Feeling as though he was being pressed down on the bed, Yu Heng was terrified and struggled even more.

The people around him were startled. “My lord! Are you feeling unwell?”

Yu Heng’s face was pale. “It feels like someone is pressing on me. I can’t get up…”

This sensation was eerily similar to the phenomenon of sleep paralysis, often referred to as being “pressed by a ghost.”

The two attendants were scared out of their wits. Why can’t he get up… Could it be something serious?

Gu Xingzhao glared at Yu Heng, gritting her teeth. “You’re the ghost!”

“How can a grown man be so irresponsible? You just had surgery, and the anesthesia hasn’t even worn off, yet you’re trying to get up? You’re trying to ruin the divine reputation of this ancestor!”

“If you wanted to die, you should have said so earlier. I could’ve saved myself those exhausting hours!”

“Lu Qing, if he doesn’t want to die, tell him to stay in bed!”

Recognizing the displeasure in the ancestor’s tone, Lu Qing wiped away cold sweat and quickly advised Yu Heng, “Yu Heng, don’t try to get up. Your strange illness has just been treated, and you need to rest in bed for some time.”

Yu Heng then noticed the white bandages wrapped around his abdomen, stained with blood, as if someone had cut him open and removed something. His bewildered gaze turned to his personal attendants.

His abdomen didn’t hurt anymore, but what exactly had happened?

The attendants explained, “My lord, you passed out earlier from the pain and vomiting. We were desperate and called the doctor who treated you before, Dr. Liang. But after giving you a couple of acupuncture points, he said he was at a loss and even claimed your illness was incurable, that you didn’t have long to live!”

Yu Heng was stunned, his heart sinking as if he had been dealt a heavy blow, leaving him unable to breathe.
So… I don’t have long to live? My great ambitions unfulfilled… Is this really my fate?

“The attendants were so furious that they wanted to execute that doctor on the spot for spreading such nonsense!”

Yu Heng’s eyes widened in shock. “You killed him?”

The attendants quickly shook their heads. “We didn’t manage to kill him. Tie Er stopped us, saying that Dr. Liang was the best physician in town.”

Yu Heng breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness. Otherwise, if I experienced that pain again, there would be no competent doctor left to treat me.

The attendant, now excited, continued with enthusiasm, “But that doctor was truly useless, saying that you were beyond saving and that your time was nearly up…”

Yu Heng’s heart sank even further, and he looked at his attendants with a changed expression. Have I not treated my subordinates well?
Why are they so excited when the doctor says I’m beyond saving?
This is truly disheartening…

The attendant, oblivious to his lord’s changing mood, continued eagerly, “Fortunately, Elder Lu arrived! With miraculous skills, he saved you and cured the strange illness in your abdomen!”

“My lord, you won’t have to endure that pain anymore.”

The attendant grew more animated, embellishing the story to the point that even Gu Xingzhao couldn’t help but chuckle.
This little attendant sure knows how to spin a tale, keeping Yu Heng’s emotions on edge. He’d have a better career as a storyteller than as an attendant.

Yu Heng, overwhelmed with surprise, paid no attention to his attendant’s exaggerations, nor did he dwell on when Lu Qing had learned such medical skills. With tears in his eyes, he looked at Lu Qing. “Master, you’ve saved my life once again. I can never repay your kindness in this lifetime…”

Lu Qing had no desire to take credit and gently patted Yu Heng’s hand in reassurance. “It wasn’t me who saved you…”

Aware of the two attendants’ presence, he refrained from mentioning that the ancestor had manifested to save Yu Heng.

However, the two attendants, fearing their lord might miss something crucial, decided to reveal the Lu family’s secret, believing they were all on the same side and that, given they had just saved their lord, it was appropriate. “My lord, the Lu family truly has a divine being!”

Lu Qing: “???”

Yu Heng was stunned, staring blankly at Lu Qing. “?”

The attendants were ecstatic. “My lord, it was Elder Lu who summoned a divine being from the heavens to save you!”

The two attendants, excitedly revealing the secret, left Lu Xingyao bewildered.
Just a moment ago, they were thanking my grandfather for saving their lord. Now, they’re all talking about our family’s divine being!

Seeing that Lu Qing did not refute their claim, Yu Heng’s expression changed. His eyes darkened as he realized that the recent rumors were true. If that’s the case… things just got more complicated.

He pressed down on Lu Qing Song’s hand, which was resting on his own. “Master, I sought you out because I have something important to discuss.”

His tone was serious, and Lu Qing understood that it must be a matter of state.

Lu Xingyao, sensing the gravity of the situation, led the two attendants out of the room.

Gu Xingzhao, however, remained seated nearby, keeping an eye on the IV drip to ensure Yu Heng didn’t have any complications. She also wanted to listen in on what Yu Heng had to discuss with the old man.

With only the two of them left in the room, Lu Qing signaled for Yu Heng to speak.

Yu Heng asked gravely, “Master, were you attacked by bandits recently?”

Lu Qing’s eyes narrowed. “Indeed, we were ambushed.”

Gu Xingzhao perked up, her curiosity piqued.
So, they’re talking about that incident. I’m intrigued, especially since I spent quite a bit of money that night.

“Master, do you know who those bandits were and what their target was?”

Lu Qing sighed. “I suspect they were sent from the capital, targeting Princess Shunyu.”

Yu Heng nodded. “Master, your suspicions are correct. I received information that three days after you left the capital, an attendant serving the emperor, who had previously served Princess Shunyu, was executed. On that day, a secret contingent left the capital, and soon after, I heard news of your ambush.”

“Recently, news came from the capital that a squad under the Imperial Guards went missing, and the deputy commander, Luo You, was seeking famous physicians to treat an old ailment, which was actually a cover for treating injuries consistent with being struck by lightning.”

Hearing this, Lu Qing’s earlier suspicions were confirmed. Those so-called bandits were actually disguised Imperial Guards. If not for the ancestor’s divine intervention that night, not only Princess Shunyu but also the Lu family and the accompanying officials would not have survived.

However, court news was always tightly controlled, especially in a place like Laiyuan. How did Yu Heng know such detailed information?

Lu Qing’s expression darkened. “How did you come by this knowledge?”

Yu Heng’s gaze lowered. “This matter is connected to another issue.”

“Master, do you know why I was suddenly reassigned far from the capital all those years ago?”

A sense of foreboding crept into Lu Qing’s heart. Looking at the man before him, he recalled the events of the past. Shortly after the emperor ascended the throne, Yu Heng was abruptly transferred away from the capital. At the time, Lu Qing hadn’t thought much of it, but now…

“You belong to Prince Su.”

Despite the winter chill and the snow falling outside, Yu Heng found himself sweating under Lu Qing’s gaze. He lowered his head. “Yes, I have been serving Prince Su.”

Lu Qing’s face turned grim. “Since when?”

Yu Heng, struggling with guilt, forced himself to speak the truth. “I have always served him.”

Lu Qing’s body swayed slightly.
To think that the student I valued the most, whom I personally took under my wing and carefully nurtured, was actually Prince Su’s planted agent all along.

He felt a deep sense of sorrow.
No wonder… No wonder…

Yu Heng, consumed by guilt, couldn’t bring himself to look up at his master, fearing the disappointment in his eyes. But he had no choice but to continue, “Master, the emperor has treated you with such heartlessness, and in recent years, he has become increasingly tyrannical…”

Gu Xingzhao clicked her tongue twice, her mind now fully clear.
So he wasn’t just a beloved student; he was a spy all along!