Xie Yunhuai must have met with trouble.

Today was their agreed-upon day for him to visit and check on Shen Xihe’s recovery. Even if Xie Yunhuai had urgent business requiring him to leave the capital, he would certainly have sent someone to inform her. This silent disappearance was not his way of doing things.

Shen Xihe personally went to Xie Yunhuai’s residence – a small yard with bamboo fencing, a mud and thatch cottage, with a winding path of polished stones laid through the middle, and flower beds growing various plants on both sides.

Medicinal herbs were drying in the yard, mixed with fallen dead leaves from some unknown time. Shen Xihe pushed open the door – the inside was neat and immediately visible. The table indeed had accumulated dust. In the kitchen were many ingredients: rotting vegetable leaves and moldy, foul-smelling soaked glutinous rice.

He had indeed been missing for three days. Three days ago, he had prepared these items to cook that day but hadn’t had the chance before leaving for some reason. There were no signs of struggle in the house. His medicine box was missing – it was very likely an initial consultation and an urgent one.

“His martial arts are excellent and he understands medicine – ordinary people couldn’t ambush him,” Shen Xihe lowered her eyes. “He wouldn’t easily treat someone whose background he didn’t know, so before preparing dinner, someone he knew must have come looking for him, and he left with them…”

“Princess, this servant asked the gate guards. Someone entered the city with Doctor Qi in the third quarter of the si hour three days ago, but they didn’t recognize who it was,” Mo Yuan came running to report.

Though the capital was full of talented people, Xie Yunhuai himself had an otherworldly bearing. As a doctor living outside the city who entered and exited several times daily, after several months, there wasn’t a guard at the city tower who didn’t recognize him.

“Did that person have any distinctive features?” Shen Xihe asked.

“The guard only glanced briefly, saying they dressed like servants from noble mansions in the capital,” Mo Yuan had inquired in detail but couldn’t get any other useful information.

The capital had many powerful families – royal family, nobility, aristocrats, scholars – but each had their preferences. Servants’ clothing was usually uniformly provided by their households for all four seasons. The royal family needed no explanation – mostly eunuchs and guards who traditionally carried swords.

The nobility were mostly ennobled through military merit and favored martial arts – their servants often wore tight sleeves. Aristocratic servants had narrow sleeves but dressed somewhat more elaborately, while scholar households’ servants dressed more plainly.

The gate guards saw all sorts of people each year and had some intuition for judging people’s backgrounds.

“Have people inquire if any duke, marquis, or count households urgently sought a doctor in the past five days.” Shen Xihe’s eyes narrowed slightly. She left Xie Yunhuai’s residence and returned to her mansion. Mo Yuan had already found out what she wanted to know.

The capital had only four dukes, five marquises, and seven counts. Among these sixteen noble households, the inquiry revealed that while some had called for doctors, none had urgently needed one, much less sent cards to the Imperial Medical Office.

If noble households encountered difficult illnesses that ordinary doctors couldn’t handle, they would certainly request physicians from the Imperial Medical Office. Only if the Imperial Medical Office was also helpless would they try any means possible and visit acclaimed civilian doctors.

“I know who it is.” Shen Xihe looked toward Chongyi Street, where Duke Xie’s mansion was located.

“Did Duke Xie detain Doctor Qi?” Biyu was startled. “Would Duke Xie harm Doctor Qi?”

Shen Xihe silently returned inside and sat down in thought: “He’s so intelligent – if Duke Xie meant him harm, he certainly wouldn’t have gone to Duke Xie’s mansion.”

“Could Doctor Qi have been unaware and ambushed by Duke Xie?” Hongyu was also quite worried about Xie Yunhuai – without him, Shen Xihe wouldn’t have recovered.

Shen Xihe shook her head slightly.

Xie Yunhuai’s return this time was to seek justice for his dead mother. He must have been watching Duke Xie’s mansion’s every move and absolutely couldn’t have been easily tricked by Duke Xie.

Duke Xie had handled the past incident flawlessly – Xie Yunhuai couldn’t possibly have evidence. If Duke Xie wanted to kill Xie Yunhuai, he needn’t have waited until today. Moreover, Xie Yunhuai had been in the capital so long – even with murderous intent, there was no need to wait until now.

“He must have willingly gone to Duke Xie’s mansion, and brought his medicine box…” Shen Xihe felt this point was quite contradictory.

Xie Yunhuai would treat the Yuan family’s daughter but absolutely wouldn’t treat the Xie family. Poisoning was even more impossible – if Xie’s family members died of poison later, he would be the first suspect. Yet he went, bringing his medicine box, clearly going for an initial consultation.

Something flickered through Shen Xihe’s mind but she couldn’t grasp it.

Seeing Shen Xihe frowning in deep thought for a long while, Zhenzhu presented a letter: “Princess, news from Duhuo Tower.”

Shen Xihe took it and opened it, suddenly standing up.

Someone had bought the medicinal ingredients Prince Xun needed, in large quantities, split among several pharmacies. They had purchased several different prescriptions, each containing these ingredients. All these people had been lost track of. Shen Xihe recited the places where they were lost – some seemed far from Chongyi Street but were very close.

Drawing a mental map of the routes around Duke Xie’s mansion, Shen Xihe discovered these people were all extremely close to Duke Xie’s mansion.

“I understand – he was taken by Duke Xie to treat someone else!” Shen Xihe’s gaze darkened. She went to the kitchen and directed Hongyu and others to help make ginkgo pastries.

Inspired by Xiao Huayong’s ginkgo tea, she had mentioned it to Hongyu, who had worked out a type of ginkgo cookie.

Shen Xihe had tasted them and found them quite good, originally intending to share them with Xiao Huayong.

“Hongyu, deliver the ginkgo pastries to the Eastern Palace, and be sure to personally tell His Highness the Crown Prince about Prince Xun being hidden in Duke Xie’s mansion,” Shen Xihe instructed quietly.

With Xie Yunhuai in Prince Xun’s hands, Shen Xihe had to be cautious.

After instructing Hongyu, Shen Xihe had Biyu send a card to Duke Xie’s wife Lady Yuan, and then redid her makeup herself.

“Princess, Duke Xie’s wife says she’s been unwell lately and can’t properly receive the Princess. She’ll send a card inviting the Princess to make amends after she recovers,” Biyu quickly returned, bringing Lady Yuan’s maid.

Shen Xihe smiled faintly: “Sending a card was merely showing her courtesy.”

Without glancing at Lady Yuan’s maid, Shen Xihe carried Short-Life and got into her carriage, heading directly for Duke Xie’s mansion.

The main gate of Duke Xie’s mansion was knocked open. Seeing Shen Xihe, the servants naturally dared not keep her waiting outside. When Shen Xihe entered, Short-Life jumped down from her arms.

“Biyu, Moyu, don’t let it run around everywhere,” Shen Xihe lifted her teacup, gently raising the lid as she casually instructed.

Biyu and Moyu understood and went to chase Short-Life. Though the Princess’s cat was ugly, Duke Xie’s servants didn’t dare use force. Moreover, Short-Life was arrogant and domineering, fiercely scratching at any strangers with its claws, which Shen Xihe never trimmed, unlike other noble ladies who kept their cats confined.

Shen Xihe would drive Short-Life outside to hunt for food to prevent it from losing its instincts, so one scratch would certainly tear flesh.