Chapter 531: Shang Bo and the sick lady
King Shen Niu's eyes widened in realization. He couldn't help but reach out to his forehead to wipe out his sweat beads with his sleeves and ask, "Then, what do you propose?" Shang Fu looked a bit disappointed but still looked at Mark for the solution.
Mark then said, "If you ask me, I say engage fourth prince Shang Bo to your niece, Shen Yurong. She might be a year older than him but this will also ensure a tight bond between the Shen Dynasty and the Shang Dynasty."
"Yurong'er?" King Shen only sighed in response. But the way he addressed that name stated that he was close to her. "You already know her condition. She has a weak physique and is constantly sick. Even Saint Fu couldn't cure her. We can't do that to Prince Shang Bo."
"That's because I don't waste 250,000 gold coins unnecessarily on a stranger," thought Mark as he heard those words. He then spoke in confidence, "If you give me time, I will treat her. What do you say?"
Shen Niu didn't respond and merely turned his head to look at Shang Fu, who was in thinking mode.
After a few seconds, Shang Fu gave a firm nod, "I believe in Mr. Lu's promise."
*Clap*
"Good." Mark was satisfied that everything went according to his plan. He let out a grin and cheekily remarked, "Actually, if you reject this idea, I thought of convincing Father-in-law to marry a noble lady from Phoenix Empire."
"Uhh…" At once, Shen Niu's smile was frozen. "Xiao Lu, do you want me to marry at such an age?"
"Why not? You are still young. I don't even think you need those medicines they sell in the market to boost your vigor," Mark commented in a casual tone, highlighting their closeness.
"Hahahaha"
Shen Niu broke out into laughter, patting his biceps, "You are right. I'm still young. I always planned to start a new life after marrying my daughter."
"Eh? You do?" Mark was the one whose eyes widened in surprise this time.
"hahaha, just kidding, son. If I'm the type to marry multiple wives, I would have done long time ago. I'm not one of those people who chase after lust."
Shang Fu: "…"
Meanwhile, Shang Bo escorted Lin Xue to the entrance of the inner quarters, then, handed over his duty to a eunuch, and hurriedly rushed away from the place.
Lin Xue stared at his back in wonder, "He didn't even bother saying any goodbye. Did he have some important work to do?"
Shang Bo went on leaving the palace and rode the horse for more than 30 minutes to reach the residential district of Haojiang.
He then entered a two-story residence and was greeted by a middle-aged fellow in commoner attire. "Divine Healer Bo"
"Please don't call me that," Shang Bo waved his hand with an awkward smile. "I'm merely a practitioner."
The middle-aged man replied, "Ever since you started treating my daughter, she was getting better. In our eyes, you are truly a divine healer."
Seeing that this fellow won't be convinced anyway, Shang Bo changed the topic, "Let's go and meet Ms. Ci."
They went to the lady's room to find a pale-faced woman sitting in a lotus position and meditating.
She opened her eyes upon sensing another presence in the room.
Upon seeing the boy, she let out a smile and tried getting up, "Your Highness."
Shang Bo took out a pouch from nowhere and raised his hand, "No need to get up. Stay in the position." As she sat back, he walked to her and quickly inserted a golden needle into her forehead. It isn't a normal needle. This is oddly a semi-divine grade weapon, an inheritance he received from his maternal family.
The needle disappeared into her while Shang Bo closed his eyes.
After a while, rosiness returned to her face and the needle was retracted back to his hand. "There you go…"
For the next minute, the girl continued to cultivate and Shang Bo sat down and stared at her in silence.
As she opened her eyes, their eyes met and she averted her gaze with her ears turning red, "Your Highness, you are too close."
"Eh? Ah, sorry…" Shang Bo looked away in embarrassment and got up in a hurry. "I didn't mean to frighten you."
"Ah, no," Her voice raised high for a moment as she abruptly turned her head to look at him, "I'm not afraid. It's just… it's just… I'm just nervous… Yeah, that's it. I'm nervous. Phew… hehehe"
Shang Bo tilted his head in confusion, "Is she alright?"
The next day, in the late morning, Shang Bo returned to the residence once again, but there wasn't any enthusiasm this time on his face.
After he treated her, he didn't wait to converse with her and instead excused himself to leave.
As it repeated for three days in a row, the girl stopped him this time by grabbing his hand as he was turning away.
Shang Bo halted his footsteps but he didn't turn around and merely said, "My father arranged my marriage with King Shen Niu's relative."
"Eh? Uncle Shen's relative? Who?" The girl reacted a bit strongly before realizing something and sitting down, "Sorry, I was just curious."
Shang Bo, this time, looked at her, "Uncle Shen? Are you close with the royal family?"
"Uhh… I used to be friends with the princess. That's why," The girl answered while glancing left and right. "Anyway, do you know who it is?"
Shang Bo let out a sigh, "She is Princess Shen Ling's cousin. I think her name is Shen Yurong. Do you know her?"
"Eh? Shen Yurong?" Suddenly, her face lit up and there's this strange happiness seen on her face.
"Hmm? Miss Ci?" Shang Bo was slightly taken aback by her reaction.
The girl calmed down and said, "I know her, but it has been a while since I last her. So, I'm not sure how she looks anymore." After a brief pause, she added, "By the way, you seemed like you were not happy with the marriage. Why?"
"I…" Shang Bo hesitated to speak out his thoughts.