Chapter 1577 - 1424: The Fake Commandery Princess 34
Malaria has always been an ancient conundrum. Previously, to the Emperor, Ye Shuangshuang seemed like a decent person with somewhat decent medical skills, but beyond that, there was not much impression.
But now, the Emperor’s perception of Ye Shuangshuang has completely changed. This is no longer just good medical skill; this is a Divine Doctor! Someone who can cure malaria, what else could they be if not a Divine Doctor!
More importantly, Ye Shuangshuang not only has skill but also a benevolent heart of a healer. After developing such a powerful medicine, she was willing to make the prescription public for free for the benefit of the Nanzhao common people, without seeking personal gain.
She even taught other doctors how to make the medicine, which is a rare gesture. This made the Emperor remember Ye Shuangshuang genuinely for the first time, recognizing her extraordinary medical skills, not just as Ye Family’s dutiful daughter.
The Emperor was very pleased, feeling that during his reign, being able to eliminate the threat of malaria would be a significant political achievement.
Only when the King is wise, can there be many virtuous ministers, capable generals, and wise men among the people. Isn’t that precisely the case now?
The Emperor was so delighted that he directly awarded honors and titles. The Emperor recalled that he personally decreed the princess title for Ye Shuangshuang previously, just to give face to Prince Nan.
However, it was later revealed that Ye Shuangshuang wasn’t the real daughter of Prince Nan Mansion, so the princess title naturally didn’t count, and Prince Nan Mansion’s real daughter, Qin Muchen, should have been the princess.
Yet, after Qin Muchen returned, the Emperor never issued a decree, leaving her in a somewhat awkward position, being called a princess in words without an actual conferral.
The Emperor was inspired at this moment and decided to issue a decree bestowing Ye Shuangshuang the title of Commandery Princess, personally drafting the title "Renxin," meaning the benevolence of a healer, to commend Ye Shuangshuang’s medical ethics.
After appointing Ye Shuangshuang as Princess Renxin, the Emperor felt it was still not enough. Remembering that Ye Shuangshuang must have needed a significant amount of herbs for her malaria research, which certainly cost a lot of Silver.
The reward of Silver given last time might not be sufficient. What if she ran out of Silver, living frugally? Such a talented person shouldn’t be left hungry.
Thinking of this, the Emperor generously awarded an additional ten thousand taels of Gold. This dynasty’s Grand Ancestor didn’t discriminate against merchants and removed all kinds of discrimination against them, allowing commerce to flourish.
Although this commercial prosperity cannot compare to modern society and there are still many impoverished commoners, it is much wealthier than other dynasties.
The prosperity brought by commerce resulted in wealthy common people and an abundant National Treasury. Thus, the Emperor had full confidence, making his reward to Ye Shuangshuang very generous.
Although this time the Emperor’s reward was even more generous, no ministers dared to oppose it. The only one who did was directly rebuked by the Emperor.
At that moment, the Emperor looked highly displeased at the Imperial Censor who opposed it, saying coldly, "If you have the skills to achieve such merits, I’ll reward you twice as much. If merits are not heavily rewarded, who would be willing to serve the country!
I’m keeping you Imperial Censors to ensure I am not deceived, to see and hear more on my behalf, not to tell me not to reward meritorious people too much!"
His words made the Imperial Censor kneel immediately, not daring to oppose anymore. The Emperor’s tone was so threatening, clearly showing genuine anger.
With no one opposing to spoil the atmosphere, the Emperor gladly appointed an imperial envoy to deliver the decree and, before the envoy’s departure, whimsically added rewards of various herbs, fabrics, jewelry, and other items.
After sending off the Holy Decree appointing Ye Shuangshuang as Princess Renxin, the Emperor remarked at the morning court to the ministers, "There are many men in this world inferior to Princess Renxin in terms of character and skill."
After saying this, the Emperor looked at Prince Nan with unconcealed envy, saying, "I truly envy you for having such an excellent adopted daughter. If only I had such an outstanding daughter."
The envied Prince Nan felt very proud. Although Ye Shuangshuang left Prince Nan Mansion and returned to her biological parents, she still sent many Nanzhao specialties to Prince Nan Mansion after reaching Nanzhao.
Ye Shuangshuang hired an escort agency to send the gifts, specifically choosing one from another city a few hundred miles away, not the Nanzhao Prefecture’s escort agency, and left no address.
Ye Shuangshuang didn’t want Prince Nan Mansion to reciprocate. If they did, it would definitely be with significant gifts. She didn’t want to be stigmatized as someone who coveted Prince Nan Mansion’s Silver Coin in this life.
As for still sending gifts to Prince Nan Mansion, it was merely to avoid being accused of ingratitude, not remembering her nurturing grace. In the end, her feelings for Qin Peijun and Zhao Wan had already run out in their previous life.
This life, she maintained contact only for the sake of her reputation, but any closer relationship was impossible.
Even if Qin Peijun and Zhao Wan still had feelings for her, it was only because she hadn’t yet had any conflicts with their biological daughter, Qin Muchen.
Qin Peijun and Zhao Wan never expected that their daughter, raised for more than ten years, would be so capable that, upon leaving Prince Nan Mansion, she could earn the title of Commandery Princess through her ability.
Moreover, this princess title is different from regular ones. It was the first one personally selected by the Emperor, who painstakingly drafted the title, giving an extremely commendable name like Renxin.
Not to mention that even the Holy Decree was handwritten by the Emperor. Usually, women’s appointments are the Empress’s responsibility in the harem, but only the decrees for the most favored daughters, appointed as princesses, could be honored by being written by the Emperor himself.
The Emperor’s intention was clear. He essentially gave Ye Shuangshuang the same treatment as a princess, essentially regarding her as one of his own children, demonstrating blatant favor.
Because Ye Shuangshuang maintained contact with Prince Nan Mansion, Qin Peijun and Zhao Wan did not feel her unspoken estrangement.
The Emperor’s praise for Ye Shuangshuang at morning court greatly honored Qin Peijun. After court, many people complimented him on raising a good daughter. After all, Ye Shuangshuang’s skills were all cultivated with tutors paid for by Prince Nan Mansion.
This is also why Ye Shuangshuang couldn’t sever ties with Prince Nan Mansion. If she really had severed ties, people unaware of the truth would only say she was ungrateful, ruining her well-maintained reputation.
Regarding the adopted daughter issue, Qin Peijun was extremely excited. At dinner back at the mansion, he couldn’t help but talk to Zhao Wan about the morning court events.
He couldn’t stop praising, "Shuangshuang’s been smart since she was little. She learned everything quickly. When she first wanted to learn medicine, I thought it was just a whim.
Little did we know she was serious, and even less did we expect that such a young age, her medical skills would reach such a high level, yet we were completely unaware!" Saying this, Qin Peijun sighed.