Among the contents was a small effigy plaited from rush pith.
Imperial Physician Chen picked it up for a closer look and trembled with sheer rage.
Two long needles were driven through the straw doll's chest, pinning a tiny strip of white cloth bearing none other than his own name—Imperial Physician Chen!
A curse!
Someone was cursing him, and had even mailed the box right to his doorstep!
"Vicious! Utterly venomous!" Imperial Physician Chen pulled the long needles from the effigy.
He was a physician himself, and saw at a glance that the shafts were hollowed—puncturing needles used for medical treatments.
"Liu Qi! It must be that jealous bastard Liu Qi cursing me!" He threw the needles back into the box in fury. "Gloat all you want tonight. Tomorrow, the moment I step into the Imperial Medical Bureau, I'll take care of you!"
After ordering the gatekeeper to throw the box away, Imperial Physician Chen finally returned to his quarters to rest.
He had assumed he would be too angry to fall asleep, but after tossing and turning twice on the couch, the alcohol caught up with him.
Perhaps because of the cursed objects in the box, he was plunged into a nightmare.
In the dream, the Second Prince's madness suddenly relapsed.
That raving, maniacal state was identical to how he had been before.
His Majesty was beside himself with fury, summoning him immediately to attend to the prince.
Imperial Physician Chen found the space above the head of the Second Prince's bed completely bare. Filled with shock and suspicion, he exclaimed, "Where is the Heart Lamp? It should be hanging directly above the patient's forehead, never removed for even a single moment!"
The King of Bo sat beside his second son with his back to the light. Chen could not make out the king's expression, but he could feel the dark, violent rage radiating from him. "It is useless! The moment my son lays eyes on that lamp, he babbles hysterically. I had it taken down!"
Imperial Physician Chen gasped in alarm. "You must not do that, Your Majesty! It must be hung back up at once! The Second Prince must have the Heart Lamp's protection!"
"Could it be that the shape you made was wrong, or the color of the light you tuned was off?"
"The shape and the light color do not matter. We only chose the most common melon shape. The key to refining a Heart Lamp lies in assembling all the ingredients—above all, the Bright Lantern Cup is indispensable."
"Is that so?" The King of Bo waved his hand. From behind, an attendant slowly approached, holding up a melon-shaped lantern.
Imperial Physician Chen let out an instinctive noise of surprise. "Why is it so large?"
"Look again."
As the attendant drew closer, Chen saw that it was actually half the size of an ordinary palace lantern, pasted over with red paper.
He felt something was amiss, yet in his drowsy confusion, he could not put his finger on what it was.
The "Heart Lamp" was hung before the Second Prince's bed, and its glow fell upon the patient—yet it did not take effect as before.
How strange. What was going on? Why had the condition relapsed?
The King of Bo slammed his hand on the table in fury. "Does your method work or not?! After all that effort, why has the Heart Lamp stopped working?!"
Cold sweat drenched Imperial Physician Chen. "It works, it works! Relapses happen occasionally, but as long as we persevere..."
The King of Bo cut him off. "Explain to me clearly: where did you find this method in the first place?!"
"This official..." Imperial Physician Chen swallowed hard. "This official discovered the refining method for the Heart Lamp on a fragmented page from an ancient secret scroll. After careful study, it proved effective for the Second Prince!"
"And that fragment also recorded the time and place of the Bright Lantern Cup's ripening?"
"Y-Yes," Chen stammered anxiously. "By Heaven's great blessing, within a thousand li, Bright Lantern Grass only grows on the snowy peaks of the Xiaoyao Sect, and it happened to be ripening recently."
"And where did you get this fragmented scroll?"
"I came across it by chance at that old bookshop at the east end of the city. It cost only two mace of silver. This official often browses bookshops for old texts..."
"Is that the truth?" The King of Bo glared at him. "You dare deceive even Us?! Drag him out and give him twenty strokes of the heavy plank!"
Terrified, Imperial Physician Chen threw himself to the floor, wailing, "Injustice! This official would never dare deceive Your Majesty!"
"Injustice? Are you saying We are mistaken?" The King of Bo chuckled coldly, each word sending chills down Chen's spine. "Thirty strokes."
Two burly guards stepped forward, ready to haul him off to the punishment ground like a slaughtered pig.
Imperial Physician Chen trembled all over.
He knew very well that palace canings were full of tricks. Thirty strokes could be delivered lightly enough to only bruise the skin, or ten strokes could kill a man outright. He wanted no part of either.
Moreover, given the King of Bo's temper, if he failed to get the answer he wanted, thirty strokes would only be the appetizer.
"I'll speak! I'll speak!" Imperial Physician Chen instantly yielded. "It's just that the truth sounded too absurd, and I feared Your Majesty would find it even harder to believe, so I... I..."
