When Qi Yue returned home, Chang Yuncheng was sitting in the room, visibly impatient.

“Go make soup,” he said directly.

“There’s soup for dinner, I just checked,” Qi Yue replied, washing her hands in the bronze basin held by a maid.

“I want you to make it, for a midnight snack,” Chang Yuncheng said.

“We’re about to have dinner, and you’re already talking about midnight snacks,” Qi Yue laughed as she dried her hands.

“Just go when I tell you to go. Why ask so many questions?” Chang Yuncheng said.

This awful man’s temper had been growing worse ever since she took the initiative to make peace.

Qi Yue rolled her eyes at him.

“What do you want to eat?” she asked.

Seeing her so compliant without further argument, Chang Yuncheng was somewhat surprised. His stern expression couldn’t help but show a hint of a smile, which he quickly suppressed.

“Just make what you’re best at,” he said.

Qi Yue laughed out loud.

“I’m good at many things…” she said.

Chang Yuncheng couldn’t help but laugh.

“You woman, you really have thick skin,” he said with a frown.

“Nonsense, what do you mean thick skin? This is called confidence,” Qi Yue laughed, wrinkling her nose at him. “Wait for it.”

When night fell, Chang Yuncheng stepped into Madam Xie’s Rongan Courtyard, reaching back to take the food box from the little maid behind him.

“Do you know what you should and shouldn’t say?” he said in a low voice.

The little maid nodded vigorously.

“I know, I know. The Prince ate his midnight snack in the study,” she said.

Chang Yuncheng waved his hand.

The little maid quickly withdrew, while the maids and servants here had already come out upon hearing the sound.

“The Prince has arrived.”

Madam Xie put down her prayer beads and smiled at Chang Yuncheng.

“Why are you coming at this time?” she asked.

“I’ve been away from home frequently these past few days, and by the time I returned, Mother had already retired. So today I came specially to pay my respects,” Chang Yuncheng said with a smile, sitting casually in his usual seat and kicking off his shoes.

A little maid brought over a foot warmer and arranged it properly for him.

“What’s this?” Madam Xie asked, smelling the fragrance emanating from the food box placed on the table.

“Midnight snack,” Chang Yuncheng said after settling down. He opened the food box and personally lifted out the contents. “I came specially to eat with Mother.”

Madam Xie smiled.

“I’m getting old and can’t eat greasy food,” she laughed. “You eat it.”

“Mother, it’s not greasy. It’s radish and tofu,” Chang Yuncheng smiled, ladling a bowl for her and passing it over. “Try it.”

Radish and tofu?

What’s so good about making soup with that?

Madam Xie looked over and saw large pieces of tofu and silver-thin radish strips. The white, tender, clear soup was sprinkled with a few dots of cilantro.

“Oh my, this soup looks really fresh and bright,” Nanny Su laughed, sniffing it. “Mm, no muddy radish smell.”

“Let me try it,” Madam Xie said, taking the soup spoon and slowly sipping.

Chang Yuncheng watched her nervously.

Madam Xie nodded and smiled at him with appreciation.

“Not bad,” she said.

Chang Yuncheng smiled with relief and picked up his own bowl, gulping it down.

“You child! Eat slowly,” Madam Xie laughed.

Mother and son chatted while eating, and surprisingly finished everything Chang Yuncheng had brought.

“Oh my, I’ve eaten too much tonight,” Madam Xie laughed, also surprised at herself. “This soup is good. Ask which cook made it, and give her a reward later.”

Nanny Su acknowledged and looked at Chang Yuncheng.

“Mother, don’t worry about it. I’ll give the reward myself. Consider it my filial piety – I won’t let Mother spend money,” Chang Yuncheng smiled.

Both Madam Xie and Nanny Su laughed.

A maid cleared away the food box and withdrew.

“Has that woman been bothering you again lately?” Madam Xie asked.

That woman? Chang Yuncheng was momentarily confused.

“No, she’s been quite good,” he quickly said.

Madam Xie exchanged a glance with Nanny Su, her eyes saying ‘see, my son just won’t let me worry, he won’t tell the truth.’ Nanny Su nodded.

“Don’t pay attention to her,” Madam Xie said. After a moment’s thought, “Yuncheng, do you remember Miss Rao from your aunt’s family from before New Year?”

Chang Yuncheng frowned.

