Chapter Twenty-Six: The Zhang Family

Shen Hua suddenly recalled her master saying that Lu Chenzhou had a five-year-old daughter. Since the little girl had mentioned that Lu Chenzhou had drawn her portrait, it meant he had been investigating her in secret all along.

"Little girl, it’s just a drawing. Perhaps your father isn’t very skilled, and besides, there are always people in this world who look alike."

Shen Hua brushed off the comment to Su Su, making even Wen Yingxue believe that the child’s words were merely innocent babble not to be taken seriously.

"My rule, as Shen Hua, is that I do not treat patients outside the Ghost Market. You have broken the rules, but I will not."

Shen Hua turned to leave, but Wen Yingxue grabbed her arm, refusing to let go. She pleaded, "Doctor Shen, I beg you. My mother has been ill for a long time, and no matter how many famous physicians I hire, it’s been to no avail. That is why I thought of you."

Shen Hua looked at her indifferently, showing no intention of agreeing.

"I know your rules, Doctor Shen, but I am desperate. At the very least, this gives me a glimmer of hope."

Wen Yingxue lifted a box from the table and placed it into Shen Hua’s arms, saying, "These are all yours, if only you can cure my mother’s illness."

Zhu’er tried to intervene but withdrew her outstretched hand, her face filled with anxiety.

Shen Hua opened the box and saw it was filled with valuable jewelry and a few banknotes. However, one item caught her eye. She took out an object resembling a jade seal, examined it for a moment, and said, "I only want this."

"Just this one?" Wen Yingxue asked.

Shen Hua nodded, a faint, involuntary smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Does that mean you agree to treat my mother?"

Wen Yingxue had been prepared to kneel before Shen Hua; she never expected that in exchange for a whole box of treasures, Shen Hua would only take one item—something her mother had given her as a child, which she had found useless and merely a strange-looking seal.

"Let’s go."

Shen Hua tucked the item away, changed into the clothes Zhu’er had prepared, and followed Wen Yingxue out.

After walking a short distance, Shen Hua took the lantern from Wen Yingxue’s hand and said, "I’ll carry it."

In truth, Shen Hua had no need for a lantern in the darkness, but as she was posing as a servant, it would be improper for the lady of the house to carry the light. Zhang’s residence was not far from Wen Yingxue’s courtyard, but it required passing through Wen Lun’s study. Wen Yingxue reminded Shen Hua not to make a sound if they encountered anyone and to keep her head down while walking.

Yet, the thing one fears most is often exactly what happens. No sooner had Wen Yingxue finished speaking than a man stepped out of Wen Lun’s study—it was her brother-in-law, Lu Chenzhou.

"It’s over!"

Hearing Wen Yingxue’s sigh, Shen Hua looked up, her heart tightening. It really was as the saying went.

"Yingxue, why isn't Su Su with you?"

Lu Chenzhou had emerged from the study just as Wen Yingxue passed by, thinking he would go see Lu Su Su.

"She is in my room practicing calligraphy, and Zhu’er is with her."

"Where are you going so late?"

Wen Lun appeared unexpectedly, and seeing Wen Yingxue wandering the courtyard at night, he asked casually.

"Father, I am going to see Mother. The nanny said she didn't eat dinner tonight, so I thought I would bring her some of the pastries I bought today."

Wen Lun replied in a deep voice, "Go then, but don't stay too late."

Shen Hua kept her head bowed, standing behind Wen Yingxue. She glanced at Wen Lun from the corner of her eye, but just as she was about to look away, Lu Chenzhou’s gaze fell upon her.

Lu Chenzhou stared at Shen Hua for a moment, then smiled with a frown, though he said nothing.

Shen Hua knew Lu Chenzhou had recognized her, but since he didn't expose her on the spot, she felt a flicker of doubt as to what he was planning.

"Nanny, where is Mother?"

Wen Yingxue led Shen Hua into Zhang’s room, where no one was present except for Zhang’s personal nanny.

"The mistress seems much clearer today."

Shen Hua looked at a young woman writing at the desk. She appeared to be only about thirty years old, yet Wen Yingxue was already eighteen or nineteen. Why was her biological mother so young? She didn't look like a middle-aged woman of forty at all. Not only was Zhang beautiful, but she was also literate and possessed a refined hand at calligraphy.

"And this is?" The nanny scrutinized Shen Hua.

"The physician I hired for Mother," Wen Yingxue replied.

Shen Hua had already walked over to Zhang’s side, observing the poem she was writing: "Once having witnessed the vast sea, other waters are no longer worth seeing; except for the clouds over Mount Wu, no other clouds are worth admiring."

