Today, Situ was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with vigour and in an extremely cheerful mood. Regardless of whether it was the family guards, maidservants, pages or the covert guards, they could all sense his ecstatic mood.

Another happy occasion was that the Eldritch Physician, Xia Jingfeng, had come up with a medical prescription for treating the epidemic. He was able to cure the young Feng Fuyou and the pregnant Qi Jianqiu one after another. Subsequently, he was not stingy in providing the prescription to the various medical centres in Chang'an, thus saving the lives of the majority of Chang'an's citizens.

On the other hand, Imperial Physician Zhou met with an unforeseen accident.

The Eldritch Physician was unwilling to have dealings with the officials and n.o.bles. Therefore, he directly gave the prescription to Imperial Physician Zhou for him to present it to the Emperor as well as to popularise it in the whole of the Xuan Kingdom. However, the news that spread from the palace was that an unknown Imperial Physician Duanmu had presented the prescription. The Emperor was delighted and immediately promoted that Imperial Physician as the Consul General of the Imperial Physician Bureau, an official post of the Second Rank.

At the same time, Imperial Physician Zhou was found dead in a desolate small lane in his residence. A dagger had robbed him of his life and the scarlet red on the ground had already dried up.

Situ's joyful mood immediately dissipated upon hearing this news. Imperial Physician Zhou and Old General Situ were old friends. He had been secretly helping the Situ Family all these years and put in much effort for their family. But now, despite helping the dying and healing the injured for all his life, Imperial Physician Zhou's corpse was left in the open while that murderer was walking around the Imperial Physician Bureau commandingly with that facade of his.

"I have underestimated the Duanmu Family Clan."

Situ's gripped one end of the chair with his hand and forcefully crushed the whole armrest into pieces.

Covert Guard Two suddenly appeared. Even a composed person like him had on an extremely worried expression at this moment. They had never thought that Concubine Shu's clan would actually make a move on Imperial Physician Zhou, the only Imperial Physician the Emperor had trusted before.

Someone far away in the deserts of the North could still extend his hand to torment people in Chang'an. Killing intent tossed about in Covert Guard Two's eyes but it was soon drowned out by Situ's pervasive killing aura.

Covert Guard Two hastily looked down, feeling startled in his heart. It seems that General's desire to kill has been stirred. That Imperial Physician Duanmu and the Eighth Prince's faction…General would make living more painful than dying for them.

At the morning court a.s.sembly the next day, there were officials who proclaimed Imperial Physician Duanmu's glorious achievements, their tone implying that they seemed to think that the position of the Imperial Physician Bureau's Consul General conferred by the Emperor was far from enough. After all, this was someone who'd saved countless commoners, hence he'd protected the Emperor's reputation after all was said and done.

As suggested by Situ, Gan Qingjia and the rest kept silent and they merely watched from the sidelines, not interfering with this matter.

The Emperor seemed to be in a rather good mood these past two days. There was a rare smile on his face and he didn't look as deranged as he did previously. His health had seemingly improved as well since his gaunt cheeks were slightly plumper now and his complexion was no longer sallow.

Were the officials actually feeling happy or complicated in their heart?

After listening to those few officials, the Emperor's lips curled upwards and he asked in a hoa.r.s.e voice, "Then what position do you think should be given to Imperial Physician Duanmu?"

It was an amiable tone which allowed room for discussion and there was not a trace of anger on his countenance, allowing many officials to feel relieved.

Immediately, there was an official who stepped forth.

"Your Majesty, Imperial Physician Duanmu comes from a humble family background after all. It's already his fortune that Your Majesty appreciates him. Anything more would be excessive."

The Emperor nodded smilingly and signalled for that official to continue elaborating.

As he was encouraged, the official continued, "Your Majesty's Father-in-law Duanmu, Concubine Shu's father, has put in the best of his efforts ever since he became an official. He has also once accomplished a lot of achievements in the Western Army. He is extremely suitable for the position of Grand Marshal."

As the official spoke, he swept a glance at the silent Minister of the Left and said ambiguously, "The Minister of the Left's background is of a civil official after all, so it isn't very appropriate for him to continue as the acting Grand Marshal as he could very likely hold up important military secrets and stratagems. Your Majesty, how about…?"

After the official finished speaking, he saw the people in the Eighth Prince's faction nod at him in satisfaction. However, when he turned his head slightly, he saw the Eleventh Prince looking at him with an extremely ominous expression that sent chills up his spines.

