On the Double Ninth Festival, the entire city celebrated.

Crowds thronged around the Crown Prince and the Princess as they made their way to the Prince’s Estate. Some common folk brought eggs and vegetables as gifts, while young women along the roadside tossed fresh flowers at the Crown Prince.

Not only was the Crown Prince adored, but the two young masters from the Chen Residence were also showered with petals, as if flowers paved their path and magpies built a bridge for them.

Amidst the crowd, Chen Ji also spotted a young monk, thirteen or fourteen years old. Dressed in a moon-white monastic robe, with red lips and white teeth, he was remarkably handsome. This was likely the Buddhist disciple Wuyun had mentioned, from the Gening Sect in Yunzhou.

As the Buddhist disciple rode past, he turned to look at Chen Ji, first pausing in surprise, then breaking into a smile.

Within the procession, a girl on a white horse curiously asked, “Young monk, who were you just looking at?”

She followed the young monk’s gaze, but there was no one under the eaves anymore.

The young monk smiled and said, “Princess Baili, I saw a young man whose heart carries much bitterness, yet he has already slain two villains. All that remains in his heart is the character for infatuation.”

“Ah?” Zhu Baili looked puzzled. “Stop talking in riddles. What are these two villains?”

“I was just speaking casually,” the monk replied.

Chen Ji followed the crowd all the way back to the medical hall. Old Man Yao was standing inside the doorway, watching the splendidly dressed young men on horseback in the street. He slowly remarked, “Aren’t those your two elder legitimate brothers? Why didn’t you go say hello?”

Chen Ji smiled and said, “Master, aren’t you asking the obvious? They didn’t even recognize me.”

Liu Quxing leaned his head in, surprised. “Master, are you referring to Chen Wenzong and Chen Wenxiao, next to the Crown Prince? They’re the sons of Luocheng’s Assistant Magistrate! I saw them at Old Master Liu’s birthday banquet… Are you saying they’re Chen Ji’s legitimate elder brothers?”

Old Man Yao noncommittally grunted in affirmation.

The people in the medical hall looked over and saw the two esteemed young masters of the Chen family dressed in exquisite white robes. The jade on their collar pendants alone was quite valuable, and instead of wooden or silver hairpins, they wore white jade hairpins. They were truly dashing and dazzling young men.

Liu Quxing looked at the two young masters, then at Chen Ji, who was wearing his recently mended gray cloth gown, a coarse cloth belt, and a pair of old cloth shoes…

“Chen Ji, you’re related to them?” Liu Quxing exclaimed in shock.

Chen Ji also grunted a noncommittal affirmation.

He had expected Liu Quxing, given his low moral standing, to seize the opportunity to mock him. To his surprise, Liu Quxing suddenly spoke up indignantly on his behalf: “Your legitimate mother is too biased! Although illegitimate sons cannot inherit family property nowadays, there’s still an emphasis on brotherly affection and filial piety. Isn’t she afraid of being gossiped about for doing this?!”

Chen Ji looked at Liu Quxing with some surprise.

Then he heard Liu Quxing continue angrily, “You never mentioned your family background all these years; I thought your family was just a tenant farmer’s. Do you know that the jade pendant on their collars alone is enough to cover your tuition for ten years?”

Chen Ji smiled and patted Liu Quxing’s shoulder. “Senior Brother, don’t get angry, don’t get angry. I didn’t expect you to speak up for me.”

Liu Quxing grumbled, “What kind of talk is that? At least you and I are fellow disciples; they are outsiders.”

As he spoke, Liu Quxing glanced at the backs of the group. “Bah! A bunch of people swarming around, like ants moving house!”

Chen Ji didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Senior Brother, your mouth has inherited half of Master’s prowess.”

Liu Quxing turned to Old Man Yao. “Master, he just insulted you too!”

Old Man Yao slapped him on the back of his head. “You always like to sow discord! Don’t look at them. That’s another world, it has nothing to do with you.”

Everyone returned inside the medical hall. Chen Ji said with a smile, “I just passed by the roast chicken shop and bought two roasted chickens. Master, two Senior Brothers, let’s eat together.”

