Started as a mute girl? I prospered in the lean years

Tanyuan City had its first light snowfall after entering winter, and along with the snow came the sound of horses’ hooves as the envoys from Southern Xia came to pay homage to the Great Jin.

Shen Huaixu was busy with the restaurant, study and medical consultations throughout the autumn.

The business of the study and restaurant is gradually improving.

Needless to say, the restaurant is extremely hot in the summer. Even though Song Jiao Lou has many ice cream shops, business is still much slower than in other seasons.

Actually, the storytellers in the restaurant attracted quite a few customers. Every time a new book was released in the Zhuli Study, Song Jiaolou would always be the first to get the original text, like a bird that heralds good news. At this time, some diners would ask the servants who followed them to go to the Zhuli Study to buy books.

There was only one thing that made Shen Huaixu a little conflicted.

Her palm-sized face was half covered by the snow rabbit scarf. Because she was worried, her face was wrinkled. The snow fell like salt grains, making her skin look even whiter.

When she arrived at her father's yard, she saw her father punching vigorously in the yard.

Shen Huaixu changed his previous sad expression, and watched the moves that contained strong palm winds with bright eyes, and his palms felt a little hot.

Putting aside the father-daughter relationship, she actually wanted to fight with Shen Su. After all, he was a well-known figure on the battlefield in the past. The mere mention of him made people want to challenge him. Moreover, they were both of equal strength, so there was no need to worry about hitting too hard and hurting the other person.

Lidong saw the eager look on his face, which meant that his young master had dangerous ideas.

Before he could step forward, Shen Su noticed Shen Huaixu not far away and stopped.

"Why are you here at this hour? Are you cold?" He took the handkerchief handed to him by the servant and wiped the sweat from his temples.

Shen Huaixu shook his head, remembered the purpose of his coming here, and his brows drooped again.

"Dad, do you know why the Queen summoned me to the palace yesterday?"

Shen Su glanced at his daughter with a smile on his face and said, "Let's talk inside."

The servants served tea and snacks and then left. Shen Huaixu held his chin and said, "The Queen wants me to be a royal physician and work in the Imperial Hospital."

Privately, Shen Huaixu did not want his medical skills to be used only among the royal family, dignitaries and their families.

No matter in which era, those at the top always enjoy the best resources and attempt to monopolize these resources. They do not realize that what they have is already overflowing, and any bit that leaks out of their palms can feed a lot of people.

"I once said, if you don't want to go, then don't go." Shen Su said, "Daddy has always been able to protect you until now."

Just these words made Shen Huaixu feel very confident. Her eyes flickered slightly and she asked, "Can my daughter make a request to the Queen?"

Shen Su didn't ask her what she wanted to ask, but only said, "Do you need Daddy to accompany you to the palace?"

Shen Huaixu felt relieved and a big smile appeared on his face. "That's not necessary. The Queen is a generous person. Miaomiao is just unsure of what Daddy is thinking and wants Daddy to give me confidence."

These words made Shen Su feel very relieved.

"You are right to be so cautious. After all, they are from the royal family. It is not good to reject them again and again."

Afterwards, Shen Su asked Shen Huaixu what request he wanted to make.

Shen Huaixu told the truth.

She straightened her back and said proudly, "Dad, do you know that my daughter's name has spread among the inner-house ladies in the capital?"

Shen Su's lips curled up slightly, "Of course I know."

"My daughter is not practicing medicine at Jishiditang for fame," Shen Huaixu said. "She doesn't want to join the Imperial Hospital because I think they don't need me. Even if I don't join the Imperial Hospital, I can still go to the palace to treat the ladies. Besides, although there are very few female doctors in the world, there is always a shortage of them in the palace."

A complex expression flashed across Shen Huaixu's face, and his black and white eyes looked at his father. "To be honest, father, I have talked to those female doctors before, and I know how hard it is for them to learn medicine. Even if there are doctors among the elders in the family, they are not valued by their families because they are women. Not only that, even if they are close relatives, women cannot have any contact with the medical skills passed down by the family because they have to marry someone else and take someone else's surname."

Shen Su had heard of all these before. This was true not only in medicine, but also in all walks of life in the world.

Shen Su was silent for a while. After a moment, he asked, "What do you want?"

Shen Huaixu smiled and said, "I once considered opening a clinic to treat everyone, regardless of gender or wealth. Later, I thought that this clinic can't run for a long time and can only benefit the local area. It would be better to join the Imperial Hospital. Every county in Dajin has an Imperial Hospital. I can accept female disciples from each Imperial Hospital and teach them medical skills."

"Is this your condition?" Shen Su chuckled, "I'm afraid your condition is exactly what the queen wants."

After confirming his guess, Shen Huaixu let out a sigh, "I was wondering why the Queen insisted on having me enter the Imperial Hospital. So this is her plan. But why didn't she tell me directly?"

She muttered, "It makes me so confused."

Shen Su sighed and looked at the falling snow outside the window. "As you said, no one wants to give up their special skills to others. I think the queen is also aware of this. After you enter the palace, it would be good to send two female doctors to learn the basics by your side."

Shen Huaixu couldn't help but sigh, "Your Majesty has good intentions."

After a conversation, Shen Huaixu turned around and agreed to the Queen's request. Three days after she became the first female imperial physician of the Jin Dynasty, the envoy from Nanxia arrived late.

As a new official, Shen Huaixu had little experience, was young and was a woman, so many people didn't want to be her colleague. However, due to her status, no one dared to turn their backs on her.

On the day when the envoys from Nanxia entered the palace, she happened to be walking on the palace road in her official robes. Seeing that there were many people coming, she stepped aside. When she turned sideways, she glanced and a tall man in a black robe instantly caught her attention.

Without taking the time to look at it for a second, she lowered her eyes and frowned slightly, she had seen it wrong.

Take another look.

The moment she raised her eyes, Shen Huaixu's gaze met the eyes under the mask. She was suddenly struck by lightning and her steps stopped for a moment.