"Alas!" Ye Luotian let out a heavy sigh, unsure of what to say. Could he possibly tell her the truth? He knew her temper—if she found out, she would surely seek revenge against the Holy Land, and that would be like walking right into the tiger's den. So he had no choice but to avoid the topic.
"Forget it, if you don't want to talk, then don't." Ye Lanshan, seeing his reluctance to say anything, grew even more irritable. She suppressed her anger and began to insert acupuncture needles into Ye Luotian. *Once you're better, I'll have plenty of chances to pry it out of you. I want to see what secret could drive you to such a decision.*
Ye Luotian watched as the long silver needles approached his body and quickly stopped her: "Lanshan, I'm still your grandfather. Even if you're angry, do you have to vent it with needles this long?" In that moment, his heart chilled—he never imagined that the granddaughter he had carefully raised would stab him with such long needles.
Ye Lanshan sensed a wave of deep sorrow emanating from him and immediately said, "What are you thinking? These are silver needles—they can ease your condition."
"Silver needles?" He had never heard of such a thing, that poking someone with needles could cure illness. Ye Lanshan, ignoring his disbelief, directly inserted the needles into his acupoints. Ye Luotian wanted to stop her, but his body was too weak—he couldn't even lift his hand—and could only watch helplessly as the needles pierced his skin. It didn't hurt, just felt a bit sore and swollen. After that, he could feel a faint coolness nourishing his decaying internal organs.
"Lanshan, where did you learn this strange medical technique? No pills, no mystical energy, yet it heals—truly bizarre."
Ye Lanshan keenly sensed his suspicion and quickly replied, "The reclusive master who gave me the pills last time taught me." Ye Luotian nodded, temporarily setting aside his doubts, and began chatting idly with Ye Lanshan. She knew this hadn't fully dispelled his suspicions, but since she carried the original owner's memories, she didn't slip up.
After Ye Lanshan left, Ye Luotian shook his head helplessly. *What was I thinking? How could Ye Lanshan be an impostor? If she were, she wouldn't have saved me or gotten angry that I hid my illness from her.* *Ah, getting old—so paranoid now.*
Ye Lanshan knew well that Ye Luotian's body was at its limit and couldn't be cured with just a few acupuncture sessions. She returned to her space and flipped through the herbal compendium Luo Rui had given her. Studying the annotations on the herbs' properties, she mentally calculated where to find them.
"Ye Jinlin, can you gather all the herbs on this list?" Ye Lanshan drafted a list of herbs that could save Ye Luotian and handed it to Ye Jinlin.
Ye Jinlin frowned as he scanned the list and said, "Miss, there are a few mistakes on this list."
"Hmm? Where?" Ye Lanshan was puzzled—she had just written this list, and no one else should have seen it.
"Miss, this list is for a fifth-grade Life-Giving Pill, right? Life-Giving Pills don't include licorice." Ye Jinlin paused, then added, "Besides, the mansion doesn't have a fifth-grade alchemist, and even a fifth-grade Life-Giving Pill can't cure the master's illness."
"Just tell me if the mansion has these herbs—that's all I need. Don't meddle in the rest." She knew others would question her prescription.
"Well..." Ye Jinlin hesitated for a moment before saying, "Most of these herbs are in the mansion, but things like black nightshade and double-shadow leaves are only available in the imperial palace."
Ye Lanshan nodded to show she understood, then suddenly remembered there was a pregnant woman in the mansion and asked, "How is Yue Yinuo?"
"Yue Yinuo has gone mad. Miss, if you have nothing urgent, it's best not to go near her."
"What happened while I was away?" Ye Lanshan grew more convinced that something major had occurred in the mansion during her absence.
"After Ye Suzhe was executed, she went mad. Then a black-clad figure suddenly attacked the old master, and his condition worsened from then on."
Ye Lanshan lowered her eyes, her long lashes hiding her expression, making it impossible to read her emotions.
The next day, Ye Lanshan went to the imperial palace. When Yue Jinghong heard she had arrived, he quickly set aside his official duties to meet her.
"Your Majesty, may I borrow a few herbs from the palace?" Ye Lanshan's cool voice carried over, irritating the eunuch beside Yue Jinghong.
"Of course. What herbs do you need? I'll have them brought immediately."
Ye Lanshan said, "Black nightshade and double-shadow leaves, among others."
"Xiao Li, what are you standing there for? Go fetch them!" Yue Jinghong immediately ordered the eunuch to retrieve the herbs. But the eunuch hesitated, about to speak, when Yue Jinghong cut him off: "What, can't I command you anymore?"
The eunuch fell to his knees and cried out, "Your Majesty, forgive me! I wouldn't dare, but the Empress has taken the last black nightshade."
Yue Jinghong rubbed his forehead and instructed, "I understand. Bring the double-shadow leaves first."
"Ye Lanshan, why don't you take the double-shadow leaves for now, and I'll send the black nightshade to you another day?" Yue Jinghong's attitude surprised Ye Lanshan. She had expected to search elsewhere for the black nightshade, but his offer—and his demeanor—didn't seem like that of an emperor toward a subject.
Yue Jinghong placed the double-shadow leaves in Ye Lanshan's hand and was about to say more when she replied, "I thank Your Majesty for the gift. In that case, I'll take my leave." She turned and walked away decisively, unconcerned whether her behavior might anger Yue Jinghong.
"Your Majesty, this Ye Lanshan is far too arrogant. Should we..." the eunuch suggested, but his words only enraged the emperor.
Yue Jinghong's face darkened as he said, "Do I need your orders for what I do?"
The eunuch, terrified, fell to his knees with a thud, trembling: "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."
"Hmph." Yue Jinghong snorted coldly and strode past him with a grim expression. Once he was far away, the eunuch slowly stood up, dusted himself off, and hurried toward the Empress's palace.
"Is what you said true? So I have to hand over my black nightshade?" The Empress paused mid-bite of her pastry.
"Of course you must. This will not only dispel the emperor's suspicions but also subtly show goodwill to the Ye family." A strikingly handsome man, stroking the Empress's hair, spoke—and upon closer look, wasn't he Xiao Li?