Old Imperial Physician Zhao came from a family of physicians spanning generations. His medical skills were superb, and his temper was equally formidable. His exquisite medical expertise and notorious temper were both renowned throughout the capital. He was the famously acclaimed “Benevolent Heart, Fiery Mouth” in the Apricot Grove Realm.
He and Marquis Huining, Jiang Lingwan’s grandfather, had been childhood friends. They addressed each other as brothers and shared a deep bond.
“Uncle Zhao.” Jiang Bochen dared not put on airs before Old Imperial Physician Zhao. He obediently performed the junior’s Rites, then handed the medicine to the old physician.
“May I trouble you to examine this medicine?”
Old Imperial Physician Zhao took the medicine, and his expression instantly darkened. He raised his head, his sharp gaze sweeping over the faces of those present.
Jiang Bochen wore a look of astonishment; Mei Xueniang remained calm and composed, with a faintly proud demeanor; while Concubine Qiao’s eyes were red-rimmed, her face etched with sorrow.
Old Imperial Physician Zhao understood in an instant. He snorted coldly and slammed the medicine bowl heavily onto the large rosewood table, spilling more than half of the decoction.
Jiang Bochen’s heart skipped a beat. “Uncle, this medicine…”
“This medicine was prepared by you, wasn’t it?” Old Imperial Physician Zhao curled his lip, casting a disdainful, sidelong glance at Mei Xueniang. “If you dislike this concubine, simply make her miscarry. Yet you actually added ingredients to the medicine, increasing the dosage of safflower and musk. With this single bowl of medicine, it would cause massive hemorrhage, killing both mother and child. You woman, your heart is truly vicious.”
“This medicine has a problem?” Jiang Bochen exclaimed in shock, his voice trembling. “Uncle Zhao, could you have made a mistake?”
Upon hearing this, Old Imperial Physician Zhao looked at Jiang Bochen as if he were an idiot. “I’ve watched you grow up, and I remember you being quite clever as a child!”
How had he become so foolish now, asking such a stupid question?
Jiang Bochen flushed crimson, aware he had spoken carelessly. “Bochen spoke recklessly and misspoke. Please forgive me, Uncle.”
Old Imperial Physician Zhao shot a glance at Mei Xueniang. “Then how do you plan to deal with this woman?”
“This…” Jiang Bochen forced a smile, speaking evasively. “Uncle, rest assured. This minor matter—your nephew will investigate thoroughly and handle it properly.”
The more Old Imperial Physician Zhao listened, the darker his face became. He flew into a rage. “A minor matter? Miscarriages happen often, but taking a life violates the law. How can that be called a minor matter? And you call yourself a Jinshi. A dignified scholar, a disciple of the Son of Heaven, yet you utter such lawless words!”
“Have you read all your books into a dog’s belly, or has the pillow talk blown your brains away? Your wife is young and pretty-faced; you covet her beauty, so you let her harm your own offspring. Are you even human?”
“She has committed murder, and you still protect her. You are not only lustful but also cruel-hearted. You have remembered none of the sages’ teachings, wasting all these years of reading!”
“With your father away from home, you become bold and act recklessly. Fine! I’ll go to the Yingtian Prefecture and summon officials. Since you won’t handle it, I’ll handle it for you!”
Jiang Bochen broke into a cold sweat, his face alternating between green and pale. He bowed and clasped his hands, uttering every pleasantry, pleading with Old Imperial Physician Zhao.
Unfortunately, Old Imperial Physician Zhao would not listen, forcing him to deal with Mei Xueniang on the spot.
One stubbornly begged, the other fumed and cursed; neither was willing to back down.
Mei Xueniang watched Jiang Bochen’s embarrassed state and managed to suppress her mocking expression only after a long while. She stood up and declared loudly, “Old Imperial Physician Zhao, the Lord cannot punish me, because this medicine was meant for me to drink.”
The two deadlocked individuals suddenly fell still, as if under a immobilizing spell.
“Have you gone mad? Drinking such medicine yourself?” Old Imperial Physician Zhao was shocked. “What grudge do you hold against yourself?”
Mei Xueniang smiled helplessly. “What grudge could I possibly hold against myself? This medicine was personally brewed for me by our Concubine Qiao.”
Mei Xueniang pursed her lips and gestured toward Concubine Qiao.
