Heaven creates primitive chaos, rigidity and flexibility interact and difficulty arises, moving in the midst of danger, water and thunder cause difficulty…

Chen Ji vaguely remembered this seemed to be content from the *Book of Changes*, but he didn’t know what it meant.

But even if he didn’t understand, he still had a sense of awe towards Old Man Yao’s six-line technique. Tonight’s divination was an ominous sign that even Old Man Yao had to avoid by three houses; if he went, it would be no different from delivering himself to death?

He asked in doubt: “Master, is it because my *ba zi* are hard enough?”

Old Man Yao thought for a moment: “Hmm.”

Chen Ji said powerlessly: “Clearly we three master brothers have the same *ba zi*!”

Old Man Yao said: “If those two have an accident, who will pay the tuition for me? You originally can’t pay the tuition, so you go. If you don’t want to go, that’s fine, pack up your bedding and go home.”

Chen Ji pondered for a long time: “Alright, I will go.”

Chun Hua led Chen Ji towards the main gate of the prince’s mansion. Arriving under the large bright plaque, the two were blocked by guards with long halberds: “Waist card!”

She showed her waist card: “This is the prince’s mansion waist card, please call the medical hall’s people over.”

The guards silently withdrew their halberds, and the vermilion gate slowly opened, emitting creaking sounds.

The two lowered their heads, hurrying through the vast and profound prince’s mansion. Beside them were high red walls and gray tiles with two-story covered buildings. Under the eaves were painted four-clawed golden dragons holding fire-avoiding beads in their mouths.

Chen Ji nervously looked at the solemn black-armored guards standing, some on duty, some patrolling, their eyes scanning the surroundings.

Chun Hua asked in a low voice: “Has Yao Imperial Physician told you about the prince’s mansion rules?”

Chen Ji judged that his original self should not have the qualification to enter the prince’s mansion, this being the first time coming in, the other party would ask like this: “Master has not taught yet, please Chun Hua girl point it out.”

Chun Hua said: “Near Jing’an Hall and Mingzheng Hall, lower your head, do not look around. When seeing my madam, do not speak randomly, answer what is asked. In the prince’s mansion, what you see and hear, absolutely do not say outside.”

“Understood.”

Coming to an archway, a team of more than ten women approached head-on. They carried two wooden stretchers, still covered with white cloth.

These women had broad shoulders and thick waists, thought to be the strong servants in the prince’s mansion’s inner residence.

When the two sides brushed shoulders, one stretcher, due to the jolting, shook and a slender bruised hand drooped out. A woman expressionlessly stuffed the hand back under the white cloth, as if nothing had happened.

The team went far away, not knowing where these two corpses were being sent.

Chen Ji said: “Chun Hua girl, you have to tell me exactly what happened, what was that just now.”

“My madam had a miscarriage,” Chun Hua said: “Those two just now are the maids in Late Star Garden who were beaten to death with staffs.”

Chen Ji’s heart tightened.

At this time, the inner residence was brightly lit, with servants and maids coming and going incessantly, not knowing what they were busy with. All people had hurried and depressed expressions.

Arriving outside Late Star Garden, there were seven or eight slaves kneeling by the wall, nonstop crying and shouting grievances. More than ten sturdy women held rattan strips, nonstop beating their backs: “Speak, today who all touched Concubine Jing’s evening meal! If not said, all beaten to death!”

Someone cried: “This slave truly did not touch it.”

A sturdy woman angrily said: “Still not speaking?”

Saying this, the sturdy woman actually pulled the slave’s head and smashed it against the wall, smashing her to death on the spot!

Chen Ji slightly turned his head aside. Perhaps tonight, if he handled things improperly, this would also be his end.

However, just as he approached Late Star Garden, he suddenly felt a stream of ice flow surging out from the garden, flowing into his body. This time, the ice flow’s momentum was so enormous, even several times more than that of Zhou Chengyi’s initially!

Wait, where does this ice flow come from? Why does it come?

