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

The Ministry of War's Office.

These four characters represent immense power in the capital, second only to the Prime Minister and the head of the Six Ministries.

As the monkey followed behind Qin Shaolang, carrying a huge brocade box wrapped in red silk, its legs went weak when it saw the mansion that was several times more magnificent than the Qinghe County government office.

"Sir, are we really going in?" Monkey asked in a low voice, swallowing nervously. "I've heard that Minister of War Liu Chengen is a notorious old fox who doesn't give face to anyone. Isn't this...isn't this a bit too risky?"

Qin Shaolang didn't say anything, but simply reached out and straightened his collar.

Today he changed into an elegant blue long gown, and his hair was tied up with a simple wooden hairpin. He didn't look like a doctor, but rather like a scholar going to the capital for the imperial examination.

Wei Qing sat on a stone bench in the courtyard and watched them leave.

Just before leaving, she solemnly handed the half of the broken tiger tally to Qin Shaolang.

"Although Liu Chengen is a cautious man, his father once received a great favor from my Wei family. He recognizes this half of the tiger tally. But you must remember, times have changed. You can't judge a book by its cover. He may not help you, and he might even sell you to Wei Zhongxian to protect himself."

Qin Shaolang carefully put the tiger tally away from his body and nodded.

He knew that this trip to the Minister's residence was a dangerous trap.

But he knew even better that in order to find a way out between the two tigers, Wei Zhongxian and the emperor, he had to win over a third-party force.

The Minister of War, who held the power to defend the capital and mobilize troops throughout the country, was undoubtedly the best choice.

"Qin Shaolang, a physician at Huichuntang in Qinghe County, requests an audience with the Minister."

Qin Shaolang handed the visiting card to the guard at the door.

The guard glanced at the visiting cards, then looked them up and down, his eyes full of contempt.

"The Minister is too busy with official duties to have time to see some country doctor. Just wait and see."

After saying that, the guard took the visiting card and went inside, leaving Qin Shaolang and the monkey standing there blankly at the door.

This wait lasted for an hour.

From mid-morning until the sun was high in the sky.

The monkey, starving, muttered under its breath, "Sir, this old fox is deliberately keeping us waiting! Should we go back?"

Qin Shaolang, however, seemed not to hear, remaining standing ramrod straight with no change in expression.

Another half hour passed before the guard slowly emerged.

"Go in, the master is waiting for you in the study."

After passing through several courtyards, the two were led to an elegant study.

A steward-like man stopped them and pointed to the brocade box the monkey was holding: "His Excellency the Minister has decreed that gifts should not be accepted from guests."

The monkey was stunned. Could a gift really be refused?

Qin Shaolang smiled and gestured for the monkey to place the brocade box outside the door.

He went into the study alone.

Inside the study, a man over fifty years old, dressed in a scarlet official robe, was facing away from him, copying a landscape painting on the wall.

This person must be Liu Chengen, the Minister of War.

"This humble subject, Qin Shaolang, greets Your Excellency, Minister." Qin Shaolang bowed respectfully.

Liu Chengen did not turn around, nor did he stop writing. He simply asked, "Doctor Qin, why are you here at my humble abode instead of treating His Majesty in the palace?"

His voice was neither hurried nor slow, yet it carried the scrutiny of someone who had long held a high position.

Qin Shaolang did not mention the Tiger Tally, nor did he say anything about an alliance.

He simply watched Liu Chengen's retreating figure in silence, and after a moment, he suddenly spoke.

"Your Excellency, your copy of 'Autumn Mountains and Travelers' is excellent, with vigorous brushstrokes and a lofty artistic conception. It's just a pity..."

Liu Chengen stopped writing.

He slowly turned around, a sharp glint flashing in his seemingly cloudy old eyes.

"What's a pity?"

"Unfortunately, your heart is in turmoil."

Qin Shaolang met his gaze, his tone calm.

"Have you been waking up frequently around midnight, experiencing palpitations and night sweats, and finding it difficult to fall back asleep? While you may feel relatively energetic during the day, do your legs feel heavy and your knees ache as if chilled by a cold wind in the evening?"

For the first time, Liu Chengen's expression changed.

He never spoke of these symptoms to any third party other than himself and his wife in the household.

Even the imperial physicians in the palace only thought that he was old and had a deficiency of qi and blood.

The young man in front of him only glanced at him, yet he spoke with absolute accuracy!

"How...how did you know?"

"I could tell by smell." Qin Shaolang pointed to the inkstone under his brush. "The ink you used, sir, is Huizhou 'pine soot ink.' This ink is dry, but you have a very faint damp and cold aura about you. Dryness and dampness shouldn't coexist. Unless, someone is trying to use the dryness of this ink to mask the coldness in your body."

He paused, then said, word by word, "What the adult has contracted is not an illness, but a chronic poison."

"poison?!"

The calligraphy brush in Liu Chengen's hand fell to the ground with a "thud," splattering ink everywhere.

"This poison won't kill you immediately, but it will accumulate over time, slowly eroding your meridians, causing you to lose your yang energy without your knowledge while you sleep. Within three years, you will be completely exhausted, appearing as if you died of natural causes, and no one will be able to detect the problem."

Qin Shaolang looked at his face, which turned deathly pale in an instant, and slowly took out the medical record he had found in the hidden compartment of Baicaotang from his bosom.

"To be honest, sir, a few days ago, I stumbled upon this old medical record in an abandoned pharmacy."

"It records that ten years ago, an anonymous nobleman in the capital was poisoned with the exact same poison as you."

"And the person who supplied the poison to that nobleman..."

Qin Shaolang turned to the last page of the medical record and pointed to the two names written in blood.

"Call him Zhou Mu."

Liu Chengen's body swayed violently. He stared intently at the medical record book, as if he had seen something terrifying.

Zhou Mu!

Ten years ago, it was he who personally placed Zhou Mu in Qinghe County as a secret pawn to fight against the Crown Prince's power!

This matter is known only to Heaven, Earth, him, and Zhou Mu!

Who exactly is this young man in front of me?!

Qin Shaolang took in Liu Chengen's shock, closed the medical record book, and handed it forward.

"My lord, I believe you need this medical record more than I do."

Liu Chengen looked at the medical record as if it were a hot potato, and hesitated to take it.

He knew that once he accepted the offer, it would mean he was completely bound to Qin Shaolang.

But if I don't answer...

He glanced at Qin Shaolang's eyes, which seemed to see through everything, and a chill ran through him.

This young man didn't come to ask for help.

He came to hand over the knife!

Just as he was hesitating, Qin Shaolang suddenly spoke again.

"Oh, right, sir." Qin Shaolang seemed to have just remembered something, and took something else out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

It was a tattered tiger tally.

"Another friend of mine is surnamed Wei."