After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

The Crown Prince stared intently at Physician Jiang, his eyes icy cold, then turned frantic, as if he had just weathered a bloody storm, before slowly returning to calm, and finally giving a defeated smile.

"Does Uncle mean that it was my father and mother who plotted to murder Madam Xie and A Yuan?"

"Of course not!" Imperial Physician Jiang shook his head: "Although the Emperor and Empress are wary of the Xie family, they have no reason to harm a married daughter of the Xie family. Besides, the child in her womb is surnamed Lu, not Xie."

It makes sense, but something still feels off.

The traditional social hierarchy was scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, yet the eldest son of the Xie family chose to become a merchant, perhaps to reassure the imperial family, who were wary of the Xie clan. Xie Yu'an's marriage was marred by discord with his wife, leading her to return to her parents' home with the child after giving birth, only to return three years later.

Just when everyone thought Madam Xie had returned to divorce Xie Yu'an, Xie Yu'an and his wife were actually inseparable, their affection for each other dazzling everyone. At the time, the popular stories in the capital were all based on the two of them, such as the eldest son of the Xie family kneeling before his father-in-law's door for three days and three nights to beg his wife not to divorce him, and how he willingly became a servant to please her, doing chores like carrying water and manure.

Seeing Xie Yu'an and his wife's relationship growing stronger, everyone said it was a case of a prodigal son returning home, and the once carefree eldest son of the Xie family finally understood the importance of his wife and children. But what if all of this was a scheme and conspiracy between the couple?

It's important to understand that when Xie Yu'an's first child was born, he was just an ordinary small merchant, and his business was far from what it is today. His father was guarding the border, his second brother was studying away from home, and his third brother was still young. The huge general's mansion only had a few elderly servants. If the royal family were to take action against the Xie family, he and his wife would have nowhere to hide or escape.

Xie Yu'an was incredibly clever. He exploited the impressions others had of him, deliberately arguing with his wife to make them believe he was dissatisfied with the marriage and his wife, and that the couple was not getting along. Upon reflection, he himself had chosen his wife; General Xie hadn't even shown his face. If he didn't genuinely love her, why would he have gone to such lengths to marry her with such a grand procession?

Madam Xie comes from a good family, but she is not well-known in the capital. The so-called quarrel, the so-called resentment, and the so-called taking the child back to her parents' home were all for the purpose of protecting her and her child.

Three years later, when Madam Xie returned with her son, Xie Yu'an had become a wealthy and influential merchant in Northern Liang. His business influenced every aspect of Northern Liang, and neither the royal family nor the civil and military officials dared to look down on him. To put it bluntly, many of them relied on his business to make money.

His second younger brother also went from an ordinary student to a top scholar who achieved the highest honors in the imperial examinations and was appointed to the Ministry of Revenue.

The father was awarded the title of Pillar of the State General, the sister made military achievements, and the brother also made a name for himself in the martial arts world.

Three years passed, a time of gossip for others, and a time when the Xie family's fortunes were finally settled. Even so, the Xie family dared not let their guard down. Xie Yubai and his wife were engaged in a marriage of convenience that blossomed into love; they had never met before the wedding, and their marriage stemmed from a joke made by the Emperor when he was drunk.

Fortunately, this marriage, which was arranged by a twist of fate, eventually led to a happy union.

The royal family can't touch the Xie family, but they might target Xie Chaoyun, whom the Xie family cares about most.

The seven-day separation of the soul from one's body can turn a perfectly healthy person into a madman, and drive that madman to commit suicide again and again. This is undoubtedly a stab in the heart for the Xie family. Xie Chaoyun comes from a general's family, has been on the battlefield, and has killed people. He can't be that fragile. What if he lost his child? Could going mad and committing suicide explain that?

Even if the Xie family investigates, they will only hold the Lu family responsible, believing that the Lu family caused Xie Chaoyun to lose her child, and that Xie Chaoyun went mad from the pain of losing her child, even to the point of taking her own life.

