Bai Lian of Divine Physician Valley

The next day.

At the imperial court.

Di Yunqian sat on the high throne in golden court robes, while the civil and military officials stood in neat rows below. Li Peian held an edict and read it aloud.

"Du Chengji, minister of punishments, has harmed the people, embezzled funds, accepted bribes, and formed cliques for personal gain. He is truly a scourge upon Xiling. He is hereby stripped of office and cast into prison, to be beheaded on a day to be appointed. All the wealth of the Du Family is to be confiscated for the state treasury. By imperial decree!"

This was the first edict. The officials standing below kept their heads bowed, lost in thought. Another high official had fallen.

Li Peian continued reading the second edict.

"We hereby recognize Wei Ning, a loyal and upright minister of exceptional talent and intelligence, who has served the nation and its people. He is entrusted with a great responsibility and promoted to minister of punishments. Let him faithfully attend to his duties and carry them out with all his heart and strength. By imperial decree!"

At these words, Wei Ning, standing below the throne, finally closed his eyes.

The great stone weighing on his heart fell away. The next moment, he hurried forward and knelt to receive the decree and express his gratitude.

"This humble minister Wei Ning thanks Your Majesty for your great favor!"

Anyone listening closely could hear the tremor in Wei Ning's voice, his heart surging with emotion.

Only he knew what this promotion meant.

The others glanced at him, unable to keep a trace of envy from their eyes.

There was no further business at morning court that day. After the session was swiftly dismissed, Di Yunqian summoned Gao Qian and the deputy minister of the Court of Judicial Review for a private audience.

Amid the congratulations of his fellow officials, Wei Ning responded with the utmost modesty and courtesy all the way out of the palace.

"Master, Wei Ning has been promoted to minister of punishments. The Du Family's estate has been confiscated, and all their property has gone into the state treasury. Du Chengji is to be beheaded on a day to be appointed."

Chunzhi entered the hall and hurriedly reported the news from morning court to Di Qingyu.

Hearing this, Di Qingyu, who was eating, found her appetite even better. She ate several pieces of fish, her expression perfectly calm, as though she had expected it all along.

"Make preparations. I'm going to visit my teacher this afternoon."

"Yes."

But before she could leave the palace that afternoon, a eunuch arrived at noon with a silver-haired man dressed in a moon-white robe.

The man wore a pale gold mask, making him extremely mysterious. Apart from his eyes, as cool and still as a deep pool, nothing else could be seen.

"Your Highness, this is Bai Lian, the master of Divine Physician Valley. General Zhu invited him to examine your pulse."

Di Qingyu, who was warming herself by the brazier in the room, raised her eyes slightly. Chunzhi and the other two were beside her.

"Since General Zhu invited him, let him take a look. You may leave. I'll have someone see him out of the palace later."

"Yes. This servant takes his leave."

Once the eunuch had gone, the silver-haired man, who had been standing in the room, walked straight to the brazier and sat down without waiting for Di Qingyu to speak.

"You had me go to the general's residence just to deal with an old woman?"

Bai Lian sat with an elegant bearing, his figure tall and graceful. When he spoke, his voice was not aged and kindly as people rumored; instead, it had an unrestrained ease beneath its gentle refinement and was exceptionally pleasant to hear.

Di Qingyu raised a brow at him, sitting in a relaxed pose. "You'd already come to Xiling Royal City anyway. It would be a waste not to make use of you."

At that, Bai Lian immediately shot her an icy look. "Had I known, I never should have come, only to be ordered around by you for nothing."

Di Qingyu curled her lips and retorted with a sharp tongue, "Not quite for nothing. Chunzhi, serve tea."

Chunzhi carefully handed Bai Lian a cup of tea.

Unexpectedly, Bai Lian took only one sip before frowning beneath his mask. "This tea tastes dreadful. It seems you aren't doing very well as a princess of Xiling. You'd be better off joining my Divine Physician Valley as a disciple and earning the admiration of all under heaven."

Sitting on the cushioned couch, Di Qingyu picked up the hot tea beside her and took a sip, her expression leisurely.

