The heavens create chaos, where the strong and the weak first meet, and life is born amidst danger.
Water and thunder clash...
Chen Ji vaguely remembered that this was something from the Book of Changes, though he didn’t understand its meaning.
Even so, he held a deep respect for Old Yao’s divination skills.
Tonight’s hexagram was so ominous that even Old Yao had retreated.
What difference was there between going and walking to his death?
He asked in confusion, "Master, is it because my fate is strong?"
Old Yao thought for a moment and replied, "Yes."
Chen Ji sighed weakly, "But the three of us disciples share the same fate!"
Old Yao said, "If something happens to them, who will pay my tuition? You’ve never paid anyway, so you go. If you don’t want to, you can pack up and go home."
After a long silence, Chen Ji finally said, "Alright, I’ll go."
Chunhua led Chen Ji to the main gate of the prince’s residence.
Under the grand plaque that read "Righteous and Bright," they were stopped by guards with halberds.
"Show your token!"
She presented her token and said, "This is the prince’s token. We’re here to fetch someone from the medical hall."
The guards silently lowered their halberds, and the vermilion gates slowly creaked open.
The two of them hurried through the vast and deep residence, flanked by high red walls and gray-tiled roofs.
Beneath the eaves, colorful paintings of four-clawed golden dragons holding fire-repelling pearls adorned the walls.
Chen Ji nervously glanced at the solemn black-armored guards, some standing watch, others patrolling, their eyes scanning the surroundings like tigers.
Chunhua whispered, "Did Old Yao tell you about the rules of the prince’s residence?"
Chen Ji guessed that his original self probably hadn’t been qualified to enter the residence before, so this was his first time.
That’s why she was asking.
"Master hasn’t taught me yet. Please guide me, Miss Chunhua."
Chunhua said, "Keep your head down near the Jing’an Hall and the Mingzheng Hall. Don’t look around. When you meet my lady, don’t speak out of turn. Answer only what she asks. And whatever you see or hear in the residence, never speak of it outside."
"Understood."
As they approached an arched gate, a group of over a dozen women came into view, carrying two wooden stretchers covered with white cloth.
These women were broad-shouldered and sturdy, likely strong servants from the inner quarters of the residence.
As they passed by, one of the stretchers jolted, and a slender, bruised hand slipped out from under the cloth.
One of the women expressionlessly tucked the hand back under the cloth, as if nothing had happened.
The group moved on, and it was unclear where they were taking the two bodies.
Chen Ji asked, "Miss Chunhua, you need to tell me what’s going on. What just happened?"
"My lady had a miscarriage," Chunhua said.
"Those two were maids from the Evening Star Garden who were beaten to death."
Chen Ji’s heart tightened.
The inner quarters were brightly lit, with servants bustling about, though everyone looked hurried and somber.
When they arrived outside the Evening Star Garden, seven or eight maids were kneeling by the wall, crying and pleading their innocence.
Over a dozen strong women were whipping their backs with canes, shouting, "Speak! Who tampered with Lady Jing’s dinner today? If you don’t talk, you’ll all be beaten to death!"
One of the maids wept, "I really didn’t touch it!"
A strong woman angrily grabbed the maid’s head and slammed it against the wall, killing her on the spot.
Chen Ji turned his head slightly, realizing that if he didn’t handle tonight properly, he might end up the same way.
But as he approached the Evening Star Garden, he suddenly felt a surge of icy energy flowing out from the garden and into his body.
This icy energy was far more powerful than the one he had felt from Zhou Chengyi before.
Wait, where did this icy energy come from? And why?
If the last time it was Zhou Chengyi’s vengeful spirit because he had helped Yunyang and Jiaotu capture a spy from the Jing dynasty, then this time, the deaths in the Evening Star Garden had nothing to do with him.
Why was there icy energy again?
Chen Ji quickly pondered.
There must be a hidden connection behind the icy energy.
Only by finding that connection could he understand what the icy energy truly was.
Who did this icy energy come from? That was the key question.
Before he could figure it out, Chunhua turned back and urged, "What are you dawdling for? Hurry up."
Chen Ji quickly followed.
The spacious Evening Star Garden had artificial hills and water features.
The main building was a two-story structure with climbing roses growing along its walls.
The green vines wound up the building, trimmed to look particularly elegant.
The garden’s refinement and tranquility stood in stark contrast to the hellish scene outside, making even the rose vines seem eerie.
Inside the building, a woman’s voice was heard shouting hoarsely, "Earlier, my lady felt something was off with that bowl of bird’s nest. Just two hours after drinking it, she had a miscarriage. Someone must have poisoned her! When the prince returns and finds his child gone, he’ll kill someone!"
As the voice fell, Chunhua called out urgently downstairs, "My lady, I’ve brought someone from the medical hall."
"Bring him up," a gentle woman’s voice said.
"Let him check Lady Jing and see if someone poisoned her."
Chen Ji followed Chunhua up the wooden stairs.
On the second floor, a thin silk screen shielded the bed.
A middle-aged woman sat in a grand chair outside the screen, wearing a plain silk robe embroidered with gold threads.
Her hair was adorned with a feathered hairpin, and she looked concernedly toward the screen, her voice gentle, "Don’t worry, Lady Jing. There’s still plenty of time. You’ll conceive again."
Behind the screen, Lady Jing’s weak voice replied, "Thank you for your concern, Lady Yun."
