In this world, only power and wealth can drive a drastic change in one's personality.
She just never thought that someone as elegant as Xiao Yixuan would also covet that position, even going so far as to mercilessly kill his own brother.
One could only imagine that if she hadn't noticed that the body on the river - bank wasn't the Crown Prince, if she hadn't traced the clues to the residence of员外 Chen and dug open that grave and opened the coffin, within half a day, the Crown Prince would have been suffocated to death in the coffin due to lack of air.
What a cruel and vicious way to die.
However, upon closer thought, it wasn't really that strange.
The Emperor and the Empress had a strained relationship. The Emperor doted on the imperial concubine and favored the Prince of Xuan, a common - born son. This was common knowledge among the powerful and noble in the capital. As the favored one, it was only natural for Xiao Yixuan to develop ambitions and set his sights on the position of the Crown Prince.
The Shen family of Hexi had eyes and ears everywhere in the capital, so it was inconvenient to attack the Crown Prince there. But things were different once the Crown Prince left the capital area.
This conspiracy must have been hatched as soon as the news spread in the palace that the Crown Prince would lead troops on a southern tour.
The mastermind behind this designed an assassination during the Crown Prince's southern tour, planning to let the Crown Prince die at the hands of assassins and then shift the blame onto the corrupt officials involved in the illegal salt trade. In this way, no one would suspect that this was related to the struggle for the Crown Prince position. What a cunning plan!
To be able to come up with such a scheme and almost pull it off flawlessly showed that Xiao Yixuan was determined to get that position.
She guessed that if no clues were found today, Xiao Yixuan would surely become suspicious again. And since he had just said that he would visit the medical clinic later, she mustn't let him know that there was another person hiding in the clinic.
She had disguised her face, but Xiao Yixuan still recognized her. So naturally, he would also recognize Xiao Jingcheng even if he was in disguise.
Ye Wanmian lowered her eyes and thought of a way. She walked side by side with Qi Wen. On the way, they passed the busiest street in the town. She happened to look up and saw a crowd gathering there.
Qi Wen also noticed the commotion. "Hey, what's going on over there? Why are there so many people? Miss Jiang, shall we go and take a look?"
Ye Wanmian nodded and changed her direction towards that place.
"Ouch, why is this person sleeping here? Could he be dead?"
"Look at his clothes. They're dirty and tattered. And his face is full of beard. He's obviously a beggar. Leave him alone and let him fend for himself!"
"Exactly. He's so dirty. I hope he doesn't have some disease. Be careful not to get infected."
The crowd was in a huddle, chattering away. Ye Wanmian stood on tiptoe and looked inside. She saw a man lying there unconscious, his clothes dirty and torn, his hair and beard in a mess, and his whole body looking filthy.
Not far from the man, there was a wine gourd lying on the ground. The mouth of the gourd was open, and some liquid was flowing out. There was a faint smell of wine in the air.
Qi Wen clicked his tongue. "I thought something serious had happened. It's just a drunkard lying here. They're right. It's better not to meddle in other people's business. Miss Jiang, let's go quickly."
As he was about to pull Ye Wanmian, unexpectedly, Ye Wanmian pushed through the crowd and said, "Make way. I'm a doctor. Let me go up and take a look at him."
Hearing that Ye Wanmian was a doctor, the crowd voluntarily made a path for her, allowing her to squeeze in smoothly.
Qi Wen couldn't stop her. He stamped his foot and had no choice but to follow and squeeze in.
As she got closer to the man, a stench hit her face. It wasn't the smell of a decaying corpse but a mixture of the smell of alcohol and filth, which almost made her vomit.
Ye Wanmian covered her nose and mouth with a handkerchief. First, she pried open the man's eyelids and mouth to take a look, then felt his body temperature, and finally felt his pulse.
The on - looking villagers behind her made disgusted sounds when they saw her touching the man without any hesitation. They pointed at her from behind.
"This young lady isn't afraid of getting dirty. She actually touches that man with her bare hands. That man seems to haven't taken a bath for a long time, right?"
Qi Wen was very angry when he heard this. He advised, "Miss Jiang, why do you bother with this unknown person? Just let him fend for himself like they said."
But Ye Wanmian glared at him. "I'm a doctor. When I apprenticed with my master, I swore in front of him that I would keep a kind heart after becoming a doctor. Even if he's dirty and smelly, he's still a living person. How can I just watch him suffer and ignore him?"
Qi Wen was rendered speechless and felt a bit ashamed for no reason.
Yes, he came from a medical clinic but was thinking of turning a blind eye to a patient. He was really ashamed of the teachings of the master on weekdays.
"This person has caught a cold, and the situation is a bit critical. It needs to be dealt with immediately. Qi Wen, go quickly and find a flat - cart, and hire two people to carry him back to our medical clinic!" Ye Wanmian said.
Qi Wen quickly nodded and turned around to push through the crowd and run away.
After Qi Wen left, Ye Wanmian said to the on - looking villagers around, "Everyone, disperse. Our Huichuntang Medical Clinic will take in this person. If anyone knows his identity, please inform his family and relatives and ask them to come to Huichuntang quickly to pick him up."
Finding there was no more fun to watch, the villagers murmured a few words and dispersed. Only a few scattered people remained waiting to see what would happen next.
After a while, Qi Wen came pushing a flat - cart and leading two strong men.
They carried the unconscious man onto the flat - cart together and transported him all the way to Huichuntang Medical Clinic. When they arrived at the clinic, they carried the man off the flat - cart and placed him in one of the consulting rooms in the clinic.
Ye Wanmian paid each of them twelve copper coins, and the two men left with the flat - cart.
Turning around, Ye Wanmian saw Qi Wen looking gloomy. She tapped his forehead and explained, "Alright, I saved this person for a reason. With this person here, no one will suspect that we're hiding someone in the clinic."
Qi Wen was tapped on the forehead and quickly understood.
Yes, having this person in the clinic was the perfect cover for the Crown Prince!
However, Qi Wen still had doubts.
"Even if we use this person as a cover, he won't be able to stay in the clinic for long. Once his family and relatives come looking for him, won't he have to leave?"
Ye Wanmian said, "This person should be a stranger. He doesn't belong to Dongli Town."
"How did you figure this out?" Qi Wen was greatly surprised.
Ye Wanmian's eyes swept over the unconscious man on the bed. She raised her hand and said, "Look at his hair and beard. They're all tangled up and full of dirt. It's obvious that he hasn't washed them for many days. This shows that he's homeless and has no one to take care of him. He has no relatives in Dongli Town."
Then she pointed downwards. "Look at the way he ties his belt. Usually, the way to tie the belt of clothes is a method passed down from generation to generation. The villagers in Dongli Town are used to tying the Ruyi Knot, but he uses the Diamond Knot."
Qi Wen scratched his head and was a bit confused.
Ye Wanmian said slowly, "The Diamond Knot originally came from Buddhist temples. A person's living habits don't change. I guess he comes from an area that advocates Buddhism. As far as I know, in the entire Dacheng, Luozhou has the most Buddhist temples. It not only has ancient temples but also grottoes. He should come from there."