Upon returning to the Prince's residence, Lu Beixing followed Li Qingchen into Chen Garden. In addition to Jingchen Pavilion, Chen Garden also had a medicine shop, which stored various herbs and many rare and precious medicinal materials, making it even more complete than the largest pharmacy in the capital.

Although Lu Beixing was one of only two people in the Eighteen Linked Fortresses who knew Li Qingchen's true identity, the young prince was always cautious and had never brought him or the chief into the palace to avoid being noticed. Today was an exception.

After looking at the room full of medicinal herbs, Lu Beixing was amazed, but couldn't help asking in a cheeky manner, "Why did you allow your subordinate to enter the Prince's mansion today, my lord?"

That smug expression clearly hinted at the second half of his statement: "For Lady Wei, any rule can be broken, right?"

Li Qingchen glanced at him, his tone laced with disdain as he spoke: "Firstly, it's an emergency, and secondly, with you dressed like this today, I doubt anyone will recognize who you are."

As Li Qingchen looked him up and down, Lu Beixing also looked down at his clothes, his eyes and nose wrinkling up in a miserable expression. He almost forgot that he was dressed as a married woman.

Having lost interest in teasing Li Qingchen, Lu Beixing could only bury himself in the medicine table and carefully study the pine frost powder he had taken from Wei Shuwan's fingernails.

Li Qingchen stayed with him at the pharmacy until the early hours of the morning. When he saw Lu Beixing yawn, he said mercifully, "There's no rush. You're not in any danger. Go to sleep first, and we can continue tomorrow."

Once Lu Beixing immersed himself in medicine, he became stubbornly persistent. He suddenly became even more eager than Li Qingchen, waving his hand and saying, "My lord, if you are tired, go to sleep first. I will definitely finish this before I go to sleep!"

After saying that, he casually grabbed a few herbs, stuffed them into his mouth and chewed them, when suddenly his head jolted and he felt a jolt.

Li Qingchen looked at him like he was an idiot and asked in confusion, "What did you just eat?"

"A refreshing herb. With it, even if you stay up all night, you'll feel energetic and refreshed." Lu Beixing grinned as he spoke, and he did indeed look much more energetic than before... as if he were a little out of sorts.

Li Qingchen smiled helplessly, "Then so be it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Beixing assumed that Li Qingchen was going back first, so he nodded in greeting but didn't have time to look up. A moment later, he suddenly noticed a shadow looming over his head. Lu Beixing looked up blankly and saw that Li Qingchen had not only not left, but had come up in front of him.

"My lord, what is this...?"

Before he could finish his question, Li Qingchen grabbed a few herbs and put them into his mouth, chewing them elegantly. The herbs he grabbed were the same ones he had taken before.

"I'd risk my life to accompany you, my lord," Li Qingchen said calmly.

Lu Beixing initially frowned in bewilderment, but quickly relaxed his brow and understood.

He had previously thought that his lord's sudden visit to the Wei family to propose marriage was a strategic move for the greater cause, but now it seems that his lord has truly fallen for that young lady from the Wei family.

Looking down at the few medicinal herbs in his hand, Lu Beixing carefully added and subtracted some ingredients, thinking to himself that he had to be extremely careful this time. If something went wrong, wouldn't his lord hate him to death?

...

As dawn broke, the winter sun gradually pierced through the clouds, casting rays of light through the window lattice, making the few lamps in the room seem almost superfluous.

Lu Beixing stretched his arms and body, and said with a sigh of relief, "The medicine is finally ready."

Li Qingchen looked at him and forced a laugh. If it weren't for his masculine tone, his outstretched arms and waist would have had a touch of feminine charm.

Seeing his lord's barely suppressed amusement, Lu Beixing suddenly remembered that he was still wearing women's clothing. He quickly pulled his arms back, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

Li Qingchen chuckled, then cleared his throat and said, "Alright, you deserve credit for this. I've already had breakfast prepared. After you've eaten, go to your quiet room and catch up on some sleep."

Although the herbs could energize one and prevent fatigue, they still depleted one's physical strength, and it would probably take a day to recover. Especially since Lu Beixing was not like me, who was just idly watching from the sidelines and could occasionally close his eyes for a short rest, he was completely focused on his work and did not take a break for a moment.

Lu Beixing looked down at his attire and asked, "Could I change my clothes?"

"Don't worry, everything is prepared for you. As long as you don't leave Shenyuan, you can move around freely."

Lu Beixing smiled, thinking to himself that his master was quite considerate of his subordinates at this crucial moment. In addition, he had cracked a strange poison from another region, which made him extremely happy. He was in high spirits when he left the medicine shop.

Li Qingchen summoned Yuan Que and ordered, "Have someone come in to help him wash up, and then bring over a more formal everyday outfit. Then go prepare the carriage; we'll go directly to the Wei family."

"Is the young prince not going to climb over the wall today?" Yuan Que asked tentatively.

If their master were to climb over the wall again, there would be no need to dress too formally, since Lady Wei was unconscious and no one was watching over her.

As expected, Li Qingchen grunted in acknowledgment but did not elaborate further. Yuan Que then accepted the order and went to hand over the tasks.

In truth, even without the young prince's words, he had already figured it out. Visiting the sick could be done discreetly, firstly to avoid suspicion, and secondly to prevent alerting the culprit. Now that he was going to deliver the antidote, he naturally had to go through the main gate openly, letting everyone in the Wei family know. Otherwise, when Madam Wei woke up, the Wei family would still think it was just a minor illness, and they might be too lenient in dealing with the villain who poisoned her.

After washing up, Li Qingchen took a carriage to the Wei family's residence. Across the street, he saw several people standing in front of the Wei family's gate, chatting and laughing, creating quite a lively scene. Li Qingchen asked Yuan Que to stop the carriage and peeked through the curtain for a while.

The people who greeted the guests were Old Madam Wei and a middle-aged woman. If he guessed correctly, the middle-aged woman should be the biological daughter that the Wei family had taken back after the baby was switched at birth. Since he had met the other members of the Wei family before, and this person was a stranger, and was very close to Old Madam Wei, he did not think anything of it.

As for the visiting guest, he appeared to be only about twenty years old, with a refined and handsome appearance. Judging from his demeanor and attire, he was undoubtedly from a prominent family. This man was highly respected by Old Madam Wei and the middle-aged woman, and their eyes never left him during their conversation.

"Who is this person?" Li Qingchen asked Gu Zhuang, who was inside the carriage.

Gu Zhuang was responsible for investigation and covert surveillance, and he had a good grasp of the situation of all officials and their families. Therefore, there was no noble, dissolute official family, or wealthy woman in Shengjing City that he did not know.

Gu Zhuang stared at the man intently for a while and quickly recognized him: "Your Highness, this man should be Du Shao, the eldest son of the Vice Minister of Rites. Although he is the eldest son, he was born to a concubine."

"Do you have a family?" Li Qingchen asked again.

Gu Zhuang shook his head: "Not married yet."

Li Qingchen then understood that a man of marriageable age who was not yet married had come to the door with several servants carrying lavish gifts. Without a doubt, he had taken a fancy to the Wei family's daughter and come to propose marriage.