After bidding farewell to Xu Yan, Qingchen followed Xu Silin to the room where her second uncle was resting.

Shen Qian had fainted and had not yet woken up. The doctor was carefully treating his wounds.

The room was quiet and warm, with a stove lit and incense burning. Despite the cold weather and the closed doors and windows, the fragrant aroma couldn't mask the strong stench of blood.

When Xu Silin entered the room, he couldn't help but sniff twice. Before Qingchen arrived, he had been in the room for a while, and his sense of smell had become dulled, so he didn't notice the bloody smell. Now that he was suddenly brought in from outside, he realized that Qingchen hadn't concealed it at all, so he glanced at Qingchen worriedly, and quickly took another piece of incense and put it in the incense burner.

When he put the lid on the stove, the gauze covering made it a little inconvenient, and he accidentally burned his hand, becoming flustered for a moment. The lid fell back onto the stove with a "clang".

In the quiet room, the sound was quite abrupt. Xu Silin looked at Qingchen with a helpless expression, feeling guilty for doing something wrong.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Qingchen shook his head, feeling a strange, indescribable feeling in his heart.

The butler came in to add charcoal, and he quickly went to help, gesturing for the butler to be quiet.

On the bed, Shen Qian still kept his eyes closed.

She lifted the curtain and leaned closer to look at him. His face was very pale, his lips were bloodless, and his upper body was naked, a bloody mess. Qingchen could only vaguely see a few whip marks before turning her face away, unable to bear looking any longer.

The usually refined and handsome man, gentle and refined as jade, could only lie there quietly. He couldn't speak, couldn't move, and his once vibrant hair and lively spirit were gone. Moreover, the extent of his injuries was still unknown.

Qingchen couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Doctor, my second uncle's injury..."

"Everything else is fine, but the leg injury is quite serious. We need to wait until your second uncle recovers some strength and we see how he can move before we can determine if he has broken any bones or tendons. I'll apply medicine to his other wounds first." The doctor said, glancing at Xu Silin, and added, "Don't worry, Lord Shen, I've treated many people who have come out of prison. Your second uncle isn't the most seriously injured. He just suffered recently, so he looks a bit weak right now."

Xu Silin chimed in quietly, "Yes, Qingchen, Doctor Li used to be the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, but he resigned because he disliked the constraints of officialdom. Since he spends most of his time traveling around collecting herbs and writing medical books, it's rare for ordinary people to even see him."

Although she knew these words were meant to comfort her, Qingchen still felt a little better after the doctor said that, and nodded, saying, "Thank you, Doctor Li..."

She stopped halfway through her sentence.

The man surnamed Li was a former judge of the Imperial Medical Academy who spent his days collecting medicinal herbs and writing medical books… Suddenly, she thought of something and paused for a moment, “May I ask, are you the famous physician Li Shizhen?”

The doctor didn't look at her, but continued what he was doing, and said calmly, "I am Li Shizhen. But I am not a famous doctor, just an ordinary doctor."

Xu Silin quickly added, "Qingchen, Doctor Li is a man of simple tastes, only thinking about practicing medicine, saving lives, and writing medical books... So don't worry, he will definitely be able to cure your second uncle. With some good medicine, your second uncle will surely recover soon." He spoke earnestly, his short, thick eyelashes half-covering his eyes, but unable to conceal the sincerity within them.

"Thanks."

He was someone she'd only ever seen in historical records—a renowned physician, a master of medicine, a household name—and he'd actually invited him to treat her second uncle. Adding to that, he'd brought her second uncle directly back to his mansion, prepared so many medicinal herbs, and lit incense…

Qingchen felt conflicted and didn't know what to say, only managing a simple "thank you." Her gaze fell on his bandaged right hand, and she asked, "Does your hand still hurt?"

Xu Silin raised his right hand and looked at it. "It doesn't hurt anymore... Actually, it didn't really hurt that day. I was just... teasing you. You don't need to worry about me, really, it's just a small case."

I'm sorry, thank you, I'm sorry, thank you... Over the past few days, she had lost count of how many times she had said these words to him. In the beginning, they were just ordinary classmates, their relationship clear-cut, with no debts owed to each other. But along the way, so many things had happened without her realizing it—laughter, arguments, crazy antics, and more—and the bond between them seemed to be growing deeper and deeper.

She never imagined that she would become so close to someone from the Xu faction, with such blurred lines between them.

What will the future hold?

Seeing that Qingchen was lost in thought, Xu Silin poured her a cup of hot tea and handed it to her. "Have some tea. Your lips are dry." He had noticed every detail about her.

She took it and, once again, inevitably uttered those two words she had said countless times: "Thank you."

He smiled slightly and gestured, "Drink it while it's hot. Gu Shaoheng made you some silver thread ice sprout tea last time, and I saw that you liked it quite a bit... This is it."

Qingchen lifted the lid, and a refreshing fragrance wafted into her nose—it was both invigorating and comforting.

