The Female Supporting Role Shows Out

After getting the prescription drawn up by Lin Dan, the eldest princess treated it like a treasure. She drank one dose at noon and one dose in the afternoon. When she went to bed at night, the yin fire in the soles of her feet actually weakened by a lot, and she even felt slightly cold sticking them out of the quilt. The effect could be said to be immediate. Since giving birth to her son, she had never slept peacefully, even once, but tonight she slept extraordinarily sweetly. When she woke up in the morning, the flush on her cheeks had faded, but her whole body had loosened up, as if a burden of several hundred cattys* had been lifted overnight.

*Unit of weight.

"Your Royal Highness, how do you feel?" The two senior palace maids hurried over to inquire.

"Bengong feels the best I’ve ever felt!" The eldest princess said, full of vitality: "Go take a look at Min'er. Physician Lin's medicine has a miraculous effect, and after only taking two doses, Bengong has greatly recovered. Min’er should also have had some changes."

The group hurried to the little prince's courtyard, dragged him, still asleep, out of bed, and opened his clothing to check. Before he went to sleep last night, Lin Dan had prepared Returning Spring powder, then told the servants to mix it with water and apply it on him, leaving it on without wiping it off all night. By this morning, the paste had dried up, leaving only a strong medicinal smell. The abnormal bulging in his chest had reduced by a lot, leaving only a slight swell.

The eldest princess was overjoyed and repeatedly cheered. Zhu Yimin woke up slowly. When he saw that his clothes had been stripped off by the two aunts, he first shrieked, then noticed the changes in his chest. He looked at it in disbelief, then squeezed it a few times, and then threw himself into the arms of the eldest princess, crying with joy: "Mom, I’ve gotten so much better! Mom, I don't feel pain down there anymore either! Mom, I’m finally not going to be a woman, I’m so happy, wu wu wu*…"

*Chinese onomatopoeia for crying, similar to “boo hoo.”

The eldest princess rubbed his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "Who told you that you were going to be a woman? You were born a boy, could Mom have gotten it wrong? This time it’s all thanks to Physician Lin. If it weren’t for her, your chest would only swell more and more. Later on, you have to apologize to her and make amends, understand? Without her, who knows what would’ve happened to you in the future!"

"I know, I know! As long as my chest can shrink back down, I would even kowtow to her." Zhu Yimin covered his chest, shedding tears of gratitude. Lin Dan’s grace to him was like giving him a new lease of life. He would definitely repay her in the future!

After being emotional for a long time, Zhu Yimin grabbed the eldest princess' sleeve again and asked anxiously, "Mom, did you get any better? Did you sleep well last night?"

"I’ve also gotten much better. Physician Lin really prescribes medicine like an immortal. After only two doses, my yin fire is already under control. She said that our symptoms would be completely gone within a week; it seems like those weren’t empty words." The eldest princess was full of admiration.

A senior palace maid gasped with admiration and said: "This Physician Lin is truly incredible. She’s so young, but her medical skills are so brilliant. There are so many diseases that imperial physicians cannot cure, but in her hands, the disease is cured the moment the medicine is taken. Yesterday, when she revealed her treatment plan to neither replenish yin fire, nor replenish yang fire, but directly replenish true fire, we were all extremely shocked. Her methods are indeed, truly…" She thought for a while, but couldn't find any words to describe it.

The eldest princess smiled and said: "Her methods are fast, ruthless, and accurate, not like a doctor, but more like a general who kills and attacks decisively. It is said that one can tell a doctor’s style of handling matters through their medical techniques; I finally understand what they mean. Those imperial physicians in the imperial hospital have been in the muddy waters of bureaucracy for a long time, and one by one, they’ve learned to shirk responsibility*, causing their prescriptions to become more and more conservative. If they cannot cure the illness, at least the patient won’t die. Physician Lin’s treatment method, directly striking at both the symptoms and the root, is really rare to see. In the future, our Marquis Manor will still be relying on Physician Lin for quite a few things. You must wait upon her with the utmost care, do you understand?"