“Wow,” Liu Quxing then noticed the lotus leaf package in Chen Ji’s hand. He took it and unwrapped it on the counter. “Chen Ji, did you strike it rich?”

“I found a piece of broken silver,” Chen Ji explained.

“Found silver?” Old Man Yao casually tossed six copper coins onto the counter, and while interpreting the divination, he teased, “You didn’t find any silver. This trip of yours resulted in two unlucky fellows being thrown into jail… Tsk tsk, quite a grand gesture!”

Chen Ji quickly scanned his surroundings. Seeing Liu Quxing and She Dengke focused on eating chicken, he felt relieved.

He whispered suspiciously, “Did you calculate that, or did Wuyun see it?”

“Don’t worry about that,” Old Man Yao said in a deep voice. “I’m asking you, was it indeed you who delivered the message to the Liu family?”

Chen Ji was silent for a moment, then finally said, “It was me.”

Old Man Yao let out a light chuckle. “How is it that you dare to tell me the truth now?”

“Because I feel you bear no ill will towards me, and from now on, I’ll treat this medical hall as my own home. You’ll be my only elder from now on.”

“Don’t try to curry favor with me,” Old Man Yao dismissed his words. “Did anyone discover that you were the one who reported it?”

“No.”

“That’s fine then,” Old Man Yao stroked his beard. “Do whatever you please; your legs are your own, and I can’t control you. But don’t you dare get me involved!”

“Understood!”

Old Man Yao looked at him, and finally added, “If you want to live longer, don’t be so ostentatious in your actions. While those people outside, dressed in their finery and riding spirited horses, may seem proud, only those who quietly accumulate wealth will have the last laugh. You’ll find out later that if you live long enough, you’ll see your enemies die one by one.”

Chen Ji said earnestly, “Master, I understand that principle, and I will try to keep a low profile. But I can’t wait that long for my revenge…”

At this moment, Liu Quxing, while gnawing on chicken and speaking with his greasy mouth, admonished, “Chen Ji, you don’t know how to manage your finances! You pick up a bit of broken silver and immediately buy roast chicken, instead of saving it up.”

She Dengke grumbled, “Then don’t eat it! You’re eating his food and still talking too much!”

“I was just giving a friendly reminder!”

Chen Ji looked at Liu Quxing. This senior brother was an interesting character. If you called him a good person, his moral standards weren’t high, he gossiped, and he was petty.

But if you called him a bad person, he still had a line he wouldn’t cross, making him much better than a bad person.

However, most people in this world are like that, unable to be directly judged as good or bad.

Chen Ji tore off a chicken drumstick and held it to his chest. Wuyun, the cat, poked its head out from his embrace, took the drumstick with its two paws, and started gnawing. Chen Ji then tore off another drumstick and offered it to Old Man Yao.

Old Man Yao pursed his lips and demurely said, “I’m old, I can’t eat such greasy things.”

Chen Ji directly put the drumstick into his hand. “You were full of vigor when you whipped us with bamboo sticks, not old at all. Just eat it quickly.”

Old Man Yao bristled and glared. “How dare you describe your master like that? You’re so disrespectful!”

Outside the medical hall, the crowds were boisterous, while inside, the master and his three disciples shared a roasted chicken. Chen Ji sometimes thought it would be wonderful if they could continue living so peacefully.

But he knew that what was coming would arrive sooner or later.

At that moment, Miss Xibing came skipping to the medical hall’s entrance, daintily holding her skirt with a ‘lanhua’ finger gesture. This young woman, who was graceful and charming inside the Prince’s Estate, let loose outside, her hair ornaments swaying with every bounce.

She peeked into the medical hall from the doorway and waved to Chen Ji. “Chen Ji, Chen Ji!”

Wuyun hid on a chair behind the counter, while Chen Ji wiped his mouth and went out to meet her. “Miss Xibing, what’s wrong?”

Xibing said, “My lady’s white Prajna is injured again! My lady sent me to ask you to come and take a look.”

