Taking in ten lines at each glance, Zheng shi finished reading the letter rapidly, the surprise on her face deepening. There was also a mixture of ecstasy and excitement in her countenance. As if afraid that she had misread it, she cast an eye over the letter from start to finish for a second time. After confirming the contents of it, she abruptly sprang to her feet, turned around and walked towards the outside in great haste.

“Mistress?” The handmaid gave a start and hurriedly followed in her wake.

Halfway to her chambers, Zheng shi suddenly paused, a tic going in her cheeks, tightly gripping her handkerchief, the look in her eyes somewhat frightening.

Seeing Zheng shi acting as though she’d lost her sanity, the handmaid asked in horror, “What’s the matter, Mistress. You’re scaring me.”

It was quite a while before Zheng shi collected herself and slid her handmaid a cold glance. “What’s the fuss about?”

The handmaid paled slightly and hastily apologized, “I beg your pardon, Mistress.”

“Go and make some preparations. In the afternoon I’m going to the temple to pray to the Bodhisattva for my son,” instructed Zheng shi.

“Yes, Mistress. I’ll do it right away.” The handmaid left without more ado.

The others cautiously supported Zheng shi back to her chambers, where she started preparing for the trip to the temple in the afternoon, temporarily forgetting about Yuwen Qi.

This time, Zheng shi took over twenty guards with her on her trip, and took only broad, busy thoroughfares, not daring to cut through any alleys.

After arriving at the temple, Zheng shi got out of the carriage, went to pray to the Bodhisattva first and then proceeded to a quiet room beside the back yard on the pretext of needing to spend some time alone.

Zheng shi entered the room, accompanied by only an old nanny, all others waiting in the doorway of the back yard which was a fairly long distance away. .Sure enough she was not here to quietly sit praying inwardly. It was because the one who’d sent her a letter asked her to come to this room for a meeting with him this afternoon. The letter said that there was a way to heal her son’s legs, so although the identity of the culprit who’d sent those men in black to attack her was still unknown, she’d chosen to come anyway.

At first Zheng shi had been sitting in silence patiently, but after waiting for a while, she went anxious.

“Don’t worry, Mistress. I’ll go outside and take a look.”

“Then go.”

It was quite some time before this Nanny Zhong, an old handmaid of Zheng shi’s, returned. Zheng shi was running out of patience owing to the long wait. Following in Nanny Zhong’s wake were a Buddhist monk and a mysterious, hooded man who seemed to have no intention of removing his hood which covered half of his face. This person was keeping his head down slightly, revealing merely his chin and part of his neck. Zheng shi could only tell that this person was male.

The anxiety on Zheng shi’s face disappeared at the sight of them. She sized up this Buddhist monk and the mysterious man beside him, having an intuition that this hooded man was the one who had asked her to come here. “Who are you?”

“Someone capable of healing your son’s broken legs, of course. Isn’t this the very reason why you came here to meet me, Madam Yuwen?” replied the hooded person in a voice that was male, as expected.

“I did come, but why should I believe you?” said Zheng shi.

“I brought you a pill, Madam Yuwen. Take it back and administer it to your son. It will not only alleviate the pain in his legs but also have his bruises heal quickly,” said the hooded man, taking out a little porcelain phial and putting it down onto the table.

“Why should I believe someone who doesn’t even dare show me his face?” Zheng shi stared at him.

“Because I’m the only one who can heal your son’s broken legs, and because you need my help. Believe it or not, I’ll be here waiting for your corporeal presence in three days, and you’ll naturally be willing to trust me by that time and know who I am,” observed the mysterious man.

This man sounded very confident. After pondering for quite a while, Zheng shi picked up the porcelain phial.

…

On her return to the residential compound of Yuwen family, Zheng shi immediately went to see Yuwen Qi, but suddenly paused in the doorway of Yuwen Qi’s chambers, fished out the porcelain phial, hesitated for a long time and then, instead of entering, retired to her own chambers.

