“I couldn’t be so unlucky as to run into a brainless emperor, could I?”
After hearing the Emperor’s words, Su Qing’s brow furrowed slightly as she thought gloomily to herself.
“Then again, it’s not particularly strange for this guy to be an idiot. If he weren’t brainless, he probably wouldn’t be under that Prime Minister’s control. After all, clever people aren't so easy to manipulate; only fools can be easily puppeted.”
Of course, this was just an outrageous assertion on Su Qing’s part.
After all, that Prime Minister was a demon.
Even if the Emperor weren't a fool, it was unlikely he could escape the demon’s control. How could a mortal compete with a demon?
However, Su Qing didn't want to bother with such trivial matters right now. She was feeling rather irritable.
While it was normal for this Emperor to have a faulty brain, that didn't mean his idiocy wouldn't bring them trouble. After all, their current identities were just ordinary commoners—a status that was far too low.
Even if she was a famous doctor, as long as she didn't have an official rank, she remained a mere commoner. Even with some room to maneuver, she was at a complete disadvantage when speaking to an emperor.
Furthermore, even with an official rank, one would still be beneath the Emperor.
This was why Su Qing was having such a headache. What made it worse was the possibility of this guy suddenly having a fit and deciding to draft them into his harem. That would be a massive headache; refusing him would be a delicate matter.
Su Qing couldn't simply resort to violence or give the Emperor a beating. Firstly, she was currently a ‘mortal,’ and secondly, she was an Orthodox Deity of the Heavenly Court. She couldn't just strike a mortal, let alone an emperor, without reason. Even if she did and didn't face substantial punishment, it would still reflect poorly on her.
So, unless it was absolutely necessary, she couldn't lay a hand on the Emperor.
As for the Prime Minister... she could certainly deal with him. However, there were still concerns.
In short, if this Emperor truly was an utter moron, Su Qing was going to have a very difficult time.
As Su Qing was frowning, she heard the Prime Minister say to the Emperor, “Your Majesty is correct. This Goddess Doctor’s appearance is indeed a masterpiece of the human world... even compared to the fairies in heaven, she would not be found wanting.”
The Prime Minister’s agreement pleased the Emperor greatly.
The Emperor took a sip of tea and said indifferently, “Then, Prime Minister, what do you think of bringing her into the harem as a consort?”
Clearly, the Emperor was not only satisfied with the Prime Minister’s words but also thoroughly satisfied with Su Qing.
Hearing this, Su Qing’s lip twitched. Whatever she feared most was exactly what happened.
Su Qing was truly speechless, thinking to herself, “Fine, this rotten country truly has a rotten emperor! No wonder there are wars and rebellions... the fate of this nation is nearly exhausted.”
“Tsk, this is truly the first time I’ve met someone I found irritating and loathsome from the very first glance,” Su Qing thought as she looked at the Emperor. “Oh, right, and Zhu Bajie was the same...”
While Su Qing was feeling disgruntled, she didn't forget to think about how to break the situation. However, as she was contemplating, something unexpected happened.
The Rat Prime Minister, who had been echoing the Emperor’s praise, suddenly offered a different opinion when he heard the Emperor’s desire to take Su Qing and the others into the harem.
The Rat Prime Minister said, “In response to Your Majesty, this must absolutely not be done.”
The Emperor frowned and asked, “Why?”
“This woman is highly skilled in medicine. Since she understands medicine, she naturally understands poisons. If Your Majesty were to marry such a woman, it would surely be a calamity...” the Rat Prime Minister replied after a moment’s thought.
The Emperor narrowed his eyes and said, “It is her honor that I wish to take her as a consort... she should be overjoyed, so how would she dare harm me? Could it be that the Prime Minister is also interested in her and is worried I’m stealing your woman? Hahaha, why worry about such things? Aside from the Goddess Doctor, what’s the harm in giving you one of the others?”
Both Su Qing and the Rat Prime Minister’s eyelids jumped.
Su Qing, in particular, was beyond speechless.
