“Concubine Jing’s miscarriage was due to chronic poisoning.”

Chen Ji’s voice was like a stone thrown into a calm pond, stirring up countless ripples. Even the misty smoke from the burning stick of incense in the bronze censer on the tea table, which had risen straight to the ceiling, now swirled into a chaotic cloud.

Granny Chun Rong took a step forward. “Are you certain?” she pressed. “Was my lady’s miscarriage truly caused by poison? Tell me, who poisoned her!”

From behind the screen came the rustle of bedding, as Concubine Jing appeared to prop herself up on the bed.

The four strong servants beside Chen Ji unconsciously loosened their grip, no longer roughly pulling at him. Everyone waited for his answer.

However, Chen Ji wasn’t certain if Concubine Jing had actually been poisoned. In this desperate situation, if he didn’t say something shocking, he would die right there in Prince Jing’s residence.

From behind the screen, Concubine Jing asked skeptically, “Are you certain I was poisoned?”

Chen Ji didn’t answer. He simply straightened his disheveled clothes slowly and calmly asked, “Besides Concubine Jing, has anyone else in the Evening Star Garden felt unwell?”

Granny Chun Rong shook her head. “No,” she replied. “Even the daily routines of the maids in the Prince’s residence are recorded. If anyone felt unwell, they were strictly forbidden from entering the Evening Star Garden, to prevent passing any illness to the fetus.”

After a moment of thought, Chen Ji turned to face the screen. “Madam,” he asked, “may I search your room for clues?”

“How dare you!” Granny Xitang, standing by Concubine Yun, exclaimed angrily. “How can you, an outsider, search Concubine Jing’s private chambers? What sort of impropriety is this…”

Concubine Jing interrupted. “If you want to search, then search,” she said. “If you can truly find the culprit who harmed my child, what harm is there in searching a few things? Chun Hua, please escort this young doctor out for now. Chun Rong, tidy my clothes and help me get dressed, then invite him back in to examine.”

This gesture preserved the noblewoman’s dignity, and it also bought Chen Ji some time to think about clues.

Chun Hua led Chen Ji downstairs, anxiously lowering her voice to ask, “Was someone really poisoned?”

Under the cover of night, Chen Ji stood by the fish pond in the Evening Star Garden, watching the koi appear and disappear in the dim water. He didn’t answer, simply lost in thought.

After a moment, Granny Chun Rong called him back upstairs.

By then, Concubine Jing was sitting in a chair, draped in a large red cloak. She was around thirty-three or thirty-four years old, her hair not coiled up but tied back with a hairband. She gazed palely at Chen Ji. “I just thought of what you said about long-term poisoning,” she began, “could someone have tampered with the incense sticks…?”

“No,” Chen Ji shook his head. “Incense smoke drifts everywhere. If someone had tampered with it, Granny Chun Rong should also be feeling unwell. Therefore, the poisoner must have used an item you use exclusively, and it must be something you use daily. Otherwise, if not used for a period, the toxins would be metabolized by your body.”

Seeing his certainty, everyone stopped talking and allowed him to search.

Time ticked by. Chen Ji picked up a box of rouge. “Madam,” he asked, examining the box in his hand, “have you used this rouge recently when preparing your appearance?” The box was inlaid with white mother-of-pearl in the shape of butterflies, as exquisite as a work of art.

Concubine Jing shook her head. “Since becoming pregnant, I stopped using these things,” she said, “for fear it might be bad for the fetus.”

Chen Ji put down the rouge box, his gaze sweeping over item after item, yet he still couldn’t find a clue.

Gradually, fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. *Where is it? Where could it be?* At this moment, he was frantically sifting through every clue in his mind. This was his chance to survive!

After an unknown amount of time, Concubine Jing finally lost her patience. “I thought you had a plan,” she said, “but it seems you were just putting on a show. Enough. I suppose you only made such bold claims because you were afraid. Don’t worry, you won’t be beaten to death. Just drag him out and give him ten lashes.”

