Lu Tong returned to the medical shop.

The girl Hong Man had led her out through Yuxian Tower’s back door, where she changed clothes and took a carriage quietly back. Throughout the process, not a single question was asked. It seemed that Pei Yunying’s orders required no questioning, only obedience.

At the medical shop, the two alighted from the carriage and entered. Yin Zheng closed the main gate and followed Lu Tong into the courtyard, anxiously asking, “Miss, will Official Pei be suspicious of you?”

Lu Tong shook her head. “I’ll handle it.”

She had snuck into the pleasure house at night disguised as a dancing girl. With Pei Yunying’s cunning, he wouldn’t let this pass without investigation. He was likely already having people look into it.

However, firstly he had no evidence, and secondly, Lu Tong hadn’t interfered with his affairs. Most likely they would both tacitly agree not to mention the incident—

After all, Pei Yunying’s relationship with Miss Hong Man was worth pondering.

In this world, who didn’t have their secrets?

Yin Zheng asked again, “Miss couldn’t get close to Qi Yutai today. What should we do next?”

Lu Tong’s gaze grew distant.

After a moment, she said, “We’ll wait and find another opportunity.”

Getting close to Qi Yutai was proving much more difficult than she had imagined. Especially after tonight’s events – his guards were incredibly alert. She had barely lingered on the third floor before they were already investigating.

Either his people were always this vigilant.

Or… he had something to hide and was already on guard.

Either way, it was an obstacle to Lu Tong’s revenge plans.

Seeing Lu Tong’s uncertain expression, Yin Zheng quickly said, “Never mind, it’s too late today. Miss should wash up and rest, to avoid Du Manager noticing anything amiss tomorrow morning.”

“When we reach the bridge, we’ll cross it. If this attempt didn’t work, we’ll think of another way next time!”

Hearing the comfort in her words, Lu Tong nodded in agreement. She removed her remaining makeup, washed up, and finally extinguished the lamp before lying down.

Outside the window, the rain had lessened, pattering quietly against the panes. Winter nights in the rain were always more desolate and cold.

The small room was quite chilly, nothing like the warm chambers of Yuxian Tower, and the bed curtains were far from as luxurious and fragrant as those there. Lu Tong lay on the bed, watching the tassels at the four corners of the curtains in the faint light from the window, without a trace of sleepiness.

She had spent considerable effort and money to infiltrate the pleasure house, only to hear Qi Yutai’s voice and see the hem of his clothes. Even that small glimpse had nearly exposed her.

She wanted to deal with Qi Yutai.

At the mass graves on Wangchun Mountain, the guilty Liu Kun had blurted out the name “Qi family” under her questioning.

Lu Tong was now completely certain that the Qi family meant Grand Tutor Qi Qing’s household, and Lu Rou had been harmed by the Qi family’s eldest son, Qi Yutai. But the Grand Tutor’s mansion maintained strict hierarchical divisions – with her lowly status as a resident doctor, she had no way to get close to Qi Yutai.

She had waited so long without finding an opportunity, hoping to make her move on his birthday tonight, but in the end, she hadn’t succeeded.

Lu Tong felt somewhat disappointed.

With Qi Yutai’s guards being so vigilant, how difficult would it be to find another opportunity? She remembered asking Pei Yunying at Yuxian Tower: “Do all you young nobles have so many guards watching when you go out?”

At the time, Pei Yunying had answered: “He does, I don’t.”

If Qi Yutai had so many eyes watching him whenever he went out, how could anyone get close…

How could anyone get close…

No! Something wasn’t right!

Lu Tong suddenly froze, sitting up straight.

If Qi Yutai had so many guards watching him, how had Lu Rou gotten into his room? Given his actions tonight, wouldn’t Lu Rou have been caught before she could even get close?

Lu Tong finally understood the strange feeling she’d had when Pei Yunying made that statement.

Ke Chengxing’s servant Wan Fu had said that Lu Rou went to Fengle Tower that day to bring Ke Chengxing hangover soup, but went to the wrong room and caught Qi Yutai’s attention.

But a room guarded by his men wouldn’t be so easy to enter.

Moreover, what was Qi Yutai doing at Fengle Tower? He was known for his extravagance and always enjoyed himself at the capital’s most prosperous Yuxian Tower. Why had he gone to the less prestigious Fengle Tower that day?

And happened to encounter Lu Rou there…

More and more questionable points emerged, and Lu Tong felt as if a fog had descended before her eyes. This fog was layered thick, with no end in sight. She stood alone within it, like a tiny boat sailing into the ocean, about to be swallowed by these dark currents at any moment—

There was a sharp crack.