She thought to herself, “How did this kind of moron survive the brutal competition for the throne and actually end up sitting in the Emperor’s seat? Did he really just have a powerful mother who carried him all the way to this position?”
Truly, Su Qing had never been this dumbfounded by an emperor before.
Looking back at all the emperors she had encountered, even the ones who weren't very good were never this ridiculous. One could only say that in a forest this large, there were bound to be all kinds of birds. It was a miracle that someone so senseless could become emperor.
The Rat Prime Minister was also extremely speechless.
If the Emperor wanted any other woman, he would naturally give his full support, as he always did. After all, those women were ordinary people; even if they were unwilling, they couldn't cause much trouble.
But the person in front of him was different.
Setting aside her status as a Goddess Doctor, he couldn't support this based on her strength alone!
Yes, the Rat Demon had already realized that the people in this clinic were far from simple.
As a Great Demon at the Earthly Immortal realm, and with the added boost of a massive amount of Incense Power, his perception was actually far stronger than that of a typical Earthly Immortal demon of the same level.
Therefore, he could naturally sense just how extraordinary the people in this clinic were. In this very hall, there were two Great Demons at the Earthly Immortal level just like him. Furthermore, those two seemed to have deep connections with Buddhism.
He had even heard deafening Sanskrit chants when he looked at the gentler Earthly Immortal demon. Those Sanskrit chants were terrifying; just that one instance had made his head throb. Clearly, the chants were a warning to him—a warning not to cast his gaze about recklessly and not to pry into them.
Because of those Sanskrit chants, he still didn't dare to casually look toward Ao Yiyi; that was how much of a shock it had been. And those were just two assistants helping in the hall. If even the assistants were so powerful and terrifying, how could the owner of the clinic be weak?
If she were weak, how could she make a whole house of people work for her so willingly?
Therefore, even though he couldn't sense any fluctuations of Dharmic power from Su Qing at the moment, he didn't dare to think her strength was low. He only assumed her strength was above those two, and far above his own, to the point where he couldn't see through her.
In truth, if it were just those two assistants, he might have a slim chance of victory if he staked all his years of accumulation. But if Su Qing were added to the mix, there would be zero chance of winning. Facing such a group, why would he ever want to provoke them?
Besides, there was no need to provoke them. They had no grudge against him. Even if the clinic owner wasn't the strongest, he would still prefer to be on good terms with them. Who would be crazy enough to make two enemies of the same realm for the sake of a puppet? Was he insane, or did he have a diseased brain like this Emperor?
Thus, he naturally could not agree with the Emperor’s idea of taking Su Qing and the others as wives.
The Rat Demon spoke up, “Your Majesty, it is different... she is a Goddess Doctor. And...”
He leaned down and whispered some things into the Emperor’s ear. Of course, he couldn't tell the Emperor that Su Qing was a cultivator so powerful that even he couldn't defeat her. He only told him about the risks regarding her medical expertise.
Although the Emperor was quite stupid, he was fairly good at listening to advice. After all, he was a puppet emperor the Prime Minister had manipulated for a long time; it was impossible for him not to listen.
“In that case... I suppose I must give up on taking her as a consort. What a pity, what a pity. It is truly a shame that such a woman cannot be brought into the palace as a consort.” The Emperor looked at Su Qing and shook his head with a face full of regret.
Nearby, Su Qing was slightly surprised after hearing the Rat Demon’s words. Why was this treacherous Rat Prime Minister advising the Emperor against it? Shouldn't he be siding with the Emperor?
It wasn't that this was bad—after all, him dissuading the Emperor saved her a lot of trouble and prevented her from having to use certain methods. So, his willingness to advise the Emperor was a good thing. It just didn't seem to fit the archetype of a treacherous official. Could it be she had misjudged this guy?
Su Qing was momentarily dazed, but she quickly realized the truth.
It wasn't that the Rat Prime Minister was a good person, nor had she misjudged him. It was because he had sensed the strength of the people in the clinic and didn't want to provoke them, so he chose to persuade the Emperor to give up on the idea.
“That explains it...”
