Wei Caiwei would forever remember who was the true culprit behind her and Wang Daxia’s tragic fate of deep love cut short in her previous life.

It was precisely Prince Jing, along with his running dogs and minions.

In her previous life, Prince Yu was the eldest, only twenty-five days older than Prince Jing, but he still held the natural right of inheritance.

However, the rift between Emperor Jiajing and Prince Yu was deeper than the ocean, and Prince Yu persisted in refusing to comply with his father emperor. Emperor Jiajing disliked the disobedient Prince Yu, but as an emperor, he could not ignore the ancestral laws established by his forebears.

Moreover, the fourth prince, Prince Jing, had always been childless, while only Prince Yu’s Consort Li (that is, Li Jiubao) had given birth to the only imperial grandson and granddaughter. Prince Yu was blessed with both sons and daughters.

In terms of progeny, Prince Yu was Emperor Jiajing’s only choice. But Emperor Jiajing, in order to maintain balance and suppress Prince Yu, no matter how the court ministers advised that Prince Jing should immediately go to his fief and leave the capital, he remained unresponsive and refused to establish Prince Yu as crown prince, just dragging it out indefinitely while father and son tortured each other.

This led to later events when Emperor Jiajing fell critically ill. Palace Consort Lu Jing made a desperate gamble, colluding with Prince Jing from within and without to seize the position of heir. Wang Daxia, Wei Caiwei, and Noble Consort Shang had long secretly allied with Li Jiubao to prevent Prince Jing’s palace coup. Then Prince Jing’s mansion harbored assassins raised by the Yan Song father and son. Prince Jing, in his death throes, fought back desperately, kidnapping Wei Caiwei to use her to turn Wang Daxia to their side.

This pair of devoted spouses was famous throughout the palace and beyond for their love. Wei Caiwei was indeed Wang Daxia’s weakness.

Wang Daxia went to rescue Wei Caiwei. When the two were escaping, a poisoned arrow shot toward them. Wang Daxia pushed Wei Caiwei away and was struck by the arrow himself. Despite Wei Caiwei’s full efforts to treat him, it left lasting damage, causing Wang Daxia to die from the recurring illness when he was only in his forties.

Eunuch Wei was Prince Jing’s dog-headed military advisor. The kidnapping of Wei Caiwei to threaten Wang Daxia was entirely his manipulation. So in this life, with new grievances added to old hatred, Wei Caiwei faced the murderous, fierce-looking but cowardly Eunuch Wei with no backing down, confronting him head-on with equal force.

Eunuch Wei hadn’t expected that a mere female physician would dare to disrespect him in front of everyone. He immediately flew into a rage: “Don’t you dare pin false accusations on this servant! This servant is utterly loyal to His Majesty, otherwise I wouldn’t have been chosen as Prince Jing’s chief companion. Your sowing discord between father and son of the imperial family makes you deserving of death!”

Wei Caiwei smiled and said: “Clearly it’s Eunuch Wei who’s running rampant on Qionghua Island in the names of Consort Jing and Prince Jing, persecuting the palace ladies. If Consort Jing and Prince Jing were here and saw three palace ladies seriously injured, with Heaven’s compassion for all living things, they would surely order a halt to the mountain search for safety’s sake. They would never ignore the palace ladies’ lives and deaths to blindly persist. So you are the one sowing discord between His Majesty and Consort Jing, between His Majesty and Prince Jing!”

“You—” Eunuch Wei pointed at Wei Caiwei. “Quickly gag her and seize her!”

Prince Jing’s manor guards pressed toward Wei Caiwei. Wei Caiwei secretly felt for the “tear-inducing eye-stinging” powder for self-defense in her medicine pouch, preparing to protect herself.

Seeing Wei Caiwei in danger, Li Jiubao hurriedly stood in front to block the guards: “She’s unconscious, and the other two palace ladies are about to faint from pain. Physician Wei needs to save people, yet you want to arrest her. What kind of logic is this?”

Wei Caiwei had cured Wet Nurse Song’s qi obstruction syndrome. Seeing that Li Jiubao was standing up for Wei Caiwei, having already waded into these muddy waters, she decided to go all in and also stepped forward to protect Wei Caiwei, saying:

“I’ve worked in the palace for half my life. I’m over fifty this year, and I’ve never seen any prince’s guards running wild in the Forbidden City! This is the Western Garden’s Qionghua Island, not your Prince Jing’s manor’s back garden!”

Seeing Li Jiubao and Wet Nurse Song both stand up, several palace ladies whom Wei Caiwei had just treated for twisted ankles also limped over. They said nothing, just formed a line, not allowing the guards to touch Wei Caiwei.

Wei Caiwei had been the physician in Chuxiu Palace for half a month. Whether the palace ladies had irregular menstruation or facial breakouts, they all sought her help, and she treated everyone equally, always willing to help. Her reputation was excellent.

