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Chu Qingzhi slowly approached the house. The closer she got, the more intense and pungent the smell of the herbs became.

Suddenly, a head peeked out from the window of the house. The head had thick, disheveled hair and a beard that was both curly and dense. The face was grimy, as if it hadn’t been washed for many days, and the eyes were a sickly, cloudy yellow. The man appeared to be in his forties. Seeing Chu Qingzhi, he looked startled at first but then became visibly excited.

He ran out of the house, exclaiming, “Would you like to test my medicine? 1 can make you younger!”

Chu Qingzhi swiftly kicked him, sending him flying back to the doorway, “Why don’t you test your medicine on yourself?”

While the man was initially crying out in pain, he quickly became frenzied at her words, “I can’t test it on myself, 1 can’t become ugly, can’t grow old, otherwise he won’t want me anymore…”

Chu Qingzhi caught onto a key piece of information, “Who won’t want you?”

“He, he!” The man kept repeating these words, and then he even started to cry, looking extremely sorrowful.

“Who!” Chu Qingzhi took out a bell, filled it with spiritual energy, and shook it. The clear sound of the bell calmed the man down, even his facial expression softened.

Ren Buqing and the others looked at the bell in Chu Qingzhi’s hand and were surprised. Fortunately, this lady was on their side. Otherwise, who knew if the bell would be used on them?!

Chu Qingzhi gently asked, “Who are you referring to as ‘he’?”

The man’s lips trembled as he spoke, “Li Wenzhan.”

Li? The surname Li is the royal surname. Chu Qingzhi’s brow furrowed slightly; the situation seemed more complicated, “Lord Ren, come here for a moment.”

Ren Buqing quickly approached, “What is it, Miss Chu?”

Chu Qingzhi got straight to the point, “Who is Li Wenzhan?”

Ren Buqing’s expression changed, and he became cautious, as if a secret was about to be revealed, “Why do you suddenly ask about this person?”

Chu Qingzhi asked back, “Is it a taboo?”

Ren Buqing lowered his voice, “Li Wenzhan was the first cousin of the previous emperor, known for his preference for handsome young men. He was considered a black sheep in the royal family. He died at the age of forty, rumored to have been executed by the previous emperor. Later, a fire burned down his mansion, and his body was never found.”

Usually, when a body is burnt to the point of no remains, it suggests an underlying intrigue. Chu Qingzhi didn’t delve further but instead continued to question the man, “What’s your name?”

“Xia Wenyang!”

This time, Ren Buqing took the initiative to say, “Xia Wenyang came to the capital as a refugee. He collapsed on the street from exhaustion, and by chance, Li Wenzhan’s carriage passed by and took him back to his residence. Later, somehow, he won Li Wenzhan’s favor and became his most beloved young man, said to be the most handsome and deeply cherished.”

He then changed the topic, “But as unpredictable as life can be, a few years later, Li Wenzhan met the love of his life. For that man, he spent lavishly, dismissed all the young men in his house, and even sought the former Emperor’s permission for marriage. This caused a huge uproar in the capital. It was precisely his request for marriage that angered the former Emperor, who in a fit of rage sentenced him to death and ordered no one should ever mention Li Wenzhan.”

Chu Qingzhi asked an off-topic question, “Was that man good-looking?”

Ren Buqing pondered for a moment, “It is said that he was just of average appearance.”

A soulmate? Chu Qingzhi felt speechless, “How do you know all this?”

Ren Buqing said in a low voice, “I’ve secretly read some unofficial history books.”

Chu Qingzhi nodded, “Reading more is a good thing.”

Ren Buqing didn’t know what to say.

Chu Qingzhi turned to look at Xia Wenyang. Li Wenzhan must have had high standards, but the disheveled man in front of her was nowhere near a handsome man. She asked, “Is your research on these medicines related to Li Wenzhan?”

The question seemed to unlock something in Xia Wenyang’s heart, “I was his most cherished person, the one who stayed by his side the longest. But everything shattered like a mirror’s reflection in water when that person appeared.”

“For that man, Li Wenzhan forcibly dismissed all the young men in the house. I didn’t want to leave him. 1 knelt and begged him, hoping he would spare me for the sake of our past, but he ignored me, disregarding my pleas, and drove me out of the house.”

“His servant told me that Li Wenzhan only liked young men, and that my face had aged and was no longer attractive, so he didn’t like me anymore.”

“At that moment, as 1 touched my smooth and fair face, 1 was so devastated that it took a long time to react. And in that time, I saw Li Wenzhan’s new favorite.”

“The new favorite was very robust, tall and muscular, even his gaze was aggressive.”

“When he looked at me, I shivered in fear, and 1 can’t forget that cold and sharp gaze, as if he was looking at a dead object.”

“Wasn’t Li Wenzhan only fond of young men? Why did he treasure this new favorite who had none of the delicate features, yet he loved him as if he was a precious jewel?”

“Later, my heart turned to ash, and with nowhere to go, I simply jumped off a cliff, to end it all. Unexpectedly, I didn’t die.”

Unexpectedly, even men in ancient times could be so love-stricken, and this Li Wenzhan obviously switched roles from the dominant to the submissive. Chu Qingzhi felt complicated, “So you dedicated yourself to researching medicine that could make people young or keep them young?”

Xia Wenyang became agitated, “Yes, 1 must become young, 1 must always look this good. Once I succeed, I’ll go back to find Li Wenzhan.” At this point, his expression turned ferocious, “But Li Wenzhan is dead. He was put to death by the emperor, for that man, he didn’t even care about his own life…”

Chu Qingzhi shook the bell again to calm Xia Wenyang down.

Ren Buqing remarked, “I never imagined that the reason would stem from such an old obsession.”

Obsession leads to madness, and love blinds, Chu Qingzhi sighed, “Have someone come and take him away.”

Ren Buqing immediately ordered it, then asked, “Miss Chu, can you save the villagers?”

Chu Qingzhi replied, “I can only detoxify them, but the effects of the poison can’t be undone.”

Ren Buqing nodded, “Do your best.”

Chu Qingzhi sent Chu Qingning, Yuan Hongjun, and Bao Linjiang to check and record the villagers’ conditions, while she went to the mountains to gather herbs.

The village, once home to three to four hundred people, was reduced to just over a hundred due to Xia Wenyang’s actions. After administering the medicine, everyone returned to the capital.

Everyone was surprised that a simple case of theft from the Imperial Hospital would unravel so much. The Minister of Justice heavily praised Ren Buqing, Chu Xu jin, and others, especially Chu Qingzhi.

Successfully solving the case and recovering the stolen valuable herbs, the Minister of Justice attributed most of the credit to Chu Qingzhi, awarding her five hundred taels of silver.

Five hundred taels was the highest reward given by the government for assisting in solving a case, and it was the first time someone received so much.

Chu Qingzhi’s name once again became well-known throughout the capital..