Give a definite answer when even the method has been thought up?

Pei Yu gritted his teeth. “Miss Yan, let me say something unpleasant upfront. You can disguise as my medical assistant, but whether you can get in, I don’t have the say.”

“Who does?”

“Luck.”

Yan Sanhe frowned. “You’re saying it’s very difficult to enter the Lu residence?”

Pei Yu looked helpless. “The Brocade Guard is the first barrier. The Lu family’s old servants are the second barrier. Tell me, is it difficult or not?”

“Uncle Pei?”

Xie Zhifei suddenly spoke. “A small Lu residence requiring the Brocade Guard to be deployed—that makes no sense.”

The Brocade Guard—what were they?

The Emperor’s personal troops!

“It makes no sense, but the old censor is currently at the eye of the storm. Inside and outside the palace, countless eyes are watching.”

Still not right!

Xie Zhifei, with his keen sensitivity to the capital’s defensive arrangements, pressed on. “The Yan Ruxian matter wouldn’t warrant…”

“Still bringing him up? His household has already been raided.”

“Raided?”

Xie Zhifei was greatly surprised. “Who raided it?”

Pei Yu thought to himself, how did this boy become stupid after one trip out? “Who else could it be? His Majesty, of course.”

Xie Zhifei and Young Master Pei looked at each other.

Yan Ruxian had truly fallen?

This was too damn fast!

No wonder the Brocade Guard had to be deployed to guard the gate. Yan Ruxian had quite a few followers. At this critical juncture, they did need to protect the old censor.

“Third Master.”

At this moment, Zhu Qing strode over and whispered a few words in Xie Zhifei’s ear.

Xie Zhifei’s face quickly took on a layer of gravity. He rose and looked at Yan Sanhe. “You go with Uncle Pei shortly. Mingting and I have something to attend to.”

He and Mingting?

Yan Sanhe didn’t need to think twice to know it was something from the Grand Grandson’s side.

“You two handle your business with peace of mind. Don’t worry about my end. Unless it’s something important, you don’t need to come over either.”

How could Xie Zhifei truly be at ease? “If the Brocade Guard stops you, mention my name—it might work. As for the Lu residence’s old servants…”

Yan Sanhe: “I’ll think of a way myself.”

Xie Zhifei nodded. “If you can’t see him, don’t worry. We’ll find another way later.”

Yan Sanhe: “Good!”

Xie Zhifei turned to look at Pei Yu. “Uncle Pei?”

Pei Yu hated most when this boy put on such an innocent face. “Fine, fine, fine. Get lost!”

“Mingting, let’s go!”

Pei Mingting didn’t waste a word and briskly followed him out. After leaving the courtyard, he asked in a low voice, “What happened?”

“It was Huairen who raided the Yan residence.”

“Yo, leading an imperial raid again!”

Young Master Pei held up two fingers. “Twice now. How much His Majesty must trust his grandson!”

“Huairen assigned guarding the back gate to the Military Command.”

“Hasn’t it always been people from the Ministry of Justice…”

Young Master Pei’s words stopped halfway. He suddenly grabbed Xie Zhifei’s arm. “He’s elevating you to position!”

“But I wasn’t in the capital.”

Xie Zhifei rubbed his brow. “Mingting, I don’t know why, but I feel… somewhat sorry toward him.”

I have that feeling too.

The three of them had always been inseparable, like three peas in a pod.

When Huairen had matters, he would tell them. When they had something happen, they wouldn’t hide it from him either.

This trip to Hejian Prefecture, they hadn’t even greeted Huairen. What they’d done wasn’t very proper.

“Fifty, we…”

“Get in the carriage first.”

Once inside the carriage with the curtain dropped, Xie Zhifei said in a low voice:

“Other things are minor matters, but there’s one thing we need to discuss in advance—do we tell him about Jingchen’s heart demon or not?”

“Why ask me?”

Pei Xiao felt his body hair standing on end one by one. “I, I, I don’t know!”

“I don’t know either!”