Old Imperial Physician Zhao widened his eyes, scrutinizing Concubine Qiao, unable to believe it. “That can’t be right. How could such a middle-aged woman, neither young nor beautiful, manage to coax him into poisoning you?”
Jiang Bochen laughed awkwardly and guiltily. “This is all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding…”
“No, it’s not a misunderstanding!” Old Imperial Physician Zhao said earnestly. “You’re not only foolish but also blind. You neglect such a beautiful wife and instead indulge such an ugly, worthless concubine. What else could it be but blindness?”
Jiang Bochen:…
Concubine Qiao roared inwardly: I may not be young anymore, but I’m still a charming and elegant beauty. Where am I ugly? Where am I worthless?
“It’s not entirely your fault,” Old Imperial Physician Zhao said with grave sincerity. “You’re only a Tong Jinshi, after all, not a proper two-list Jinshi graduate. No wonder people say: ‘Tong Jinshi, like a concubine.’ I didn’t believe it before, but seeing you today, I can’t help but believe it.”
Jiang Bochen flushed red from his face to his neck, almost spitting out blood in fury.
A Tong Jinshi is not a true Jinshi. To put it nicely, it’s a quasi-Jinshi, but in reality, it’s just self-consolation. Just like a favored concubine consoles herself by calling herself ‘like a wife.’ But ‘like a wife’ is still not a wife, and a Tong Jinshi is still not a Jinshi.
Failing the imperial examinations and not achieving the Jinshi rank was one of the stains on Jiang Bochen’s life.
The reputation of ‘Benevolent Heart, Sharp Tongue’ was indeed well-deserved—striking precisely where it hurt most.
“Alright, tell me, how should we deal with this ‘like a wife’?”
Jiang Bochen felt as if his face had been slapped repeatedly, yet he couldn’t refute it. “Uncle…”
“Lord.” Concubine Qiao fell to her knees with a thud, tears streaming before she even spoke. “This concubine is wronged. I swear to heaven, I never put anything in the lady’s medicine. This must be a mistake.”
She meant that Old Imperial Physician Zhao had misdiagnosed and wronged her.
Old Imperial Physician Zhao wasn’t angered, merely nodding. “No wonder you’ve managed to bewitch him so thoroughly. You’re eloquent, skilled at crying and acting. You should have become an actress or performer—you might have become a master. Your surname is Qiao, right? Then you’d be Master Qiao. Being a concubine is a waste of your talent, a great waste.”
Concubine Qiao was so furious she nearly fainted. Old Imperial Physician Zhao’s words left her unsure whether to cry or not.
In her mind, she pictured a small doll with Old Imperial Physician Zhao’s name on it, holding a needle and stabbing it thousands of times.
Jiang Bochen felt both gratitude and sympathy for Concubine Qiao—grateful that she had drawn Old Imperial Physician Zhao’s fire away from him, and sympathetic that she had to endure such an attack.
“I truly am wronged. I respect and admire my sister deeply, and we share a profound bond. How could I ever harm her? Doctor Zhao, please take another look. Perhaps there’s been a mistake.”
To this, Doctor Zhao refused outright. “No, this Taiyi has full confidence in his medical skills. How could I possibly mistake something as simple as a bowl of medicine? Your sweet talk is useless here.”
Concubine Qiao gritted her teeth in frustration and turned to plead with Jiang Bochen. “Lord, don’t you believe me either?”
Jiang Bochen said nothing. Whether he believed it or not, in front of Old Imperial Physician Zhao, he could only keep his head down, not even daring to utter a sound.
Concubine Qiao was in despair.
How vicious Mei Xueniang was—she had even bribed Old Imperial Physician Zhao to frame and wrong her like this.
She glared hatefully at Mei Xueniang, and as her gaze swept over the medicine bowl on the table, a glimmer of hope suddenly returned. “Lord, I prepared two bowls of medicine. There is still one left. Lord, please find another physician to examine it. It will surely prove my innocence.”
“You actually prepared two bowls of medicine!” Old Imperial Physician Zhao raised his thumb, clicking his tongue in admiration. “Vicious, truly vicious!”
Vicious, my foot, you old fool! Would you die if you kept your mouth shut?
Concubine Qiao was on the verge of exploding with rage.