatment before.

The divine physician wouldn’t treat Grand Marshal Luo. If he let people in, wouldn’t he be causing trouble for the divine physician?

“I think you’re deliberately making things difficult for us—”

“Hong Dou.” Luo Sheng called out indifferently.

Hong Dou swallowed her curse, taking a deep breath.

Calm down. The young miss had said there was no need to use fists for problems that could be solved with money.

The little maid pulled off her purse and stuffed it into the gatekeeper boy’s hands, smiling through her anger. “Young brother, please be flexible. Our Grand Marshal really cannot wait—”

The gatekeeper boy pushed Hong Dou’s hand away as if it were on fire, his face full of righteousness. “Elder sister, what are you doing? How can you use such filthy lucre to insult the rules established by the divine physician!”

Silver was good, but one had to consider what it was being compared to.

As the boy who guarded the gate for the divine physician, he was touched by the divine physician’s immortal aura and might live one or two hundred years. He couldn’t be tempted by worldly wealth and ruin his path to longevity.

The exquisitely crafted money pouch fell to the ground with a thud, instantly making Hong Dou’s face flush red with anger.

Those watching the spectacle couldn’t help but show contempt on their faces.

As expected of people from the Grand Marshal’s estate—aside from throwing silver at people, they knew nothing else. Unfortunately, they’d encountered a divine physician who accepted neither hard nor soft approaches.

Hong Dou put one hand on her hip, her fierce nature fully exposed. “You gatekeeper, refusing what’s offered to you—”

A sneer rang out. “Who knows who’s really refusing what’s offered.”

The three Luo Ying sisters felt their faces burn with humiliation, as if they’d been slapped in public.

“Third sister, isn’t your maid embarrassing!” Luo Yue stamped her foot in anger.

Luo Sheng had said she would come to request Divine Physician Li, and for their father’s sake they’d all come, but they hadn’t expected Luo Sheng would only indulge her maid in making a spectacle, showing no improvement whatsoever.

“Fourth sister, don’t say that.” Luo Ying gently patted Luo Yue.

She also felt humiliated, but no matter how much resentment she had toward third sister, it was a family matter to be handled behind closed doors. Outside, if one suffered, all suffered; if one prospered, all prospered.

Having confirmed the gatekeeper boy was deliberately making things difficult, Luo Sheng signaled Hong Dou to retreat and looked calmly toward the person who’d spoken.

Zhu Hanshuang met Luo Sheng’s gaze without backing down, her eyes full of contempt.

She’d really overestimated Luo Sheng, thinking that being driven out of the capital and then returning meant she’d gained some capability.

As expected, she was still mud that couldn’t stick to a wall, only able to bring shame to her family.

Facing the calm gaze Luo Sheng directed at her, Zhu Hanshuang wasn’t afraid in the least.

If previously she’d had to restrain her nature somewhat out of consideration for Luo Sheng’s father’s power and influence, now there was nothing to fear.

Grand Marshal Luo was already half dead and might not even survive today. Once Grand Marshal Luo died, with his position as Commander of the Brocade Guard having offended so many people, it would be strange if the Luo estate and everyone in it had a good ending.

By that time, she might even be able to buy Luo Sheng as a maidservant. Mm, she’d bestow the name Green Bean, to make a pair with this maid called Hong Dou.

Thinking this, the smile at the corners of Zhu Hanshuang’s mouth deepened.

Luo Sheng coldly withdrew her gaze and asked Hong Dou, “Who is she?”

She asked openly and honestly, but to Zhu Hanshuang’s ears it was an utter humiliation.

She’d at least competed with Luo Sheng before, yet in front of so many people, especially Prince Kaiyang, Luo Sheng was pretending not to recognize her?

This wasn’t just saying she didn’t recognize her—this was clearly telling everyone that Miss Luo didn’t regard Duke Anguo’s estate’s second young lady at all!

“Young miss, have you forgotten? She’s the second young lady of Duke Anguo’s estate, surnamed Zhu.” Hong Dou replied crisply.

“Pfft.” Laughter immediately rose here and there.

Truly, as the master, so the servant. The little maid disparaging someone as the second young lady of Duke Anguo’s estate was one thing, but she also had to remind Miss Luo what the person’s surname was, thoroughly displaying her young miss’s arrogance.

“Oh, so it’s Second Miss Zhu.” Luo Sheng had a sudden realization, then confusion appeared in her ink-black eyes. “Have I offended Miss Zhu?”

From the corner of her eye, Zhu Hanshuang quickly glanced at the scarlet-robed man who’d remained expressionless from beginning to end, suppressing her anger and smiling. “How could that be? Miss Luo has no scheming heart. Even if you offended someone, no one would blame you.”

It wasn’t that they wouldn’t blame her, but that they didn’t dare blame her.

The crowd understood this perfectly well.

“So have I actually offended Miss Zhu or not?” Luo Sheng pressed.

The smile at the corners of Zhu Hanshuang’s mouth stiffened. “Of course not—”

Why was Luo Sheng still harping on this point? Previously this fool would fly into a rage and crack her whip at the drop of a hat, yet that hadn’t made her seem this difficult to deal with.

Luo Sheng’s expression turned cold. “If that’s the case, then what nonsense were you spouting just now? Are you gloating over seeing my sisters and me refused at the gate?”

At these words, Zhu Hanshuang’s pretty face flushed bright red, and she unconsciously glanced in Wei Han’s direction.

This wretch Luo Sheng was actually criticizing her character, making her look so wretched in front of Prince Kaiyang!

Luo Sheng followed Zhu Hanshuang’s line of sight, her eyebrows slightly rising.

She remembered now. Just now, riding in the carriage toward this place, she’d casually looked out the window when she heard horse hooves and had seen Prince Kaiyang riding past.

Luo Sheng decisively abandoned Zhu Hanshuang, who’d been rendered speechless, and walked toward Wei Han with a smile, lifting the corners of her skirt.