Chapter 39: Framing

It was evening when he left Prince Jing’s mansion.

Xi Bing stood inside the mansion gates, waving him goodbye, while Chen Ji stood on Anxi Street, his heart heavy.

Walking in the twilight, he smelled the aromas of cooking wafting from the homes along the street, and only then did he feel a sense of relief.

Dark Cloud poked its head out from the eaves, then leaped into his arms. “Who hit Bai Banruo? I certainly didn’t!” it exclaimed.

Chen Ji smiled and stroked its head. “No one hit it,” he said. “It was just an excuse for Concubine Yun to summon me to the mansion.”

He murmured to himself, “At the time, Concubine Yun said that Concubine Jing’s lead-barium glass cup was a gift from her family, so I didn’t think much of it. But now, considering Concubine Jing’s relationship with the Liu family, it might have been intentional… Has she cursed anyone from the Liu family recently?”

“Yes, she cursed her brother, Liu Mingxian, using terribly foul language.”

“That’s it,” Chen Ji remarked with a sigh. “At the time, I was only focused on logical reasoning and didn’t delve deep enough into human nature. Indeed, human nature cannot be judged by common sense. But Old Master Liu wasn’t angered to death by me, the cup wasn’t from me, and I didn’t kill Liu Shiyu. Why would she target me instead of retaliating against the Liu family or the Secret Service? Wait, Liu Shiyu was also silenced by the Liu family. This Liu family has a truly ruthless individual!”

Chen Ji gasped, reviewing all the clues. He suddenly realized the Liu family acted with exceptional brutality, completely disregarding familial bonds even towards their own. “Could Old Master Liu in the coffin have been killed recently as well?!” he wondered.

Dark Cloud looked awestruck. “That’s intense!” it whispered.

Was this ruthlessness effective? Naturally, it was. If they hadn’t been so merciless, Yun Yang and Jiao Tu wouldn’t have been imprisoned; instead, the Liu family would have committed the crime of deceiving the emperor.

Back at the medical hall, Old Man Yao was behind the counter, examining ledgers and flicking his abacus, giving off the impression of being cunning and experienced yet somehow still struggling with calculations…

Chen Ji joked with a smile, “Master, wouldn’t it be easier to just toss some coins to figure out the accounts?”

Old Man Yao glared at him. “Stop spouting such nonsense,” he retorted. “I think you’re itching for a beating. Divination can only tell you direction, not exact amounts down to the last penny.”

“Where are the senior apprentices?” Chen Ji asked curiously.

“They’re cooking in the backyard,” Old Man Yao replied, squinting at him. “Didn’t you go to treat a cat? Didn’t you prescribe some medicine for it?”

“No…” he replied.

Old Man Yao sneered. “And I thought you were so cautious,” he said. “Even if it had no injuries or illness, you should have prescribed some cheap trauma medicine and sent it to the mansion. You have to play your part thoroughly, or you’ll be found out sooner or later.”

Chen Ji paused, then said, “Thank you for the reminder, Master. Indeed, older ginger is spicier. I’ll send some Cnidium fruit tomorrow.”

He walked towards the backyard. In the kitchen, only Liu Quxing was washing rice and cooking porridge; She Dengke was nowhere to be seen.

Just as Chen Ji was about to head to the apprentices’ dormitory, he saw She Dengke pushing open the door and emerging.

She Dengke was startled to see Chen Ji. “Oh, didn’t you go to the mansion?” he exclaimed.

Chen Ji replied, “The white cat wasn’t seriously injured, so I just checked on it and came back. What were you doing in your room just now, Senior Apprentice She?”

“I was just changing clothes,” She Dengke said, pulling Chen Ji towards the kitchen. “Come on, help with the vegetables. If dinner is slow again, Master will scold us.”

However, at that very moment, neat footsteps echoed from outside the medical hall, accompanied by the distinct clattering of iron scales striking each other as guards moved.

Chen Ji noticed that She Dengke’s hand, gripping his arm, suddenly tightened. He could feel the sweat in his palm even through their clothes.

Old Man Yao walked to the doorway, frowning. “Miss Chunhua, General Wang,” he said, “what is the meaning of blocking the entrance to my Taiping Medical Hall?”

Chen Ji pulled his arm free from She Dengke’s grip and walked outside. Liu Quxing also emerged from the kitchen, spoon in hand, asking, “What’s going on? What’s going on?”

Outside Taiping Medical Hall, Chunhua was unusually plain today, dressed only in a light green ruqun, without any jewelry. Her hair was simply secured with a wooden hairpin.

Chunhua appeared hesitant, as if wanting to speak but holding back. Beside her, the mansion guards, each wielding a long halberd, were clad in heavy iron armor. The leader strode with the power of a tiger, his gaze as sharp as an eagle’s.

