Chapter 17

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

“How dare you! You poisoned the medicine to harm the First Prince and still have the nerve to plead innocence!” Prefect He glared down at Doctor Cheng from atop his horse, his voice full of righteous indignation.

Doctor Cheng, his hair disheveled, remained silent. His gaze turned sharp, though his heart was in turmoil.

“Prefect He!” A series of hurried footsteps approached as the head constable rushed over with two bailiffs from the back hall. “We just found this under Doctor Cheng’s bed…”

One of the bailiffs respectfully presented a dark red wooden box, holding it with both hands before Prefect He.

The lid was opened, revealing a stack of letters and a Shoushan stone seal. The envelope bore several words written in a strange script.

“This is the language of Yue…” Prefect He muttered, his expression darkening. When he looked at Doctor Cheng again, his eyes were filled with deep suspicion, and a throbbing pain pulsed through his temples.

One problem after another today.

Earlier in the morning, after taking the medicine prescribed by Doctor Cheng, the First Prince’s condition suddenly worsened. He was barely clinging to life, leaving Prefect He nearly paralyzed with fear.

If the First Prince were to die in Dan Yang City, whether from illness or accident, Prefect He would have no way to explain it to the emperor. Worse, he would likely lose his position due to the emperor’s wrath.

Prefect He, naturally, was not willing to sit idly by. After much thought, he decided to find a scapegoat, which is why he led such a large force to seal off the Cheng family medical clinic.

Unexpectedly—

“Doctor Cheng is a spy from the Yue Kingdom!”

Someone from the crowd suddenly shouted loudly from behind, the voice sharp and clear.

The onlookers outside the clinic all heard it, and it was as if a single drop of water had fallen into sizzling hot oil—chaos erupted instantly.

These voices also carried clearly into the private room on the second floor of the Qingfeng Pavilion. Juan Bi angrily exclaimed, “So he’s from Yue!”

“These people from Southern Yue are truly despicable. First, they kept the First Prince from returning to the capital, and now they’ve even resorted to poisoning him!”

Gu Yan Fei gently pushed away the milk kitten that was trying to sneak a bite and used her chopsticks to pick up a half-moon-shaped pastry. As her white jade-like teeth bit down softly, the rich and sweet taste filled her mouth—oily but not greasy, crisp but not crumbly.

In her memory, the First Prince, Chu Yi, was expected to appear in public the following March. It was said that he had suffered severe burns on his face, and he always wore a silver half-moon mask covering the left side of his face, his personality described as dark and brooding.

He was the emperor’s only son, and naturally, the emperor wanted to establish him as the Crown Prince. However, the ministers strongly opposed this, arguing that a physically impaired person was unfit to rule the nation.

The court constantly quarreled over the issue of appointing a Crown Prince, with frequent disputes causing a rift between the emperor and his ministers.

“Lord He, I am not from Southern Yue!” Doctor Cheng cried out in desperation, his face pale and full of panic. “These things aren’t mine! Someone is framing me!”

Doctor Cheng was telling the truth. The items in the box weren’t his at all.

He would never be foolish enough to keep such blatantly incriminating letters written in the language of Yue.

Who could have planted these in his room?!

Si Hai! The image of Si Hai’s unremarkable face instantly flashed through Doctor Cheng’s mind.

In that moment, it was as if Doctor Cheng had been struck by lightning, and the entire scheme became clear to him.

His heart turned cold as ice, overwhelmed by shock, fury, and suspicion, all interwoven like a web trapping him within.

“The evidence is undeniable, and you still dare to argue!” Prefect He, of course, did not believe Doctor Cheng’s words. Coldly, he gave the order, “Take him away at once!”

The bailiffs, responding roughly, seized Doctor Cheng’s arms and forcefully dragged him to the prisoner cart.

As Doctor Cheng was being shoved around, his hair became disheveled, and he grabbed the wooden bars of the prisoner cart with all his strength, screaming hysterically, “I’m innocent! Lord He, I’ve been framed!”

Prefect He ignored Doctor Cheng’s cries and turned to the head constable. “Is there anyone else inside?”

“Reporting to you, my lord, I’ve searched thoroughly. Aside from two attendants, no one else remains,” the head constable answered with a bow.

Doctor Cheng’s heart pounded violently: As expected, this was all about Sixth Master!

Thankfully, Sixth Master had already escaped safely through the secret passage.

With his wisdom and resourcefulness, Sixth Master would surely be able to turn the situation around and overcome this crisis!

“Move out!” Prefect He commanded coldly, spurring his horse and riding off.

The bailiffs followed behind, escorting the prisoner cart as they made their way down Chongxian Street in a grand procession, leaving only three or four officers to continue searching the Cheng family medical clinic.

From her spot by the window, Juan Bi pulled back her gaze, still feeling a mix of pity and worry. She turned to say, “I wonder how the First Prince is doing…”

“His Highness is blessed and protected by fate; he’ll surely be fine,” Gu Yan Fei remarked casually as she watched the distant procession. Gu Yun Zhen nodded in agreement, fully convinced.

Gu Yan Fei’s expression was firm. Even without consulting the divination, she could answer this question.

In her previous life, before her death, the First Prince, Chu Yi, was still alive and well.

Just as Gu Yan Fei was about to look away, she suddenly froze, staring directly at the horizon.

A thick red mist, like blood, drifted across the eastern sky. It resembled both clouds and fog, swirling and shifting, forming strange and eerie shapes. Gradually, the blood-colored mist grew denser…

Gu Yan Fei muttered under her breath, “Is this… the disaster of Zhu Rong?”

Her voice was so soft, like a whisper, that only the keen-eared milk kitten heard it clearly. Its fuzzy ears twitched.

The tri-colored milk kitten, full of curiosity, leaped onto the window ledge, its wide eyes fixed on the same direction. It let out an excited meow, “Meow~,” clearly enjoying the spectacle, almost as if hoping for more excitement.

“Second Sister, what did you just say?” Gu Yun Zhen hadn’t heard clearly.

Gu Yan Fei continued to stare at the thickening blood mist. She quickly made a calculation with her right hand, hidden inside her sleeve, and murmured, “The wind is about to pick up…”

A faint breeze sliced through the stifling air, drifting in from the window. Outside, the tree branches gently swayed, rustling softly.

The wind came and went as quickly as it arrived, leaving the air as dry and heavy as before, as though the fleeting gust had been nothing but an illusion.

On the street below, many people lingered, still filled with righteous indignation as they angrily denounced the people of Southern Yue. Some began to disperse along with the officials, while a few curious onlookers followed the prisoner cart to the Dan Yang Prefecture office, eager to see how the situation would unfold.

As half the crowd thinned, a tall figure dressed in a green robe stepped out from the small alley beside the Cheng family medical clinic. He wore a wide bamboo hat, the brim casting a shadow over most of his face.

Sixth Master cautiously surveyed the surroundings, pressing down on the brim of his hat, his body tense.

He was certain now—they had been set up.

It was Chu Yi and Kang Wang who had orchestrated this scheme together.

Sixth Master hurriedly walked in the opposite direction, passing a man of medium build dressed in gray. As they crossed paths, he made a subtle hand gesture.

The gray-clad man immediately understood and quickly followed Prefect He’s group, heading toward the Dan Yang Prefecture office.

Unfortunately, he was a step too late. From afar, he could only watch as Doctor Cheng’s prisoner cart was brought into the government compound, the large doors shutting mercilessly behind them, blocking out all prying eyes.

Recruitment of Editors: https://gravitytales.com/recruitment-of-editors/