On an overcast afternoon, thick clouds hung heavy.

Under the artificial mountain pavilion at the Grand Tutor’s Manor, a pool lay flat like a faintly polished bright mirror.

In the pavilion, several people reclined on the railing benches. Qi Yutai wore only undergarments with a thin silk outer robe draped over his back, taking a medicine bowl from a maid’s hands.

In just a short month, Qi Yutai had lost a great deal of weight. His formerly fitting clothes now hung loose and empty on his body, and he appeared much more haggard. His entire complexion was pale, and his eyes lacked much of their former spirit.

He took the medicine bowl, seemingly affected by the bitter medicinal vapor. His dead-pearl-like eyes moved slightly, revealing an expression of unbearable suffering. After hesitating for a long while, he intermittently and reluctantly drank the entire bowl of medicine.

Setting down the bowl, Qi Huaying across from him quickly handed him a bowl of silk sugar. Qi Yutai hurriedly picked up a piece and threw it into his mouth. The sweetness dissolved the bitterness, and though his brow remained furrowed, his expression softened considerably.

“Brother, take it slowly,” Qi Huaying said. “Be careful not to choke.”

“Too bitter—” Qi Yutai complained.

“Good medicine tastes bitter,” Qi Huaying persuaded. “Brother has only been taking Head Physician Cui’s medicine for a few days and it’s already shown remarkable effects. You can’t stop midway.”

“I know,” Qi Yutai opened his mouth irritably. “That bastard Cui Min probably made the medicine this bitter on purpose!”

Qi Huaying looked at him and shook her head.

Qi Yutai had recovered.

At first, he simply stopped hitting people randomly, but would still huddle on his bed whispering to himself, causing great alarm when others entered the room. But since Head Physician Cui Min from the Imperial Medical Academy had changed his prescription a few days ago, his symptoms of delusional speech gradually lessened, his periods of lucidity grew longer, until one day when Qi Yutai got out of bed in the morning, he finally recognized everyone and didn’t suffer any episodes for the entire day.

This had continued for three to five days, and everyone in the Grand Tutor’s Manor breathed a sigh of relief.

The Qi family’s young master seemed to have truly recovered.

“He’s the head physician of the Imperial Medical Academy. What good would offending you do him?” Qi Huaying picked up a piece of silk sugar and put it in her own mouth. “Brother may be awake now, but you didn’t see how you frightened everyone in the entire manor during those days when you were ill.”

Thinking of Qi Yutai’s condition during his episodes, Qi Huaying felt lingering fear.

When Qi Yutai had fallen ill five years ago, she had been young. Qi Qing, afraid of frightening her, had blocked her from entering Qi Yutai’s room. She hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, only heard Qi Yutai’s cries.

However, this time she had witnessed Qi Yutai’s mad behavior firsthand. When Qi Yutai had killed a serving maid with a flower vase, she had just reached the doorway and happened to witness that scene…

Qi Huaying shivered and suddenly looked at Qi Yutai with a trace of fear.

Qi Yutai didn’t notice Qi Huaying’s strange reaction, only saying suspiciously: “You’re making it sound so serious. Really? Sister, you’re not trying to trick me to keep me from going to Fengle Tower, are you?”

“Brother is talking nonsense again.”

Qi Yutai sighed: “Even if you don’t say so, I won’t go to that building again in the future.”

He looked around, then leaned close and whispered: “There’s something wrong with that building.”

Qi Huaying frowned: “Is brother going to talk about seeing bleeding paintings again?”

At these words, the surroundings became inexplicably quiet for a moment. Qi Yutai felt his entire body break out in fine, dense goosebumps, and couldn’t help pulling his draped clothing tighter.

“It was real…” he murmured.

After his illness was cured and his sanity returned, he no longer remembered anything from during his episodes. The last scene in his memory was still the fire that had suddenly spread through Fengle Tower, and him seeing a strange silk painting on the wall, with the people and birds in the painting bleeding from all seven orifices at him.

After regaining consciousness, he had told Qi Qing about this incident.

However, that fire had started from the upper chamber, and everything in the “Jingzhe” room had turned to ash. Those who went to investigate reported finding no traces of silk paintings. And the image of figures bleeding from seven orifices sounded more like hallucinations he had experienced after consuming medicinal powder.

But Qi Yutai always felt it wasn’t so.

