Lin Hong had been unusually exhausted lately. The construction of the Gathering Scenery Garden bedchamber was nearing completion, but there were still many details that required careful consideration. Every night, Lin Hong would stay up late poring over blueprints, lost in thought. Meanwhile, the display platters for the ceremonial banquet were also a daunting task. In addition to teaching the eunuchs of the Imperial Banquet Office daily, the ancient pine tree he had to create from scratch drained him of both mental and physical energy. First, he envisioned the ideal shape of the tree in his mind, then meticulously selected branches and stumps provided by the imperial gardeners. He used carpentry tools to shape the thicker branches, but the graceful curves of the finer twigs were often bent by hand, one by one. Even with apprentices assisting, whenever their work didn’t meet his expectations, he would inevitably redo it himself. He had always strived for perfection. Even if others praised his designed branches, he would silently scrutinize them repeatedly. Whenever he noticed imperfections, he would revise them again and again. Often, he would stand working on the pine tree for six or seven hours a day, unwilling to pause even for a drink or a meal. And after revising the Gathering Scenery Garden blueprints at night, he had less than two hours left for sleep.
After many days like this, he looked quite haggard. On this day, as he was assembling branches in the eastern corridor of the Great Celebration Hall as usual, he suddenly felt dizzy and swayed. Zhang Zhibei, the Chief Eunuch who had been watching him work, quickly stepped forward to support him. Seeing Lin Hong’s pale face and dark circles under his eyes, Zhang immediately called over several Junior Eunuchs and instructed them to escort the Court Gentleman for Spreading Righteousness to the Imperial Academy of Medicine.
Seeing that Chief Eunuch Zhang had sent him over, the Imperial Academy of Medicine did not dare to delay. They promptly summoned Guo Siqi to examine Lin Hong. After observing, listening, questioning, and checking his pulse, Imperial Physician Guo determined that it was due to exhaustion. He advised Lin Hong to rest temporarily in the academy and refrain from working that day. He also asked Han Suwen to massage Lin Hong’s head, shoulders, and neck. After a while, Lin Hong began to recover. Seeing his complexion improve, Han Suwen smiled and suggested he go to the hall to enjoy the fragrance of incense and savor some tea.
The hall of the Imperial Academy of Medicine was bright and clean, with light streaming through the windows. The aroma wafting from the Boshan censer was dominated by borneol, refreshing the mind and senses. Lin Hong walked slowly inside and, following Han Suwen’s introduction, began to look up at the portraits of famous physicians from past dynasties hanging in the hall. The first few depicted well-known legendary doctors, such as Bian Que, Hua Tuo, Zhang Zhongjing, and Sun Simiao, followed by some imperial physicians of the current dynasty, most of whom were renowned medical officials of the Imperial Academy of Medicine.
Realizing the identities of the physicians in the latter portraits, Lin Hong’s heart raced, his breathing gradually grew rapid, and his steps became heavier. As he approached the last portrait, he hesitated, but under Han Suwen’s enthusiastic guidance, he finally continued, walking slowly toward the final imperial physician.
It was indeed him. That lean face and stern expression were exactly as he remembered. Lin Hong suddenly felt a surge of blood rushing to his head. Unconsciously, he clutched his chest and began to gasp for breath.
Unaware of this, Han Suwen gazed fervently at the portrait of the deity in his mind and continued to chatter enthusiastically: “This is Imperial Physician Zhang Yunqiao, the Grand Imperial Physician most trusted by The Emperor. He has cured many people... Not only is his medical skill exceptional, but it’s said he even attained immortality. Praying to his portrait for help is especially effective. I always pay my respects to him before every exam. Unfortunately, during the last exam, this hall was under renovation, and the portraits of famous physicians were taken down and stored in the warehouse. I couldn’t pray or make wishes to him, so I failed the exam...”His account was interrupted by a dull thud—the sound of Lin Hong’s head striking a nearby pillar as he fainted. Han Suwen turned in surprise and saw Lin Hong stagger past the wooden column before collapsing sideways.
Lin Hong sank into a dark, chaotic void, only to regain a flicker of consciousness moments later. He found himself transformed into a five-year-old child, fragmented scenes flashing before his eyes:
His mother, eyes swollen and red, opened the door to his bedroom, took his hand, and said, “Hong Ning, come. Let’s go see your father.”