He had fabricated an origin for the secret scroll.
"Another word of nonsense, and you'll receive ten strokes first."
Chen's tongue loosened at once. "The secret method for refining the Heart Lamp was not picked up from a bookstore. It... it appeared directly on my desk!"
"Appeared directly on your desk?" The King of Bo chuckled in derision. "You mean to say, instead of you seeking out the secret method, the secret method sought you out?"
"It sounds unbelievable, but that is the absolute truth!" Chen swallowed hard. "This official still remembers that night: I studied medical texts until midnight, overslept the next morning, and rushed into the palace for duty, only returning home after dark. When I arrived, half a booklet was pressed beneath the paperweight in my study. It... it contained the secret method detailing Bright Lantern Grass and the Heart Lamp.
"After that, I consulted numerous records and deduced that the Heart Lamp would very likely cure the Second Prince!" Imperial Physician Chen kowtowed frantically. "Your Majesty, this official does not dare utter a single false word!"
The King of Bo's fury subsided slightly, as if he were turning it over in his mind. "When did this happen?"
"Half... half a year ago!"
"Half a year ago? Why didn't you speak up sooner?"
Chen hurried to defend himself. "The fragment appeared so abruptly. This official had to consult records and carefully verify the diagnosis before daring to administer it to the Second Prince. Besides, back then, the ripening of the Bright Lantern Cup was still far off."
"Is that truly the case?" the King of Bo said coldly. "No other reason?"
"N-None at all." Though Chen kept his head lowered, he could feel the King of Bo's piercing gaze, as if it could burn two holes right through his forehead.
Sweat poured off him like water.
"And then?" the King of Bo asked again. "My son's madness has relapsed. How do you explain it?"
Imperial Physician Chen had never actually used a Heart Lamp to treat dementia before. Gathering his wits, he ventured, "The Second Prince's three souls and seven spirits remain intact; nothing has been lost. Unlike other cases of madness where a soul or spirit is missing, which even a Bright Lantern cannot cure...
"A Heart Lamp refined from a Bright Lantern Cup can banish even an immortal's inner demons. Overcoming the Second Prince's affliction should only be a matter of time." He pointed to the small lamp by the head of the bed, implying it was like using an ox cleaver to kill a chicken. "It requires further close observation. This official begs Your Majesty for more time!"
The King of Bo grunted softly. "Who do you think gave you that secret scroll?"
"That... this official does not know." Chen kowtowed. "Perhaps Heaven is protecting the Second Prince."
The King of Bo smiled faintly. "Did you perform a deity blood sacrifice?"
Deities occasionally answered mortals when they deemed it necessary.
Startled again, Chen shook his head repeatedly. "This official routinely presents offerings at temples, but alas, I have never received favor from a celestial god."
"Can this Heart Lamp be turned back into a Bright Lantern Cup?"
"Uh, that... presumably not. Once such a treasure is refined into a magic artifact, what is done is done, just as a boat carved from wood can never become a tree again."
"How have you been spending the rewards We granted you?" the King of Bo asked leisurely. "I hear you've become quite the celebrity in the capital lately, welcomed wherever you go."
"That is all thanks to Your Majesty's grace!" Chen hurried to reply. "The rewards remain untouched. I dare not squander them or flaunt them carelessly."
When Imperial Physician Chen opened his eyes, the eastern sky was just turning the pale white of a fish's belly.
It was only a dream.
He touched his forehead; it was drenched in cold sweat. Even the quilt was damp.
Thank heavens, thank heavens. Just a dream.
It was all that man Liu's fault! When he returned to the bureau today, he would make sure to teach him a lesson!
***
He Lingchuan had also gotten out of bed, stretching his neck and rolling his shoulders in a long, lazy stretch.
The soul-snatching mirror asked at once, "Any gains?"
Among all those around He Lingchuan, it was the only one who truly knew the full truth, aware even of the Panlong World and the nightmare's existence.
"Yes. Last night, the nightmare infiltrated Imperial Physician Chen's sealed dreamscape and coaxed out a great deal of information. Most importantly, he admitted to using the Heart Lamp to treat the Second Prince, and that he was the one who introduced Bright Lantern Grass to the King of Bo."
He Lingchuan had only meant to give it a tentative try, never expecting immediate success. This showed that the Bo Kingdom's origin power was even feebler than that of the Yuan Kingdom, unable to shield even court physicians from sinister spirits.
Origin power was not only a reflection of national strength, but also a measure of the people's allegiance.
Imperial Physician Chen had mysteriously received that fragmented scroll half a year ago, spending several months verifying it before daring to use it on the Second Prince. Books did not grow legs and walk by themselves. So who had looked after him so generously?
