Feng Jiu’s scalp tingled slightly—she had known it. No matter where the Ninth Imperial Uncle went, he was always this dazzling; there was no way to keep people from noticing him.

Still, he used to favor white robes, but tonight he wore black, so Qiao Mu shouldn’t immediately think of the Ninth Imperial Uncle.

“He’s… an important person, Qiao, let’s go look at the herbs.” Feng Jiu shot her a look, hinting that this important person was someone even Tianji Hall could not afford to provoke.

Something flickered in Qiao Mu’s eyes, but in the end she only nodded, glancing once more at that tall figure before turning to lead the way ahead.

Why did it all feel so strange? Inspecting the herbs was such an important matter—how could an outsider be allowed to watch?

Was it simply because of his noble status that he got to watch whatever he pleased? That was nothing like how Young Mistress usually did things—when had she ever been afraid of the powerful and the noble?

Though doubts lingered in her heart, Qiao Mu obeyed Feng Jiu’s words as she always did. If Young Mistress wasn’t on guard against this man, then she wouldn’t be on guard either.

The herbs had been delivered to the side hall and had already been laid out for half a day, waiting for Feng Jiu to return.

Seeing the masked man in the black gauze hood trailing behind their mistress, his face entirely hidden, everyone present silently harbored their own doubts.

Xiao Yingtao, of course, was the one least able to hold her tongue, and came right over to ask, “Young Mistress, who is this?”

Feng Jiu had known that bringing the Ninth Imperial Uncle here would stir up plenty of suspicion.

But once he insisted on following her, who could possibly stop him? If it upset him even slightly and he simply tore off the hat himself, who would bear the consequences?

For someone as willful as the Ninth Imperial Uncle to be willing to wear the hat, stay quiet, follow obediently behind her, and endure everyone’s suspicious looks—that was already remarkably docile of him.

At a time like this, she absolutely could not afford to upset him further. The smallest displeasure, and he might lose his temper at any moment. Sigh!

“This is my honored guest. Go on and tend to your own business.” Though Xiao Yingtao talked a great deal, she was far easier to handle than Qiao Mu. Once told not to ask, she simply didn’t.

Though she remained quite curious about the man behind Feng Jiu, sensing that her mistress did not want questions, she obediently shut her mouth.

What made things worse was that just as they finished inspecting the herbs, a visitor outside was asking for Feng Jiu.

Feng Jiu rubbed at the corner of her brow—at this hour of the night, she really was both physically and mentally exhausted.

“Young Mistress, it’s Steward Long Yan from the Number One Manor Under Heaven.” Qiao Mu had hurried back in not long after stepping out. “From the look of him, he seems rather anxious.”

Which patient ever came looking for her without urgency? It seemed Feng Jiu had simply grown used to it by now.

Still, given Long Yan’s usual composure, he would not come to her in the dead of night unless it was truly unavoidable.

She glanced back at the man behind her without thinking. Ever since he had started following her, wherever she went, he went too, as though following her around was some kind of game to him.

If she hadn’t told him to sit down a moment ago, he’d probably still be standing right behind her.

But even seated, he wouldn’t allow her to wander far—at most, she could move about within his line of sight.

And so, right now, he sat not far behind Feng Jiu.

“That—”

Before Feng Jiu could finish her sentence, Zhan Qingcheng had already risen to his feet.

The moment this man stood up, everyone around him at once became mere background to his presence—his height alone was enough to make others look up to him.

Sigh… he was about to follow again, clinging to her like a plaster stuck to her skin. Was it really this entertaining to him?

Out in the main hall, though it was the middle of the night, there were still a fair number of patients—small clusters of them sitting together. Every department Feng Jiu had organized still had physicians on duty, with patients being seen even now.

This system of night shifts had never before been seen anywhere in the imperial city, but it was clearly very well loved by the common people.

Illness, after all, could not be controlled. Many patients fell ill with fever in the night and urgently needed treatment, but ordinary physicians had already gone to rest, leaving no one on duty at all.

Wealthy households could afford private physicians—money could move mountains—but ordinary common folk could never afford such prices, to have a physician come see them in the night.

So this night-shift system that Tianji Hall had introduced was an absolute boon to the common people.

By now, Tianji Hall had already opened two more branches within the imperial city, and business at ordinary clinics had been cut by at least half.

This was also the first time Zhan Qingcheng had seen so many patients seeking treatment in the dead of night. Though he had never been born a commoner and had never lived a commoner’s life, he had heard before how difficult it was for ordinary people to see a doctor at night.

He had never imagined that Tianji Hall would even treat patients through the night—such a flawless decision could only have come from Feng Jiu.

Suddenly, his chest filled with a swelling sense of pride, as if his own child had gone out into the world and built something truly successful—proud, gratified, almost to the point of arrogance.

His little one…

“Steward Long, coming to find me this late, is it the Manor Lord, or—” Feng Jiu went forward to meet him.

Long Yan hurried over at once, lowering his voice. “It’s not the Manor Lord—it’s… it’s the Old Manor Lord.”

…

This was the second time she had entered the Number One Manor Under Heaven. In truth, it was all within a single day, yet returning here now felt as though an entire century had passed.

What mattered most was that so much had happened today—so much that even she herself could barely keep up.

After all she had been through, all the people she had met, this single day still hadn’t even ended!

It was simply astonishing!

Though the bright moon had already reached its peak, midnight had not yet passed—this was still the same day, and she was stepping into this grand and imposing estate for the second time within it.

“The Old Manor Lord hasn’t eaten a single thing all day, hasn’t even had a sip of water. He woke in the afternoon and has been clamoring for the physician ever since, right up until now…”

Long Yan spoke with some difficulty—after all, speaking of his Old Manor Lord’s state of mind in front of an outsider was still a bit embarrassing.

“Then, Steward, might I first understand your Manor Lord’s wishes on the matter?” Feng Jiu asked.

Though it felt somewhat impolite to ask this, when a matter concerned life and death, it had to be made clear first.

She hadn’t shared a carriage with Long Yan, and given how anxious he’d been, she hadn’t had the chance to ask earlier.

Long Yan startled, then quickly came to his senses. “Physician, rest assured. This time the Manor Lord, too, is at his wit’s end. He knows that I have come to seek you out.”

Though when he had first proposed the idea, the Manor Lord hadn’t said a word, he also hadn’t objected.

If the Manor Lord didn’t object, that counted as tacit approval.

What mattered most was that the Old Manor Lord’s health had never been good to begin with. If this carried on, the Manor Lord would naturally worry that his father’s body could not bear it.

So this time, with Feng Jiu the physician coming personally, there was no chance of repeating what had happened last time—no danger to anyone’s life this time.