Chapter 10: The Evening Star Garden

In the beginning, when heaven and earth were in chaos, the interplay of yin and yang gave rise to difficulties, and movement in peril, like water and thunder in the hexagram Zun...

Chen Ji vaguely remembered this seemed to be from the I Ching, but he didn't know what it meant.

But even if he didn't understand, he still had a deep respect for Old Yao's divination techniques. The hexagram for tonight was so ominous that even Old Yao would avoid it. What difference would it make if he went, other than to court death?

He asked in confusion, "Master, is it because my八字 (eight characters) are strong enough?"

Old Yao thought for a moment, "Hmm."

Chen Ji said helplessly, "Clearly, all three of us disciples have the same八字 (eight characters)!"

Old Yao replied, "If the other two were to have an accident, who would pay the tuition? You can't pay the tuition anyway, so you should go. If you don't want to go, you can pack your things and go home."

Chen Ji thought for a long time, "Alright, I'll go."

Chun Hua led Chen Ji to the main gate of the mansion. Under the plaque that read "Great Brightness," they were stopped by the guards with their long spears, "Show your waist plate!"

She showed her waist plate, "This is the mansion's waist plate. Please let the doctor in."

The guards silently retracted their spears, and the red gate slowly opened with a creak.

The two of them bowed their heads and hurried through the vast and deep mansion, with high red walls and gray tiles on either side, and a second-story pavilion. Under the eaves, golden dragons with four claws were painted, holding fire-warding pearls in their mouths.

Chen Ji nervously looked at the black-armored guards standing solemnly, some on duty and others patrolling, their eyes scanning the surroundings.

Chun Hua whispered, "Has Doctor Yao told you about the rules of the mansion?"

Chen Ji judged that his original self probably didn't have the qualifications to enter the mansion, so this was his first time, and that's why she asked, "Master hasn't taught me yet. Please enlighten me, Miss Chun Hua."

Chun Hua said, "Bow your head near the Jing'an Hall and Mingzheng Hall, and don't look around. Don't speak rashly when you see my lady. Answer only what you are asked, and whatever you see or hear in the mansion, don't speak of it outside."

"Understood."

They came to an arched gate, and a group of over ten women carrying two wooden stretchers covered in white cloth approached.

These women were broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, likely strong servants from the inner quarters of the mansion.

As they passed each other, one of the stretchers jolted, and a slender, bruised hand slipped out. One of the women expressionlessly pushed the hand back under the white cloth as if nothing had happened.

The group moved on, their destination unknown, carrying the two bodies.

Chen Ji said, "Miss Chun Hua, you must tell me what happened just now."

"My lady had a miscarriage," Chun Hua said, "The two on the stretchers were maids from the Evening Star Garden who were beaten to death."

Chen Ji's heart tightened.

At this moment, the inner quarters were brightly lit, with servants coming and going, busy with something. Everyone looked hurried and solemn.

Outside the Evening Star Garden, about seven or eight servants were kneeling by the wall, crying and pleading for justice. Over ten strong women were beating their backs with rattan rods, "Speak! Who touched Lady Jing's dinner today? If you don't speak, you will all be beaten to death!"

One of them cried, "I really didn't touch it, my lady."

A strong woman angrily said, "Still not speaking?"

She then pulled the servant's head and slammed it against the wall, killing her on the spot!

Chen Ji turned his head slightly, thinking that if he mishandled the situation tonight, he might end up the same way.

But as he approached the Evening Star Garden, he suddenly felt a cold current surge out from the garden, flowing into his body. This cold current was much more powerful than the one he had felt from Zhou Chengyi, several times stronger!

Wait, where did this cold current come from? Why did it come?

If the last time it was due to Zhou Chengyi's vengeful spirit because he helped Yun Yang and Jiao Tu capture Jing Chao's spy, then why would there be a cold current entering his body this time when the people who died in the Evening Star Garden had nothing to do with him?

Chen Ji thought urgently. There must be a hidden commonality in the cold currents. He needed to find this commonality to understand what the cold current was.

Who was the source of this cold current? This was a crucial question.

Before he could think it through, Chun Hua turned and urged, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and follow."

Chen Ji quickly followed. The Evening Star Garden was spacious, with artificial hills and water features. The main building was a two-story pavilion, with climbing roses growing along the walls, their green vines winding up the building, trimmed to look especially elegant.

The tranquility and refinement of the garden contrasted sharply with the hellish scene outside, making even the rose vines seem eerie.

At that moment, a woman's voice from inside the pavilion shouted angrily, "My lady felt something was wrong with the bird's nest soup earlier. She miscarried just two hours after drinking it. Someone must have poisoned my lady! When the prince returns and finds his child is gone, he will surely kill someone!"

As she finished speaking, Chun Hua called out from below, "My lady, the doctor is here."

"Bring him up quickly," a gentle woman's voice said, "Let him examine Lady Jing and see if she was poisoned."

Chen Ji followed Chun Hua up the wooden stairs.

On the second floor, a thin silk screen blocked the bed. A middle-aged woman sat in a chair outside the screen, wearing a plain silk robe embroidered with gold thread, a flower feather hairpin in her hair. She looked concerned and said gently, "Lady Jing, don't worry. There will be another time. You will surely conceive again."

