Xiao Jingduo was extremely surprised. He knew that his public rescue would inevitably attract attention, and it wasn’t hard to predict that it would catch the eye of officials. However, he hadn’t expected the people from the Imperial Prefecture to be so unreasonable.
Xiao Jingduo’s face darkened, and he was about to speak when he inadvertently glanced at the official boots of these two men. Suddenly, he gave up arguing and obediently allowed himself to be taken away by the Imperial Prefecture’s men.
All this happened in an instant. The servants following Xiao Jingduo hadn’t even reacted before they realized Xiao Jingduo had been taken away by the officials. By the time they hurriedly chased after him, Xiao Jingduo was nowhere to be seen.
“Young Master, where are you?” The two stood where Xiao Jingduo had disappeared, calling out anxiously.
By this time, Xiao Jingduo had already followed the two prefecture soldiers to a carriage. The soldiers respectfully performed a military salute and reported loudly, “Princess Yangxin, I have brought him.”
The carriage curtain moved slightly, and then a maidservant leaned out from inside. She turned to the side and lifted the curtain, revealing a woman dressed in purple robes who appeared in Xiao Jingduo’s line of sight.
Xiao Jingduo raised his eyebrows in surprise: “Princess?”
Only the daughter of the Crown Prince could be granted the title of Princess Yangxin, and there was only one person in the world who could be called Princess. Xiao Jingduo had noticed that the boots of the two prefecture soldiers were of excellent quality, clearly well-trained and well-equipped, certainly not ordinary patrol soldiers from the Imperial Prefecture. This was why he had followed them, wanting to see what these two were up to. However, Xiao Jingduo never imagined that these two were actually people from the Eastern Palace.
As expected, Rong Ke didn’t continue this topic, but instead asked, “You seem to have some understanding of epidemics?”
“I wouldn’t dare claim that. I’ve only followed Master Mingjue in the hospital for a few years, practicing medicine. I only know a little.”
“But you seemed quite confident earlier, not like someone who only knows a little.”
“The Princess is too kind.”
Rong Ke laughed lightly and said, “Alright, I’m tired of talking about this. I just want to ask you, since you’ve seen the situation in the southern part of the city, do you have any thoughts on the so-called ‘ghost handprint’?”
Getting to the point, Xiao Jingduo also became serious: “I wouldn’t dare say. Without seeing a patient with the ghost handprint, I can’t make any hasty judgments.”
“Good,” Rong Ke nodded, “Come with me.”
Rong Ke’s carriage bypassed multiple guards and stopped in front of a small alley. After an guard confirmed that no one was around, he knocked on a side door in the alley. Soon, the door opened quietly.
The Eastern Palace guard placed a token in Xiao Jingduo’s hand and said in a low voice, “Young Master Xiao, I can only take you this far. Inside are many corpses with black handprints. If you encounter anyone, just show this token. Be careful.”
Xiao Jingduo looked down at the token in his hand, feeling quite helpless.
It was actually a token from the Imperial Prefecture. This young Princess was indeed skilled at framing others.
Xiao Jingduo shook his head and didn’t dwell on it further. He knew what was important and quickly composed himself before slipping inside.
When Xiao Jingduo came out of the mortuary, his expression was very serious.
Seeing Xiao Jingduo’s expression, Rong Ke wasn’t surprised and simply asked, “What do you think?”
Xiao Jingduo had never seen such a strange epidemic before. He recalled what he had just seen and speculated, “This disease is extremely peculiar. At first, I thought it was just an ordinary epidemic, but the deceased in the mortuary had black spots on their bodies that indeed looked like handprints at first glance.”
“That’s why it’s called the ghost handprint, and the talk of ghost soldiers arose from this,” Rong Ke added.
“I’ve never seen such symptoms before. The infected seem fine when alive, but after death, these black marks appear. And I hear that not all patients develop these black handprints after death. I’ve never heard of such a disease and don’t dare to speak rashly. After I go back and consult medical books, I’ll report back to the Princess.”
Rong Ke sighed, “The imperial physicians said the same thing. Well, we can’t rush this anyway.”
Xiao Jingduo didn’t respond. He thought heavily to himself that this disease had no record in historical documents, and it spread quickly with a high mortality rate. If this was a new epidemic, it couldn’t be worse.
Rong Ke clearly understood this principle as well, and she was thinking even further.
