CHAPTER 41: 39. FRAME-UP

Having left Prince Jing Mansion, it was already evening.

Xibing stood inside the mansion gates, waving goodbye to him, while Chen Ji stood on Anxi Street with a heavy heart.

He walked in the afterglow, smelling the scent of cooking from every household along the street, which finally allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.

Wu Yun poked his head out from the eaves and leaped into his arms. "Who beat up Bai Bore? It wasn’t me, I swear!"

Chen Ji smiled, patting its head. "Nobody beat it. It was just an excuse for Consort Yun to summon me to the mansion."

He muttered to himself, "Back then, Consort Yun said that the lead barium glass cup from Princess Consort Jing was a gift from her parental home, and I didn’t think much of it. But seeing the relationship between Princess Consort Jing and the Liu Family now, it’s possible that someone did it intentionally... Has she cursed the Liu Family recently?"

"Yes, she cursed her brother, Liu Mingxian, with pretty foul language."

"That’s right." Chen Ji reflected, "At the time, I was only focusing on the logic of reasoning but failed to think deeper into human nature. Indeed, human nature should not be judged by common sense. Old Master Liu wasn’t killed by me, the cup wasn’t given by me, Liu Shenyu wasn’t killed by me, so why target me instead of taking revenge on the Liu Family and the Spy Department... Ah, Liu Shenyu was also killed by the Liu Family to silence him, there’s a ruthless person in the Liu Family indeed!"

Chen Ji gasped, as he reviewed all the clues. He suddenly realized that the Liu Family’s actions were extremely brutal, showing no regard for kinship, "Old Master Liu in the coffin, could he also have been killed just then?!"

Wu Yun solemnly respected, "Ferocious!"

Is such brutality useful? Naturally, it is effective. If they weren’t so ruthless, Yun Yang and Jiao Tu wouldn’t have ended up in prison, and it would be the Liu Family facing accusations of deceiving the monarch.

Back at Taiping Medical Hall, Old Yao was behind the counter, looking at the ledger and fiddling with an abacus, seemingly shrewd yet puzzled...

Chen Ji teased, "Master, why don’t you just throw a Copper Coin to settle the accounts?"

Old Yao glared at him, "Don’t spout nonsense, I see you’re asking for a spanking. Divination can only predict the direction, how can it count exact amounts?"

"Where are the senior brothers?" Chen Ji curiously asked.

"They went to the backyard to cook." Old Yao glanced at him sideways, "Didn’t you go to diagnose the cat? Didn’t you prescribe some medicine for it?"

"No..."

Old Yao scoffed, "I thought you were meticulous in your work. Even if it wasn’t injured or ill, you should have prescribed some cheap trauma medicine to send to the mansion, you need to act convincingly, otherwise you’ll be exposed sooner or later."

Chen Ji paused, "Thank you for the reminder, Master. You’re still sharp. Tomorrow, I will send over some Cnidium Monnieri."

He walked towards the backyard, where only Liu Quxing was rinsing rice and cooking porridge in the kitchen; She Dengke was nowhere to be seen.

Just as Chen Ji was about to head to the apprentices’ dormitory, he saw Senior Brother She stepping out of a room.

She Dengke was startled to see Chen Ji, "Eh, weren’t you at the mansion?"

Chen Ji replied, "The white cat was not badly injured; I just checked on it and came back. What were you doing in the room just now, Senior Brother She?"

"I was just changing my clothes. Come, help with picking vegetables. If dinner is delayed, we’ll get scolded by Master," She Dengke pulled Chen Ji towards the kitchen.

However, at that moment, orderly footsteps came from outside the Medical Hall, accompanied by the clanging sounds of guards in iron armor.

Chen Ji noticed She Dengke’s hand on his arm suddenly tightening, the sweat in his palm seeping through the clothing.

Old Yao walked to the door, frowning, "Miss Chunhua, General Wang, what’s the meaning of blocking the entrance to Taiping Medical Hall?"

Chen Ji broke free from She Dengke’s grip and walked outside; Liu Quxing also emerged from the kitchen with a spoon, "What’s going on?"

Outside Taiping Medical Hall, Chunhua was dressed very simply today, in a light green skirt with no jewelry and her hair held up with just a wooden hairpin.

Chunhua looked uneasy and hesitant to speak. Beside her, the Royal Mansion Guards each held a long spear and wore heavy iron armor, their leader standing firm and watchful.

Chen Ji asked with a smile, "Miss Chunhua, what’s this about?"