After the Emperor heard those words, he immediately pondered about it with an expression that seemed considerably different from that of appreciation earlier. The officials were terrified again. It can't be that His Majesty's mood has changed again, right? This is even faster than the weather changing and truly unfathomable…

The Eleventh Prince was very willing to make a decision for his Imperial Father. He took one step forward and hoisted his robes a little. His tone was heavy and he appeared to be concerned about the difficulties of the civilians as he said, "Imperial Father, I discovered something yesterday except that I'm not sure if I should say it."

"Don't you always freely say what you want during the court a.s.sembly? You may speak."

The Emperor's expression eased a little, but in the First Prince's eyes, his Imperial Father's expression looked seemingly sad and dispirited.

The Eleventh Prince was very satisfied with his Imperial Father's att.i.tude towards him. As expected, since he had been brought up by him since he was young, Imperial Father would be biased towards him a little more.

The Eleventh Prince willfully suppressed his doubts about why the Emperor wanted to let the First Prince supervise the nation. It definitely must be because he wants to let the First Prince and the Eighth Prince engage in a life-and-death struggle before he pa.s.ses the throne to him.

Thinking in such a manner, the Eleventh Prince rapidly reported his findings.

"Imperial Father, yesterday, when I returned to my residence, I inadvertently saw Imperial Physician Duanmu going in and out of the brothel."

His words instantly caused an uproar.

The Eleventh Prince then continued, "I initially thought that with Imperial Physician Duanmu's recent achievements, he was probably there to help treat the people in the brothel. I found his conduct very admirable, so in order to prevent others, who were unclear of the circ.u.mstances, from misunderstanding Imperial Physician Duanmu, I specially dispatched someone to protect him. As a result, I unexpectedly found out that Imperial Physician Duanmu had bought the medical prescription from a doctor roaming the Jianghu. That doctor was unwilling to sell the prescription so Imperial Physician Duanmu killed his entire family to pull the wool over everyone's eyes."

The Eleventh Prince wanted to continue but the Emperor stopped him in anger.

"Someone, come! Issue a decree to the magistrate and investigate. If you find this to be true, directly remove Imperial Physician Duanmu from his official position and behead him as a warning to others."

A few officials who weren't able to read the situation quickly jumped out to stop the Emperor.

"No matter what, Imperial Physician Duanmu has cured the infected in the Imperial Palace. Moreover, he is a person from the Duanmu Family Clan."

These words overstepped the Emperor's boundaries and he mentioned the Eighth Prince without hesitation.

"The Eighth Prince has been in the deserts of the North for a long time and nothing has been investigated as of yet, but chaos befell Chang'an. Don't a.s.sume that I don't know what all of you have done. If there's a next time, I will let you all lose your heads."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the main hall kept quiet out of fear.

After the court a.s.sembly was dismissed, Gan Qingjia and the First Prince were impressed by Situ's way in handling matters as usual.

"Borrowing the Eleventh's Prince hand to slap the Eighth Prince's face and conveniently disposing of that eyesore, Imperial Physician Duanmu, to take revenge for Imperial Physician Zhou."

If it weren't for the fact that he was required to keep a solemn appearance while wearing his official attire, Gan Qingjia would have applauded long ago.

At first, the First Prince's expression was one of admiration but he soon sunk in thought.

Upon noticing that, Gan Qingjia cast Situ a meaningful glance but the latter simply said, "This matter isn't over yet. The things that the Eighth Prince did isn't merely this. I'll definitely settle the score properly with them for every single thing."

The killing intent laced in his indifferent tone interrupted the First Prince's train of thought. He hesitated for a moment before he spoke. "Why didn't you directly report to Imperial Father that the Duanmu Family was behind Imperial Physician Zhou's death? After all, Imperial Physician Zhou had served Imperial Father for many years, so Imperial Father must be feeling very grieved in his heart too about his demise."

Situ's calm gaze swept across the First Prince's handsome visage.

His gaze startled the First Prince somewhat. When the feeling of fear faded, it was replaced with a faint ire. Even if they are friends, their relations.h.i.+p will be that of a ruler and a subject in the future. Could this be the pressure and threat Imperial Father has been feeling?

Gan Qingjia paid close attention to the First Prince's expression, suspicion already forming in his heart.