However, without evidence, and since he had indeed consumed medicinal powder at the time, after Qi Qing questioned him several times, he began to doubt whether what he had seen was a hallucination.

“Even if seeing the painted eyebrow picture was fake,” Qi Yutai said defiantly, “at least the insufferable bastard I encountered in the ‘Jingzhe’ room was real.”

“If it weren’t for that son of a bitch, the fire might never have started.”

The more Qi Yutai spoke, the angrier he became. “Now I’ve suffered so much here, and that bastard still hasn’t been found. How outrageous! Has Father even sent people to look? When we find that dog, I’m going to personally skin him alive and throw him in a fire to burn him to ash!”

Qi Huaying frowned.

She said: “Brother should say less. You’ve just recovered and still need several more days of recuperation, especially at this time…”

Qi Yutai’s fire at Fengle Tower was now known throughout the court. Though the cold food powder incident had been covered up by Qi Qing, on that day in Rouge Alley, Qi Yutai’s frightened and crazed appearance had been witnessed by many.

Rumors always spread quickly.

The Qi family’s years of upright reputation had been destroyed in one fell swoop, and even she would be implicated…

Qi Huaying lowered her brow, her tone becoming somewhat cooler.

“These days, brother should focus on recovering properly.”

…

Not far from the pavilion in the flower garden, Qi Qing stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

This flower garden had once housed many birds.

But later the Grand Tutor’s Manor had driven out all the birds together, not even leaving a single birdcage. The flowers in the garden bloomed luxuriantly and brilliantly, but without the clear singing of birds, it seemed rather desolate.

Qi Qing gazed from afar at the siblings in the pavilion. After watching for a while, he finally withdrew his gaze and sighed: “Yutai hasn’t had an episode for three full days.”

The person beside him responded respectfully: “Young Master Qi suffered from shock and depression. This time, taking medication has resolved the depression and drained the fire, so all symptoms have disappeared. As long as he continues taking pills for recovery, he will be completely cured soon.”

Hearing this, Qi Qing turned around to look at the person before him and spoke slowly.

“This time, thank you, Head Physician Cui, for your efforts on behalf of my son.”

Cui Min repeatedly claimed he didn’t dare accept such praise.

Having spent days making medicine and administering acupuncture for Qi Yutai, while Qi Yutai had grown thin from illness, Cui Min had also become quite haggard. Originally appearing elegant like a scholarly hermit, now after just a few days, his temples had grown gray and his complexion was dull and lusterless. No longer showing his former grace, he appeared rather disheveled instead.

Qi Qing smiled faintly: “Head Physician needn’t be modest.”

“Mental illness is difficult to treat. Head Physician Cui was able to formulate a new prescription in just a few days with such rapid results. This mastery of medical principles is unmatched in the Liang Dynasty.”

This praise made Cui Min’s expression stiffen slightly.

He looked at Cui Min with a kind smile at the corners of his mouth.

“I knew that in all of the capital, only Head Physician could and would cure my son’s illness.”

Cui Min bent down and spoke gratefully: “Thank you for your trust, sir.”

“My son’s illness could only be cured by Head Physician’s hand. Head Physician has devoted all your energy and effort to Yutai, for which I am truly grateful.”

He smiled: “Head Physician has also worked hard these past days. Since Yutai has already improved, Head Physician should go back and rest for a few days. In a few days, I will have someone send a thank-you gift.”

Cui Min again repeatedly claimed he didn’t dare, spoke a few more words, then bowed and withdrew.

After he left, the steward approached from a distance, looking at Cui Min’s retreating figure and saying: “Head Physician Cui’s medical skills truly deserve the title of head physician of the Imperial Medical Academy.” After a pause, he continued: “It’s a pity about his marketplace origins…”

Qi Qing said indifferently: “Officials have no permanent nobility, commoners no eternal lowliness. Those with ability should be elevated, those without should be demoted.”

“Whether he’s a commoner or not doesn’t matter. As long as he has real learning and is useful to Yutai, that’s sufficient.”

“Yes.”

Qi Qing turned around and looked again at Qi Yutai talking with Qi Huaying in the pavilion. After Qi Yutai recovered from his illness, perhaps because he hadn’t yet regained his vitality, he was much less irritable than before and had become quite well-behaved.

“Have the people sent to Fengle Tower made any discoveries?” he asked.

The steward shook his head.

“Sir, didn’t you say the painted eyebrow matter couldn’t be taken as real?”

