Chen Yin stared fixedly at the medicine bottle, his eyes filled with both hatred and a desperate will to survive.
Like a wild dog, he lunged forward, biting off the stopper and pouring the powder straight into his mouth in a chaotic rush.
“Who are you?” Chen Yin rasped.
The man in black robe stood up. In the flashes of thunder, a black wooden token engraved with strange totems could be seen faintly hanging at his waist.
It was the token of the Tianji Pavilion.
“Who I am is not important,” the black-robed man said, his voice full of temptation.
“What matters is that we both want Shen Jue dead. You are skilled, and you spent seven years in the Eastern Depot. You know Shen Jue’s weaknesses and defenses inside out. Shen Jue discarded you like worthless trash, but we… value talent highly.”
The black-robed man extended a gloved hand, holding it mid-air.
“Want revenge? Join us. The Tianji Pavilion will give you everything you desire.”
The rain grew heavier.
Chen Yin’s shoulders trembled violently. Rain mixed with blood streamed down his pale face.
He suddenly raised his head and slammed his forehead into the muddy ground.
“I am willing to serve the Pavilion Master!”
The black-robed man smiled with satisfaction. Beneath the brim of his hat, his lips curled into a victorious smirk.
Yet he failed to notice the faint, knowing smile that flickered in Chen Yin’s lowered gaze.
The night was as dark as ink. In the study of Puyuan Manor, candlelight swayed gently.
Zhao Zhou knelt silently before the desk.
“Your Highness, Chen Yin has sent the signal. He has successfully infiltrated the outer ranks of the Tianji Pavilion.”
Shen Jue leaned lazily back in the grand chair, his long, pale fingers idly playing with a teacup.
“Oh?” he murmured.
“And?”
“Chen Yin reports that the Tianji Pavilion is secretly preparing a piece of ironclad evidence,” Zhao Zhou said in a low, grave voice.
“Ironclad evidence…”
Shen Jue let out a soft laugh, carrying a chilling undertone.
“Then let this prince see what they can come up with.”
The next day, at the South Riverside Pavilion.
The newly appointed Prime Minister’s wife, Liu Zhaoru, specially hosted a gathering, inviting the wives of many high-ranking officials in the capital to admire flowers and drink tea.
Ever since Lu Yan was granted the title of Prince Jing and rose overnight to become the most powerful rising noble in court, his beloved Yu Qing had also become the most coveted figure among these noble ladies.
The pavilion was filled with perfume and finery, the heavy scent of makeup almost suffocating.
“Oh my, this cloud brocade on Princess Jing really suits you. His Highness truly dotes on you,” said the wife of an official from the Ministry of Revenue, smiling until her face creased.
Her flattery was almost written on her forehead.
“That’s right. Princess Jing’s blessings are only going to get better in the future!”
Yu Qing sat at the head seat, maintaining a gentle and dignified smile on the surface, while inside she had already rolled her eyes countless times.
These women—if they weren’t in politics, they’d all be perfect palace drama actresses.
However, the insincere compliments didn’t last long. Somehow, the topic shifted to Su Hewan.
“If you ask me, Princess Jing is just lucky. Unlike that one, who desperately married into Puyuan Manor and followed Shen Jue, that ominous star.”
A noble lady in a peacock-green jacket covered her mouth with a handkerchief, her eyes full of disdain.
“Exactly. So what if Shen Jue holds overwhelming power? In the end… cough, he’s still a rootless eunuch. Miss Su is in her prime years—wouldn’t that be the same as living like a widow?”
“What widowhood? Haven’t you heard the rumors outside? Shen Jue is actually a fake eunuch!”
“Oh my! That’s a crime punishable by death! Princess Consort of the Prince of Jing, let me offer you some advice—you are of noble status now. You should stay far away from Su Hewan. If the Eastern Depot ever falls, you might get dragged down with her!”
The noblewomen chattered noisily, each sentence more unpleasant than the last. Their faces were all painted with a superior, condescending pity and disdain.
Yu Qing’s hand gripping the teacup tightened, veins bulging on the back of her hand. The smile on her face had completely vanished.
They dare mock her best friend? These old hags are tired of living!
She was about to slam the table when suddenly, the wife of the Director of the Imperial Medical Academy, who had been sitting in the corner, lowered her voice and muttered:
“Sigh… you people don’t know. Something strange has been going on in the capital these past two days. My husband was secretly summoned by a man in black robes late at night the day before yesterday. When he came back, he was shaking all over in fear and kept sighing in his study.”
The director’s wife leaned closer mysteriously. “I even saw him in the middle of the night burning a stack of old medical case files in the brazier! When I asked him if it had anything to do with that Eastern Depot matter, he was so frightened he nearly covered my mouth!”
A man in black robes? Burning medical records?
Yu Qing immediately caught those keywords, and alarm bells rang in her mind.
Her intuition told her this was definitely not ordinary gossip.
She took a deep breath and slammed the Ru kiln teacup heavily onto the rosewood table.
Bang!
The sharp sound made all the noblewomen instantly fall silent.
“Princess Consort… what are you doing?” the wife of a deputy minister stammered.
Yu Qing stood up, looking down at the group of sycophantic women with a cold laugh.
“If your tongues are too long, I don’t mind finding someone to cut them off.”
Her aura erupted.
She pointed at the noblewoman who had just said “living like a widow” and snapped, “Su Hewan is the Crown Princess Consort of the Regent Prince! What are you people? Do you think you’re qualified to gossip about her behind her back?”
“And you!” She pointed at the one who told her to stay away from Su Hewan.
“The affairs of the Prince of Jing and the Regent Prince—since when is it your place to interfere? Be careful your husband’s official hat doesn’t fall off his head tomorrow!”
With that, she kicked over the embroidered stool in front of her. Under the stunned and frightened gazes of the noblewomen, she lifted her skirt and strode out of the waterside pavilion without looking back.
“A bunch of lunatics. What a waste of my time!”
Half an hour later, Prince Jing’s residence, Wutong Courtyard.
“Wanwan! Something big happened!”
Yu Qing rushed in like a gust of wind, grabbed the cold tea on the table and downed it in one gulp, then quickly recounted everything she had heard at the waterside pavilion.
Su Hewan, who had been bent over organizing a stack of historical records, paused.
“Wanwan, why are you spacing out? Why would that old imperial physician burn medical records?” Yu Qing wiped her mouth.
Su Hewan slowly raised her head, her expression grave.
“Qingqing, do you remember that in ancient times, there was an extremely strict procedure for eunuchs entering the palace?”
“Castration?” Yu Qing asked. “What about it?”
“It wasn’t just castration. There had to be a thorough examination by imperial physicians, and everything was recorded in official files. That record is called the castration medical dossier.”
Su Hewan suddenly stood up, a flash of shock in her eyes.
“Since Tianji Pavilion is spreading rumors that Shen Jue is a fake eunuch, the ‘iron proof’ they are looking for must be that very medical record from the year Shen Jue was castrated!”
Yu Qing gasped. “You mean… Tianji Pavilion wants to present that record in court? And the old physician burned it to destroy evidence?”
“Exactly.” Su Hewan clenched her fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms. “But destroying something like that isn’t a small matter. That physician must know some inside truth. He’s afraid of being charged with crimes like deceiving the emperor and corrupting the inner court!”
“If that medical record is ever made public in court, Shen Jue will lose his head—no matter how many he has! And so will everyone involved!”
“Then what do we do now?”
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