That night, the lights were still on in the study of the Yi family in the west of the city.

The head of the family, Yi Shangkun, sat upright at his desk, engrossed in reading the medical manual given to him by his benefactor by lamplight. Sometimes he muttered to himself, sometimes he fell into deep thought, and sometimes he leaned over the desk and picked up a pen to write something on the paper.

Suddenly, as if he had discovered a treasure, he put down his pen and paper, picked up the ancient book, and exclaimed with delight, “Soak rice in the juice of ‘Southern Candle Leaf’ from the North or ‘Tung Leaf’ from the South, then steam the rice and dry it in the sun before eating. ‘Southern Candle Leaf’ has the effects of invigorating essence and qi, strengthening muscles and bones, improving eyesight, and stopping diarrhea; ‘Tung Leaf’ also has certain effects on carbuncles, sores, and traumatic bleeding. Those who eat this rice regularly can prolong their lives and maintain their youth. Truly, ‘women are not inferior to men, and their wonderful remedies save the world!’ Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! This method is truly wonderful. I never thought that a young woman could create such a wonderful remedy. And this herbal record, with its illustrations and texts on the division, alternative names, properties, effects, harvesting and processing, indications, and prescriptions of some extremely rare herbs, is so vivid and detailed… Such a meticulous medical genius, it’s just a pity that ‘beautiful women have often had short lives,’ it’s such a pity, such a pity.”

As he spoke, he couldn't help but recall what had happened that year...

Thinking back to those days, I couldn't help but sigh, and picked up my pen again, about to write something. Suddenly, a series of rather urgent knocks sounded at the door.

Yi Shangkun: "Come in."

The young woman who stepped in was none other than Yan'er, Yi Shangyun's personal maid. She wore a light green dress and had her hair styled in double buns, making her look lively, clever, clean, and refreshing.

However, at this moment, Yan'er's expression seemed somewhat different from usual. She clenched her hands tightly, her eyes were slightly red and swollen, and she seemed to have lost a lot of weight in the past few days.

Yi Shangkun looked up, seemingly surprised. He then put down his brush, sat up, stroked his short mustache, glanced at the night outside the window—the moon was already high in the sky—and asked, "Why is it you? At this hour, instead of helping the young lady wash up, change, and rest, what are you doing here?"

No sooner had Yi Shangkun finished speaking than Yan'er seemed to have lost all hope. She collapsed to her knees before Yi Shangkun's desk, bowing her head and weeping bitterly, choking out, "Master, something terrible has happened..."

However, Yi Shangkun remained calm and composed. What big deal could a little maid possibly have? She lazily asked, "Did someone in the manor bully you again and give you a hard time? Was it the Second Miss, the Eldest Young Master, or Aunt Lan?"

Yan'er continued to bow her head, weeping bitterly, and shook her head.

Yi Shangkun was puzzled and asked again, "If it wasn't them? Then who in this mansion would dare to bully you now?"

Yan'er, still bowing her head, sobbed uncontrollably, "It's...it's...it's Miss..."

Before Yan'er could finish speaking, Yi Shangkun exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be that Miss's leg ailment has flared up again? You silly girl, what's wrong? Speak up quickly!"

Yan'er timidly bowed her head and wept for a long time, the words repeatedly reaching her lips, yet she didn't know how to begin. After thinking it over for a long time, she finally gritted her teeth, steeled her heart, and blurted out, "It's because Miss went to the south of the city alone many days ago and hasn't returned yet. Yan'er just... just dreamt that Miss was... was... Miss fell off a cliff... and died!"

Upon hearing this, Yi Shangkun immediately stood up in a rage, both shocked and worried. He roared, "What did you say? Say it again!"

Yan'er was instantly terrified, her whole body trembling. She still didn't dare to look up at Yi Shangkun's eyes, and just knelt down, crying and repeating, "Miss went to the south of the city. She was supposed to return to the manor at noon today, but she hasn't come back yet. Yan'er just... just dreamed that Miss was... was... Miss fell off a cliff... and died!"

"What?" Yi Shangkun was stunned by Yan'er's words.

Yi Shangyun, residing in the Yi residence, always kept to herself and rarely ventured outside. Only after Yan'er's reminder did Yi Shangkun realize that he hadn't seen the maid in the residence for the past few days, and then he remembered that Yi Shangyun had personally told him a few days ago that she was going to the south of the city.

"Could something have happened on the way that delayed her? It's the end of the year, and it's not easy to find a carriage. Maybe she'll return to the manor in the middle of the night, or a little later. That's not impossible." After a long silence, Yi Shangkun felt that she had never had any grudges against anyone, and Yi Shangyun was regarded by the world as a useless and ugly woman who had broken off her engagement. She was no longer the weak and easily bullied person she was before she fainted. So she comforted herself.

"No, no, no, sir! Something must have happened to Miss! Please send someone to the south of the city to find her! Or... or let Yan'er go! Yes, let Yan'er go too! Just now after dinner, the young master overheard people on the street saying... saying..."

