Feng Jiu’er had returned to this place, and once again she was looking at these few faces that held a faint trace of familiarity.

A-Yang, who suffered from a stomach ailment. A-Biao, who had tendinitis in his wrist. And the head jailer, who endured rheumatic pain in his legs.

But this time around, not one of the three recognised her.

She was dropped on the ground with a heavy thud. The head jailer, seeing that she was beautiful as a flower, felt a flicker of sympathy.

But sympathy was all it was. Any further consideration was entirely out of the question.

As for Qing Yun, who had been brought in alongside her, he was thrown into the adjacent cell.

The two cells were separated only by iron bars, so everything on either side could be seen with perfect clarity.

Watching the head jailer treat Qing Yun with such elaborate deference, Feng Jiu’er could only slump against the floor and lament the unfairness of the world.

A favourite of His Highness the Crown Prince — even in prison, such a person naturally required special care. Who could say whether he would walk free one day, and if so, what consequences might await anyone who had shown him disrespect in this place?

“Qing Yun, my lord, once His Highness the Crown Prince awakens, he will surely send someone to release you.”

Even the guard who had escorted Qing Yun over spoke with warmth, offering him a friendly smile.

Qing Yun gave a brief nod and said nothing.

As the guards prepared to leave, one of them paused to fix his gaze on Feng Jiu’er with a cold snort. “Feng Jiu’er, you’d best confess your crimes quickly. Otherwise, your entire Feng Family may well be dragged into this.”

Jiu’er paid him no mind. The guards left at last.

“Are you Feng Jiu’er?” A-Yang was the first to come over, tilting his head as he studied this girl who, despite her injuries, still looked as lovely as a heavenly being.

Feng Jiu’er? That couldn’t be right. Wasn’t Ninth Miss Feng supposed to be plain-looking?

Her medical skills were exceptional, and she seemed like a decent enough person, but she was supposed to be quite unattractive — that much was certain!

Yet this Feng Jiu’er before him — where was a single trace of plainness? She was, unmistakably, a beauty of the finest kind!

“What are you staring at? Haven’t you seen a beautiful woman before?” Jiu’er was flat on the ground, without even the strength to push herself upright.

The moment she spoke, A-Yang recognised her instantly. Who else could it be but Miss Jiu’er?

“Heavens above, A-Biao! It’s Miss Jiu’er — Miss Jiu’er has actually come back!”

A-Biao rushed over as well, and at the sight of Feng Jiu’er, his face lit up as though he were seeing a long-lost relative, bursting with warmth!

“Miss Jiu’er, it really is you! Wonderful — you’ve finally come back!”

Feng Jiu’er nearly rolled her eyes at them. Did they think this was some pleasant place? As if she had any desire to return here!

Did they not understand? Everyone brought to this place carried serious crimes. Not just anyone could end up here.

She had come here under charges — and here they were, one by one, practically beaming with excitement. Did they not realise the crimes she carried could very well cost her her life?

A-Yang and A-Biao seemed to recall, somewhat belatedly, that this was not exactly a welcome place.

The two of them helped her sit up, then poured tea, brought water, and fetched food for her, treating her with even greater care than they had shown Qing Yun next door.

Even Qing Yun couldn’t help but cast a sideways glance at the scene, wondering what on earth Feng Jiu’er had done to inspire such devoted attendance from these people, as though she were their own leader.

With something to eat and drink, Jiu’er’s spirits recovered considerably before long.

Seeing her complexion improve, A-Biao finally couldn’t hold the question back any longer. “Miss Jiu’er, what have you done to land yourself in trouble this time?”

The guards who had brought them here had been from within the imperial palace itself — a weighty matter, and not one they dared press before any official questioning had begun.

Palace affairs — who would dare ask questions?

But when the one in trouble was Miss Jiu’er, of course the question had to be asked.

Jiu’er let out a slow breath, swallowed the last piece of a chicken leg, and washed it down with a cup of tea before she finally answered: “Attempted assassination of His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Good heavens!”

A-Yang and A-Biao went weak at the knees at that, nearly dropping to the ground in shock!

Truly remarkable — a person of greatness, always doing things of great consequence!

Attempting to assassinate the Crown Prince — that was not something an ordinary person could pull off.

But wait… what? Attempted assassination of the Crown Prince? Heaven help them! Wasn’t that a capital offence?

Feng Jiu’er flicked a glance at the two of them. “Do you actually believe it?”

Since when did she have that kind of audacity? It wasn’t as though she truly had no fear of death!

To her surprise, A-Yang and A-Biao nodded vigorously in unison. “We believe it!”

“You’re both out of your minds. The Crown Prince and I have no grudge between us — why would I want to assassinate him?”

There was that, to be fair. Though perhaps… “Was it because His Highness the Crown Prince had his eye on your beauty and intended to take advantage of you, so you…”

“Insolence!” From the neighbouring cell, Qing Yun’s expression darkened instantly as he barked the reprimand.

A-Biao recoiled in fright and hastily dropped to his knees, knocking his forehead against the ground before Qing Yun. “This subordinate… this subordinate was speaking nonsense — please forgive me, Lord Qing Yun, I was speaking utter nonsense!”

“Why are you kneeling to him? He’s in here on the same charge as I am. For all we know, tomorrow we’ll both be losing our heads. There’s nothing to be afraid of — ha!”

At a moment like this, Feng Jiu’er could still manage to laugh. Even she couldn’t help but admire her own nerve.

But what was the use of being afraid? It wouldn’t solve a thing.

Feng Jiu’er herself was unbothered, but A-Yang and A-Biao were absolutely in awe of her.

Even Qing Yun, sitting in the cell next door, found admiration and something close to surprise seeping into his gaze as he watched her.

This girl — so young, and yet faced with something this terrible, she could still sit quietly, composed, and speak with such ease. Had it been any other young woman, she would surely have been wailing, screaming, and long since collapsed in despair.

Feng Jiu’er simply had that quality about her — when something could not be changed, she accepted it. Despair was useless. Better to wait quietly and see how things might shift.

Having eaten and drunk her fill, she dusted off her hands and looked at A-Yang. “How is that stomach ailment? Shall I take another look at you?”

A-Yang was still slightly dazed, entirely unable to understand how she could be in the mood to see patients at a time like this.

“Don’t squander the opportunity — for all you know, tomorrow I’ll be beheaded, and if you don’t let me look now, once I’m gone there won’t be another chance…”

“Nonsense, nonsense, and more nonsense! How could Miss Jiu’er possibly be the sort to do something so treasonous? This must be a frame-up!”

A-Yang’s heart grew heavy. A person this good — how did she keep ending up falsely accused?

And this time, it was a charge of attempting to assassinate the Crown Prince. Entering prison on such a charge made coming out unscathed an extraordinarily slim hope.

“Come here, let me check your pulse.” Feng Jiu’er beckoned.

“Miss Jiu’er…”

“If you won’t, then let A-Biao come instead.” Feng Jiu’er pressed her lips together, looking entirely indifferent.

A-Yang certainly wanted to see her. Last time Miss Jiu’er had treated him and given him a massage, his stomach ailment had genuinely improved.

He had gone home and had his wife follow her method as best she could, and while it helped somewhat, it had never been quite as effective as when Miss Jiu’er did it herself.

Feng Jiu’er used acupuncture to treat A-Yang’s stomach cold. After two incense sticks’ worth of time had passed, she said, “Done. Let A-Biao come next — I’ll take a look at his wrist.”

“And ask whether anyone else has any complaints. This young lady is in a good mood today, so I’ll see to everyone all at once!”