“Which one?” he couldn’t recall for a moment.

“The one from the Rao family in Shandong that the Prince delivered on his way to the Old Madam’s house,” Nanny Su added.

Chang Yuncheng made an “oh” sound, remembering.

“What do you think of that girl?” Madam Xie asked with a smile, taking out some shoe patterns from nearby. “Look, she sent these to me.”

These ladies all loved sending such things to show off their needlework skills.

Speaking of sewing…

While they were both doing needlework, that woman’s specialty was doing needlework on people’s bodies – truly shocking and… stimulating.

A smile appeared on Chang Yuncheng’s lips.

Seeing Chang Yuncheng smile, Madam Xie was delighted and exchanged glances with Nanny Su.

“That girl…” Madam Xie began.

“The Marquis has arrived,” a maid announced from outside.

Madam Xie and the others quickly rose to welcome him. Marquis Dingxi was already entering, rubbing his hands and wearing a large cloak.

“Why are you coming at this time?” Madam Xie asked.

Chang Yuncheng bowed to Marquis Dingxi.

“Why can’t I come?” Marquis Dingxi glared. “This is my house, I can go wherever I want.”

Madam Xie pursed her lips.

“Concubine Zhu is due to give birth any day now. Aren’t you going to check on her?” she said.

Seeing them talking, Chang Yuncheng took his leave.

“What am I looking at that for? Women’s business,” Marquis Dingxi said, accepting tea from a maid while looking at Chang Yuncheng. “Don’t keep running around. Now that you’re finally back, spend more time with Yueniang.”

“Cheng-ge doesn’t go out. It’s that woman who’s always running around,” Madam Xie immediately said.

“Yueniang is opening a pharmacy, it’s normal for her to be busy,” Marquis Dingxi said.

Seeing these two about to bicker again, Chang Yuncheng bowed once more and left.

Wind carried snow against his face, and the little maid quickly held up an umbrella for him.

Chang Yuncheng entered the room to find Qi Yue still writing and drawing. Papers were piled on the table, and she greeted him when he returned.

“What’s this? It looks terrifying,” Chang Yuncheng approached, picking up a sheet and frowning.

Qi Yue looked up.

“Oh, that’s a diagram of orbicularis oris muscle rupture,” she said.

Oral acrobatics? What was that?

“And this one?” Chang Yuncheng picked up another sheet.

“Alveolar groove mucosal incision…” Qi Yue answered.

Where did she learn these incomprehensible terms…

Chang Yuncheng tossed that paper aside and continued rummaging through the table.

“Hey, don’t look at those. They’ll scare you so much you won’t dare sleep tonight,” Qi Yue laughed.

“Scare me?” Chang Yuncheng snorted with laughter. “Someone who’s slept in piles of corpses would be scared by a few drawings?”

“That’s different,” Qi Yue laughed, organizing the papers on the table. “The flesh and blood we deal with is quite different from straightforward corpses.”

Chang Yuncheng shook the paper in his hand, still looking at it with interest.

“So it can actually be sewn up? It seems so simple. Why didn’t others think of it?” he said.

Qi Yue laughed.

“Where’s the simplicity? Think about it – what happens when you don’t sew clothes properly?” she asked.

Crooked and twisted…

“Right. If you don’t sew human skin properly…” Qi Yue spread her hands to illustrate.

“Just say you’re very skilled directly. Why go around in circles?” Chang Yuncheng snorted, tossing the paper onto the table.

“Young Madam,” A’Ru’s anxious voice came from outside. “Someone from Qianjin Hall says there’s a critical emergency case.”

Marquis Dingxi and Madam Xie, who had just been about to rest, were called up.

“Look at this – a perfectly good young madam, what has she become?” Madam Xie said coldly with sarcasm.

“It’s a matter of life and death,” Marquis Dingxi said, frowning at Qi Yue. “What kind of emergency is there this late at night… requiring going out… Can’t they come to our house?”

“Father, it’s severe trauma that can’t be moved,” Qi Yue explained with a smile.

Only then did Marquis Dingxi nod.

“Go then, take more people,” he said.

Guards were already assembled by the second gate, holding torches that blazed with dancing flames.

“You don’t need to go. With all these people accompanying me, it’s enough,” Qi Yue said to Chang Yuncheng, who had come wearing a cloak. “If you went, you’d just be sitting outside, and the people at Qianjin Hall would feel uncomfortable.”

