Lu Tong lowered her head, no longer paying attention to the commotion outside, focusing solely on doing what she needed to do.

At the doorway, Meng Xiyan gazed at the person standing before the bed, her face unable to hide her shock.

How could Pei Yunying suddenly appear here?

Today His Majesty hosted a banquet at Minglin Garden. Pei Yunying had entered the palace together with Prince Wen, and the feast wouldn’t end until evening. Even if Pei Yunying’s people had secretly reported the news and he had rushed here upon receiving it, where was Prince Wen? Why wasn’t he here?

As if thinking of something, Meng Xiyan’s beautiful face showed a hint of distortion from fear.

Pei Yunying had come for his sister. With Prince Wen absent, who in the entire prince’s manor could protect her now?

Meng Xiyan couldn’t help but take a step back.

She feared Pei Yunying.

Princess Wen, Pei Yunshu, appeared aloof and cold but was actually weak and easily bullied. Her kind-hearted nature only resulted in being constantly neglected and deceived by everyone in the manor. However, Pei Yunshu’s younger brother from the same mother had a completely different temperament.

This man was handsome, with a witty and cheerful personality. At such a young age, he enjoyed the emperor’s deep favor and had Duke Zhaoning as his father. Such a noble young man bore none of the arrogance typical of spoiled sons from wealthy families. Even toward servants and maids, he was always smiling and courteous. Every time he visited the manor, he would set the hearts of young maidservants aflutter. Even Meng Xiyan herself had to admit that if Pei Yunying deliberately tried to seduce her, she might not be able to resist.

But she didn’t dare.

Meng Xiyan still remembered the scene of her father, the Director of the Imperial Workshops, standing before her with a stern expression, warning her not to compete with Pei Yunshu. He spoke of Pei Yunying’s sinister ruthlessness, of how court officials who opposed him always met with mysterious misfortune, of how when this heir of Duke Zhaoning killed people, the blood from corpses could dye an entire small stream red.

He said: “You’ve always been competitive. In the past, when the prince protected you, it was fine, but now Pei Yunying has returned to the capital. He’s a madman. Don’t offend him, or he’ll dare to move against anyone!”

Meng Xiyan had scoffed. Her father had always been timid and fearful. No matter how arrogant Pei Yunying was, he still had to consider propriety and law.

But deep in her heart, she vaguely felt that her father hadn’t exaggerated.

Because it wasn’t just her – even Prince Wen’s eyes held a hint of wariness whenever he faced Pei Yunying.

Someone even Prince Wen had to be wary of had now come with a group of imperial guards to demand accountability. What could she do to escape unscathed?

Intermittent moans came from the room. Meng Xiyan came back to her senses, her gaze sweeping over the guard’s corpse lying in a pool of blood in the room. She couldn’t help but feel her eyelids twitch, growing even more terrified.

Lu Han was Prince Wen’s most trusted guard, yet he had killed him without a moment’s hesitation…

She suddenly had a thought – Pei Yunying would never let her go!

Meng Xiyan fearfully raised her eyes.

The imperial guards had completely surrounded the doorway. Before the pale silk curtains, the young man stood there. His crimson embroidered robes were startlingly bright against the blood-soaked floor, while the cold gleam of the long sword at his waist cast his handsome features in a layer of chilling murderous intent.

Gone was his usual brightness and warmth. He stared at Meng Xiyan expressionlessly, his gaze as cold and indifferent as if he were looking at a dead person.

Meng Xiyan felt her hair stand on end under his gaze. She retreated another step, nearly tripping over her skirt hem, and argued almost pleadingly: “Marshal Pei, these people conspired to harm the princess—”

Pei Yunying let out a short laugh.

When he smiled, his features became even more strikingly handsome, but his dark eyes were filled with nothing but mockery.

Meng Xiyan felt flustered and confused by his laughter, then heard the man before her sneer: “They are my people. Are you suggesting that this heir would harm the princess in broad daylight?”