"Once I take a high position, everyone under heaven will admire me just the same. Why should I spend my life toiling over medicine, drifting across the four seas as you do?"

Joining Divine Physician Valley would mean becoming his disciple, wouldn't it? A teacher for a day was a father for life. If he thought he could take advantage of her, no chance.

Bai Lian's jade-like fingers tightened around his cup.

"I'm traveling, not drifting."

Seeing that he couldn't outargue her and had grown angry again, Di Qingyu couldn't help laughing softly and teasing him. "Valley Master Bai, that mask of yours isn't working anymore. I can see how angry you are."

Bai Lian closed his eyes, their depths as cool and still as a pool. All his composure vanished like smoke. "With that mouth of yours, who knows when someone will assassinate you?"

"The same goes for you. You're no better, Valley Master Bai. As the saying goes, a scourge lives on for a thousand years. You'll live longer than I will." Di Qingyu's gaze grew slightly cold.

"..." Bai Lian closed his eyes.

Seeing this, Di Qingyu raised a brow. Knowing she couldn't anger him too much, she changed the subject and glanced at Qiuwen, who stood nearby with her head lowered, not daring to speak.

"Qiuwen, your grandmaster is here. Why don't you hurry and pay your respects?"

Not long after she had saved Qiuwen, she had sent her to Divine Physician Valley to study medicine with a letter. But it was not Bai Lian who took her as a disciple; it was his disciple.

Hearing this, Qiuwen hurried forward and lowered her head. "Qiuwen, fifteenth-generation successor of Divine Physician Valley, pays her respects to the valley master."

Only then did Bai Lian slowly open his eyes. His expression was no longer as casual as it had been with Di Qingyu, but filled with solemn authority.

"Di Qingyu's complexion is worse than it was a year ago. It seems your skills are lacking. You need to return to Divine Physician Valley for another assessment." His tone was cold and merciless.

Qiuwen's face turned pale at his words, but she didn't dare say anything.

"It wasn't her. I deliberately took medicine that damaged my health. That's why I'm a little worse than before," Di Qingyu said, coming to her rescue.

At that, Bai Lian's tone turned icy in an instant. "It seems you really do want to die."

Di Qingyu looked at him coldly and asked an unrelated question.

"How is Zhu Wuyang?"

Clearly, Bai Lian's visit to the general's residence had not only been at her direction; it had also happened to be at Zhu Juxuan's request.

Seeing her avoid any discussion of her own condition, Bai Lian said coldly, without preamble:

"His life is in grave danger."

Hearing this, Di Qingyu knew Zhu Wuyang was in no serious danger, and her mind eased somewhat.

"If you have nothing else to do, leave the palace. The royal city hasn't been peaceful lately, and you're too weak to truss a chicken. Be careful, or someone might carry you off."

Bai Lian said, "Wasn't all this unrest caused by you? As long as you don't make a move, who would dare touch me?"

Di Qingyu shrugged. "That's hard to say. What if I can't resist making a move against you?"

"True enough. I suspect my appearance here today was also part of your plan." Bai Lian stared pointedly at her, and Di Qingyu did not deny it.

Seeing her reaction, Bai Lian narrowed his eyes and rose to his feet. "What do you want me to say?"

He turned and walked toward the door.

"Just say that my body has suffered severe damage, and that from now on... I can never bear children."

"Master..."

Even Chunzhi and the other two looked up in shock.

Bai Lian stopped in his tracks. He turned to look at Di Qingyu, gazing at her for a long time.

At last, he spoke from beneath his mask.

"Di Qingyu, when the day comes that you succeed, don't forget what you promised me." She really was ruthless to herself.

There was no emotion whatsoever in the look he gave Di Qingyu, only the silence of a merchant making a transaction.

"Of course," Di Qingyu replied with certainty.

Bai Lian then turned and left at an unhurried pace. Moonlight fell upon his solitary retreating figure outside the room.

Watching him go, Di Qingyu withdrew her gaze.

Bai Lian, when you meet Shang Lu, don't make me take action myself.