After the outbreak of the “ghost handprint” epidemic, it quickly caused widespread panic, even leading to rumors that Prince Min was leading ghost soldiers to take revenge on the people. The intentions of those behind the scenes weren’t hard to guess – they wanted to use Prince Min’s name to attack the current Emperor’s legitimacy. But no matter how much people criticized the King of Qin, he had already ascended the throne and become Emperor, and Prince Min was dead. So what could be done? The one truly facing a massive impact was the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.
After all, back then, the Empress Dowager had fought desperately to protect her eldest son’s pair of offspring. Initially, they were said to be twin daughters, but as the children grew, their gender could no longer be concealed, and the Empress Dowager’s true intentions surfaced.
It was actually a girl and a boy. Prince Min indeed had twin daughters, but the younger sister had been secretly replaced with a boy, who was Prince Min’s youngest illegitimate son.
Now, rumors about Prince Min were rampant. The Emperor, who had ascended the throne by killing his brother, was no longer affected by public gossip. However, the Crown Prince had to be wary of the male heir left behind by Prince Min.
So, for both public and private reasons, the Crown Prince needed to quickly resolve this epidemic. Publicly, as the heir to the throne, it was his duty to eliminate threats to the people. Privately, as the successor to the throne, the rumors of ghost soldiers and Prince Min were threatening his position as heir.
Rong Ke secretly laughed at herself for being so anxious that she had placed her hopes on a young man. She rubbed her brow and said to Xiao Jingduo, “Thank you for your hard work today. Your servants are probably anxiously waiting. You should head back now.”
“Alright, farewell, Princess.” Xiao Jingduo nodded, watching as Rong Ke boarded her carriage. As she was entering, she suddenly paused, turned her head, and said fiercely to Xiao Jingduo, “Today you were called away by people from the Metropolitan Prefecture. Don’t say you saw me.”
“Understood.”
This time, Xiao Jingduo was certain that Rong Ke had indeed snuck out and was trying to frame the Imperial Prefecture.
Xiao Jingduo secretly thought to himself that the people serving Rong Ke must have really bad luck, having to deal with such a willful young mistress.
When Xiao Jingduo leisurely walked back to where he had been, the servants waiting there were almost in tears. Seeing Xiao Jingduo, they practically tumbled over themselves rushing to him: “Young Master, you’re finally back! Where did you go just now?”
Xiao Jingduo paused very briefly, then said, “The people from the Imperial Prefecture called me over to ask some questions.”
“What?” The two servants were dumbfounded. “How could they be so unreasonable? Young Master, what did the Imperial Prefecture ask about?”
Xiao Jingduo didn’t explain, but instead asked, “What time is it? We should head back to the manor, shouldn’t we?”
The two servants suddenly realized that they were supposed to escort the Young Master back to the manor today. Why had they been delayed for so long?
“Yes, Young Master, let’s hurry back. The Old Madam and the Marchioness must be worried.”
While the two servants were anxiously flustered, Xiao Jingduo himself was very composed. He leisurely mounted his horse and rode forward at an excruciatingly slow pace.
Indeed, Xiao Jingduo had no desire to return to that manor.
For the past three years, he had lived in the relaxed and quiet Qingyuan Temple, making his own decisions about everything. He had grown accustomed to this freedom. Once one gets used to a life of freedom, it’s hard to return to the oppressive Dingyong Marquis Manor, let alone having to face unpleasant people daily.
Moreover, during his three years at Qingyuan Temple, Xiao Jingduo had read many books and interacted with many renowned scholars. His knowledge base was sufficient, but to prepare for the imperial examinations, he would need to find a master for specific guidance. Once back at the Dingyong Marquis Manor, given Wu Junru’s personality, it would be a miracle if she allowed him to study peacefully for the exams.
Xiao Jingduo felt troubled. Wu Junru was truly annoying – seeking fame and fortune through deception, yet full of scheming and trickery. However, bound by filial piety, he couldn’t directly act against her. How wonderful it would be if he could resolve the issue of Wu Junru, or if he didn’t have to live in the Dingyong Marquis Manor anymore.
However, for Xiao Jingduo at present, realizing either of these wishes was extremely difficult.
No matter how much Xiao Jingduo dawdled, they eventually arrived at the Dingyong Marquis Manor.
Xiao Jingduo knocked on the side door of the manor. The gatekeeper stared at him for a long while before suddenly shouting inside, as if waking from a dream: “The Young Master has returned!”