She was stunned for a moment, then suddenly understood.

No wonder, no wonder these people were so loyal to Pei Yunshu. No wonder she could never bribe these two maids no matter what – because they were actually Pei Yunying’s people planted beside Pei Yunshu!

But new servants in the prince’s manor all went through strict examination by the prince’s subordinates to prevent people with ulterior motives from infiltrating the manor.

How dare he, and how could he, so openly place his people in the manor’s courtyard?

Wasn’t he afraid of arousing the emperor’s suspicion?

Meng Xiyan was shocked beyond words, but Pei Yunying seemed tired of talking to her and coldly raised his hand: “Drag her away.”

How could the manor’s guards compare to those mighty imperial troops? In just moments, they had captured all the guards, servants, and old women both inside and outside the room.

Meng Xiyan was pressed by the imperial guards to walk outside, struggling desperately: “Let me go!”

Since entering the prince’s manor, she had always been deeply favored by Prince Wen. Though nominally a concubine, her status was actually far higher than that of Princess Pei Yunshu. Now, being dragged away like a prisoner before all the manor’s servants by Pei Yunying’s men was utterly humiliating. How could she command respect in the future? What would the manor’s servants think of her?

Meng Xiyan suddenly turned her head and shouted through gritted teeth at the man before the curtains: “Are you mad? I am the manor’s concubine. You dare treat me this way – when the prince returns, he absolutely won’t let you off!”

Pei Yunying was so arrogant in someone else’s residence. Did he really think the laws of the capital couldn’t touch him? How detestable!

“Won’t let me off?”

He was startled for a moment, as if he had heard something amusing. The smile in his eyes became even more brilliant, but his dark pupils seemed to hold the chill of a winter forest covered in evening snow, utterly cold.

He spoke indifferently: “You’d better pray that my sister is safe and sound, otherwise…”

“Not one person who moved against her today will escape.”

The imperial guards, trained for years, moved swiftly and quickly dragged away the crowd at the door. The corpse in the room was also cleaned up. Only Pei Yunshu’s painful moans echoed in the room.

With the obstructions cleared away, now it was up to Pei Yunshu herself.

Lu Tong didn’t raise her head: “Everyone else out. Leave Yin Zheng in the room to help me.”

Fang Zi and Qiong Ying instinctively looked toward Pei Yunying. Pei Yunying nodded slightly at them, and the two immediately withdrew.

Only Pei Yunying remained in the room.

Lu Tong: “You go out too.”

Light silk hung high above the bed like gentle smoke, blurring the crimson figure outside into something like a tender old dream.

He moved, walking toward the door. After taking two steps, he suddenly stopped.

The wind stirred the gauze curtains, and behind the fluttering drapes, human figures appeared and disappeared. The young man’s voice had lost its former casual laughter, becoming restrained and complex, different from before.

“Doctor Lu,” he asked, “can I trust you?”

Lu Tong’s movements paused.

The room was silent except for the woman’s fragmented moans. That crimson reflection on the light silk was like a deep red peony about to bloom, graceful and lovely, spring’s emotion made manifest.

After a moment of silence, Lu Tong lowered her head again and spoke calmly.

“When treating patients and saving lives, I am simply a doctor.”

…

Pei Yunying waited in the courtyard for a very long time.

Moonlight spilled across the ground like water, gently illuminating the entire courtyard. Osmanthus flowers floated like jade, the night was cool and clear. On the fifteenth of the eighth month in the capital, the full moon was always more brilliant than usual.

The young man stood in the courtyard, silently erect like a solid stone. Silver moonlight flowed over clusters of fragrant osmanthus, then spread across the pale gold floral patterns on the edges of his embroidered robes, finally gently tracing his features and leaving a trace of ethereal light in his pupils.

He kept watching the latticed window.

The dim yellow lamplight glowing from the small window made this already quiet night seem even more desolate. He watched quietly, as if he would stand there until the end of time.

