Chen Qing
Duan Wenjin was like a watercolor painting that had faded instantly; the energy and spirit that had been lifted by Lin Yi's arrival vanished in an instant before her very eyes.
"Last time you said that Master Liu killed Chun Chan on impulse—actually, you've known each other for a long time, right? Can you tell me what kind of person he is?"
Perhaps feeling it was too arbitrary to define a person in just a few words, Duan Wenjin's lips moved, but he couldn't say anything.
Lin Yi then asked, "Or, could you tell me how you met? Although we only met once, I don't think he's the kind of person who would kill his wife and children."
“He is definitely not that kind of person. As for our acquaintance... it was just a chance encounter from an earlier time.”
"At that time, I had not yet come to Renjitang. I followed my father to various places to practice medicine. As a young man, I was ignorant of the immensity of the world and resentful of being always controlled by my father, so I thought about going to a bigger place to make my way. That was the first and only time in my memory that I completely went against his wishes. I went to Mingzhou City alone with just a bundle."
Duan Wenjin chuckled lightly, a complex smile carrying a hint of carefree arrogance, quite unlike his usual calm and reserved demeanor. "When I got there, I was dumbfounded. I had no connections, no influential figures to rely on, and even my medical skills, which I had always been proud of, were utterly inadequate in this place teeming with talent. I was a complete greenhorn, and the money I brought with me quickly ran out. Just before I was at my wit's end, I happened to run into a newly appointed official surnamed Liu who was building his residence in the city. His elderly mother, whom he had just brought from outside the city, was suffering from acclimatization issues after the long journey, and he posted a notice offering a hundred taels of gold for medical treatment."
"The illness was actually not difficult to treat, but since Master Liu was new to the city and didn't know much about the medical practices there, I took advantage of the situation by accepting the challenge. As a result, I was cured. With the money, I had a good time wandering around Mingzhou City before my father found me and brought me back."
The encounter between a wealthy businessman and a poor young doctor is a cliché, but perhaps Duan Wenjin is naturally suited to storytelling. His pronunciation is extremely light and easy, carrying a relaxed, nostalgic tone that makes the listener feel at ease. Lin Yi gradually became engrossed, as if that time from several years ago was unfolding before her eyes. "And then?"
"Later, my father finally had enough of wandering around and gave up his own struggles to join Renjitang... About a year or two later, my great-uncle passed away and my father succeeded him as the new head of the hall. I then followed him to Mingzhou City. After returning, I visited Master Liu. He treated me quite well and occasionally invited me to his residence to see patients."
Lin nodded: "So, you got together with the Third Madam during this period."
——!
The surprise in Duan Wenjin's eyes at that moment seemed genuine.
Lin Yi, however, felt relieved: "I had been thinking about how to find out the answers to my doubts one by one, until just now I suddenly realized that no matter how many times I asked you indirectly or investigated, it would not be as simple and straightforward as asking you directly."
Through her question, Duan Wenjin astutely pieced together the details of their interactions over the past few days, realizing her true purpose in approaching him. "You suspect I murdered Madam Liu and framed Master Liu? But have you considered that if I were truly the murderer, I would confess truthfully if you questioned me?"
Lin Yi said dismissively, "Then are you the murderer?"
Duan Wenjin: "..."
Lin Yi gave him no room to dodge, staring intently at him.
Duan Wenjin felt somewhat uncomfortable under his gaze. He lowered his head and said self-deprecatingly, "I've already told you so much today, isn't that enough?"
"Since you've already said so much, why not say a little more? It's not good to keep so many things bottled up inside, is it?"
After a long silence, Duan Wenjin finally sighed very softly, "Then let me tell you another story."
...
In that story, there were no breathtakingly beautiful encounters between a talented man and a beautiful woman. Only the fleeting nods exchanged when they occasionally met in the Liu family mansion. For a long time, they didn't even exchange a single word.
Their paths crossed when the wife, feeling sorry for her husband, sought medical advice and treatment.
Feeling sorry for Master Liu's tireless work day and night for the family business, Madam Liu addressed Duan Wenjin as "Master" for the first time when they met again, and asked for a recipe for medicinal diet to nourish and regulate his body.
Duan Wenjin was polite to everyone, and the servants in the Liu household could roughly tell from their few encounters that he was a highly skilled doctor with a gentle and kind temperament, so they were willing to go to him when they were sick. Duan Wenjin never refused, and thus, he visited the Liu household more and more often.
Later, whenever the two met, they would greet each other with smiles and occasionally discuss the dietary supplements that Master Liu had recently been taking.
However, this change in the relationship was thanks to Duan Qitian.
Duan Qitian is strict with people, has a strong desire for control, and is never willing to be second to anyone. Since taking over as the hall master, he has done a lot of things, both openly and secretly.
As a son, Duan Wenjin could not speak disobeying orders, but there were always a few things he found difficult to uphold his bottom line about, yet he could not stand by his actions, and he had been punished many times for going his own way.
Perhaps it was the scarred wrist bone he inadvertently revealed while taking someone's pulse, or the slightly furrowed brows when considering a prescription, or perhaps it was just the faint medicinal fragrance emanating from his robes.