Behind the screen, Lady Jing's voice was weak, "Thank you, Lady Yun."

In a corner of the second floor, a black cat and a white cat were fighting, shedding fur everywhere, but no one paid attention, as if deliberately letting them fight.

The black cat, smaller in size, was kicked in the head several times, almost losing its soul.

But when Chen Ji stepped onto the stairs, the black cat suddenly broke free from the white cat, staring intently at Chen Ji's sleeve, sniffing. It wanted to approach Chen Ji, but the white cat pounced again, dragging it back to the corner.

Chun Hua had already brought Chen Ji to the second floor and said to the screen, "My lady, the doctor is here. Let him examine you."

At this moment, a fierce woman looked at Chun Hua and asked angrily, "Where is Doctor Yao? Why did you bring a young boy?"

Chun Hua, frightened, knelt down and said with a sob, "Doctor Yao said tonight is extremely inauspicious and he shouldn't go out. I even mentioned the prince, but I couldn't persuade him."

The fierce woman's face darkened, "The mansion's doctor can't be summoned by the mansion? What a big ego this Doctor Yao has!"

Lady Yun frowned, "I know Doctor Yao likes to calculate auspicious and inauspicious times, but not coming tonight is a bit too much. When the prince returns from Jiangnan, I will report this to him. If the doctor's office can't be summoned by the mansion, it might as well be disbanded."

The fierce woman asked, "What about tonight? What about my lady's illness?"

Lady Yun looked troubled, "The prince is not here, and Doctor Yao is a seventh-rank official. We have to wait for the prince to return to make a decision."

The fierce woman said sternly, "You didn't tell Doctor Yao not to come, did you?"

Behind the screen, Lady Jing quickly said, "Chun Rong, don't be disrespectful to Lady Yun!"

Lady Yun smiled, "It's fine. Chun Rong is just concerned about you. Since the doctor is here, let him examine Lady Jing first."

Lady Jing said softly, "Alright."

The fierce woman, Chun Rong, looked at Chen Ji coldly, "What are you standing there for? Come and examine Lady Jing."

Chen Ji lowered his head and said nothing.

He didn't know how to diagnose people at all...

Moreover, the most important thing right now wasn't diagnosing. Whether he diagnosed correctly or incorrectly, something would happen.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Chun Rong became furious, "Examine her!"

Chen Ji thought for a long time and finally said with a bitter face, "My apologies, my lady. I have only studied medicine for two years. First, I have been with my master for a short time, and second, my skills are not yet refined. I really don't know how to determine if Lady Jing was poisoned. This matter should be handled by my master. I will try to persuade him to come."

Chun Rong scolded, "You don't even know how to diagnose and you're already talking nonsense. Drag him out and beat him to death! Doctor Yao is a seventh-rank official and can't be touched, but a mere apprentice can be beaten to death. This will also show the doctor's office what happens when they neglect their duties!"

As she spoke, four strong women rushed up from downstairs, their footsteps thudding on the wooden floor. They dragged Chen Ji to beat him to death.

His hair was disheveled, his wooden hairpin fell to the ground, and his clothes tore under the strain.

Lady Yun sipped her tea and ignored it. In the eyes of the nobles of this era, the death of an apprentice was not worth much attention.

"Wait, let me finish speaking," Chen Ji struggled to say, "Although I am not proficient in medicine, if Lady Jing was indeed poisoned, I am willing to find the real culprit!"

The second floor suddenly fell silent, leaving only Chen Ji's heavy breathing.

Lady Yun put down her teacup and looked at him curiously, "Oh? You have this ability?"

She re-examined the disheveled young man, feeling that he no longer looked like an apprentice, his eyes becoming increasingly calm.

Chen Ji asked quickly, "How many months pregnant is Lady Jing?"

Lady Jing replied softly from behind the screen, "Five months."

Chen Ji said, "At five months, the fetus is fully formed. If someone used a strong poison to harm the fetus within a few hours, the mother would also die! There is no poison in the world that only harms the fetus and not the pregnant woman!"

The principle of an abortion drug is to reduce progesterone levels and cause uterine contractions, forcing the pregnancy tissue out of the body. For such a drug to take effect within a day, it must be used on a fetus within three months.

The remaining reasons for a five-month fetus to miscarry are a few: first, reproductive organ diseases such as uterine deformities; second, systemic diseases such as influenza, pneumonia, or organ failure; third, external force; fourth, severe emotional fluctuations such as sadness or shock.

Chen Ji asked, "Has Lady Jing been unwell these past few months?"

Chun Rong replied, "My lady was very healthy earlier, but in recent months, she has had a poor appetite. When we asked Doctor Yao, he said it was a normal pregnancy reaction."

Chen Ji did not take Doctor Yao's words as a reference. He had read the medical compendium and knew that even a respected doctor could not transcend the limitations of the era.

He continued, "Has Lady Jing recently been hit by external force or experienced severe emotional fluctuations?"

Chun Rong laughed coldly, "What are you talking about? My lady is a noble lady. How could she have the conditions you mentioned? If you are just stalling, the consequences will be more severe than just being beaten to death."

Chen Ji suddenly said, "Since none of the above apply, it must be poisoning! But it's not from tonight, it's from long-term poisoning!"

"Hmm?"

"Are you sure?"

(End of Chapter)