Concubine Guo Ning was full of confidence, feeling the position of successor empress was within easy reach, suddenly brimming with assurance.

Emperor Hongwu announced that since Concubine Dading was remarried, Prince Qi and Prince Tan were unmarried, and the palace was still in mourning for Empress Xiaoci, the funeral arrangements for the mother and two sons would be kept simple. They would be handed over to the Ministry of Rites to be sent to their hometown in Fengyang for burial – no need to busy the palace.

The Palace Justice Department and Embroidered Uniform Guard were arresting “Northern Yuan spies” in the palace, suddenly creating many vacant positions. Concubine Guo Ning quickly placed people she wanted to promote into these spots, replacing them with her own people.

Concubine Guo Ning sighed with emotion: “Previously when I used Empress Xiaoci’s anniversary memorial to transfer people out of the palace and arrange my own people, I was rejected by Court Lady Cao leading the Six Bureaus and One Department. Now it’s perfect – no need to transfer anyone out, positions naturally become vacant, perfectly matching people to posts, inserting my own people.”

Nanny Guo praised: “So Court Lady Hu truly is a lucky general – whoever gets her sees their fortune improve.”

At this moment, the “lucky general” Hu Shanwei, after paying respects at Zhongcui Palace, hurried to find Court Lady Cao.

Court Lady Cao never showed her a pleasant face: “The palace lost quite a few people overnight. I don’t believe they were all Northern Yuan spies. Concubine Dading and her sons must have committed crimes, yet I, the Court Lady, was kept in the dark from beginning to end. You’re now a favorite of the emperor and Concubine Guo Ning – you must know the real reason. What are you here for today? To force me to abdicate in favor of worthier people?”

Hu Shanwei spoke directly: “I’ve come for Apothecary Ru.”

Court Lady Cao snorted coldly: “I heard Apothecary Ru is suspected of collaborating with Yuan, being a Northern Yuan spy, arrested by the Palace Justice Department for questioning.”

Hu Shanwei said: “At this moment, Apothecary Ru is my honored guest.”

Court Lady Cao raised an eyebrow: “You’re meddling in others’ affairs again, taking on such a hot potato. Palace Supervisor Fan must be overjoyed.”

Hu Shanwei said: “Court Lady Cao truly has keen insight and sees through everything. This subordinate truly admires you.”

Court Lady Cao laughed coldly: “Showing excessive courtesy without cause – your flattery isn’t for nothing. Speak up, what do you want to do?”

Hu Shanwei said: “The Palace Administration Bureau manages all palace personnel records and files. I’d like to see Apothecary Ru’s records.”

Court Lady Cao asked: “Since you suspect her, why are you still protecting her?”

Hu Shanwei said: “Right now there are countless threads involving all major figures. I don’t know how to find the real culprit within three days, but at least I can try to prove Apothecary Ru’s innocence.”

This was the method of proof by contradiction. Only five people knew at the time: Hu Shanwei, the Chief Judge, Mao Qiang, Emperor Hongwu, and Apothecary Ru. Among them, Apothecary Ru was the softest persimmon, naturally squeezed first.

Court Lady Cao was cold-faced but righteous-hearted. She retrieved Apothecary Ru’s records for Hu Shanwei: “I don’t know what trouble Apothecary Ru is really in, but this person seeks only the medical way – there must be some misunderstanding.”

Hu Shanwei reviewed Apothecary Ru’s records from her palace entry onward – what family she had, who vouched for her, annual correspondence with relatives inside and outside the palace, even handwritten copies of letters on file.

Apothecary Ru’s background was very clean – from a century-old scholarly family. Such people had ties, and unless major life changes caused them to turn against family, they generally wouldn’t get involved in rebellion.

Hu Shanwei found nothing and returned to her residence. Apothecary Ru had finished bathing, changed into clean clothes, her half-dry black hair hanging loose as she leaned against a warm brazier to dry her hair, drowsy.

It was rare to see Apothecary Ru’s lazy, relaxed side. She was comfortable and at ease, not at all worried about how to account for things in three days.

Hearing footsteps, Apothecary Ru leaned against the brazier and said: “I truly never told anyone about Concubine Dading’s poisoning, nor would I accidentally leak it – I’ve been in the rear palace fourteen years and know what should and shouldn’t be said. Moreover, after refusing to treat Concubine Dading that day, I’ve been careful to avoid suspicion, only dealing with medical books and medicines daily, never treating others or gossiping.”

“I won’t randomly accuse others to save myself. Life is only a few dozen years – rather than living shamefully, better to die with dignity.”

