On her way back to Jiang Yangui’s courtyard, Jiang Yanyi was stopped by a servant who asked her to go over there.

Chi Qing handed over the medicine and the new prescription that Feng Shuo had prepared, saying that Feng Shuo was discussing important matters with the old master Chu.

For a mere object transfer, Feng Shuo could have easily sent a servant from the estate, but he specifically asked Chi Qing to deliver it to him personally.

It was evident that he was concerned about the medicine being tampered with.

Jiang Yanyi suddenly felt that what the physician from the Feng residence had said earlier about the lack of a particular medicinal pill in Jiang Yangui’s medicine was no trivial matter.

She carefully examined the newly issued prescription and found it to be quite similar to the one Jiang Yangui had previously taken.

The medicines Jiang Yan Gui had taken before included several packets brought from the capital that had not been fully consumed.

The physician from the Feng residence had also looked at those medicines and declared them to be fine.

When Jiang Yanyi went to the ear room to fetch the medicine, Chu Zhong saw her with the packets brought from the capital and suddenly said, “Cousin, the medicine that the young master is currently taking is more effective than the previous one. It’s also the new prescription from the doctor, right?”

Jiang Yanyi sensed that he was hiding something from her and pressed him, “Uncle Zhong, is there something wrong with this medicine?”

Chu Zhong hesitated for a moment before replying, “I’m not a doctor, so I don’t understand the medicinal properties. However, the young master seems to be in quite a bit of pain from taking this medicine.

Previously, when he took the painkillers from the Xinglin Medical Center, there didn’t seem to be any problem. Without the painkillers on the road, the young master endured so much pain that he hit his head against the carriage wall several times, and I even had to tie him up.”

Jiang Yanyi did not expect there to be such hidden circumstances, and she exclaimed in anger, “Why didn’t you say anything before!”

Previously, the physician from the Feng residence only mentioned that this pill was for inflammation and pain relief, but Jiang Yanyi had no idea that the other accompanying medicine had such potent properties.

Chu Zhong lowered his head and said, “The young master instructed me not to say anything.”

He didn’t understand the medical principles and had previously thought that the painkillers were merely for pain relief.

The treatments were also external herbal applications and the medicine boiled for Jiang Yan Gui to drink daily.

On the road, as Jiang Yan Gui’s wound worsened, they were escaping towards Xizhou, and Jiang Yan Gui instructed him not to inform Chu Changping, fearing that he would look for a doctor and complicate matters.

Chu Zhong didn’t realize that using just that medicine would pose a problem.

It’s also common for winter wounds to fester if wrapped too tightly, so he had no doubts.

Fearing that the entire Chu family would once again be in danger, Jiang Yangui had repeatedly instructed him, which is why he kept silent.

After Jiang Yanyi had the doctor examine Jiang Yan Gui and change the medicine, his injuries had significantly improved, leading him to realize that without the painkillers, solely relying on that prescription would be problematic.

Jiang Yanyi asked, “Why didn’t you go to the Xinglin Medical Center to buy medicine before leaving the capital?”

Chu Zhong hesitated, saying, “Cousin, I was only responsible for taking care of the young master on the road. In the capital, the young master had the Chu family’s servants looking after him, so I didn’t know what happened back then.”

Jiang Yanyi recognized that she was somewhat venting her anger.

She took a deep breath and said, “I’m sorry, Uncle Zhong. I was too agitated.”

Chu Zhong felt very guilty: “Cousin, there’s no need to say that. Third Master entrusted me to take care of the young master, and I failed to look after him properly. This is indeed my dereliction of duty.”

Jiang Yanyi sighed and handed over the medicine packets: “From now on, if Yangui has any issues, you must inform me immediately. I’ve already had someone prepare the painkillers. Please take this medicine and get it boiled.”

Chu Zhong nodded in agreement.

Jiang Yanyi then turned to Jiang Yangui’s room.

Jiang Yangui had already eaten and was holding a book, engrossed in reading.

When Jiang Yanyi pushed the door open, he looked up and smiled, “Sister is here.”

Seeing that Jiang Yanyi was silent and her expression was clearly off, he wiped the smile from his face and asked, “What’s wrong, Sister?”

Jiang Yanyi said, “Yangui, are you hiding something from me?”

Jiang Yangui slightly narrowed his eyes, “Why would Sister say that?”

Jiang Yanyi asked, “Before leaving the capital, you prepared a lot of external herbal medicines and other internal medicines, but why didn’t you buy the painkillers?”

Upon hearing this, the last hint of a smile faded from Jiang Yangui’s face, and the hand holding the book tightened, turning his knuckles white.

“Speak!” Jiang Yanyi felt a sharp pain in her heart just thinking about him potentially delaying treatment due to the inflammation from his leg injury.

Jiang Yangui’s eyes gradually turned red: “Sister, my mother and I were like stray dogs seeking refuge in the Chu family. My mother had many past grievances with the eldest aunt, and after the Chu family suffered this disaster, both uncles spoke to us coldly.

It was difficult for my mother to even ask for anything. Whenever she needed to add something, she had to lower herself before the eldest aunt and speak sweetly to get anything from her.

That small bottle of medicine was so expensive; when the eldest aunt heard it was just for pain relief, she didn’t agree to buy it.

My mother was left with no choice and had to take the bracelet given by my grandmother to a servant to pawn for money to buy the medicine.

When the eldest aunt learned of this, she thought my mother had money, and when it came time to leave the capital, no matter how much my mother pleaded, she refused to buy the painkillers.”