She led him into a dim, tunnel-like space lined with locked doors. Guards stood beside each door, glancing coldly at the pass in his mother’s hand before unlocking them. Step by step, she guided him deeper into the cold, damp tunnel, its walls lined with prison cells.
From the innermost cell emerged a man carrying a medical case. Spotting the mother and son, he halted and stared at them coldly.
Trembling with rage, his mother rushed forward and shouted, “Why are you here? What have you done to my husband?”
The man offered no reply. Though usually gentle and refined, his mother could no longer contain her fury. She struck him repeatedly, her blows raining down on his head and face. He did not evade her, enduring the assault until he finally seized her wrist, flung her aside, and strode away, disappearing into the light at the tunnel’s entrance.
Following his distraught mother into the cell, he saw his father lying on a pile of straw on the floor. His prison uniform was stained with blood from numerous wounds, most of which had dried to a dark brown. His eyes were tightly shut, his brow deeply furrowed, his face utterly devoid of color—he looked like a stone carving.
His mother checked his father’s breath, and her movements froze instantly. After a long pause, she embraced him and wept bitterly.
He simply stood there, staring blankly, not yet understanding that this was death—or what his father’s death would mean.
Suppressing her sobs, his mother gathered her strength to change his father into the clothes she had brought and combed his hair. As she cradled the back of his head, she seemed to sense something. Quickly turning his body to the side, she parted the hair at the nape of his neck and peered closely.
From there, she slowly extracted a slender silver needle. Its tip gleamed with an icy brightness, accentuated by the purplish-red bloodstain at its end.
Staring at that cold glint, he trembled uncontrollably, feeling for the first time a profound fear of life slipping away.
The prison scene gradually faded, replaced by the room where his mother lay on her deathbed.
With a trembling hand, she picked up a wooden box beside her pillow and handed it to him.
In a daze, he opened it, unprepared for the cold gleam of the needle to pierce his eyes once more.
“That man… is called Zhang Yunqiao… Imperial Physician Zhang Yunqiao…”
His mother murmured with her final breath.
This was the recurring nightmare that had haunted him for years, often surfacing in the twilight between sleep and wakefulness, blurring the line between dream and memory escaping from the depths of his heart. Since childhood, he had been startled awake by this nightmare countless times, often weeping uncontrollably or crying out in distress. Fortunately, Luo Wei was always there. Whenever she heard his cries, she would rush to his side, hold him close, and soothe him gently: “Your sister is here. Don’t be afraid…”Lin Hong slowly opened his eyes. The air was filled with the warm scent of medicinal herbs, and the surroundings were so quiet that he could even hear the bubbling sound of the decoction simmering over the fire in the medicine pot.
He sat up from the couch, feeling the scene before him swaying, momentarily disoriented and unsure of where he was.
In one corner of the room, there was a small tea stove with a clay medicine pot placed on it. A graceful young woman sat with her back to him, holding a palm-leaf fan as she fanned the fire, occasionally lowering her head to check the color of the decoction in the pot. After a while, likely satisfied with the heat, she stood up, gently stretched her waist, and let out a sigh of relief.
Lin Hong’s eyes grew moist as he walked toward her with unsteady steps, reaching out from behind to embrace her.
Startled, she struggled slightly before realizing it was him, then quieted down, nestling obediently in his arms and remaining silent.
As if afraid she might suddenly slip away, he held her tighter, resting his chin lightly on her forehead. Closing his eyes, he fought back the lump in his throat and murmured the name that had lingered in his heart: "Luo Wei…"
She trembled all over, her posture instantly stiffening. Then she gently broke free from his embrace, turned to face him, and forced a smile. "Teacher Lin, the medicine is ready. Let me pour you a bowl."
Liu Luowei had been quite troubled lately. Hearing that the Empress Dowager was unwell, she had searched far and wide, spending a fortune to acquire rare medicinal herbs and tonics, which she sent to Cifu Palace. To her surprise, the Empress Dowager returned them untouched, sending a message: "This old body is weak and cannot bear such strong supplements. It would be better for Lady Liu to use them herself. If there is anything amiss with your heart, liver, intestines, or lungs, I hope you will quickly restore your health and soon bear His Majesty another prince."
