Two days later, a major incident occurred in the capital’s medical circles.

The current Hanlin Medical Academy Director Cui Min was accused of framing colleagues and plagiarizing medical officers’ prescriptions.

The Cui family was imprisoned overnight, along with Cui Min’s most trusted subordinate Cao Huai, who also met with disaster.

When this news spread throughout the capital, everyone from officials to commoners was shocked.

The people on West Street didn’t know the details of palace affairs very clearly, but they had heard of Academy Director Cui’s good deeds – rising from commoner status to enter the Hanlin Medical Academy, compiling “Cui’s Pharmacology” to benefit medical workers worldwide and help the people. Now it was suddenly revealed that he was a wolf in sheep’s clothing –

“‘Cui’s Pharmacology’ wasn’t written by him at all, but by his colleague. This shameless man stole someone else’s credit and had the person imprisoned! The medical establishment held him up as an example for commoner medical workers to follow – he’s worse than a beast!”

Master Hu stroked his long beard and shook his head, saying: “Indeed, one cannot judge a person to be a gentleman based on temporary praise, nor condemn them as a petty person based on temporary slander.”

Sister-in-law Song spat out a handful of melon seed shells: “Speaking of which, that framed medical officer was surnamed Miao, the same surname as our Old Miao on the street. They’re both doctors – I wonder if they knew each other before, maybe they’re distant relatives?”

As everyone talked, they turned to look at Renxin Medical Hall.

Behind the medicine cabinet, Lu Tong sat at the table, head lowered as she organized the recorded medicine ledger. There was no sign of Dr. Miao.

“Miss Yin Zheng,” Tailor Ge asked, “why isn’t your Old Miao here today?”

“We’re short two medicinal ingredients in the cabinet, so Mr. Miao went to the medical market to stock up,” Yin Zheng smiled. “He won’t be back until after noon!”

…

Miao Liangfang, who was being discussed by the West Street crowd, was currently standing in front of the capital’s prison.

The prison cells were cold and dark. The bright, scorching summer sun was blocked outside, creating two distinctly separate worlds.

The jailer gave him a copper token and pointed vaguely toward a certain direction deep in the prison.

Miao Liangfang took the copper token, thanked him, and looked toward the dark depths. For some reason, now that the moment had arrived, he felt somewhat hesitant.

Cui Min was in prison.

His conspiracy with outsiders to frame him had been exposed, along with various crimes from his years as Academy Director: taking bribes, secretly hoarding medical prescriptions, using his position as imperial physician to leak palace information… Each charge was serious.

When someone truly wants to punish a person, there are always many crimes to be found.

He knew everything. Lu Tong had asked if he still wanted to see Cui Min once more – they might never meet again. After much consideration, Miao Liangfang had finally decided to come.

There was no point in revisiting the past, and what was lost in ten years wouldn’t return, but he still decided to see Cui Min once more because there were things he didn’t understand and wanted to ask clearly.

The sound of his walking stick echoed crisply in the quiet prison. Miao Liangfang leaned on his cane, slowly limping forward until he stopped in front of a cell.

In the corner of the cell, a person was curled up.

This person wore a long robe that was stained with dirt. His head was lowered, and he sat silently against the wall. Hearing movement, he suddenly looked up. When he saw Miao Liangfang’s face clearly, he couldn’t help but freeze: “It’s you?”

“It’s me.”

Miao Liangfang put away his walking stick and, supporting himself against the prison bars, slowly sat down on the ground.

Cui Min remained motionless, looking at him coldly: “Did you come to laugh at me?”

Miao Liangfang shook his head.

“Then you came to gloat.”

Cui Min raised his head, his scarred face showing a bitter expression. “I haven’t congratulated you yet. After laying plans for so long, you finally got your wish. Now seeing me in such a state, are you satisfied?”

“Cui Min,” Miao Liangfang looked at him, “I came only to ask one question: back then in the Medical Academy, why did you frame me?”

Cui Min paused.

“It’s been over ten years, and I still don’t understand why you did it.”

Cui Min looked at the person outside the prison.

In the gloomy prison, Miao Liangfang sat outside the cell, wearing rough cloth clothes with a peaceful expression, just like in the old days.

