It was completely silent in the prince's mansion. The five-story Mingyu Tower was like a lighthouse standing in the capital, with golden lights shining through the windows.
Outside the study on the top floor, the Empress Dowager, dressed in a deep red home dress, stood by the railing of the terrace. Holding a telescope that had been tribute from below in her hand, she gazed into the distance towards Wutong Street. The night wind blew up the hem of her dress, revealing her fair calves faintly.
The study was brightly lit. Dongfang Liren sat behind the large desk, with several stacks of case files placed in front of her. She was writing and drawing in a small booklet.
Dongfang Liren was born as the precious Second Princess. She also had a preference for martial arts, but being skilled in martial arts and handling cases were two different things. She had no opportunity to go out and investigate cases in person, and she hadn't learned these things before.
But today on Zhujie Street, that outstanding person had shown his remarkable ability in front of everyone, which really amazed her.
Originally, her talent in martial arts was already a little lacking, and now she couldn't even get a word in about her own job. How could she establish her prestige in front of her subordinates in the future?
For this reason, after coming back from Zhujie Street, Dongfang Liren had been burying herself in studying the past case files here, learning from experience, so that the next time she encountered such a situation, she wouldn't be treated as a stupid prince by Ye Jingtang again.
While she was seriously studying, the Empress Dowager handed the telescope to Hongyu and walked listlessly into the room:
"Liren, is that person under your command back?"
Dongfang Liren was writing something in the small booklet and didn't look up:
"Who?"
"That young master surnamed Ye. Didn't you say last time that you would let me learn painting? You haven't forgotten, have you?"
Dongfang Liren paused her pen, blinked her eyes, and remembered that she had promised last month to lend Ye Jingtang to the Empress Dowager for a few days to be a model for painting:
"Hmm... He just came back this morning. When he's free, I'll send him over so that the Empress Dowager can paint him properly."
The Empress Dowager sat sideways on the beauty couch, playing with a small furry ball used for practicing the saber, and let out a faint sigh:
"You're a prince. For such a thing, do you still have to see if your subordinate is free?"
Dongfang Liren explained: "Official business comes first. Ye Jingtang is a great talent. Today, I took him to handle a case on Zhujie Street. With just a little guidance from me, he had sharp eyes and was able to infer the characteristics of the murderer from some traces, which amazed the people from the Ministry of Punishments. If such a capable official were sent to the palace and caught the eye of the elder sister and was kept by her side, the common people would lose a just and upright official..."
Dongfang Liren's words were probably an explanation to the Empress Dowager that she was keeping Ye Jingtang because she appreciated his talent, not because she was hoarding a handsome man for her own benefit.
But the Empress Dowager wasn't stupid. She just pretended not to hear these self-deceiving words. After thinking for a while, she said:
"If he is truly capable, you should find a way to make good use of his abilities to share the worries of the Emperor. I don't care about the affairs of the court, but I can feel that the situation isn't very peaceful. Yesterday, when I accompanied the Emperor to take a bath, I found that the Emperor had a white hair. I'm sure he must be very worried in his heart..."
"Hmm?"
Dongfang Liren's eyelashes fluttered, and she raised her eyes:
"A white hair?"
"Just one. The Emperor said it was nothing, but I don't think so. There have been quite a few diligent emperors in history who fell ill from overwork. Although you're also busy, at least you can take some time off. You can even go for a stroll and relax with Ye Jingtang when you have nothing to do. The Emperor has to deal with government affairs as soon as he gets up. He can only play and joke with the palace maids around him for a while every day. It's the same day after day and year after year..."
Dongfang Liren blinked her eyes and felt that things weren't that simple. As the emperor of a country, the pressure on his shoulders was indeed great, but with her elder sister's tough character that dared to pull even the emperor down from his throne, she should be able to withstand it. How could she worry herself into getting a white hair...
Could it be because she was hoarding handsome men for her own benefit...
While she was lost in such wild thoughts, an old woman with white hair silently appeared in the study and reported softly:
"Your Highness, just now Young Master Ye went to investigate the homicide case on Zhujie Street and caught the murderer at the Theft Suppression Department..."
"Hmm?"
Dongfang Liren came back to her senses, closed the booklet, and was quite surprised:
"He went out to investigate the case alone at night? How did he catch the murderer?"
