The Double

The case involving Princess Yongning and Shen Yurong had come to an end, setting Yanjing City abuzz with gossip. Still, there were those who remained unmoved, continuing their daily affairs as usual.

In the backyard of the Duke Residence, Situ Jiuyue emerged from the Alchemy Room and walked to the neighboring small chamber, pushing the door open to enter.

Inside the room, there was only a bed and a chair. After entering, Situ Jiuyue took a seat on the chair, gazing at the person on the bed.

The person on the bed had been carried back by Zhao Ke a few days earlier, retrieved from the private cell of the Princess’s Mansion. Jih Heng himself had ordered this person to be saved. Of course, Situ Jiuyue’s decision to treat him was not because of Jih Heng’s command, but rather because the person was severely injured. Anyone with capabilities tended to have their quirks, and Situ Jiuyue was no different. She wasn’t a doctor; she was a Poison Beauty, and the more severe the injury, the more she was enticed to provide aid, employing frightening methods of using poison to fight poison that others would shy away from—perhaps she simply wished to see just how much endurance a person had.

When this person had first been brought in, he was covered in bloodstains. The Duke Residence had servants skilled in gardening, with not bad martial arts, who were also very handsome, but none were suitable to assist Situ Jiuyue. There was Hai Tang, who used to help, nimble and smart, but recently preoccupied with the Xue Family’s case and staying at the Ye Family’s place, leaving no one to assist Situ Jiuyue in the Duke Residence. Hence, Situ Jiuyue had to tend to the person all by herself—washing, wiping, undressing, and cleaning the wounds.

Situ Jiuyue didn’t mind this, after all, in the eyes of healers, the world seemed divided only into the sick and the healthy. In her eyes, it was only a matter of who could or couldn’t be saved—and among those who could be saved, some she was willing to treat while others she was not. All other considerations, such as gender differences, were inconsequential to her.

The young man lying on the bed was not asleep; he was looking up at the ceiling as if lost in thought. His body was pinned with Situ Jiuyue’s silver needles, rendering him completely immobile. Situ Jiuyue knew he could hear her, so when she left, she warned him that if he moved, the needles might shift, which could be fatal, and he would have no one else to blame.

In truth, it was her cruel jest—he wouldn’t be in any danger even if he moved. However, when Situ Jiuyue walked in, she knew that throughout the previous night, over several Shichen, he indeed hadn’t moved an inch.

This required immense bravery, for as the needles were set, the medicinal properties gradually volatilized, becoming increasingly painful and itchy over time, nearly unbearable. And yet, this person had endured it. Even upon seeing Situ Jiuyue enter, he managed to greet her with a smile.

Situ Jiuyue was taken aback.