*Literally, “practice tai chi,” a slow martial art valued (especially by the elderly) for its health benefits. It encourages redirecting attacks through circular motions. 

The two senior palace maids hurriedly agreed with solemn expressions.

Just at this moment, a servant girl walked in and whispered: "Your Highness, General Xue, Xue Boyong is here, saying that he wants to pick up Physician Lin and bring her back."

"Back, back to where?" The eldest princess looked surprised. Judging from Lin Dan's clothing, she had really  thought she was just a country girl.

"Back to the Xue Manor. It turns out that Physician Lin was an orphan taken in by Marshall General Xue. Yesterday, the young heir bumped into her while she was going out to collect herbs."

"If that's the case, then go and invite Physician Lin to come over. It's up to Physician Lin whether she wants to go or to stay. Do not stop her." The eldest princess urged seriously, but at the same time, she breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. Fortunately, she had never been rude to Physician Lin, otherwise she would not only have offended Xue Boyong, but also have harmed the rest of her son’s life.

Although Xue Boyong had been paralyzed, in the emperor’s heart, he was still his right hand official. Ever since he had left the border and returned to the capital to recover, the Wei and Wu kingdoms had repeatedly sent troops to invade, but no one had since been able to sweep away the invaders and pacify the seas like he had. Without him, the Qin kingdom was like a tiger without teeth; anyone dared to tease the tiger's whiskers. The more this was the case, the more the emperor realized his importance, and these days, he had mobilized the entire kingdom to find a miracle doctor for him.

Speaking of miracle doctors, the eldest princess immediately thought of Lin Dan, and said, "Since there’s Physician Lin, those legs of his…"

The maid replied immediately: "To answer Your Highness, General Xue walked here on foot."

The eldest princess’ eyebrows jumped up, and “as expected” was written across her expression. Of course, with Physician Lin around, how could Xue Boyong's legs be incurable? Since it’s like this, it would be even worse to offend these two, and she had to go meet with them personally. Thinking like this, she immediately walked towards the rear courtyard. From a distance, she saw the scene of the two staring at each other, so she pursed her lips and smiled, then quietly retreated. No wonder he chased her so urgently, it turns out it was that type of a chase*…

*Literally “the man has affection, the concubine has intentions,” meaning a mutual romance. 

Seeing Xue Boyong standing in front of her, Lin Dan was surprised: "Brother, did you not sleep well last night? You have dark circles under your eyes."

Xue Boyong touched his eyelids and chuckled bitterly: "I couldn’t find you, so how could I sleep? Lin Dan, are you willing to go back with me?"

Lin Dan immediately shook her head: "No, I’m not willing."

This answer was obviously within Xue Boyong's expectations, so he did not show a disappointed expression, just nodding slightly, his eyes dim. He sometimes felt that Lin Dan was very close to him, as if he could just stretch his hand out and catch her, but other times he felt that she was so far away that if he blinked, she would disappear without a trace. For this reason, he had once tossed and turned, losing sleep at night. But now, what he feared most had still happened. Lin Dan was such a strong and independent person, no one could make her stay if she wanted to leave.

He lowered his eyes and savored the bitterness in silence.

Lin Dan was the most sensitive to his emotions, so she explained patiently: "Brother, the reason I don't want to go back to Xue Manor is not because you’re not good to me, but because I don't get the respect I deserve. They see me as an object, not an independent person. They can give away my things whenever they want; they can enter my room whenever they want; they can keep or send away my people with just a single sentence. My value is based only on your health. I’m just a non-essential accessory. But Brother, when I go outside, I am a person with a name and a surname, a flesh and blood human, and the label on my head is no longer “the adopted daughter of the Xue family,” but Lin Dan, a Lin Dan who truly exists. Brother, do you understand how I feel?"

The rims of Xue Boyong's eyes were sour, and he nodded again and again: "I understand, of course I understand. I had said a long time ago that whether I am well or not has nothing to do with you. I wanted to save your life, and I have never been resentful toward you. Actually, every time I think of that day, I rejoice in my decision. I bore suffering in your place for you to live in peace for the rest of your life. You having a good life is the most important thing, as far as I’m concerned. If you don't want to go back, then you don’t have to. I won't force you."