Su Qing looked at the Rat Prime Minister and thought, “But this makes things somewhat comical. The Rat Prime Minister and I are clearly enemies, yet in the end, I had to rely on my enemy to help resolve this? Oh, right, the Rat Prime Minister probably doesn't even know we are enemies yet.”
Thinking of this, Su Qing found it even more amusing. However, amusing or not, she really did have the Rat Prime Minister to thank this time. If it weren't for him, she would have had to deal with a headache for a while longer.
As a reward, when she killed him later, she could make sure her blade was swift so he could die more cleanly.
“I, Su Qing, greet Your Majesty,” Su Qing said, performing a bow to the Emperor.
She naturally could not kowtow to a mortal emperor. As the Mountain God of the Changbai Mountains, even if this was just a clone, a mortal emperor could never withstand such a gesture. Thus, she would never kowtow. Besides, was such a rotten emperor even worth her bow? No. It would be embarrassing.
Seeing that Su Qing didn't kowtow, the Emperor was about to get angry, but the Rat Prime Minister gave him a slight nudge. The Emperor suppressed his emotions and nodded indifferently, saying, “You may rise.”
Su Qing’s lip twitched at the sight. Was he really that obedient? No wonder the Prime Minister could make him give up on a consort with just a few words... no wonder he was a puppet. Su Qing felt he was no different from a mechanical doll. However, she didn't show any of this.
She simply said to the Emperor, “Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. I am curious, what business brings Your Majesty to my small clinic?”
Su Qing didn't want to have much contact with this Emperor; she just wanted to drive him away quickly. His presence was not only an eyesore but also interfered with her business. So, she got straight to the point to end this early. She wasn't worried about angering the Emperor, as the Rat Demon would surely appease him; the demon still didn't want to cross her.
The Emperor said calmly, “I came here for a medical consultation, of course. Come and examine me. Tell me, what exactly is wrong with me?”
Su Qing: “...”
Hearing this question, Su Qing almost blurted out ‘your brain is the problem.’ Fortunately, she held back at the last second, or she would have invited a lot of trouble. However, she quickly adjusted her breathing and said with a beaming smile, “I shall perform a Suspended Thread Pulse Diagnosis for Your Majesty. This way, I won't have to touch Your Majesty directly, lest I soil Your Majesty’s dragon body.”
Well, in truth, Su Qing was afraid of dirtying her own hands. This Emperor really made her feel a bit disgusted.
Hearing this, the Emperor frowned, appearing somewhat displeased. Left with no choice, the Rat Prime Minister, wanting to avoid making Su Qing angry, had to speak up on her behalf.
With the Prime Minister speaking, the Emperor finally let out a cold snort and said, “Fine, if you want to use a suspended thread, then use a suspended thread! I just hope your diagnosis is accurate, otherwise, don't bother keeping this clinic open.”
Su Qing: “...”
Rat Prime Minister: “...”
It wasn't just Su Qing who was speechless; the Rat Prime Minister was also beyond frustrated. He had worked so hard to avoid provoking Su Qing, yet the Emperor kept trying to incense her. Did he really think his life was too long?
Su Qing smiled and said, “Your Majesty can rest assured. I may not be much, but in terms of medical skill, I certainly won't disappoint Your Majesty. However, besides the pulse diagnosis, please tell me about your recent condition—where you feel uncomfortable. This will help me determine exactly what the problem is.”
The Emperor raised an eyebrow and said, “Since you are a Goddess Doctor, it shouldn't matter if you don't know those things, right? Why don't you diagnose my pulse first? If you can't see my symptoms after the diagnosis, then I will tell you.”
Hearing this, Su Qing’s lip couldn't help but twitch. She agreed to this clearly unreasonable request; after all, it really wasn't difficult for her.
With that, Su Qing lightly circulated her Qi, causing several silver threads to wrap around the Emperor’s wrist. She then assumed a very profound-looking posture as she performed the Suspended Thread Pulse Diagnosis. Su Qing stood there with narrowed eyes, holding the silver threads and sensing the Emperor’s pulse.
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