Exile at the start? The princess is no ordinary woman.

Their purpose is really hard to guess; it's impossible to be certain.

Since she couldn't guess, she decided not to. Since he had come to her door, he would naturally explain his purpose, and she would just wait.

Gu Nanzhi remained as composed as she had been yesterday, showing no sign of surprise, and then took her seat.

"please"

The Crown Prince took the initiative to pour a cup of tea for Gu Nanzhi and pushed it in front of her.

"Thank you very much"

Gu Nanzhi unceremoniously picked up the teacup and began to taste it, even giving it a positive review.

“Good tea”

Since His Highness the Crown Prince didn't speak, Gu Nanzhi remained calm and focused on her teacup, even taking the time to eat some pastries from the table.

Seeing this, even His Highness the Crown Prince had to re-evaluate this young master of poison medicine. What kind of temperament must he possess to remain so calm and composed in the face of such an invitation...?

Is this person really just a highly skilled itinerant doctor?

In fact, the Poison Doctor's display of skill at the Prince Yan's residence yesterday was enough to make him impossible to judge with the eyes of an ordinary person.

It's just that seeing it today makes me even more certain.

"The name of the Poison Doctor has long been known throughout the martial arts world. I've always wanted a chance to meet him and get to know him, but I've never had the opportunity. Fortunately, today I have the chance to sit and drink tea with the Poison Doctor..."

Although I am the Crown Prince, I once had a heart for wandering the martial world, and I have the utmost admiration for the extraordinary talents and heroes of the martial world..."

Gu Nanzhi calmly drank a cup of tea, ate a pastry, and then watched the Crown Prince across from her chatter on and on about random things.

Those words were completely unconvincing. I don't know if this person is stupid, or if they think she's just a stupid doctor, unable to see through his half-hearted attempt to build rapport...

It has to be said that the Crown Prince has reached such a level that he is truly on par with the Second Prince.

"...Speaking of which, I was just using a precious pill from the Star-Picking Tower, made by the young master. If I had known that we would be sitting together drinking tea today,..."

There's no need to compete with others...

What utter nonsense! How can this person be so talkative?

She's acting like she knows him really well. Does she think that just because she came in for a cup of tea she's his woman...?

Gu Nanzhi was speechless. If she had known that His Highness the Crown Prince would only say such things, she wouldn't have given him any face. She had originally thought the pastries on the table tasted quite good and wanted to have a piece.

I was disgusted by those rather confident words and lost my appetite.

"...How about inviting you to the East Palace for tea another day?"

Is this person crazy? After all that preamble, he still ended up saying something pointless.

She had been to the East Palace for tea before, but nowadays, she had no interest in drinking that cup of tea.

They really want to win her over. She's just a doctor, and she doesn't understand why these people are paying so much attention to someone as unimportant as her.

As for doctors, if you want her to treat your illness, you should just pay her. Why would you want to use her for someone else's benefit?

Is she someone who needs to depend on others?

Okay, even if she's going to rely on someone, it'll be her Jun Huaiqing. She doesn't care about anyone else.

"Thank you for your kind words, Your Highness. I am but a wandering physician with no fixed abode, drifting through the martial world. I dare not presume to presume upon you."

To give you face, I'll say that I'm not worthy of your respect.

His Highness the Crown Prince said so much, it seemed he just wanted to recruit her to work for him, yet Gu Nanzhi so directly refused.

However, no change was observed in His Highness the Crown Prince; it seemed to be a simple invitation, with the best wishes fulfilled and no pressure imposed on those who were unwilling...

He even remained amiable and gentle...

"It's alright. Young Master Poison Doctor must be used to a carefree life traveling the world. I just want to take this opportunity to befriend him..."

"If the Poison Doctor ever finds the time to spare, the Crown Prince's Palace will be ready to await your arrival..."

Oh?

This attitude made Gu Nanzhi feel that something was wrong.

She simply made the suggestion, and he refused. The Crown Prince wasn't angry at all; he was as tolerant and patient as if he genuinely wanted to make a friend.

Something is wrong, so wrong.

If it were someone else, like Bian Chen, a江湖人士 (jianghu person, someone from the martial arts world), speaking to him in this way and having this attitude, she wouldn't find it strange.

But the person before him was the Crown Prince, a figure in the officialdom, in the court, vying for the throne—how could he be so naive…?

Gu Nanzhi had to be careful.

"Then thank you, Your Highness."

"........."

It seemed the topic had truly ended there; His Highness the Crown Prince didn't bring it up again, only making a few disparate remarks about unimportant matters.

Gu Nanzhi casually agreed.

"Just now I noticed that the Poison Doctor seemed to enjoy this pastry. I bought it from the street just before he arrived, and I also quite like its delicate fragrance."

If the Poison Doctor likes it, I'll have someone buy another copy for him to take back..."

Gu Nanzhi sat there bored, wondering what other motives the Crown Prince might have. Before she could figure it out, this man actually went so "thoughtfully" as to prepare pastries for her.

Isn't this person sick?

She wanted to go back home.

"Thank you, Your Highness, but there's no need for that."

Gu Nanzhi refused and prepared to leave.

"If it were His Highness the Crown Prince..."

However, whether the Crown Prince truly meant well or not, he disregarded Gu Nanzhi's refusal and directly ordered the servants outside to go buy pastries.

They even stopped Gu Nanzhi from leaving when she tried to speak.

"Young Master Poison Doctor, there's no need to rush. It's not far; you can buy it back in a short while. I know that Young Master Poison Doctor is currently staying at the Prince Yan's residence to treat the Imperial Uncle."

"Speaking of which, the Imperial Uncle is quite lucky to have met the Poison Doctor. By the way, how confident are you about what the Poison Doctor said yesterday?"

Yo?

Is this the time for them to reveal their true colors?

Upon hearing Jun Yanchen's name, Gu Nanzhi sat for a few more minutes.

"Young Master Jun's illness is indeed quite troublesome. As mentioned yesterday, his condition is complex and also involves the secret techniques of the Southern Frontier. Fortunately, thanks to my travels over the past few years, and now that we've come again, we should have a 70% chance of success if nothing unexpected happens."

Since it's been brought up, Gu Nanzhi might as well elaborate a bit more and observe this person's attitude once more.

"With His Highness the Crown Prince's concern, I'm sure Young Master Jun is also pleased. In that case, I will do my best to help."

"Oh? The Southern Zombie Secret Technique? That sounds rather intriguing. I wonder if the Poison Doctor could explain it to you?"