The sound of shattering echoed incessantly within the Regent's Mansion, where a group of people knelt.
"If you lot can't heal my severed finger today, I'll have one of your fingers chopped off to be buried with mine."
The people in the room were terrified by Shen Quan's words and immediately bowed their heads.
"Please calm down, Your Royal Highness! Please calm down!"
Shen Quan's eyes held no warmth, they were chilling. His originally clear and bright eyes had also become cloudy, bloodshot.
"Qi Wen, chop off one finger from each of them, starting with this quack."
"Yes, Your Royal Highness."
After Qi Wen responded, he immediately drew his sword. The imperial physician, drenched in sweat, immediately bowed his head and said, "Your Royal Highness, this humble one has a method, it's just..."
"How dare you! Why did you hide the solution? Do you truly not care about your life?"
"Your Highness, it's not that this humble official didn't speak. It's just that even if I were to be executed, I couldn't heal Your Highness's finger. I could only sew the severed finger back on, preventing the flesh from decaying. It would appear normal, but the finger is useless."
After careful consideration, Shen Quan decided to sew the finger back on. If the Emperor were to lose a finger, it was absolutely unacceptable. He couldn't give others an opening to exploit.
"Then sew it on."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The sun gradually sank in the west, and the twilight scattered across the earth. It was as if everything in the world was coated in gold. However, what didn't match this beautiful sunset was the crowd gathered in front of the Prime Minister's Mansion. At the front of the crowd was the shopkeeper from Drunken Fat and Soft. She was shouting in a voice that seemed to be afraid no one could hear.
"Is there anyone who can manage this? The Second Miss of the Prime Minister's Mansion picked out rouge and didn't pay. I came to ask for the money, but the servants of the Prime Minister's Mansion are stopping me. How am I supposed to explain this to the owner when I go back?"
After hearing the shopkeeper's words, the onlookers began to voice their indignation.
"She's the Prime Minister's daughter, how could she owe money?"
"After all, she's a concubine's daughter, not the legitimate one. How could she buy so many things at a place like 'Drunken Fat and Soft'?"
"No one has come out to pay for so long, are they trying to default on the debt?"
Inside the Prime Minister's Mansion, Jiang Nianzhu, still teary-eyed, was complaining to her father and Madam Liu when a servant came to report.
"Sir, there's a shopkeeper from 'Drunken Fat and Soft' at the door, saying that the second miss bought rouge and hasn't paid."
Jiang's father was a bit annoyed, frowning at the servant behind him.
"Give it to her, don't bother me with such a small matter."
"But, sir, it's eight hundred and fifty taels in total."
Jiang's father was shocked. He looked at her with disbelief. He, a first-rank official and the current Prime Minister, only earned a thousand taels a year.
"What? Eight hundred and fifty taels? Nianzhu, is this true?"
Jiang Nianzhu was even more flustered, and she cried even harder.
"It's all because of elder sister! She said I could pick whatever I wanted and buy it for me. But after I bought them, she wouldn't admit it. I thought it wasn't easy for Father to be an official, so I wanted to return the rouge. But elder sister said that if I agreed to buy them and didn't, it would embarrass Father. I had no choice, so..."
Madam Liu, listening from the side, also looked pained. She added fuel to the fire, saying, "My Lord, this Jiang Wan is too much! First, she instigated Gu Chen to stab Nianzhu's toes, and then she made Nianzhu buy so much expensive rouge. If she becomes the Regent's Princess Consort in the future, won't she trample all over our Prime Minister's Mansion?"
Hearing Madam Liu's words, Jiang's father recalled the past, and a hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes.
"Don't worry, Madam. I will go to the Regent's Mansion and bring that wicked daughter back for a severe punishment. Later, I will deal with her and Gu Chen together."
"My Lord, Gu Chen's temper is unpredictable. You must be careful."
The servant who had been waiting behind him asked, seeing that Lord Jiang hadn't given any instructions, "Sir, are we returning the silver?"
"Go to the accounts room and get it."
"Yes, sir."
After saying that, Lord Jiang left the Prime Minister's Mansion in a carriage, fuming, and rushed towards the Regent's Mansion, only to be turned away at the door.
"Halt! Who goes there?"
"How dare you, you slaves, to block even me, the Prime Minister!"
The guards at the gate, upon hearing it was the Prime Minister, bowed their heads in salute, but they didn't put away their swords.
"Prime Minister, please return. No one is allowed to enter without the Regent's orders."
"Go and report immediately. If I don't see Gu Chen today, I won't let this matter rest."