A guard beside him advised: “Young master, why don’t you go rest first.”

Pei Yunying shook his head slightly, but his grip on his sword grew tighter and tighter.

Intermittent low moans came from the latticed window, and from time to time maids came out carrying silver basins. Those basins of blood water were so red they were painful to look at, shocking to behold.

He lowered his eyelids, long lashes hiding the expression in his eyes.

When mother died, she also bled profusely.

Fourteen-year-old him didn’t understand. Panicked and clumsy, he tried to use his hands to cover the wound on her neck, but blood still gushed out ceaselessly, as if endless, instantly soaking his hands. The woman who had always loved to smile held him tightly in her arms. That warm liquid kept flowing from her body, becoming sticky and cold. Mother looked at him, her eyes that had always been full of laughter now containing only heartache and attachment, and the withering as life was gradually stripped away.

She gasped heavily and said urgently: “Ying’er… Ying’er, protect your sister well… flee quickly!”

Flee quickly.

Those were the last words mother left him.

Pei Yunying closed his eyes.

He had promised mother he would protect Pei Yunshu well, but as a youth he couldn’t even decide Pei Yunshu’s marriage. When he learned that Duke Zhaoning Pei Di planned to send Pei Yunshu into the palace, he tried desperately to stop it but was powerless.

That’s when he understood – he needed power. He didn’t want to be controlled by the Pei family. He wanted to be able to decide the fate of the two siblings himself. Staying in the Pei family as the heir of Duke Zhaoning wouldn’t work.

So he left the manor and the capital, sought refuge with others, and climbed upward by any means necessary. He obtained conditions that would allow him to negotiate with Pei Di, but when he returned to the capital, he discovered Pei Yunshu had already married.

Pei Yunshu hadn’t entered the palace – she had entered Prince Wen’s manor and married that waste Mu Sheng.

He was a step too late. He was always a step too late.

Just like today when he learned of Pei Yunshu’s crisis at Minglin Garden, he felt the same hatred for his own incompetence as he had years ago. In that instant, intense rage swept over him, making him want to immediately slaughter everyone in Prince Wen’s manor. But in the end, he only restrained himself, rose, explained the situation to the emperor, and rushed back with the imperial guards.

He was no longer the rash young master of the Pei family who understood nothing from years past. The humiliation and scheming Pei Yunshu suffered in this manor – he would settle every account for her. Whether it was Meng Xiyan, Mu Sheng, or anyone else.

“Waaah—”

A resounding baby’s cry pierced the sky, breaking the deathly still night.

Yin Zheng’s joyful voice drifted out from the small window: “A daughter! The princess has given birth to a little daughter! Congratulations to the princess, felicitations to the princess!”

Fang Zi and Qiong Ying, who had been waiting at the door, were immediately delighted and hurried into the room. Pei Yunying froze in place, as if he couldn’t believe his own ears for a moment. Only after a moment did he seem to come to his senses and walk to the room’s entrance in two or three steps, only to be blocked at the door by Yin Zheng’s arm.

Yin Zheng said hesitantly: “Sir, the young lady just delivered the little miss, but the little miss was born with poison in her body. The young lady still needs to help her expel the poison. I’m afraid you’ll have to wait a while longer. You can’t enter now.”

Pei Yunying’s expression changed slightly.

Indeed, safe delivery was only the first step. His sister had been unknowingly poisoned in the prince’s manor, her unborn child corroded daily by toxic substances. Lu Tong had merely brought the child out at the last moment before the poison consumed everything, but that was only the first step.

This newly born little girl’s future was still like a dark endless night, murky and unclear.

The person before him had a somber expression, seeming to emanate a faint chill. Yin Zheng felt inexplicably nervous and heard Pei Yunying ask coldly: “How is the princess?”

With the previous oppressive pressure gone, Yin Zheng quietly sighed in relief: “The princess is fine, just a bit weak. Sir Pei can rest assured.”

