Chapter 2

"Darlang, oh Darlang, you finally called me Mother! Mother... even if I die, it would be worth it!" Lady Xue almost clung to Li Zhongyi’s arm, sobbing and laughing, as if she were in a frenzy.

Li Zhongyi had been in the Li family for several months after crossing time and space, and he roughly knew about Lady Xue’s heartache.

The previous owner of this body, to please his noble-born mother, deliberately treated his birth mother, Lady Xue, with exceptional coldness, often scolding and insulting her in front of many servants, making her feel humiliated and miserable.

The head of the household, Li Dahe, though a medical official, had learned the typical demeanor of a scholar-official and turned a deaf ear to the affairs of the inner chambers.

With her husband indifferent and her own son constantly hurling insults, Lady Xue’s life was undoubtedly difficult.

In their haste to escape, the three of them moved quickly, but who would have thought that as soon as they reached the back door, they saw a large group of fierce soldiers pouring in from outside, shouting and yelling.

"Darlang, quickly climb over the wall, Mother will hold them off..."

At this critical moment, Lady Xue, with an unknown surge of courage, stepped forward and spread her frail arms in front of Li Zhongyi.

"Men, keep your eyes sharp, not even a grasshopper shall escape..." Li Zhongyi heard the continuous shouts from outside the wall and sighed softly, realizing that escaping by climbing the wall was now a mere fantasy.

The soldiers who rushed through the back door, under the command of their officers, forced the three of them into a corner with their weapons.

Facing the cold, sharp weapons, Lady Xue was clearly terrified, her lips turning blue and her body trembling, yet she still shielded Li Zhongyi.

In that instant, a powerful force struck the softest part of Li Zhongyi’s heart, and a warm current spread throughout his body.

"Mother, I am a man." Li Zhongyi smiled at Lady Xue, his expression resolute, his eyes clearly showing that he was a man and must stand up.

"Da... Darlang..." Lady Xue, in a panic, tried to hold back Li Zhongyi, but he had already silently stepped over her, using his somewhat thin body to shield her and Ping'er behind him.

After the soldiers took control of the house, they did not physically assault Li Zhongyi and the others, but merely stared at them coldly.

Not long after, a series of shouts came from the front door, "The imperial envoy has arrived!"

"Quickly, quickly..." Under the threat of the soldiers’ weapons, Li Zhongyi and the others were driven to the main hall.

A white-faced, beardless eunuch, holding an imperial edict, stood on the steps, looking down.

Perhaps noticing the large bundle on Li Zhongyi’s shoulder, the eunuch sneered, "You seem well-prepared. Are you visiting relatives or just going out for a stroll?"

The saying "when the wall falls, everyone pushes" is indeed true.

This eunuch was clearly mocking them for his own amusement, like a cat playing with a mouse.

For such a level of ridicule, with Li Zhongyi’s experience and knowledge, it was like a breeze passing by his ears.

Li Zhongyi cleared his throat, attracting the eunuch’s attention, and then smiled, "I was just about to visit relatives, but I didn’t expect the honorable envoy to arrive. I apologize for my poor hospitality, I hope you will not be offended."

"Hmm..." The eunuch looked at Li Zhongyi with some surprise. He had only intended to toy with them, but he didn’t expect the young man to have such courage, which was quite unexpected.

"Since the honorable envoy has brought the imperial edict, why not wait a moment while I set up an incense altar to respectfully receive the imperial command?" Li Zhongyi, suppressing his fear and panic, bowed deeply to the eunuch.

Even now, Li Zhongyi only knew that his father, Li Dahe, had caused a major problem while treating the imperial concubine, but he was completely unaware of the details. What he needed most was time to carefully consider and even investigate the matter.

The eunuch was initially unwilling to agree to Li Zhongyi’s request, but the court had strict regulations for receiving imperial edicts, which required setting up an incense altar.

The eunuch glanced around, his eyes sweeping over the soldiers stationed every few steps. He thought, since the people were already under control, could a cooked duck still fly away?

"Hehe, I can’t tolerate too much sand in my eyes. Young man, you are a secondary son, and setting up an incense altar to receive the imperial edict is not your place." The eunuch laughed slyly and then shouted, "Men, bring them all in."

"Yes!" In the shouts of the soldiers, Li Zhongyi saw his noble-born mother, Lady Cao, and his second brother, Li Zhonghao, being pushed and dragged in, both crying and pale.

Li Zhonghao, who had once been quite handsome, now had several prominent bloodstains on his face, his hair disheveled, and he looked like a madman, completely losing the air of the Li family’s noble son.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, perhaps due to guilt for secretly running away, or for some other reason, Li Zhonghao avoided Li Zhongyi’s gaze, not daring to look at him.

Seeing his noble-born mother and second brother also captured, Li Zhongyi suddenly understood that the news of his father’s trouble reaching the family so quickly might have been a deliberate trap.

After all, the Li family was just a low-ranking physician’s family, and if not for someone’s deliberate arrangement, how could news of a major event in the palace reach the family so quickly?

"Li family’s second son, what are you waiting for? Quickly set up the incense altar to receive the imperial edict." The eunuch glanced at Li Zhongyi with a self-satisfied look, showing some disdain.

