Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 163

“Ah, forget it! Anyway. Make me some food.”

“Pardon?”

“I heard your food is so delicious! I’ll send a proper sponsorship from Wangya Ju’s mansion this time, so please prepare a meal for me, Imperial Prince Consort Yoo-rang, and Baek-ah.”

Baek-ah is a royal descendant who entered Wangya Ju’s mansion as an adopted daughter.

Many were worried that there was no heir to continue the line in Wangya Ju’s mansion, so everyone was relieved when this child with royal blood entered as a daughter.

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t met her.’

It’s not like we had a social party in this vast Wangya Ju’s mansion.

Just staying quiet while doing treatments, I haven’t even been introduced.

“What would you like me to make?”

“Your eyes are sparkling at the mention of sponsorship, I see.”

White Dragon Foundation children. Daddy is working hard today too.

Daddy’s going to earn money.

“There are many places to use it, so I need to earn when I can.”

“Hohoho. You know what I like, don’t you?”

Wangya Ju said slyly.

“Meat. Make it with meat.”

You want easily digestible meat, I see.

‘But will it suit your taste when even Wangya Ju’s mansion chef does Korean cuisine…?’

This is a bit worrying.

‘Alright. I can cook together with Master.’

Master Zhuge Rin is also skilled at cooking.

***

I worked hard with Master to prepare food and served it to Wangya Ju.

‘While we’re at it, let’s eat some too.’

Jin Cheonhee took a little of the sweet and sour sea bream that Master made and put it in his mouth.

“Is it to your liking?”

“It’s incredibly delicious!”

“I removed all the bones and fish scales, so you can eat it as is. I made the batter crispy to suit your taste, do you like it?”

“Yes, very much!”

Master was pleased with his disciple’s words.

“Eat a lot. That’s how you’ll gain weight.”

Master was always concerned about his disciple who was getting thin from overwork.

He often lamented that although he eats well, he doesn’t know where it all goes.

‘Where does it go? It goes to overwork.’

Wangya Ju, in a good mood, shared drinks with Imperial Prince Consort Yoo-rang.

As expected of her, it wasn’t a formal table setting, but a plain yet abundant feast like what martial artists would have at a banquet.

Imperial Prince Consort Yoo-rang seemed happy, taking small sips of his drink.

Since Jin Cheonhee’s treatment, his complexion had improved and he was always full of smiles.

Between those two, Feng Baek-ah was rolling her eyes around.

They look like an ordinary family, but Baek-ah is an adopted daughter given by the Emperor.

For some reason, Wangya Ju, who couldn’t have royal descendants, got an adopted daughter to continue the lineage.

‘I don’t know if one of them is infertile, or if they just don’t want to have children…’

It would be tactless to pry into such a sensitive issue.

Jin Cheonhee hadn’t said a word about this issue since meeting Wangya Ju.

The same was true for Master.

Getting deeply involved in imperial family matters would at best result in being taken away to become an imperial physician like the net-bearing grandfather, and if it goes badly… the kind of situation you see all the time in historical TV dramas would occur.

Eventually, the Feng Baek-ah in question sat next to Jin Cheonhee.

“I heard you’re called Little White Dragon. I wanted to greet you, but the opportunity never seemed to come.”

Jin Cheonhee gave a small bow.

“I hope you don’t think about it too seriously. Mother said that there’s no fool like one who pays too much attention to etiquette.”

Wangya Ju is raising her child in her own way. But not sure if that’s sincere or just learned behavior, Jin Cheonhee answered awkwardly for now.

“Ah, yes…”

“I’d like you to call me Princess Sobaek^[1]. It’s the name bestowed by His Majesty.”

Just as Cheon Yoo-rang is called Imperial Prince Consort Yoo-rang.

Feng Baek-ah was also given the title of Princess Sobaek.

When she grows up, she might become a ‘sovereign’ or ‘king’, but if she fails in the power struggle, there’s a possibility she might be called by a different title.

‘But with Wangya Ju as a parent, that probably won’t happen.’

Given her personality, even though they’re not connected by blood, she wouldn’t let her daughter end up like that.

“Yes. I understand, Princess Sobaek.”

At Jin Cheonhee’s words, Princess Sobaek’s cheeks turned slightly red.

Living as Wangya Ju’s daughter, she had seen many handsome men, but Jin Cheonhee’s beauty was quite exceptional among them.

‘…He’s handsome.’

His master, White Dragon Immortal, was hard to approach due to his unclear age and somewhat chilly impression, but his disciple Little White Dragon was different.

With slightly folded eyelids and soft, cat-like lips.

Moreover, he seemed to have good social skills, conversing well with people. Yet when it came to topics he wanted to avoid, he skillfully steered clear of them, showing consideration.

And it was said that Little White Dragon made half of this food.

‘Hehehe…’

Of course, being a princess, she couldn’t rashly show such feelings.

‘It would be nice to become friends with someone this handsome.’

She thought other princesses would be envious if she had a handsome martial arts master as a friend.

While thinking that such thoughts made her seem a bit shallow, she continued the conversation.

“I heard that martial artists develop abilities through training.”

“Rather than abilities, it’s martial arts. Abilities manifest through blood, while martial arts manifest through training.”

“Mm-hmm. I know that.”

She nodded repeatedly with a reddened face.

She said:

“Although it’s said that the government and the martial arts world coexist like oil and water, taxes still need to be collected, right? So I’ve been studying hard about the nature of the martial arts world.”