Now that Wei Caiwei had offended Eunuch Wei to prevent the palace ladies from taking risks, about half of the forty-eight palace ladies spontaneously stood out to surround Wei Caiwei, while the other half remained in place, taking a wait-and-see attitude.

Of course Prince Jing couldn’t control the Forbidden City, but Prince Jing’s mother, Lu Jing, managed the rear palace! If they remained in the court in the future, wouldn’t they still have to make their living under Consort Jing’s hand?

But Prince Jing’s manor guards didn’t dare touch the palace ladies either—these were the emperor’s women! They’d lose their heads!

Both sides were at an impasse. Wei Caiwei took the opportunity to give Eunuch Wei and his guards a way out, saying: “I advise Eunuch Wei to prioritize important matters. Prince Jing hasn’t been found yet, but the Eunuch has gotten into conflict with me, a mere female physician? If Consort Jing knew, wouldn’t she blame the Eunuch for poor performance? Are you here to search for someone, Eunuch, or to quarrel?”

“You useless fools!” Eunuch Wei had no choice. Prince Jing hadn’t been found yet; he couldn’t delay here any longer. “Hurry up the mountain to find him!”

Ultimately, they didn’t make the palace ladies risk their lives searching.

After Eunuch Wei and his men left, Wei Caiwei hurried to check on the two palace ladies trapped by the pine tree. One had already fainted from pain, while the other was covered in cold sweat, curled into a ball, saying her arm couldn’t move.

Wei Caiwei felt it and said, “Oh no, your arm is broken. Don’t move.”

Wei Caiwei still had the bamboo pole she’d retrieved from the tea rose flower frame. She simply used her knife to cut it short, splitting it into several bamboo strips, and tore her clothes into strips, asking several palace ladies to firmly hold down the palace lady with the broken arm: “I don’t have anesthetic decoction with me. Setting the bone will be very painful.”

Wei Caiwei set the bone, using bamboo strips to secure the fracture and wrapping it tightly with cloth strips. The palace lady shook all over from pain, fortunately held down by the other palace ladies.

Just as Wei Caiwei was tensely treating the severely injured palace ladies, Lu Jing’s hastily assembled three-hundred-person rescue team alerted Chief Eunuch Huang Jin of the Directorate of Ceremonial at the mountaintop Guanghan Palace.

At this time, Emperor Jiajing was still in his bedroom watching Shang Qinglan in her drunken spring slumber. Huang Jin didn’t dare disturb him—he thought Emperor Jiajing had already begun favoring the intoxicated beauty!

Huang Jin knew well what terrible consequences would result if he rashly burst in at this moment to disturb Emperor Jiajing’s “elegant mood.”

Therefore, Huang Jin didn’t report to Emperor Jiajing but ordered men to firmly guard all entrances to Guanghan Palace, allowing no one to approach, then personally led men down the mountain to inquire about what had happened.

Meanwhile, Lu Jing’s side had already made a discovery: “Your Majesty! Bloody footprints have been spotted on the western stairs!”

These were precisely the footprints left step by step by Prince Jing, who had been stripped of shoes, socks, and pants.

Lu Jing was shocked by the sight: “Quickly follow the footprints to search!”

Walking on the western mountain path, Wang Daxia had the sharpest eyes and noticed something amiss: “Stop! Why are so many people heading up the mountain from the eastern foot? There’s clearly no path there.”

Due to the great distance, they couldn’t clearly see who was coming. Lu Ying said: “It is indeed suspicious. We can’t go down to the dungeon for this lecher. After all, our mission is to protect His Majesty, and His Majesty is at Guanghan Palace on the mountaintop. Let’s hurry back.”

Wang Daxia tugged at the rope, pointing at Prince Jing: “What about the lecher?”

Lu Ying waved his hand decisively: “Bring him along. Guanghan Palace has wine cellars that can serve as prison cells.”

So the group, having descended halfway down the mountain, began climbing back up.

Lu Ying’s Embroidered Uniform Guards and Lu Jing’s retainers along with Prince Jing’s manor guards—two groups of men met on the narrow path at Piaomiao Peak on the western mountain!

Lu Ying saw that Lu Jing, who should have left after the banquet ended, had actually come to the western side of Qionghua Island. Thinking she had learned of the emperor’s presence on the island and was relentlessly pursuing to curry favor, he quickly stepped forward to bow: “Why has Consort Jing come here?”

Prince Jing saw his mother and, regardless of his wretched appearance, twisted his body wildly, making muffled sounds at the consort.

Wang Daxia feared the lecher would offend the favored consort and quickly tightened the rope, not allowing Prince Jing to rush forward.