Nanny Zhong had other handmaids leave and said, “Are you worried that this pill might be fake, Mistress?”

Zheng shi said, “It’s okay if this pill is fake. I fear that it might do my son harm if he takes it.”

“How about testing it on someone else first?” suggested Nanny Zhong.

Zheng shi’s eyes lit up and she immediately said, “Then go and break a servant’s leg. See if this pill is really that effective.”

Nanny Zhong answered “Yes, Mistress.” and was just about to leave when Zheng shi suddenly snapped, “Wait.”

“Mistress?” Nanny Zhong turned to look at her in confusion.

Zheng shi opened the porcelain phial, took a look inside and a scowl appeared on her face. “There’s only one pill.”

“What?” Nanny Zhong was astonished. Thinking back to the meeting with the hooded man, she said, “That man said he brought you a pill, and it turns out there’s literally only one pill in this phial.”

Zheng shi’s temper began to fray. With only one pill in hand, she was unable to test it, though she wanted to. Clearly that man was trying to force her into administer this pill to her son.

“Mistress! Mistress! Something bad happened!” a servant suddenly yelled in the doorway, sounding panic-stricken.

Face going even sulkier, Zheng shi looked in the direction of the door with piercing eyes. “What is it?”

Nanny Zhong hurried outside and reprimanded at the sight of the servant, “You want to meet your end? Mistress is trying to get some rest. If you keep talking so loudly disturbing Mistress, you’ll lose your tongue!”

The servant gave a start and explained in a tremulous voice, “It’s not that I want to disturb Mistress. Second Young Master’s legs suddenly started aching terribly. He’s fainted from the pain!”

“What?!” Nanny Zhong was also taken aback, turned around and was just about to enter to report it when Zheng shi hurried out of the room, looking flurried.

“What happened? My son’s legs haven’t ached for a long time. How did he come to suddenly pass out from pain?!” bellowed Zheng shi.

“I have no idea, Mistress. Second Young Master suddenly blacked out for pain. Both Master and First Young Master are not at home, so I immediately came here to report it to you, Mistress.”

“You good-for-nothing. Go and send for a physician!” Zheng shi flared and was just about to storm off when she suddenly paused, turned around and went back into her chambers. Nanny Zhong flicked a glance inside and saw Zheng shi pick up the porcelain phial on the table.

The group of people trotted to Yuwen Qi’s chambers in haste. Kneeling on the ground here and there in the bedroom were a lot of handmaids. Yuwen Qi was lying in bed, ashen-faced, sweaty all over, eyes closed, groaning in pain constantly. Zheng shi walked up to the bedside and started at the sight of Yuwen Qi’s legs. His pant legs had been rolled up to his thighs, and a horrifying bluish black was spreading outward from his knees, looking hideous and spooky. Zheng shi failed to catch her next breath and nearly swooned.

“Ho–How did this happen?!” exclaimed Nanny Zhong in alarm.

“Qi’er, how do you feel, Qi’er?!” Zheng shi bent over Yuwen Qi’s bed, almost sitting on her heels. She wanted to touch Yuwen Qi’s legs but didn’t dare.

“They’re hurting, Mother. They’re hurting so badly.” Yuwen Qi in bed feebly opened his eyes, his voice so weak that it was barely audible.

Zheng shi felt a stab of heartache at Yuwen Qi’s words.

After the physician arrived and caught sight of Yuwen Qi’s legs, his face instantly went awkward. “Second Childe Yuwen’s legs… This symptom is so strange. It seems like poisoning.”

Poisoning? Zheng shi had a brief blackout. Her son had been staying at home all along. How had he come to be poisoned?!

“Given the severity of it, I can but do my best. There’s no guarantee that it would work,” sighed the physician.

Zheng shi’s mood was a mixture of anxiety, alarm and rage. When the physician started the treatment and Yuwen Qi’s whole body convulsed, she hurriedly yelled, “Stop! Stop it!”