Only back then, he was inside the prison and Cui Min was outside. Ten years had passed in the blink of an eye, and in the end their positions were reversed, yet they still arrived at this conclusion.

Cui Min suddenly let out a cold laugh.

“Why?” he asked in return: “Don’t you know yourself?”

Miao Liangfang frowned.

“Cui Min, we worked together as shop assistants, took the spring examination together, and entered the Medical Academy together. Looking back at everything, I, Miao Liangfang, don’t believe I wronged you in any way. Why did you treat me like this?”

“How did I treat you?” Cui Min looked at him: “Just because you let me take the spring examination, because you gave me the chance to enter the Medical Academy, I should be grateful to you?”

He smiled: “Stop dreaming! You helped me only to fulfill your hypocritical heroic dreams. You never thought about my situation. You only cared about yourself, only wanted to show off!”

Miao Liangfang stared at him: “What are you saying?”

Cui Min actually relaxed.

He looked at Miao Liangfang with an expression that seemed both crying and laughing.

“I told you back then that I didn’t want to take the spring examination, didn’t want to enter the Medical Academy. I just wanted to live a plain, ordinary life. It was you who insisted on dragging me to take the spring examination and enter that cursed place.”

“You’re a genius, you’re an amazing genius. You could show off in front of the Empress Dowager and win the favor of palace nobles. The powerful feared the Empress Dowager’s influence, and though many medical officers in the Academy resented you, you could ignore them because they didn’t dare move against you – but they dared move against me.”

“All those years, how many open and hidden attacks did I block for you? Without me, you would have been destroyed long ago!”

Cui Min looked at him contemptuously: “Miao Liangfang, you’re too arrogant. You actually don’t understand anything. For people like us commoners entering the Medical Academy, without background support and only medical skills, we’re just setting ourselves up as targets.”

“You were bullied?” Miao Liangfang was stunned: “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What use would telling you be? You had already become Deputy Director, with your heart set on serving the people. How could you have time to care about others? I was just your foil, highlighting how outstanding your talent was as a commoner, how remarkable you were!”

Miao Liangfang said angrily: “How could you think like that?”

“Why shouldn’t I think like that? If you had cared about me even a little, you wouldn’t have recommended someone else for the Deputy Director position!”

At these words, the prison suddenly fell silent.

Miao Liangfang looked at him: “How do you know…”

“Of course I know.”

Cui Min sneered, “Consort Yan told me this personally.”

The torches hanging on the prison walls were dim, cold without a trace of warmth, flickering in Cui Min’s eyes and causing him some pain.

At that time, Consort Yan had just entered the palace. Several consorts in the harem were fighting openly and secretly, and Miao Liangfang, as the highly successful Deputy Director, naturally became a target for Consort Yan’s recruitment.

The young, upright Deputy Director righteously refused Consort Yan’s recruitment, so she took out her anger on Miao Liangfang’s friend Cui Min.

He was also a commoner without background support, and being close to Miao Liangfang became a kind of crime. Consort Yan casually found an excuse to catch him in a mistake and threatened to throw him in prison.

Cui Min knelt and begged for mercy.

“Actually, why be so loyal to Miao Liangfang?”

The woman in high position carelessly let palace maids paint her nails while throwing a letter at his face. “He’s about to become Director, but he won’t even recommend you once for the Deputy Director position.”

“You treat him as a friend, but he looks down on you. Don’t you find that pathetic?”

He tremblingly reached out to take the letter.

Inside was the recommendation for the Medical Academy’s Deputy Director position.

He knew Miao Liangfang was about to be promoted to Director and had sincerely congratulated him, secretly hoping that when Miao Liangfang became Director and the Deputy Director position became vacant, given their friendship, perhaps the position would fall to him.

However, the truth was that the recommendation letter promoted several other medical officers with considerable backgrounds. His name was not among them.

His friend had betrayed him.

The prison was quiet. Miao Liangfang looked at him and said: “I didn’t recommend you because the Deputy Director position requires examination scores from the personnel department. Your scores didn’t qualify…”

“So?” Cui Min interrupted him: “What are you trying to say? That my medical skills are mediocre and I can’t compare to a genius like you. After entering the Medical Academy, I couldn’t create new prescriptions like you to please the Empress Dowager, nor could I score well on personnel examinations, so under your ‘fair’ supervision, I couldn’t even get on the recommendation list.”

