Chapter 17

"Where did this rogue come from? How dare he cause trouble in the harem?"

The sexy woman seemed to be in a bad mood to begin with. Suddenly seeing a young man with an unfamiliar face, who was shaking his head and pursing his lips, she found the perfect outlet for her frustration.

Jiang Chen frowned and turned to Xia Ting, "Who is this idiot woman?"

Xia Ting, upon hearing this, looked as if someone had stuffed a goose egg into his mouth, his face a mix of shock and a wry smile. He was speechless and for a moment did not know how to respond.

"You rogue, who are you calling an idiot woman?"

"Who else but you?" Jiang Chen, provoked by the two consecutive "rogue" insults, retorted, "If I remember correctly, I already told you to stop Dongfang Zhiruo from practicing martial arts!"

"I want to ask who put this idiot by the princess's side?"

"If I have to remind you about this basic idiotic issue repeatedly, I will have to consider finding someone more competent for this consultation!"

"Also, you idiot woman, don't keep putting your sword to the princess's neck. Heart palpitations can cause the spirit to waver, and when the spirit wavers, the qi dissipates. The princess's vital energy is already very weak. Do you want her to die faster?"

"The most idiotic thing is that the wooden swords you use are made of Xuan Yun wood, which is yin in nature and can trigger the princess's Tai Yin curse. In such a large palace, are all of you idiots?"

The woman, who had been aggressive, was momentarily stunned by Jiang Chen's tirade. Especially when she recognized the Xuan Yun wood, she was slightly surprised.

Dongfang Zhiruo, however, giggled and ran over, pulling on Jiang Chen's sleeve, "Alright, Brother Jiang Chen, Aunt Gouyu just returned from an adventure this morning and knows nothing about Zhiruo's situation. Forgive her this time."

"Wait a moment!" The sexy woman, Gouyu, regained her composure, "Zhiruo, tell me clearly, who needs this... this bastard to forgive her? What did I do wrong? And who is this boy? How can he enter the harem?"

"Don't deny it, you idiot. Do you think I want to enter the harem?"

"Boy, if you call me an idiot one more time, do you think I won't beat you until you can't take care of yourself?"

"Tsk! Threatening me? Save your act." Jiang Chen sneered.

The eunuch Xia Ting, meanwhile, took the opportunity to sneak away. He realized that things were getting out of hand and did not want to be caught in the middle.

After all, he had brought the person, and any further chaos was beyond his control.

The poor Dongfang Zhiruo had to mediate between them.

Jiang Chen pulled Dongfang Zhiruo, "Come on, little girl, take me to your bedroom."

As soon as these words were spoken, the woman named Gouyu was thoroughly enraged. She brandished her wooden sword and shouted, "Rogue, do you really think I won't cut you down?"

"Are you on the wrong medication? I came here to consult with Princess Zhiruo, and you keep causing trouble. Do you believe..."

"Do you believe what?" Gouyu sneered.

"Never mind, a real man doesn't fight with women. Princess Zhiruo, is she your martial arts teacher? Fire her soon. With her around, you won't live past sixteen."

Gouyu's fair face darkened, and she sternly demanded, "Boy, repeat what you just said!"

Dongfang Zhiruo, seeing Gouyu's expression, knew she was truly angry and quickly said, "Alright, Aunt, both of you stop. Let Zhiruo explain. This is Jiang Chen, the royal physician my father appointed for me. Aunt, don't underestimate Jiang Chen! He's very capable and has determined that I am not sick but have a congenital Tai Yin constitution. Practicing martial arts will only increase the burden on my meridians and deplete my vital energy."

"Royal physician? This boy?" Gouyu's proud face was full of disbelief.

"Aunt, his name is Jiang Chen, not 'this boy.'" Dongfang Zhiruo giggled, "Brother Jiang Chen, this is my aunt, my father's younger sister. Call her Princess Gouyu. Don't call her an idiot woman or a crazy woman. It's very impolite!"

"Aunt?" Jiang Chen was taken aback; he hadn't expected this fierce woman to be a relative.

But even if she was an aunt, she still deserved to be scolded, and more so: "Real aunt? Is there such an aunt who treats her niece like this? Do you know that everything you did just now was pushing her closer to death? Don't think you can act brain-dead just because you're a princess."

Princess Gouyu's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and her hand instinctively gripped the sword hilt.

Their eyes met, and Jiang Chen's gaze was calm and unclouded. With a clear conscience, he was not afraid of Princess Gouyu's murderous look.

"Boy, I don't care who you are. You've called me an idiot five times and a crazy woman once today. Remember, women are very vengeful."

"Jiang Chen, right? Young lord, right?" Gouyu suddenly smiled strangely, as if she had caught Jiang Chen in some wrongdoing.

Jiang Chen shrugged, "I'm afraid of everything except being threatened by women. Now, I need to consult with Princess Zhiruo, and you're not welcome here."

"Not welcome? Why not?" Gouyu was even more displeased, "This is my home, okay?"