There was an admiring look in the old woman with white hair's eyes:
"According to the report, Young Master Ye could tell during the day that the Roaming Palm was real, but he felt that there was something else behind it. So he deliberately said that there were doubts about the palm technique and then stayed near the corpse at night to see if anyone would come to destroy the corpse to eliminate the evidence. As a result, the murderer really came at night..."
Dongfang Liren frowned: "Does he suspect that there is an insider in the government?"
The old woman with white hair nodded solemnly:
"Judging from the result, there is indeed an insider in the yamen. After discovering that Young Master Ye had seen the 'flaw' in the palm technique, the insider secretly informed the murderer."
Dongfang Liren blinked her eyes: "Uh... How did he figure out that there was an insider in the government?"
The old woman with white hair thought for a while and barely explained:
"Young Master Ye should have seen some unreasonable aspects of the palm technique and just gave it a try. The fact that the murderer came to destroy the corpse at night shows that the murderer himself believed that there was a difference between this palm technique and the palm technique of Zhang Henggu's lineage. The murderer is definitely not from the Pingtian Sect... Hmm... I can only say that Young Master Ye has sharp eyes, extraordinary intuition, and good luck..."
Dongfang Liren was amazed in her heart and felt that Ye Jingtang's ability to handle cases seemed even more astonishing than his talent in martial arts. She slowly nodded:
"Someone who knows the unique palm technique of the Pingtian Sect and has an insider in the government, this matter is definitely not small... Has the murderer been caught?"
"Young Master Ye said that the murderer is very cunning and he is trying to track him down. When fighting with the murderer, Young Master Ye was probably injured and has just gone to Imperial Physician Wang's residence..."
"Injured?!"
Dongfang Liren's face changed slightly, and she stood up: "Empress Dowager, please take a rest first. I'm going out to take a look."
The Empress Dowager waved her hand understandingly:
"Go ahead. You don't have to rush back to accompany me at night."
?
Dongfang Liren paused in her steps and felt that there was more to the Empress Dowager's words than met the eye, but after thinking about it, she decided to let it go...
——
The Wang Family's Grand Mansion on Wende Bridge.
Wende Bridge was located in the southern part of the city, adjacent to the outer wall of the Imperial City. The mansions of princes, marquises, and nobles were mostly located here. Therefore, the living environment was extremely good. The street was paved with white stone floor tiles, and there were green plant walkways on both sides.
At night, although there were not many pedestrians, lanterns were hung on both sides of the street. It was one of the few blocks in the capital equipped with "street lamps".
The residence of Imperial Physician Wang was in the central area of Wende Bridge. In front was a medical hall, with a golden signboard hanging above it that read "Divine Hands in the Apricot Grove", written by the imperial brush of the founding emperor of the Great Wei Dynasty.
Behind the medical hall were several rooms, which were used for patients' recuperation. Several rooms had lights on.
And the last building was the Wang Family's courtyard. It was quite large but very simple. The garden was planted with a wide variety of medicinal herbs.
In the main hall of the Wang Family, a candle lamp was lit.
Ye Jingtang sat upright beside the tea table, with his right hand stretched out flat on a soft pillow.
Opposite the tea table was an old man dressed in a white robe. His hair and beard were snow-white, and he had a kind face. He placed his left hand on Ye Jingtang's wrist and gently rubbed his fingers with his right hand, frowning in deep thought.
Imperial Physician Wang was now over eighty years old. In the previous dynasty, he was a barefoot doctor who traveled the world with his master. When the Great Wei Dynasty rose in rebellion, he became a military doctor. The founding emperor of the dynasty was wounded several times in battles, and it was he who personally saved the emperor's life. After the founding of the Great Wei Dynasty, he had served as the director of the Imperial Medical Academy until now. Counting the deposed emperor, he had served four emperors in total.
The divine doctor "Medicine King Li", whom no one in the martial arts world dared to provoke, was a disciple of Imperial Physician Wang. A bottle of Jade Dragon Ointment by Medicine King Li could be sold for a hundred taels of silver in the martial arts world, so one could imagine the status of Imperial Physician Wang.
But for such a renowned old doctor, who could make you doubt your own survival if he said you were dead, he now had a rather solemn expression. He had been taking Ye Jingtang's pulse for a long time without saying a word.
"..."
Ye Jingtang knew the great reputation of Imperial Physician Wang. Originally, he thought he was fine, but looking at this situation, his heart sank. Afraid that Lady Luo, who was waiting outside, would be heartbroken if she heard the bad news, he leaned in and asked tentatively:
"Venerable Wang, is there still hope for me?"