Chang Yuncheng stood motionless.

“That way, I’d feel uncomfortable too,” Qi Yue added.

Only then did Chang Yuncheng raise his hand to touch his nose and grunt in muffled agreement.

Qi Yue turned around and patted her chest with relief.

The side gate of the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion opened, and a group of people escorted a carriage out into the night toward the street.

“You wait in the main hall. I need to perform surgery in the back, so absolutely don’t let anyone disturb me,” Qi Yue said.

The guards chorused their agreement.

Qi Yue looked at them once more, then followed the Qianjin Hall disciples into the inner hall with A’Ru.

“This way.”

As soon as they entered the inner hall, Hu San, who was standing in the corner, quietly beckoned them over.

Qi Yue and A’Ru hurried over. Passing through a small door, they came to the back street where Liu Pucheng and four disciples were already waiting. Without speaking, they gestured, and Liu Pucheng, Qi Yue, and A’Ru got into a nearby donkey cart. The group disappeared into the back street.

Since it was still within the first month, the New Year atmosphere remained strong, but this particular place had no festive air whatsoever. In the dark night, two white paper lanterns swayed in the cold wind, looking particularly eerie.

Walking here, the disciples became visibly nervous, huddling together with hunched shoulders and folded arms, walking quickly.

A’Ru also unconsciously moved closer to Qi Yue.

Hu San walked in the middle of the disciples when he suddenly reached out and poked the disciple in front of him, startling him into crying out, which in turn frightened the others into jumping around.

Liu Pucheng glared back at them, and the disciples quickly huddled together again.

“What are you doing!” the disciples turned back to scold the culprit in low voices.

Hu San hunched his head, looking around nervously.

“I keep feeling like I hear someone crying…” he said quietly.

This immediately made the disciples’ hair stand on end.

“Shut up, shut up,” they whispered angrily.

Hu San covered his mouth with his hands.

The donkey cart stopped, and Qi Yue got down.

“Donkeys can’t get close here. I’m afraid I must trouble Miss Qi to walk over,” Liu Pucheng said.

“Why can’t the donkey cart get close?” Hu San couldn’t help asking.

Before Liu Pucheng could answer, Qi Yue looked at him and smiled.

“Because donkeys, oxen, and such animals can see things with their eyes that humans can’t see… so we’re afraid they might disturb these…” she said quietly, suddenly stopping. “What’s that?”

Her sudden shout startled Hu San into a strange cry as he threw himself onto a nearby disciple, who also cried out in fright.

Several disciples huddled together.

“Miss Qi,” Liu Pucheng turned back with some reproach.

Qi Yue covered her mouth and laughed quietly, quickening her pace to catch up with Liu Pucheng. A’Ru also hurried to follow.

Hu San slapped his own mouth.

“Serves you right for asking too many questions,” he muttered to himself, seeing his master walking away, and quickly followed.

Liu Pucheng stood at the door and knocked quietly. Qi Yue curiously looked around, feeling A’Ru’s rapid breathing behind her, and turned back with a smile to comfort her.

“Don’t be afraid… ah…” Qi Yue had just opened her mouth when she let out a low cry.

“Master, you’re teasing me again!” This time Hu San wasn’t fooled.

Qi Yue looked to the left, hand at her mouth. Under the white lantern’s glow, her widened eyes showed she was indeed startled.

Hu San felt his spine turn cold and stiffly turned his neck to look in the direction of Qi Yue’s gaze.

In the pitch-black night, a white robe was floating toward them.

“Mother!” Hu San shouted and dove behind Liu Pucheng.

“A woman?”

A male voice came from the white robe, which shook and revealed a black-clad man behind it.

Dressed entirely in black, he was already hard to see in the darkness, and holding a conspicuous white robe made the person behind it even more easily overlooked.

“Little Coffin,” Liu Pucheng nodded to greet the newcomer.

The man stopped under the lantern. Qi Yue saw this was a young man with a tall, slender build and clean features, still shaking the white robe in his hands.

While Qi Yue observed the newcomer, he was also studying her.

To avoid being recognized, Qi Yue had wrapped her head and face in black cloth, showing only her eyes, and was enveloped in a large cloak, which actually made her appear more alluring.

“A woman?” Little Coffin said again, confirming he hadn’t seen wrong, his face showing astonishment.