When he emerged from the Jing Wang Mansion, it was already evening. Xi Bing stood inside the mansion gate, waving goodbye to him, while Chen Ji stood on An Xi Street, his heart heavy.

He walked through the fading light, smelling the fragrance of rice cooking that wafted from each household along the street. Only then did he feel a sense of relief.

Hei Yun peeked out from under the eaves and jumped into his arms: “Who hurt Bai Banruo? I couldn’t have!”

Chen Ji smiled and stroked its head: “Nobody hurt it, it was just a reason for Yun Fei to summon me to the mansion.”

He murmured to himself: “At the time, Yun Fei said that the only lead bismuth glass cup belonging to Jing Fei was sent by her maternal family, and I didn’t think anything more of it. But looking at the relationship between Jing Fei and the Liu family now, perhaps someone did it deliberately… Has she recently cursed the Liu family people?”

“Yes, she cursed her brother Liu Mingxian, very foully.”

“That makes sense.” Chen Ji felt a pang of emotion: “At the time, I was only focused on logical deduction, but I didn’t think deeply enough about human nature. Indeed, human nature cannot be judged by common sense. But the old master Liu wasn’t angered to death by me, the cup wasn’t sent by me, Liu Shiyu wasn’t killed by me, so why isn’t she seeking revenge against the Liu family and the Secret Spy Department, but targeting me instead… Hiss, Liu Shiyu was also killed by the Liu family to silence her. The Liu family has a ruthless person indeed!”

Chen Ji inhaled a cold breath. He reviewed all the clues and suddenly realized the Liu family’s actions were unusually brutal, showing no regard for kinship even towards their own people: “Could the old master Liu in the coffin also have just been killed?!”

Hei Yun solemnly puffed up: “Fierce, fierce!”

Is this kind of fierceness useful or not? Naturally, it is useful. If they weren’t so fierce, Yun Yang and Jiao Tu wouldn’t have been imprisoned. Instead, it would have been the Liu family committing the crime of deceiving the monarch.

Upon returning to the medical hall, the old master Yao was behind the counter, looking at the account book while manipulating an abacus, giving off a sense of being old and cunning yet somehow unable to figure things out…

Chen Ji smiled and teased: “Master, wouldn’t it be easier to just toss coins to figure out the accounts?”

The old master Yao glared at him: “Stop talking nonsense. I think you’re itching for a beating. Divination can only calculate direction, how can it calculate taels and ounces?”

“Where are the senior brothers?” Chen Ji asked curiously.

“They went to cook in the backyard,” the old master Yao said, looking at him sideways: “Didn’t you go to diagnose a cat? Didn’t you give it some medicine to cure it?”

“No…”

The old master Yao let out a cold laugh: “I thought you were very careful in your actions. Even if it has no injury or disease, you should still open some cheap wound medicine and send it to the mansion. Play the part completely, otherwise, you’ll be discovered sooner or later.”

Chen Ji was startled: “Thank you for the reminder, Master. Old ginger is spicier. Tomorrow I’ll send some Cnidium over.”

He walked towards the backyard. In the kitchen, only Liu Qu Xing was washing rice and cooking porridge. She Deng Ke was nowhere to be seen.

Just as Chen Ji was about to go to the apprentices’ sleeping quarters, he saw She Deng Ke push the door open and come out.

She Deng Ke was startled when he saw Chen Ji: “Eh, didn’t you go to the mansion?”

Chen Ji said: “That white cat’s injury wasn’t serious. I just took a look and came back. What were you doing in your room, Senior Brother She?”

“I just changed my clothes. Let’s go, help with picking vegetables. If we’re slow with cooking, Master will scold us again,” She Deng Ke pulled Chen Ji towards the kitchen.

However, just at this moment, neat footsteps sounded from outside the medical hall, along with the clanking sound of iron armor scales colliding as guards walked.

Chen Ji noticed that She Deng Ke’s hand, which was holding his arm, suddenly tightened. His palm was sweating, and Chen Ji could feel it through his clothes.

The old master Yao walked to the door and frowned: “Girl Chun Hua, General Wang, what do you want blocking the door of my Tai Ping Medical Hall?”

Chen Ji struggled free from She Deng Ke’s hand and walked outside. Liu Qu Xing also emerged from the kitchen with a spoon: “What’s going on?”

Outside the door of Tai Ping Medical Hall, Chun Hua was particularly plain today, wearing only a light green dudou skirt. She had no jewelry on her body, and her hair was simply pinned up with a wooden hairpin.

Chun Hua looked hesitant and seemed about to speak but stopped. Beside her, the Wang Fu guards, all holding long halberds and wearing heavy iron armor, were led by a man with a tiger-like stride and eagle-like gaze. His eyes were sharp.