“Since I’m incompetent and mediocre, why did you make me enter the Medical Academy? Giving someone hope then telling them they’re unworthy – Miao Liangfang, don’t you think that’s too hypocritical!”

In the vast prison, the hoarse voice echoed off the walls, creating strange reverberations.

Cui Min laughed sarcastically.

Who doesn’t want to climb up, who doesn’t want to be above others? Where in the world are there so many geniuses? He had also daily memorized medical texts from the personnel department, only to end up ranked behind others – he simply couldn’t compare to those medical officers who had studied at the Imperial Medical Bureau since childhood.

The books said: “Dullness and mediocrity can be limited but need not be limited; those who don’t limit their dullness and mediocrity and study tirelessly are self-reliant.”

False, all false.

Diligent study cannot make up for stupidity. It’s impossible for mediocre people to reach high positions through their own efforts.

“So you framed me because of this?”

Cui Min sneered.

“Miao Liangfang, you clearly could have helped me. One more step, and you could have made my life better, but you didn’t.”

“Since you never considered me, what right do you have to ask others to consider you?”

Cui Min sighed softly: “You had medical skills but didn’t know how to use them. ‘Miao’s Good Prescriptions’ had no value in your hands. Its real value isn’t benefiting the world – how much can one person’s benefit to the world really amount to? Its real value is that it can be exchanged for wealth and advancement, abandoning those useless reputations to let people become superior and live good lives.”

“This is the true meaning of ‘Miao’s Good Prescriptions’ existence.”

Miao Liangfang looked at him quietly.

“So, did you live a good life?”

Cui Min paused.

Over these years, he had become Director, a position even higher than Miao Liangfang’s. He had also married, had children, and bought a mansion. His study was more luxurious and spacious than the entire pharmacy where he had worked in his youth.

He associated with high officials and nobles, almost forgetting where he came from and his past hardships. Until now –

The Grand Tutor’s mansion had abandoned him like discarding a dog.

Simply because the Grand Tutor’s mansion had found a better replacement.

He wasn’t entirely without leverage. He knew about Qi Yutai’s madness and could threaten with this information. He had even considered this idea, but quickly dismissed it.

Because a jailer delivering food had “casually” mentioned something to him.

He said his wife and children in prison had caught a cold.

Just one sentence, and all thoughts of resistance vanished.

He couldn’t threaten because his wife and children were still in their hands. His family could still keep their lives for now, but if he didn’t know his place, they wouldn’t even survive.

His important things were in others’ hands, so he could only surrender.

Miao Liangfang asked him: “So now, have you become a superior person?”

Superior person.

Cui Min smiled bitterly.

He had climbed desperately to high places, but was nothing more than the Qi family’s dog, called and dismissed at will, discarded whenever convenient.

People like them were destined to be servants.

“Noble or base birth is predetermined in the womb,” he raised his eyes, speaking with resigned numbness. “There’s no hope in this life. In the next life, I hope to be born into a good family.”

“Humble poverty is not a scholar’s disgrace,” Miao Liangfang shook his head. “A-Min, no one can decide their birth. Origin is not our fault.”

At the words “A-Min,” Cui Min was stunned.

He looked at Miao Liangfang.

Miao Liangfang sat in front of the prison. Many years ago, the two of them had sat like this on the ground in a winter woodshed, holding medical books and questioning each other, full of hope for future days.

Time had flashed by. The young shop assistants from back then already had gray streaks in their hair. He was imprisoned as a criminal, and Miao Liangfang was also lame in one leg. Everything had changed.

Cui Min lowered his head: “Now that your wrongs have been cleared, after going around such a big circle, what do you plan to do next? Return to the Medical Academy to be Director?”

He laughed sarcastically: “It seems this position was destined to be yours. Others can’t steal it even if they try.”

“I won’t return to the Medical Academy.”

“What?”

Miao Liangfang said: “I’m old, and my leg doesn’t work well. Over these years, the capital’s medical texts have changed considerably. The Medical Academy is no longer the Medical Academy of the past. Going back wouldn’t accomplish anything.”

