Regent, please maintain your aloof image.

Two days later, Su Qianrou was checking the accounts in her room when Qiulan walked in and called out, "Your Highness."

"They're here," Su Qianrou said calmly.

"I heard from Chunzhu that the Princess Consort was not feeling well some time ago. Should I take a look at her?"

"No need, I'm fine... By the way, you've done a great job this time, is there anything you want?"

"no".

"This is a rare opportunity. Just tell me what you want."

"This servant really doesn't want anything. This servant lacks nothing. If I had to say what I want, this servant would like to stay by the Princess's side."

"Don't you want to join the Imperial Hospital? It's a place every doctor dreams of."

"That might be true for other doctors, but it's absolutely not true for me. I will never enter the Imperial Hospital in my entire life."

Su Qianrou was somewhat surprised. She put down the ledger in her hand, looked at her, and asked seriously, "Why?"

"My grandfather dreamed of entering the Imperial Medical Academy, and he finally got his wish. He entered the Imperial Medical Academy at the age of twenty-five and rose from clerk to director in thirty years. He was very successful. However, when he left home, my father was only five years old and my uncle was not even three. As the eldest son, and with my grandmother favoring my uncle, the responsibility of supporting the family fell on my father's shoulders from childhood. Over time, my father became seriously ill due to overwork. Although it was incurable, he could have lived to his forties or fifties if he had taken good care of himself. However, my grandmother would rather give money to my uncle's family to buy clothes than to buy medicine for my father. So, when my grandfather retired and returned home, my father was already beyond medical help. My mother also suffered from severe bleeding during childbirth, and both she and her unborn child died. How ironic it is that my grandfather, as the director of the Imperial Medical Academy, saved countless people, but he could not save his own son and daughter-in-law."

Imperial physicians were not allowed to leave the capital easily; they needed the emperor's permission to do so. The same applied to visiting family at home. Therefore, during the thirty years that Wang Xianzhi served in the Imperial Medical Academy, he only went home twice.

“Do you resent your grandfather?” Su Qianrou asked.

Wang Xianzhi had once asked her this question, and her answer was, "I don't resent it." She knew he had no choice in the matter and it wasn't intentional. However, she resented her grandmother. If it weren't for her favoritism, her parents wouldn't have died. Therefore, when she passed away, she wasn't sad at all; on the contrary, she was very happy. Of course, Su Qianrou couldn't possibly know about this dark side of her heart.

"Xiao Xuan originally wanted to appoint you as a divine physician, but I felt that the title of divine physician was both an honor and a shackle, so I did not agree. That's why he proposed that you enter the Imperial Hospital. Since you are unwilling, then forget it. I will have him appoint you as a divine physician right away."

"Your Highness, I do not want the title of divine physician, nor do I want to enter the Imperial Hospital. I only want to stay by your side and be an ordinary maid."

"You are the greatest contributor to the fight against the plague in Qingtong County. If it weren't for you, the area would probably be littered with corpses and a terrible sight by now. You have made such a great contribution and should be rewarded accordingly."

"It was the Princess who sent me, so why not give the reward to the Princess instead?"

“If I steal your credit, wouldn’t people laugh at me?” Then he added, “Since you don’t want the title of divine doctor or to join the Imperial Hospital, I’ll have Xiao Xuan reward you with some gold and silver jewelry. Perfect, it can be your dowry. How about that?”

“That’s good. With His Majesty’s reward as your dowry, Brother Li will definitely not dare to bully you in the future.”

"Chunzhu is right, then it's settled."

Qiulan did not refuse again, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness."

"To have an imperial gift as part of your dowry is such an honor, Qiulan, you have truly brought glory to our maidservants," Chunzhu said happily.

"If you're envious, when you get married, I'll ask Xiao Xuan for a share for you."

"Your Highness, really?" Chunzhu's eyes lit up, then she said in a serious tone, "But I haven't done anything, so it's not appropriate for me to ask His Majesty for a reward like this. I'm afraid I would feel unworthy to receive it."

Su Qianrou and Qiu Lan couldn't help but laugh.

A few days later, Su Qianrou was strolling in the Imperial Garden when she saw mandarin ducks playing in the pond, so she walked over and stopped at the edge of the pond.

"Your Highness, everyone says that mandarin ducks are a symbol of loyalty. Look, they are always in pairs."

"How do you know the mandarin ducks beside it haven't changed... Being in pairs doesn't necessarily mean loyalty."

Chunzhu looked at her, puzzled.

"You only know that mandarin ducks appear in pairs, but you don't know that they are not monogamous animals. Mandarin ducks will pair up during the breeding season, but this pairing is temporary. Once the breeding season ends, they will separate and then find new partners. So, they are only inseparable during the breeding season, not inseparable for life."

"What the princess said is true."

"certainly".

"How did the princess find out?"

"As stated in the book."

"The princess is truly well-read."

Su Qianrou didn't say anything more and focused on appreciating the scenery around her.

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out, "Rou'er." Su Qianrou froze, then slowly turned around. When she saw the familiar figure, she still couldn't believe it.

"Your Highness, it's the Prince! The Prince is back!" Chunzhu exclaimed excitedly.

Su Qianrou looked at Mu Jinchen and, for some reason, felt like crying.

"Rou'er, I'm back," Mu Jinchen said, gazing at her tenderly.

Su Qianrou could no longer hold back and ran towards him, hugging him tightly.

Mu Jinchen reached out and hugged her tightly in his arms.

“You’re finally back,” Su Qianrou said, her voice choked with emotion.

"I'm sorry for making you worry."

Su Qianrou felt like she was dreaming and couldn't help but hug him tightly.

After a while, the two separated and looked at each other affectionately.

"You're really back. This isn't a dream, is it?"

"Yes, I'm back."

Su Qianrou couldn't help but kiss him, as if only in this way could she believe that she wasn't dreaming.

Not to be outdone, Mu Jinchen responded to her.

The two kissed passionately, completely forgetting that they were in the Imperial Garden. But even if they had remembered, they probably wouldn't have cared.

It must be said that the genuine emotions expressed after a long separation are truly touching.

Yingyue was very happy for her prince. Then she looked at the woman she had been longing for and saw that she had a bright smile on her face. Her eyes were almost slits, and her smile became even brighter.

Upon seeing Mu Jinchen return, Chunzhu was even happier than Su Qianrou. She thought to herself, "Now that the prince is back, the princess no longer has to worry about him and can finally get a good night's sleep."