Chapter 528 - 350: Ran Yan and Su Fu_2
"Indeed, my son has long heard of Lady Ran’s reputation but didn’t expect her to be so formidable," Li Chengqian said, seeing Li Shimin pleased, and felt a bit more confident, his face relaxing into a light smile.
"Oh? Besides that, what else?" Li Shimin was clearly in a good mood today and asked with interest.
Li Chengqian responded, "Recently, Father Emperor appointed a new Chamberlain to the Eastern Palace who had been serving in Suzhou. Chamberlain Liu told me a lot about Suzhou, including its customs and people, and mentioned Lady Ran, saying she became a proficient doctor after a long illness and apprenticed with the Medical Saint. While she was recuperating at the Ran Family’s separate residence, she once saved a child who had been submerged in water overnight, and the people of Suzhou hailed her as a Divine Doctor!"
"Oh? Is that so? Can it be trusted?" Li Shimin’s expression became much more serious, the story seemed fantastical, but he believed that if Li Chengqian could not ensure the reliability of the news, he would not recklessly talk nonsense in front of him.
"Chamberlain Liu would not fabricate stories in front of me, right?" Li Chengqian did not directly confirm, as such stories sounded utterly fantastical, and if it turned out to be false later, he could still extricate himself.
An eunuch behind Li Shimin bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I too have heard of this matter."
"You have heard as well? Why have you never mentioned it to me?" Li Shimin had been extremely anxious over Princess Jinyang’s sudden illness recently, and at this moment, he couldn’t help feeling a bit displeased.
The eunuch spoke anxiously, "I had only heard such rumors among the lower-ranking people, feeling it was an exaggeration. As I couldn’t verify it in Suzhou myself, I dared not speak irresponsibly before the Emperor."
In the Sui and Tang dynasties, not all eunuchs were qualified to be called "Imperial Eunuch." During the early Tang, there were not many eunuchs, and the Imperial Secretariat had posts for two supervisors, two junior supervisors, four eunuchs, six senior eunuchs, followed by positions like internal attendants and temple officials, etc., each with a fixed number usually not exceeding twenty. The so-called "Imperial Eunuch" refereed to the highest rank within the Imperial Secretariat.
Li Shimin mused, "After Assistant Minister Xiao Ziqi’s term is over, I will summon him to inquire. If Lady Ran indeed possesses such divine skills, my son will no longer have to suffer from chronic illness."