Trial Medication No. 12

The beauty in the painting on the wall quietly watched over everything, the corners of her mouth seeming to curve into a cold smile. Only when Steward Xu’s corpse had been taken away did Qingyin, who had been cowering in the corner with her eyes covered, dare to stand up. Madam Zhu paid no mind to the fact that someone had just died in the room, waving her hand to let Qingyin rest. As Qingyin walked out, a flying insect came from behind, brushing past her and vanishing into the night, its transparent wings making a soft rustling sound. In that fleeting glimpse, she vaguely saw the insect’s iridescent colors—it appeared to be the same stinging bug she had seen days before.

Let’s hope it doesn’t sting Yune. Tomorrow, I’ll burn some mugwort in the room, Qingyin thought.

*

Steward Xu was dead as well. His death mirrored Wang Fifth’s exactly: a sudden and violent end, his mind emptied after death. Once could be considered an anomaly, but twice was no coincidence. In a single night, the Lin household was plunged into terror. The maids and servants wailed and pleaded to leave, but the authorities had already surrounded the manor with heavy guards and evacuated nearby residents, suspecting a contagious disease and enforcing strict quarantine.

Those in the Lin household were forced to remain, living in constant fear and anxiety. Yet their suspicions were not about disease. Wang Fifth, before his death, had broken Miss Lin Yiran’s spine; Steward Xu had ordered the servants to cut off Miss Lin’s food and drink. Rumors of Lin Yiran’s vengeful spirit seeking retribution spread among the servants, and those with guilty consciences were especially terrified.

Among them was Luo Kui.

Having tried to escape the manor only to be driven back by soldiers wielding spears, Luo Kui now knelt on her chamber floor, hands clasped, tearful eyes gazing upward, murmuring prayers.

Qingyin, holding Yune in her arms, asked, “Sister, who are you praying to?”

Luo Kui hurriedly gestured for her to keep quiet, glancing fearfully around—even though there were only the two of them in the room. Her anxious demeanor made Qingyin uneasy as well; she moved closer and asked, “Yesterday, Master and Madam spoke strange words—something about the vengeful spirits of parents, and Madam accused of being an accomplice in the Miss’s death. Madam retorted that this estate was never Master’s to begin with. I understand less and less. What exactly happened here?”

Luo Kui drew Qingyin to the edge of the bed. At this lonely and helpless moment, confiding in someone eased her heart. Lowering her voice, she revealed something that shocked Qingyin: “Miss Lin Yiran’s parents were the original owners of the Lin estate. Master Lin Zifeng is the son of a household servant.”

Qingyin was all the more bewildered. Coming from a prominent family, she held firm beliefs about the hierarchy of birth and status—wealth could be debated, but one’s origins were immutable. That a humble servant’s son could marry the daughter of the master and become the head of the household was a transformation that defied convention.

Luo Kui spoke softly, recounting a tale that stirred the soul. For three generations, Lin Yiran’s ancestors had served as imperial physicians; her father, Lin Siqi, was the chief of the Imperial Medical Bureau, renowned for his skill and trusted by the royal family, with a prosperous household. Lin Zifeng’s family, on the other hand, had been household servants for generations—specifically, a unique kind called “medicine testers.”

The name sounded refined, and the monthly wage was several times that of ordinary servants, but it was by no means an easy position. Medicine testers were tasked with trying any new remedies or formulas developed by the master, to observe their effects and dangers.

Thus, most of Lin Zifeng’s ancestors died young, and his father perished suddenly after testing a medicine. Naturally, Lin Siqi provided generous compensation. Risk was inherent in this role, and Lin Zifeng’s father died without regret.

Lin Zifeng calmly inherited his father’s position as medicine tester, fulfilling his duties diligently. At the same time, he diligently studied medical principles and displayed remarkable skill, earning Lin Siqi’s favor. Eventually, seeing his competence, Lin Siqi appointed him steward, relieving him from the dangerous, well-paid role.

A year later, disaster struck the Lin family. Lin Siqi prescribed a pregnancy-stabilizing medicine for a favored imperial concubine, which led to a miscarriage. Investigation swiftly revealed that a certain herb, meant to be dosed at one-tenth of a tael, was increased sixfold to six-tenths. Lin Siqi protested his innocence, insisting he would never make such a rookie mistake.

The concubine was the emperor’s favorite, and the loss of the imperial heir enraged him. While the emperor didn’t believe Lin Siqi would make such a simple error, he pursued the matter further. This investigation unearthed rumors of discord between Lin Siqi and the concubine’s influential father, a high-ranking minister, and what began as a medical mishap evolved into a complicated political struggle.

The emperor despised factionalism most of all. Worse, the consequences of these alliances had cost him an heir. He had long wished to suppress these factions, and Lin Siqi’s case was the perfect opportunity to set an example.

Severe punishment followed.

With a stroke of his imperial brush, Lin Siqi was sentenced to beheading, his assets confiscated, his family exiled to the frontier, and his servants dismissed.

The results of the asset seizure disappointed the officials overseeing it. With generations of imperial physicians and ample rewards from the court, the Lin family’s estate should have been abundant, yet the manor supporting nearly a hundred people was little more than a starved camel—almost bankrupt, with little to be gained.

The Lin family was either executed or exiled; no one cared to investigate how the estate had become depleted—after all, it was confiscated and no longer their concern.

The night before his execution, Lin Siqi summoned the steward Lin Zifeng, proposing to marry his only daughter Lin Yiran to him. Lin Siqi’s reasons were threefold: he wished to spare his daughter the hardship of exile; Lin Zifeng’s family, having served as medicine testers for generations, likely had savings and would not be destitute; and he believed Lin Zifeng capable enough to be a reliable support for his daughter. Most importantly, he knew the two had long harbored mutual affection. Previously, Lin Siqi had dismissed the idea of marrying his daughter to a servant’s son, discouraging it both openly and subtly.

Who could have expected that, overnight, the world would turn upside down and he would urgently wish to entrust his daughter to this servant’s son?

To marry the beloved young mistress he had long admired but never dared hope for, Lin Zifeng was moved to tears, immediately kneeling to express his gratitude and vowing to care for her.

Lin Siqi felt he could die with a smile.

On the day of the execution, Lin Yiran was so distraught that she fell ill and could not attend. It was Lin Zifeng who saw Lin Siqi off, feeding him his last meal.

It was said that before being executed, Lin Siqi opened his mouth as if to cry out to the heavens, but instead spat blood, unable even to utter the word “injustice.”

…

By the time Qingyin heard this, she was stunned. A family destroyed in an instant. She thought of her own family’s annihilation and felt particularly moved. After a long sigh, she asked, “So, how did Miss Lin die? And it seems her death was very tragic.”

Luo Kui sighed. “Later, Lin Zifeng reportedly cured a wealthy merchant’s terminal illness, and the merchant gifted him half his fortune. Lin Zifeng became wealthy, bought back the confiscated Lin estate, and returned with the Miss to live there. He rehired most of the original servants and maids. I and Zhusha—oh, that’s Madam now—had served Miss since childhood, and having found no other work, returned then as well. Steward Xu, formerly the estate’s bookkeeper and close to Lin Zifeng, was also rehired as steward. The Lin estate remained the Lin estate, but the master had changed, and the household was much diminished, far lonelier than before.”

Qingyin recalled that before Steward Xu’s sudden death, Madam Zhu had accused him of “colluding with others to embezzle the estate’s assets,” suggesting that this “Zhusha” had returned for vengeance. But Zhusha was no longer Zhusha—so who was she, then?

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