The Cui residence was deep in the winding alleys of Changping Street—the most bustling area of the capital. The alley was like a maze, its twists and turns complicated and narrow. The stone path was only wide enough for three people to walk side by side. A carriage couldn’t make it through at all, so Feng Lezhen could only proceed on foot with Ah Ye. After walking for quite a while, they finally reached a worn-out old door.
“Are you sure this is the place?” Feng Lezhen asked, showing rare hesitation. A grand imperial physician, living in a rundown place like this after retirement?
Ah Ye said, “I’m sure. Absolutely.”
“You’ve come here in secret before?” Feng Lezhen’s phoenix eyes narrowed.
Ah Ye looked embarrassed, not daring to admit she had already scoped the place out several times—just waiting for the day Her Highness wanted to treat her aversion to cold and desire for warmth, so she could come fetch Imperial Physician Cui immediately.
Feng Lezhen glanced at her, too lazy to expose the little scheme: “Still not knocking?”
“Yes.” Ah Ye quickly stepped forward, but just as she raised her hand, the courtyard gate opened on its own. She turned back at once to report, “Your Highness, the door wasn’t closed—could someone from Qing Wangfei’s side have come?”
“No.” Feng Lezhen’s gaze landed on the neatly drying herbs filling the courtyard.
Ah Ye scratched her nose and called out twice at the doorway, but no one came. She looked to Feng Lezhen for guidance. Feng Lezhen reached out, and Ah Ye immediately stepped in to support her. Master and servant entered the courtyard at a calm, unhurried pace.
The residences deep within the alley were mostly cramped, and the courtyard here was pitifully narrow—though thankfully long. Overall, it wasn’t large, but still had the structure of a three-part compound. The two passed through room after room, and in the final courtyard, they saw a white-robed figure with hair tied by a ribbon, facing away from them and tending to the drying herbs.
Ah Ye was about to speak when Feng Lezhen raised her hand to stop her, watching the man with leisurely interest.
“A guest arriving uninvited—isn’t that a little improper?” A clear and composed voice called out, though he didn’t turn around.
Ah Ye frowned. “How dare you speak that way to Her Highness the Eldest Princess!”
The man paused in his movements, then slowly turned around. In the next moment, his gaze met Feng Lezhen’s.
It was a fine-looking face. Not like Fu Zhixian’s elegant arrogance, nor Chen Jinan’s reserved fortitude, and certainly not Feizhan’s wild allure. But the man’s presence was entirely his own—natural, effortless.
“Eldest Princess?” he asked slowly.
Feng Lezhen smiled. “Mister Shen.”
He paused for a moment, then continued flipping the herbs.
“Bold. Why do you not kneel before Her Highness?” Ah Ye scolded, displeased.
The man replied, “My knees are in poor condition. I can’t kneel.”
“What kind of absurd excuse is that? Can’t you perform some other salute?” Ah Ye glared.
“I don’t know any,” he said plainly.
“You—” Ah Ye was about to lash out when Imperial Physician Cui came hurrying in from outside.
Seeing Feng Lezhen, he froze briefly, then quickly dropped to his knees. “Greetings, Your Highness.”
“No need for formality, Imperial Physician Cui.” Feng Lezhen cast a glance at Ah Ye, who quickly stepped in to help him up.
With Ah Ye’s support, Imperial Physician Cui stood and sensed the atmosphere was tense. He braced himself and introduced, “Your Highness, this is a young friend staying at my home—his name is Shen Suifeng.”
“Shen Suifeng,” Feng Lezhen’s eyes shifted slightly before she gave a light laugh, “What a fine name.”
Imperial Physician Cui smiled awkwardly and was about to continue when the young man spoke: “The gentian needs to be taken in.”
Imperial Physician Cui flinched and quickly excused himself, disappearing into the front room.
Once he was gone, Shen Suifeng finally spoke: “If Your Highness has come for Qing Wangfei, you’d best leave now. One of my principles in medicine is not to treat those who don’t follow orders. She changed her dosage times without permission and indulged in foods against dietary restrictions. She’s broken my rules.”