In a corner of the room, a black cat and a white cat were fighting, scattering fur everywhere.
No one seemed to care, as if they were deliberately letting the cats fight.
The smaller black cat was taking a beating, its head being stomped on repeatedly, almost knocking its soul out.
But as Chen Ji stepped onto the stairs, the black cat suddenly broke free from the white cat and stared straight at Chen Ji’s sleeve, sniffing.
It tried to approach Chen Ji, but the white cat pounced again, dragging it back into the corner.
Chunhua led Chen Ji to the second floor and said toward the screen, "My lady, I’ve brought someone from the medical hall. Let him examine you."
At that moment, a fierce woman glared at Chunhua and demanded, "Where’s Old Yao? Why did you bring some greenhorn?"
Chunhua quickly knelt, her voice trembling, "Old Yao insisted that tonight was inauspicious and refused to come. I even mentioned the prince, but he still wouldn’t budge."
The fierce woman’s face darkened.
"The prince’s residence can’t summon its own physician? This Old Yao has quite the airs!"
Lady Yun frowned.
"I know Old Yao likes to divine auspicious times, but refusing to come tonight is too much. When the prince returns from the south, I’ll report this to him. If the prince’s residence can’t command the medical hall, then we might as well do without it."
The fierce woman asked, "What about tonight? Are we just going to let it go? What about my lady’s condition?"
Lady Yun looked troubled.
"The prince isn’t here now, and Old Yao is a seventh-rank official. We’ll have to wait for the prince to return to deal with this."
The fierce woman said coldly, "Could it be that you, Lady Yun, told Old Yao not to come?"
Behind the screen, Lady Jing quickly interjected, "Chunrong, don’t be rude to Lady Yun!"
Lady Yun smiled.
"It’s fine. Chunrong is just concerned about you, Lady Jing. How about this? Since someone from the medical hall is here, let him examine Lady Jing first."
Lady Jing said softly, "Alright."
The fierce woman, Chunrong, glared at Chen Ji and said coldly, "What are you waiting for? Come and examine Lady Jing."
Chen Ji remained silent, his head bowed.
He had no idea how to examine someone…
And right now, the most important thing wasn’t the examination.
Whether he got it right or wrong, trouble would follow.
Seeing him silent, Chunrong grew furious.
"Examine her!"
After a long pause, Chen Ji finally clasped his hands and said with a pained expression, "My apologies, my lady. I’ve only been studying medicine for two years. I’ve spent little time with my master and am not yet skilled. I truly don’t know how to determine if Lady Jing has been poisoned. This matter likely requires my master’s expertise. I’ll go back now and try to persuade him to come."
Chunrong scolded, "You won’t even take her pulse and you’re saying you don’t know? Drag him out and beat him to death! Old Yao is a seventh-rank official, so we can’t touch him, but a mere apprentice? Beating him to death should be fine. Let this serve as a lesson to the medical hall about the consequences of negligence!"
As she spoke, four strong women rushed up the stairs, their footsteps thundering on the wooden floor.
They grabbed Chen Ji and began dragging him out to be beaten to death.
His hair was disheveled, his wooden hairpin fell to the ground, and his clothes tore under the strain.
Lady Yun sipped her tea, paying no attention.
In the eyes of the nobility of this era, the death of an apprentice was of little consequence, not worth wasting words on.
"Wait, let me finish," Chen Ji struggled to speak.
"Though I’m not skilled in medicine, if Lady Jing has indeed been poisoned, I’m willing to find the culprit!"
The second floor suddenly fell silent, leaving only Chen Ji’s heavy breathing.
Lady Yun set down her teacup and looked over, curious.
"Oh? You have that ability?"
She scrutinized the disheveled young man, noticing that he no longer seemed like a mere apprentice.
His eyes were growing calmer by the moment.
Chen Ji quickly asked, "May I ask how many months Lady Jing was pregnant?"
Lady Jing’s weak voice came from behind the screen, "Five months."
Chen Ji said, "At five months, the fetus is fully formed. If someone used a potent poison to harm the fetus within a few hours, the mother would also die! There’s no poison in this world that only harms the fetus and not the mother!"
The principle of abortion drugs is to lower progesterone levels and cause uterine contractions, expelling the pregnancy tissue.
For such drugs to take effect within a day, they must be used on a fetus less than three months old.
Other reasons for a five-month fetus to miscarry include: first, diseases of the reproductive organs, such as uterine deformities; second, systemic diseases, such as influenza, pneumonia, or organ failure; third, external trauma; and fourth, severe emotional distress, such as grief or shock.
Chen Ji asked, "Lady Jing, have you been feeling unwell these past few months?"
Chunrong replied, "My lady was perfectly healthy until recently, when she lost her appetite. Old Yao examined her and said it was just normal pregnancy symptoms."
Chen Ji didn’t take Old Yao’s words as gospel.
He had read medical texts and knew that even a respected physician like Old Yao couldn’t transcend the limitations of the era.
He continued, "Has Lady Jing suffered any external trauma recently, or experienced extreme emotional fluctuations?"
Chunrong sneered, "What nonsense are you spouting? My lady is a delicate flower. How could she have experienced what you’re describing? If you’re just stalling for time, your punishment won’t be as simple as a beating."
Chen Ji suddenly said, "If none of the above applies, then it must be poisoning! But it wasn’t done tonight. It was a long-term poisoning!"
"Huh?"
"Are you sure?"
(End of Chapter)