Chapter 599: Fortified Again

As Zu An was deep in thought, an imperial physician's voice suddenly echoed from inside: "Go hurry them up! Is the medicine ready yet?"

Soon, a young medicine apprentice scurried out and ran towards a small room nearby. The strong scent of medicinal herbs wafting from that direction clearly indicated it was the Imperial Pharmacy's brewing area.

A thought struck him, and he quietly followed.

The brewing room was also crowded, with everyone intently focused on their individual medicine stoves. It was evident that with so many concubines in the imperial palace, each person had their specific duties.

Of course, the most crucial task at hand was preparing Shi Kun's medicine, and many apprentices gathered around, offering their suggestions animatedly.

Zu An was momentarily speechless. With so many eyes watching, it would be difficult for him to make a move.

"Hurry up, is it not ready yet?" The person who came to rush them was growing impatient.

"It's ready, it's ready," replied the apprentice guarding the stove, as he poured the medicine into a bowl.

At that moment, Zu An secretly channeled his fire elemental power, causing the flames in all the pharmacy's stoves to suddenly flare up.

Startled, the apprentices scrambled to tend to their stoves. "Hey, why did the fire suddenly intensify?"

Controlling the heat during medicine preparation was crucial; even a slight misstep could diminish the medicine's efficacy or even completely ruin precious ingredients.

While they were preoccupied, Zu An flicked his finger, and a tiny drop of liquid silently landed in the bowl containing the medicine.

The apprentice carrying the medicine was distracted by the commotion inside, and no one noticed the liquid.

However, he quickly remembered his task and hurried inside with the medicine.

Zu An stood nearby, pricking up his ears to listen to the commotion inside. Soon, startled cries emerged:

"Ah, why is there suddenly a fountain of blood?"

"Quick, get styptic medicine!"

"It won't stop! Young Master Shi seems to be on his last breath!"

"Quick, bring the Life-Restoring Pill! See if we can keep him alive!"

"No, the bleeding is getting worse!"

A strange silence quickly fell over the room. After a long pause, someone finally spoke:

"It's widely known that Young Master Shi is a man of loose morals. To think that even at such a critical juncture, he harbored such lustful thoughts—he truly brought this upon himself."

"Indeed. Physicians do not save those who bring harm upon themselves. It's not that our medical skills are deficient; it's simply that Young Master Shi was too… *sigh*."

"It's normal for complications to arise from such critical injuries. There's no need for anyone to blame themselves too much."

Hearing their discussion, Zu An almost burst out laughing. These imperial physicians, who usually appeared so honest, were surprisingly adept at deflecting blame.

Little did he know that these imperial physicians, having served in the palace for many years, had long mastered the art of self-preservation. Saving lives was secondary to ensuring they themselves weren't held responsible. After all, the palace was full of nobles, and if something went wrong, the wrath of the powerful could easily lead to multiple executions.

Zu An had initially been concerned about the aftermath of this incident, but to his surprise, these imperial physicians had tacitly helped him resolve the issue.

With a slight smile, he turned and returned to the Eastern Palace.

The liquid he had added to the medicine bowl earlier wasn't poison, as poison would have been easily detected by the imperial physicians.

Instead, it was 'Bull's Milk,' a substance he had collected earlier in Bright Moon City. He never expected it would come in handy so soon.

While harmless to the human body, this medicine was one of the most potent aphrodisiacs in the world. Normally, if Shi Kun had ingested it, it wouldn't have been a big deal; he could simply have found some maids to relieve himself.

But now, his 'thing' was severed.

It had just been miraculously reattached by the imperial physicians and was already extremely fragile.

Under the influence of 'Bull's Milk,' it immediately became erect. How could such a fragile 'member' withstand such strain? It violently burst open once more—truly devastated!

This naturally led to a massive hemorrhage. The imperial physicians then administered a Life-Restoring Pill, which, being a potent tonic, combined with the 'Bull's Milk' causing agitation within his body, made his condition irreparable, beyond even the help of immortals.

However, in the imperial palace, even with the most skilled practitioners, many eunuchs died from severe bleeding during castration procedures each year. Therefore, when the imperial physicians witnessed this outcome, none of them gave it much thought.