“Who told you I came for her?” Feng Lezhen countered.
Shen Suifeng looked up, held her gaze for a moment, then extended his hand. “Regardless of the outcome, I charge a thousand gold per visit.”
“A thousand gold? Why don’t you just rob people?” Ah Ye was stunned. “Do you know how much food that is for an ordinary household for a whole year? With such high prices, who would dare seek your treatment?”
“Commoners have commoner rates. Nobles have noble rates. If Your Highness finds it too expensive, then please leave.” With that, Shen Suifeng ignored them again.
“You—”
“I left in a hurry today and didn’t bring any money,” Feng Lezhen cut Ah Ye off.
“No matter. You can settle the fee later,” Shen Suifeng replied.
Feng Lezhen nodded. “Tomorrow morning, I’ll have someone escort you to Grand Preceptor Yu’s residence to treat his cough.”
“Alright.”
The matter settled, there was no reason to stay. Feng Lezhen turned to leave, but after a few steps up the stairs, she suddenly stopped. Standing a step above, she looked back down at Shen Suifeng.
“Shen Suifeng.”
He was still holding herbs. Hearing her, he looked up.
“There’s something on your foot,” she said.
Shen Suifeng instinctively looked down—before he could see anything, she added: “You may rise. Be at ease.”
Shen Suifeng: “……”
He looked up wordlessly. Feng Lezhen had already walked off.
“Childish,” he said flatly, tossing the herbs aside.
Back in the carriage after exiting the alley, Ah Ye was still laughing about Shen Suifeng’s expression earlier. Feng Lezhen smiled faintly, and only after Ah Ye finished did she say, “We’ll be dealing with him often in the future. You must treat him like an honored guest—don’t shout at him like that again.”
“Even after he finishes treating Lord Yu?” Ah Ye was puzzled.
Feng Lezhen only smiled in reply.
Ah Ye scratched her nose. “By the way, ever since His Majesty took the throne five years ago, Lord Yu has cut ties with the Eldest Princess’s residence. Will he allow in a doctor you send?”
“We’ll borrow someone else’s name,” Feng Lezhen didn’t find this an issue. “Zhang Gelao from the Hanlin Academy has good ties with him, and he’s somewhat friendly with me too. I’ll ask him to visit in person tomorrow and bring Shen Suifeng along. Make sure to remind him not to mention me.”
Ah Ye sighed. “Guess that’s the only way.”
The next morning, Shen Suifeng left with Zhang Gelao for the Yu household.
Feng Lezhen stayed home to await news and watched as Qin Wan prepared the consultation fee.
“One thousand gold. One thousand! What is he, some kind of divine being reborn? Just treating a cough and he dares charge a thousand gold…” Usually stern and quiet, Qin Wan muttered while calculating the accounts. Feng Lezhen sat meekly beside her, not daring to make a sound.
After a long while, Qin Wan sighed. “Your Highness, once we pay this fee, our household budget will be tight for the next half year.”
“Thank you, Wanwan.” Feng Lezhen replied sweetly.
Qin Wan sighed helplessly. “For Lord Yu’s sake, there’s no other choice.”
“Indeed,” Feng Lezhen agreed solemnly.
Shen Suifeng had entered the Yu residence early that morning and ended up staying there. It wasn’t until dusk that he made time to report back to the Eldest Princess’s residence.
“It appears to be an ordinary cough, but in truth, it’s consumption*. The coughing is merely a surface symptom.” Though he didn’t have the best temper, when it came to a patient’s condition, Shen Suifeng was still meticulous.
* old term for tuberculosis
Feng Lezhen listened for a long time without fully understanding, and simply asked, “Is it curable?”
“Consumption is dangerous, but Lord Yu is only in the early stages. A few days of medicine and he’ll be fine,” Shen Suifeng replied.
“Then I’ll trouble you, Mister Shen,” Feng Lezhen said.
Shen Suifeng gave her a glance and turned to leave. Just as he reached the doorway, he suddenly stopped. “In the early stages, consumption and an ordinary cough are nearly identical. Even veteran physicians may not be able to tell the difference. How did Your Highness know?”