Madam Liu became increasingly curious about this gentle and taciturn young man.
Duan Wenjin said that it was Madam Liu who was the first to fall in love, a point that Lin Yi did not doubt.
Once they fell in love, they couldn't help but want to get closer, but both of them kept their feelings within the bounds of propriety.
However, Duan Qitian noticed something amiss with the increasingly frequent private interactions, so without distinguishing right from wrong, he reprimanded him again and ordered him not to go to the Liu residence again.
Perhaps years of suppression and restraint had finally reached their limit, and he desperately needed an outlet. This time, Duan Wenjin did not listen to him.
Despite Liu San's repeated attempts to win him over, he eventually became the one who couldn't be seen in the light of day in this relationship.
Duan Wenjin said that Madam Liu was also someone who had no choice in the matter.
She was originally a young lady from a wealthy family, but due to her family's decline, she was taken into the Liu household as a concubine. Coincidentally, one of Liu's first two wives had died, and the other remained in her hometown and refused to come with him. Thus, she naturally became his third wife.
She had no feelings for Liu, the wealthy man; she simply resigned herself to following her husband and playing the role of a virtuous and kind wife every day.
Those who suffer misfortune dare not presume to have true feelings; true feelings are merely a burden—when unattainable, they only make their already tormented days even more miserable.
However, in her interactions with Duan Wenjin, her heart, which had been dead, miraculously began to beat again.
Vibrant and powerful.
Since their secret affair began, the sense of transgression between reason and desire was like a grappling hook, coiling around Duan Wenjin's neck like a venomous snake during his most painful period.
He was acutely aware that he shouldn't have done it, that he was being despicable by half-heartedly complying, and even that the excitement and comfort he gained from this disregard for ethics were tantamount to drinking poison to quench his thirst. He drifted along in a state of conscious self-loathing.
All of this happened more like a belated rebellion and resistance.
Until Madam Liu happily told him that she was pregnant.
Like waking from a dream.
He started to get irritable and desperately wanted to end the relationship.
A fleeting affair would be one thing, but he couldn't let Master Liu raise his child without knowing anything.
Just then, Xinglin Medical Clinic was just beginning to emerge and became Duan Qitian's new target. After sending people to cause trouble one after another and failing, he passed this tough nut on to Duan Wenjin.
Knowing Duan Wenjin's long-standing pain and predicament, Madam Liu offered to help.
It was at that moment that Duan Wenjin suddenly realized that this was a great opportunity.
So they devised a plan: to have Madam Liu go to the Xinglin Medical Clinic for a consultation, and after receiving a prescription for pregnancy-stabilizing medicine, to have her take a specially made laxative. The laxative would cause intermittent abdominal pain without harming her or the fetus, thus allowing them to shift the blame onto the Xinglin Medical Clinic. Whether successful or not, it would at least provide some explanation to Duan Qitian.
Secretly, he replaced the diarrhea medication with an abortion drug. He carefully considered the dosage to ensure it would not harm the mother.
Unexpectedly, Master Liu had the same idea.
...
Lin Yi was stunned for a long time. It seemed reasonable, but he really couldn't have expected the truth to be like this, such a twist of fate.
The two men closest to her, neither of whom intended to harm her, killed her together.
Neither of the two men wanted her to give birth to the child, and she was the only one who was happily awaiting the child's birth, but she lost her life because of this child.
Fate is cruel and unpredictable, it's truly heartbreaking...
Duan Wenjin was still talking to herself.
“I want to please my father and gain his approval. But it seems that no matter what I do, he will never be satisfied. His ambition is too great, so great that it frightens me. I hardly recognize him anymore, and I don’t even recognize myself anymore.”
"Although I kept saying I was unwilling, I did make a lot of mistakes."
He stared blankly at his hand, as if it were some terrifying thing.
“I actually envy you. You can open your own clinic and have the support of the young marquis and the head physician. As a woman, survival is even more difficult, but you have so much support.”
"Actually, I just want to be a doctor who can make a living peacefully, a regular doctor who can examine patients and take their pulse, instead of running around to different clinics and dealing with those trivial matters."
"Only when I think that everything I do is to enable more people to see a doctor can I feel a little gratified."
Relieved... He actually said he was relieved?
Lin Yi stared at him blankly for a long time before finding her voice.
"However, because of what you have done, many small clinics have no way to survive. And because of your cleverness, Madam Liu is dead, and your child is dead too."
Duan Wenjin remained silent, his voice hoarse, "I know."
Lin Yi felt incredibly sad. She asked with some difficulty, "Why did you have to tell me all this?"
Duan Wenjin smiled wryly and said, "Didn't you ask me that?"
Lin Yi really wanted to retort, "Just because I ask you a question doesn't mean you have to answer it."
But she had nothing to say; it was she who had approached him time and time again, trying every possible way to find out the truth.
But……
Duan Wenjin said, "I don't have the determination or courage to tell the truth, but I'm telling you this story. Whether you use it to bring me to justice is up to you."
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