The physician said resignedly, “Mistress, pain is a normal reaction. It’s only temporary. He’ll feel better soon. I have to drain the poison from his legs first before administering drug to them.”

“AAAAAARGH! It hurts so much! Quack! You’re a quack!” Yuwen Qi shouted in anguish.

Seeing Yuwen Qi was in such unbearable pain, Zheng shi clenched her teeth and fished the pill out of the porcelain phial. “Physician, do you think this pill will help?”

The physician scrutinized it, sniffed at it and then said in amazement, “This pill is miraculously effective in healing wounds. Where did you get it, Mistress? Though not an antidote to the poison, it can temporarily deaden the poison and spare Second Young Master much pain. As long as I–”

Before the physician could finish his sentence, Zheng shi snatched the pill from his hand and forced it into Yuwen Qi’s mouth. “Qi’er, swallow the pill and Mother will take you to see a miracle-working physician!”

Yuwen Qi ingested the pill and, strangely enough, the pain really eased considerably, and even the dull pain in his bruises disappeared, though his knees had gone numb.

Seeing that Yuwen Qi was no longer feeling that much pain, Zheng shi heaved a sigh of relief, now having no doubt that that mysterious man had been telling the truth.

Zheng shi chucked the physician out and didn’t even pay him. The old physician was almost reduced to hurling abuse with anger. Previously Zheng shi had respectfully hired him to treat Yuwen Qi, but now he’d been driven out of the house. How could he not be angry? If he were unable to treat Yuwen Qi’s legs, he wouldn’t have felt wronged at all, but given that he had obviously offered treatment for his wounded legs and might find an antidote to the poison, what Zheng shi had done was way beyond the pale!

Naturally, news of what was happening in the second branch of the Yuwen family reached Yuwen Tong’s ears.

“Second Mistress actually chucked off the physician? She doesn’t want to treat Childe Qi’s legs any more?” Yao Yi, totally bewildered, went to ask Zhao Fugui on his own account.

Zhao Fugui was startled by his sudden appearance. Woebegone, he said, “Sir, my dear sir, would you please not show up so suddenly again? If by any chance anybody finds out, I’ll be executed.”

“Rest assured, I won’t let you die, for your life is still of some value to me. Nobody saw me come here. Now tell me why Second Mistress drove out the physician. She doesn’t want to cure Childe Qi any more?”

Harassed-looking, Zhao Fugui said in an undertone, “It’s said that Second Mistress came by a pill from some miracle-working physician, which not only healed Second Young Master’s bruises but also inhibited the poison in him.”

“Poison? What poison?” Yao Yi noticed the key point. “And what do you mean by a pill from some miracle-working physician?”

Sweating buckets at the succession of questions, Zhao Fugui answered under his breath, “For some unknown reason, a poison suddenly took effect in Second Young Master’s legs. All the parts around his knees were completely bluish black. Second Young Master fainted from pain. Nobody knows who administered the poison. Second Mistress is consumed with rage. I have to go there as soon as possible. As regards that pill, I don’t know where Second Mistress got it either. She suddenly took it out and also said that she’d take Second Young Master to a miracle-working physician who’d cure his legs.”

Zhao Fugui was very anxious, afraid that Zheng shi might notice his absence and punish him. Yao Yi asked another couple of questions and then had no choice but to let him go.

After returning, Yao Yi recounted his conversation with Zhao Fugui to Yuwen Tong. “Marshal, it was probably Qiu Bing who administered the poison to Childe Qi’s legs, but the so-called ‘miracle-working physician’ that Second Mistress mentioned is very strange. We never saw her go to meet any miracle-working physicians.”

“Now that she has said she’d take Yuwen Qi to see a miracle-working physician, they would definitely set off soon. Have someone keep watch on them,” said Yuwen Tong.

“Yes, Marshal.”