On the bustling long street, people came and went. Ordinary folk carrying shoulder poles and driving ox carts trudged through the snow out of the city, wanting to hurry before sunset to leave Luò City and return to their farms in the suburbs.

The smell of ox dung and the hubbub of shouting voices interwove, only then making Luò City’s winter day lively.

Chén Jì stood in the endless flow of the crowd, his hand silently shrinking into his sleeve, hiding the paper strip the west wind had delivered.

A chill went down his spine: The Secret Spy Department, the Inner Court’s direct personal guard, usually held the King’s command token and could move unimpeded. Why did they need to hide their names and identities to secretly pass a paper strip?

And now, the west wind pressing his hat low and hurrying away, explained that the Secret Spy Department had already turned into a dark force, hiding names and identities!

They wanted to provoke the Liú family into acting recklessly and dangerously, quickly eliminating them all.

But like this, in Mr. Fēng’s eyes, only Chén Jì was still in the open, and the Liú family could only take their anger out on him.

Chén Jì originally thought that after eliminating the Dragon King Village garrison, the Secret Spy Department would then have evidence of the Liú family’s plot to rebel.

They would only need to send the evidence to the capital, and then they could confiscate the Liú family’s property and execute them.

Once the Myriad Years Army arrived, the Liú family would naturally turn to ashes and disappear.

However, the Liú family fundamentally did not plan to sit and wait for death. The Secret Spy Department’s secret memorial had fundamentally been sent out of Yù State.

No wonder Mr. Fēng was so arrogant.

The Liú family wanted to show their true colors.

Chén Jì turned his head, his gaze passing through a gap in the crowd, looking towards the quietly driven horse carriage outside the city gate.

What matter did Grand Secretary Liú so urgently seek Prince Jìng to secretly plot?

Bái Lǐ saw him in a daze and curiously asked: “Chén Jì, what’s wrong with you? Your complexion doesn’t look very good.”

Chén Jì came back to his senses and smiled at Bái Lǐ: “County Lord, I’m fine!”

Bái Lǐ pulled his sleeve and went forward: “The Lǐ Jì Clothing Shop is in front of the south city. I’ll take you to get measured for clothes. We can just wait for Father inside the shop, and then go back to Ānxī Street together.”

Zhāng Xiá looked at Bái Lǐ’s hand, subconsciously looking at the heir’s expression.

The heir pretended not to notice, his gaze directed elsewhere.

Zhāng Xiá curiously asked: “Does the heir plan to turn a blind eye?”

The heir helplessly said: “Counting this time, Chén Jì has already saved our brother and sister two times. Each time was dangerous, each time was a near-death experience. Even I, his brother, am pretending not to see. Why does Miss Zhāng, an outsider, need to seek the root and investigate the bottom?”

Zhāng Xiá smiled: “That’s true!”

Inside the Lǐ Jì Clothing Shop, the shopkeeper personally held a roll of soft leather ruler, going forward to measure Chén Jì.

Chén Jì stood in front of the counter with his arms spread, his gaze still looking towards the door outside.

Bái Lǐ sat on a chair on one side, supporting her chin with her fair hand, watching with interest.

Two maidservants brought tea and preserves, placing them diligently on the table beside Bái Lǐ, then immediately wanted to kneel on the ground to pound Bái Lǐ’s legs.

Bái Lǐ jumped in surprise: “No, no, no, what is this for?”

The shopkeeper laughed: “County Lord, you don’t know, measuring and making clothes is a time-consuming, meticulous process. If it differs by an inch or a centimeter, the clothes won’t be comfortable or fit well when worn. To allow guests to wait patiently, our Lǐ Jì specially employs maidservants to relieve boredom for noble guests.”

Bái Lǐ hurriedly waved her hand: “No need, no need, I’m afraid it tickles.”

The shopkeeper laughed towards the maidservants: “Since the County Lord says no need, you two can go down.”

The maidservants bowed, curtsied, and softly said: “Yes!”

The shopkeeper said again: “There’s still a place for playing Jiǔ in the back yard. If the County Lord is bored waiting, you can call the maidservants to accompany the County Lord for a couple of rounds.”

Bái Lǐ could neither cry nor laugh: “Really no need, I can wait.”

“Alright!”

The shopkeeper carefully measured Chén Jì’s clothes, the sleeve opening, collar opening, waistline, not missing any spot.

No wonder the Lǐ Jì shop was famous in Luò City; its fame had its reasons.