"Fine calligraphy," Shen Hua remarked suddenly.

Zhang looked up at Shen Hua and replied with a smile, "You are too kind. My husband taught me all of this."

Wen Yingxue approached her mother and said, "Mother, this is Doctor Shen. She is highly skilled and will surely cure your illness."

"I am not ill. Why do you all keep saying I am ill and making me take those medicines?"

The nanny explained, "Mistress, why don't you let Doctor Shen take your pulse, and we can continue writing after we finish?"

Seeing Zhang nod in agreement, Shen Hua began to check her pulse. From the pulse, it was clear that Zhang had no serious illness, but there was a chronic poison in her system. It was not fatal, but it caused the victim to suffer frequent hallucinations, and the poisoned person would often not remember their own actions.

"Nanny, would you mind bringing me the dregs of the medicine the mistress usually takes?"

The nanny’s gaze drifted, and her voice carried a trace of nervous unease. "I threw them all away. I didn't keep them."

Shen Hua removed her fingertips from Zhang’s arm and said to her, "Mistress, you are indeed not ill. You are merely suffering from the lingering effects of a severe illness from years ago. From today on, you do not need to take that medicine, and you will gradually improve. One should not take medicine indiscriminately; as the saying goes, every medicine has its own toxicity, and some are truly poisonous."

Zhang gave a faint smile, which could not hide the sorrow in the depths of her eyes, though it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Her voice, tinged with a cold detachment, said to Wen Yingxue, "Do not blame the nanny. She has taken great care of me over the years. When you have a moment, speak to your father and suggest increasing her monthly wages."

Wen Yingxue was simple-minded and failed to hear the hidden message in her mother’s words. What she had just said implied that the nanny was someone placed by Wen Lun, and that the medicine was likely something Wen Lun had ordered the nanny to feed her.

Shen Hua took a packet of pills from her medical kit and placed it directly into Zhang’s hand, whispering, "Mistress, these are soothing pills. Take one daily, and when you have finished them, you may have your daughter come to find me."

In reality, these were not soothing pills, but the "Purple Heart Pill," an antidote to a hundred poisons.

Zhang’s expression softened, her head bowing slightly.

"Nanny, go brew a pot of tea for Doctor Shen. I have some questions for her regarding health and longevity."

The nanny looked reluctant but could not refuse in front of Shen Hua and Wen Yingxue, so she had to step away for a moment.

Once the room was clear, Shen Hua said to Wen Yingxue, "Miss Wen, I haven't eaten dinner. Could you go to your small kitchen and get me something to eat? Steamed buns or dumplings would do."

Wen Yingxue glanced at Zhang, and only after her mother nodded did she feel comfortable leaving.

"Mistress, you actually know the source of the poison in your body, don't you?"

Zhang shook her head and smiled. "Thank you, Doctor Shen. From the first moment I saw you, I knew you were no ordinary physician. You are the one who invited her sister to visit my daughter in her room that day, aren't you?"

Shen Hua was surprised that Zhang knew about that incident.

"I have only one daughter. Every person around her has been chosen by me—they are clean and loyal." Zhang continued, "Doctor Shen, you are remarkably generous. The Purple Heart Pill takes a very long time to refine. It seems my daughter has given you quite a reward."

Shen Hua tilted her head slightly and shook it.

"What is it?"

"Today, Miss Wen brought a whole box of items to beg me to treat you, but I only took one thing."

As she spoke, Shen Hua took out the object from earlier to show Zhang. After seeing it, although Zhang did not show displeasure on her face, her eyes betrayed her; it was clear she cared deeply about this item.

"Mistress, may I ask you a question?"

Zhang nodded.

"Where is your ancestral home?"

Zhang stared blankly at the object in Shen Hua’s hand.

Without waiting for her to speak, Shen Hua asked directly, "The North, is it?"

"It seems you have guessed it, Doctor Shen. Since that is the case, please keep this item for me. I only kept it with my daughter for safety; no one would suspect that such a thing would be hidden in a young girl’s personal chest."

Shen Hua replied, "Since you are so generous, Mistress, I cannot take your Zhang family’s property for nothing. If your daughter encounters trouble in the future, you may come to me. And this..."

Shen Hua took a bottle from her medical kit and offered it to Zhang, but Zhang did not accept it. She pushed it back toward Shen Hua and said, "If I had wanted her to disappear, the grass on her grave would have grown several times over by now."

"Very well. It seems you have your own plans, Mistress."

"Doctor Shen, since we are discussing this, don't you want to ask how it is used?"

Zhang examined the object in her hand for a moment. "I am merely keeping this for someone else. How it is used depends on fate. Use it correctly, and one can summon the wind and rain; use it incorrectly, and it will bring about one's own destruction."

