At the palace gates, Xie Jiang encountered the Old Duke of Qin and the Duke of Qian. The Old Duke of Qin, who had been keeping a low profile due to his health for many years, surprisingly had the inclination to attend the palace banquet tonight.
Xie Jiang appraised the elder gentleman from head to toe, then smiled and nodded. "Old Duke of Qin, your complexion is even better than last time. You don't look like someone suffering from an old illness at all. My Yi'an hasn't been idle during this period."
Upon hearing Xie Jiang's words, both the Old Duke of Qin and the Duke of Qian expressed great approval of Lou Yi'an's medical skills.
The Old Duke of Qin said, "The Poison Doctor truly lives up to their name! It's not just a reputation."
The elders had initially believed Xie Jiang to be the Poison Doctor, as Xie Jiang's reputation as a Poison Doctor had already spread far and wide. Madam Xu had been saved by Xie Jiang's treatment.
Later, seeing Lou Yi'an's success in treating the Old Duke of Qin, they had inquired, assuming Lou Yi'an and Xie Jiang were perhaps from the same school.
Lou Yi'an appeared to be in his twenties, not much older than Xie Jiang, so a master-disciple relationship between them was unlikely.
Who would have thought that Lou Yi'an would frankly state that he was the Poison Doctor, and Xie Jiang was merely using the Poison Doctor's name to get by? The Duke of Qian, holding his horsewhip, was about to lash out and kill Xie Jiang!
Was this something to be trifled with? Did they have no regard for human life?
If not for the Old Duke of Qin holding him back, the Duke of Qian would have stormed into the Shun Tian Prefecture prison to give Xie Jiang a good thrashing with his whip!
Now that they had met at the palace gates...
The Duke of Qian was searching everywhere for his horsewhip.
The Old Duke of Qin grabbed him.
There were people coming and going at the palace gates. Besides, Xie Jiang was now the Marquis of Nan Hai. One had to consider appearances.
Moreover, his father, Xie Taihong, was present. It was improper to discipline someone's child in front of their parent. If the father hadn't disciplined him, what right did an outsider have?
The Duke of Qian glanced at Xie Taihong and ultimately restrained himself from acting out, only reprimanding Xie Jiang in a low voice.
Xie Jiang had a good attitude about admitting fault. She had had a ten-tenths certainty that she could cure Madam Xu, otherwise, she would not have intervened.
The Duke of Qian whispered, "Does the Old Xu family know you're a fake Poison Doctor?"
Xie Jiang replied, "Xu Hengyan already knows."
The Duke of Qian appraised her and said, "Xu Hengyan has good composure. Anyone else would have severed ties with you, and rightly so!"
As everyone followed the eunuchs towards the palace, the Old Duke of Qin, in a casual conversation, spoke to Xie Jiang about his physical condition after the recent treatments.
From the day the elders arrived in Ninghe, Lou Yi'an had been treating the Old Duke of Qin for only a short period, yet the Old Duke of Qin's body felt lighter and more energetic with each passing day.
After dinner last night, feeling invigorated, the Old Duke of Qin not only picked up his spear himself but also sparred a few moves with his household guards.
Once a renowned general who swept across the land from horseback, he had been confined to his sickbed for over ten years. Both the Old Duke of Qin himself and his family had resigned themselves to his fate.
Who could have imagined that such a day of complete rejuvenation would come? The Old Duke of Qin's smile had not ceased throughout the journey, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and his age spots seemed to have faded slightly.
The entire Qin Duke's manor was immensely grateful to Xie Jiang and Lou Yi'an. Duke Qin had originally intended to personally visit the Marquis of Nan Hai's manor to express his gratitude, but Xie Jiang had been staying at the Shun Tian Prefecture prison these past few days.
Duke Qin had even asked the Old Duke of Qin if he should intervene and help get Xie Jiang out of prison.
Xie Jiang was a great benefactor to their Qin Duke's manor. The charges against Xie Jiang were not severe, and it would have been effortless for them to secure her release.
The Old Duke of Qin stopped him.
That kid Xie Jiang was more cunning than a monkey; why would they need to rescue him?