After pondering these words repeatedly, Liu Luowei sent someone to invite Cheng Yuan to Furong Pavilion. It took several attempts before Cheng Yuan reluctantly came, bowing and asking what she needed.
Liu Luowei recounted the incident of the Empress Dowager returning the gifts and asked Cheng Yuan, "All these years, I have served the Empress Dowager with utmost devotion, yet she has never warmed to me. Following your earlier advice, I have rarely cooked for His Majesty and have stopped dancing. So why does the Empress Dowager still treat me with such coldness?"
Cheng Yuan replied, "In the first half of her life, the Empress Dowager followed the late emperor through hardships and wanderings. In the latter half, she has resided in this battlefield-like harem. What kind of person has she not seen? The things you have done, she has witnessed. Your intentions, she understands without even looking. No matter how filial you are to her in the future, I fear it will be difficult for her to let go of her prejudices against you."
Liu Luowei dismissed her attendants and smiled at Cheng Yuan. "Please, Master Cheng, tell me what the Empress Dowager has seen me do."
Cheng Yuan said calmly, "The significant falsification of accounts by the imperial kitchen, the Hanlin Office, and the Yiluan Office began about three years ago. That was precisely when His Majesty appointed you to replace Pei Shangshi in tasting the imperial meals. Initially, you only tasted the imperial meals on behalf of Pei Shangshi or prepared dishes for His Majesty. Later, you began overseeing the accounts of the imperial kitchen. Since then, the records related to imperial meals and banquets have become unclear."
Liu Luowei scoffed, "Master Cheng, be careful with your words. How could a weak woman like me command officials to do such things?"
"Therefore, you must have already had people in the Inner Palace Service and the Xuanhui Court who were in your pocket," Cheng Yuan said. "You used the imperial kitchen, the Hanlin Office, and the Yiluan Office to amass wealth, then used that wealth to bribe court officials. After several rounds, you likely have many allies both in the palace and the court."Liu Luowei did not deny it, sighing lightly, "I come from a humble background and have no foundation in the palace. If I hadn't sought out those who could assist me at the right time, I'm afraid I would have long vanished without a trace in the rear palace."
"Madam, you should stop. Continuing like this will inevitably bring trouble upon yourself. The Empress Dowager has long seen through your intentions. Seeing that The Emperor favors you exclusively, yet unable to speak directly, she devised the method of recruiting commoner women to fill the Bureau of Palace Provisions. In the end, by a twist of fate, Wu Zhenzhen emerged, altering the situation where you controlled and manipulated the imperial kitchen. With her presence, even if you give birth, you cannot regain the privilege of tasting imperial meals first, so there is no longer any reason to oversee those accounts..." Cheng Yuan paused, deliberately looking at Liu Luowei before continuing, "Speaking of this, shouldn't Madam explain the incident where Wu Zhenzhen encountered danger outside the palace?"
"What danger? It has nothing to do with me. Please do not accuse me without cause, Master Cheng," Liu Luowei said with a cold expression.
Cheng Yuan bowed to her. "Cheng Yuan spoke out of turn. I hope Madam will forgive me."
Liu Luowei then presented a gentle smile. "Master Cheng, you are too serious. I know every word you spoke comes from the heart, all for my sake. I have no relatives in the palace, and I am fortunate to receive your care and support. I am deeply grateful. I wish to acknowledge you as my adoptive father. In the future, I will support you as I would my own father. I hope you will also regard me as your daughter, speak well of me before the Empress Dowager, and offer guidance in all matters..."
"I am not worthy of such fortune," Cheng Yuan interrupted her slightly louder, saying, "The reason I spoke to Madam today is simply that you bear some resemblance to an old acquaintance, so I couldn't help but offer a few reminders. How you should proceed in the future is for Madam to consider. How dare I interfere in your affairs again?"
With that, Cheng Yuan turned to leave, but Liu Luowei called out loudly, "Master Cheng!"
Cheng Yuan stopped but did not turn around.
Liu Luowei stood up, slowly walked over to him, and smiled meaningfully as she asked, "How has Madam Ju been lately?"
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