“How would I know?” Feng Lezhen countered.
“If Your Highness truly didn’t know, any physician would have done. Why go out of your way to seek me out?” he asked.
“Perhaps because Mister Shen is so striking that I couldn’t forget you after one glance—and no one else would do,” she answered, deadpan.
Shen Suifeng fell silent, then turned and left without another word.
Feng Lezhen smiled slightly, then summoned Qin Wan. “The emperor didn’t attend morning court today?”
“No, he claimed he was unwell,” Qin Wan replied.
Feng Lezhen nodded. “Seems I angered him quite a bit. In that case, let’s stoke the flames a little more.”
She whispered a few instructions. Qin Wan nodded repeatedly and was about to leave when Feng Lezhen called her back. “There’s one more thing I need you to do.”
Qin Wan returned, received the rest of the instructions, and left. Feng Lezhen sat alone in the main hall for a while before turning to look out at the overcast sky.
Two days later, rumors of ghosts and spirits suddenly began circulating throughout the capital, all centered around the canal project. Public panic spread quickly. Meanwhile, Yu Shou’s cough was finally cured under Shen Suifeng’s care.
After his final check-up, Shen Suifeng went straight to the Eldest Princess’s residence. When Feng Lezhen saw him, she didn’t waste words and handed him the agreed fee.
“Farewell,” Shen Suifeng said, turning to leave.
Watching his unhurried back, Ah Ye looked at Feng Lezhen, troubled. “Your Highness, you’re just letting him go?”
“What else?” Feng Lezhen asked.
“There’s still the man in the dungeon. With his skill, maybe he could help,” Ah Ye said pointedly.
Feng Lezhen smiled. “What about Chen Jinan? I haven’t seen him these past two days.”
“Didn’t Your Highness tell me to find him a teacher? I did. He’s started his lessons now,” Ah Ye reported.
Feng Lezhen had been so busy she’d completely forgotten. Hearing Chen Jinan was studying rekindled her interest, and she was just about to go see him—only to freeze mid-step, remembering something. She sat back down.
“Your Highness?” Ah Ye asked, puzzled.
“No rush. Let’s wait a bit,” Feng Lezhen replied.
Wait for what? Ah Ye didn’t understand, but half an hour later, the answer arrived—
Shen Suifeng came back, covered in dirt and disheveled.
“Was it you who leaked that I was staying at Imperial Physician Cui’s?” he demanded through gritted teeth.
Feng Lezhen blinked innocently. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
Shen Suifeng’s white robes were stained, his legs covered in mud—it was clear he’d had a rough escape. Hearing her denial, he let out a laugh of disbelief. “Qing Wangfei has been scouring the capital for me for days with no result, but suddenly found me right after I finished treating Lord Yu? If Your Highness dislikes me, just say it—why stoop to such pettiness?”
“How dare you! Do you know who you’re speaking to?” Ah Ye scolded angrily.
Feng Lezhen raised a hand to stop her, calmly meeting Shen Suifeng’s gaze. “If you had hidden yourself well, I wouldn’t have found you so easily. Likewise, the Qing royal household may be in decline, but it’s not so incompetent as to fail for so long unless something changed.”
“So you’re saying my whereabouts being exposed had nothing to do with you?” Shen Suifeng asked, skeptical.
“If I truly had a problem with you, you wouldn’t have left the Eldest Princess’s residence alive the first time,” Feng Lezhen replied, lifting her teacup with a poised hand. “Ah Ye.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Send a servant to show Mister Shen to the guest quarters for a bath and a change of clothes,” she instructed gently.
Ah Ye obeyed immediately. Shen Suifeng frowned at Feng Lezhen for a few moments, but in the end followed the servant out.
Ah Ye watched his retreating figure until it vanished, then angrily turned to Feng Lezhen. “Your Highness, he falsely accused you. Not only did you not throw him out, you’re even helping him?”
Feng Lezhen blinked. “Who said he falsely accused me?”
Ah Ye: “……”
Feng Lezhen: “……”
“Your Highness, you really are…”