Chen Ji instinctively turned to look at Wuyun behind the counter, a mind full of questions: *Did you do this?*

Wuyun’s eyes were clear and puzzled: *No!*

The man and the cat couldn’t reconcile the story!

In that instant, Chen Ji clearly realized that Concubine Yun wanted to talk to him!

He had been speculating earlier: who was the influential figure colluding with the Jing Dynasty’s Military Intelligence Bureau?

Although Concubine Jing, as a member of the Liu family, was the most likely suspect, all clues pointed to Concubine Yun.

Recalling the instructions from the Military Intelligence Bureau’s Director, Chen Ji looked at Old Man Yao. “Master, I’ll go with Miss Xibing.”

Old Man Yao pondered for a moment, then hinted, “Should you take a ginseng root just in case you need it?”

Chen Ji: “…I probably won’t need it this time.”

If he prescribed ginseng for a cat again, he feared Concubine Yun would have him beaten to death with a stick.

Old Man Yao looked a little disappointed. “Go ahead.”

Chen Ji walked towards the Prince’s Estate with Xibing, and as he passed the plaque that read ‘Guangming Zhengda’ (Fair and Square), he couldn’t help but glance at it again.

Xibing showed her waist token to the guards. “My lady has summoned the physician from the medical hall.”

The guards lowered their halberds and let them pass.

Inside the Prince’s Estate, the strong servants and maidservants were bustling about, likely preparing for the evening banquet due to the return of the Crown Prince and Princess.

Chen Ji curiously asked, “Miss Xibing, who injured White Prajna?”

“I don’t know,” Xibing said with a smile. “I haven’t even seen it today. My lady just told me to come find you, so I did. Please diagnose quickly later, because there’s an elegant gathering for Luocheng scholars being held at Feibai Pond tonight, and I want to go watch. They say the Crown Prince has invited many literary talents.”

The two quickly passed through the arched gate leading to the inner quarters and stopped at the entrance of Feiyun Courtyard.

Xibing called out loudly, “My lady, I’ve brought Chen Ji from Taiping Medical Hall!”

Nanny Xitang walked over and glanced at Chen Ji. “Follow me in.”

Chen Ji lowered his head and followed, his peripheral vision taking in the courtyard of Feiyun Courtyard as he walked. It was simpler and more understated than Wanxing Courtyard, with only a single persimmon tree in the center, laden with red persimmons.

The persimmons were ripe, but many were left hanging on the tree, unpicked.

Chen Ji suddenly recalled a story: old folks often said not to pick all the persimmons, but to leave some for the birds to eat during winter. He wondered if Concubine Yun had left these persimmons for the same reason.

Arriving outside the entrance of Feiyun Courtyard’s main building, Chen Ji noticed that this building didn’t resemble a woman’s residence. There were no decorative coffered ceilings or mother-of-pearl inlays; instead, it looked more like a man’s study, appearing somewhat plain and somber.

At that moment, Concubine Yun was listening with a smile to a girl recount stories from Donglin Academy.

Seeing Chen Ji arrive, she surprisingly said to the girl, “Baili, you rest for a bit. Mother isn’t feeling well, so I’ve invited a physician from the Imperial Medical Hall to diagnose me. We can talk about academy matters later.”

Zhu Baili was startled. “Mother, where do you feel unwell?”

Concubine Yun smiled gently. “It’s nothing serious, just prone to night sweats. Go quickly and change your clothes; there’s still a banquet tonight.”

Zhu Baili came out of the building and brushed past Chen Ji. She turned back to look at him, feeling a bit puzzled, sensing that this young medical hall physician seemed somewhat familiar. And… was he really young enough to be diagnosing patients?

Concubine Yun sat upright in a grand armchair, wearing a brown robe with a contrasting collar and a large front opening. On the robe, a vibrant python was embroidered across the shoulders, seemingly stepping on green waves.

Although it was called a python, the pythons in the Ning Dynasty’s style resembled dragons more closely.

Concubine Yun dismissed Xibing. Once no one else was in the room, she asked in a low voice, “Today was the agreed-upon delivery time. Why didn’t your Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Bureau show up?”