A light, airy wind suddenly rose from the ground, and in the distance overhead, thick clouds gradually drifted over, completely blocking out the sun.

The courtyard became somewhat gloomy.

Miao Liangfang continued speaking.

“That young lady fed the poisoned little girl a pill. After about half an incense stick’s worth of time, the little girl vomited up a pile of filth and gradually regained consciousness, thus surviving. The watching crowd all applauded for her, but that young lady rose and returned to her carriage, departing directly.”

“I saw that young lady’s clothing was luxurious and asked the shopkeeper who she was. The shopkeeper told me it was the Mo family’s carriage.”

Lin Danqing asked: “The Mo family?”

Miao Liangfang slowly smiled.

“Inner Court Imperial Physician Mo Wensheng served at the Hanlin Medical Academy. When I was an assistant, I’d heard this man’s name. He was advanced in years, with rigid medical practices, following outdated prescriptions without the slightest flexibility. But because he was elderly and long-lived, others trusted him, and since his own prescriptions were conservative, he was much favored by the nobles in the palace.”

“Mo Ruyun was Mo Wensheng’s granddaughter.”

This name was somewhat unfamiliar to everyone present.

Miao Liangfang paused before continuing.

“News travels fast in the capital’s medical circles. I was quite interested in this young lady’s medical skills at the time, so I asked a few more questions. Only then did I learn that this Miss Mo’s approach to medicine was completely different from her grandfather Mo Wensheng’s.”

“Mo Wensheng was conservative, but Mo Ruyun used medicines that were fierce and domineering. She happened to be a genius—difficult cases that left the medical profession helpless were easily resolved in her hands. I heard she had attended the Imperial Medical Bureau for a period in her youth, but soon stopped going, saying the medical theories taught by the instructors at the Imperial Medical Bureau were extremely pedantic.”

Hearing this, Zhuling secretly glanced at Ji Xun.

These words could be said to include Ji Xun in the criticism as well.

Ji Xun didn’t notice, only looking at Miao Liangfang with a puzzled tone: “If Miss Mo never properly attended the Imperial Medical Bureau, and Old Master Mo’s medical practices were so different from hers, could it be she had another good teacher?”

“No.”

“Then how did she practice medicine?”

There are indeed geniuses in the world whose intelligence and quick thinking surpass ordinary people. Some have photographic memories, others are naturally calculating, but practicing medicine is entirely different from these abilities. Without personally seeing large numbers of patients and conditions, it would be difficult to reach such a level merely by reading a few medical classics and pharmaceutical texts.

Miao Liangfang smiled and waved his hand.

“Imperial Physician Ji, don’t be hasty—let this old man continue—”

He sighed: “In any case, Miss Mo was like a legend, her fame so great that it surpassed even today’s Imperial Physician Ji. People in the medical profession all said that although Miss Mo had never formally studied at the Imperial Medical Bureau, when she came of age, she would naturally enter the Hanlin Medical Academy and become an inner court imperial physician in the future. Her achievements would certainly surpass those of her grandfather.”

“Such a genius—at the time, I only heard of her as a legendary figure. After all, her status was not low, and she couldn’t be seen daily by us common people.”

“I did well at that medicine shop. After two months, one day when I was busy, the same woman who had brought the poisoned little girl appeared at the entrance again. This time, she came alone.”

Lin Danqing tensed: “The little girl still died?”

Miao Liangfang shook his head: “She disappeared.”

Lu Tong’s fingers holding the wine bowl stiffened slightly.

“The woman looked haggard with worry written all over her face. She said the little girl had completely recovered within a few days of returning home. But one day she went out to buy wine, didn’t return home for half a day, and when they searched, she couldn’t be found.”

“The woman came to ask if anyone at our medicine shop had seen the little girl. None of us had.”

Miao Liangfang sighed.

“Actually, during that period, children often disappeared in the capital. The city guards said it might be kidnappers running rampant, but most of the abducted children were from poor families. The authorities weren’t patient about searching, and the parents couldn’t put their hearts into it either—after searching for a few days, they’d give up.”

“I felt sorry for that woman—half her hair turned white overnight. I wanted to help, so I watched for a long time and asked many people, but never saw any trace.”

“Later, after another half year, I had already left that original medicine shop, and another child went missing in the capital.”

He said: “This child was no ordinary one.”

Duan Xiaoyan was curious: “Who was this child?”

“The son of Minister Li from the Ministry of Justice!”

Everyone looked at each other in surprise.

For kidnappers to target the household of a Ministry of Justice official was indeed quite audacious.

Miao Liangfang stroked his long beard. “Minister Li of the Ministry of Justice was henpecked. His wife had only given birth to twin daughters. So Minister Li kept a mistress in Sophora Flower Lane, and this mistress bore him a son who was just five years old.”

“Fearing his wife would discover this, Minister Li was extremely cautious. The mother and son didn’t dare be ostentatious either, so others just thought they were a widowed mother and orphaned son with some family wealth who had come to the capital to make a living.”

“The young master went out with his mother at night to visit a temple fair and somehow disappeared. When Minister Li learned of this, how could he bear it? He immediately notified all his connections and the city guards, determined to turn the capital upside down if necessary.”