In the red walls of the future, Li Zhongyi had seen too many people who were quick to follow the powerful and quick to kick the fallen, so he was not at all bothered by this.

The eunuch repeatedly urged Li Zhonghao, who trembled like a person with a fever, finally stuttering, "Everything... everything is up to my elder brother." The scene was in chaos.

Bing'er, her face purple with anger, forgot her fear and status, and shouted, "You’ve taken all the advantages in the family, but now you want the eldest son to bear all the misfortune. What kind of logic is that?"

Li Zhongyi shook his head inwardly. His younger brother, pampered from a young age, had never experienced any real challenges, and was indeed a hopeless case.

"Your Excellency, it’s getting late. Why don’t I take care of it for him?" Li Zhongyi stepped forward, bowing deeply.

The eunuch looked at the setting sun and the calm Li Zhongyi, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded, "Get it done quickly, don’t delay the time."

Li Zhongyi wasted no time, turning to Bing'er, "Go find the steward and get some incense and candles, and don’t forget to clean the incense altar."

Bing'er was about to leave, but Li Zhongyi stopped her, "What are you going to do?"

"Go... go find the steward..." Bing'er, a servant girl from a deep courtyard, was naturally flustered and might make a mistake in such a critical situation.

Li Zhongyi was glad for his caution, and he stared at Bing'er, repeating his instructions word by word twice.

"Don’t panic, go." Li Zhongyi confirmed everything was correct and sent Bing'er off kindly.

The eunuch nodded at the steps, and two soldiers immediately followed her, escorting her to do the task.

"Your Excellency, the sun is scorching like a tiger. Why don’t you rest in the hall for a moment?" Li Zhongyi slowly walked down the steps, a few steps away from the fully armed soldiers, and extended a friendly invitation to the eunuch.

"No need!" The eunuch firmly rejected Li Zhongyi’s request, "Step back."

Despite the distance, Li Zhongyi could still smell a faint urine odor mixed with the incense, and he nodded inwardly, confirming his suspicion.

Li Zhongyi’s purpose in approaching the eunuch was to verify the family medical history’s records.

In his previous life, Li Zhongyi’s ancestors were top imperial physicians in the Qing court, including a left court judge. According to family history, the powerful eunuch Wei Zhu, despite his immense power, had a persistent urinary problem due to castration, and had to use a large amount of incense to cover the odor.

Later, Li Zhongyi’s ancestor saved his life by offering Wei Zhu a formula that significantly reduced the urinary problem.

The courtyard was full of heavily armed soldiers, and Li Zhongyi clearly could not communicate privately with Lady Cao or Li Zhonghao. To uncover the truth, he had to find a breakthrough with the eunuch.

However, since the eunuch had been castrated, he might have some psychological issues and taboos. Directly pointing out his problem in front of so many people would be foolish.

Although, according to history, eunuchs were not averse to money. In such a critical situation, money was an external matter, and as long as one had a foothold, there was no lack of resources.

However, although the Li family had some wealth, it was all controlled by Lady Cao, and Li Zhongyi, not knowing the details, had no way to act.

Just as Li Zhongyi was anxious, a light bulb went off in his head. The Li family had a half-root of a seventy-year-old Korean ginseng.

Li Dahe, once drunk, had mentioned that this half-root of Korean ginseng was a priceless family treasure, and for safety, it was hidden under a movable floor tile in the ancestral hall.

After making up his mind, Li Zhongyi respectfully said to the eunuch, "Your Excellency, we have a seventy-year-old Korean ginseng passed down from our ancestors. This ginseng is a divine medicine..." He deliberately paused, watching the eunuch’s reaction.

According to medical history, the ancients had many ridiculous misconceptions about the effects of Korean ginseng. In this era, Korean ginseng was praised as a life-saving herb, similar to the modern belief that eating raw eggplants can cure all diseases, which is equally ridiculous.

"What? What? A seventy-year-old Korean ginseng?" The eunuch exclaimed, staring at Li Zhongyi with surprise and joy.

"Would I dare to deceive Your Excellency?" Li Zhongyi emphasized, giving a very definite answer.

The eunuch looked at Li Zhongyi with suspicion, his eyes darting around, his face changing rapidly.

"Please, Your Excellency, come to the main hall, and I will explain in detail." Li Zhongyi, not wanting to delay, promptly extended the invitation.

The eunuch hesitated for a long time, but ultimately could not resist the allure of the divine medicine. He immediately put on a smile and said, "Since Darlang is sincerely serving the emperor, I will speak well of you to the court, and they might show leniency."

Li Zhongyi inwardly laughed. The eunuch was just trying to get the ginseng, and his promise was not sincere at all.

This level of deception was nothing to Li Zhongyi, who had lived in the red walls of the future.

"Your Excellency, please." Li Zhongyi, not wanting to waste precious time, made a respectful gesture.

The eunuch, with a full smile, led Li Zhongyi into the main hall. After they sat down and exchanged a few pleasantries, he leaned forward and asked, "Nephew, where is the Korean ginseng?"

Good grief, even the title had become so sappy. It’s just a half-root of ginseng, how much integrity does it cost?