Outside, the night rain continued steadily, the wind making the windows creak slightly.

Her hand touched the cold bedding, and Lu Tong came back to herself, slowly gripping the cotton quilt beneath her.

She would uncover the truth. She would get justice for the Lu family.

Whatever methods it took.

Whether it was the Qi family, or someone else entirely.

…

The rain stopped the next day.

Winter days dawned late. By the time Du Changqing came to the medical shop, Yin Zheng and Lu Tong had already been busy for quite a while.

As A’cheng swept away the fallen branches from last night’s heavy rain, Du Changqing turned to look closely at Lu Tong before musing, “Your complexion isn’t bad. Doctor Lu, you may look delicate, but you recover quite quickly.”

Earlier, Yin Zheng had told him Lu Tong had caught a cold and needed a day’s rest when she had snuck off to Yuxian Tower. Du Changqing hadn’t suspected anything.

He brought out the abacus again to calculate this month’s income and expenses. He had only gotten halfway when he heard A’cheng cry out at the entrance: “My- My Lord?”

Du Changqing looked up to see a handsome young man in crimson official robes walk in.

Perhaps because he had risen too early, Du Changqing’s mind wasn’t quite clear yet. Before he could call out the man’s name, Lu Tong had already emerged from the inner shop and spoke from behind him: “Commander.”

Commander?

Du Changqing’s expression changed instantly.

To be honest, he didn’t have a very good impression of this Commander of the Imperial Guard. Just months ago, Pei Yunying had led a group of military patrol bastards to turn the medical shop upside down. At the time, Pei Yunying’s meaningful expression had nearly made Du Changqing suspect they had hidden a corpse in their shop.

Seeing him again now, old grievances immediately surfaced, along with some nervousness, fearing that Pei would throw another shocking accusation at the medical shop.

Du Changqing put on a fake smile: “What brings Commander Pei to our humble establishment?” He glared at A’cheng, “Hurry and make tea for the Commander!”

Pei Yunying looked around, then sat down at a table in the inner shop, as comfortable as if he were in his own home.

He said, “I’ve come to get medicine from Doctor Lu.”

Du Changqing asked puzzled, “Medicine?”

“Baozhu and Sister are almost out of medicine. Since I was passing by, I thought I’d come to get some from Doctor Lu.” He answered Du Changqing’s question while looking at Lu Tong.

Du Changqing suddenly understood.

So it was for Princess Consort Pei Yunxiu.

Although Du Changqing didn’t want Lu Tong to get involved in the Prince Consort’s household affairs, as they say, with great skill comes great daring. Lu Tong had already taken on this mess and offended who she needed to offend. Now they could only hold tight to Pei Yunxiu’s – no, should say Pei Yunying’s – support and use the Pei family’s influence to keep the Prince Consort’s household from causing trouble.

Thinking this, his gaze toward the other party softened somewhat. He even glanced into the inner shop: “How is A’cheng so slow with the tea? Unacceptable, I’ll go hurry him along!”

With that, he lifted the curtain and entered the small shop, dragging Yin Zheng along, thoughtfully leaving the medical shop to Lu Tong and Pei Yunying.

Pei Yunying looked at Lu Tong, smiled, and spoke very naturally: “Doctor Lu.”

Lu Tong remained silent.

Meeting Pei Yunying at Yuxian Tower last night, she had already guessed that with his cunning, he must have noticed something was amiss. But he hadn’t asked anything then, both of them tacitly acknowledging each other’s secrets.

Lu Tong hadn’t expected him to come to Renxin Medical Shop so early today, so openly – she didn’t know what he was planning now.

After a moment’s silence, Lu Tong walked to the shop’s long table, took out paper and brush, and began prescribing while saying, “The prescription remains unchanged this time. After these doses are finished, we’ll switch to a new prescription.”

Seeing her actions, Pei Yunying considered for a moment then rose and walked to the long table.

The black characters flew across the white paper – without careful examination, it was really difficult to make out what was written, completely different from her beautiful and graceful appearance.

He lowered his head to look at the inky characters on the prescription: “Why is the handwriting so messy?”

Lu Tong replied: “All doctors write like this.”

Pei Yunying shrugged: “The rain was heavy last night. Doctor Lu left in such a hurry, didn’t catch a cold?”

Lu Tong’s brush tip paused, a drop of ink falling from it to spread a dark stain on the paper. She stopped writing and raised her eyes to stare at the person before her, her gaze warning.