After a long while had pa.s.sed, Situ spoke up again and explained, "There's no time to lose. Obtaining evidence isn't something that can be done in one day. At that time, if the Emperor's Father-in-law Duanmu were to become the Grand Marshal, they would then have the power to interfere with military affairs. Hopefully, Your Highness can take on more responsibilities."

The First Prince was slightly taken aback by his words. Then, a warm smile appeared on his face.

"I understand."

Outside the palace gates, the First Prince bade them farewell.

With the First Prince out of sight, Gan Qingjia asked in puzzlement, "Situ, don't you sense that the First Prince has been acting a little strange lately? Moreover, the relations.h.i.+p between the Minister of the Imperial Clan and him seems rather complicated."

Gan Qingjia was bewildered by the First Prince's recent strange behaviour and he even thought of the deposed Heir occasionally.

Situ looked down slightly and coldly said, "It's a human's inherent nature after all."

"Huh?"

Gan Qingjia didn't understand. When he noticed that the killing intent in Situ's eyes had yet to fade, he knew that his elder brother was still brooding over Imperial Physician Zhou's death so he said no more.

The Emperor hasn't investigated Imperial Physician Zhou's case thoroughly because firstly, he was used to being moody. Secondly, it was probably because he has sensed that Imperial Physician Zhou was on Situ's side. And, this served as a warning to Situ.

Gan Qingjia looked down. Unfortunately, the warning didn't succeed and became a nail in one's coffin instead. n.o.body could ward off a raging Situ. He faintly detected that Situ was doing some sort of preparations and it was probably a very dangerous one to boot.

As his thoughts got to here, he slightly clenched his fists hidden in his sleeves. Gan Qingjia's eyes which were looking down were filled with fighting spirit at this moment. He also wanted to grow stronger and protect everyone dear to him. He didn't want to let Situ make a dangerous decision on his own again in the future.

With the medical prescription as well as a group of responsible doctors, the epidemic, within and outside of Chang'an, was quickly controlled. In just a few days, Chang'an City had returned to its former bustling and stable state. When wandering along the main streets, everyone was experiencing various emotions regarding their own matters. Everything was peaceful and steady again.

How wonderful would it be if life could continue in this manner infinitely?

"Aren't you going to send the Eldritch Physician off?"

Qi Jianqiu was finally allowed to go out again and she immediately met up with her best friend. She was carrying a cup of hot tea, softly blowing it as she drank while Feng Luodi sat near the window, looking down with a peaceful smile tugged at her lips.

"I have already expressed my grat.i.tude, so Situ has gone to see him off. It's better for me to accompany you."

"But…"

Qi Jianqiu was about to say something when Gan Qingjia's expression abruptly popped up in her head. She remembered how solemn her husband looked as he told her about this matter, and she sensibly swallowed the words she was about to say.

"But what?"

Feng Luodi lifted a small and exquisite teapot and poured a cup of tea for herself.

"But, is the date for your wedding set already?" Qi Jianqiu immediately changed the topic.

Sadness momentarily flashed across Feng Luodi's eyes, but it quickly disappeared as soon as it appeared. She smiled faintly and said, "We're not in a rush. We will talk about it when the time comes."

We will talk about it when the time comes. However, no one knows if that time will come…

Meanwhile, outside the west gates of Chang'an City.

The Eldritch Physician, Xia Jingfeng, who was dressed in white, stood in a small pavilion. The sound of horse's hooves could be heard in the vicinity. When he turned back to take a look, the person he saw wasn't the one that he was looking forward to seeing.

"What did you come here for?"

He stared at Situ with a cold and indifferent expression.

Situ dismounted from Whirlwind and tossed a sachet over. Xia Jingfeng caught it. When he saw the plum blossom on it, memories of the past flashed in his mind.

"She remembered?"

Situ looked at the surroundings nonchalantly and asked, "Was she supposed to remember something?"

His words rendered Xia Jingfeng speechless.

Situ then added, "Don't point out her ident.i.ty to anyone."

Xia Jingfeng suddenly chuckled, his laughter breathtaking like the plum blossoms blooming on a winter day.

"Her ident.i.ty has always been the Feng Residence's daughter. It has never changed."

After he was done speaking, he suddenly exited the small pavilion in a flash. A white figure leapt and swiftly disappeared into the distance.

Situ gazed into the distance at the empty place and sighed, "Yes, it has never changed, but she was going to leave sooner or later."