Cui Min stared at him strangely: “I thought you did all this to reclaim the Director position.”

“Actually, I’d long since made peace with what happened back then,” Miao Liangfang said. “Leaving the medicinal cooking was my mistake to begin with. As for you taking ‘Miao’s Prescriptions,’ it ultimately benefited medical workers worldwide – a deed that helps the people. There’s no need to seek fame. If Little Lu hadn’t intervened, I wouldn’t have entangled with you at all.”

“Lu Tong?”

Cui Min frowned slightly, his expression strange. After a moment, he said: “I see.”

“What?”

“So you weren’t the mastermind behind this – it was that girl. She stood up for you, but used this particular method.”

He smiled, his expression somewhat peculiar: “Dogs that bite don’t bark. This dog is coming down, that dog is going up – she’ll bite off a chunk of the Qi family’s flesh.”

Miao Liangfang frowned: “What are you talking about?”

But Cui Min closed his mouth, unwilling to say another word.

The jailer from outside came in, shaking a copper bell to indicate visiting hours were over. Miao Liangfang supported himself with his walking stick and stood up.

After today’s meeting, they probably wouldn’t see each other again. This grudge spanning decades had finally settled.

He walked forward two steps, then suddenly stopped. Without turning around, he faced away from the cell and spoke: “A-Min, having reached this point, do you have any regrets?”

Silence behind him.

He waited a moment, and when no one responded, he sighed softly and limped away with his walking stick.

After he left, the empty cell was devoid of any human presence.

The person curled in the corner buried his head in his palms, motionless.

A long, long time later, a faint sob emerged from within his palms.

…

Walking out of the prison gates, the sun was blazing outside.

The bright sunlight falling on him was overwhelming after the transition from darkness to light, making Miao Liangfang squint slightly.

He leaned on his walking stick, slowly following the flow of people.

For years, he had been bitter about the injustice he bore. Every time he saw his lame leg, hatred, unwillingness, and grievance would surface in his heart.

Now that his great revenge was complete, the perpetrator was in prison, and the truth had come to light, he felt none of the joy he had imagined.

Instead, he felt empty.

Cui Min had brought this upon himself, and he should have felt great satisfaction at this betrayer’s fate. However, seeing the other’s wretched state in prison, Miao Liangfang felt no pleasure, only melancholy.

After all, it was indeed he who had dragged Cui Min to take the spring examination, thereby changing the other’s entire life.

Repentance is medicine for disease, but change is most precious.

He wondered if Cui Min had any regrets in the end.

Unfortunately, there was no chance for correction.

Having completed this lifelong pursuit, he didn’t know where to go next or where life’s meaning lay. Miao Liangfang felt lost and unknowingly found himself on West Street.

Under the plum tree at the entrance, the young assistant was sweeping fallen leaves with a broom. Seeing him return, he hurriedly called out: “Uncle Miao, you’re back just in time! Sister Yin Zheng bought grapes, chilled in well water – they’re incredibly sweet. Come try them quickly—”

“Try what!”

Before Miao Liangfang could speak, Du Changqing’s body emerged from behind the medicine cabinet. The boss waved his fan with an impatient expression: “The newly received medicinal materials are piled up all over the courtyard, Dr. Lu went out to make house calls, and there’s not a single person in this medical hall. Am I supposed to clean up everything myself? Who’s the boss here anyway?”

He grumbled to himself: “Disappeared early this morning, don’t know where they went, but when it’s time to collect monthly wages, they all show up promptly. What, is ‘sucker’ written on my face? Busy from dawn to dusk every day, work piled up like a mountain, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and work, don’t slack off. Eat after you’re done! Really, not one of them is worry-free…”

Yin Zheng gave him a look, indicating that the hot weather had put the boss in a bad mood too. Miao Liangfang stood there, and somehow the earlier melancholy unknowingly dissipated. The empty feeling in his chest seemed to be filled with something, and he suddenly felt grounded.

He tapped his walking stick on the ground once and limped into the pharmacy amid this chaos of activity, responding: “What’s all the fuss about? I’m coming—”