Chen Ji asked with a smile: “Girl Chun Hua, what is this about?”

Then he heard Chun Hua say to the leader of the Wang Fu guards: “General Wang, a few days ago, my madam lost the South Sea pearl that the Prince gave her. We first searched the maids in our Wan Xing Yuan and didn’t find the pearl. Later, we thought about it, and only this medical hall apprentice named Chen Ji has been in and out of Wan Xing Yuan and even rummaged through my madam’s things!”

Chen Ji furrowed his brows. Jing Fei!

After losing her son and nephew, Jing Fei’s revenge came very quickly and urgently, not even waiting a night!

General Wang gazed coldly at Chen Ji: “Do you have anything to say? Can you prove your innocence?”

Chen Ji was silent for a moment, then said calmly: “Others slandering me for stealing is very difficult to prove my innocence.”

On An Xi Street, shop owners and assistants one by one peeked out from their doors. They were originally going to close shop, but they unexpectedly got to witness a big drama.

Someone said in a low voice: “The little doctor Chen from Tai Ping Medical Hall stole things from the Wang Fu?”

“They say it was the South Sea pearl that Prince Jing gave to the Princess Consort. I’ve heard of this thing. One pearl is as big as a longan, and one piece can sell for several hundred taels of silver!”

…

…

Chen Ji listened to the surrounding discussions, his face unchanged.

General Wang stared at him for a long time, finally saying gloomily: “Control this apprentice and go in and search!”

Having said that, two guards lifted Chen Ji’s arms, one on the left and one on the right. The guards’ arms were like iron rings, tightly holding Chen Ji’s arms so he couldn’t move, the grip painful.

Chun Hua followed the guards into the medical hall: “General Wang, I’ll also help look. I’ve seen that pearl, it’s easy to recognize.”

Chen Ji watched her enter the medical hall, pulling open the drawers of the medicine cabinets one by one and tossing the medicinal materials around.

The old master Yao watched coldly: “General Wang, if there is truly a thief in my Tai Ping Medical Hall, I, this old man, will resign from office and return to my hometown, never to set foot in Luoyang City again. But if there is no thief in my Tai Ping Medical Hall, what should you say?”

General Wang cupped his hand to him across the air: “Imperial Physician Yao, this official is also acting on orders. Girl Chun Hua came with Princess Consort Jing’s waist token, so I must follow orders to catch the thief. Furthermore, the human heart is separated by the belly. How do you know that your apprentice is not a thief?”

The old master Yao suddenly let out an angry huff: “I just dare affirm he is not!”

Chen Ji looked at the old master Yao in surprise. He hadn’t expected the other party to speak up for him at this moment.

As they spoke, Chun Hua had already entered the backyard. She first searched the kitchen, then immediately entered the apprentices’ sleeping quarters.

He saw her rummaging through the beds and finally stared at the apprentices’ wardrobe.

Chen Ji understood that her earlier searches in other places were all a pretense. This was her true target.

Chun Hua knew from the beginning that the pearl was here!

Chen Ji looked at She Deng Ke, and saw the other party’s tall and strong figure was nervous and uneasy, wringing his hands together. There was no color on his lips.

She Deng Ke saw Chen Ji looking at him and panicked, quickly turning away his gaze, not daring to meet his eyes.

This was a premeditated frame-up by She Deng Ke and Chun Hua!

Chen Ji furrowed his brows. But She Deng Ke clearly hadn’t left the medical hall, and Chun Hua hadn’t come to the medical hall today. How did they transmit information and the pearl?

Chen Ji surveyed the surroundings. The backyard of this medical hall and the Wang Fu were separated by only one wall. If someone spoke on the other side of the wall, the backyard could hear it.

The courtyard wall wasn’t high. Throwing a pearl over it wouldn’t be difficult.

Chen Ji suddenly asked: “Senior Brother She, do you like Chun Hua?”

She Deng Ke was startled and subconsciously took a step back: “Ah? What did you say? I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

Chen Ji shook his head: “Nothing…”

On the side, Liu Qu Xing looked at Chen Ji and said worriedly: “You didn’t really steal things, did you?”

Chen Ji denied it: “No, I would never do this kind of petty theft in my life.”

Liu Qu Xing believed him when he said so, but Liu Qu Xing clearly felt that Chun Hua was very certain, as if she had the inside scoop.

He looked at his master again: “Master, say something quickly.”

The old master Yao was silent, not saying a word. If evidence were truly found, no one could help Chen Ji.

At this moment, the guards came out from the old master Yao’s main room and shook their heads at General Wang.

Everyone’s gaze turned towards Chun Hua in the apprentices’ sleeping quarters. Chun Hua frantically rummaged through the wardrobe, finally standing dully in front of it, motionless. Her back trembled, and she let out a cry.