After rebirth, she became the favorite of the powerful minister.

The erratic Murong Weiming, the frosty Murong Zhixian, and the hesitant Yu Wanyu with her shifting eyes—no one expected things to develop to this point.

Yuan Junfeng was also having a headache. Upon hearing this, he simply frowned and waved his hand. Seeing that the other party agreed, Murong Zhixian grabbed Murong Weiming from Yan Huo's hand, turned around, and strode away. Yuan Ge was so fast that he didn't even have time to stop him. However, after thinking about it, he realized that he definitely wouldn't get anything out of him under the current circumstances, so Yuan Ge gave up. But the doubts in his heart grew even bigger. Who was the person who could save Murong Zhen?

If it were me... why couldn't the teacher do it? Why is Murong Weiming, who seems to be ignorant and incompetent, so certain that his highly skilled doctor couldn't save Murong Zhen?

It seems I need to go and see Murong Weiming...

“Xiao Qian…” Yu Wanyu interrupted Yuan Ge’s thoughts. She hesitated and took a step forward, looking at this person and then at that person, before finally asking uncertainly, “Or… shall we talk in private?”

The elderly woman stood there with her hands clasped behind her back, smiling obsequiously, but her demeanor was completely different from before. It was an expression Yuan Ge had never seen before, one that carried a hint of probing and cunning—this grandmother of hers truly could change her face in an instant. She had done this three times already; perhaps even she herself didn't know which face was real, or perhaps… none of her faces were ever real.

Yuan Ge looked down at the other person's tightly clenched fingers and chuckled, "It's alright, there are no outsiders here. Madam, just say what you want to say."

“Xiao Qian…” Yu Wanyu frowned as she looked at Yuan Junfeng, thinking to herself, “Where are there no outsiders? Isn’t this it?” But she had long been used to being submissive, and finally, she could only speak with some difficulty, “Xiao Qian, what Wei Ming said just now wasn’t true. I… I do want to ask Doctor Feng to come back to Anshi with me, but I absolutely will not harm him. Xiao Qian, I’ve heard that you have a good relationship with Doctor Feng. I wonder if you could ask him to meet with me so that I can explain things to him personally?”

"You came to Zhixuan Mountain because of him, didn't you?" Yuan Ge looked at her evasive eyes and continued, "Getting lost in the mountains back then was just an excuse, a lie. You were worried about being turned away if you came directly, and when you didn't know what to do, you met our people, so you just went with the flow... Am I right?" She deliberately omitted the fact that Murong Jiu had poisoned him and asked in this way.

Yu Wanyu lowered her head and after a long while, she replied softly, "...Yes, but that was just...just..." She couldn't bring herself to say what it was—being ordered by her in-laws not to go up the mountain was both embarrassing and she was afraid of causing more scandals.

So all they could do was remain silent.

Yuan Ge didn't press further, but smiled knowingly, "If it all started with a lie, then I really can't tell which parts of what should be believed and which shouldn't be believed... Madam, Master Feng is getting old, and his health hasn't been good lately. As you can see, he doesn't even leave the herb garden anymore, let alone a place as far away as Anshi. The long journey is too much for him."

"Xiao Qian..."

Before Yu Wanyu could offer further persuasion, a slow, steady knocking sound came from the doorway. Then, the old man's unhurried voice appeared at the door, "Girl." His voice was low and slightly deep, carrying a rare air of authority. He was leaning on a cane with one hand, and supported by a servant with the other. He stared blankly into the courtyard, looking somewhat strange.

Yu Wanyu was suddenly stunned, and almost blurted out, "Doctor Feng? How... how come you're so..." so old...

The handsome and refined man in her memory suddenly appeared before her in a completely different form. The long and heavy weight of more than ten years suddenly crashed down on her, making Yu Wanyu's vision go white. She watched as the young girl stepped forward to help Feng Qingtan in, even whispering a reminder as they entered, "Lift your foot, the threshold." Feng Qingtan, however, never looked at anyone, his empty gaze fixed on a certain spot.

Yu Wanyu was startled.

"So you finally decided to come out," Yuan Junfeng joked with a chuckle. "You wouldn't come out yourself, so you put me under house arrest too... You old rascal, you know my yard's already moldy?"

"There is indeed an unpleasant smell," Feng Qingtan replied with a chuckle, tapping his cane idly as he walked. "I wasn't planning on going out. A useless old blind man like me, yet I need people to serve me wherever I go, causing them a lot of unnecessary trouble..."

"What are you saying?!" Yuan Junfeng was immediately displeased. "Whoever dares to say that, I'll beat him until he's barely alive and have him carried to you. Don't be soft-hearted and save him unless he kowtows a hundred or eighty times!"

"Don't give me any more work! I'm perfectly fine as I am... It would be even better if I could have some peace and quiet." Feng Qingtan spoke slowly and deliberately, gently patting Yuan Ge's hand. Yuan Ge understood and led him around. Only then did Feng Qingtan raise his eyes to "look" at her. "Madam Murong... right? I know why you've come, but as you can see, I'm now a useless old blind man. Forget about traveling far, I can't even go down the mountain. If you're asking me to come down the mountain to treat patients, then I'm really sorry, I'm truly powerless right now. Please find someone more capable as soon as possible."

After saying that, he lowered his head and smiled, suddenly thinking that it would be good to go blind at this critical juncture, as it would make it a legitimate reason to refuse.

“Doctor Feng…” Yu Wanyu took a step toward him, then abruptly stopped. They had known each other since childhood. One was the legitimate daughter of a prestigious family, and the other was a boy from a fallen family. Even Yu Wanyu couldn’t say whether, after knowing each other for so many years, there had never been a moment when any other feelings had blossomed… But undeniably, Feng Qingtan was different to her. He had seen her at her most destitute, and he had also seen her darkest and most hidden thoughts. She had also seen different emotions in his eyes. She thought that as long as she asked, he would always be able to do it for her.

Just like back then...

But she never imagined that after more than a decade... he might be old and frail, might be unable to keep up, or might even be on his deathbed.

"Dr. Feng..." Yu Wanyu's voice trembled with sobs, "You... how could you... how could you become like this?"

The other person didn't seem to care. He even freed one hand to stroke his somewhat messy beard and laughed, "It's nothing. I'm just getting old. My arms and legs aren't as nimble as they used to be, and my eyesight is failing, so I really can't help you anymore."