Hu Shanwei said: “Do you know? It was Physician Tan who risked danger asking me to save you.”

The body leaning against the brazier stiffened. Apothecary Ru turned her head, facing away from Hu Shanwei, speaking lightly: “I told him long ago to give up hope. The Tan family won’t tolerate a daughter-in-law who shows her face publicly as a physician. I can’t possibly leave the palace to marry him.”

Though she said this, Hu Shanwei saw Apothecary Ru’s shoulders trembling violently – clearly moved by Physician Tan.

Hu Shanwei understood Apothecary Ru’s choice well. Reality was cruel – not all lovers could become couples. Compared to Apothecary Ru and Physician Tan, the obstacles between her and Mu Chun were even greater, destined for a long and difficult romantic path.

Another dead end reached, adding to her melancholy. Hu Shanwei felt quite discouraged and also leaned against the brazier. Both mentally and physically exhausted, she had originally wanted to hide in peace at Xiaoling, never expecting more troubles to pile up. Problems came looking for her – impossible to avoid.

The brazier contained sleep-inducing lily fragrance. Hu Shanwei fell asleep lying on it.

Her dreams were chaotic. She dreamed of unconsciously writing the character “chun” (spring) in snow on a windowsill, afraid people would discover her feelings, so she melted it with her palm.

But just as she was about to close the window, she saw someone had somehow used footprints to stomp out a giant “chun” character in the snowy grass on the hillside!

How terrible! Her feelings were like Sima Zhao’s heart – known to all passers-by.

“Sister Shanwei, don’t think you can forget me. This character is forever carved in your heart.” The person looked up, grinning mischievously at her – it was Mu Chun.

This troublesome little demon! Hu Shanwei felt both angry and loving, chasing to the grass, but Mu Chun had disappeared.

Fortunately she was clever, whistling to lure the deer herd over. Countless large deer hooves trampled the “chun” character to pieces, destroying all traces.

Hu Shanwei breathed a sigh of relief. A clear whistle came from the sky. Looking up, she saw someone riding a phoenix, the phoenix soaring with brilliant feathers.

Hu Shanwei chased the phoenix. Ahead appeared a palace surrounded by clouds and mist. The person floated down from the phoenix – it was Empress Ma.

“Your Majesty? How are you here?” Hu Shanwei couldn’t help approaching.

Empress Ma wore casual robes, still resembling her former appearance but with a relieved expression, transcendent and otherworldly: “I’ve always lived here.”

Hu Shanwei said: “Your Majesty, I can’t figure it out. The clues are like hitting a ghost wall – going round and round back to the starting point. I can’t tell others either. In the palace, speaking of troubles not only doesn’t halve them but creates double trouble, even with the closest people – you can’t be completely open with them. Your Majesty, I finally understand why you were so tired.”

Empress Ma smiled: “Actually the answer is right in front of you – it’s just that few people have the courage to face it.”

“You know who the leak is?” Hu Shanwei approached excitedly: “Only five people knew – who exactly is it?”

Empress Ma said: “You’re running around crying injustice for Apothecary Ru because she gains nothing from leaking. All her thoughts are on pursuing medicine. Then conversely, after the leak, among those who survived, who would benefit? It’s still the rule I taught you before – rear palace matters, traced to their roots, are all front court affairs…”

Empress Ma disappeared, the palace vanished, and beneath her feet was scorched earth with broken walls and ruins. She felt her footing soften and looked down to discover she was stepping on a dead face with a cracked skull – it was Prince Qi.

Frightened, she stepped back, but wherever she retreated, she stepped on corpses. Only then did she realize she was at Xiaoling, with bones scattered everywhere across the landscape.

Hu Shanwei suddenly sat up from the brazier – it was all a dream. Apothecary Ru splashed cold water on her face: “You were having a nightmare. Finally awake.”

Looking at Apothecary Ru, the bizarre dream still lingered in her mind. Hu Shanwei stared blankly, murmuring: “I understand now. It’s actually the same as before – eliminate the impossible one by one. The most impossible becomes possible. Just need to find the motive, what he wanted to gain…”

At Qianqing Palace, Hu Shanwei requested an audience with Emperor Hongwu. With the palace purge, even the air had grown tense. Mao Qiang personally led the Embroidered Uniform Guard protecting the emperor.

Mao Qiang asked: “What do you want? The emperor has no time to see you.”

Hu Shanwei said: “I want to personally report to the emperor who the leak is.”

Mao Qiang was very surprised: “Palace Supervisor Fan questioned for two days without results, and you found out so quickly?”

Hu Shanwei said: “Perhaps I have better luck.”