Lu Jing didn’t answer Lu Ying’s question. She stared blankly at the disheveled man ahead with his mouth gagged, face covered with dust, blood, and snot, looking utterly deranged.

The madman wasn’t even wearing pants or socks, with his soles worn bloody.

Mother and son were connected by heart. Lu Jing immediately recognized that this madman was her son, Prince Jing.

Lu Jing walked closer, trembling all over: “My son?”

Mmph mmph! Prince Jing nodded frantically!

Lu Jing reached out to untie the gag, and Prince Jing immediately threw himself into Lu Jing’s arms, crying hot tears: “Mother! This Wang Daxia bullied me! Stripped my clothes, humiliated me! Tortured me! Quickly beat him to death! Exterminate his nine generations!”

The lecher was actually Prince Jing! The Embroidered Uniform Guards were all shocked!

Lu Ying recognized Prince Jing’s voice. She looked at Wang Daxia, who shook his head repeatedly: “Impossible! He’s the lecher who was peeping at palace ladies! He had a Western telescope in his hands, with a lecherous expression, and even that thing was standing up. I saw it crystal clear! Not only that, after the lecher saw me catch him, he even tried to kill me to silence me! Every word is true!”

Of course Prince Jing wouldn’t admit to peeping at the emperor’s women. He bit back at Wang Daxia, holding on desperately. If he didn’t destroy Wang Daxia today, he feared losing his father’s favor!

Prince Jing said: “Don’t make false accusations! What women don’t I, this prince, have? Why would I run to peep at palace ladies? You were clearly the one peeping at palace ladies from Penglai Pavilion. You became lustful, and when I caught you, you slandered me as a lecher!”

Wang Daxia knew he had stirred up a hornet’s nest today and hastily defended himself: “I’m just a lowly Embroidered Uniform Guard centurion. I don’t have precious items like Western telescopes at all. Every mission, Commander Lu lends it to me and I return it when done. Penglai Pavilion is so far from the chrysanthemum banquet that people look like ants to the naked eye. How could I possibly become aroused by a group of ants!”

Prince Jing was about to continue arguing when Lu Jing stopped him, saying: “What are you all standing around for? This person peeped at palace ladies, assaulted a prince, and slandered Prince Jing’s reputation. Each offense is punishable by death. Why haven’t you killed him on the spot!”

Lu Jing had experienced too many conspiracies. Seeing Prince Jing in such a wretched state, she firmly believed her son was innocent, thinking this was Prince Yu’s scheme—using Wang Daxia to frame her son so he would lose the emperor’s favor, allowing Prince Yu to take advantage.

Wang Daxia could commit such treasonous acts because he must be Prince Yu’s devoted follower. No amount of torture would be useful, so it was better to kill Wang Daxia directly to restore her son’s reputation.

“Yes!” Lu Jing’s retainers and Prince Jing’s manor men drew their weapons to strike Wang Daxia.

“Wait!” Lu Ying shielded Wang Daxia behind her. “Consort Jing, human life is precious. We should investigate clearly first.”

Lu Jing said coldly: “The Embroidered Uniform Guards’ responsibility is to protect the palace and the imperial family. Now Prince Jing has been harmed by this person, nearly losing his life and reputation. How can I spare him! Stand aside and don’t collude with this person! Attack!”

The opposing blades pressed forward again. Lu Ying refused to yield and drew her sword to defend: “Wang Daxia is my subordinate. I know him very well. Given his nature, he indeed might do such things—but what’s the reason? He has no motive to harm and frame Prince Jing. This person is quite lazy and never does meaningless things. Moreover, I’m his superior. If he commits errors, I also bear the guilt of poor supervision. If Consort Jing wants to kill him, she must get past me first.”

Lu Jing hadn’t expected Lu Ying would fight her to the death over a nameless nobody. But for now, both she and Prince Jing were in a difficult position. If Wang Daxia didn’t die, then her son’s position as heir would be in danger!

Lu Jing decided to cut through the mess quickly: “Kill this person and receive a thousand taels of silver, plus promotion and noble title.”

My numbers are ten times yours! I don’t believe I can’t kill him!

Dozens of experts attacked fiercely. The Embroidered Uniform Guards Wu Xiaoqi and others had fought alongside Lu Ying through life and death, naturally following her lead. They all drew their weapons to fight together, protecting Wang Daxia.

The two sides actually began fighting on Piaomiao Peak!

Author’s Note: Last time it was the Northern City Military Commissioner fighting with the Embroidered Uniform Guards in the streets over Wang Daxia, chasing from Daxing to Wanping. This time it’s the Embroidered Uniform Guards fighting with the palace inner guards and Prince Jing’s manor guards over Wang Daxia. So Wang Daxia is indeed a devastatingly handsome male beauty who brings calamity wherever he goes—wars break out wherever he is!