Chapter 15: The Prince's Mansion Demands the Jade Pendant

Ye Qianning's small mouth paused mid-pastry. She looked up and smiled, "Why thank me? It was all thanks to Fourth Grandma's excellent medical skills."

Princess Changyang reached out with a handkerchief to wipe the pastry crumbs from the corners of her mouth, then tapped her on the tip of her nose. "Don't think I don't know. You were the one who cured Xiang'er's rash, weren't you?"

Ye Qianning was somewhat surprised; she had been seen through.

"After spending a few days with you, I recalled the circumstances of your diagnosis that day. Fourth Grandma was being led by you. At the time, we were all so frantic that we didn't notice, but you were the one who administered the acupuncture to Xiang'er, weren't you?" Princess Changyang said slowly.

Initially, she indeed hadn't noticed. Who would have thought a five or six-year-old child would possess medical skills? However, the more time they spent together, the more she had deduced it herself.

Ye Qianning rubbed her nose. Regardless of who treated her, as long as the rash cleared, it was fine. She hadn't expected the Princess to dwell on who had actually performed the cure.

Did this count as her cover being blown?

"Don't worry, I have no ulterior motives. I simply want to thank you for curing Xiang'er," Princess Changyang said, pinching her chubby little face.

"Then, can Fourth Grandma and I stay in the Prince's mansion for a few more days?" Ye Qianning felt she couldn't leave the mansion just yet; she had to get the jade pendant back first.

"Of course you can." Princess Changyang thought of something and asked, "I heard that you and Fourth Grandma came to the capital to find relatives. It has been several days, yet no one has come looking for you. I wonder what kind of relatives you are searching for."

"My father," Ye Qianning answered honestly.

"Your father?" Princess Changyang was somewhat surprised.

"Mhm. The yamen said they had already found my father. A few days ago, someone came and took the token my mother gave me before she passed away. The yamen said they needed the token for identification, but many days have passed and there has been no word from them, nor have they returned our jade pendant." After saying this, Ye Qianning lowered her head and took another bite of the pastry.

Upon hearing this, Princess Changyang felt the matter was not simple. Ordinarily, the yamen did not handle matters of searching for relatives, and they certainly would not take a token without returning it.

Ye Qianning secretly observed her expression. Seeing that the Princess was suspicious, she continued, "Your Highness, could you help us get the jade pendant back? Even if my father cannot be found, it doesn't matter, but that jade pendant is my mother's deathbed keepsake. I cannot lose it."

"I will send someone to the yamen to inquire immediately. If this is indeed the case, I will certainly stand up for you and get the jade pendant back," Princess Changyang said, then turned to her maid. "Go and tell the steward to make a trip to the yamen. Ensure they provide an explanation."

"Yes," the maid replied before withdrawing.

"Thank you, Your Highness," Ye Qianning said, looking up with a smile.

With the Prince's mansion intervening, she didn't believe her "deadbeat" father wouldn't show his face.

"There is no need for thanks. I wonder who is so blessed to have such a clever daughter as you," Princess Changyang said. She liked Ye Qianning very much, perhaps because she was around the same age as her own daughter, and because Xiang'er liked her so much.

After finishing her pastry, Ye Qianning rubbed her small hands on her clothes and did not respond to the comment.

"From whom did you learn medical skills at such a young age?" Princess Changyang asked curiously.

"An old grandpa in the village. The children in the village often get rashes, so after seeing many of them, I learned how to treat them."

"The imperial physicians in the palace are not even as good as a village doctor," Princess Changyang sighed inwardly.

The royal physicians all claimed to be highly capable and noble, yet they lacked actual skill at critical moments.

Xiang'er's rash had come on suddenly, and the prescription the imperial physician had written had actually made it worse. Had she not treated her in time, the child's body would likely be covered in sores by now.

"However, no one would develop these two types of rashes at the same time," Ye Qianning reminded her.

(End of Chapter)