A few days passed in an instant and the day for Bai Luochu to enter the palace to treat the Empress Dowager arrived once again.
"Young Lady, this servant has already helped you to prepare your equipment." As Zi Su combed Bai Luochu's hair, she gave a simple brief.
Bai Luochu nodded before replying, "If I am not back by lunchtime, keep my food warm."
Bai Luochu was afraid the Emperor wasn't going to give up and would ask her over for a 'discussion' again. If that were to happen, her journey back would be delayed and she didn't want to miss her lunch again.
"This servant will keep it warm for you." Zi Su bowed to Bai Luochu.
Bai Luochu then rode the carriage to the imperial palace. After entering the gates of the palace, she walked towards the Empress Dowager's palace.
As usual, she felt the Empress Dowager's pulse, conducted an acupuncture session, wrote a new prescription, and gave a few pieces of advice.
"This Empress is already a set of old bones and has to trouble Divine Physician Bai to rush in and out of the palace. I am truly fortunate..."
"Why does Empress Dowager say such things? Empress Dowager is going to live for a thousand years. Even your birthday is called 'Thousand Years Day'. You will naturally live for a long time. How can you say that you are a bag of old bones?"
When the Empress Dowager heard Divine Physician Bai's response, she couldn't help but laugh heartily. "Hahahaha, Divine Physician Bai, you are truly a wonderful person. Not only are you a miracle physician, you also have the gift of the gab!"
"It is already this commoner's honor to receive Empress Dowager's compliments. If Her Majesty has nothing else, this commoner shall take his leave."
"Go on then. You have been busy for a long time. Quickly return to the residence and take a break."
"Many thanks for Empress Dowager's kindness. This commoner shall take his leave." Bai Luochu finished giving her thanks and bowed to the Empress Dowager before heading back to the residence.
After exiting the gates of the palace, Bai Luochu saw that the coachman was already waiting for her. She boarded the carriage and informed the coachman, "Can I trouble Big Brother to make a trip to the Remote Paddy Inn? I have a craving for their desserts."
When the coachman heard what she said, he turned the carriage around without a word as he steered it towards the Remote Paddy Inn.
When she arrived, Bau Luochu immediately made her way inside. When the innkeeper saw Bai Luochu walking into the establishment, he pretended to mingle around for a moment before handing over the desserts that had been prepared long ago. Bai Luochu nodded before leaving for the First Prince's residence.
The innkeeper was a member recruited by Bai Luochu. Bai Luochu would visit the Remote Paddy Inn every few days with the excuse of buying desserts. Ying Lan would write down the development situation of the Palace of Brilliance Resurgence on message slips before using the slips to wrap the desserts up. This way, Bai Luochu, and Ying Lan wouldn't have to take the risk and meet up in the First Prince's residence.
When Bai Luochu returned to the residence, it wasn't time for lunch yet. Zi Su was nowhere to be seen. When Bai Luochu noticed that no one was around, she carefully unwrapped the dessert and took out the message slip before reading through it carefully.
Ying Lan reported that they were operating under the name of the Palace of Brilliance Resurgence. In the chaotic capital city, the Palace of Brilliance Resurgence was still a small scale establishment and had yet to attract any attention. It allowed them to constantly develop and expand in the dark. Their influence had already reached the towns in the vicinity of the capital and after Ying Lan conducted some investigation of several orphans, he taught them the basics of operating a business. It would make things much more convenient when the Palace of Brilliance Resurgence expanded in the future as they wouldn't be lacking in manpower.
When Bai Luochu read the information in the slip, she felt extremely gratified. With Ying Lan assisting her, there was a huge burden off her back.
"Young Lady, are you back?" Zi Su asked outside the door.
Bai Luochu heard the voice and destroyed the message slip. She picked up a piece of dessert and acted as though she was preparing to eat it before replying, "I am back. Come on inside."
After obtaining Bai Luochu's approval, Zi Su immediately pushed the door open and entered the room. When she saw the dessert on Bai Luochu's table, she couldn't help but complain. "Young Lady, you are eating behind this servant's back again!"
"Pfff. Oh, Zi Su, you really like these sweet things huh?" When Bai Luochu saw Zi Su's fuming expression, she was immediately amused. She said, "Take it. I don't eat too many sweets."
Bai Luochu pushed the desserts towards Zi Su after speaking. When Zi Su saw that Bai Luochu gave her permission to eat the desserts, she didn't hold herself back. Picking up a piece, she munched down on it. The angry expression on her face completely disappeared.
Halfway through the food, Zi Su suddenly recalled something and said to Bai Luochu, "That's right, Young Lady, a few days later, the princes will be having a gathering at the Landscape Pavilion in the outskirts of the city. Now that your name as Divine Physician Bai is growing closer to the princes, there is a chance you have to attend the gathering!"
Bai Luochu shook her head. It seemed as though she didn't agree with Zi Su's thoughts. "It is a gathering of the princes. How can a commoner like me attend? Furthermore, the First Prince will never allow me to go either. The closer I am to those princes, the higher the probability that my identity will be exposed. Seeing how prudent your lord is, he definitely won't allow me to go."
"But... but isn't there still the Second Prince? From the rumors in the capital, the Second Prince and Divine Physician Bai are as close as brothers. Furthermore, there are rumors that the Second Prince doesn't allow any woman to get close to him because he is homosexual! The person of his preference is actually Divine Physician Bai!" Zi Su said it as though everything was true.
"Cough cough... Cough cough." When Bai Luochu heard Zi Su's statement, she nearly choked to death. "All of you actually dare to make up such rumors about a prince? What is this? Besides..." Bai Luochu suddenly withdrew her words. She originally wanted to spill the beans about how Pei Qingfeng already knew that she was a woman. However, on second thought, she knew that this excuse wasn't going to work. There was no way she could say that Pei Qingfeng entered her chamber in the middle of the night, right?
"Besides what? Young Lady?" Zi Su tilted her head and was curious about what Bai Luochu wanted to say.
"Besides, I am originally a woman." Bai Luochu had no choice but to complete her sentence.
"Ah!" Zi Su suddenly let out a yelp in surprise. "Young Lady, it is already lunchtime! This servant is too engrossed in the conversation and forgot about everything! I will go and prepare lunch for Young Lady right now!"
"You! How were you engrossed in a conversation with me? You were obviously engrossed in the desserts!" Bai Luochu looked at the bits of dessert that were still stuck on Zi Su's mouth and felt truly helpless.
"Young Lady mustn't expose this servant like this!" Zi Su responded and instantly slipped off to the kitchen to prepare Bai Luochu's lunch.
After eating lunch, Bai Luochu immersed herself in cultivation again as though the matters in the outside world were unrelated to her. Apart from dinner, Bai Luochu didn't do anything other than cultivating.
In Bai Luochu's opinion, she had already wasted a lot of her cultivation time due to her recruitment plan. Right now, since the Palace of Brilliance Resurgence was already on track, with Ying Lan around to make the detailed arrangements, she would once again be able to return to her cultivation routine.