Shen Hua asked, "Can it truly summon ghost soldiers?"

"Can your eyes not see? Find a place to test it, and you will know."

At this moment, the nanny returned with tea, and Wen Yingxue followed, placing a plate of pastries before Shen Hua.

"Doctor Shen, please have some tea." The nanny smiled politely as she handed the cup to Shen Hua.

After finishing the tea, Zhang said to Wen Yingxue, "I am feeling a bit weary."

Understanding the hint, Shen Hua stood up, picked up her medical kit, and bid them farewell. As she left, she brushed past the nanny.

"Doctor Shen, can my mother’s illness really be cured?"

Shen Hua looked at Wen Yingxue, unsure how to tell her that her mother had known all along that someone was poisoning her, and even knew who the culprit was. Yet, based on the situation, Zhang did not want her to know the truth. Shen Hua marveled at Zhang’s endurance and planning; she had already been hinting that Wen Lun was not a kind man.

"Your mother’s illness will improve, but one cannot rush it. You should visit her more often."

"But Mother doesn't let me stay long."

Shen Hua asked, "Why?"

"I don't know. She wasn't like this when I was younger."

Wen Yingxue’s eyes shimmered. For her, having lost the love of her sister and mother within a few short years, and even feeling that her father had grown distant, was painful. Yet, she could not show her disappointment in public and had to constantly remember her father’s teachings: never to lose face for the Wen household.

After Wen Yingxue saw Shen Hua out through the back gate, Lu Chenzhou was already waiting. The sudden attack caught Shen Hua off guard. She retreated several steps, her medical kit nearly falling. Just as she prepared to counterattack, Lu Chenzhou spoke: "Doctor Shen, how many more surprises are you hiding that I am not aware of?"

Shen Hua quickly tucked away the hidden weapon she had been about to deploy.

"Lord Lu, perhaps Nanjing is just too small. I didn't expect to run into you here as well."

"Doctor Shen, are you not familiar with this place?" Lu Chenzhou asked, testing her.

Shen Hua recalled that a few days ago, when she had come to the Wen residence, she had encountered Lu Chenzhou in this very spot, and they had even exchanged a few blows.

"So, the person who ambushed me from behind that day was you, Lord Lu." Shen Hua said with a tone of feigned accusation, though she had known all along it was him.

Lu Chenzhou continued, "I didn't expect your martial arts to be so formidable, Doctor Shen. I was no match for you. If I hadn't made a sound just now, I fear my life would have been lost."

"You are too kind, Lord Lu. My meager skills are only for self-defense. Your own abilities are likely the ones that are truly hidden."

Shen Hua sneered inwardly. It was difficult for Lu Chenzhou to utter such words; his greatest talent was hiding his true strength. To the officials in the court, he appeared exactly as he seemed, but from the first moment Shen Hua saw him, she knew this man was far from simple.

Shen Hua ultimately chose not to answer Lu Chenzhou’s questions. Even though he followed her for the rest of the way, she did not speak to him.

"Very well, I have a request for your help," Lu Chenzhou said bluntly.

"An autopsy?" Shen Hua asked.

Lu Chenzhou nodded, putting on an apologetic expression. "Shen Hua, what were you doing at the Wen residence today?"

"Treating the mistress of the house."

"What illness does Madam Zhang have?"

Shen Hua countered, "Don't you know?"

Lu Chenzhou replied, "I only know she fell ill suddenly two years ago and began losing her memory, but I heard she has improved recently. How was she when you saw her today?"

Shen Hua stopped and sighed deeply. "You officials certainly have lively matters within your households."

"What do you mean?"

Shen Hua shrugged, looking at Lu Chenzhou with interest. "Nothing. Just that those who are old worry too much. I have prescribed special pills for her, and she will recover before long."

Shen Hua then asked, "Whose autopsy do you want me to perform?"

"Two eunuchs who guarded the imperial tombs."

"Must it be today?"

"Yes."

"But I didn't bring my tools out with me today."

"Rest assured, the Ministry of Justice has everything you need." Lu Chenzhou looked confident.

"But..."

Before Shen Hua could finish, Lu Chenzhou pressed ten taels of silver into her hand and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I know your rules."

"Lord Lu, your daughter said she saw a portrait of me on your desk at home."

"What?" Lu Chenzhou was clearly rattled by the sudden question. He quickly added, "Don't take a child’s words to heart. In their world, all adults look more or less the same."

"So, Lord Lu has this peculiar hobby—collecting portraits of women."

A sharp glint flashed in Shen Hua’s eyes, though it vanished in an instant.