Please, Don’t Die - Chapter 26

Ying Qujie’s words practically confirmed that it was his misdiagnosis that had caused harm. The crowd was stunned, waiting to hear what he would say next.

The old madam looked deeply worried, while Madam Su wore a strange expression, upon closer inspection, it seemed she was holding back laughter. Only General Ying was utterly confused.

Ying Qujie pinched awake one of the unconscious troublemakers and asked, “Ye Mingzhi, when did your mother pass away?”

“How dare you ask!” The troublemaker snapped out of his daze and began cursing. “If it weren’t for you, a quack doctor prescribing the wrong medicine, how could my mother have suddenly died in the middle of the night?”

Ying Qujie nodded to show he understood, then released him and moved to the next troublemaker, pinching him awake to ask the same question.

The answer was identical.

Ye Mingzhi wailed pitifully, while Ying Qujie was pointed at and whispered about by the commoners outside the gate.

Insults flew incessantly.

Yet he remained eerily calm. “Ye Mingzhi, did you get the medicine from Xing Linju based on the prescription I gave you?”

“Of course! I even kept the prescription on me, black ink on white paper!”

“Ye Mingzhi, I recall you can’t read.”

Ye Mingzhi froze. Another troublemaker retorted defiantly, “So what if he can’t read? The pharmacist at the medicine shop can! You quack, still trying to weasel your way out of this!”

“So, you got the medicine from Xing Linju?”

Ying Qujie asked again. Having been caught once, Ye Mingzhi answered cautiously, “Of course! A prescription is a prescription, where else would I get it filled? You quack, still making excuses, give me back my mother’s life!”

Ye Mingzhi twisted violently, trying to lunge at him, but was firmly restrained by the guards behind him.

Ying Qujie ignored his struggles and gave Madam Su a meaningful glance before approaching the old madam. “Grandmother, let’s report this to the authorities.”

Ye Mingzhi: “!”

Everyone was baffled.

Ying Qujie’s voice was icy. “To prevent situations like this, all my patients are required to get their medicine exclusively from Xing Linju. Every herb and prescription there is registered with the court, each dose can be traced. Reporting this will allow the officials to check the records.”

“Physician Ying does indeed have this rule,” the owner of the medical shop, hidden among the crowd, chimed in, wiping sweat from his brow as he defended Ying Qujie.

Ye Mingzhi continued to argue, “Even if I didn’t get the medicine from Xing Linju, I still followed the prescription. Don’t think you can wash your hands of this!”

“But the ‘prescription’ I gave you was just a doggerel poem.” Ying Qujie signaled the guards to retrieve the slip from Ye Mingzhi’s person.

The handwriting was indeed Ying Qujie’s, and it was indeed a common doggerel poem, except for a serial number at the end, distinguishing it from others.

The Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and several other officials examined the slip and nodded to General Ying. “It really is just a doggerel.”

“You wouldn’t even write a real prescription! Do you look down on us?” Ye Mingzhi, pinned to the ground, glared at Ying Qujie indignantly, as if his dignity had been violated.

Ying Qujie replied, “Not writing prescriptions is a requirement of Xing Linju. First, to prevent patients from misjudging the precise dosage at other pharmacies. Second, to protect the shop from false accusations, so there’s no ambiguity.”

He paused, then addressed the Deputy Minister. “Every prescription from Xing Linju contains a traceable ingredient marked with their seal. Your Honors may send someone to examine the medicine dregs to verify this.”

Turning back, Ying Qujie fixed Ye Mingzhi with a cold stare. “As for you, I suspect you killed your own mother for money.”

Ying Qujie’s demeanor was icy, and his lofty gaze bore down with an overwhelming sense of oppression.

Ye Mingzhi, originally a street thug, had never encountered such a scene before and immediately lost his composure.

“You’re lying! You have no evidence, you’re bluffing me! She was my own mother, how could I harm her?”

“And yet you knew she was your own mother? Save your explanations for the prison cell, how did you manage to pay off all those gambling debts?”

As soon as Ying Qujie finished speaking, the crowd outside erupted in agitation.