Li Shizhen applied the medicine to Shen Qian's body and then wrote out a prescription. Xu Silin then ordered someone to take the prescription and prepare the medicine. Later, the two had some things to say and then left together, leaving Qingchen alone with Shen Qian in the room.

Qingchen moved a chair and sat down next to Shen Qian, tucking the blanket around him. Looking at his face, she felt an indescribable sadness in her heart.

How did he end up lying here, covered in wounds and barely breathing, when he was perfectly healthy? Why was fate so unfair to such a good person? What about divine justice, what about karmic retribution? In this world, these are lies so easily exposed.

He was always known for his integrity and honesty as an official, earning him much praise from the people. Because of his good character and achievements, he had recently been promoted from a seventh-rank official to a sixth-rank judicial officer. He wasn't greedy for money either; he rarely even rode in the Lin family's carriage and seldom went out for drinks or other expenses, never caring about material possessions. For a distant relative, he was even willing to set aside his dignity and marry into another family, dedicating himself selflessly for over a decade…

How could someone like that accept bribes and arbitrarily kill people?

When she was still a junior official, life was tough, and he never considered taking ill-gotten gains. Now that she has been promoted and her life is better, he is even less likely to do so.

Who harmed him, and why?

As Qingchen was lost in thought, Shen Qian slowly woke up. Seeing him stir, she stood up anxiously and softly called out, "Second Uncle..."

He opened his eyes, glanced at her, his lips parted, and his voice was so weak it was almost inaudible, "I'm fine... don't worry."

Hearing him say that, she felt her eyes well up with tears. The man who had protected her for over a decade was still thinking of her.

She took a breath, looked at him and said, "The doctor treated Second Uncle. It was Doctor Li Shizhen. Does Second Uncle still feel any severe pain anywhere? I'll go and fetch him now."

He shook his head. "Help me... Thank you, Young Master Xu..."

Qingchen nodded. "Why did Second Uncle suddenly go to jail? Is there some hidden reason behind this? Tell me, Second Uncle, and I will definitely find a way to get justice for you."

Looking at the person he had raised with his own hands, Shen Qian replied without hesitation, "There's no hidden reason; it was just a momentary lapse of judgment on my part..."

He knew that the people who were taking revenge on him were Xu's faction, but he wouldn't tell Qingchen. As she said, she would definitely find a way to clear his name and bring those who harmed him to justice, but he didn't want her to do that.

She was a woman, and she had already worked very hard in the officialdom to pursue her ambitions. He didn't want her to offend the Xu faction for his sake.

I don't want to see her suffer even the slightest bit.

Another person who shared the same thoughts as Shen Qian was the Grand Secretary Xu Yan, who was also in the Xu residence.

Xu Yan sipped his tea casually in the study. After putting down the teacup, he wiped the corner of his mouth with the most expensive silk handkerchief.

Shen Qian's reaction was exactly what he expected. He had long guessed that Shen Qian would not reveal the truth. How could someone who wanted his nephew to marry into the Xu faction bear to see his nephew become a thorn in the side of the Xu faction? Revealing the truth would be tantamount to pushing the person he cherished most into a fire pit. Shen Qian could not do that; that's human nature.

He had already figured out his heart.

Even if Shen Qian really did say it, it wouldn't matter to him; it would just be a different way of winning people over. This way is called a threat.

Everyone is born with a weakness: fear. Fear is knowing that someone you don't want to mess with has their eye on you. That person is not only powerful, ruthless, and unshakeable, but also adept at manipulating people and using schemes. Over time, you develop a sense of despair, a feeling of being unable to escape and forced to submit.

That's human nature.

If Shen Qian told Shen Qingchen, she would know that Xu Yan could send her second uncle to the underworld without lifting a finger, and she would be powerless against him. If she didn't want her second uncle to die, or even herself to die, then she had to learn to obey.

He has used this method to torture and subdue countless people, and no matter how high they initially held their heads, they would eventually succumb to his tyranny.

Therefore, his scheme actually had two layers: one targeting people's hearts and the other targeting human nature. No matter which layer things fell into, he could achieve his goal.

Of course, when faced with a smart person, he prefers the first type.

What surprised him most was his son, Xu Silin. Unaware of his entire plan, his son only heard that Shen Qingchen's second uncle had been imprisoned, so he rushed to the Dali Temple and used his connection to force the plaintiff and defendant to change their testimonies, resulting in the Dali Temple releasing the man.

In the end, they even brought the people back to the mansion for treatment and invited Li Shizhen... Such sincerity even made him feel that it was from the bottom of his heart.

It seems that his son doesn't need to be taught how to win people's hearts; he has already grasped it very well.

Xu Yan slowly took a sip of tea and instructed the steward, "Prepare a good meal and tell the young master to have it with Lord Shen. Also, since Shen Qian is unable to move today, have him invite Shen Qingchen to stay at home so he can visit him at any time."