Vol 5 Chapter 164

XH 164

"Doctor Bai, will you be staying long in the Guilin Kingdom? We would like to extend an invitation to you and Miss Bai to Our second son's wedding in one month's time," the Emperor invited. 

"I've come here to spend time with my apprentice. If I'm still here when the date of the happy event arrives, I will naturally be happy to accept the invitation and join the celebration."

The Emperor laughed and rubbed his beard. "Then We will have to ask Long Zhu to treat you so well that you will be reluctant to leave so soon."

Doctor Bai joined in the laughter. One laughed in a manly and rough manner while another laughed like a piece of gentle background music. 

This beautiful scene reminded Xiao Hua that Doctor Bai was a good danmei material! Sadly, Doctor Bai was now her new father, and she truly does not wish to imagine steamy scenes of her 'father'. 

However, there might be chemistry between Doctor Bai and Duan XiYing! There might even be a relationship in making already! If it was them, she truly wishes them happiness.

For a brief moment, Xiao Hua had entertained the idea of collecting more affection from Doctor Bai, but it was just impossible realistically. He has no affection for her other than being his apprentice's future wife. The idea of gaining affection points came from the Korean web novels Le XiaoTing had read about transmigrated daughter working hard to please their tyrannical father just to save their small life!

For twenty-seven years, Le XiaoTing had not missed her late father mostly thanks to her mother giving her all her attention. She had not even dated any man, and as a daughter, she felt it was too awkward to ask about her mother's love life. Now that she died and transmigrated, leaving her mother alone, she was a little regretful of her cowardice of not encouraging her mother to find new love. 

The point was, after reading those novels where the daughters had succeeded in taming their fathers and then indulged themselves with blissful pampering, Le XiaoTing felt jealous and longed to experience it. Those feelings made her hate her own self for being weak. As a solution to dissolve that feeling, she decided to stay away from those types of novels and immerse herself in heroine face slapping green tea stories. 

But who would have thought that Xiao Hua would suddenly be adopted by this perfect father material, tempting her and threatened to unbury her hidden desire?

"We have received a report from Long Zhu. He had managed to handle the problem in the border and will be returning in a few days." The Emperor shared the good news generously.

Xiao Hua's eyes brighten upon hearing the good news. Her boyfriend will be back soon! On second thought, Doctor Bai can shift his attention elsewhere. Xiao Hua was not a greedy person and can survive with only the Third Prince's affections! 

Doctor Bai smiled. "That's a piece of good news."

"The matter of Chiang An country trying to invade South Guilin Village? They seem rather impatient. It was only two years ago they made the last attempt," Long Yuen commented.

"We have a way to solve it," The 20th Emperor said defensively. "Their plan will not succeed."

Although the Four Kingdoms have a good relationship with each other, it does not mean that all smaller countries located between their Four Kingdoms were under their command. Munzhu Country was one of those small countries. But they recently have an alliance with the Guilin Kingdom, so Guilin does not need to be overly wary that Munzhu Country would send armies to attack their border. 

"Will you be staying as well, Long Yuen?" Doctor Bai asked, trying to avoid the father and son from arguing again. He knew they will need to clear the air between them and let the past go, but today was not the right time yet. 

"I can postpone my travels until later. It's been a while since I last return." It was also quite some time he had not seen his favorite grandson. Long Yuen hoped he grew manlier than before and get rid of his feminine attributes. 

"If Your Majesty does not mind this daughter being annoying, I can accompany you to sightsee around the place to see what had changed around the country and have the Guilin Kingdom's best dishes prepare for Your Majesty to indulge," The Empress offered sweetly.

"I can't wait for it!" The 19th Emperor immediately agreed. "Ah, I miss the food here the most! It's still our homeland's food I'm used to."

Even if Doctor Bai and the Empress being happy with Long Yuen's stay, that does not mean the 20th Emperor was too! But he swallowed back his protest for he does not wish for his father to avoid returning to Guilin if he sounded as if he was trying to chase him out.

"Our son Long Zhu had never spoken about your identity, merely praising your strength, not allowing Us to thank you for accepting him as your apprentice. We hope he had not caused trouble for you," The Emperor said.

Doctor Bai shook his head in negative. "He is only an eight-year-old boy when he apprenticed under me. I never fault him for missing home and he had earnestly studied under me so he can go home sooner. His talent allowed him to learn quickly and he is the most talented student I have."

"How admirable you are Doctor Bai, to have plenty of apprentices and yet dedicated to each of them, helping them to strive and learn from your wide experience. Even We are not that dedicated to Our son's education."

"Your Majesty is busy governing the Kingdom. Such matters are supposed to be handled by the royal tutors. But Your Majesty had misunderstood about my apprentices. I merely have three students, including Long Zhu."