Concubine Yun, who had been sitting upright, also lost interest. She slowly stood up and said, “I’m tired. I’ll go back and rest.”

“Wait!” Chen Ji suddenly picked up a blue cup.

The cup was blue like seawater, with a touch of green like ethereal mist circling its body, so beautiful it seemed otherworldly.

Concubine Jing sat up straight and asked doubtfully, “Is there something wrong with this cup?”

Chen Ji asked seriously, “Madam, do you have a metallic taste in your mouth, one that doesn’t go away even after rinsing?”

Concubine Jing was surprised. “How did you know?” she asked. “Is this a symptom of the poisoning?”

Chen Ji finally let out a long breath, his entire body slowly relaxing from its intense tension. “It’s lead poisoning,” he announced.

Granny Chun Rong looked confused. “What does that mean?” she asked. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“My meaning is, this cup is poisoned.”

Lead poisoning was unfamiliar to people of this era, but Chen Ji was quite familiar with it. This type of cup, scientifically known as lead-barium glass, was a vessel that appeared when ancient glassmaking technology was just emerging. Its earliest documented use could be traced back to the Han Dynasty. Its beauty seemed to transcend the entire era, making it beloved by nobles. However, despite its beauty, this cup contained poison. While adults might only develop problems after years of use, its toxicity was already lethal to a fetus.

At this moment, Concubine Yun’s eyes sparkled with intelligence, and she watched Chen Ji with great interest. When the young man mentioned the metallic taste in Concubine Jing’s mouth, Concubine Jing’s reaction had already revealed that he had truly found the cause of the poisoning!

Concubine Jing mused, “This cup was…”

Chen Ji quickly interjected, “Madam, the source of the poison has been found. As for where the cup came from, it has nothing to do with me. May I leave now? I apologize for any offense given tonight; please forgive me.”

Concubine Jing was silent for a moment. “Where did Imperial Physician Yao find such a discerning apprentice?” she mused. “Don’t worry. Today you helped me find the culprit who harmed my child, and there will be a substantial reward in the future. No one in the Evening Star Garden will trouble you.”

Although the culprit was found, she had just experienced the pain of losing a child, so it was hard for her to be happy.

Concubine Yun said softly and gently, “It’s good that my sister found the source of the poisoning. Otherwise, it would have been dangerous to continue drinking from this cup. Oh, I remember, wasn’t this cup a gift from your family? During the Spring Festival poetry gathering, you even specifically took it out for Viscountess Liu to admire.”

Concubine Jing’s expression subtly changed.

In the subtle atmosphere of the Evening Star Garden, Chen Ji dared not say a word. He could only lower his head and secretly observe his surroundings with his peripheral vision. The black cat and the white cat were still fighting—or rather, the black cat was being chased from east to west and back again. The black cat was too small to fight back. *How miserable,* he thought. *Life for cats in grand residences isn’t easy either…* Wait. Chen Ji wondered if it was his imagination, but he kept feeling that the black cat, while fleeing for its life, occasionally glanced towards his sleeve.

Granny Xitang, standing by Concubine Yun, whispered, “Madam, it’s time for us to rest.” With that, she went to pick up the white cat, preparing to leave.

Chen Ji was speechless. So the white cat belonged to Concubine Yun, and the black cat to Concubine Jing. It seemed the white cat’s mission was simply to torment the black cat.

“I won’t disturb my sister’s rest any longer,” Concubine Yun said, rising gracefully. “Try not to go out too much during this time, and rest well.” Concubine Jing was silent for a moment. “Thank you, sister,” she replied.

Concubine Yun smiled and turned, addressing a young maidservant. “Xibing, please see off this gentleman… your name is Chen Ji, isn’t it?” Chen Ji lowered his head. “Yes, Chen Ji,” he confirmed. “Go on, Xibing, escort him back to the medical hall.”

