That evening, the Emperor did not dine in the Imperial Garden — only in another hall adjoining his own chambers, which had something of a casual, everyday feel to it.

Yet the more ordinary it seemed, the more certain Feng Jiu’er became that this was no ordinary meal.

The junior eunuchs and palace maids had all withdrawn. At last, the entire side hall contained only three people: Feng Jiu’er, Emperor Qiwen, and the head eunuch.

Feng Jiu’er still felt a faint undercurrent of tension, but she reminded herself that what came would come regardless. Even her greatest former support — the Ninth Imperial Uncle — had already left. Now she had only herself.

Whatever comes, comes. Calmly wait and see what Emperor Qiwen has in mind.

“Master Feng Jiu,” Emperor Qiwen said suddenly, his tone unhurried, “I still feel you look remarkably like someone I once knew.”

Feng Jiu’er’s expression took on a flattered, slightly startled look, and she quickly said, “I would be frightened to presume such a thing. Your Majesty is as exalted as Heaven itself — truly, this is the first time I have ever had the honor of meeting you.”

“I have heard that you cured an elderly person who had suffered from a leg ailment for many years. Is that true?” Emperor Qiwen asked again.

Feng Jiu’er hesitated briefly before saying, “It is true that it took just over a month to cure that elderly person’s leg ailment. However, her condition was unlike that of most patients — the muscles of both her legs still had considerable vitality and remained healthy.”

Emperor Qiwen did not entirely follow, and after turning it over in his mind, said, “If a patient had been injured by a sharp blade many years ago and had since been bedridden and paralyzed, would you have confidence in treating such a person?”

“I remain most apprehensive, Your Majesty. In matters of healing, one must first examine the patient thoroughly before drawing any conclusions.”

And even after a thorough examination, a definitive judgment could not always be rendered immediately — so asking her now would naturally yield no clear answer.

Emperor Qiwen said nothing more. He lifted his wine cup and took a small sip, seeming to be lost in thought.

Feng Jiu’er dared not speak either. Since the Emperor had not yet touched his chopsticks, she could only sit quietly and wait for him to eat first.

There was no possibility of eating her fill at this meal — she could only wait and see what Emperor Qiwen ultimately intended. If his only aim truly was to have her treat someone, then at least that was not a life-threatening matter.

But then, unexpectedly, Emperor Qiwen said, “We command you to treat this person. But if you fail to cure them — We will take your life.”

…

So even treating the sick had become a matter that could cost one her life.

Just one meal ago, Feng Jiu’er had managed to tell herself that saving a life was at least not a lethal matter — and now reality had given her a sharp slap in the face.

No wonder Emperor Qiwen had been so peculiar today. It turned out he wanted her to treat a patient of the utmost importance.

As for exactly how important this patient was, Feng Jiu’er had no idea whatsoever. She could not even see the patient’s face — she only knew the patient was a woman.

The place where this woman lived was somewhere Feng Jiu’er had never been. From the outside, it looked like an abandoned courtyard — like a cold palace.

Even after stepping inside, the atmosphere was bleak and desolate. The flowers and grasses in the courtyard grew wild and untamed, and walking through them felt like walking through some barren wilderness.

Had she not seen it with her own eyes, Feng Jiu’er doubted she would ever have imagined that an emperor would come to such a place.

This place seemed even more forsaken than a cold palace.

Yet as she continued deeper inside — through a long corridor and across three arched gateways — the space ahead suddenly opened up into something breathtaking.

A realm of earthly paradise!

Looking at what lay before her, those were the only four words that came to mind. No other description would do.

⒏bOOk.Cοm

This place was filled with masters of martial arts — all of them concealed in various corners of the grounds. That was the first thing she noticed upon entering.

Then Feng Jiu’er realized that even the attending palace maids, governesses, and junior eunuchs were all accomplished martial artists.

Very quickly, Feng Jiu’er laid eyes on the person she had been brought here to treat — a veiled woman.

Two palace maids stood guard at her side. On the surface, these two maids appeared no different from ordinary ones; even their aura was indistinguishable from that of an average person.

Compared to the maids, governesses, and eunuchs outside, they looked utterly incapable of martial arts. Yet Feng Jiu’er understood that the more this was so, the more it proved these two maids were anything but ordinary.

The veiled woman said nothing, only staring coldly at Feng Jiu’er as she entered in the company of the head eunuch.

A veil covered her face. She sat in a wheelchair, and her entire bearing was as cold as a glacier.

Her figure was that of a young woman, yet her manner bore nothing of the naivety of a girl. An air of cold, imperious dignity radiated from her naturally — like that of a ruler.

Feng Jiu’er had never before sensed the aura of a ruler in any woman. The one before her now was undoubtedly the first, and the only one.

She was imposing without anger, and a single calm glance from her eyes was enough to make one feel the weight of boundless pressure.

Even though the veil concealed her face, there was something about this woman that made Feng Jiu’er feel as though she had seen her somewhere before.

In the instant of that startled recognition, one of the maids beside the veiled woman spoke coldly: “Get out!”

“My Lady, His Majesty is waiting outside.” The head eunuch did not get out, but his manner was one of extraordinary deference.

Feng Jiu’er was inwardly astonished. The head eunuch held a position of great prestige within the palace — even the governesses and maids in attendance on the former Empress had never been so rude as to dismiss him this bluntly, yet here someone spoke to him like this right from the very first word?

What astonished Feng Jiu’er even more was that when the head eunuch said Emperor Qiwen was waiting outside, the maid responded with: “Not seeing him!”

The word “waiting,” of course, was one that would normally never be used in connection with an emperor — yet here it was, applied to him exactly.

And yet “not seeing him” came from the mouth of a mere palace maid. That was simply… inconceivable.

After all, the one she refused to see was the reigning Emperor — and she was nothing but a palace maid.

The mistress herself had not yet said a word, and this maid had already refused on her behalf!

If even a maid could be this insolent, how domineering must this woman referred to as “My Lady” be? It was beyond imagination.

Such imperious confidence — even the Ninth Imperial Uncle standing before her would be hard-pressed to match it, Feng Jiu’er thought.

Feng Jiu’er nearly felt compelled to applaud for this Lady and this maid. In the deep recesses of a palace, how could there possibly be such an extraordinary woman?

And just who was this Lady to Emperor Qiwen? Why, as one of the palace consorts, did she refuse even to receive the Emperor?

Feng Jiu’er had assumed the head eunuch would be furious, and that Emperor Qiwen would storm in immediately — and perhaps even make a scene, as emperors are wont to do.

But the Emperor did not come in, and the head eunuch did not grow angry. The head eunuch seemed already accustomed to the maid’s attitude, and bowing toward the woman seated in the wheelchair, he said with a humble smile, “My Lady, this Divine Physician Feng Jiu previously cured an elderly patient of a long-standing leg ailment. His medical skills are absolutely extraordinary.”

“My Lady, why not let the Divine Physician take a look at your legs? If the physician cannot cure you, we can kill him afterward as a way for Your Ladyship to vent your frustration.”

The head eunuch’s words were deeply unsettling, but Feng Jiu’er had already moved past the stage of letting herself be provoked.

She also knew that what the head eunuch said could at any moment become reality.