Chapter 16

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Gu Yan Fei rinsed her mouth and wiped the corners of her lips with a handkerchief before smiling and saying, “Elder Sister, since it’s rare for you to visit Dan Yang City, why don’t we go out for a walk?”

Gu Yun Zhen hesitated, biting her lip, when Gu Yan Fei continued, “I’ve been here for three months and haven’t gone out much. I’ve heard there are many delicious foods in Dan Yang City—salted duck, goose oil pastries, osmanthus candied yams… and crispy dried fish. They’re all supposed to be really tasty.”

The kitten’s eyes lit up at these words, and it meowed enthusiastically in support, looking at Gu Yun Zhen with anticipation.

Faced with both Gu Yan Fei and the kitten, Gu Yun Zhen couldn’t bring herself to refuse. Smiling, she agreed, “I’ll have someone inform Grandmother. Let’s go for a walk in the city.”

Gu Yun Zhen sent a young maid to inform Old Madam Gu, then she and Gu Yan Fei left together in a carriage.

Before they left, Gu Yan Fei cast a divination and instructed the driver, “Head west.”

The divination indicated that the turning point for Dan Yang City’s current crisis lay to the west. Gu Yun Zhen assumed that Gu Yan Fei, with a childlike heart, simply wanted to explore the city, so she went along with it. Following Gu Yan Fei’s directions, the carriage took several turns and wound through a few streets before arriving at Chongxian Street in the western part of the city.

The atmosphere on the streets today was different from usual. The streets were much emptier, with no sign of the usual vendors shouting their wares or the traveling peddlers. Everywhere they passed felt quieter than normal. Along the way, many passersby gathered in small groups, whispering to each other, most of them discussing the prefect’s order to close the city gates.

“Elder Sister, let’s go sit at Qingfeng Pavilion up ahead,” Gu Yan Fei suggested.

At Gu Yan Fei’s suggestion, the two sisters, along with the kitten, entered Qingfeng Pavilion, located in the central area of Chongxian Street. At this time of day, there weren’t many guests in the tavern, with only a few of the tables in the main hall occupied.

The sisters chose an elegant seat on the second floor overlooking the street and ordered a table full of Qingfeng Pavilion’s specialty dishes. The waiter, pleased with the large order, happily went downstairs to prepare it.

In the private room, the fragrance of tea gently wafted through the air.

The sisters sipped their tea while Juan Bi attended to the kitten, offering it water.

After taking a few small sips of hot tea, Gu Yun Zhen set down the blue-and-white porcelain teacup and gently suggested, “Second Sister, when we leave later, let’s take a portion for Grandmother as well, so she can try something new.”

Although she had only recently met Gu Yan Fei, Gu Yun Zhen had a good impression of this cousin. She found that Gu Yan Fei was not as coarse as Xu Momo had described; her demeanor and conduct were measured, graceful as jade, reminding her of her late uncle.

Gu Yan Fei softly responded with an “Hmm,” already having a good idea of what Gu Yun Zhen was about to say.

Gu Yun Zhen wanted to familiarize Gu Yan Fei with the people and matters of the marquisate, so that when she eventually went to the capital, she wouldn’t be completely in the dark.

She thought for a moment and then started with Old Madam Gu: “Second Sister, Grandmother enjoys eating fish and shrimp, but she is a devout Buddhist and observes vegetarian fasting on the first and fifteenth of each month. Next month is Grandmother’s birthday. Third Sister suggested that we each copy a scripture for her as a gift.”

“Third Sister…” When mentioning Gu Yun Rong, Gu Yun Zhen hesitated, stopping mid-sentence.

Gu Yan Fei knew what was on her mind and bluntly clarified, “You mean Su Niang’s daughter, right?”

Gu Yun Zhen nodded and continued, “Third Sister was raised by Grandmother since childhood, and Grandmother is very fond of her. She usually listens to her advice. It was Third Sister who persuaded Grandmother to come and fetch you this time.”

Gu Yan Fei blinked her large, dark eyes, and suddenly it all made sense. So it was Gu Yun Rong pulling the strings behind the scenes. No wonder Old Madam Gu arrived so quickly, several days earlier than she had expected.

Gu Yun Zhen was about to say something more when the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the street outside, and someone shouted, “The officers are coming!”

The commotion outside the tavern caught the attention of the two sisters, and they both turned to look in the direction of the noise.

On the street, a team of tall, imposing officers came rushing over, swiftly surrounding the medical clinic across the way. Several officers stormed through the front door of the clinic. Leading the group was a middle-aged man dressed in a robe embroidered with clouds and wild geese, sitting atop a brown horse, exuding a commanding presence.

“A fourth-rank official’s robe?” Gu Yun Zhen’s eyebrows raised in surprise as she said, “Could that be the prefect?”

“It really is Prefect He!”

The person who answered Gu Yun Zhen was the waiter who had just come in, carrying six dishes balanced on his arms, almost like he was performing a juggling act.

The waiter stretched his neck to look out the window while skillfully serving the dishes: steamed shad fish, phoenix tail shrimp, salted duck, goose oil pastries, osmanthus candied yams, and clear soup with chicken and egg dumplings—all beautifully presented on the table, appealing in both appearance and aroma.

The commotion in front of the clinic also drew the attention of passersby on the street. Many curious onlookers stopped to see what was happening, chattering among themselves:

“Why have the officers come?”

“Has something happened at Cheng’s Medical Clinic?”

“First the city gates were closed, and now they’re sealing off the clinic. There’s definitely a reason for this!”

“I remember Doctor Cheng was called to see the First Prince yesterday. Could something have gone wrong…?”

On Chongxian Street, more and more passersby stopped to watch the commotion, the crowd growing louder and more boisterous. Everyone’s attention was focused on Cheng’s Medical Clinic.

Gu Yan Fei picked up a phoenix tail shrimp with her chopsticks, thoughtfully watching the scene outside. The kitten, drawn by the smell, meowed at Gu Yan Fei, its green eyes mesmerizing. But Gu Yan Fei was unmoved and gently batted it away, instructing the waiter to bring a portion of boiled shrimp for the cat.

Before long, a man’s loud shouting came from the direction of the clinic, almost loud enough to lift the roof:

“Injustice! I’m being wronged!”

Amidst the piercing cries of injustice, Doctor Cheng was dragged out of the clinic by four or five tall, burly officers. His headscarf had fallen off, his hair was disheveled, and he looked utterly miserable. “Lord He, please see the truth! I’m innocent! The medicine I prescribed for the First Prince is absolutely fine…”

Doctor Cheng raised his head, pleading with Prefect He, who was on horseback, but his heart was heavy with dread, sensing that this matter might not end well for him.

Earlier, when the officers went in to arrest him, they repeatedly claimed that he had prescribed the wrong medicine, causing the First Prince’s condition to deteriorate rapidly and become critical after taking the medication.

However, Doctor Cheng was certain that the First Prince’s critical condition had nothing to do with him. He was well aware of the properties of Biyue Grass. When a patient takes it for the first time, they will feel invigorated, as if their health has greatly improved, unaware that this is merely a brief resurgence before death.

Afterward, the poison from the Biyue Grass would slowly erode the patient’s internal organs, causing them to gradually weaken and die, leaving the cause of death untraceable and the timing of the poisoning indiscernible.

He had only handed the medicine package to Chu Yi’s guard early this morning, meaning that the poison from the Biyue Grass wouldn’t take effect for at least half a month.

Moreover, based on Chu Yi’s pulse from yesterday, while he was frail, his condition wasn’t life-threatening… Could it be that someone else had also poisoned Chu Yi and was deliberately framing him?!

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