Yan'er raised her head and stammered, while Yi Shangkun was already feeling a bit annoyed and anxious. So he angrily asked, "What did you hear on the street, young master?"

Startled by the reprimand, Yan'er lowered her head again and said, "Young Master heard people on the street say... that His Highness Prince Qin has ordered the Wanjiao Pavilion in the south of the city to be sealed off today."

Upon hearing this, Yi Shangkun slowly sat down, stroking his short beard thoughtfully, and said, "Wanjiao Pavilion has been sealed off? And by order of the King of Qin himself? There must be some great conspiracy behind it. But what does this have to do with you, Miss? Wanjiao Pavilion in the south of the city is the number one brothel in Western Qin, a place of pleasure... the south of the city..."

At this thought, Yi Shangkun suddenly felt a very bad premonition. So he widened his eyes, slammed one hand heavily on the desk in front of him, splashing ink from the inkstone, and shouted at Yan'er incredulously, "You mean, Miss went to Wanjiao Pavilion in the south of the city?"

Yan'er frowned and nodded cautiously.

Upon seeing this, Yi Shangkun was already furious. He immediately overturned everything on the table and angrily said, "You scoundrel, how could you let Miss go to such a place? Why didn't you report this sooner?"

While wiping away her tears, Yan'er said aggrievedly, "Miss only asked Yan'er if she knew about Wanjiao Pavilion in the south of the city, but Yan'er didn't know either. Yan'er didn't know that Wanjiao Pavilion was such a place. How could Miss have gone to such a place?"

Yi Shangkun asked, "Since none of you know about Wanjiao Pavilion, how did she find it?"

Now it was clear that Yan'er had no choice but to explain everything. As long as the master would send someone to find Yi Shangyun quickly, Yan'er was fearless. So she said, "Yan'er... Yan'er tells Miss that the manager of Zhao's Teahouse at the entrance of our mansion has lived here for three generations and knows everything. Miss, then..."

“Zhao’s Teahouse? I knew I’d fall into this guy’s hands one day,” Yi Shangkun said meaningfully.

"Master, Yan'er has told you everything now. Please send someone to find Miss immediately. Wanjiao Pavilion is sealed off, and Miss has not returned as scheduled. If we are late, I'm afraid... I'm afraid..." Yan'er pleaded desperately.

Yi Shangkun stood up and leaned against the window, gazing at the crescent moon above the treetops. He sighed deeply and said, "Go find the eldest young master and have him take you to the south of the city to find the eldest young lady. If Aunt Lan objects, tell her it was my order. Set off immediately."

Upon hearing this, Yan'er was overjoyed and burst into tears, repeatedly kowtowing, "Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master!"

After the swallows left, the study became completely silent.

Yi Shangkun slowly turned around and walked towards the mess he had just overturned on the floor beside the desk in his anger. He slowly squatted down and picked up the ancient medical book he cherished, shaking his head and sighing for a long time. He murmured to himself, "You see, it's all fate. Things in this world are indeed always contrary to our wishes. Back then, you risked your life to save your daughter, and now she is no longer the weak and useless person we hoped she would become. How could it be such a coincidence that she and the Prince of Qin appeared at the Wanjiao Pavilion in the south of the city at the same time... Alas... If you have a spirit in heaven, please protect her more. I'm afraid I have the will but not the power; I can't fight against fate."

......

Before we knew it, it was midnight.

In Ruyi Residence in the south of the city, the mute girl Lian'er had already taken the antidote, but she had not yet regained consciousness.

Lanxiang, who had been taking care of Lian'er closely, was now extremely anxious. She sat by Lian'er's bedside and murmured, "Lian'er, you must wake up. All of this is because of me. I'm sorry, I've dragged you down."

Then, Lanxiang turned back to Yu Niang, who had been standing behind her, and said gratefully, "Yu Niang, thank you, thank you for helping me find the Determination Grass and saving Lian'er."

"You don't need to thank me. Perhaps this is fate. I originally asked the madam for this packet of resolve grass to keep for myself. But before I could use it, I was trapped in a secret room."

After saying this meaningfully with a serious expression, Yu Niang paused for a moment and then said, "Lanxiang, let me ask you, haven't I treated you well all this time?"

Lanxiang said, "Yu Niang, you treat me like a sister, which is very kind of you."

Upon hearing this, Yu Niang sneered and said, "Sisters? If that's the case, why didn't you tell me about what happened to me and the person you contacted before you asked to come and rescue me? Instead, you left me alone in that dark and sunless secret room to suffer and die on my own?"

Lanxiang panicked and said apologetically, "Yu Niang, I...I'm sorry. It's all because I was blinded by greed and almost killed you. You can kill me or torture me, I'll accept it all today. I'm sorry. I only ask that after I die, you don't tell Lanxiang's grandmother. Just say that Lanxiang went to work in another place. Once she has earned enough money, she will come back to take her away from here, and we will go far away and never be separated again."

Just then, a heart-wrenching cry suddenly came from outside the door...