Then, she knelt before the gates of the Duke’s mansion, requesting an audience with her. No matter how one looked at it, this seemed like a calculated act to gain fame with ulterior motives.

“That woman—does she have scars on her face, and is her name… Ji Langhua?” Bai Qingyan asked.

Steward Hao was startled, nodding repeatedly: “Exactly! How did Miss know?”

It was her…

When Bai Qingyan heard that woman say the Sixth Young Master had shown her kindness, she had suspected this person was Ji Langhua, and indeed it turned out to be true.

She had not been without interactions with Ji Langhua before, and seeing this person, she didn’t seem to be someone who would speak nonsense or deliberately seek fame.

She lowered the curtain and pondered thoughtfully with downcast eyes.

When the carriage stopped in front of the Duke’s mansion gates, Bai Qingyan heard a woman’s hoarse, weary voice calling out weakly: “This humble woman, Ji Langhua, requests an audience with the Duke! General Bai Qingming of the Swift Courage Army showed kindness to this humble woman. This humble woman has sacrificed her blood to refine elixirs that can bring the dead back to life. I beg the Duke to give this humble woman a chance to save General Bai Qingming of the Swift Courage Army.”

The common people were naturally reverent toward supernatural matters. Hearing that this woman possessed elixirs that could resurrect the dead, they were extremely curious and gathered in front of the Duke’s mansion gates to watch the spectacle.

Some bold men even shouted at Ji Langhua: “Little lady, since you claim to have elixirs that can bring the dead back to life, why don’t you take them out and let us have a look!”

“That’s right! Empty words are no proof. Acting like this, the Duke won’t see you!”

When the people saw the Duke’s carriage stop, they hurriedly said: “It’s the Duke’s carriage!”

Chun Tao lifted the curtain and helped Bai Qingyan down from the carriage.

Ji Langhua, dressed in plain clothes and looking disheveled, looked in Bai Qingyan’s direction.

Seeing Bai Qingyan’s tall, upright figure descending from the carriage, Ji Langhua weakly crawled forward on her knees two steps. Her eyes were clear and piercing as she kowtowed to Bai Qingyan: “This humble woman, Ji Langhua, General Bai Qingming of the Swift Courage Army, showed kindness to this humble woman. This humble woman has sacrificed her blood to refine elixirs that can bring the dead back to life. I beg the Duke to give this humble woman a chance to save General Bai Qingming of the Swift Courage Army.”

Though she wasn’t clear about Ji Langhua’s intentions, she knew that Ji Langhua was someone who repaid kindness. She had even carefully preserved A’Ming’s cloak, so she definitely wouldn’t easily harm the Bai family.

Observing her clear, transparent gaze, she also didn’t seem like someone who had been bewitched or had lost her mind.

Ji Langhua’s head struck heavily against the azure stone floor. She lifted it and repeated: “This humble woman Ji Langhua—General Bai Qingming of the Swift Courage Army showed kindness to this humble woman. This humble woman has sacrificed her blood to refine elixirs that can bring the dead back to life. I beg the Duke to give this humble woman a chance to save General Bai Qingming of the Swift Courage Army.”

Perhaps because seeing Bai Qingyan had released the tension in her heart, with this kowtow Ji Langhua’s body went limp and she collapsed in front of the Duke’s mansion gates.

Bai Qingyan’s palm tightened as she instructed: “Qing Zhu, have someone carry Miss Ji back to the mansion and summon a physician to treat her.”

“Yes!” Shen Qingzhu accepted the order.

Seeing that Bai Qingyan had ordered someone to bring that girl back to the Duke’s mansion, the people couldn’t help but speculate whether the Duke also believed that the girl possessed elixirs that could resurrect the dead.

“But it’s been so long now—could those elixirs restore flesh and bone?”

“I’m curious, though—if these elixirs are real, will the Duke use them to save the Bai family’s Sixth Young Master, or to save the Duke?”

“Of course, to save the Bai family’s Sixth Young Master! If the Sixth Young Master comes back to life, wouldn’t the Bai family have a successor?”

“If you ask me, it should be the Bai family’s Seventeenth Young Master, that ten-year-old child! Back then at the South Gate, I saw that child’s body in armor… it was unbearable to witness!”