The entire Dingyong Marquis Manor was startled by this announcement. When the Old Madam saw Xiao Jingduo in Gaoshou Hall, she was stunned for a while before nodding and murmuring, “It’s good that you’re back, it’s good that you’re back.”
Wu Junru, standing beside the Old Madam, merely glanced up at Xiao Jingduo before turning back to play with Xiao Jingye, who was being held by a maidservant.
Xiao Jingye was the son Wu Junru had given birth to three years ago. The male members of the Xiao family in this generation all had “Jing” in their names, and the Fourth Young Master was named “Ye”, showing Wu Junru’s ambition and Xiao Ying’s expectations for his second son.
The Second and Third Aunts of the Xiao family were still the same, except they were now dressed in fine silks from head to toe, with no trace of their former village woman appearance, completely transformed into noble ladies. The three sisters, including Xiao Yufang, had also whitened their skin, and with their features maturing and adorned with jewels, they had become undeniable beauties.
The most significant change was in the family of Xiao Su, who had come to seek refuge with Xiao Ying, especially Cheng Huizhen. Cheng Huizhen was younger than Xiao Yufang and the others, not yet displaying the delicate beauty of a young woman, but she had a natural smile at the corners of her mouth and a pair of moist, clever eyes that made her appear approachable and instinctively likeable. Noticing Xiao Jingduo’s gaze, Cheng Huizhen gave him a sweet smile. She was about to say something more, but realized Xiao Jingduo had already looked away.
Xiao Jingduo surveyed everyone briefly before discreetly withdrawing his gaze. While he was observing the Xiao family members, they were also observing him.
The Old Madam and others were filled with mixed emotions, each with their own thoughts, but at this moment they were all thinking the same thing.
After three years, how had Xiao Jingduo changed so dramatically? It wasn’t just that he had grown taller and broader, or that his features had matured and hardened. His entire aura was different. It was as if a raw gemstone had been polished, gradually radiating a dazzling brilliance.
Xiao Jingduo had already fallen out with his family three years ago. After making an appearance in the Gaoshou Hall to ensure he wouldn’t be accused of being unfilial, he immediately returned to the Qingze Courtyard.
The Qingze Courtyard was exactly the same as when he left, as if the three-year absence had never happened. As soon as Xiao Jingduo’s hand touched the courtyard gate, it was suddenly flung open from the inside.
“Young Master, you’re back!” Qiuju cried out tearfully.
“Yes, I’m back,” Xiao Jingduo said with a slight smile.
Indeed, he was back, back to settle old scores from three years ago.
Qiuju brought Xiao Jingduo a cup of tea. As she poured the water, she updated him on the changes in the manor over the past three years: “Young Master, you don’t know, but our household has added many new members in these three years. Consort Wen and Consort Zhuo each gave birth to a daughter. Besides the Fourth Young Master, you now have two more younger sisters!”
According to the family hierarchy, Xiao Jingduo was the eldest brother, followed by Xiao Jinghu and Xiao Jingwu, ranking second and third respectively. In the second year of Qiyuan, Wu Junru gave birth to Xiao Ying’s second son, named Xiao Jingye, who was the fourth young master of the manor. Unexpectedly, Xiao Ying had now added two more concubine-born daughters, ranking after the three sisters including Xiao Yufang, and were called the Fourth Miss and Fifth Miss.
Xiao Jingduo had no interest in these matters. He asked instead, “Has there been any change in the Qingze Courtyard over these years?”
“Oh, the Marchioness saw that I was struggling to manage the courtyard alone, so she assigned another person here,” Qiuju raised her voice and called out, “Furong, come in quickly and pay respects to the Young Master!”
The girl called Furong timidly entered the room and knelt down to kowtow to Xiao Jingduo: “This servant Furong greets the Young Master.”
Xiao Jingduo didn’t want to speak and just looked up at Qiuju.
Qiuju felt wronged by Xiao Jingduo’s gaze. She pouted and complained, “Young Master, what’s with that look? I know I’m not clever, but I’m not that stupid. Furong has been with me in the courtyard for two years, I know her inside out and trust her completely. She’s absolutely fine, always eager to do any task. She even boiled the water for this tea!”
Xiao Jingduo glanced down at the tea and suddenly didn’t want to drink it. Furong, perhaps sensing Xiao Jingduo’s suspicion, quickly came over and said, “This servant swears, I am utterly loyal to the Young Master. If the Young Master still doesn’t believe me, you can test the tea with a silver needle to see if this servant has any ill intentions.”
