In times of chaos and famine, I traded one pound of rice for two royal flushes.

"Master." Qin Shaolang squatted down and handed over the packet of cicada flowers. "I've found the herbs, but I'm not entirely confident about the cooking time and the combination of ingredients."

The old man's cloudy eyes moved slightly. He struggled to sit up, took the medicine packet, and gently rubbed it with his dry, cracked fingers.

"This medicine... is potent and needs to be simmered over a low flame, with licorice to balance it..." His voice was hoarse and intermittent, as if he were earnestly imparting medical knowledge.

Qin Shaolang listened "attentively" while keeping an eye on the guards at the door out of the corner of his eye.

"And what about the dosage?"

"Three coins... no, two coins are enough..." the old man said, then suddenly coughed violently, his hand trembled, and a bowl of dark medicine soup next to him spilled out.

"Splash—"

The medicine bowl shattered on the ground, and the brown medicine liquid splattered everywhere, most of it spilling onto Qin Shaolang's white sleeve, leaving a large dark stain.

"oops!"

The blood-clad guards at the door were startled by the commotion and looked over with frowns.

"Old man, if you're not going to drink it, don't waste it!"

Just as the guard's attention was drawn to the broken porcelain shards on the ground, the old man suddenly raised his head, and a terrifying glint flashed in his cloudy eyes.

He looked at Qin Shaolang, his lips moving rapidly and silently.

There was no sound, only lip movements.

Qin Shaolang's heart skipped a beat.

He understood.

The master said, "Presiding Judge, you haven't retired!"

The presiding judge who tried Wei Zhongxian's father for treason did not retire to his hometown! Wei Zhongxian is lying!

"It's time, Doctor Qin, it's time to go," the guard urged impatiently.

Qin Shaolang suppressed the turmoil in his heart, stood up calmly, and nodded to his master: "Disciple understands."

Just as he turned to leave, a soft, feminine voice drifted from the dungeon entrance.

"The deep bond between master and disciple is truly touching."

Wei Zhongxian!

He actually came in person!

He strolled in slowly, his hands behind his back, the gold thread on his python robe gleaming faintly in the dim candlelight.

His gaze swept back and forth between Qin Shaolang and the old man, finally settling on Qin Shaolang's dirty sleeve.

"Doctor Qin, did you... accidentally get your clothes dirty?" Wei Zhongxian had a smile on his face, but that smile sent chills down one's spine.

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Father-in-law."

"It's alright." Wei Zhongxian walked to the prison door, looked at the old man inside, and said meaningfully, "When people get old, their hands and feet become clumsy, and their memory is poor. They always forget things they shouldn't forget and remember things they shouldn't remember."

He turned his head, leaned close to Qin Shaolang, and spoke in a very low voice, like a viper spitting its tongue.

"Dr. Qin, are you right? Some people have such good memories that they... don't live long."

After saying that, he patted Qin Shaolang on the shoulder and turned to leave.

Back at the villa, Monkey and Su Jin immediately surrounded them.

"Sir, are you alright? Did that old castrated dog give you any trouble?"

Qin Shaolang shook his head and walked straight into the study.

He took off his outer robe and carefully examined the sleeve stained with medicine under the lamplight.

The seemingly chaotic distribution of the dregs actually conceals a hidden secret. Several common herbal powders have been deliberately arranged into an extremely subtle pattern.

This was a secret code between him and his master.

Wei Qing pushed the wheelchair in, and seeing his solemn expression, asked in a low voice, "Has something changed?"

Qin Shaolang did not answer. He picked up a pen and quickly sketched the pattern on the paper, then wrote down the names of the corresponding medicinal herbs.

Angelica sinensis, Ligusticum chuanxiong, Angelica dahurica...

These medicinal herbs are unrelated in themselves, but their locations in the pharmacies of the capital all point to the same place.

In the south of the city, on Zhuque Street, stands a long-abandoned pharmacy—Baicaotang.

The master's true clue is hidden here!

Qin Shaolang clenched the paper in his hand, Wei Zhongxian's threat still echoing in his ears.

This game is getting increasingly dangerous.

The atmosphere was even more oppressive on the second visit to the palace.

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the purple-gold incense burner had been removed and replaced with a small white porcelain incense burner, which was filled with the calming incense that Qin Shaolang had prepared, and the scent was much lighter.

Wei Zhongxian remained inside the palace, like an expressionless stone statue.

Qin Shaolang remained kneeling before the dragon bed, administering acupuncture to the emperor.

This time, instead of using the "Thirteen Ghost Needles," he chose a relatively gentle "Life-Prolonging Needle Method."

As the silver needle pierced the acupoint, he secretly channeled a wisp of true energy into it to protect the emperor's heart meridian. At the same time, he carefully probed the mysterious needle hole on the wrist with another extremely fine stream of true energy.

The moment the true energy touched it, a cold, icy resistance rebounded back.

Something's definitely fishy!

After the acupuncture was completed, the emperor's complexion visibly became rosier, and his breathing became much more stable.

"Doctor Qin is indeed a master." Wei Zhongxian's voice was devoid of emotion.

"It's just temporarily stabilizing the condition," Qin Shaolang replied while tidying up the silver needles. "To cure it completely, you still need to follow my prescription, simmering it over a low flame three times a day without interruption."

Just as he bent down to put the needle case back into the medicine box, the emperor on the dragon bed, with his hand hanging over the edge of the bed, suddenly twitched his fingers very slightly.

A blade of grass, slightly wilted from the sweat in his palm, slipped silently through his fingers and landed right on the lid of Qin Shaolang's medicine box.

Qin Shaolang's heart skipped a beat.

He recognized the shape and texture of the grass blades!

It's exactly the same as the one we found under the base of the statue in the Mountain God Temple outside Qinghe County!

He quietly closed the medicine box and tucked the blade of grass into the gap in the lid.

"Doctor Qin, you've worked hard. Please leave." Wei Zhongxian gave him the order to leave.

Qin Shaolang, carrying his medicine chest, bowed and left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

But as soon as he reached the entrance of the palace, Wei Zhongxian followed him out.

"Dr. Qin, please wait."

Qin Shaolang turned around.

Wei Zhongxian's gaze was fixed on his medicine box.

"It seems like there's something stuck to Dr. Qin's medicine box at home."

Eunuch Li immediately understood, stepped forward, and extended his delicate fingers to pinch the blade of grass.

Qin Shaolang twisted his wrist, switching the medicine box to his other hand to avoid being touched by Eunuch Li.

"They're just some ordinary grass leaves, probably picked up accidentally during a house call," he said calmly. "No need for you to do anything, sir."

"Is that so?" Wei Zhongxian's eyes narrowed, like a venomous snake eyeing its prey. "Why does this look to me like these blades of grass... as if they were brought from the palace?"

The air seemed to freeze.

The eunuchs and imperial guards around them even held their breath.

"You flatter me, sir." Qin Shaolang showed a perfectly timed "confusion" on his face. "The floor of this palace is paved with gold bricks and is spotless. Where would any grass or leaves come from? I am just a country doctor. It is perfectly normal for me to have some flowers and grass on me."

His words were perfectly flawless.

Wei Zhongxian stared at him for a long time, but couldn't find any flaws. In the end, he could only let out a cold snort.

"That would be for the best. Doctor Qin, you'd better take care of yourself."

Qin Shaolang picked up his medicine box and turned to leave.