Denghuangtai

"Young lady, something terrible has happened!"

Early in the morning, Wei's mother hurriedly pushed open Pei Qingyan's door and went straight to the bed in the west side room.

The bed was empty, with no sign of Pei Qingyan. Just as Wei's mother was about to speak out in suspicion, she heard Pei Qingyan's voice from behind her.

"What happened?"

Mother Wei turned her head at the sound and saw Pei Qingyan hunched over his desk, calmly writing large characters.

"Everyone in the streets and alleys is saying that your release from the imperial prison is not an exoneration, but rather a five-day grace granted by His Majesty to clear your name of suspicion. If the real culprit is not brought to justice after five days, you will still be guilty."

"Yes." Pei Qingyan replied calmly without looking up.

"My little darling, this is a matter of life and death! Aren't you going to hurry up and find a way to solve the murder?"

As they were talking, Wei's mother stepped forward and snatched the calligraphy brush from Pei Qingyan's hand, making a move to drag him outside.

Caught off guard, Pei Qingyan's wound was aggravated during the tugging, and the excruciating pain made her gasp.

"A young lady?"

Upon hearing the sound, Wei's mother quickly released her grip and, seeing Pei Qingyan's face turn deathly pale, anxiously asked, "Are you injured?"

Before Pei Qingyan could answer, Madam Wei spoke again, her tone annoyed, "Everyone says the Imperial Prison is a place that eats people alive, but I thought that with your military achievements, those people wouldn't dare to act so easily. Do you have any medicine? Please take off your clothes so I can apply the medicine for you."

Mother Wei spoke at breakneck speed, giving Pei Qingyan no chance to speak at all.

Pei Qingyan shook his head helplessly and took off his outer robe as instructed.

Then came Wei's mother's exclamation.

Without the cover of the large, heavy outer robe, the iron chains outlined by the close-fitting inner garment were immediately exposed, with a patch of blood staining the inner garment.

"How could these people be so ruthless!"

Mother Wei's voice trembled, and tears streamed down her face.

"Could you please get me some wound medicine?"

"Yes."

Mother Wei hastily wiped away her tears and rushed out.

"Why……"

Pei Qingyan wanted to remind her to slow down, but as soon as he made a sound, she disappeared from sight, so he had no choice but to swallow the rest of his words.

"Can't we pick this?"

Looking at the chains on Pei Qingyan's body, Wei's mother asked.

Pei Qingyan smiled and said, "Leaving the imperial prison is certainly possible."

As she spoke, her hands continued their work, deftly applying the wound medicine to the affected area. Originally, Wei's mother intended to help, but upon seeing the gruesome wound, she couldn't help but feel a chill, and her hands trembled uncontrollably.

After several unsuccessful attempts, they could only stand by and watch.

Even so, the expression on her face remained ferocious, her brows furrowed, as if she were enduring excruciating pain.

On the contrary, Pei Qingyan, the injured one, breathed evenly, his expression calm, without even a furrowed brow. Judging from their expressions alone, it was truly impossible to tell who was the injured one.

"Since it can be picked, why leave it? I'll go and fetch the physician right away."

Madam Wei was decisive and efficient; she turned to leave as she spoke. Pei Qingyan reacted quickly and stopped her.

"I need to recuperate for a while longer. If we force it now, I might not be able to withstand it."

Upon hearing this, Wei's mother felt another pang of pain in her heart. How could such a perfectly healthy person have been tormented into this state!

"Actually, it's just for show; we didn't feel anything at all, and it wasn't as bad as the injuries we sustained on the battlefield."

Seeing Wei's mother's heartbroken expression, Pei Qingyan deliberately tried to comfort her.

But to Wei's mother, these words were like stabbing her in the heart again. Considering Pei Qingyan's good intentions, she could only pretend to be calm and act as if she had been comforted.

"Then I'll stew some more nourishing medicinal soups these days, and try to help you recover as soon as possible."

"Okay." Pei Qingyan smiled and agreed, putting his outer robe back on. He muttered to himself, "I need to replenish my strength and prepare for the heart's blood extraction later."

Mrs. Wei didn't hear her clearly and asked, "What did you say?"

"It's nothing." Pei Qingyan quickly changed the subject. "There will be all sorts of rumors about me in Chang'an these next few days. Whatever you hear, just pretend you didn't hear it. Don't panic. Just act as usual."

"What are your plans regarding the investigation?"

"No rush," Pei Qingyan said confidently.

The bait has already been cast, so why worry about not catching any fish?

Shangshutai (Imperial Secretariat).

Yun Zheng was reviewing official documents at his desk when the registrar knocked on the door and entered.