“This great commotion really did lead to finding him.”

Miao Liangfang paused here and looked at everyone at the table: “Guess where this young master was found?”

Everyone looked puzzled.

Pei Yunying’s eyes moved: “Hidden in the Mo residence?”

Miao Liangfang was shocked: “How did you know?”

Pei Yunying shrugged: “You’ve been building up to it for so long, I just guessed randomly.”

Miao Liangfang was speechless.

“He was actually found in the Mo residence?” Lin Danqing was surprised: “How did that child end up in the Mo residence?”

“Not only—”

Miao Liangfang looked at the wine bowl before him, his eyes suddenly changing: “Not only Young Master Li, but also the little girl who had been poisoned, rescued, and then went missing… and all the children who had disappeared intermittently in the capital over that year…”

“…were all found in the flower garden behind Miss Mo’s courtyard.”

At these words, the surroundings fell completely silent.

Lu Tong kept her head lowered, her expression unreadable.

Duan Xiaoyan turned pale with shock, while Zhuling shrank back somewhat fearfully.

“That Miss Mo killed children?” Yin Zheng asked in a trembling voice.

Miao Liangfang shook his head.

“Miss Mo had a secret chamber in her boudoir. Young Master Li was still alive. When the officials found him, he had become nothing but skin and bones, barely breathing. When Minister Li questioned him, they learned a shocking secret from the child’s mouth.”

He paused before speaking: “That Miss Mo had been searching everywhere for children to use as her test subjects for medicines.”

“Test subjects?” Lin Danqing cried out in alarm.

Everyone looked at her, so she explained: “I’ve heard before that some people used to test new medicines on human bodies to develop treatments, but this method causes extreme damage to the test subjects’ bodies. For medical practitioners to do this violates medical ethics, so I’ve only heard of it in rumors.”

Miao Liangfang nodded: “Exactly.”

“That day, the officials dug up many children’s bones from this Miss Mo’s backyard. Only then did they learn that this Miss Mo had been secretly keeping and buying children as test subjects.”

“At first, it was only the maid children in her courtyard, but having servants frequently replaced within a month would inevitably arouse suspicion. Later, she bought poor children from various human traffickers. Because she paid well, she gradually gathered a group of people who specifically sought out beggars and farmers’ children in the capital to buy.”

“She hid these children in the secret chamber, provided them with food and drink, fed them various poisons, then administered antidotes, repeating this process. Children’s bodies are naturally delicate—how could they endure such treatment? At most, they would die within a few months.”

Miao Liangfang sighed: “Just as Imperial Physician Ji said, practicing medicine and diagnosing conditions requires seeing many patients. Though Miss Mo was naturally gifted, these children she used as test subjects were the key to her repeatedly producing miraculous prescriptions.”

“Those children suffered fates worse than death under her hands, extremely pitiful. Except for the newly captured test subject, not one survived.”

“If those people hadn’t happened to target Minister Li’s illegitimate son, who knows when this case would have been solved, or how many more innocent children would have died at her hands.”

Duan Xiaoyan frowned tightly: “How utterly unconscionable! What happened to that woman afterward? Was she executed on the spot?”

Miao Liangfang nodded, then shook his head.

“This case shocked the entire capital at the time. The Mo family was implicated, and Mo Wensheng was also imprisoned. He said he knew nothing about his granddaughter keeping test subjects, but with such serious matters involved, how could the Mo family escape unscathed? They were all imprisoned.”

“On the day the incident occurred, Miss Mo happened to be out, thus avoiding disaster. His Majesty ordered a city-wide manhunt, but Miss Mo secretly returned to the residence one night.”

Yin Zheng was curious: “What did she go back to do?”

“It’s said that Miss Mo’s boudoir still contained a large number of prescriptions—all formulas she had developed while keeping test subjects. Miss Mo set fire to the room, burning those remaining prescriptions to ash along with everything else.”

“The officials excavated a charred corpse from the burned residence. Jailers brought Old Imperial Physician Mo to the scene to personally confirm it was indeed Miss Mo without doubt. Not long after, Mo Wensheng was executed, and the case was closed.”

The gentle breeze brought a fine chill to their skin. Miao Liangfang picked up his wine bowl and moistened his lips, which had become dry from talking: “The story is finished.”

The story was finished.

This could be considered karmic retribution, yet hearing the end, one couldn’t help feeling somewhat melancholy.

Lin Danqing murmured: “I see. But why have I never heard this person’s name from childhood to now? My father never mentioned her either.”

Miao Liangfang shook his head: “A descendant of imperial physicians keeping test subjects—it’s truly shameful to speak of. The medical profession forbids discussing this matter and considers the Mo family a disgrace. Even the prescriptions Miss Mo had previously used were all banned.”

“Few people talked about it, and twenty years have passed besides. Except for the older people in the medical profession, it’s normal for you young ones not to know.”

Lin Danqing nodded: “That makes sense.”

Everyone fell somewhat silent for a moment.

However, Miao Liangfang suddenly remembered something and looked at Lu Tong: “By the way, Little Lu, your former master used medicines in a domineering and fierce manner somewhat similar to Miss Mo’s, and was proficient with various poisons. Did she ever mention the Mo family’s affairs to you?”

