The real reason?

Pei Yu couldn’t say.

“Actually, Shen Du Ruo’s temperament was somewhat peculiar—very reserved. She spoke extremely little. If you said ten sentences, she might respond with at most one.”

He recalled, “Moreover, her gaze when looking at people was always perfectly straight, showing no emotion at all. What’s that expression—yes, ‘old before her time.'”

“Father?”

Young Master Pei, not learning from his mistakes, let curiosity surge up again. “You spoke with her?”

“I did.”

Both the Shen and Pei families were in the Imperial Medical Academy. The older generation was on good terms, so the younger generation continued the friendship between the two families. When one family had an occasion, the other would come to support them.

That time, Shen family’s fourth son had a son, and the household held a full-month celebration. He went to the Shen residence for the feast.

Halfway through the feast, someone plied him with a bellyful of wine. His head spun and his vision blurred, so he went outside to clear his head.

By coincidence, Shen Du Ruo also came out from the women’s quarters.

Their eyes met. Her gaze swept lightly across Pei Yu’s face, and without a word, she walked away.

Possessed by something, Pei Yu followed her.

He followed her all the way, and she never looked back.

Later, Pei Yu couldn’t hold back anymore and spoke up. “Shen Du Ruo, we’ve at least known each other since childhood. Though it’s only a nodding acquaintance, but…”

“Why are you behind me?”

Pei Yu laughed in exasperation. “I’ve followed you this whole way, and you only just noticed?”

“I was thinking about a formula.”

Having said that, she furrowed her brow and walked away again, not even saying goodbye.

Pei Yu stood where he was, feeling uncomfortable.

He thought to himself, does this girl have some problem?

No matter how good her formulas were, no one would come to her for treatment anyway. What use was it?

Pei Yu paused here for quite a while before slowly speaking again:

“That year, she had just returned from her travels. Her medical skills far surpassed mine. She was thinking about formulas while eating and walking, while I was still drinking…”

Pei Yu didn’t continue, but everyone understood what he meant—

When someone smarter than you also works harder than you, it’s embarrassing.

Yan Sanhe said, “Imperial Physician Pei, please continue.”

Continue with what?

An old unmarried woman—no matter how much her father doted on her or her mother loved her—was still unwelcome, especially since the Shen family was a large clan. Just Shen Wei’s branch alone had four sons.

When the sons married, that added four sisters-in-law.

Shen Du Ruo wasn’t close with her four blood brothers, let alone her sisters-in-law.

Gradually, gossip and cold looks in the household increased and even spread outside.

The most outrageous rumor was that during the four years Shen Du Ruo was away from home, she had a lover outside and was no longer a virgin.

There were also rumors that Shen Du Ruo refused to marry because she had designs on the Shen family’s estate.

Whether or not she heard the gossip, Shen Du Ruo went straight into the palace to become a female physician.

The Shen Wei couple felt that since their daughter wouldn’t marry, she needed something to cover the shame, so they turned a blind eye and tacitly approved.

“Don’t female physicians need to take examinations?” Yan Sanhe asked.

“Others need to, but not her.”

“Why?”

“Before becoming a female physician, she used the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles to save the life of the then-Grand Prince.”

That New Year’s Eve, the late Emperor held a family banquet.

The Crown Prince brought the Crown Princess and the Grand Prince to the palace for the feast. As the banquet was ending, dessert was served.

The Crown Prince didn’t like sweets, so he gave his portion to the Grand Prince.

The Grand Prince had just taken one bite when he collapsed, bleeding from all seven orifices.

That night, the entire Imperial Medical Academy turned out.

Seeing that the Grand Prince was breathing out but not breathing in, Old Imperial Physician Shen dared to boldly mention his youngest daughter.

The Crown Prince was frantic. Man or woman didn’t matter—he immediately summoned her to the palace.

“When she administered the twelfth needle, the Grand Prince still wasn’t recovering.”

Pei Yu hadn’t witnessed it personally but heard about it when his father returned home.

