The cruel little princess

Prince Jin ignored Shen Youyou's subsequent words of comfort. He only heard her say, "That's about right!" and automatically tuned out the rest. He thought only that childbirth was a life-threatening experience for women. If he were to be with Shen Youyou in the future, he would rather not have children than see her suffer the pain of childbirth. Moreover, as far as he knew, Madam Shen—Shen Youyou's mother—had died in childbirth. They say a woman resembles her mother, and he couldn't let Shen Youyou be in any danger! He was genuinely frightened. Hearing An Er's vivid and captivating descriptions—about blood soaking through several layers of bedding, about breathing more than she could breathe and looking like she was dying, about having her abdomen cut open to remove the child—even Prince Jin, accustomed to grand scenes, couldn't handle it and broke down when he put himself in Shen Youyou's shoes. So he desperately sought answers from her, answers that would bring peace of mind.

At this time, His Royal Highness Prince Jin's eyes were red, and the fear in his eyes had not yet dissipated. He clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turned white, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged, as if he was about to explode in the next second.

Seeing this, Shen Youyou quickly reached out and held the hand of His Royal Highness Prince Jin, and said softly: "Your Highness, don't worry, I am a very good doctor."

Upon hearing this, His Royal Highness Prince Jin slowly raised his head and looked at the woman in front of him, his eyes filled with heartache and pity. He stretched out his other hand, gently stroking Shen Youyou's cheek, and said softly, "Youyou, I'm really afraid of losing you."

Shen Youyou felt the care from His Royal Highness Prince Jin, and her heart warmed. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, revealing a gentle smile. She shook her head gently and said, "Your Highness, don't worry. I will definitely protect myself well."

His Royal Highness Prince Jin nodded, holding Shen Youyou's hands, feeling her warmth and softness. He knew how much this woman meant to him, and he was willing to use everything to protect her.

Thinking of this, he hugged Shen Youyou tightly and said, "Youyou, we can have no children in the future. I don't want you to endure the pain of childbirth, and I don't want to see you go through the same life and death as this lady today before giving birth to a child. So let's not have children in the future!"

Shen Youyou: ...Your Highness Prince Jin, do you want to hear what these lewd words of yours are? I don't have any special feelings for you right now. If I were to say I'm attracted to you, it's probably just the feeling of your abs. Okay! You're not bad looking, but even if I have a slight crush on you now, I haven't made it clear, have I?! And it hasn't escalated to the point of declaring I'll marry you for the rest of my life, has it?! Why did you skip the flowering process and go straight to the fruiting? Shen Youyou was a little puzzled. If she kept talking like this, she would have to stay with him until old age, right?!

Shen Youyou pushed him away with both hands, but failed. She pushed forward again, elbowing Prince Jin in the chest. He felt pain but still didn't want to let go of Shen Youyou.

Shen Youyou said, "Your Highness Prince Jin, please let me go!" The serious tone she used proved that she was really angry.

His Royal Highness Prince Jin saw that Shen Youyou was indeed angry, and he also knew that he had been impulsive in his haste, so he let go of her hand.

"First of all, there's nothing personal between you and me, so you shouldn't have been so impulsive and touched me. Secondly, there's no engagement between you and me, so you shouldn't have said those offensive words to me. Finally, there's no bond between us where I'll only marry you. What you said was disrespectful to me, and without my consent, it's causing me trouble!" Shen Youyou told His Royal Highness Prince Jin with a serious face, hoping he would learn to respect and understand her. He shouldn't treat her as his property and make all the decisions for her.

Prince Jin was bewildered and puzzled after hearing these words. He had only been concerned for her safety and had hugged her impulsively. How could this have escalated to the level of disrespect? Furthermore, if she was concerned about the impact of his hugging her on her reputation, he was willing to take responsibility for her!

All we can say is that people’s sorrows and joys are incommensurable.

Shen Youyou waited for a moment, but before he apologized, she turned and left. She was an independent individual who wouldn't rely on anyone to survive. Even if she wasn't understood, she would insist on being herself! Until His Royal Highness Prince Jin figured this out, she'd better ignore him. Humph!

As Shen Youyou left in anger, the imperial envoy and the imperial physicians arrived at the front of the military camp. Shen Duanfang quickly stood up and put on his court robes. When he heard that the imperial edict also mentioned his daughter, he sent someone to call her.

By the time Shen Youyou quickly changed and arrived at the place her father had mentioned, she was still a little confused. She'd just presented the ointment formula, thinking it would just earn her a good reputation and a verbal commendation from the Emperor, but she hadn't expected a formal imperial decree?! Before she could even think, her father gestured for her to kneel and receive the order.