Seeing Prime Minister Jiang's resolute attitude, the guard on the left said to the guard beside him, "The Regent values the Princess Consort. He even gave her his ring, and the Prime Minister is the Princess Consort's father. If we block him, the Regent might blame us. I'll go and report."
"Alright."
"Please trouble the Prime Minister to wait a moment longer. I'll go and report to the Regent."
Prime Minister Jiang snorted and flicked his sleeves.
"Your Highness, Prime Minister Jiang, the Princess Consort's father, is requesting an audience outside the mansion."
"Did he say what it's about?"
"No, only that Prime Minister Jiang won't leave without seeing you."
Gu Chen looked at the physician beside him and instructed, "Take good care of the Princess Consort here. Report immediately if she wakes up."
"Yes, sir."
Gu Chen arrived at the mansion gate and saw the Prime Minister standing at the entrance with his hands behind his back, his face the color of a pig's liver.
"What brings the Prime Minister here?"
"Gu Chen, you have quite the authority! I am, after all, a minister of the court, yet you won't even let me enter the mansion."
"The Princess Consort is still unconscious, and no one is allowed to disturb her. If you have business, speak here."
"I have come to demand an explanation. Why did you hurt my daughter, Nianzhu?"
"The Prime Minister has been remiss in disciplining his daughter. Gu Chen is willing to take over."
Prime Minister Jiang was infuriated by Gu Chen. He had come seeking an explanation, but received no apology. So arrogant, but Gu Chen's rank was above his, leaving him powerless. He could only question him.
"If you don't give me an explanation regarding Zhuer, I will seek justice from the Emperor tomorrow. I won't let this go. I must take Jiang Wan back to the mansion today."
Gu Chen was full of disdain. Thinking of Jiang Wan, who was still unconscious, his eyes showed impatience, wanting to send him away quickly.
"Wan'er will not leave with you today. If the Prime Minister doesn't discipline his daughter properly, next time it won't just be a toe that gets injured."
"Gu Chen, don't be so arrogant and excessive. This is private imprisonment."
"Seeing as you are Wan'er's father, I will not pursue the matter of you not paying respects today. If you think I am guilty, bring soldiers to arrest me. If you don't leave, you will be executed on the spot for trespassing the Regent's Mansion."
As Gu Chen finished speaking, the guards behind him drew their swords, pointing them at Prime Minister Jiang. Seeing this, how could Prime Minister Jiang dare to confront them head-on?
"Gu Chen, I don't believe no one can control you. Just you wait and see, hmph."
Having said that, he turned around and sheepishly got into the carriage to return to the Prime Minister's Mansion, and Gu Chen immediately went back to see if Jiang Wan had woken up.
"Has the Princess Consort woken up?"
"Replying to the Prince, she hasn't woken up yet. The medicine has been brewed and administered to the Princess Consort. She should wake up within half an hour."
"Wait until the Princess Consort wakes up, then you may leave."
"Yes."
Half an hour later, the night gradually fell, and a few stars appeared in the sky. As the starlight gradually increased, Jiang Wan also slowly woke up.
"Where is this?"
Hearing Jiang Wan's sickly, hoarse voice, Gu Chen immediately got up and walked towards Jiang Wan.
"Is there anything uncomfortable?"
"Your Highness, I just feel a bit weak. Am I in the Regent's Mansion?"
"Zhong Hengzhi, come and take the Princess Consort's pulse and see why she's feeling weak."
Zhong Hengzhi stepped forward and took Jiang Wan's pulse. After a moment of diagnosis, he immediately replied, "The Princess Consort is fine. It's just that the medicine was quite potent, and she'll need to rest for a couple of days to recover."
Jiang Wan saw that Gu Chen's mansion even had a mansion doctor. He was definitely not an ordinary person. She thought of the hairpin she wanted to ask about today, but it had been delayed.
"Your Highness, does Divine Doctor Zhong understand the principles of poisons?"
"Do you think you've been poisoned?"
"Yesterday, Jiang Nianzhu gave me a hairpin with a medicinal fragrance. I wanted to go to the apothecary on the street today to ask about it, but it was delayed."
Gu Chen's eyes were devoid of the gentle concern he'd shown before, filled only with regret that he hadn't killed Jiang Nianzhu today.
"Don't worry, Zhong Hengzhi's medical skills are superb, he understands all ailments under the heavens. Bring the hairpin for him to examine."
"The hairpin is on my head. Where are Xi Tao and Xi Guo?"
Gu Chen seemed to remember something and immediately instructed.
"Summon Qian Ling."