He said nothing more, so Yin Zheng quickly slipped back into the room. When this Sir Pei wasn’t smiling, he always made people feel considerable pressure.

He didn’t leave, still waiting at the door, quietly listening to the baby’s thin crying from within the room. The sound was very weak, like a newborn kitten, mewing softly and pawing with soft little claws, yet it had a strange vitality that was particularly moving in the night.

The guard Chi Jian walked to Pei Yunying’s side, genuinely happy for him, but within his relief was also some uncertain doubt. He reminded in a low voice: “Master, is that Doctor Lu trustworthy?”

The night Duan Xiaoyan was detained by Lu Tong, Chi Jian had also been present. He had personally witnessed how that seemingly gentle and lovely female doctor had confronted Pei Yunying so pointedly – her mocking tone, challenging gaze, and unhesitating scheming against Duan Xiaoyan all made it impossible to believe she had no ulterior motives.

And now, the lives of Pei Yunshu and her daughter were in her hands, hanging by a thread.

Pei Yunying lowered his eyes without speaking.

After a moment, he spoke indifferently: “I have no other choice.”

Since learning of Pei Yunshu’s pregnancy, he had arranged for Fang Zi to be placed in Pei Yunshu’s courtyard, later sending Qiong Ying as well. All the servants in Pei Yunshu’s courtyard were carefully screened, and her food and daily needs were inspected daily without daring to be careless. Medical officials from the palace were regularly brought in to take her pulse, but despite all this, Pei Yunshu had still been poisoned right under his nose.

Those palace medical officials prided themselves on their superior medical skills, yet they hadn’t even discovered Pei Yunshu’s poisoning. Having failed to detect it, believing they could cure the poison would be laughable. He didn’t want to trust Lu Tong – this female doctor was full of lies, not a single word was true, capable of killing, framing, and falsely accusing others. Yet he had to place the person he cherished before her.

Because right now, only Lu Tong could save her.

He had never been one to pray to gods and Buddhas, and he scorned the behavior of people begging for divine mercy in their darkest moments. But at this moment, he prayed to the void, willing to trade his remaining lifespan for the safety of Pei Yunshu and her daughter on the sickbed.

The pale silk curtains were like smoke and mist, gently covering the slender figure before the bed. Her voice was clear and cold without a trace of emotion, like stone from a mountain peak, flowers from a deep valley – despite wind and heavy rain, settling long in people’s hearts.

“When treating patients and saving lives, I am simply a doctor.”

Simply a doctor…

Pei Yunying’s eyes flickered slightly.

He could threaten Meng Xiyan, threaten Mu Sheng, but he couldn’t threaten a madwoman who could perish together with others at any time. Since she couldn’t be threatened, he could only trust.

There were very few people he trusted in this world, but he hoped she was worthy of it.

Someone approached in the courtyard – it was the guard Qing Feng. Qing Feng stopped before Pei Yunying and said in a low voice: “Master, Prince Wen has returned to the manor. Learning that you’ve detained the guards and Concubine Meng, he’s extremely furious and is now confronting the imperial guards at the courtyard gate, demanding that you release them immediately.”

Pei Yunying chuckled, his smile somewhat contemptuous.

At Minglin Garden, when he received the news, Mu Sheng was already slightly drunk. He had requested leave from the emperor but deliberately omitted Mu Sheng. The emperor always had a kind of malicious interest in the subtle tensions between court officials and their in-laws, so he didn’t stop him. His imperial guards had completely surrounded Pei Yunshu’s courtyard, not allowing anyone from the prince’s manor to approach.

It was indeed somewhat like a dove occupying a magpie’s nest.

However…

Just a waste, yet he dared to make a scene before him.

The young man walked forward two steps. The gentleness and serenity he had shown while standing by the window instantly faded away, his features becoming as cold as ice, as if he had become a different person entirely.

His voice was equally merciless as he spoke indifferently: “Tell him to get lost, otherwise…”

“I’ll flay his beloved concubine right before his eyes.”