The Imperial Envoy stepped forward, unfolded the imperial edict with both hands, and addressed the crowd, saying, "Comrades, thank you for your hard work. Please be quiet. I will now read the imperial edict." He then read in a resonant voice, "By the Providence of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: Shen Duanfang, formerly a third-rank military officer, is valiant and fearless, bravely fighting the enemy and contributing greatly to the defense of the nation... He is promoted to the rank of First-rank General of the Cavalry, and is granted a mansion, ten fine horses, a precious sword, and a thousand acres of fertile land... Shen Duanfang's daughter, deeply righteous and devoted to the country, hereby presents the Black Jade Ointment... He is granted the title of Princess of Rui'an County, and is also awarded a manor house in the suburbs of the capital, one hundred taels of gold, ten hu of pearls, a jade headpiece, and ten bolts of shark silk from the East China Sea... This is my decree!"

After listening to the imperial edict silently, Shen Youyou suppressed her inner joy and shouted solemnly: "Thank you, Lord! Long live the emperor!" Then, she watched her father slowly walk forward and take the imperial edict.

Upon hearing that his daughter had been named Princess of Rui'an County, Shen Duanfang danced with joy, his excitement evident in his words. Meanwhile, An Er, standing nearby, quickly approached the Imperial Envoy, respectfully handed him an exquisite purse, and thanked him with a smile.

The Imperial Envoy took the purse with a smile on his face and gently squeezed it. It didn't seem to contain anything hard, but rather a thin piece of paper. He guessed it must be a banknote. He smiled contentedly and said to Shen Duanfang, "We would like to congratulate General Shen! Congratulations, General Shen! Today is a double celebration! Congratulations to our Princess Rui'an! The title of Princess was personally chosen by His Majesty!" He spoke these polite words while constantly complimenting the newly crowned General of the Cavalry and Princess Rui'an.

"Thank you, Your Excellency! Thank you, Your Excellency! Congratulations!" He was cheerful, completely unconcerned about his own promotion or demotion. He was mainly concerned about his daughter, the Rui'an County Princess! Among the daughters of officials in the court, besides princesses and county magistrates, the title of "County Princess" was the highest. Although it wasn't a grand title, it was bestowed by the emperor himself, so his daughter wouldn't have to worry about being bullied anywhere. Thinking of this, the old father smiled lovingly. He hadn't even considered that his beloved son was still lying in bed, unable to move.

"These imperial physicians were brought here by order of the Emperor, specifically to learn the recipe for the Black Jade Intermittent Ointment from Miss Shen." The Imperial Envoy waved his hand, and the physicians gathered around. They had discovered that this legendary Shen Youyou was the remarkable woman they had just met that afternoon! They were ecstatic! They had been wondering how hard it would be to find this young woman, unfamiliar with the area, and how they could possibly seek her out for advice! Now, it was like searching for gold with no effort at all! She was, in fact, the Miss Shen Youyou they were looking for!

And this time, they were here to learn and seek advice from the Emperor! Now, they had to get close to this little girl and have a conversation! Except for Imperial Physician Li, who remained on the periphery of the crowd, the other doctors gathered around her and asked her about the surgery that afternoon.

"Ms. Shen, the operation you performed this afternoon was amazing! We thought it was miraculous at the time!" An imperial physician spoke first.

"Yes, yes, Miss Shen, can you tell us how you did it?" Another imperial physician echoed.

Shen Youyou smiled and nodded, then briefly recounted the process of the afternoon's surgery. The imperial doctors listened with great interest, occasionally exclaiming in amazement.

"So that's how it is, Miss Shen, you really are a miracle doctor!" an imperial physician said with emotion.

"That's right, Miss Shen, your medical skills are really superb!" Another imperial physician also praised repeatedly.

At this moment, Doctor Li, who had been standing on the outskirts of the crowd, finally couldn't help but walk over. He looked at Shen Youyou with disdain and said sarcastically, "Humph, she's just a little girl. How powerful can she be? Maybe she's just lucky."

Upon hearing this, the other doctors frowned, dissatisfied with Doctor Li's attitude. "Old Li, no matter what, the woman was in critical condition at the time. Furthermore, we all saw with our own eyes that after Miss Shen performed a cesarean section and delivered the baby, she was no longer in danger of death, and her pulse is stable. At the time, Miss Shen truly saved the three of them!" Doctor Yang spoke righteously.

But Shen Youyou was not angry. She glanced at Doctor Li indifferently and said with a smile: "This is Doctor Li, right? I know you have some prejudice against me, but facts speak louder than words. Everyone can see how good my medical skills are. If you don't believe it, you can wait a few days to see how the woman in labor is doing before drawing any conclusions!" Shen Youyou said generously.

"Hmph! Just look, I'm waiting to see how I slap you in the face!" Doctor Li was still unwilling to give in.

Shen Duanfang wanted to scold the imperial physician to vent his daughter's anger, but then he remembered that his daughter liked to win people over with her virtue, and he had blind confidence in her medical skills! He knew that his daughter would eventually teach these imperial physicians a lesson. Just like Imperial Physician Xu! And what about this cesarean section they were talking about? Why hadn't he heard his daughter mention it? Such an important matter, everyone else knew it, but how could he, as a father, not know it? No, he had to ask his daughter later!