After Qi Yutai had awakened from his severe illness, he had mentioned seeing a painting with painted eyebrows that would bleed.

This was naturally hard to believe.

That day he had secretly consumed powder, and those who consumed medicinal powder would briefly experience floating hallucinations. Combined with the sudden fire, which reminded Qi Yutai of the Yang family fire in Mangming Township, causing confused perception, this was indeed quite possible.

“The painted eyebrow matter is false, but the fire in the building may not have been accidental.” Qi Qing said.

After regaining consciousness, Qi Yutai had said he had argued with someone in the building, accidentally knocking over a candle stand and causing the fire. But afterward, this person was never found, and no one around had seen them. Even the two singing girls he mentioned playing the qin in the room couldn’t be traced.

The singing girls were fake, the argument was fake, the bleeding painted eyebrow picture was fake.

Everything seemed like Qi Yutai, drowsy from consuming too much cold food powder, had accidentally knocked over a lamp and unintentionally caused a fire.

The fire had conveniently burned the building to ash and conveniently destroyed all evidence together, not revealing even half a trace.

Everything appeared too perfect, arousing suspicion.

The old man stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the colorful flower garden before him, a flash of coldness in his eyes.

The steward thought for a moment: “However, sir, now that the young master’s illness has gradually improved, can he go out?”

Since Qi Yutai’s incident, Qi Qing had claimed illness and not attended court, while rumors flew everywhere outside – no matter how powerful the Qi family was, they couldn’t stop all the mouths of the common people in the capital’s markets and streets.

The Third Prince Yuan Yao’s faction was even more eager to seize this opportunity to kick them while they were down.

Everyone suspected that the Qi family’s eldest son had now become foolish and mad. Only if Qi Yutai appeared personally before everyone could the rumors be dispelled.

It had already been over a month. Continuing to use the excuse of Qi Yutai being frightened by the fire to remain behind closed doors would be unconvincing. Now that he was acting normally again, it was time to break the rumors.

“Let him take medicine for two more days.”

Qi Qing said indifferently: “If there are no problems, in two days, return to the Bureau of Ceremonies.”

…

The night wind was slightly cool.

In the Palace Commander’s Mansion of the Capital Guards, under green lamps and wooden windows, the long desk was piled high with official documents.

A young man sat at the desk, his fingertips holding a blackened silver ring, silently staring at the ring in contemplation.

Across from him, Xiao Zhufeng glanced at him: “You’ve been staring at it all evening. Have you seen anything different?”

Pei Yunying remained silent.

“It’s just losing the title of fiancé,” Xiao Zhufeng scoffed. “Why put on such a cold face for everyone in the Palace Commander’s Mansion to see?”

Pei Yunying frowned slightly: “Can’t you be quiet?”

Xiao Zhufeng shrugged.

During the day, Duan Xiaoyan had returned to the Palace Commander’s Mansion once and spoken with Pei Yunying before going to the palace for duty. Xiao Zhufeng happened to pass by outside the door and thus heard a secret matter.

Lu Tong’s mysterious, identity-puzzling, noble and distinguished, karmic fiancé had been found. He was right in the Imperial Medical Academy – none other than Ji Xun, the young master from Scholar Ji’s household.

Xiao Zhufeng understood.

No wonder Lu Tong had been practicing medicine well on West Street but suddenly participated in the spring examination and entered the Imperial Medical Academy. Seeking revenge against the Qi family was one reason, but probably also to get close to Ji Xun.

She had carefully preserved Ji Xun’s white jade, and not long after its repair, it hung at Ji Xun’s waist, indicating that the two of them understood their past connection.

But…

The white jade that Pei Yunying had spent heavily to repair was now hanging on another man…

Anyone in this situation would probably feel uncomfortable.

Xiao Zhufeng shook his head and lowered his head to continue reading military records.

Pei Yunying looked down at the ring, his handsome face covered with frost.

During the day, Lu Tong had been hurried, busy going to the medical storage, so that many questions hadn’t been explained.

“Physician Ji and I knew each other in southern Jiangsu before. We had some connection then.”

That was what Lu Tong had said at the time.

Ji Xun was from the capital – how had he come to know Lu Tong in southern Jiangsu? What exactly was this connection? When had Ji Xun met her, even earlier than he had? Why were his ring and Ji Xun’s white jade kept together? The Liang Dynasty was so vast, yet why were there quite a few people who happened to have connections with her?