“What exactly does Commander Pei want to say?”

She didn’t want to discuss this matter with Pei Yunying in the medical shop. Although Du Changqing sometimes seemed scattered, he could be extremely shrewd about these things.

Pei Yunying remained unmoved, speaking as if deliberately provoking her: “Does Doctor Lu know that Fan Zhenglian is dead?”

His tone was casual, as if he hadn’t noticed Lu Tong’s darkening expression, and continued: “Before Fan Zhenglian died, there were rumors that his manipulation of the imperial examinations in collusion with the Ministry of Rites was on the Grand Tutor’s orders. Shortly after, Fan Zhenglian hanged himself in prison. Some suspect the Grand Tutor’s household silenced him.”

Lu Tong laughed coldly instead of getting angry: “Does my lord think I can make a prisoner hang himself?”

Pei Yunying nodded: “Doctor Lu certainly doesn’t have that ability. However, last night was the birthday of the Grand Tutor’s eldest son Qi Yutai. Doctor Lu disguised herself as a dancing girl and went to the third floor of Yuxian Tower, exactly where Qi Yutai’s chambers were.”

“I wonder…”

He leaned closer to Lu Tong, staring into her eyes, smiling faintly as he spoke: “Could it be that from the beginning, Doctor Lu’s target was the Grand Tutor’s household?”

Lu Tong’s heart faltered.

Pei Yunying was very close.

Unlike last night’s performance amid the tower’s jewels and red curtains, the young man who had changed into official robes seemed to have shed even that small bit of authenticity from the pleasure house. Leaning slightly against the counter, though his eyes still held a smile, his gaze was as sharp as a blade, cutting through one’s secrets piece by piece.

She knew of his scheming nature, but being too clever and not hiding one’s cleverness could easily become a threat to others.

A threat… should be eliminated without mercy.

Just then, a voice suddenly burst out from behind: “What are you two doing?!”

Du Changqing, coming out with the tea, looked up to see the two of them facing each other at the long table, and couldn’t help but shout.

Lu Tong started slightly, stepping back to put some distance between herself and Pei Yunying.

Du Changqing, like a farmer watching helplessly as a pig roots up his prized cabbage, rushed over in two quick strides. He slammed his teacup down on the table, splashing tea across the prescription paper.

Standing protectively in front of Lu Tong, he gave Pei Yunying a wary look and said, “Commander Pei, our Doctor Lu is already betrothed. You should mind your manners.”

Lu Tong: “…”

“Betrothed?”

Pei Yunying straightened up, seeming intrigued as he asked nosily, “Has Manager Du met Doctor Lu’s fiancé?”

Du Changqing gave a dry laugh, his smile not reaching his eyes. “Of course! Doctor Lu’s fiancé is young and accomplished, from a noble family. Doctor Lu even saved his life. They’re a perfect match made in heaven. Our Doctor Lu came to the capital specifically to fulfill this engagement.”

Pei Yunying smiled. “How come I haven’t seen him?”

“Noble households have strict rules,” Du Changqing lied without batting an eye. “And he serves in the palace, very busy. Can’t be hanging around everywhere like a medicinal plaster.”

He deliberately emphasized “medicinal plaster.”

Just then, someone spoke from outside: “Who’s a medicinal plaster?”

Madam Song helped Widow Sun enter, and Yin Zheng smiled as she went to greet them. “Miss Sun, Madam Song, what brings you here?”

Widow Sun tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and spoke softly, “I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately. Came to ask Doctor Lu to take a look.”

Lu Tong walked forward, invited Widow Sun to sit down, and checked her pulse. Madam Song looked at Pei Yunying and asked Du Changqing, “Manager Du, who is this handsome young gentleman? He’s not from our West Street, is he?”

Du Changqing rolled his eyes, but A’cheng eagerly answered, “This is Young Master Pei of the Zhaoning Duke’s household, Commander Pei of the Palace Guard!”

“Ah!” Widow Sun’s face suddenly flushed red. She stole a glance at Pei Yunying, seeming quite pleased as she asked quietly, “Is this young Commander Pei married yet?”

Du Changqing: “…”

Yin Zheng turned away to hide her laughter.

With several more people, the medical shop suddenly felt crowded. Pei Yunying didn’t seem to mind, picking up the medicine that had been prepared earlier and saying to Lu Tong, “I have duties to attend to, we’ll talk another day. Doctor Lu, I’m leaving.”

With that, he turned and left through the shop’s main door.