In the time it took to drink two cups of tea, the shopkeeper finished measuring Chén Jì’s size and smiled and asked: “What items does the County Lord plan to custom-make for this young master?”

Bái Lǐ counted on her fingers: “Two pieces of stand-collar large front opening, two pairs of winter cotton pants, two pairs of black boots, one tile-ridge black gauze hat. Can you make a greatcoat here? Make him a warm black greatcoat using fox fur, but don’t put the fox fur on the outside, make it into the inner lining, he doesn’t like to show off.”

Chén Jì was stunned, he withdrew his gaze from outside the door: “County Lord, no need to make so many, right?”

Bái Lǐ’s eyes curved into crescent moons, and she smiled and said: “You’re usually very busy, so when you finally get clothes made, you definitely want to make more. This is to thank you for saving my life. Is my life not worth this silver money?”

Chén Jì also laughed: “It is!”

Bái Lǐ waved her hand, “That’s good then. You go outside and wait for me for a while, I’ll talk to the shopkeeper for a couple of sentences and then come out.”

Chén Jì turned and went out of the shop, talking to the heir and Zhāng Xiá.

Bái Lǐ poked her head out to see they weren’t paying attention this way, got up and came to the counter, taking out six gold melon seeds from her sleeve: “Shopkeeper, when making the clothes, sew these gold melon seeds into his clothes hem.”

The shopkeeper was startled.

Official and noble families always liked to sew some thin silver cakes the size of a fingernail into the hem of their clothes. The heavy silver cakes could weigh down the hem, making the clothes look more straight and wide when hanging. There were also auspicious copper coins with words like ‘attract wealth and treasure’ and ‘promotion and wealth’ sewn in for a good omen.

But sewing gold melon seeds was indeed the first time he had seen it.

Bái Lǐ saw the shopkeeper’s doubt and explained with a smile: “Convenient for his emergency use. The shopkeeper only needs to sew in the gold melon seeds.”

The shopkeeper didn’t ask much, agreeing with a smile: “Alright.”

At this moment, Prince Jìng lifted the carriage curtain and got out of the horse carriage, and then he was seen flipping onto a horse, hurriedly urging it towards the city.

Chén Jì saw his figure from afar, turned his head and said to Bái Lǐ: “County Lord, we should leave.”

Bái Lǐ in the room answered: “Coming.”

But as soon as the words fell, Prince Jìng swayed on his horse’s back. Before he even reached the front of the Lǐ Jì Clothing Shop door, he coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood and slanted down from the horse.

The heir exclaimed: “Father?”

Chén Jì was quick-eyed and quick-handed, ran two steps, and caught Prince Jìng as he was falling to the ground.

He lifted his head and looked towards the city gate. Mr. Fēng sat in the coachman’s position, raising his horse whip high, driving the horse carriage towards the south as if no one else was around.

No one expected the Liú family to actually lay this poisoned hand on a real power vassal king in the bustling market.

The heir’s eyes were about to crack, he hated staring at the Liú family’s horse carriage but didn’t go after it, turned his head and said to Chén Jì in a low voice: “First go back to Ānxī Street to find your master to save people.”

Chén Jì simply and neatly carried Prince Jìng and ran towards Ānxī Street like crazy.

In the endless flowing crowd, Zhāng Xiá and others rode horses to chase, but for a time they couldn’t catch up.

Chén Jì’s face was heavy.

If the Liú family truly laid this poisoned hand, it meant the other side was already reckless and completely insane.

But he thought and thought, and still couldn’t figure out the meaning of the Liú family killing Prince Jìng.

The sunset sank outside the city, the sky and earth were dim.

Peace Medical Hall was already closed.

Chén Jì slammed open the door and said loudly: “Master, Master.”

The old man Yáo, whom he hadn’t seen for a long time, was just standing behind the counter, lighting a kerosene lamp, and pulling an abacus.

He lifted his head and glanced at Chén Jì and Prince Jìng, then looked at his precarious door panels, and said indifferently: “Has the sky collapsed?”

The heir rushed in from outside the door and said urgently: “Imperial Physician Yáo, quick, save my father, he was poisoned by the Liú family.”

Old man Yáo lightly described and asked: “Did you see it personally?”

The heir was helpless: “What time is it now, you’re still not in a hurry.”

Old man Yáo walked around from inside the counter, stroking his white beard with his left hand, and lightly placing three fingers on Prince Jìng’s wrist with his right hand.