Zu An's expression remained indifferent. Shi Kun had repeatedly attempted to assassinate him in Bright Moon City. He had originally escaped back to the capital and should have remained safely hidden; with the Shi family's protection, Zu An might not have been able to touch him. But since he insisted on courting death, Zu An felt no need to be merciful.

He returned to the Eastern Palace. As he hurried towards the entrance, a woman was just about to step out.

Seeing that they were about to collide, Zu An quickly retreated several steps. He had already recognized her as the Crown Princess. He wasn't foolish enough to risk a public collision and physical contact with her; if word got out, it would be a serious offense.

With all factions currently scrutinizing him, he had no desire to invite further trouble.

The Crown Princess instinctively recoiled as well, her body swaying slightly. She was clearly losing her balance and seemed about to fall, but Zu An remained impassive, with no intention of offering assistance.

Just then, a maid behind the Crown Princess extended a hand to steady her, then shot Zu An a fierce glare. "How clumsy! You almost ran into Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess!"

*If that's considered a collision, you clearly don't understand the true meaning of the word,* Zu An thought.

Zu An reined in his wandering thoughts and looked at the maid with a hint of surprise. He remembered her; he had seen her by the pond yesterday. Her name seemed to be Rong Mo, and he hadn't realized she was also a skilled practitioner.

Once the Crown Princess regained her balance, she frowned slightly. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere."

Zu An replied, "I just went to the Imperial Pharmacy to inquire about Shi Kun's injuries, to express the Eastern Palace's concern."

Although he hadn't made physical contact, her subtle fragrance was noticeable even from that distance. He had to admit, the Crown Princess was truly a great beauty. It was just a pity she was a bit too fierce and carried herself with an air of haughtiness. *You're not even the Empress yet,* he thought, *who are you putting on this 'mother of the realm' act for all day?*

The Crown Princess, too, was secretly sneering. *You, concerned about Shi Kun?*

She had just questioned the eunuchs and palace maids and naturally knew the full story. She had also uncovered the past grievances between the two in Bright Moon City.

Despite knowing this, she feigned gratitude. "Well done. It was right to go and check on him. Someone, prepare some more gifts to send to Young Master Shi."

Zu An's expression turned odd. "There's no need."

"Have you already sent something?" the Crown Princess asked, a hint of surprise and an ominous glint appearing in her majestic phoenix eyes. Considering his previous actions, she had to admit he was a shrewd servant. However, a servant who was *too* shrewd wasn't always a good thing.

"No," Zu An paused before explaining, "As I was walking by the Imperial Pharmacy just now, I overheard people saying that Young Master Shi's wound had suddenly burst open, and the massive bleeding couldn't be stopped. He's already dead."

"Dead?" The Crown Princess swayed, her face paling considerably. She knew, after all, that *she* had been the one to force down the blade that wounded Shi Kun.

While the Shi family wouldn't directly blame her, they were still a powerful clan, and such an incident would undoubtedly cause significant trouble.

She took a deep breath. "Gather everyone who was present. We need to unify our statements."

Her decision was swift and decisive. By unifying the official statement, she intended to absolve herself and the Crown Prince of any responsibility.

She had initially considered shifting all blame onto Zu An, but she worried he might retaliate by revealing that she was the one who had burst through the door, causing Shi Kun's injury. After much deliberation, she decided to temporarily abandon that idea.

The Crown Princess summoned the Eastern Palace staff one by one, a process that lasted several hours. Zu An found himself somewhat admiring her; she was indeed far smarter than her foolish husband. Her prepared narrative would minimize the Eastern Palace's responsibility and redirect the Shi family's animosity towards the Imperial Pharmacy.

However, little did she know that the Imperial Pharmacy staff were also a shrewd bunch of old foxes, who had long since devised their own methods of deflecting blame.

As for how the situation would unfold afterward, only fate would tell.

Leaving the Eastern Palace after his duties, Zu An was about to exit when two young eunuchs quickly intercepted him. "Her Majesty the Empress requests your presence," they announced.

Zu An paused, startled. He couldn't fathom why the Empress would summon him, as they had no personal ties. The only indirect connection was that he had once met her uncle, General Liu Yao.