“That’s right! I remember Ye Mingzhi was a hopeless gambler. His poor mother ruined her health paying off his debts.”

“I knew he looked familiar!”

“It’s him! He even tried to drag my husband into gambling once. Thank goodness my father kept a tight rein on things.”

The public sentiment shifted instantly.

“When Divine Doctor Ying first arrived, he treated my father. He’d been weak and sickly for years, but now he’s lively, more energetic than I am!”

“Same with my family.”

…

A squad of government officers marched in orderly from outside. While the common folk were puzzled, the officials inside recognized them at once, the one leading them was none other than Ying Jiu, a personal guard under Prince Liang!

Ying Jiu appeared young, no more than fifteen or sixteen, his youthful features still evident beneath the simple, uniform-style guard attire.

But no one would underestimate him because of that. In the capital, everyone knew that Prince Liang oversaw all investigations, and Ying Jiu was the most trusted blade in his hand.

Some even said that in urgent matters, meeting Ying Jiu was akin to meeting Prince Liang himself.

Yet now, the usually arrogant Ying Jiu bowed respectfully to Ying Qujie. “Physician Ying, His Highness Prince Liang has heard of your exceptional talent and has sent me to invite you for a consultation.”

Prince Liang’s move was like delivering a pillow to someone already drowsy, not only did it earn the trust of the common people, but even the officials present had to reassess their stance toward Ying Qujie.

The old madam was overjoyed that Ying Qujie had turned danger into safety, and General Ying felt his eldest son had brought him honor. Only Lady Su, her schemes thwarted, nearly ground her teeth in frustration.

The current emperor had only two children. Prince Liang was the younger brother of the crown prince, born of the same mother. Frail since childhood, he was doted upon endlessly. Countless noble families had tried to get their children into Prince Liang’s good graces, hoping for his favor and a meteoric rise.

Lady Su had schemed for so long, yet before she could even present Ying Yuanqi to Prince Liang, Ying Qujie had beaten her to it!

Her slanderous ploy had been risky, and now she had to worry about whether any loose ends remained. She could do nothing but watch helplessly as Ying Qujie boarded Prince Liang’s carriage.

…

Prince Liang’s residence.

The vermilion gates were imposing, their knockers exquisitely carved.

Following Ying Jiu past the screen wall, Ying Qujie saw a white jade qilin statue in the courtyard, so lifelike it seemed ready to step upon lotus flowers and soar into the clouds.

Winding through the corridors, every beam and pillar was adorned with intricate carvings, each detail a testament to opulent craftsmanship.

Truly befitting royalty, even the placement of plants in the courtyard followed meticulous principles.

From the moment He Qingsheng stepped into the estate, she faintly sensed a slight suppression of her powers.

It seemed the folk tales of the imperial family’s divine protection weren’t just legends, some were likely shaped by capable individuals.

Ying Qujie glanced at He Qingsheng several times, finding her unusually quiet.

As they reached a secluded bamboo grove, the murmuring of flowing water and the rustling of bamboo leaves accompanied two clear voices in the distance.

“Drinking tea beneath the bamboo, missing you far away. Three days have passed, why hasn’t she replied? Am I not better-looking than that second brother of hers? Am I not more talented? How dare she ignore me!”

“Stop obsessing. Here, have something to eat. This is the last batch of bamboo-flavored cakes Wanwan made before leaving the capital.”

“What exactly is lacking in me compared to that second brother of hers?”

A heart-wrenching cry of frustration.

Ying Qujie and Ying Jiu exchanged bewildered glances.

Though hesitant, Ying Jiu led him forward toward the small pavilion nestled within the bamboo grove.

“I can’t go on like this, Imperial Preceptor. She ignores me, and now I can’t eat, drink, or sleep. Tell me, is this lovesickness?”

“Hah! More like lovesick idiocy!” Yan Xingyi shoved a piece of cake into the Prince of Liang’s mouth. “Someone ought to record these cringeworthy outbursts of yours for posterity, so you can read them back to yourself ten years from now.”