Widow Sun and Madam Song turned to watch, saying “What a handsome man” while craning their necks to see his retreating figure, clearly reluctant to see him go.

Du Changqing slapped a cloth on the counter. “What are you looking at? Haven’t you seen handsome men before? Isn’t this handsome man right here enough for you? How annoying!”

Widow Sun didn’t take offense at his rudeness, just leaned closer to Lu Tong: “Doctor Lu, are you close with young Commander Pei? Will he come to West Street again?”

Madam Song added, “Next time he comes, let me know. I’ll have my maid come take a look. Such a handsome young man would make a fine son-in-law.”

Du Changqing couldn’t stand it anymore. After finally sending the two women away, he turned to Lu Tong, who was wiping medicine residue from the table. “What were you two talking about earlier?”

“Getting medicine.”

“Does getting medicine require standing so close?”

Du Changqing didn’t believe it. “Let me warn you, that Pei fellow isn’t a good person. He may look proper, but his heart might be darker than anyone’s.”

Yin Zheng couldn’t help saying: “Manager Du, are you jealous?”

“Me? Jealous?” Du Changqing sneered, then lowered his voice: “Everyone in the city knows, years ago when rebels attacked the capital, their leader took the Zhaoning Duke’s wife – Pei’s mother – hostage at the front lines, thinking to use her to escape, but who knew…”

Yin Zheng asked curiously: “Did the Zhaoning Duke release her?”

Lu Tong also looked at Du Changqing.

“No! Duke Pei Di didn’t even furrow his brow as he continued suppressing the rebellion. As a result, the Duke’s wife was beheaded by the rebels in front of everyone – died horribly!”

Lu Tong’s expression shifted slightly. She had heard very little about Pei Yunying and had never heard about the Duchess’s matter.

Du Changqing continued: “Think about it – even one night of marriage creates a hundred days of affection. For the Duke to be so heartless to his wife – if it were us, we’d at least hesitate, but he didn’t care at all. With such an unfeeling father, how good could the son be?”

Yin Zheng thought for a moment: “But you said it was during a rebellion? If the Duke had given in to the demands, wouldn’t that have been irresponsible to the city’s people?”

“If it were just that, it wouldn’t prove much,” Du Changqing snorted. “But within two years of the Duchess’s death, Pei Di married again. Soon after, he had another son.”

“The Duchess’s death was partly Pei Di’s responsibility – she died for him, yet he turned around and married someone else, and had more children. Common people observe three years of mourning. That’s why I say, the Pei family isn’t any good.”

Du Changqing turned to Lu Tong, speaking earnestly: “Men understand men best. Listen to me, Doctor Lu, don’t be taken in by Pei Yunying’s sweet talk – men can’t be trusted.”

A’cheng couldn’t help laughing: “Boss, you’re a man too.”

“Exactly,” Du Changqing spread his hands. “I can’t be trusted either, so Doctor Lu, stop thinking about romance and focus on practicing medicine and writing prescriptions – that’s the right path. In a few years, when everyone’s forgotten about the Prince Consort’s affairs, you should stop associating with the Pei family.”

Lu Tong agreed absently, lowering her head slightly to hide the thoughtful look in her eyes.

She hadn’t known about this part of Pei Yunying’s past. Before, seeing his seemingly friendly exterior but deeply calculating nature, she had found his complex personality hard to understand. Now, hearing Du Changqing’s explanation, she understood a bit better.

No wonder he was so protective of Pei Yunxiu at the Prince Consort’s mansion, willing to offend them to help her divorce. Logically, a broken marriage alliance between noble families would be a major issue for the Pei family, but from start to finish, Lu Tong had barely heard mention of Duke Pei Di’s name.

This meant that Pei Yunxiu’s divorce was very likely carried out without Pei Di’s approval, manipulated entirely by Pei Yunying.

Looking at it this way, Pei Yunying’s relationship with his family probably wasn’t as simple as it appeared on the surface.

This could perhaps become another one of his “weaknesses.”

Du Changqing was still rambling on, “Is marriage all there is to a woman’s life? Think bigger – why not build up a business? For instance, we could expand Renxin Medical Shop to South City’s Qinghe Street and make money from those rich people. With money, what kind of man couldn’t you find? Those Peis, that fiancé, they can all get lost!”

“Not bad.”

Du Changqing turned to her: “What did you say?”

“I said what you said wasn’t bad.”

Du Changqing’s eyes lit up: “Right? You agree they should get lost?”

Lu Tong shook her head.

“I meant ‘making money from those rich people’ isn’t a bad idea,” she said.