Feng Jiu, the Vermillion bird's vessel, and Mingzhi, the black turtle's vessel, had requested to be apprenticed under him just to have more chances to make contact with Long Zhu. Qing Baihu, the white tiger's vessel, had refused and opted out of the apprenticeship because his martial technique differs greatly from Doctor Bai's and he has zero interest in medicine. It would be bad if he decided in being Doctor Bai's apprentice in name and gave his countrymen a fake hope of him being a healer. Even if he faked to have knowledge in medicine, it would not be impossible for him to wrongly cure someone and caused death instead!

The four of them had to secretly meet each other because if others were to discover that the four successors of the Four Kingdom had contacted each other secretly, it would alarm everyone. Even if Long Zhu was not the successor, it will still cause panic to everyone. Everyone would first assume they wanted to have a strong ally, with a beneficial treaty, but those with extreme thoughts would jump to conclusion that they wanted to unite the Four Kingdoms!

The Four Kingdoms never bothered with each other, minding their own business for the last thousand years. No one dared to entertain the idea of conquering and merging with other kingdoms, because their ancestors that had tried mostly end up dead, bringing along a large number of deaths with them. After countless tries, they soon figured out that they must never merge the Four Kingdoms into one!

They suspected something prevented them from doing so and killed them as a warning, but the survivors never know what they were. But a large number of deaths were enough to scare the others off from being greedy, leaving the four kingdoms to govern separately, and leaving word for their descendent least they had the same idea as those that had died.

"Miss Liu is a talented doctor and even We had been cured by her. Since Doctor Bai only has three students, perhaps having one more apprentice would not trouble Doctor Bai much," The Emperor suggested meaningfully. "Long Zhu would not have much time to learn medicine from you for We will be handing more tasks for him to oversee."

"Foolish!" With eyes blazed with fury, Long Yuen was the first to respond to the 20th Emperor's words. "One is your son and another is an outsider! You would throw your son away for a liar with suspicious medicine?"

Long Yuen might have not been Guilin's Emperor for years, but that does not mean he has no power! His sources had investigated Liu Chu Chu for him, and he was not impressed with what he heard. She might be able to hoodwink most people when she covered her mistakes, but Long Yuen was not one of those fools.

Liu Chu Chu always requested that her healing would be private between her and the patient, without even needing an assistant to help her. The patients were usually unconscious, or not in the right mind to pay attention to what Liu Chu Chu did. They were only aware after the main treatment was done, and things like advising them to rest more, drink more water, or eat with proper diet, were just common sense. Yet those pieces of advice had boosted Liu Chu Chu's image in everyone's eyes!

The 20th Emperor's face turned ugly. "Don't you dare twist my word! Miss Liu will be a family member of the royalty soon and she had shown her great talent in medicine! We are just suggesting it to Doctor Bai if he does not mind nurturing a good talent! Long Zhu will not have time to learn more from Doctor Bai because he will be busy taking over some work from me!"

"I will answer for Bai Chuan. The answer is no. This sort of unclean girl can pollute Long Shan, but not my good friend's line!"

"Pollute? I am just strengthening the royal family's power! I found a good girl for my son but what did you do? You found a commoner and useless girl for your son! You choose to weaken the royal bloodline just to harm me! Between us, everyone can see who is the better Emperor!"

Xiao Hua's loud gasp was the one that broke the angry haze surrounding the 20th Emperor's mind, and finally realized what he had just spoken out loud. With a face that rapidly losing color, he turned to his Empress. He could see he had angered and disappointed her when she did not even bother being polite and avoided his gaze.

"This lowly one needs to help Your Majesty's beloved Concubine He to arrange the Second Prince's wedding. Doctor Bai, 19th Emperor, please enjoy your stay. Xiao Hua."

Xiao Hua gulped. "Yes, Your Highness?"

"My garden is blooming well lately. Do join me for flower viewing when you have the time."

"I love to, Your Highness."

Without sparing a glance at her husband, the Empress left with a look of indifference, her long purple dress swept the floor regally. The sound of the door shutting echoed in the 20th Emperor's heart. 

"And you ask me why I did not allow you to take over the throne originally? You make me wonder how Guilin still survives for all these years but when I look at Ling Yi, I got my answer." Long Yuen did not hold back in throwing salt at his useless half-dead fish son.

It did not take long for the Emperors to get into another argument. Xiao Hua did not pay attention to the content, her heart worried for the Empress. 

"In this era, divorce is frowned upon," Doctor Bai suddenly speaks up and it touched a very sensitive spot in the 20th Emperor's heart.

The 20th Emperor does not dare to scold Doctor Bai, so he remained quiet. For him to be an Emperor was not only because he was the only son left. He does have some brains! He knew he often displeased his Empress and he ignored it because he was the Emperor of Guilin, the most powerful person in this Kingdom!

If divorce was allowed, he knew that his Empress would be the first to sign up for it!

But who would have thought Doctor Bai had not actually finished speaking. "Xiao Hua, you should think about it carefully before accepting Long Zhu's hand in marriage."

"That will also depend if he will ask me that question in the first place," Xiao Hua pointed out. "I will think about it when that day arrives."

Xiao Hua does not dare to admit that fear started to appear in her heart.