Ah Si walked along the covered walkway all the way to the outside of Physician Jin's courtyard.
According to Jiang Wan, Imperial Physician Jin has an attendant named Mu Jin, who can be consulted in case of emergency.
Ah Si saw that Wu Mama and Mei Xiang had agreed on a time that night.
As it happened, Ji Huaichuan was on duty today, and this was the only place he could find.
Following Jiang Wan's instructions, he imitated the call of a cuckoo twice outside the wall. Before long, a thin, ordinary-looking servant walked out of the courtyard.
It is a hibiscus.
He frowned upon hearing Ah Si's words: "We'll meet at 5 PM, which is less than two hours from now."
“If it’s inconvenient for you, I’ll make a trip to the General’s Mansion,” A-Si said.
“You’re with Meixiang every day, so your sudden disappearance will arouse her suspicion.” Mu Jin thought for a moment and said, “I understand what the Pavilion Master means. Leave this matter to me. You can go back and await orders.”
After saying that, he turned and went back to the inner courtyard.
Ah Si snorted in dissatisfaction.
What do you mean by "waiting for orders"? Does he really think he's Jiang Wan's servant?
And what about some "pavilion master"... I don't know if they're referring to Jiang Wan or someone else.
Ah Si scoffed, thinking to himself that Jiang Wan's subordinates were all acting mysteriously.
Although it was only a brief encounter, he could tell that Mu Jin's steps were steady and powerful, indicating that she possessed martial arts skills and was no less capable than the members of the Dark Guard.
Even the manager of Qi Shunzhai that day was no ordinary person.
When the two men mentioned Jiang Wan, their tone was very respectful.
"I didn't expect this woman to be so good at winning people over."
Ah Si pursed his lips, crossed his arms, and walked away.
In the inner courtyard, Imperial Physician Jin watched his attendants dry medicinal herbs while he leaned back in a reclining chair to rest.
In the blink of an eye, he had been at the Ji residence for nearly ten days.
The attendant picked up the medicinal herbs according to the prescription and flattered, "The prescription given by the imperial physician is excellent. It will surely be very effective in treating hysteria."
Physician Jin closed his eyes and remained silent.
What good is the best medicine if Ji Rong doesn't have hysteria at all?
Emperor Jingyuan did not send him here for medical treatment.
Recalling the solemn expression on Emperor Jingyuan's face when he gave him instructions before he left the palace, Imperial Physician Jin felt uneasy.
In terms of medical skills, he was not the most skilled in the Imperial Medical Academy.
The reason he was favored by the late emperor was because he was quite skilled in witchcraft.
His ancestral home was in Youzhou. In his youth, he followed a Miao witch doctor and traveled all over the country. Although he was not an expert, he learned the art through observation and experience.
Before the late emperor recovered the Miao region, his skills were still useful.
However, in recent decades, the Great Yong Dynasty has enjoyed favorable weather and abundant harvests, and no Miao people have appeared in the capital for a long time.
Physician Jin never expected that he would be reinstated by the imperial court.
At Princess Zhaohua's birthday banquet, he discovered the medicinal powder in a gold hairpin.
Ordinary people can't smell anything, but only the Gu worms can sense it and react with restlessness and excitement. This is a method used by Gu worm breeders to control the Gu worms.
Considering Ji Rong's behavior that day, it's easy to guess what happened.
That's why Emperor Jingyuan placed him by Ji Rong's side, in order to find out who had poisoned Ji Rong.
Physician Jin sighed silently.
He wondered who was so audacious as to plant a curse on a high-ranking official in the court.
Could it be that after so many years, the Miao people have made a comeback?
It seems that things are about to get turbulent in the capital again.
Imperial Physician Jin slowly sat up, took a sip of the freshly brewed tea, and frowned.
He spat out all the tea, staring intently at the teacup with an expression of disbelief.
"Sir, is this tea not to your liking?"
Not far away, a servant stepped forward and bowed his head to explain.
"You finished your Biluochun tea a few days ago. I don't know much about tea, but I thought that Master Ji must be using good tea, so I brought his usual Tieguanyin."
"If you don't like it, I'll go and get something else."
"Wait a minute." Imperial Physician Jin stopped the servant and glanced at him.
Physician Jin was on a secret mission, and he was extremely careful not to leak any information or have any unclean people around him.
This servant boy, named Mu Jin, had been serving him in his courtyard these past few days. He was meticulous in his actions, never uttering a word or causing any trouble.
One look at his simple and unassuming face tells you that he is honest and upright.
Most of the people sent by the Ji family were driven away by him; Mu Jin was the only one who stayed.
Physician Jin recognized him and felt somewhat relieved. He asked, "You mean Lord Ji is drinking this tea?"
Mu Jin nodded: "Exactly."
Physician Jin's expression darkened.
The tea has a peculiar smell, similar to the medicinal powder on the gold hairpin from the palace banquet. There must be something wrong with it.
"Who is serving Lord Ji's tea?"
Mu Jin said, "They used to be servants in the manor. A few days ago, Madam Jiang specially sent a group of servants to serve Lord Ji. Now... it seems that a maid has been changed to take care of these things."
Imperial Physician Jin nodded and waved for him to leave.
Mu Jin's words could not be entirely trusted, so he sent his trusted confidant to the front yard to inquire.
The investigation revealed that the person serving Ji Rong tea and food these past two days was indeed a maid named Meixiang.
Physician Jin took a deep breath.
He waited at the Ji residence for many days but still couldn't find out the identity of the person who used the Gu poison.
Today, things have finally started to look promising.
He looked at the guards beside him; they were the Imperial Guards sent by Emperor Jingyuan to assist him.
"From now on, keep a close eye on this Mei Xiang!"
At this moment, Meixiang was completely unaware that she was being watched by two pairs of eyes.
That night, taking advantage of the absence of her roommates, she quietly slipped out of the mansion at the time instructed in Wu Mama's letter.
Before leaving, she cautiously glanced back a few times before arriving at the alley agreed upon in the letter.
Meixiang was unaware that her furtive actions only aroused the suspicion of the guards who were secretly following her.
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