Mao Qiang warned: “Don’t randomly pick someone and torture a false confession just to curry favor with the emperor.”

Hu Shanwei said: “I’m not one of your Embroidered Uniform Guards.”

“You—” Just as Mao Qiang was about to lose his temper, Ji Gang came over to mediate: “Have you all been eating gunpowder lately? Such hot tempers! Since Empress Xiaoci passed, there’ve been constant troubles inside and outside the palace. Being able to survive with all limbs intact is already a blessing – yet you still keep arguing. Save that energy for breathing, won’t you?”

Hu Shanwei and Mao Qiang said in unison: “Shut up!”

Ji Gang smiled obsequiously: “Commander Mao, Court Lady Hu just escaped death protecting Empress Xiaoci’s spirit tablet – that’s roughly equivalent to protecting the emperor. Such a meritorious official wanting to see the emperor must have important matters to report. What are you doing blocking the door? What if you delay important business?”

Mao Qiang: “You—”

Before Mao Qiang could finish, Ji Gang pointed at Hu Shanwei: “Court Lady Hu, let me tell you – in the future, speak more politely to our Commander Mao. Commander Mao indeed owes you a husband, but that was three years ago – you can’t keep accounting like this.”

Ji Gang spoke righteously, giving both parties sixty strikes each but actually favoring Hu Shanwei, indicating the state owed her a husband. If not for Mao Qiang’s interference, Hu Shanwei would already be a first-rank Earl’s wife.

Mao Qiang looked at Ji Gang, whose elbow bent outward, like watching a pig he’d raised destroy his own vegetable garden. When men grow up, they can’t be kept! All his painstaking cultivation and promotion couldn’t match Hu Shanwei’s single cold sarcasm. So cheap, so cheap!

Taking advantage of Mao Qiang’s fury, Ji Gang brought Hu Shanwei inside to report.

In Emperor Hongwu’s study, a new “Pine and Deer Painting” hung on the wall – Shen Qionglian’s work painted atop a tomb.

Heavy snow pressed on pines, pine needles verdant green, deer wandering among pines – tranquil and beautiful.

This was Xiaoling’s most beautiful moment before the war’s devastation. Emperor Hongwu would treasure it for life.

Emperor Hongwu asked: “Who leaked Concubine Dading’s poisoning?”

Hu Shanwei said: “The leak is right before this servant.”

Before Hu Shanwei stood Emperor Hongwu.

Emperor Hongwu remained motionless: “How bold of you.”

He didn’t deny it. Hu Shanwei became more certain of her deduction: “Of the five suspects – myself, the Chief Judge, Apothecary Ru, Mao Qiang – we four gain nothing from this, only bringing great disaster. Looking only at the results, Your Majesty is the greatest beneficiary. Whether inside or outside the palace, Prince Han’s forces were completely uprooted. Your Majesty no longer worries about Chen Youliang’s remnant forces striking back.”

“Since you could collect evidence of Prince Qi accepting support from Chen Youliang’s old forces, Prince Qi was already under your strict surveillance. What use is killing Prince Qi alone? Chen Youliang’s old forces would remain, staying as Your Majesty’s mortal concern. So while you tricked Prince Qi into returning to the capital to attend his sick mother, you had those who relayed your summons deliberately seem to accidentally leak Concubine Dading’s poisoning truth – mixing truth with lies, tricking Prince Qi into desperate all-or-nothing action, gathering all his forces for a final gamble.”

“And Prince Tan – Your Majesty’s suspicious nature wanted to test whether your own son’s heart lay with father or mother, forcing Prince Tan to choose between the two. A son disloyal to the Great Ming doesn’t deserve to be a Ming prince or your son.”

“Your only miscalculation was that Prince Qi lacked the courage to coordinate with rear palace forces to pressure you into abdication, choosing instead to seize Prince Lu and Empress Xiaoci’s remains at Xiaoling as leverage to rescue Concubine Dading and flee far away.”

“Your original plan was for Concubine Dading and Prince Qi’s failed palace coup to end in shame and suicide, simultaneously annihilating Prince Han’s old forces while preserving imperial reputation, proclaiming to the world that Concubine Dading and Prince Qi were traitors, deservedly nailed to pillories of shame and recorded in history for eternal condemnation.”

However, at the final step, things still spiraled out of control. Imperial Guard Commander Marquis Gongchang Guo Xing was prepared and ready, even conveniently approving the unwitting Mu Chun’s leave, but never waited for Prince Qi’s rebel forces to storm the palace. Instead, the weakly defended Xiaoling had the incident.