It was merely a few days in prison, and it allowed this matter to be put to rest. Could there be a more worthwhile deal?
The night breeze was cool.
The palace banquet was held on a small island in the center of Penglai Pond, known as Yuhu Island.
Tonight, Yuhu Island was brightly lit. Princes, nobles, and high officials arrived by small boats, like immortals attending the Peach Banquet.
The Old Duke of Qin and the Duke of Qian were immediately surrounded upon arriving on the island.
Most people were there to inquire about the Old Duke of Qin's health. The Old Duke of Qin had not attended a banquet in many years, and his rare appearance today surprised everyone greatly.
Several people also approached Xie Taihong for conversation.
The political winds in the court dictated where many would lean, and this was unavoidable.
It was good to have elders at the forefront; she could be a carefree idler.
Xie Jiang took the opportunity to slip away.
He Zhifei saw Su Yang following along and hesitated, remaining where he stood.
He and Su Yang were different.
Xie Jiang casually pointed to a palace maid and asked her to lead the way as she wandered around the island.
The scenery on Yuhu Island was excellent, and the night view was even more stunning.
While pretending to admire the scenery, Xie Jiang quietly searched for the Song siblings.
After circling half the lakeside path, she didn't see the Song siblings, but she did run into Ruan Zijian and Lou Yue.
When Ruan Zijian and Su Yang met, it was like sparks flying.
Xie Jiang walked ahead, pretending not to notice anything, attributing it to some people naturally having clashing auras.
A moment later, Xia Zeshi and Xu Hengyi spotted them across the lake. Xu Hengyi excitedly waved at Xie Jiang and ran over, shouting.
"So many people are attending the palace banquet tonight."
"The palace hasn't held a banquet in years, and moreover, it's on Yuhu Island this time, so of course, many people would come."
Both Xu Hengyi and Xia Zeshi deliberately kept their distance from Su Yang and Ruan Zijian. It was clear the two were not on good terms. If Xie Jiang hadn't been there to keep things in check, they might have even started fighting.
These two clearly weren't good people.
Keeping a distance meant staying safe.
Only Xie Jiang could keep them in line.
Xia Zeshi thought of something and, unsure if Xie Jiang was aware, decided to give her a heads-up. "Many ladies are attending tonight."
Xie Jiang nodded. "Yes, I'm dazzled by them all."
Xia Zeshi decided to be more direct. "My father, the Emperor, likely intends to arrange a marriage alliance between Dayu and Lanyong."
Xie Jiang hadn't really considered this angle. Upon hearing Xia Zeshi's hint, she was amused.
She glanced back at Xia Zeshi. "Xie Tangqing is indeed still unmarried."
Xu Hengyi said, "Aren't you unmarried as well?"
Xia Zeshi said, "I also think your chances are higher. Which noble lady in the court would be willing to marry far away to Nan Hai? You will be staying in Dayu in the future, so the noble ladies of the capital are more likely to choose you."
Xu Hengyi nodded vigorously.
No one had even seen what Xie Tangqing looked like. Unless it was a family that didn't treat their daughters as people, who would send their daughters to Lanyong?
It wasn't that Lanyong was bad, but it was too far, separated by the vast ocean.
But a family that didn't treat their daughters as people, what kind of family could they be? Would the Xie family think highly of such a clan?
In any case, his father and uncle would absolutely not marry their sisters to Lanyong.
As for Xie Jiang...
She couldn't marry either, couldn't...
Ruan Zijian, overhearing the conversation of the three in front, suddenly had a thought: was it possible to have Xie Jiang marry him?
Su Yang sneered repeatedly. What right did that person have!
Xie Jiang, however, was secretly pondering the likelihood of He Zhifei marrying a noble lady from Dayu. If she was unwilling, it wouldn't matter; she wouldn't force anyone under her to do such a thing.
Marriage alliance? Did Dayu just agree to an alliance just like that?
"Have you seen the Song family's son and daughter? Did they enter the palace tonight?" With so many people around, it would be difficult to arrange a chance encounter, so Xie Jiang decided to ask directly.