When he left the Evening Star Garden, it was already a quarter past midnight. A layer of sweat on Chen Ji’s back was chilled by the autumn wind, making him suddenly feel cold. He stayed close behind Xibing, afraid that if he walked too slowly, more complications might arise. His escape tonight wasn’t a stroke of luck, but it left him feeling a little melancholic.

On that rickety green train heading to Beijing, his father had once told him the story of ancient Rome’s suspected decline due to lead poisoning. It was from that time that he learned about the dangers of lead poisoning. He also knew that in ancient times, if vessels were to be brightly colored, many processes used lead, which is why lead poisoning was particularly widespread.

Xibing wore a bright yellow *ruqun*, her footsteps as light as an oriole’s. She seemed exceptionally well-trained; even the *buyao* hair ornament in her hair barely swayed as she walked. The vast back residence was still bustling with activity. Servants bowed to Xibing one after another, indicating her high status. Unlike the somber “Chun”-generation servants in the Evening Star Garden, Xibing always returned greetings with a cheerful smile, clearly in good spirits.

As Xibing walked, she suddenly asked, “Do you think the person who gave that cup to Concubine Jing did it intentionally?”

Chen Ji didn’t answer, nor did he dare to. He simply smiled as if he hadn’t heard.

Seeing his reaction, Xibing snorted. “Fine,” she said, “don’t say it then.”

Before Chen Ji returned to the medical hall, Xibing sized him up and said with a smile, “Tonight your clothes were torn by the people in the Evening Star Garden. Tomorrow I’ll go to the tailor’s bureau and have two outfits custom-made for you! You must remember, my lady is the most generous person in this residence. Being an apprentice in a medical hall has no future. If you can win my lady’s favor, your future prospects will be very promising.”

Chen Ji thought for a moment. “Thank you for Concubine Yun’s kindness,” he said, “but there’s no need to make clothes for me.”

Xibing rolled her eyes playfully. “Others wish for my lady’s favor and can’t get it, yet you push it away!” she exclaimed. “Don’t refuse! When my lady grants you something, what right does a mere apprentice have to decline? Off you go!”

Xibing turned and left, and Chen Ji pushed open the door and entered the medical hall. The moment he closed the door, he leaned against it, feeling a wave of exhaustion. Since coming to this world, crises had been incessant, and he needed to be fully alert to cope.

“Master’s hexagram divination really seems to be true,” Chen Ji sighed. Regardless of whether others believed in it or not, he certainly did. Tonight’s divination result was indeed extremely dangerous; a slight misstep would have led to his death without a burial place. In the future, he absolutely must not enter a prince’s residence again; he needed to stay far away.

Dragging his weary body, Chen Ji slowly made his way towards the backyard. Standing by the apricot tree, he heard the snores of She Dengke and Liu Quxing coming from the apprentices’ dormitory. His two fellow apprentices were sleeping soundly.

No one waited for him to return, and no one cared if he would die in Prince Jing’s residence. In this world, he had no one to help him; he only had himself.

As he was thinking, Chen Ji’s body stiffened. A stream of ice, several times more powerful than yesterday’s, surged from his *dantian* and violently raged through his body. In just a snap of the fingers, Chen Ji felt his blood, muscles, and bones completely frozen.

The Art of Bearing Stones and Embracing Stakes! Chen Ji struggled to stand in the courtyard and assume the stance of the Art of Bearing Stones and Embracing Stakes, hoping to resist the ice stream. But the ice stream did not recede back into his *dantian* as it had yesterday; it was merely suppressed, no longer as turbulent.

A warm current surged from behind his waist, gradually engaging in a tug-of-war with the ice stream. Chen Ji couldn’t move and could only maintain the stance of Bearing Stones and Embracing Stakes. Exhaustion and cold intertwined, and his eyelids grew heavier and heavier. After a few breaths, he actually fell asleep by the apricot tree in that strange posture.

On top of the apricot tree, a crow landed, silently watching Chen Ji turn into a statue in the darkness.