Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Shen Lian felt both guilty and nervous.

Was the Young Male Concubine planning to punch him in the nose too, to produce an equal amount of nosebleed as revenge?

That seemed fair enough.

But the Young Male Concubine only had weak kidneys—his strength was hardly weak. One punch, and who knew if his nose would simply disappear.

Shen Lian, who had failed at his first attempt at dispensing medicine, felt somewhat dejected. Hanging his head, he followed the Young Male Concubine to the corner where they had been flipping through case files earlier.

The Young Male Concubine turned around and sat heavily in the armchair, looking up at him: "What are you standing there gaping for? How long does an idle man from our estate have to bleed from the nose before he's worthy of using the White Immortal Powder that Deputy Commander Lu can just get for free?"

"Ah? Ah?" So he was called over to help stop the bleeding.

Shen Lian felt as if he'd been pardoned. He looked around: "I didn't bring my medical kit today. Wait! Lower your head, don't swallow the blood, don't tilt your head back, pinch your nose—wait here, I'll be right back!"

Fortunately, the Garrison camp had fairly comprehensive first-aid supplies for stopping bleeding.

Shen Lian grabbed cotton cloth for dressing wounds and a medicine applicator, then borrowed some of the White Immortal Powder he had gifted to Commander Lu for emergency use.

Hurrying back, he saw the Young Male Concubine bent over with elbows resting on knees, head hanging low, with two or three drops of blood on the floor.

"Dian Xia?" Shen Lian complained: "Why aren't you pinching your nose? Are you even listening to what the imperial physician said?"

Xie Yuan looked up at the young imperial physician: "The bleeding's stopped. To be on the safe side, I need to use a whole bottle of White Immortal Powder. How many bottles did you give Deputy Commander Lu? Bring them all here."

"Haha." Shen Lian walked over and stood before the Young Male Concubine, reaching out to lift his chin, gently wiping the residual blood from his mouth and nose with the freshly wrung cotton cloth. "Aren't you scared you'll choke on the powder? Didn't I already make you a nourishing secret recipe? You're not like those soldiers in the garrison who swing swords and spears—if you take the White Immortal Powder and don't need it, isn't that a waste?"

Xie Yuan looked up, displeased, at the culprit: "I can use it right now. Last time I got a nosebleed, it was because I drank a lot of deer antler soup. Half a bowl of Lord Shen's secret recipe had the same effect as a whole pot of deer antler—shouldn't you take responsibility for that?"

"I don't buy it. Give me your hand, let me check your pulse." Shen Lian grabbed the Young Male Concubine's chin and turned it, curiously studying him from every angle.

He rarely got the chance to look down at him. From this angle, the young man's phoenix eyes were framed by a ring of long lashes, making him realize even more how unfairly the goddess Nüwa had distributed her gifts.

Shen Lian said in his own defense, absentmindedly: "I think you accidentally used too much powder, or maybe the Imperial Medical Academy's diagnosis was wrong. You might not even have kidney deficiency."

With that complexion, he hardly looked like someone too weak to handle tonics.

Most likely, he had a strong constitution and a strong heart pumping blood. Combined with an overdose of his high-purity powder, his blood flow sped up, his blood pressure spiked, and the dense capillary network in the thinnest part of the nasal septum easily burst.

He hadn't expected the young imperial physician to dare talk back in such a cocky tone.

"You don't believe me?" Xie Yuan was caught off guard, then immediately grabbed the young imperial physician's wrist to stop him from messing with his chin so improperly.

He slowly stood up from the chair, his upward gaze gradually turning into a downward one.

Shen Lian's relaxed expression vanished in an instant.

Xie Yuan leaned close to the young imperial physician's face and whispered with authority: "The victim hasn't pressed charges, and the culprit dares to turn it around on me? Go ahead and say that again—the Princess Consort of Xi didn't quite hear you."

Shen Lian immediately stepped back to get away.

The Young Male Concubine was a lot easier to mess with when he was sitting down.

"I'll make it up to you properly next time. I'll make you some White Immortal Powder too if you want." Shen Lian hurried toward the crowded middle of the camp: "Let's deal with the Dehui Medical Hall case first, okay?"

