“I remember that time when you went to Reflection Shadow Convent, you encountered heavy rain on the return journey, and you were traveling with her too, weren’t you?”

“Yes, my carriage broke down at the time, so I rode in Miss Li’s carriage, and then the carriage overturned…”

Jiang Shiran clapped her hands: “See, I told you! You have bad luck whenever you encounter her. Your leg was injured so severely that time, and after it finally healed, you went to Reflection Shadow Convent and met her again, only to encounter a landslide.”

Princess Zhenzhen wavered slightly in her heart, then shook her head: “That’s not right. That time, it was my carriage that broke down and injured my leg, so I rode in her carriage. And this time—”

This time, she had deliberately encountered Miss Li to express her thanks.

“Zhenzhen, think about it. You’ve been to Reflection Shadow Convent so many times before—did you ever encounter anything?”

“No.”

“That’s exactly it! You were always fine before, so why have you had such continuous bad luck recently? And she was present every single time!”

“Shiran, what are you trying to say?” Princess Zhenzhen didn’t believe in such things. She believed more that a person’s good or bad fortune mainly depended on their efforts.

Jiang Shiran blinked: “Don’t you think Li San is a jinx?”

Princess Zhenzhen opened her mouth but said nothing.

“I attended the Fushan Society gathering with her, and ended up getting into trouble. I accepted the scolding at the time, blaming myself for approaching her on my initiative. But later, when the incident about the young master of Earl Changchun’s mansion being beaten half to death by a woman in a brothel became the talk of the town, those people said that the woman who disguised herself as a man to visit the brothel was me, and that I was trying to frame Li San in retaliation. Tell me, isn’t that unfair? I had nowhere to seek justice!”

Jiang Shiran paused and glanced sideways at Princess Zhenzhen: “Zhenzhen, why are you looking at me with such surprise?”

Princess Zhenzhen: “So it wasn’t you!”

Jiang Shiran: “…”

Miss Jiang angrily pounded the chair: “See, even you thought I did it! It looks like I’ll have to carry this burden for the rest of my life!”

“Wasn’t it ever investigated who that woman was?”

Jiang Shiran straightened up: “That’s what’s so strange about it. I asked Thirteenth Brother to investigate for me, but he told me he couldn’t find anything. Hmph, I think Thirteenth Brother just wasn’t taking it seriously, or maybe because he has some relationship with Li San, he wasn’t willing to investigate deeply!”

“Shiran, since you’re already engaged to Lord Jiang, you should trust him more. You two grew up as childhood sweethearts—what a rare fate that is.”

Though she was a princess, most of the time she envied Shiran. Jiang Shiran lived much more freely than she did—she didn’t need to deliberately please her elders, didn’t need to restrain her willful nature, and could even marry someone she liked…

Princess Zhenzhen didn’t want to think further. It would make her heart ache terribly.

“I know Thirteenth Brother is good to me, but I’m just somewhat uncertain—” Jiang Shiran said hesitantly.

“Uncertain about what?”

“Zhenzhen, do you have someone you like?” Jiang Shiran suddenly asked.

“I—” The figure of the young general flashed through Princess Zhenzhen’s mind, and she shook her head.

Her status as a princess gave her a position above others, but it also brought her more constraints. She had always understood that her marriage was not for her to decide, so what meaning was there in speaking of affection?

Jiang Shiran was somewhat disappointed: “Then you wouldn’t understand. I like Thirteenth Brother very much—I wish I could see him every moment—but I don’t feel the same from him. He seems to only treat me like a younger sister.”

“Being loved and pampered like a brother would is quite good, too.”

“But a brother might love many sisters, yet he’ll only love one woman. I want to be that one and only.” In front of her good friend, Miss Jiang rarely showed the melancholy that belonged uniquely to a young woman.

Princess Zhenzhen smiled: “Don’t worry, you have a lifetime to work on it.”

Given time to cultivate it, she would make the man she had set her sights on fall in love with her, no matter who that man was.

At this thought, Princess Zhenzhen’s heart stirred.

How foolish she had been! Though she couldn’t control her marriage, what if she made Marquis Guanjun fall in love with her?

Marquis Guanjun held a transcendent position in her father, the Emperor’s heart. If he were willing to voluntarily marry a princess, her father would certainly be delighted to see it happen.

Once this thought arose, Princess Zhenzhen immediately felt as though she had found hope in despair, but then her expression dimmed again.

Regardless, she had to cure her face first before she could speak of anything else.

Jiang Shiran was encouraged by her friend and smiled with relaxed contentment: “You’re right. Thirteenth Brother is mine anyway, and no one can take him away. I refuse to believe that even with a lifetime, I can’t make him treat me the way I treat him. It’s getting late, so I’ll head back first. I’ll come to see you again when there’s news about Physician Li.”

“Alright.” Princess Zhenzhen personally escorted Jiang Shiran to the door.

Jiang Shiran left the princess’s quarters and saw Jiang Tang waiting outside the palace gates.

“Father, so you came out early.”

“Get in the carriage.”

Father and daughter entered the carriage.

“Is Ninth Princess well?” Jiang Tang asked casually.

“Not well.”

“How so?”

“Her face is rotted.”

“Rotted?” Jiang Tang looked completely surprised. “What kind of talk is that?”

He somehow couldn’t quite understand this description.

“Her face is rotted, like meat that’s gone bad and decomposed.”

Jiang Tang was greatly surprised.

He hadn’t expected that when his daughter said “rotted,” she meant rotted. Though the Jinlin Guards had extensive intelligence networks, they couldn’t reach into the Emperor’s harem.

“Father, Zhenzhen is so pitiful. Let’s help her, or she won’t be able to go on living.”

Jiang Tang laughed: “Father isn’t a physician—how can I help? Hasn’t the Ninth Princess consulted the imperial physicians?”

“She has. Even Director Li was consulted, but they were at a loss.”

“Then Father has even less recourse.”

“Who says so? Your daughter knows that even when others have no solutions, Father always does.”

“Then tell me, Ran Ran, what solution could Father have?” Jiang Tang asked with amusement.

“I’ve heard that Physician Li can bring the dead back to life and heal bones and flesh, with medical skills that are simply miraculous. Can Father find Physician Li to treat Zhenzhen’s face?”

“Physician Li isn’t in the capital.” Jiang Tang’s smile faded.

“Then Father should send people to bring him back.”

“According to news from the south, Physician Li has gone to sea. The ocean is even vaster than land—where would one search for him?”

Jiang Shiran became anxious upon hearing this and complained: “Then what can be done? Father, you should have stopped Physician Li from leaving the capital.”

Jiang Tang smiled helplessly.

Physician Li was someone the Emperor had personally promised could leave freely. Others might be able to stop him, but the Jinlin Guards could not.

“Why are you laughing, Father?” Jiang Shiran reached out and grabbed Jiang Tang’s beard. “I don’t care. Since Father didn’t stop Physician Li at the time and now he can’t be found, Father must find a way to make it up to me. I already promised Zhenzhen, and I can’t lose face in front of her.”

“Let go, let go!” Jiang Tang hurried to rescue his beard. “Silly girl, Father will point out a clear path for you.”

Jiang Shiran released Jiang Tang’s beard: “What clear path?”

She knew her father would have a solution.

“When the mountain roads are cleared, you could try asking Miss Li.”