He said the situation at the time was extremely dangerous. The Crown Prince held a blade to Shen Du Ruo’s neck, forcing her to apply the final needle.

She looked up at the Crown Prince, said nothing, only sneered coldly, then struck with the needle.

The Grand Prince was saved.

Yan Sanhe asked, “Was it because of this that she later entered service at the Crown Prince’s residence?”

Pei Yu nodded.

“Then…”

Yan Sanhe pondered, “The person who poisoned the Crown Prince that day—was he found?”

Speaking of that incident from years ago, Pei Yu still felt somewhat chilled.

One dish passed through the hands of serving maids, eunuchs serving food, and the imperial kitchen—the source should have been traceable.

But which of these people would dare to poison the Crown Prince?

“The true mastermind behind it was never found. A large number of people died in the palace—the mass grave mounds were piled with corpses.”

“Was the Grand Prince born to the Crown Princess?”

“Her only son—they had hoped for so many years for him.”

Hearing this, Yan Sanhe picked up her chopsticks and struck the tea cup with a “tang.”

“Let me say—what if this poisoning plot was designed specifically to get Shen Du Ruo into the Crown Prince’s residence?”

Young Master Pei’s mind hadn’t caught up yet. “What do you mean?”

“Think about it.”

Yan Sanhe said, “With Shen Du Ruo having such a debt of gratitude to the Crown Prince’s residence, never mind others—the Crown Princess would definitely view her with special regard.”

“With the Crown Princess’s special regard, whatever Shen Du Ruo wanted to do would be easy.”

Xie Zhifei frowned slightly. “No wonder Chu Yanting suspected her.”

Young Master Pei was awakened by their words, breaking out in a cold sweat across his back.

To facilitate the witchcraft case, they orchestrated for Shen Du Ruo to enter the Crown Prince’s residence.

To get Shen Du Ruo into the Crown Prince’s residence, they orchestrated the poisoning case.

This calculation—one link fastened to the next—was far too deep.

Turning his face, seeing his father’s forehead also covered in a dense layer of sweat, Young Master Pei quickly offered him hot tea.

“Father, drink tea to calm your nerves.”

What tea?

Must be wine!

Pei Yu picked up his wine cup and drained it in one gulp, making a “tsk” sound. “Miss Yan, I don’t think she should be that kind of person. She…”

“I just said ‘what if,’ no other meaning.”

Yan Sanhe said, “Imperial Physician Pei, please continue.”

“Ah…oh…”

Pei Yu was dazed for a moment. “Next she became a female physician, and half a year later, entered the Crown Prince’s residence.”

Yan Sanhe asked, “Whose idea was it for her to enter the Crown Prince’s residence? The Crown Prince’s, the Crown Princess’s, or the late Emperor’s?”

“I don’t know.”

Pei Yu spoke honestly. “During that time I was getting married. There were many matters in my household, many matters at the Imperial Medical Academy—I was so busy my feet didn’t touch the ground.”

Yan Sanhe asked, “So after she entered the Crown Prince’s residence, what happened?”

“I don’t know that either.”

Pei Yu said, “Originally, my father heard about her matters from Old Imperial Physician Shen. After she entered the Crown Prince’s residence, the old imperial physician rarely mentioned this daughter. Since he didn’t bring it up, my father couldn’t very well ask too much.”

“Did Shen Du Ruo live at the Crown Prince’s residence?”

“Not exactly.”

Pei Yu replied, “After becoming a female physician, she moved out of the Shen residence and lived alone.”

Xie Zhifei and Pei Xiao looked at each other.

An unmarried young lady from a prominent family moving out to live alone—never mind the gossip among relatives and friends—how did her parents agree?

Even though Pei Xiao had a courtyard outside, he only went there occasionally. Most of the time he still had to live at home.

This Shen Du Ruo was truly a strange person.

Yan Sanhe asked, “During the years she was at the Crown Prince’s residence, were there any rumors?”