Chen Ji asked with a faint smile, “Miss Chunhua, what is the meaning of this?”

To his surprise, Chunhua addressed the mansion guard captain. “General Wang,” she began, “a few days ago, my lady lost the South Sea pearl the Prince had given her. We first searched the maids in our Wanxing Garden but found no trace of the pearl. After further thought, the only person who had entered and exited Wanxing Garden and even rummaged through my lady’s belongings was this medical hall apprentice, Chen Ji!”

Chen Ji frowned. Concubine Jing!

After losing her son and nephew, Concubine Jing’s revenge was swift and fierce, arriving without a single night’s delay!

General Wang gazed at Chen Ji indifferently. “What do you have to say for yourself?” he asked. “Can you prove your innocence?”

Chen Ji remained silent for a moment, then calmly stated, “It’s difficult to prove one’s innocence when others accuse you of stealing.”

On Anxi Street, shopkeepers and assistants from every establishment peered out from their doorways. They had been about to close for the day, but now they had stumbled upon a major piece of gossip.

Someone whispered, “Did young Doctor Chen from Taiping Medical Hall steal something from the mansion?”

“They say it’s the South Sea pearl Prince Jing gave to the Princess. I’ve heard of it—a single pearl is as large as a longan, and one can sell for hundreds of taels of silver!”

Chen Ji listened to the surrounding whispers, his expression remaining unchanged.

General Wang stared at him for a long time, then grimly ordered, “Restrain this apprentice, then go inside and search!”

With that, two guards, one on each side, seized Chen Ji’s arms. Their grips were like iron bands, tightly encircling his arms, rendering him immobile and causing sharp pain.

Chunhua followed the guards into the medical hall. “General Wang,” she said, “I’ll help search. I’ve seen that pearl; it’s easy to identify.”

Chen Ji watched her enter the medical hall, pulling open drawer after drawer of the medicine cabinet, scattering the herbs.

Old Man Yao watched coldly. “General Wang,” he stated, “if a thief has truly emerged from my Taiping Medical Hall, this old man will resign his post and return to his hometown, never to set foot in Luocheng again. But if no thief is found here, what will you say then?”

General Wang cupped his hands towards him from a distance. “Imperial Physician Yao,” he replied, “I am merely acting on orders. Miss Chunhua brought Concubine Jing’s waist token, and I am bound to apprehend the thief. Besides, hearts are hidden from view; how can you be certain your apprentice isn’t a thief?”

Old Man Yao suddenly snorted in anger. “I am absolutely certain he is not!” he declared.

Chen Ji looked at Old Man Yao in surprise, not having expected him to speak up on his behalf at this moment.

As they spoke, Chunhua had already entered the backyard. She first rummaged through the kitchen, then proceeded to the apprentices’ dormitory.

He watched her rummage through the beds, then finally fixate on the apprentices’ wardrobes.

Chen Ji understood that her previous searches elsewhere had merely been a pretense; this was her true target.

Chunhua knew the pearl was here from the very beginning!

Chen Ji looked at She Dengke, observing his tall, sturdy frame trembling with nervousness. His hands were clasped tightly together, and his lips were completely bloodless.

Seeing Chen Ji looking at him, She Dengke hastily averted his gaze, unwilling to meet his eyes.

This was a premeditated setup by She Dengke and Chunhua!

Chen Ji frowned. But She Dengke clearly hadn’t left the medical hall, and Chunhua hadn’t been to the medical hall today. How did they exchange information and the pearl?

Chen Ji surveyed his surroundings. The medical hall’s backyard was separated from the mansion by only a single wall; conversations on the other side could easily be heard in the backyard.

The courtyard wall wasn’t high, so throwing a pearl over it would be no difficult feat.

Chen Ji suddenly asked, “Senior Apprentice She, do you have feelings for Chunhua?”

She Dengke froze for a moment, instinctively stepping back. “Huh? What did you say? I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

Chen Ji shook his head. “It’s nothing…” he replied.

Liu Quxing, standing nearby, looked at Chen Ji and asked worriedly, “You didn’t actually steal anything, did you?”

Chen Ji denied it. “No,” he said, “I would never commit such petty theft in my life.”

Liu Quxing believed him when he said that, but he could clearly sense Chunhua’s absolute confidence and certainty.

He then looked at his master. “Master,” he urged, “please say something quickly!”

Old Man Yao, however, remained silent. If incriminating evidence were truly found, no one would be able to help Chen Ji.

Just then, the guards emerged from Old Man Yao’s main house and shook their heads at General Wang.

Everyone’s gaze shifted to Chunhua in the apprentices’ dormitory. Chunhua was frantically ransacking the wardrobe, until she finally stood motionless before it, her back to the others, trembling and beginning to sob.