Back in the main hall, Xie Yuan had lost the fire he'd shown when putting Deputy Commander Lu in his place earlier. He quickly laid out the plan to flip the case.

The key to breaking the case lay in the quantity of that batch of Yunnan notoginseng.

Such an expensive, top-grade medicinal herb—besides the imperial court, there was no buyer who could take the whole lot at once.

With the case making such a stir, to avoid suspicion, Dehui couldn't possibly find many big buyers to take it off his hands at the same time.

In other words, there was no way to get rid of the stolen goods quickly.

Given how stingy Zhou Fuqing was—he'd killed someone over a five-hundred-tael prescription—there was no way he'd just destroy such a huge fortune.

The goods had to be stashed in a warehouse, lying low until the storm blew over.

"Dehui's medicine warehouses in the capital are all guarded by the Bureau of Raw Herbs. We'll need to get a search warrant before we can move." Lu Huaizhi frowned. "If we tip them off, by the time the warrant comes through, the goods will probably have been moved out safely."

"No need to search the warehouses in the capital," Xie Yuan said. "And no need to check the ones listed in the lawsuit either. Take some military doctors who know what they're doing, split into three groups, and seal off Dehui's three branches in Zhuozhou and Changping overnight. You're guaranteed to dig up that batch of Yunnan notoginseng."

Lu Huaizhi and the trusted officers around him were all shocked.

"How can you be so sure the stolen goods are hidden in those branches?"

Xie Yuan pressed his lips together and stared at the Tengxiang Guards for a moment.

The soldiers were so startled by this unarmed man that they gripped their blades tightly. This young man seemed to have been holding back his temper the whole time, but his eyes couldn't hide his impatience, and he occasionally gave off an indescribable sense of pressure.

Prince Qi was really getting annoyed.

Normally, when he commanded operations, he didn't have to explain everything. Military orders were like mountains—absolute obedience was expected.

This was the first time he'd been treated like a thief and grilled at every turn.

He was about to lose his temper.

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught the young imperial physician's excited, admiring look.

His patience stretched a little longer. Xie Yuan continued, with considerable grace: "Outside the capital, other checkpoints tend to inspect goods randomly. At the border between Zhuozhou and Changping, there's an imperial mausoleum garrison—imperial merchants can pass through directly. To make sure nothing goes wrong, Dehui would most likely pick a branch there to hide the stolen goods."

"Oh—wow!" Shen Lian couldn't hold it in anymore. He stepped forward and looked at the Young Male Concubine with delight: "That's amazing! Dian Xia, you're just like an accomplice who pulled off the crime with Dehui—you know the whole thing inside out!"

Xie Yuan smiled and nodded: "You flatter me. If Lord Shen really can't think of better words of praise, a few more 'wows' will do. Please don't slander me."

Lu Huaizhi finally understood why this estate advisor had survived this long—he really had some talent.

But once his usefulness was over, a sharp-tongued man could be thrown away. The Deputy Commander stepped forward to show the guest out: "Thanks for your guidance, Mr. Dian. Leave the rest to us. Should I send someone to escort you back to the estate?"

Xie Yuan turned to look at the young imperial physician.

At this point, it was obvious who was the more worthy master to pledge allegiance to. Naturally, the young imperial physician would choose to bring his whole family to seek refuge with His Highness Prince Qi and go back to the estate for safety.

Shen Lian was never good at reading expressions, but for some reason, one look from the Young Male Concubine told him exactly what he was asking.

He immediately told Dian Xia happily, "I'm staying at the camp tonight! My dad and brother have been brought here too. You should head back to the estate—don't keep His Highness Prince Xi waiting. With Commander Lu protecting us, you don't have to worry."

The Young Male Concubine looked pretty annoyed. After a moment of silence, he said gruffly, "I'm out."

He didn't even let Commander Lu send someone to escort him, and left the camp alone.

Shen Lian suddenly thought of something and ran after him to add, "Dian Xia? Do you have any free time lately? Once the case is settled, you can come to my place and see the small prototype of my improved Water Mill. Prince Xi hasn't summoned me recently. I'd like you to deliver the prototype to His Highness Prince Xi for me—but don't tell him I made it. Just say a mysterious craftsman wants to offer it as a gift to Prince Qi."