‘Oh, you’re already teaching her administration.’

Although Wangya Ju always says, “It’s troublesome, it’s troublesome,” she still always manages the basic administration of the land she received.

‘It seems she’s thinking of her as a successor.’

If the Hua Empire continues to enjoy an era of peace without war, there’s a high probability that ‘Sovereign Sobaek’ will emerge.

‘Originally, there were some calamities left, but… I’m not sure how many have been removed.’

I prevented the collapse of the Cloud Dragon Ticket Bureau and treated Imperial Prince Consort Yoo-rang, who was the cause of Wangya Ju’s seclusion.

And although not mentioned in the novel, I even saved Emperor 2.

Although the flow of history is strong, Jin Cheonhee hoped that this much would have twisted it quite a bit.

“Medical pavilions are tax-exempt, aren’t they?”

As Princess Sobaek asked with sparkling eyes, Jin Cheonhee answered with a slightly startled expression.

“That’s only related to income. We still pay basic taxes.”

‘Oh my. Surely she’s not going to change the law later and make us pay taxes?’

Sweat trickles down his back as he looks at the future hope of Wangya Ju’s mansion.

“I know that. According to reports, White Dragon Medical Pavilion’s business profits aren’t as high as expected, is that true?”

…This is… Master must be cooking the books.

If Master had heard this, he would have said, “Hahaha, Hee-ya. This isn’t tax evasion, it’s tax avoidance.”

She continued:

“Especially the soap business is in the red…”

‘Ah. They calculated including that.’

Fortunately, it wasn’t tax evasion.

The soap business failing was the actual truth. And Jin Cheonhee was still pouring money into it without giving up.

People of this era are already maintaining cleanliness in their own way.

Just looking at Princess Sobaek in front of him, she smells good and is clean.

However, surfactants are a specific remedy for killing bacteria and viruses. In a world where microscopes haven’t been invented, it’s natural to feel resistance when trying to introduce and change such concepts.

“But why do you keep investing in it again?”

“Because it’s better for the body.”

“It easily destroys toxins?”

Jin Cheonhee introduced the concept of toxins instead of bacteria.

“Yes. The soap bubbles destroy toxins.”

“Hmm. That alone isn’t very appealing.”

She fell into thought and then advised Jin Cheonhee.

“If it were me, I’d try putting fragrance in the soap.”

“Fragrance?”

“I know Little White Dragon is intelligent and skilled in medicine. But sometimes it’s good to think about things other than medicine. Sometimes a sense of mission can cloud one’s eyes.”

“I’d be grateful if you could tell me what you mean.”

“It’s about people’s hearts.”

“Pardon?”

“Not just royalty and noble families, but even commoners carry fragrance pouches in their sleeves for important occasions, don’t they? No one wants to smell bad. Everyone knows that if someone smells good, they become more likable. So…”

“You mean sell the soap with fragrance as a substitute for fragrance pouches?”

“It might be inferior to fragrance pouches, but if soap can eliminate bad odors and be used like a fragrance pouch, it could be worth the money. Try selling it using that point.”

“…”

Jin Cheonhee made an expression like he’d been hit with a revelation.

Princess Sobaek continued:

“Soap saves people, eliminates toxins. Of course, those are good reasons. But for most people, it’s not compelling enough to spend money on. So add fragrance. No one dislikes fragrance.”

Suddenly, Jin Cheonhee recalled his memories of using soap in modern times.

Even then, soap had fragrance.

There was the unique soap scent, but sometimes rose or lavender scents were added too.

Washing hands with that made him feel good.

‘Come to think of it, yeah. Even toothpaste had strawberry-flavored versions when I was young.’

Adding strawberry flavor to toothpaste wouldn’t increase its cleaning power.

Nevertheless, they added that flavor to help children get used to brushing their teeth.

“That’s a great idea, Princess Sobaek!”

“Hehehe. Do I seem a bit different now?”

“You do look different!”

At Jin Cheonhee’s words, Princess Sobaek’s cheeks turned red again.

“You’re too handsome, it’s harmful.”

Saying that, she sat a little further away from Jin Cheonhee.

“…?”

But not completely far away, just enough distance to still have a conversation.

And so, one of Jin Cheonhee’s challenges was easily solved.

***

The banquet ended, and it was time to leave.

His Imperial Highness Eun had recovered enough to be discharged.

He was leaving along with Jin Cheonhee’s group.

“You agreed to come to Wangya Ju’s mansion periodically, right?”

“Yes. I agreed to make occasional house calls.”

“Then I can come at that time too.”

He needs to receive Energy Purification Technique twice a year. It will be a time as painful as torture.

He chose to spend that time at Wangya Ju’s mansion, not the imperial palace.

It was clear who he trusted the most.

Wangya Ju looked at her brother with a complicated expression.

“It sounds troublesome just hearing about it.”

Saying that, she sighed.

“I’ll take that as permission, sister.”

“It’s none of my business.”

Her grumbling form suggests she’ll end up helping.

‘No matter how I look at it, it seems she’s forgotten all about the grudge from when mother passed away… but His Imperial Highness Eun doesn’t realize that.’

Is guilt blinding his eyes?

Even His Imperial Highness Geum, who can read minds, can’t read Wangya Ju, so the day these siblings truly understand Wangya Ju’s heart may never come.

But that too is their life.

A physician just heals patients.