If to say the last time was Zhou Chengyi’s wronged soul entangling because he helped Yun Yang and Jiao Tu catch Jing Chao’s spies, then this time the people who died in Late Star Garden have no relation to him. Why is there also ice flow entering his body?

Chen Ji urgently thought, the ice flow surging must have some hidden commonality. Only by finding this commonality could he understand what the ice flow was.

From whom does this ice flow come? This question is very key.

Not able to think clearly, Chun Hua turned back and urged: “What are you standing there for, quickly follow.”

Chen Ji hurriedly followed. The wide Late Star Garden inside had rockeries and water systems. The main building in the courtyard was a two-story covered building, outside which climbing rose flowers were planted. Green vines wound up along the building body, exceptionally elegant after trimming.

The refinement and peace in this garden formed a sharp contrast with the human purgatory outside the garden, even making that rose vine look exceptionally sinister.

At this time, only a woman’s hoarse and desperate scolding was heard from the covered building: “Earlier, my madam felt that bowl of bird’s nest soup was not right. Drank it and only after two hours miscarried. It must be someone poisoned my madam! Wait for the prince to return and find his flesh and blood gone, he will definitely kill people!”

As the words fell, Chun Hua urgently said downstairs: “Madam, the medical hall’s people have been invited.”

“Quickly come up,” a gentle woman’s voice said: “Quickly let him check Concubine Jing sister, to see exactly if someone poisoned her.”

Thump thump thump thump, Chen Ji followed Chun Hua upstairs, stepping on the wooden stairs.

In the second floor room, a thin gauze screen blocked the bed. A middle-aged woman sat upright on a Taishi chair outside the screen. She was wearing a plain silk robe sewn with gold thread, and a flower plume hairpin was inserted in her hair bun. She had a concerned expression looking towards the back of the screen, her voice gentle: “Concubine Jing sister do not worry, the days are long, you will certainly conceive again.”

Behind the screen, Concubine Jing’s voice weakly said: “Thank you Cloud Concubine sister for your concern.”

In the corner of the second floor, there was also a black cat and a white cat fighting, fighting to a ground of floating fur, yet no one paid attention, as if deliberately letting them fight.

The black cat’s body was small. When beaten, its head was kicked more than ten times, its soul almost kicked out.

But just as Chen Ji stepped onto the stairs, the black cat suddenly shook off the white cat, staring straight at Chen Ji’s sleeve, sniffing its nose. It wanted to approach Chen Ji, but unexpectedly the white cat pounced again and wrestled it back to the corner.

Chun Hua had already brought Chen Ji to the second floor, saying towards the direction of the screen: “Madam, the medical hall’s people have come, let him diagnose you.”

At this time, a fierce woman looked towards Chun Hua, angrily asking: “Where is Yao Imperial Physician? How come a boy who smells of milk and is not yet dry has come.”

Chun Hua was scared and quickly knelt on the ground, saying with a crying voice: “Yao Imperial Physician said tonight is greatly ominous, not suitable to go out. Even when I brought up the prince, he still wouldn’t come.”

That fierce woman’s face sank: “The prince’s mansion’s imperial physician, the prince’s mansion can’t invite? This Yao Imperial Physician has quite big airs!”

Cloud Concubine frowned: “I know Yao Imperial Physician likes to calculate auspiciousness and inauspiciousness, but not coming tonight is a bit unreasonable. Wait for the prince to return from Jiangnan, I will definitely report this matter truthfully to him. If even the prince’s mansion cannot command the imperial physician hall, then this imperial physician hall is not needed.”

The fierce woman asked: “Then tonight, just let it be? What about my madam’s illness!”

Cloud Concubine showed a difficult expression: “The prince is not here now. Yao Imperial Physician is a seventh-rank official, ultimately we have to wait for the prince to return to decide.”

The fierce woman said in a deep voice: “Could it be that Cloud Concubine, you hinted to Yao Imperial Physician not to come?”

Behind the screen, Concubine Jing hurriedly said: “Chun Rong, you must not be rude to Cloud Concubine sister!”

Cloud Concubine smiled: “No harm, Chun Rong is also concerned about sister you. Otherwise, how about this, since the imperial physician hall’s people have already come, just let him first check Concubine Jing sister.”