Not telling—

With such a good relationship among the three, keeping only Huairen in the dark—didn’t that mean they didn’t trust him? Besides, if Huairen really wanted to investigate their whereabouts, it couldn’t be hidden.

Telling—

The matter was too sensitive, connected to the Late Crown Prince. Would Huairen have some thoughts about it? Would he stop them from investigating further?

Xie Zhifei leaned back, letting out a soft sigh. “Such a dilemma!”

These words made Young Master Pei’s heart panic. “How about we do like last time with Wu Guanyue—tell half, keep half?”

“He treats me with complete sincerity, yet I…”

Xie Zhifei very much disliked this feeling.

Lying and scheming should be used on opponents, not on friends.

Last time hiding things from Huairen was because it involved Wu Guanyue and his son, involved the Zheng family—the case was too big. Once opened, it would be a storm of blood and flashing blades.

Huairen’s foundation was still shallow. Hiding it was for his own good.

This time…

Xie Zhifei’s head throbbed. He simply lay down in the carriage. “This time, I truly don’t know!”

…

At the Lu residence that afternoon, concealed beneath a canopy of trees.

The Pei residence’s carriage slowly stopped at the entrance. A young medical assistant jumped down first. The assistant was very young with fair skin, carrying a medicine box on thin shoulders.

The assistant stood steady, then turned to help Pei Yu down from the carriage.

Pei Yu grasped the assistant’s wrist and said in a low voice, “Once we enter, try not to raise your head. Just follow behind me.”

Yan Sanhe looked at the large hand trembling on her wrist, her face helpless. “Imperial Physician Pei, you’ve said this twenty times already.”

I wish I could say it two hundred times!

Pei Yu’s voice was trembling. “Once in the inner chamber, watch my expressions and act accordingly. You absolutely must not act rashly. Lu Shi isn’t like others, he…”

“Imperial Physician Pei, if you keep talking, others will start getting suspicious.”

Yan Sanhe raised her chin toward the entrance. Pei Yu glanced sideways and nearly fainted.

At the entrance, two imperial physicians stood on the left and right, looking at Pei Yu with surprised expressions.

After the Emperor’s rage, Director Zhao, fearing he’d lose his official hat, divided the imperial physicians into three shifts: morning, afternoon, and evening.

Each shift rotated one or two physicians, terrified that something might happen to Lu Shi.

Pei Yu, frightened, quickly withdrew his hand, coughed once, raised his head and puffed out his chest with considerable presence as he walked over.

“Imperial Physician Wang, Imperial Physician Fu!”

“Imperial Physician Pei!”

The three exchanged greetings. Imperial Physician Wang looked at the medical assistant behind Pei Yu. “Unfamiliar face—newly taken disciple?”

“Mm.” Pei Yu: “Taken many years ago. Brought out today to see the world.”

Imperial Physician Fu: “Judging by the bearing, should be a young lady!”

“What of it…”

Pei Yu’s tone was quite sharp. “Can’t my Pei family cultivate a female physician to helm the Hundred Medicines Hall? Disciple, come greet the two imperial physicians.”

In Hua Country, female physicians were selected by various medical lineages from talented women within their clans. After years of cultivation, they specialized in treating the health of palace ladies and consorts.

Yan Sanhe stepped forward and openly bowed to the two imperial physicians, allowing them to scrutinize her openly.

Once she acted openly, the two old physicians felt embarrassed instead and casually offered a few compliments.

Pei Yu’s nose expelled two streams of cold air. With a flick of his sleeve, he stepped across the Lu residence’s threshold.

Yan Sanhe nodded to the two physicians and followed at an unhurried pace.

After this encounter, she finally understood where Young Master Pei’s proud bearing came from—inherited from his father, of course.

This was a proper, square two-courtyard residence. Where flowers should be planted, there were flowers; where grass should be planted, there was grass.

Walking all the way in, Yan Sanhe couldn’t find a single scenic spot that would make her look twice. Utterly ordinary.

At the second gate entrance, two armed guards stood left and right.

Yan Sanhe’s heart tightened as she quickly lowered her head.