For this reason, after returning to the palace, Emperor Hongwu didn’t immediately press Palace Supervisor Fan for results, letting Apothecary Ru sit in prison, because Emperor Hongwu knew she wasn’t the leak. Otherwise, Apothecary Ru would have been tortured to death long ago – how could she be leaning comfortably against a brazier now?

Motives and results roughly matched. Rear palace affairs never only affected the rear palace – every word from Empress Xiaoci came from the heart.

Emperor Hongwu said: “Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?”

Hu Shanwei said: “Afraid – this servant fears death. But there are many things in this world more terrifying than death. This servant experienced this entire affair as a court lady – seeking truth is this servant’s responsibility, even though this servant didn’t want to face this truth either. Your Majesty is emperor, seeking eternal stability for the realm. Your Majesty’s actions weren’t wrong, but Your Majesty, many innocent people have already died. Please show mercy and spare Apothecary Ru’s life. In her fourteen years in the palace, she’s been conscientious and diligent, healing and saving people. She doesn’t deserve to die.”

Emperor Hongwu closed his eyes and didn’t open them for a long time. Just when Hu Shanwei thought he’d fallen asleep, Emperor Hongwu opened his eyes: “You must keep this secret – act as if it never happened. Also, from today Apothecary Ru resigns her position and leaves the palace, forbidden from remaining at court, lifelong prohibition from revealing Concubine Dading’s poisoning, or I’ll implicate the Ru clan’s nine generations.”

Hu Shanwei said: “This servant kowtows in gratitude for imperial grace.”

Hu Shanwei bowed and retreated. Reaching the door, Emperor Hongwu suddenly said: “I… I indeed had testing intentions, but never planned to kill Prince Tan. He was my own flesh and blood – I would have pardoned his crimes eventually. But I never expected Prince Tan would rather die than accept the surname I gave him. You just said there are many things more terrifying than death. So in Prince Tan’s heart, I am more terrifying than death. Why is father-son affection so cold?”

Hu Shanwei didn’t know how to answer, only saying: “This servant’s… relationship with father also isn’t very good.”

Don’t ask me this question – I’m not clear why either. You might ask Mu Chun instead – his father-son relationship with Marquis Xiping is… well, even worse.

The emperor wanted Apothecary Ru to leave that day – the palace dared not keep her until tomorrow.

At dusk, with snow fluttering and white flakes flying, wind and waves like dreams, all transformations ephemeral. Apothecary Ru carried a small bundle leaving the palace through Xi’an Gate, the vermillion doors slowly closing behind her.

Leaving the place where she’d worked for fourteen years, Apothecary Ru didn’t look back – afraid she’d cry. She walked straight ahead, constantly comforting herself: after Empress Xiaoci’s death, the rear palace was in constant turmoil. Caught in disputes, she could no longer concentrate on medicine – better to return home.

But ultimately, her heart was unwilling. The palace had disputes – did that mean outside would definitely be peaceful?

Apothecary Ru feared the world beyond the palace.

“Apothecary Ru!” Physician Tan caught up driving a carriage, but Apothecary Ru still didn’t stop.

Physician Tan asked: “What are Apothecary Ru’s future plans?”

Before Physician Tan, Apothecary Ru wouldn’t show weakness: “A person’s worries are nothing more than support in old age and healthcare. For old age, I can receive a female official’s salary for life; for healthcare, I’m a physician myself. I’ll return home to sweep my parents’ graves, then seek famous physicians everywhere, travel the world, collect medicines and medical texts unseen in the palace, find a place I like to open a pharmacy. When I’ve accumulated enough experience, I’ll compile a medical book about women’s ailments.”

Physician Tan asked: “May I accompany Apothecary Ru in these endeavors? I also want to travel the world, open a pharmacy, and write medical books.”

Apothecary Ru found this amusing: “You’re an imperial physician – you can’t leave the capital.”

“Not anymore.” Tan Fu said: “I’ve already resigned from the Imperial Medical Academy. I’m now just commoner Tan Fu – a man who wants to escape court disputes, travel the world with the woman he loves, stay together for life, open a pharmacy together to study medicine. I have no official position and don’t plan to rely on family support. If I don’t do well among common people in the future, I might need Apothecary Ru’s lifetime salary to support the family. I wonder if Apothecary Ru would look favorably on someone like me.”

Apothecary Ru smiled through tears, shouldering her small bundle and jumping onto the carriage: “I’ll support you.”

Author’s Note: Apothecary Ru: Yes, I approached you only to study medicine.

Apothecary Ru: I could never marry him.

Apothecary Ru: How fragrant!