Imperial Physician Wang gently rubbed his fingers. After a long time, he replied:
"It's 'Snow Moth Scale', commonly known as 'White Quicklime'. It's more common in Beiliang. Few people use it in the Great Wei. It's not a poison, but its power lies in the fact that once it touches the skin, it can block the qi channels. It's difficult to deal with in a short time. It's mostly used for sneak attacks or to block pursuers."
"Oh... How can it be cured?"
"It will recover on its own in seven days. I'll give you an acupuncture treatment, and you'll be fine in a quarter of an hour."
"..."
Ye Jingtang secretly let out a sigh of relief and also felt a bit speechless. He thought to himself: It's such a trivial matter. Is it necessary to take so long to diagnose? I even started thinking about how to arrange my last words...
But he definitely couldn't say this. Ye Jingtang smiled and said: "Venerable Wang truly lives up to his reputation. That white powder really looked like quicklime. I didn't expect it to have such an origin..."
"Snow Moth Scale is also thrown in people's faces. Its effect is not much different from that of quicklime, which is why it has the common name of 'White Quicklime'. They are all things used by those who don't abide by martial ethics. If it's accurately thrown, this thing actually doesn't take effect as quickly as quicklime. It's just that people with high martial arts skills have excellent body techniques, and quicklime can't be thrown on them. That's why the small fry in the martial arts world came up with this thing."
"Oh... I've learned something."
As Imperial Physician Wang spoke, he took a golden needle from the needle box beside him and inserted it into Ye Jingtang's left arm. He also pricked Ye Jingtang's fingertip, and a black blood bead immediately oozed out and dripped into a porcelain bowl.
Ye Jingtang noticed that after Imperial Physician Wang administered the acupuncture, he was taking his pulse again and asked:
"Do I have any other illnesses?"
Imperial Physician Wang tapped his fingers on the armrest. After thinking for a long time, he raised his old eyes and asked:
"Who is your biological father?"
?
Ye Jingtang didn't expect Imperial Physician Wang to ask this and shook his head:
"I'm an orphan. I was picked up by my adoptive father, and I don't know my origin. Did Venerable Wang notice something?"
Imperial Physician Wang stroked his beard: "Like begets like. Your bone structure is so good that it can rank among the top of the people I've seen in my life. Your parents are definitely not ordinary people. I'm just curious."
"Hehe~ Venerable Wang is too kind. Maybe it's because my adoptive father laid a good foundation for me since I was a child."
Drip~
Drip~
The blood beads from the fingertip dripped into the bowl, and the dark color visibly faded.
Imperial Physician Wang carefully took the pulse. After a long time, he said again:
"Muscles, bones, and skin are the appearance, while spirit, qi, and essence are the inner essence. Only focusing on tempering the muscles, bones, and skin without cultivating the inner essence at the same time will overdraw one's innate essence. It's not the way to a long life. No matter what martial arts you practice in the future, you must keep this principle in mind."
Ye Jingtang felt that there was more to Imperial Physician Wang's words than what was said, but he wasn't sure, so he nodded:
"I will definitely pay attention in the future. Did Venerable Wang figure out my martial arts style?"
The method of circulating qi must pass through the qi channels of the human body. As long as one has rich experience, one can tell something from the strength of the qi channels. I have taken the pulses of Kuang Yazi, Qiu Tianhe, and the Old Spearman. I can see some similarities in you."
Ye Jingtang's eyes showed surprise, and he bowed his head in respect: "I apologize for my ignorance. Has Venerable Wang ever taken Zheng Feng's pulse?"
"After Zheng Feng was seriously injured, he came here once. His qi channels were completely severed, and it was even a luxury for him to have offspring. I'm a doctor, not a god. I couldn't save him."
Ye Jingtang's eyes moved slightly, but he didn't show any strange expression. He just slowly nodded.
"Don't move around. You can pull out the needle yourself when your finger stops bleeding."
After saying this, Imperial Physician Wang stood up with the help of his walking stick and walked towards the back of the hall.
Ye Jingtang was a bit preoccupied. After being silent alone for a while, he suddenly remembered that the bird was still "on duty" outside. He turned to look outside, only to find that Lady Luo, who was originally waiting outside the door, was nowhere to be seen for some reason...