She remarried a cold-faced, powerful man, and the scumbag regretted it and cried his heart out.

As the rain poured down, Li Delu followed behind Physician Xu, holding an oil-paper umbrella. Physician Xu waded through puddles, watching the eunuch's waist badge sway in the rain like a summoning banner.

"Did you hear me carefully, Physician Xu?" Li Delu repeated for the sixth time, just as the umbrella ribs struck the hanging flower gate, causing the copper bells on the eaves to rattle wildly. "The rain continues, the imperial prison is cold and desolate—"

"The prison is cold and harsh. Your old injury has relapsed, and you need careful treatment."

The old eunuch's words were more fragmented than the aged mugwort leaves in the drying basket of the Imperial Hospital.

Physician Xu slipped and quickly tightened his medicine box around his neck. His sleeves, soaked with water, weighed heavily on him. At over fifty years old, he couldn't withstand such a commotion.

"Chief Steward Li, you've been saying this from the Imperial Hospital to the Imperial Horse Stables, and even the palace dresses hanging out to dry in the Laundry Bureau are probably tired of it."

Pushing open the door to the imperial study, the stench of blood mixed with ambergris assaulted the senses. Jiang Jin'an, his python robe stained with dark red, was bending down to place a damp silk handkerchief on Emperor Hui's forehead. His usual ruthless aura had vanished without a trace.

Xu Tai's medicine kit crashed to the ground with a loud bang.

The emperor, lying on the soft couch, had a face as white as a mourning robe, his robe stained with blood from coughing up plum blossoms.

"Oh my god!" Li Delu, in a hoarse voice, shoved Physician Xu forward. "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and take the Commandant's pulse!"

Jiang Jin'an glanced at Physician Xu indifferently, "Physician Xu, your timing is perfect. I've been feeling terribly tightness in my chest these past few days."

Imperial Physician Xu swallowed twice, looked at Emperor Hui's purplish lips, and said in a trembling voice, "The rule set by the Emperor Taizu is that only the chief physician of the Imperial Physician can perform the imperial pulse diagnosis—"

"Rules?" Jiang Jin'an suddenly turned around, his fingertips still stained with ink, and casually wiped them on a handkerchief. "The head of the Imperial Medical Academy is getting old and submitted his resignation the other day. So many people are eyeing this position. Does Physician Xu want to take over?"

Jiang Jin'an tapped his finger on the jade pulse pillow, the green smoke rising from the bronze beast incense burner blurring his features. "His Majesty is in good health, but he is concerned about the dampness of the imperial prison. He has specially issued an edict ordering you to treat my old ailment."

Doctor Xu suddenly broke out in a cold sweat on the back of his neck.

"This humble official will immediately take the pulse of the Commandant!" Doctor Xu no longer cared about etiquette and knelt down on the dragon-patterned carpet. The moment he touched Emperor Hui's wrist, he was so startled that his hand trembled.

Emperor Hui's fingernails were bluish, and a blood-stained memorial lay open beside him. Prince Qi's private seal gleamed with an indigo light under the candlelight.

Although the pulse is weak and feeble, there are no signs of poisoning. On the contrary, it seems like... a sign of exhaustion!

Physician Xu's heart sank, and he became increasingly uncertain.

"How is it?" Jiang Jin'an's voice came from above, startling Physician Xu so much that he almost fell to the ground.

"The... the Commandant is overthinking..." he stammered, but the words were cut off before he could finish.

Jiang Jin'an suddenly flipped his wrist and grabbed his vital point. "Doctor Xu's household has a newborn son, who is only a month old? Your son has been working in the Ministry of Rites for eight years without a promotion. Are you not in a hurry?"

Physician Xu felt a chill run from his feet to the top of his head. He stared at the indigo color peeking out from Emperor Hui's sleeve and instantly recalled the "Drunken Life, Dreamy Death" case that shocked the court five years ago. Back then, he had personally witnessed his mentor being implicated, imprisoned, and ultimately dying tragically.

His knees buckled, and his forehead slammed heavily onto the dragon-patterned carpet. "My ancestral home is Qingzhou, and my family has practiced medicine for three generations without knowing any poisons! Your Excellency is wise!"