The soul-snatching mirror also asked, "Why didn't this person give the fragment to someone else, but specifically picked Imperial Physician Chen?"
"Good question," He Lingchuan smiled. "Chen doesn't know either, so we'll have to find the answer for him."
If they could decipher why the mastermind had chosen Imperial Physician Chen, they might catch a glimpse of their underlying motive.
Pinning down the motive first would make tracking down the person much easier.
The mirror marveled, "He doesn't even know himself, yet you can find out?"
"The bystander sees what the player cannot. Sometimes the answer doesn't lie in one's own hands." He Lingchuan mused, "I already have a lead."
Over the next two days, he strolled about Xun City, observing the local livelihoods, customs, and popular sentiment.
***
Just after a rainstorm cleared that evening, Dong Rui returned.
His face was flushed with vigor, and he demanded water the moment he walked through the door. "I struck gold! Struck real gold!"
He Lingchuan poured him a cup of hot water. "Who did you find?"
"I went to Zuiyue Brothel first to throw some silver around, drinking and chatting with their top courtesan about wind and flowers. She told me there's indeed an imperial physician named Liu Qi in the Imperial Medical Bureau who specializes in counteracting poisons, highly renowned there for many years."
"So you had a hidden poison you needed cured?" Did someone really have to book the top courtesan just to gather information at a brothel? "Were you two chatting about romantic flowers, or flower-and-willow sickness?"
"How could it be me? It was clearly 'a friend of mine'!" Dong Rui replied with righteous indignation. In any case, it was He Lingchuan's money he was spending, so his 'friend' was—
"I'm just a petty traveling merchant from out of town. How could I ever secure an audience with Imperial Physician Liu himself? Fortunately, Imperial Physician Liu's disciples are spread all across southern Bo, and several of his personal disciples reside right here in Xun City. The most successful one is named Yang, who also happens to be a frequent patron of Zuiyue Brothel, often entertaining guests there. He operates three clinics in Xun City. Thanks to his master's fame and his own decent skills, patients flock to him. This Director Yang's consultation fees are anything but cheap!"
He Lingchuan chuckled. "So you went to visit this Director Yang?"
For Director Yang to thrive so well in Xun City and practice under the banner of Imperial Physician Liu's personal disciple, his ties with Liu had to be exceptionally close.
Such bonds of mentorship, mutual support, and intertwined interests were sometimes firmer than those between father and son.
"Naturally," Dong Rui grinned. "I spent quite a sum just to see Director Yang. The moment we met, I said I had a massive batch of precious medicinal herbs looking for a long-term buyer. He was about to have me thrown out, but the moment he saw the four or five herbs I pulled out, he changed his tune immediately."
Dong Rui was an expert in pharmacology himself and never lacked rare materials on his person.
Lingguang gave him a mournful look; the five-hundred-year-old ginseng Dong Rui had flashed to the man had been taken straight from him.
"Even if he didn't sell such fine herbs to patients, presenting them as filial tribute to his master or offering them to the palace would earn him immense favor. So the two of us booked a private room at Zuiyue Brothel to drink and talk business." Dong Rui sighed. "You know I hate dealing with people. I had to bite the bullet this time."
Being smooth-tongued and talking circles around people was usually the forte of He Lingchuan or Lü Qiuwei.
Even after observing them for so long, Dong Rui had only picked up a fraction of the skill.
Lingguang could not resist chiming in, "Did you use the Heart-Intoxicating Powder I gave you?"
"I did, I did. Mixed it right into his wine." Dong Rui gave him a thumbs-up. "I waited until the end of the banquet to slip it in, just to avoid arousing suspicion. After chugging down half a cup, he was completely out of it and answered whatever I asked."
"He won't remember a word he said when he wakes up," Lingguang noted. "It has no side effects."
"What did you find out?"
"Imperial Physician Liu has been in a terrible mood these past two days. The Assistant Director of the Imperial Medical Bureau picked on him for no rhyme or reason in front of all his subordinates, giving him a vicious scolding."
Lingguang said immediately, "That Assistant Director sure has a nasty temper."
Having a boss like that was truly miserable; fortunately, its own master was extraordinarily gentle.
He Lingchuan smiled without speaking.
He had sent the brocade box, while the chicken and rat heads had been procured by Dong Rui.
He had wanted to identify Imperial Physician Chen's rival within the bureau.
The person who understood Chen best was bound to be his enemy.
What Chen could not figure out might very well have an answer on the opposing side.
"What grievance is there between Imperial Physician Chen and Imperial Physician Liu?" The moment Chen saw the needles and straw doll, he had cursed Liu Qi by name.
Evidently, the friction between them ran deepest.