Chén Jì held his breath, afraid of delaying the pulse taking.

A moment later, old man Yáo lightly described and said: “Wang Ye was not harmed by others, but the previous wind chill had not recovered before going out of the city. Now it’s just an old illness attacking.”

Chén Jì suddenly relaxed his breath, at least the Liú family hadn’t reached the point of losing heart and going crazy.

Old man Yáo put his hands behind his back and walked towards the back yard, calmly arranging: “Chén Jì, carry Wang Ye into the main room. Shé Dēngkē, light the stove in the room to warm Wang Ye. Liú Qūxīng, bring my silver needles. Heir, County Lord, close the door well, don’t let outsiders rush in. Nor the people from Wang Fu.”

In the main room, old man Yáo finally only left Chén Jì to help.

He gently placed Prince Jìng on old man Yáo’s bed and undid his armor.

Old man Yáo sat by the stove fire, unhurriedly burning the silver needles one by one, then applying the silver needles to Prince Jìng’s body.

In the blink of an eye, Prince Jìng’s chest was covered in silver needles.

Chén Jì softly asked: “Master, is Prince Jìng truly suffering from wind chill?”

Old man Yáo glanced at him, and while continuing to apply the needles, counter-asked: “You also learned the pathology of wind chill, what do you say?”

Chén Jì didn’t answer.

When all the silver needles were applied, Prince Jìng suddenly coughed up another mouthful of fresh blood.

Chén Jì was surprised: “Master?”

Prince Jìng slowly opened his eyes, smiled and looked at old man Yáo, and said weakly: “It’s you who saved me again!”

Old man Yáo got up and went to the wooden basin rack beside him, washed his hands, and while wiping his hands with a white handkerchief, sneered: “Wang Ye should not go out hidden from everyone later. I am a physician, not a magician. I don’t have the ability to cross out the life and death book!”

Prince Jìng smiled, seeming already used to old man Yáo’s meanness.

He turned his head to look at Chén Jì: “Young man, trouble you to call Yún Xī in, I have some things I want to entrust to him. In addition, help guard the door, absolutely do not let anyone come in.”

Chén Jì hummed, lifted the door curtain, and went out.

In the quiet small courtyard, Bái Lǐ hugged her whale knife, pursing her lips under the apricot tree, while the heir paced back and forth anxiously.

Shé Dēngkē, Liú Qūxīng, Liáng Máo’er and others squatted on one side, their hands tied.

Seeing Chén Jì come out, the heir immediately stepped forward: “Chén Jì, how is my father?”

Chén Jì said in a low voice: “Heir, Wang Ye called you in.”

The heir drilled into the main room. Between the shaking of the door curtain, only a series of knocking sounds on the big door of the medical hall were heard.

Jìng Fēi said in a deep voice outside the door: “Open the door!”

Chén Jì calmly said: “Brother Máo’er, brace the door, don’t let anyone come into the medical hall first.”

Liáng Máo’er agreed and went outside. Before he reached the door, Jìng Fēi had already led more than a dozen strong servants, pushing the door in with fierce momentum.

Chén Jì took the whale knife from Bái Lǐ and stood propounding the knife outside the main room door: “Madam Jìng Fēi, Wang Ye instructed that he is speaking with the heir, and no one else can go in.”

Jìng Fēi stared straight at him: “Did Wang Ye say it himself, or are you faking the decree? Let it open!”

Chén Jì slightly twisted the knife handle, the sharp knife edge facing Jìng Fēi and the others: “Cannot.”

Jìng Fēi walked forward step by step, not putting Chén Jì and the whale knife in her eyes in the slightest: “Young man, don’t mislead yourself. Although you are a medical hall apprentice, drawing a knife against the Zōng family is a capital offense. Let it open now, and I can let bygones be bygones.”

Chén Jì did not move.

Just at this time, the door curtain behind him was lifted open.

Chén Jì turned his head to look, the heir came out with red eye sockets, wiped his tears with the back of his hand, and looked at Jìng Fēi: “Aunt, Father called you in.”

In the quiet small courtyard, Chén Jì carried the whale knife and moved to the side, while Jìng Fēi raised her head arrogantly and brushed past him.

Chén Jì watched the heir leaving the medical hall pulling Bái Lǐ, tears streaming down his face. He then turned his head to look at the silent main room.

What exactly did Prince Jìng say to the heir?

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