Who exactly was the fiancé Lu Tong spoke of?

He remembered when he and Duan Xiaoyan had gone to the pharmaceutical preparation room at the Imperial Medical Academy during the day, Ji Xun had been sitting in the room, and the atmosphere between the two had been strange. Come to think of it, Lu Tong seemed different every time she faced Ji Xun, just like last time at the Imperial Medical Academy entrance when Ji Xun had scolded her. The usually sharp-tongued Lu Tong had been rendered speechless by the criticism, her mood unusually low.

Pei Yunying’s expression was cold as he picked up the teacup on the desk and took a sip, then frowned: “Why is this so bitter?”

Xiao Zhufeng looked at him incredulously: “Have you lost your sense of taste? This is sweet water.”

Just because Pei Yunying’s tastes had been strange lately, the Palace Commander’s Mansion had gradually replaced bitter tea with various flavored waters and clear dews, adding honey to make them clear and sweet. Yet he said it was bitter?

Either his brain was broken or his tongue was broken.

The young man remained expressionless, set the teacup down on the desk with a thud, and suddenly stood up.

“What are you doing?”

“The room is too stuffy. Going out for a walk.” Pei Yunying said, while putting the silver ring back in his coat. Just as he raised his head, Qing Feng pushed the door open from outside.

“Sir. The Privy Council has sent word. Minister Yan wants you to come over.”

His steps stopped, and Pei Yunying frowned.

After a moment, he said nothing, picked up the silver knife from the desk: “Never mind, let’s go.”

…

The quiet night was cloudless, with moonlight white as frost.

Lin Danqing returned to the dormitory after making house calls. As soon as she entered the room, she saw a food basket containing pastries on the table.

“Hey? Did you save these for me?”

Lu Tong nodded.

“You’re so good,” she plopped down at the table, wiped her hands, picked up a piece and stuffed it in her mouth. After chewing a few times, her eyes lit up: “This is really delicious, much better than what we bought at that shop in Guanxiang the other day! Sister Lu, where did you buy this?”

“I don’t know.” Lu Tong said: “A friend gave it to me.”

“Your friend has good taste in gifts.” Lin Danqing praised. “Next time have him send more. I won’t take it for free – I’ll pay.”

Lu Tong smiled.

The magpie food basket still sat on the table. Lu Tong rested her cheek on one hand, slowly turning through the medical text before her, her expression absent-minded.

During the day, Pei Yunying and Duan Xiaoyan had come and encountered Ji Xun. This wouldn’t have been anything, except they had seen the white jade tied at Ji Xun’s waist.

Given Pei Yunying’s perceptiveness, he would probably soon guess her past connection with Ji Xun.

Actually, what relationship she had with Ji Xun and what connection they shared was none of his business. But somehow, Lu Tong felt inexplicably guilty. When busy, she didn’t notice it, but when idle at night, she kept thinking about this matter.

Perhaps it was because Pei Yunying’s money had been used to repair the white jade.

Using someone else’s money to do favors always felt improper.

As she thought this, she reached out to turn a page and heard Lin Danqing, sitting at the table drinking tea, say: “Speaking of which, when I passed by the head physician’s room tonight, I saw no lights were on.”

Lu Tong paused in turning the page.

For some time recently, Cui Min had uncharacteristically stayed at the Imperial Medical Academy until late at night, sometimes keeping the medicine room lights burning all night. Everyone guessed it was because the Qi family’s eldest son wasn’t recovering well, which was why Cui Min was so busy.

Unexpectedly, today was different.

“The head physician didn’t come to the Imperial Medical Academy tonight. Has Qi Yutai recovered?” Lin Danqing asked.

“Perhaps,” Lu Tong said. “It’s been so long.”

Lin Danqing nodded: “True.”

She finished the last piece of jasmine fragrant cake, brushed the crumbs off her hands, and got up to wash, saying as she went: “These past days there’s been no movement in the room either. How strange. The rat poison has been put down, but at least let me see a corpse. With this complete calm, the rats in the Imperial Medical Academy haven’t all become spirits and learned to prepare antidotes themselves, have they?”

This was said jokingly, and Lu Tong was also amused by her.

“How could that be?” She closed the book. “Since the medicine has been taken, we might as well wait patiently.”

“Sooner or later… they’ll all get stomachaches.”