"What prototype?" Xie Yuan stopped in surprise, thought for a moment, then turned to look at the young imperial physician. "Ah. You still remember that? Didn't this mysterious craftsman look down on the fledgling Prince Qi? A prince who eats leftovers gets a little wooden toy? And what about the fully-fledged Prince Rong and Prince Duan—how has the gentleman arranged things for them? A miniature replica of the whole Jiangnan landscape for each?"

"I'm not gonna send gifts to Prince Rong or Prince Duan," Shen Lian said. "I only want to help Prince Qi. These past few days, I've been busy carving gears at home instead of making medicine." He spread his palms and complained, "I've wasted so much wood, and my hands are all calloused—I feel like they could stop a blade now."

Xie Yuan glanced down and frowned. "Why bother making it if it's so much trouble? What Prince Qi needs isn't an ordinary mill. Quit busting your ass over this. Make more White Immortal Powder and give me two bottles. And don't give it to anyone else from now on."

Shen Lian hesitated, then decided to let it go. Once the finished product was in front of him, he'd see if it was ordinary or not.

Moonlight shone on the ground where the snow had melted. Shen Lian wore only cloth shoes and couldn't step through puddles like the young man could. Seeing the bright, moon-reflecting water ahead, he took a wide detour before walking back to the young man's side.

"Why are you still following me?" Xie Yuan asked, puzzled. "Didn't you just decide with your feet to side with Brother Lu? Now you're suddenly using your brain and changing your mind?"

"I'm just seeing you off part of the way," Shen Lian said. "Who knows if Dehui has set an ambush. After all, it was you and me who drove off Dehui's manager together. I'm a bit worried they might ambush you too. Why won't you let Commander Lu send someone to escort you?"

Xie Yuan shrugged it off. "Deputy Commander Lu is half deaf himself—what could his men possibly be good for? If they escorted me, it's anyone's guess who'd end up protecting who if things got hairy. Go on back. Quit worrying about everything. Make me more White Immortal Powder, and also make me something that cancels out your kidney tonic. I'm running a bit warm."

Shen Lian glanced sideways at the arrogant young man. "I know you're skilled, but Dehui has numbers. You're going out alone without even a sword. What if they're armed?"

Xie Yuan: "The enemy's weapons are made for me."

At a loss with this cocky little brat, Shen Lian took a deep breath and said reluctantly, "I'm off then. Take care on the road."

He turned and headed back to camp. At the gate, he instinctively looked back—the young man had vanished.

It suddenly occurred to him that Dian Xia had been strolling slowly earlier, deliberately waiting for him to navigate around puddle after puddle.

This young man was strange.

So arrogant and dismissive of everyone, ninety percent a spoiled noble from the prince's household with a nasty temper, yet he'd often act like a real gentleman in the strangest little ways.

-

The next evening.

Behind the screen in Zhou Fuqing's private rear chamber, three slightly drunk men were still toasting each other.

In front of the man seated at the north sat a warm pot holding the Zhou family's aged vintage. Its aroma made even the attending servants feel light-headed.

Seeing his two honored guests lounging lazily against their chair backs, Zhou Fuqing smiled ingratiatingly and asked, "Master Xu, Master Zhao, does the wine suit your taste? I have four more jars at home—I'll have them sent to your residences right away."

"No need." Xu Xishan rubbed his stomach and finally got to the news Zhou Fuqing had been waiting days for: "Master Zhou, that Shen Lian isn't quite what you described, is he? He's surrounded by experts left and right. Since he's a government official, we can't use poison or leave injuries—it has to look like an 'accidental drowning.' With experts tailing him like that, it's really hard to make a move."

Zhou Fuqing laughed heartily. "Master Xu's kidding—who'd dare call themselves an expert in front of you? If anyone's that oblivious, they can just have an accident along the way, perfectly reasonable. If you run into trouble, just tell me—do you have enough men?"

"Boss!" The door burst open, and a pale-faced shop clerk stumbled into the chamber, collapsing to his knees by the table: "Something's happened at the Changping branch!"