In the end, Liuzhong didn’t bring a doctor.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to—it was that before the physician even got to the gate, he was stopped.
And the person who stopped him was Old Zhao, one of the attendants at the Crown Prince’s side.
Thanks to the Crown Prince often bringing his men over to hop the walls of the Qi Marquis residence, Liuzhong had already grown familiar with their faces.
Especially Old Zhao, who was always thoughtful—he’d bring little gifts for the two young masters every time he visited.
Shen Jialang and Qi Yunzhi were especially fond of him.
Old Zhao blocked his path: “No need to call the usual doctors. I’ve brought one—use mine.”
Liuzhong had no objection. Anyone from the Crown Prince’s side was definitely more trustworthy than him.
He quickly agreed.
Old Zhao led Imperial Physician Hu inside. Hu bustled along in frustration, complaining: “Good heavens, you really know how to cause me trouble! Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is waiting on me too! You snatched me up halfway—how am I supposed to explain this?!”
Just thinking about it made Imperial Physician Hu shake his head.
He had wanted to ask what was going on.
The capital was currently in an uproar.
Word was that six or seven hundred commoners from Tongzhou were marching toward the capital to bring a grievance straight to the imperial court.
Tongzhou’s prefect, Ma Wenxuan, nearly hanged himself out of fear.
And just at this time, the Empress Dowager in the palace fell ill.
As her long-time attending physician, Imperial Physician Hu was supposed to treat her—but halfway through, Old Zhao intercepted him.
He was furious.
But there was nothing he could do. The Imperial Grandson himself had told him to prioritize Old Zhao’s requests.
The Old Madam had already heard the entire story. She couldn’t help but say: “Utterly devoid of conscience, going against the natural order—people like that never end well! Ah Yuan, you did a good deed!”
As for Feng Caiwei, the Old Madam saw her as a mere fly.
Since returning to the capital, she had been like a peacock constantly fanning its tail, flaunting her skills day and night.
But she had no idea what humility even meant.
Even a peacock doesn’t display its tail all the time!
But Feng Caiwei did.
And when the Imperial Grandson didn’t want her, she didn’t go trouble him—instead, she obsessively harassed Qi Yuan.
If that wasn’t insanity, what was?
Second Madam nodded firmly, thinking Qi Yuan was truly heroic.
She had hated Tian Baoci for ages!
That scoundrel never did a good deed—he had zero respect for children or women.
Once, he and another noble argued over a girl, and when the other refused to give her up, Tian Baoci just chopped her in half, saying, “One half for each of us.”
Just remembering it made Second Madam shiver.
She grasped Qi Yuan’s hand, her eyes shining: “Ah Yuan! From now on, wherever you go, I’m going with you!”
What a pity she hadn’t witnessed how Tian Baoci died.
Just then, Physician Hu entered. Hearing the Old Madam and Second Madam describe Qi Yuan’s injury through the curtain, he gasped sharply: “No, no, no—the wound itself isn’t the real issue. Bring me those thorns you pulled out.”
The Old Madam quickly looked to Baizhi, who brought them over.
Physician Hu studied them for a while before putting his palms together in alarm: “Dear heavens, this is a blood-sealing poison! Miss, you’re incredibly tough—haven’t you felt numb or stiff at all?!”
Qi Yuan honestly hadn’t.
She just felt slightly dizzy.
The Old Madam, however, was frightened and asked quickly: “Then what do we do?”
Physician Hu let out a long breath: “Miss Qi, do you have any detox pills?”
Qi Yuan nodded: “Yes, I’ve already taken one.”
…
Imperial Physician Hu couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
If she already took an antidote, what did they drag him over here for?!
The wound would heal on its own soon enough!
Still, grumbling, he stopped mid-complaint and said: “Wait—Miss Qi, could I take a look at that detox pill of yours?”
He was just too curious.
Qi Yuan gave a light hum, unfastened the small gourd at her waist, and handed it to Baiyin, who took it outside.
Qi Yuan straightened her clothes and sat up: “I’m fine now, Grandmother, Second Aunt. You don’t need to worry. What I’d rather know is— what’s going on out there now?”
What’s going on?
Imperial Physician Hu clicked his tongue: “The whole capital is turned upside down!”
Xiao Jingzhao had galloped back to the capital at top speed and immediately sought an audience with Emperor Yongchang, reporting everything in full detail.
Before this, the emperor had been urging the cabinet to release disaster relief funds to Jiangxi quickly, hoping to let his grandson succeed smoothly.
But upon hearing this report, the emperor was furious.
Even the old nobles and the Grand Secretary—those who had special privileges to remain standing in court—all knelt.
Xiao Jingzhao’s heart surged with passion.
He didn’t want to remain an unnoticed royal grandson, always appearing only as a concubine-born prince, as Xiao Yunting’s younger brother.
He had always wanted to stand proudly in public, to be seen, to be chosen by ministers, to build his own faction.
Most of all, he wanted Emperor Yongchang to finally see him as a true grandson.
Originally, he thought it would take years of effort—but this opportunity came so suddenly, so perfectly.
That wretched woman Feng Caiwei—she never did anything right, but at least this time, she died right on cue.
The emperor’s face didn’t change. He asked in a flat voice: “Feeding people to dogs?”
His tone was calm and light, without any rise or fall.
But everyone present felt their hair stand on end.
This was imperial power.
A single sentence could determine life or death.
Xiao Jingzhao threw aside his robe and knelt hard to the ground, declaring loudly: “Yes! Royal Grandfather, after losing the match, Tian Baoci released all his dogs—regardless of the hundreds of spectators nearby. The dogs ran amok, collapsing the walls of the dog pit and exposing heaps of human remains!”
His voice was forceful, filled with compassion and righteous fury: “The dogs dug up numerous bones. Local residents rushed to the scene—some recognized their children’s shoes, others the broken bones of loved ones. It was a horrific sight beyond imagination!”
The hall fell into absolute silence.
No one dared make a sound.
But everyone knew—this was the calm before the storm.
Emperor Yongchang was known for his care for the people.
In recent years, he had repeatedly lowered taxes, even distributed seeds for free through local governments.
He also enjoyed traveling in disguise around the capital.
A ruler like this could not tolerate such blatant disregard for human life.
The Tian family was finished.
Even with the Empress Dowager’s backing, they were finished.
