Ding Yi departed latest but was the first to return.

“Master, I’ve investigated. The former Crown Prince had no villa.”

These words made the hearts of Yan Sanhe, Xie Zhifei, Pei Xiao, and Zhu Yuanmo suddenly race faster, hot blood rushing straight to their heads.

No villa meant Dong Chengfeng very likely entered the former Crown Prince’s palace.

If so, wouldn’t he know everything that happened in the Crown Prince’s palace?

If that were true, wouldn’t he know some truth about the witchcraft curse case from back then?

Thinking this, Yan Sanhe pulled open the door and walked into the courtyard.

Cold wind blew, dispersing the heat in her heart.

She suddenly turned around and, looking up at Xie Zhifei who’d already followed behind her, said, “I have an intuition—the truth isn’t far from us.”

Xie Zhifei was about to curve his lips into a smile when something entered his peripheral vision. Looking up, he froze.

Zhu Qing and Li Buyan were supporting Pei Yu’s arms on either side, walking in.

Why were they supporting him in?

Xie Zhifei quickly stepped forward. “Uncle Pei, what’s this about…”

I should give you a knuckle rap on the head!

That’s what Imperial Physician Pei thought, and that’s what his hand did.

He struck hard—after all, it wasn’t his own son. Why feel bad!

In the dead of night, sleeping peacefully, suddenly his neck felt cold. Looking down, he saw a blade pressed there.

Which little beast came up with such a rotten idea?

Completely lacking virtue!

A blade was one thing, but they actually asked about the former Crown Prince?

Imperial Physician Pei was so frightened he bounced straight up from bed. Without even properly dressing, he’d hurried over.

Xie Third Master took the hit, smiled, and leaned his head forward again.

“Once isn’t enough. Uncle Pei, come on, give me a good thrashing today. Don’t hold back—I’m thick-skinned and tough, it won’t hurt.”

Pei Yu: “…”

Pei Yu extended his hand, jabbing fiercely at Xie Zhifei several times, saying irritably, “Get your ass inside.”

Hearing these words, Xie Zhifei quickly turned to look at Yan Sanhe.

Yan Sanhe nodded at him: Go quickly, there’s hope!

…

Pei Yu’s anger vanished the instant he stepped into the study and saw Zhu Yuanmo with his head of white hair.

Zhu Yuanmo rose and respectfully saluted Pei Yu.

Thinking of this person’s former vigor and spirit, Pei Yu muttered “what wickedness” in his heart, his facial expression gradually softening.

“Close the door.”

Pei Yu pointed at the two who’d pressed a blade to his neck. “You, and you—go watch the gate outside the courtyard.”

“Father, Zhu Qing alone can…”

An eye-blade shot over.

Young Master Pei was frightened into quickly shutting his mouth.

Li Buyan was quite straightforward. She clasped her fists toward Pei Yu, grabbed Zhu Qing, and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Pei Yu’s heart softened again.

She was just a maid, a guard, following her master’s orders. Why take his anger out on them!

“Forget it, all of you come back!”

“Zhu Qing.”

Xie Zhifei: “You guard outside the courtyard.”

“Yes!”

The door closed. Pei Yu accepted the tea his filial son handed over, slowly sipped it, then said, “Speak. What do you want to ask about that person?”

Yan Sanhe: “Imperial Physician Pei, I want to know—which imperial physician attended to the former Crown Prince’s palace?”

“Our Pei family.”

Pei Yu set his tea cup on the table with a thud. “My own father!”

Bodhisattva!

No wonder his father rushed over in the dead of night—turns out this matter implicated their Pei family too!

“Father.”

Pei Xiao sidled up like a fawning dog. “Why haven’t I heard you mention this before?”

“Is this something good?”

Pei Yu said irritably, “Should I hire a storyteller to perform it in teahouses for everyone in the four-nine city to hear?”

Young Master Pei: “…”

He glanced at Yan Sanhe: Your turn!

Yan Sanhe threw him a “stand down” expression and said unhurriedly, “Imperial Physician Pei, tell us the details!”

“Miss Yan, there’s really not much to tell.”

There were many imperial physicians in the four-nine city, but not many hereditary medical families. Counting them, there were only a few.

The little beast’s grandfather—that is, Pei Yu’s father—specialized in general medicine, meaning internal medicine.

General medicine emphasized one word: balance.

Balance meant yin-yang balance, deficiency-excess balance, dryness-dampness balance, and so on. Only when a person’s body achieved balance would illness disappear.

But this brought a drawback: slowness.

Medicine is inherently somewhat toxic.

Old Imperial Physician Pei’s prescriptions were gentle and gradual, aiming to minimize damage to the five organs and six bowels. This approach was deeply favored by imperial family members.

“In the twenty-third year of Yuanfeng, the Crown Prince developed insomnia, so my father was summoned to treat him.”

The twenty-third year of Yuanfeng?

Yan Sanhe blurted out, “That year the Tang family was confiscated, Tang Qiling died in prison, Tang Zhiwei entered the Jiaofang Bureau—that year Tang Zhiwei was nineteen years old.”

Pei Yu looked at Yan Sanhe in surprise. How did this girl know all this?

“It seems the former Crown Prince’s insomnia arose because of the Tang family.”

After making this judgment, Yan Sanhe urged, “Imperial Physician Pei, continue!”

“Oh! Actually… actually this illness wasn’t unusual.”

In this world, only children and young people could sleep through till dawn. Anyone getting on in years would have some degree of insomnia.

But the Crown Prince’s insomnia differed from others’. He was almost entirely unable to sleep night after night. Even when he managed to fall asleep, he could only sleep one or two hours.

The former Crown Prince’s pulse showed heart-liver yin deficiency with internal fire disturbance. His father prescribed accordingly, using sour jujube seed, arborvitae seed, and such.

Initially the prescription worked well, but over time the Crown Prince’s body developed resistance—the dosage needed to be increased.

His father, always seeking stability and slowness, dared not increase it. Besides, all medicines were somewhat toxic. Increasing the amount would cause other problems.

Such timidity naturally displeased the Crown Prince, who told father his services were no longer needed.

“My father was quite downcast for several days because of this matter.”

Pei Yu sighed. “During that time he even ate less. Whenever he came home, he’d shut himself in his study consulting medical texts, trying to find some method to ease the Crown Prince’s burden.”

He actually found a method.

Father excitedly went to the Crown Prince’s palace, presenting the prescription like a treasure. But the Crown Prince told him, “Old Imperial Physician has worked hard. This prince’s insomnia has already been cured.”

Father was greatly shocked and quickly asked the Crown Prince how it was cured.

The Crown Prince was silent for a while, then said four words flatly: listening to qin to fall asleep.

Pei Yu continued speaking on his own, completely oblivious that when the four words “listening to qin to fall asleep” emerged, everyone’s expressions changed dramatically.

“Father didn’t believe it. After returning, he even called me over, asking if there truly existed in this world qin music that made people fall asleep upon hearing it.

How would I know? I only counseled him to have a clear conscience—we couldn’t worry about everything else.

Later, the Shen family girl entered the Crown Prince’s palace. The Crown Prince’s palace rarely summoned other imperial physicians. From then on, Father never entered the Crown Prince’s palace again.”

A trace of relief appeared on Pei Yu’s face.

“Fortunately he didn’t go again. Otherwise, when that incident occurred, our Pei family might well have been implicated.”

Having finished speaking, not one person responded. The room was so quiet you couldn’t even hear breathing.

Pei Yu looked at this one, looked at that one, then suddenly slammed the table, saying angrily:

“What? You don’t believe me?”

—