“Mother was going to visit Grandmother, but I stopped her. I didn’t want to disturb Grandmother any further, nor did I want Mother to face Aunt Liu’s displeasure.

Who would have thought that it would end up harming Mother, making her worry about my injury, and when we were leaving the city, she got off the carriage…”

At that time, Jiang Yanguo thought the pill was purely for pain relief and believed he could endure the pain.

Later, as his wound worsened on the road, he didn’t think about the medicine; the death of Madam Jiang had hit him too hard.

At that moment, he felt dead inside and didn’t care about his legs at all.

When they arrived in Xizhou, Jiang Yanyi invited a doctor to check his injury.

The doctor said that the medicine he took must be paired with a pain relief pill, and it was then that he realized the seriousness of the situation.

He chose to conceal the matter of the pain relief pill, partly because he didn’t want Jiang Yanyi to be upset, and partly because he feared Jiang Yanyi would impulsively blow things out of proportion and cause trouble for Grandmother.

Old Lady Chu had lost her beloved daughter; after traveling such a long way, her health had deteriorated significantly.

He had already lost his mother, and he was afraid that if Grandmother learned of this, she would be so heartbroken that she might fall ill.

After listening to Jiang Yanguo, Jiang Yanyi remained silent for a long time.

On the day the Chu family arrived in Xizhou, she went to see Old Lady Chu.

After Liu had left, Old Lady Chu had tearfully recounted many grievances to her, mostly about how Uncle Chu and Second Uncle Chu spoke coldly to Madam Jiang, often using sharp words to stab at her.

The person Old Lady Chu scolded the most was Jiang Shangshu.

Jiang Yanyi had never interacted with Madam Jiang, and based solely on her previous self’s memories and the descriptions in the original text, she felt that Madam Jiang was someone who could not see clearly but insisted on being strong, always turning to her family for help whenever trouble arose.

Because her impression of Madam Jiang was too superficial and she had never truly spent time with her, when Jiang Yanyi learned that Madam Jiang had conflicts with the Chu family’s first and second households and had caused quite a few disputes, she viewed it from the perspective of an onlooker and felt that both sides were at fault.

Now, hearing Jiang Yanguo speak with red-rimmed eyes about their experiences in the capital, her heart inevitably grew heavy.

All these matters were intertwined with complex causes and effects.

It seemed that everyone had their shortcomings, yet everyone also seemed to be a victim.

While it was true that the Imperial Guards had killed Madam Jiang, and Jiang Shangshu was indeed a troublemaker, how could Uncle Chu and Second Uncle Chu’s cold sarcasm not constantly erode Madam Jiang’s mental defenses?

Regardless of whether Liu was aware of the importance of the pain relief pills, Jiang Yanguo’s injury had indeed worsened because of this, and Madam Jiang had lost her life as a result…

Even if she was not intentional, this fault still existed.

Jiang Yanyi spoke with difficulty, “Yanguo, I’m sorry.”

Jiang Yanguo raised his head, desperately holding back the tears in his eyes. “Sister, I want to move out of the Chu family as soon as possible.”

Jiang Yanyi replied, “Okay.”

---

In the front hall of the Chu family, only Feng Shuo and Chi Qing seemed to be enjoying their meal.

Following Feng Shuo’s instructions, Chi Qing first took the pills and the prescription to Jiang Yanyi.

Feng Shuo was entirely unaware of the conflicts within the Chu family, but he had learned how anxious Jiang Yanyi was to call a doctor, so when he returned to the manor, he specifically asked the physician.

The physician mentioned that the prescription Jiang Yanguo had been given was very potent, which would heal the injury quickly, but it had to be paired with a pain relief pill to reduce inflammation and pain.

Otherwise, if inflammation occurred at the wound site, it would be dangerous.

Since the doctor who treated Jiang Yanguo in the capital could prescribe such a formula, it was impossible for him to forget to include the pain relief pill as well.

Having spent over ten years in a palace that consumed people, Feng Shuo’s first thought was that someone in the Chu family was being unkind to Jiang Yanyi and her brother, deliberately tampering with the medicine.

He had come today specifically to investigate the Chu family’s situation.

The only ones in the Chu family who appeared somewhat natural were Chu Changping and the old master Chu; Uncle Chu and Second Uncle Chu were both cowering and hadn’t dared to move their chopsticks much.

Chu Changping found Feng Shuo’s sudden visit quite strange but instinctively felt that it might have something to do with Jiang Yanyi and her brother.

Old Master Chu raised a glass to Feng Shuo. “Your Highness’s visit truly brings honor to our humble abode!”

Feng Shuo drank the wine offered by Old Master Chu and said, “Old Master Chu, you overpraise me. I’ve heard that your esteemed young master has injured his leg; is he feeling better now?”

Old Master Chu was flattered and said, “Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Fortunately, the physician from your esteemed household has excellent skills; the child’s condition has improved a lot these past few days.”

The three brothers of the Chu family wore different expressions.

Jiang Yanguo, being a mere half-grown child, probably didn’t carry enough weight for Feng Shuo to personally inquire, so the reason behind it was worth pondering.

Feng Shuo noticed the expressions of everyone at the table: “I’ve heard from the physician that your young master was given a potent medicine, but he didn’t take the matching pain relief pill to reduce inflammation and alleviate pain.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of the four Chu family members changed.

Old Master Chu and Chu Changping looked shocked, while Uncle Chu’s eyes darted around, clearly guilty, and Second Uncle Chu looked surprised, but more so as if he felt it had nothing to do with him.

All of them had lived for decades; a single glance was enough to see through each other’s thoughts.

Old Master Chu stammered, “Is this really true…”