General Xie loved his daughter deeply. If she were to leave, he would be devastated. What might happen then is anyone's guess.

The more the prince thought about it, the colder he felt, and his hand holding the sword began to tremble.

"It was hidden in the palace for seven days. Who else but Father and Mother could have obtained it?" The Crown Prince looked at Lu Zhiyuan with deep sorrow: "I remember, Mother once invited Lady Xie to the palace..."

"It wasn't Her Majesty the Empress!" Xie Chaoyun glanced at Lu Zhiyuan and said urgently, "Her Majesty the Empress only summoned me and didn't give me anything to eat. The seven-day separation of souls has nothing to do with Her Majesty the Empress, Your Highness, please don't overthink it."

Imperial Physician Jiang also said, "Your Highness should not doubt your own mother. The Jiang family has no conflict of interest with the Xie family. On the contrary, we need to win over the Xie family."

"Then tell me, Uncle, who gave Madam Xie this seven-day period of soul separation? And who caused A-Yuan to become like this?"

Imperial Physician Jiang looked at the Crown Prince, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

The Crown Prince sneered, "Can't say anything? In my opinion, this seven-day soul-separation story was fabricated by my uncle to exonerate himself. Even if it were true, it disappeared with the death of that Imperial Preceptor."

"Your Highness doesn't believe me?"

"Why should I believe you? Just based on these few prescriptions?" The Crown Prince pointed at the prescriptions in Lu Zhiyuan's hand: "A few prescriptions, carried around with you, do you dare say you didn't have a premeditated plan?"

"I carry it with me because I was unable to undo the seven-day soul separation from Yun'er."

“He wasn’t lying.” Lu Zhiyuan took out the altered prescription and turned it so that the back was facing the Crown Prince: “This prescription has been repaired, and repeatedly.”

The repairs were made because the paper was torn, and the torn paper was because its owner frequently took it out to look at. Besides the repair marks on the back of the prescription, there were also several newly added medicine names. Judging from the ink stains, these medicines were added at different times.

Lu Zhiyuan was familiar with the properties of medicinal herbs, so she naturally knew what these herbs were for.

“I believe that the Seven-Day Soul Separation wasn’t administered by Imperial Physician Jiang, and I also believe that Imperial Physician Jiang did everything in his power to save my mother. However, what I don’t understand is why you’ve been so reluctant to reveal the real culprit?” Lu Zhiyuan walked up to him, looked up, and met his eyes. “It concerns my mother, so you must have investigated. As both an imperial physician and the Empress’s brother, you have easy access to the palace and even the inner palace. You must have discovered the Seven-Day Soul Separation and the truth behind my mother’s poisoning. I’m sure you also obtained the prescription for the Seven-Day Soul Separation, but I don’t know the order in which the medicines are prepared.”

Lu Zhiyuan clutched the prescription: "There are several rare herbs in this prescription, and I only learned about them by chance. Physician Jiang, you have lived in the capital for a long time, and the farthest place you have ever been is the border town where my maternal grandfather lived. How did you know about them? There is only one answer: these herbs have appeared in a prescription or medical book. The medical book is either in the palace or in the Imperial Hospital."

Lu Zhiyuan continued, "Why would you be interested in these medicines out of the blue, Physician Jiang? It's because you saw the prescription for the Seven-Day Soul Separation."

"Yuan'er is indeed clever!" Physician Jiang said, "If I could do it all over again, I would protect your mother and ensure your safe birth. This matter ultimately started because of me, and it should be ended by me. Yuan'er, I'm so sorry!"

Seeing that Physician Jiang was contemplating suicide, Lu Zhiyuan acted quickly, inserting a silver needle into his jaw. Physician Jiang felt a tingling numbness in his cheek, and when he looked again, Lu Zhiyuan had already removed the poison hidden in the tooth cavity.

He hid that poison for a full fifteen years!