Chunhua then said to the Royal Mansion Guard leading them, "General Wang, a few days ago, my lady lost the South Sea Pearl that Prince had gifted her. We initially investigated the servants in Late Star Garden but found no clue about the pearl’s whereabouts. After thinking it through, only this medical apprentice named Chen Ji has entered Late Star Garden and tampered with my lady’s belongings!"

Chen Ji furrowed his brow, Princess Consort Jing!

After losing her son and nephew, her revenge came quickly and fiercely, without even a night’s delay!

General Wang stared coldly at Chen Ji, "Do you have anything to say that might prove your innocence?"

Chen Ji was silent for a moment, then calmly said, "Others have slandered me for stealing, and it’s very difficult to prove my innocence."

On Anxi Street, the shopkeepers and apprentices of each shop were peering out of the doors, originally ready to close for the night, but they didn’t expect to be hit with such big news.

Someone whispered, "Did Dr. Chen from Taiping Medical Hall steal from the Prince Mansion?"

"It’s said to be the South Sea Pearl that Prince Jing gifted to the Princess, I’ve heard of this item, a pearl as large as a longan, selling for hundreds of Silver!"

...

...

Chen Ji listened to the discussions around him, his expression unchanged.

General Wang stared at him for a long while, finally saying grimly, "Take this apprentice into custody and search!"

With that, two guards, one on each side, grabbed Chen Ji’s arms, their arms like iron hoops, tightly encircling Chen Ji’s arms, making it impossible for him to move and painfully constricting him.

Chunhua followed the guards into the Medical Hall, "General Wang, let me also help search, I’ve seen that pearl, it’s easy to recognize."

Chen Ji watched her enter the Medical Hall, pulling each drawer of the medicine cabinet, turning the herbs inside out.

Old Yao watched coldly, "General Wang, if it turns out that a thief did indeed come from Taiping Medical Hall, I will resign and return to my hometown, never to enter Luocheng City again. But if no thief is found from Taiping Medical Hall, what will you say then?"

General Wang bowed to him from across the space, "Doctor Yao, I am merely acting on orders. Miss Chunhua came with the waist tag of Princess Consort Jing; I had to obey the command to catch the thief. Besides, minds are separated by bellies, how can you be sure that this apprentice of yours is not the thief?"

Old Yao suddenly snorted angrily, "I am sure he isn’t!"

Chen Ji looked at Old Yao in surprise; he hadn’t expected the latter to speak up for him at this moment.

As they spoke, Chunhua had already entered the backyard, she searched the kitchen first, then immediately proceeded to the apprentice’s bedroom.

But she soon began searching through the beds, and eventually turned her attention to the apprentices’ wardrobe.

Chen Ji understood; her searching elsewhere was just for show, here was her real target.

Chunhua had known from the beginning that the pearl was here!

Chen Ji looked towards She Dengke, noticing his tall, burly figure tense and anxious, his hands twisted together, his lips devoid of any color.

She Dengke, catching Chen Ji’s gaze, hurriedly turned his eyes away, unable to meet his look.

This was a premeditated frame-up by She Dengke and Chunhua!

Chen Ji frowned, but considering She Dengke had not left the Medical Hall, and Chunhua hadn’t been there today, how did they communicate and handle the pearl?

Chen Ji looked around; the backyard of the Medical Hall was separated from the Prince Mansion by just one wall, one could hear a conversation over the wall.

The wall wasn’t high, tossing a pearl over it wouldn’t be difficult.

Suddenly, Chen Ji asked, "Senior Brother She, do you like Chunhua?"

She Dengke was stunned and stepped back involuntarily, "Ah? What did you say? I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Chen Ji shook his head, "Never mind..."

Liu Quxing looked at Chen Ji, worriedly saying, "You didn’t really steal something, did you?"

Chen Ji denied, "No, I will never stoop to petty theft in my life."

Seeing his firm denial, Liu Quxing believed him, but he clearly felt Chunhua was very confident and determined.

He then looked towards his master, "Master, please say something quickly."

Old Yao, however, remained silent, not uttering a word. If they really found incriminating evidence, no one could help Chen Ji.

At that moment, the guards came out of Old Yao’s main room and shook their heads at General Wang.

Everyone’s eyes then turned towards Chunhua in the apprentice’s bedroom, who, seeming like a madwoman, continued rummaging through the wardrobe. Eventually, she stood still in front of it, her back to everyone as her body began to shake, and she started to cry.