Just past noon, Lu Ning’e had just finished taking the Emperor’s pulse and left the palace when news reached the Emperor’s ears about a woman with elixirs that could resurrect the dead, kneeling before the Duke’s mansion gates begging the Duke for a chance to save Bai Qingming.

“Elixirs that can resurrect the dead?” The Emperor’s hand holding the teacup paused as he narrowed his eyes.

“Exactly. I heard that right now, that woman is kneeling outside the Duke’s mansion seeking an audience with the Duke, wanting to ask the Duke to give her a chance to save the Bai family’s Sixth Young Master.” Gao Demao smiled as he replaced the teacup in the Emperor’s hand. “Your Majesty, Miss Lu instructed when she left that you should drink more chrysanthemum tea.”

The Emperor nodded thoughtfully and took a sip. He seemed not to particularly like the taste of chrysanthemum tea as his brow furrowed, but thinking that it was Miss Lu’s instruction, he drank a few more sips before casually asking: “How did that Bai Qingyan… deal with that woman who wanted to dig up the Bai family’s Sixth Young Master’s grave?”

“Your Majesty, you’ve forgotten—the Duke returned to Shouyang and hasn’t come back yet. This old servant estimates it will still be several days before the Duke returns.” Gao Demao remembered the Crown Prince sending the Imperial Guard to escort Bai Qingyan and smiled: “The Crown Prince is quite thoughtful toward the Duke, especially dispatching the Imperial Guard to return and support the Duke. Otherwise… with the Bai clan members even forcing the Grand Princess to cough up blood, the Duke would probably have quite a headache.”

“You underestimate Bai Qingyan far too much!” The Emperor heavily set his tea cup down on the table, his eyes full of cold mockery. “Bai Qingyan is someone who even dares to coerce me—would she take mere clan members seriously?”

“That’s not necessarily true, Your Majesty. In this world, everything has its match. No matter how arrogant the Duke may be, there must always be someone who can subdue the Duke.” Gao Demao smiled as he spoke: “If Your Majesty wants to know the details of the Duke’s return to Shouyang, why not ask the Crown Prince when the Duke returns? The Crown Prince’s people accompanied her, so they would certainly know best.”

The Emperor didn’t respond, his mind filled with thoughts of those elixirs that could resurrect the dead. Now that he was already Emperor, the Bai family that threatened the Lin imperial power had already fallen. If the Emperor still had any wishes, it would be what every emperor desired—immortality.

If those elixirs that could resurrect the dead were real, then did the legendary elixirs that could bring the dead back to life truly exist in this world?

Gao Demao spoke without intention, but the Emperor began to take this matter to heart.

When Lu Ning’e returned to her mansion and alighted from her carriage, the crowd of people gathered around the Duke’s mansion to watch the excitement had not yet completely dispersed.

From the scattered discussions of the people, she learned that the female thief who had attempted to dig up the Bai family’s Sixth Young Master’s grave the previous night had collapsed at the Duke’s mansion gates, and Duke Bai Qingyan had returned and brought the person back to the mansion, just about to summon a physician for treatment.

Lu Ning’e lowered her eyes in thought. Regardless of whether the girl with the elixirs that could resurrect the dead was genuine or fake, Miss Bai would surely value her highly.

She entered through the gates and asked the gatekeeper woman, “Where has the Duke placed that young lady? I have some knowledge of medicine and could go take a look…”

Everyone in the Bai household treated Miss Lu with great courtesy. The gatekeeper woman called over an off-duty servant woman and respectfully led Lu Ning’e to the courtyard where Ji Langhua was placed.

Seeing that Bai Qingyan had arranged the woman who claimed to possess life-restoring medicine in the guest quarters, Lu Ning’e had a general understanding and began to treat the matter cautiously.

The servant woman walked ahead with a bent waist, guiding the way. As soon as they entered the courtyard, Chun Tao spotted them. She reported to Bai Qingyan and hurried out to greet them: “Miss Lu.”

Lu Ning’e smiled gently: “I heard that Miss sent someone to fetch a physician. Fearing that Miss might be anxious, though my medical skills are modest, I can manage well enough.”