The Prince of Liang chewed noisily. “So good.” His mouth still half-full, he suddenly gasped around the cake. “I remember Miss Chu also likes Qi Wan’s cakes. I should save some for her.”

Yan Xingyi scoffed. “Hopeless simp. For all you know, that second brother of hers likes them too.”

“Nonsense! Why would Qi Wan ever offer him any?”

Ahem.

Ying Jiu coughed pointedly, and the Prince of Liang instantly straightened, shedding his slouch to resume an air of dignified refinement.

“Your Highness, Physician Ying has arrived.”

The two in the courtyard turned their gazes over. He Qingsheng didn’t bother hiding, flashing Yan Xingyi a bright smile. “Hey, fellow traveler!”

Yan Xingyi’s eyelid twitched violently, but he kept his focus on Ying Qujie, pretending not to see He Qingsheng.

Ying Qujie fielded the Prince of Liang’s questions while keeping an eye on He Qingsheng’s movements.

She drifted straight up to Yan Xingyi, stopping close enough to meet his eyes at level.

Normally, He Qingsheng floated in the air, looking down or straight at people, so Ying Qujie had never paid attention to her height. From this third-party perspective, he realized that if she stood on the ground, she’d probably only reach his chin, tall for an ordinary woman.

Amid the sea of emerald bamboo, she stood before the Imperial Preceptor, just as she had months ago when they first met in the fields of Mianrihui flowers.

Ying Qujie couldn’t help but glance over to see what they were doing.

He Qingsheng grinned, her tone sweetly threatening. “Imperial Preceptor, I know you can see me. Surely you wouldn’t want your pants to suddenly drop in front of everyone and embarrass yourself, would you?”

Ying Qujie suppressed a sigh. How cliché.

Yan Xingyi, however, remained unshaken. His left hand, hidden in his sleeve, struck out a talisman ignited midair, forming chains meant to bind He Qingsheng.

“Don’t-” Ying Qujie barely got the word out before the roaring blue flames flickered and died, snuffed out completely.

His heart lurched, then settled back into place.

“You can’t handle me. Let’s talk, fellow traveler.” Even after the ambush, He Qingsheng showed no trace of anger.

“What do you want to talk about?” Yan Xingyi asked warily.

“What? Imperial Preceptor, are you speaking to me?” The Prince of Liang, unable to see He Qingsheng, looked utterly lost.

“Your Highness, stay back, don’t come closer!” Yan Xingyi raised a sleeve to block him.

“Life’s three great joys: the wedding night, success in the imperial exams, and meeting an old friend in a distant land. Though we aren’t old friends, we can at least call each other fellow travelers. Why so wary, Imperial Preceptor?”

From the depths of her memories, He Qingsheng dredged up Yan Xingyi’s face, he had been one of the passengers on that ill-fated bus that plunged off the cliff.

If Yan Xingyi also hadn’t died and had transmigrated as well…

Then, given that He Qingsheng had spent a hundred years cultivating in the cultivation world and achieved extraordinary realms, it was entirely possible that other transmigrators might have their own life-saving trump cards.

The reason she and Yan Xingyi were currently at a stalemate was precisely because neither could fully gauge the other’s capabilities.

“Who would dare negotiate with you when you’re radiating such murderous aura unchecked? I’m just a mortal who wants to live a few more years.”

In the end, Yan Xingyi chose not to engage her in combat, breaking the deadlock first.

Having spent so much time with Ying Qujie, she had nearly forgotten that mortals could be affected by such baleful energy.

He Qingsheng obligingly withdrew her murderous aura, adopting an amiable demeanor.

Ying Qujie, who had been ready to intervene at any moment, let out a sigh of relief while inexplicably feeling somewhat subdued.

“Is the Imperial Preceptor conversing with the person you brought?” Prince Liang asked curiously.

Ying Qujie withdrew his pulse-taking hand and gave an affirmative hum.

“How remarkable that a physician also possesses the ability to see spirits. Truly extraordinary.”

Ying Qujie watched the two chatting amiably in the distance, his tone inscrutable.

“Your Highness flatters me. It’s nothing extraordinary, the Imperial Preceptor can do it too.”