"It's alright." Jiang Jin'an casually picked up the memorial from the Imperial Observatory. "Physician Xu, there's no need to panic. First, tell me about this 'old ailment' of mine. Which medicinal ingredient should be used?"

Physician Xu's official hat was askew, revealing his graying hair roots. He spoke tremblingly, "In my humble opinion, I should use... I should use three qian of placenta, as an adjuvant..."

“Wrong.” Jiang Jin’an placed the memorial in his hand over the candle flame, and the flame instantly licked at it, engulfing the Prince Qi’s private seal. “I like mute medicine the most.”

Physician Xu looked up, and lightning flashed outside the window, casting Jiang Jin'an's profile in intermittent light and shadow.

Who was he? He was clearly a Yama, the King of Hell, who crawled out of hell to claim lives!

Jiang Jin'an's eyes were deep and calm. "Does Physician Xu know how to write the medical records after leaving the Imperial Study today?"

Physician Xu opened his mouth, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence through his teeth: "It is... to take the pulse of the Commandant. The Commandant has been worrying too much and has caught a slight cold, but it is nothing serious."

……

Jiang Jin'an burned the memorial to ashes, even pouring the ashes into the lotus pond in the Imperial Garden.

The pond water was emerald green, and several koi carp scrambled to eat the fallen ashes, stirring up ripples that quickly returned to calm.

This pond once nurtured the red lotus, the favorite of a former imperial concubine, and also drowned the censor who plotted to force the emperor to abdicate. Now, it has become a secret royal tomb.

He rubbed the ashes between his fingers with an indifferent expression, turned around and returned to Emperor Hui's bedside, where he remained silent for another hour.

Emperor Hui's forehead was beaded with sweat, and his eyeballs trembled under his eyelids. Jiang Jin'an scooped up a damp handkerchief from the copper basin, wrung it out carefully, and placed it on the emperor's forehead. The handkerchief, which had been soaked in the medicine, was soon covered with beads of sweat again.

“Cough…” A faint sound came from the bed. Emperor Hui raised his hand and covered his forehead with a handkerchief. His face, which had been as pale as a white robe, regained a trace of color at a speed visible to the naked eye. “Over the years… you have also learned to play tricks on me.”

His voice was still weak, but it was tinged with laughter.

Jiang Jin'an didn't stop. He replaced the glass pillow for Emperor Hui and pulled the slipped brocade quilt up half an inch. "Your Majesty is joking. I am merely imitating Your Majesty back then, cutting off my tail to save my life."

The cool glass pillow touched the back of Emperor Hui's neck. He remembered when Jiang Jin'an was thirteen years old, he had also lowered his eyes like this, handed over the waist token, and said that he would teach this young boy the skill of killing without bloodshed.

Now, the boy has finally grown up, becoming the person he trusts most, and also the sharpest knife in his hand.

Emperor Hui suddenly spoke, his voice lingering at the end, "Step down, I'm not going to die yet."

As soon as he left the Imperial Study, Li Delu came running over, holding a steaming bowl of medicine in his hands. "My lord, this is a prescription written by Physician Xu. Please drink it while it's hot."

Jiang Jin'an took the medicine bowl and drank it all in one gulp. The medicine felt like swallowing a burning coal as it went down his throat; the bitter taste exploded in his mouth and burned all the way down his throat into his stomach.

He handed the empty bowl back to Li Delu, saying in a nonchalant tone, "Thank you for your trouble, sir."

"Look at what you're saying, this is all we should do." Li Delu slid a paper package out of his sleeve and handed it to Jiang Jin'an. Inside were a few candied fruits. "Doctor Xu said this prescription is the best for nourishing qi and calming the mind. Have a candied fruit to help you calm down."

Jiang Jin'an did not accept it. As he walked through the corridor, he unconsciously pressed the jade belt at his waist. The waist token of the Commandant's Office was cold and hard, causing his palm to ache slightly.

The distant sound of the drumbeats reached him, and he turned on his toes, heading towards the imperial prison—it was unknown whether Chu Xiangling had discerned anything.