The Grand Princess's eyes sparkled with surprise. "Shopkeeper Bai, you're the first person to see the patient and remain so calm. I knew you could do it!"
What? Calm?
Bai Sheng touched her forehead. Was she calm? She had just gagged a moment ago. "Your Highness, to be frank, this treatment is extremely difficult. I fear—"
"Difficult, but treatable, right?" The Grand Princess excitedly grabbed Bai Sheng's arm, her eyes full of anticipation.
Bai Sheng really wanted to slap her own mouth. Why was she so imprecise with her words? Couldn't she just say it was impossible to treat, or that she couldn't cure it?
However, if the Grand Princess held secrets about the Zhou and Dong families framing the Baili family, perhaps she could reluctantly give it a try.
"Your Highness, forgive my directness, but may I first see the compensation you've prepared for me? If I find it 'worthwhile,' I will begin treating the patient tomorrow," Bai Sheng stated her intentions clearly.
If the Grand Princess was trying to trick her, even if she used her power to force her, or held a knife to her throat, Bai Sheng would not yield.
The Grand Princess beamed with delight. "Certainly, Shopkeeper Bai. Please wait a moment."
With that, the Grand Princess turned, opened a hidden compartment in the wall, retrieved a package, and handed it to Bai Sheng. "Shopkeeper Bai, please sit and examine it at your leisure."
Bai Sheng sat at the table, opened the package, and after the time it took for an incense stick to burn, she looked up and said joyfully, "Your Highness's compensation is indeed substantial! I will begin treating the patient tomorrow."
As Bai Sheng left the Han Gonghou Manor, Lu Ye immediately greeted her. Seeing Bai Sheng's happy expression, he guessed that the matter had been settled.
They returned home, and Bai Sheng asked Lu Ye to summon her third uncle, Concubine Mei, her master, and Prince Yu to the study in the three-courtyard house.
Once everyone had arrived, Bai Sheng closed all the doors and windows, then took out the package the Grand Princess had given her.
"What is this?" Prince Yu nudged it with his finger.
Bai Sheng smiled. "This is the Grand Princess's compensation, evidence of the Zhou and Dong families framing the Baili family!"
Upon hearing this, her third uncle's eyes widened, and he eagerly took it to examine.
"Why does the Grand Princess have this evidence?" Concubine Mei asked, quite surprised.
Bai Sheng explained, "The Grand Princess said she had been investigating and collecting dirt on court officials for a long time, as a means of self-preservation."
Concubine Mei pondered for a moment and nodded. "It makes sense for her to do so. By rights, her mother, Consort Meng, was the Emperor's first wife. They were together when the Emperor was still a prince.
Moreover, Consort Meng bore the Emperor's eldest son, who was initially favored by the Emperor. However, after the Emperor ascended the throne, almost all court officials advised him not to enfe cool the Grand Princess to the title of consort or establish the eldest son as crown prince, as Consort Meng's status was too low to be empress.
Therefore, the young Grand Princess and the eldest son lived under the disdain and suppression of court officials, making them perpetually jumpy and uneasy, like startled birds."
"In that case, the Grand Princess likely detests court officials, which is why she has dedicated herself to finding leverage against them over the years," Bai Sheng deduced.
Everyone nodded.
"Sheng'er, who is the Grand Princess asking you to treat her face for?" Granny Wu suddenly asked.
Bai Sheng lowered her voice. "It's a woman. We don't know their exact relationship yet, but the Grand Princess instructed me to keep it strictly confidential. So, for now, there's no need to investigate the Grand Princess's affairs. As long as she poses no threat to us, we shouldn't inquire about her matters or interfere."
"Yes, my dear is right. At least for now, the Grand Princess is not our enemy, and we don't need to focus our attention on her. Everyone must keep their promise and remain absolutely discreet about her affairs," Lu Ye emphasized again.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
After finishing the evidence, her third uncle exclaimed excitedly, "Many of these letters are personal correspondence between Zhou and Dong and the Northern Qi! They even detail how they plotted to frame my father! With this evidence, we can prove that my father was framed by them!"
Lu Ye tapped the table lightly with his finger, looking puzzled. "These are highly classified private letters, and they also involve the Northern Qi. How did the Grand Princess get her hands on them?"
"Perhaps the Grand Princess has her own methods. After all, the Emperor has doted on her greatly over the years, and no one dares to offend her in court now," Concubine Mei said.
Prince Yu also added, "The Grand Princess is an extremely intelligent person. I've never been able to see through her since I was young."
"Let's put the Grand Princess aside for now. What should we do with this evidence? Should we go directly to Dali Temple and beat the Dengwen drum to impeach the Emperor?" Bai Sheng rested her chin on her hand. She used to think evidence was hard to find, but now, with sufficient proof, how to overturn the case was another significant challenge.
"Absolutely not," Concubine Mei shook her head. "If we do that, all our previous efforts will be in vain, because the Emperor will absolutely not allow the Baili family to be exonerated.
The case involving the extermination of nine generations and hundreds of people. If we seek to overturn it, we are essentially accusing the Emperor of making a grave mistake.
From my understanding of the Emperor, not only will he refuse to overturn the case, but he will also find ways to destroy all the evidence, suppress the case, and perhaps even try to kill you."
"That dog emperor! So narrow-minded and foolish! It seems if we want to overturn the case, we'll have to find a new emperor!" Bai Sheng clenched her fist. Suddenly, she realized she was insulting Prince Yu's father, so she chuckled at him. "I'm sorry, Prince Yu, I didn't mean to insult your father. I... it was just a slip of the tongue."
Everyone couldn't help but laugh. Her third uncle laughed the loudest. Who wouldn't be happy to hear the dog emperor cursed?
"It's alright, he is indeed foolish and incompetent," Prince Yu's voice was a little muffled.
Bai Sheng looked at Prince Yu, and her eyes suddenly lit up. "Prince Yu, do you want to be emperor?"
Concubine Mei's expression startled, and she couldn't help but exchange a glance with her third uncle.
"Not particularly interested," Prince Yu picked up his teacup and took a sip. "However, if my father, the Emperor, accidentally loses all his sons and has no successor, I might consider it for the sake of our ancestors' empire."
Bai Sheng sighed. "If Prince Yu doesn't become emperor, and we have to rely on the current Crown Prince to ascend the throne, then it's even less likely that my maternal grandfather will be exonerated."
Lu Ye stroked her head and looked at her third uncle. "Third Uncle, now that the evidence is in our hands, there's no need to rush the exoneration. We can wait for the right opportunity. What do you think, Third Uncle?"
Her third uncle nodded heavily. "Yes, we'll do as Xiao Ye suggests. We've waited for twenty years, so we're not in a hurry."
After everyone had made their decision, the meeting adjourned.