"A few months ago, Chen was only an attendant physician. The Assistant Director back then was Imperial Physician Wang Chuanyi, and Liu Qi served as his deputy," Dong Rui recounted, relaying Director Yang's exact words. "Because the Second Prince showed no signs of improvement, the King of Bo grew deeply displeased with the imperial physicians. He frequently summoned Wang Chuanyi for harsh tongue-lashings and even caned several other physicians. Later, Wang Chuanyi modified the prince's prescription, which calmed the patient down and reduced the frequency of his outbursts. But the side effect was that he spent most of his time in a deep stupor, nearly impossible to rouse.
"The King of Bo was dissatisfied with such results; he wanted his second son fully restored so the Bo Kingdom could have a proper heir apparent. Not long after, the King of Bo suddenly decided there was something amiss with Wang Chuanyi's medicine, claiming he had caused the Second Prince to remain perpetually comatose and worsened his condition. In a fit of rage, he had him beheaded."
Realization dawned on He Lingchuan. "So Wang Chuanyi was the Assistant Director who lost his head?"
Dong Rui added, "Yang didn't know which specific herb crossed the line, but I'd wager..."
"Sedatives!" Lingguang blurted out. "If the Second Prince had fewer episodes, they would face less reprimand. When a complete cure is impossible, that is a conservative yet effective strategy."
To Physician Wang and the others, since restoring the prince to normal was out of the question, using sedatives to suppress his attacks was enough to placate the King of Bo.
"After Wang Chuanyi's execution, Imperial Physician Liu suspected there was an informant behind the scenes—Imperial Physician Chen," Dong Rui continued. "By regulation, an attendant physician had no right to inspect the Assistant Director's prescriptions, yet Liu caught Chen red-handed snooping at the formula and punished him for it.
"Ever since that incident, Liu and the others have utterly loathed Chen. Once Wang Chuanyi died, the post of Assistant Director fell vacant. The King of Bo asked them to recommend someone of superior medical skill to succeed him, and they all pushed Chen forward."
"That fellow really was thoroughly unpopular." After Wang Chuanyi's demise, all the medical officials knew the Assistant Director's seat was like sitting on hot coals; whoever took it risked losing their head.
So they unanimously nominated Chen—the man they saw as a murderer.
Lingguang voiced his confusion. "I don't get it. Was Wang Chuanyi that popular in the Imperial Medical Bureau? Why did all the physicians end up hating Chen?"
He Lingchuan patted his head. "You're too naive; you've never spent time in a bureaucracy. What Wang Chuanyi prescribed for the Second Prince was something most of the other physicians likely knew full well."
Could the Second Prince's medication truly be hidden from the other veteran physicians?
"The number of physicians authorized to view that prescription had to be limited."
Lingguang understood now. "So they were all in on it together?"
"Facing either caning or decapitation, the physicians were driven to wit's end by the King of Bo. As the saying goes, 'orders come from above, countermeasures rise from below.' To overthrow Wang's treatment plan, you had to produce a better alternative. Besides, Wang Chuanyi had served as Assistant Director for years and had long built his own network of allies," He Lingchuan analyzed. "I believe that if he had any other choice, he wouldn't have tampered with the prescription; the risk was far too great. But as you see, someone like Chen always turns up to spoil the game.
"Yet they never expected Chen would actually cure the Second Prince, securing both his position and his future." Dong Rui counted on his fingers. "Wait, that doesn't add up. Chen got the secret fragment half a year ago—why didn't he present it right away?"
"Back then, he was only an attendant physician of low standing. By rule, a formula he submitted couldn't go straight to the court; it had to pass through the Assistant Director first." He Lingchuan had never served in the Bo court, but officialdom operated the same everywhere. "If the Assistant Director deemed it viable, he would present it to the King of Bo himself. How much credit do you think Chen would have received?"
Once Chen's secret method reached the Assistant Director, it became the Assistant Director's achievement. How much trickled down to Chen would depend entirely on his superior's conscience.
Lingguang asked curiously, "Couldn't he leapfrog his superiors and present it directly to the King of Bo?"
"Even if he handed it to the King of Bo, the king wouldn't understand it. Specialized matters must be left to specialists, so the prescription would still end up in the Assistant Director's hands. If the Assistant Director said it was unworkable, the king wouldn't use it either." He Lingchuan smiled. "You see? In the end, Chen would gain no credit while gratuitously offending his direct superior. If you were Chen and held a treatment plan guaranteed to succeed, what would you have done?"
Wasn't that a complete dead end, with no chance of claiming credit either way? Lingguang scratched his ears and cheeks for a long while before finally realizing that Chen had already broken the deadlock through direct action:
"He got rid of the Assistant Director?"
Chapter 1112