Lin Dan let out a long sigh of relief, and a smile finally appeared on her fair face.

Xue Boyong also began to smile and continued: "There’s just one thing. I want to take you somewhere and show you something, are you willing to come with me?"

Lin Dan nodded and said, "I’m willing." She still trusted Xue Boyong very much.

The two left Xuanping Marquis Manor and came to a storefront on Xing Lin* Street. There were three connected blue brick tile-roofed buildings on the outside, which could be used as a clinic, an apothecary, and a storeroom. The inside was a small four-sided courtyard that could be used as a residence. The door beam in front of them had a plaque hanging on it, with the three words "Ji Shi (helping the world) Hall" written on it, and currently, two guards from Xue Manor were on a ladder, carefully taking it down.

*The same characters as the Xing Lin Spring book. Again, Xing Lin means apricot grove and refers to TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine).

"This is the clinic I’m giving you. The original shop owner was suppressed by Xuancao Hall across the street, lost all of their business, and had to close." Xue Boyong lifted the curtain of the carriage and pointed to the storefront.

Just as Lin Dan was about to shake her head, he immediately added: "Don't rush to refuse, just listen to me. This clinic is not a free gift. If you make money in the future, Brother will take 50% of the profits. Also, if I am sick, you have to diagnose and treat me free of charge. How’s that?"

Lin Dan considered for a moment, and finally nodded: "Okay."

Xue Boyong's eyes darkened, and he added: "Don't rush to agree, this agreement will be valid for a lifetime. That is to say, as long as I get sick in this life, no matter if you’re at the ends of the earth, you must come back to treat me."

Lin Dan nodded again and said decisively, "Of course!"

Xue Boyong was finally able to smile happily.

At this moment, Wu Xuancao saw the carriage from Xue Manor, and looking in through the open curtain, found Xue Boyong and Lin Dan sitting inside. She immediately came over and said, enduring humiliation, "Brother Xue, the book you took yesterday is mine. Can you please return it to me?"

"Oh, since it's yours, why is Lin Chaoxian's name written on the title page? Who Lin Chaoxian is, Lin Dan, do you know?" The first half of Xue Boyong’s words was full of cold ridicule, but the second half was gentle like water.

"Lin Chaoxian is my ancestor. I have a genealogy here. Do you want to take a look, Physician Wu?" Lin Dan’s reaction was fast and she immediately followed up on Xue Boyong’s words.

Wu Xuancao had no evidence to show that the book was her own, and it clearly listed the names of the ancestors of the Lin family. Even if she filed a lawsuit, she would still lose with no suspense. Fortunately, she had a highly retentive memory, and had already imprinted the contents of the book into her brain. It didn’t matter whether she could get it back or not; she just couldn’t stand Xue Boyong’s blatant banditry.

"Brother Xue, you should understand the principle of “leaving a way out, being on good terms in the future,” right? Your legs are still paralyzed, so don't offend a doctor too much. Keep in mind that one day, you might have to come to the door and ask for help." After cultivating Xing Lin Spring, Wu Xuancao had a faint trace of inner strength. As long as this inner strength was combined with acupuncture and massage techniques, it would be extremely effective. It didn’t matter if Lin Dan took away the other parts of her inheritance. She could explore other existing medical canons on her own. She didn’t believe that with her own wisdom, she couldn’t surpass these people living in ancient times!

Xue Boyong stepped out of the carriage with his long legs, and said slowly: "Oh, with Lin Dan by my side, I’m not sure whether I’ll ever ask you for help? But please, Physician Wu, feel free to wait your turn." After he spoke, he held out his hand and helped Lin Dan get off the carriage.

Lin Dan looked at her own clinic, then looked at Xuancao Hall across the street, and thought: Why did I open a shop across the street again? Wait, that’s not right, how come I used the word "again"?