Concubine Jing softly said: “Alright.”

The fierce woman Chun Rong looked at Chen Ji and coldly said: “Still standing there doing what? Quickly come to diagnose Concubine Jing.”

Chen Ji lowered his head and did not speak.

He fundamentally didn’t know how to diagnose people…

Moreover, at this moment, the most important thing was not diagnosing. Diagnosing right or wrong would cause trouble.

Nanny Chun Rong saw he didn’t speak and immediately became furious: “Diagnose!”

Chen Ji thought for a long time, finally bitterly cupped his hands and said: “Madam, forgive me, I have studied medicine for only two years, first following master for a short time, second with unrefined skills, I truly do not know how to tell if Concubine Jing has been poisoned. This matter probably still needs my master to come. I will now go back and try to persuade him, see if I can invite him.”

Nanny Chun Rong scolded: “Even not diagnosing the pulse and saying you don’t know, drag him out and beat him to death! Yao Imperial Physician is a seventh-rank official and cannot be moved, but beating a small apprentice to death should be no problem. It will also teach the imperial physician hall a lesson about the consequences of neglecting duty!”

Saying this, four sturdy women rushed up from downstairs. They stepped on the wooden floor with thumping sounds, dragged Chen Ji, and wanted to pull him out to beat him to death.

His hair was disheveled, and the wooden hairpin also fell to the ground. His clothes emitted unbearable tearing sounds.

Cloud Concubine picked up her teacup and lightly sipped without paying attention. In the eyes of the nobles of this era, an apprentice died is just died, not worth extra words.

“Wait, let me finish my words,” Chen Ji struggled and opened his mouth: “Although I am not proficient in medical skills, if Concubine Jing madam was truly poisoned by someone, I am willing to find the real culprit!”

The second floor suddenly fell silent, only Chen Ji’s heavy breathing sounds remained.

Cloud Concubine put down her teacup and glanced over, curiously sizing up Chen Ji: “Oh? You still have this ability?”

She re-examined the embarrassed youth, only feeling that the other party was not at all like an apprentice, his eyes becoming more and more calm.

Chen Ji asked very quickly: “Dare I ask Concubine Jing madam, how many months pregnant were you?”

Concubine Jing behind the screen softly said: “Five months.”

Chen Ji said: “A five-month fetus is already formed. If someone uses strong poison to harm the fetus in a few hours, the adult will also lose their life! In this world, there is no poison that only harms the fetus and not the pregnant woman!”

The principle of abortion medicine is to make the body’s progesterone drop and the uterus contract, forcing the pregnancy tissue to be expelled from the body. This kind of medicine, to take effect within a day, must be for fetuses within three months.

The remaining reasons that can cause a five-month fetus to miscarry are several kinds: the first is diseases of the pregnant woman’s reproductive organs, such as uterine malformation; the second is systemic diseases of the pregnant woman, such as flu, pneumonia, organ failure; the third is external force beating; the fourth is violent emotional fluctuations of the pregnant woman, such as sadness or fright.

Chen Ji asked: “Concubine Jing madam, have you been unwell in these few months?”

Nanny Chun Rong responded: “My madam was very healthy earlier, only in the recent months, she had some loss of appetite. Previously, we invited Yao Imperial Physician to diagnose, and he said it was just normal pregnancy reaction, that’s all.”

Chen Ji did not take what Old Man Yao said as a reference basis. He had read the medical general outline. Even if the other party was a respected imperial physician, they could not transcend the shackles of the era.

He continued to ask: “Concubine Jing madam, have you recently suffered external force beating, or have your emotions fluctuated greatly?”

Nanny Chun Rong coldly laughed: “What are you saying? My madam is a golden branch and jade leaf, how could there be the situations you mentioned? If you are only planning to delay time, wait a bit, it won’t be just beating to death so simple.”

Chen Ji suddenly said: “Since the above are not the case, then it is poisoning! But absolutely not poison administered tonight, but caused by long-term poisoning!”

“Hmm?”

“Are you sure?”