"What? Are you telling me you're not married yet? Come on, how old are you? Look at your niece, who's almost ready to get married. Do you really have the nerve to say this is your home? Are you that desperate to get married? Is being a spinster really that fun?"

If it weren't for Dongfang Zhiruo's condition, Gouyu would have chopped Jiang Chen to pieces and fed his body to the dogs.

Her vicious glare clearly showed her thoughts.

"Fine, you boy, congratulations, you've been successfully remembered by this princess. I'll go change my clothes. If I find out that this consultation is a scam, you'll die a very painful death."

Jiang Chen sneered, "Get lost! When you change, remember to close the curtains. Don't scare people. Even if you don't scare people, scaring cats and dogs is still wrong."

"Alright, Brother Jiang Chen, Aunt is gone! Don't be so harsh! Actually, Aunt is a good person. You two must have misunderstood each other today."

Dongfang Zhiruo smiled sweetly, looking innocent and charming. This smile slightly improved Jiang Chen's mood, which had been clouded by the woman's actions.

He didn't mind her foolish actions, but he couldn't stand her calling him a "rogue" every time she opened her mouth.

"Who would have thought that I, Jiang Chen, would be insulted by a brainless woman with big breasts. Sigh!"

Guided by Dongfang Zhiruo, Jiang Chen toured her palace.

"Brother Jiang Chen, how is it? Is my living place not bad?"

Jiang Chen smiled faintly, "It's barely acceptable, but living here is very inappropriate for you. The overall environment and the small details of the design are pushing you toward death."

Dongfang Zhiruo's face turned pale, "Brother Jiang Chen, don't scare me."

"The harem is a place with extremely strong yin energy. The design of this harem garden is too serene, lacking yang energy to dispel the yin, making it easy to attract more yin and gloomy things. If you hadn't practiced martial arts and lived here from birth, your lifespan would be similar to that of an ordinary person. Unfortunately, you are in the imperial family."

"Ah? Brother Jiang Chen, you've scared me. Does Zhiruo really not live past sixteen?"

"If you hadn't met me, you might not even make it through this year."

Jiang Chen was not exaggerating. This environment, being a natural yin-gathering place, would only accelerate the manifestation of the Tai Yin curse in her body.

Ignoring Dongfang Zhiruo's worried expression, Jiang Chen walked around, looked up, and occasionally climbed onto the walls and pavilions to observe.

After a while, he returned to Dongfang Zhiruo and asked, "If we demolish this harem and rebuild it, would your father agree?"

"Brother Jiang Chen, are you joking? The harem is home to thousands, not just Zhiruo."

"So, this plan is not feasible?"

"No, no." Dongfang Zhiruo waved her delicate hands, "Zhiruo cannot let her personal issues affect the normal life of the entire harem."

The poor and admirable little girl, even on the brink of death, still thought of the bigger picture. She truly was a standard sacrifice of the royal family.

"Then you must move out. The sooner, the better. The longer you stay here, the closer you get to death."

"This is also not possible. As a royal princess, I cannot leave the harem and live outside until I am married." Dongfang Zhiruo's voice was as low as a mosquito's, like a child who had made a mistake, her head lowered, not daring to look at Jiang Chen.

It seemed that all of this was her fault.

"I'm saying, which is more important, these broken rules or your life?" Jiang Chen was speechless.

"Brother Jiang Chen, do you have any other solutions? My life and the rules are both important. But Zhiruo is afraid of breaking the rules and making others unhappy."

"Who? Who dares to be unhappy? Let your father cut them down." Jiang Chen's imperial aura was evident.

"Ha ha..." Dongfang Zhiruo was amused by Jiang Chen's serious tone, "Brother Jiang Chen, you really know how to make jokes. Being with you is really fun."

She gently hugged Jiang Chen's arm and smiled sweetly, "I know Brother Jiang Chen can come up with a better solution."

A faint, delicate fragrance wafted into Jiang Chen's nose, making him appreciate the youth.

He smiled, "There is a solution, but you really can't practice martial arts anymore. Sigh, that idiot woman. You said she's your aunt?"

"Hehe, you're cursing Aunt again." Dongfang Zhiruo blinked her lively, playful eyes, "Brother Jiang Chen, I have a secret to tell you. You can't curse my aunt anymore."

"Why? She's so stupid, and you can't let people curse her? I curse her to make her smarter, with good intentions and kindness."

"Hehe, but my aunt is a princess and the head of the Qianlong Examination. Aren't you going to participate in the Qianlong Examination?"

"What?" Jiang Chen jumped up, "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"You didn't give me a chance to speak." Dongfang Zhiruo was a bit hurt.

Jiang Chen was a bit frustrated. He had just offended Du Ruhai, who was only the second-in-command. Now, this Princess Gouyu was the top dog!

This Qianlong Examination...

Jiang Chen could see countless small shoes flying at him. With both the top and second-in-command of the Qianlong Examination hating him, would anyone believe that he wouldn't face any trouble in the examination?