Xiao Jingduo said nothing, but casually handed the teacup to Qiuju. Qiuju was stunned for a moment, not expecting Xiao Jingduo to actually test for poison. She took out a silver needle, muttering, “Young Master, you’re really cautious. See, I told you Furong is fine…”
A moment passed, and the silver needle half-submerged in the tea remained as bright as before. Xiao Jingduo nodded and picked up another cup of tea. Furong kept her head down, but her ears were alert.
Just as the cup was about to touch his lips, Xiao Jingduo suddenly paused. He turned back, smiling at Furong: “You seem very eager to see me drink this.”
Furong shrank her shoulders timidly and asked weakly, “Young Master, what are you saying? This servant doesn’t understand.”
“You don’t understand?” Xiao Jingduo laughed, casually turning the teacup in his hand. “When she gave you the thing, didn’t she tell you its specific use?”
“Young Master, this servant is truly wronged. I have absolutely no ill intentions!” Furong bowed her head to the ground, a tear dropping onto the blue brick. “This servant swears on her life, there’s nothing wrong with the tea. Since the Young Master doesn’t trust me, I’m willing to die to prove my loyalty.”
“Very well, since you’re so passionate, there’s no need for you to die to prove your point.” Xiao Jingduo’s smile faded as he extended his arm, offering the cup to Furong. “Since you say there’s no poison in the water, why don’t you drink it yourself?”
Furong knelt on the ground, her face streaked with tears. When she saw Xiao Jingduo offer her the water, her whole body trembled, as if she wanted to dodge but forced herself to stay still.
Seeing this, Xiao Jingduo withdrew the cup, not bothering to trouble a mere servant further. “The water is indeed fine, but what about the cup?”
Qiuju, already scared witless by these events, stammered, “Young Master, I’ve checked the cup several times. It’s as good as new. What could be wrong with it?”
Xiao Jingduo tilted the brand-new teacup, and in the light, one could vaguely see white floating particles on the cup’s wall. However, they were hard to detect under the cover of tea leaves.
He had just returned, and already such a grand “gift” was sent to him. Xiao Jingduo abruptly asked, “What benefits did the Madam give you?”
Furong was startled: “No, no, nothing…”
“I didn’t specify which Madam, what are you afraid of?” Xiao Jingduo nodded, “Judging by your reaction, it must be Wu Junru.”
Furong’s body trembled even more violently, almost prostrating herself entirely on the ground.
Xiao Jingduo showed no mercy or regard for her, not even sparing her a glance. He rotated the teacup, a cold glint appearing in his eyes.
Furong wasn’t wrong; there was nothing wrong with the tea or water. Even the earlier silver needle test was just a ruse to dispel Xiao Jingduo’s suspicions.
This was indeed Wu Junru’s style – mixing truth and falsehood, misdirecting attention. Unfortunately, she hadn’t anticipated that Xiao Jingduo had spent three years at Qingyuan Temple, treating countless epidemic patients alongside Master Mingjue. His medical skills and knowledge were now vastly different from three years ago. The white particles floating in this tea set were clearly scabs shed by smallpox patients.
Smallpox was an extremely dangerous disease. The mortality rate for those infected was as high as one-third, and even those who survived were left with permanent pockmarks on their faces. The first requirement for an official was to have regular features and no severe illnesses. How could someone with a face full of pockmarks become an official?
Smallpox was highly contagious, spreading through fallen scabs, with few escaping infection upon contact. Wu Junru had hidden smallpox patient scabs in the cup, disguised them with tea, and had Furong put on an act to cover up the real threat. After all, how could a silver needle detect smallpox? If Xiao Jingduo had really drunk this water, even if he survived smallpox, he would likely be left with pockmarks, making it nearly impossible for him to take the imperial examinations and become an official.
Wu Junru’s move was truly vicious and evil. To think she wanted to infect him with smallpox, a disease that struck fear into everyone’s hearts!
After hearing Xiao Jingduo’s explanation, even Qiuju felt chilled to the bone: “To think it was smallpox! Heavens! Young Master, it was my poor judgment that nearly harmed you. I am at fault!”
“Enough. She planted someone by your side for two years in preparation for today. How could you have been her match?” Xiao Jingduo said calmly. “Get up.”
Qiuju wiped her tears and stood up, her voice still trembling: “Young Master, what should we do now?”
Xiao Jingduo looked at the cup in his hand and suddenly smiled.
His old and new grudges with Wu Junru might as well start with this smallpox-infected cup.
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