There are countless medical approaches in the world. Though Miss Mo’s actions were vicious and unconscionable, her notes and poison texts were not entirely worthless. If someone took this as their path and studied and advanced based on this foundation, it wouldn’t be impossible.

Lu Tong kept her head down and didn’t answer.

Pei Yunying turned his head and saw the woman beside him staring blankly at the wine bowl before her, as if in a daze.

“…Little Lu? Little Lu?”

Miao Liangfang called twice in succession before Lu Tong came back to her senses.

“What is it, Master Miao?”

“Did the master who taught you ever mention Miss Mo to you?”

The table was full of fragrant delicacies, the small courtyard was lively and warm, and the plum tree by the window swayed its branches while the lanterns hanging from the branch tips were gently stirred by the wind.

It wasn’t winter yet, no snow had fallen, and no flowers had bloomed.

It seemed like a trance-like illusion.

Lu Tong paused before raising her head.

“No.”

She said calmly: “I’ve never heard of this person.”

…

After the banquet ended, everyone was slightly tipsy.

Though the peach wine tasted sweet and refreshing, it was still wine. Du Changqing didn’t hold his liquor well and had to be helped home by A’Cheng and Miao Liangfang after getting drunk.

Lin Danqing also said she felt sleepy, and Duan Xiaoyan volunteered to drive and escort her back to her residence, leaving together with Duan Xiaoyan.

The small courtyard immediately became much quieter.

Zhuling sat in the inner shop playing grid games with A’Cheng, while in the small courtyard, Pei Yunying and Ji Xun moved the tables and chairs back to their original positions.

Both were quite sober.

Ji Xun had not touched a drop of alcohol from beginning to end, only drinking bamboo extract and tea, so he was naturally fine. As for Pei Yunying…

He had indeed drunk quite a bit, but his alcohol tolerance seemed good, and even now his expression remained normal.

The table full of cups and dishes needed cleaning up. Lu Tong, with the idea of making the best use of everything, simply asked these two to also contribute some effort to help clean up the aftermath.

After the last chair was returned to the inner shop, Yin Zheng took the dustpan from Lu Tong’s hands and said quietly: “Miss, how can we have guests do work?”

“I’ll just take this to the kitchen to wash later. You should go inside first—I can see these two gentlemen have something to discuss with you.”

Lu Tong stopped and thought this made sense, so she walked before the two men and said: “Commander, Imperial Physician Ji, if you have matters to discuss, please go into the side inner room to wait. There’s tea on the table, and I’ll be right there.”

The inner room was adjacent to Lu Tong and Yin Zheng’s sleeping quarters. After Xia Rongrong left, medicinal materials had been piled there for a while, but now that the two medicine shops were connected and the shop was spacious, the room had been freed up.

Yin Zheng had gone to the secondhand market to select a half-used bamboo table and several chairs, converting it into a tea room. When Lu Tong returned to the medical hall, she sometimes read books and prepared medicines there.

She carried the empty wine jar into the kitchen in the back courtyard. Pei Yunying and Ji Xun paused for a moment, then entered the inner room first.

Upon entering, they immediately felt a heavy medicinal fragrance.

The inner room wasn’t large, and the furnishings were quite simple. In front of the bamboo table were two chairs, and the yellow wooden shelf against the wall was filled with medical books.

Medical books were haphazardly piled on the floor in tall stacks, along with scattered prescriptions. Half a stack was placed on the bamboo table—apparently originally placed on the table but blown everywhere by the wind from the window.

Unlike her personally neat appearance, this room looked somewhat messy.

Ji Xun was still looking around when Pei Yunying bent down to pick up the prescriptions that had fallen to the floor one by one, placing them back on the table. Looking up, he saw that the window by the bamboo table was still open.

In this weather, keeping the windows closed would be too stuffy.

He turned his head and saw Lu Tong’s silver medicine jar, which she usually used for preparing medicines, still on the bamboo table. Sometimes when providing medical treatment at the Commander’s residence, Lu Tong would have Pei Yunying bring it to her.

Pei Yunying reached for the medicine jar, planning to use it to weigh down the neatly stacked prescriptions to prevent the papers from being blown away by the wind again.

Ji Xun turned around just in time to see Pei Yunying pick up the silver medicine jar from the table and suddenly spoke: “Don’t touch it.”

Pei Yunying looked up.

Ji Xun pressed his lips together, knowing his behavior was inappropriate, but still insisted on speaking: “Imperial Physician Lu doesn’t like others touching her things.”

Ji Xun remembered very clearly that previously in the Imperial Medical Academy’s medicine preparation room, he had picked up this silver jar and Lu Tong had snatched it back, seeming very concerned about others examining it.

The young man before him moved his dark eyes slightly, as if surprised, and slowly repeated: “Imperial Physician Lu doesn’t like others touching her things?”

Ji Xun said: “That’s correct.”

“I see.”

Pei Yunying nodded.

The next moment, the young man’s lips curved up as he looked at him provocatively.

“But I’m not ‘others.'”