With her deceased husband as her dowry, would Your Highness dare to marry her?

"What an arrogant tone."

Judge Xu's face turned bright red.

He wouldn't normally bother with a mere woman. But he was the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, with four generations of his family practicing medicine; how could he tolerate being questioned?

Seeing his face flushed and red, and his hesitation, Lin Ci added with a smile, "Is Judge Xu perhaps afraid? But I can understand. If a dignified judge like yourself can't pass a test like me, a mere woman, then you'll lose face."

As she spoke, she covered her lips with the back of her hand and chuckled softly, her playfulness concealing a sharp edge, deliberately trying to catch Judge Xu's eye.

"presumptuous!"

Judge Xu slammed his hand on the table, puffed out his beard, glared, and raised his voice to a great height, "I am the Judge of the Imperial Medical Academy, a sixth-rank official. How could I be afraid of a mere woman like you? Today I will show you what I'm made of!"

As expected, Judge Xu fell for Lin Ci's provocation and angrily summoned the young eunuch, ordering him to prepare the items.

Lin Ci tilted her head slightly and smiled at Pei Jinxuan.

Pei Jinxuan was about to say something to praise her when his throat tickled and he coughed again.

Lin Ci casually poured the cooled leftover tea into the flowerpot, refilled it with hot tea, and handed it back to him so that he could hold it to warm his hands.

Pei Jinxuan took a sip of hot tea and let out a deep sigh. "I'm too tired to argue with this old man anymore. It's your turn now."

As he spoke, his eyelids drooped, clearly showing his fatigue.

Lin Ci reached out and touched his forehead. He was sweating profusely, and his temples were damp. She took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"You should rest and stop talking."

Pei Jinxuan twitched the corners of his mouth and put his index finger to his lips, indicating that he was sealing his mouth.

Before long, five eunuchs filed in, each carrying a bowl of wine, and lined them up in a row on the table.

The wine in the bowls varied in color; the darkest bowl was amber in color and so thick it almost clung to the sides, while the lightest bowl was as clear as water, with the bottom visible at a glance. A rich aroma of wine wafted through the air, its mellow flavor tinged with a hint of the unique sweet and astringent notes of herbs.

Pei Jinxuan had been resting with his eyes closed, but after smelling the aroma of wine, he couldn't help but look over, curious about what kind of "exam questions" Xu Yuan had given.

Lin Ci glanced at the five bowls of wine, then at Judge Xu, and asked, "May I ask, Judge Xu, are you inviting me for a drink?"

"Hmph!" Judge Xu flicked his sleeve, quite pleased with himself, and said, "This is my Xu family's ancestral medicinal wine. Each of the five bowls has a different effect. One bowl invigorates blood circulation and removes blood stasis, one bowl strengthens the spleen and replenishes qi, one bowl dispels wind and dampness, one bowl nourishes the heart and calms the mind, and the last bowl..."

He stroked his beard, turned his head to look at Lin Ci, and said, "It's poisoned wine. If you can't tell the difference, don't blame me."

"Poisoned wine?!"

The eunuchs standing at the corner of the hall were in an uproar. They looked at each other, but no one dared to utter a sound.

Pei Jinxuan's expression also changed.

He let the old man set the questions, not the other way around. Just a moment ago he respected the old man's integrity, but now he just thinks the old man is courting death.

"Judge Xu..."

Before he could finish speaking, a hand covered his mouth.

It was Lin Ci. Not only did she shut him up, but she also hid a piece of osmanthus cake in her palm and casually stuffed it into his mouth.

Pei Jinxuan was caught off guard when his mouth was sealed tightly by the osmanthus cake. The cake crumbs slowly melted on his tongue, carrying a hint of sweetness.

He had no choice but to sip the osmanthus cake in his mouth like candy.

Lin Ci patted the crumbs off her hands and turned away nonchalantly.

"Just this one question?"

"One?" Dean Xu rolled his eyes at her, put his hands behind his back, and straightened his back. "If you can answer even half of it correctly, I'll consider you the winner."

Lin Ci smiled and slowly strolled over to the five bowls of medicinal wine.

She walked slowly, from left to right, then from right to left, her gaze sweeping over the five bowls several times.

At the corner of the palace, a young eunuch couldn't contain himself any longer and secretly nudged the maid next to him with his elbow.

"I've seen Dean Xu grade this question."

The young palace maid's eyes lit up, and she quickly asked in a low voice, "Has anyone answered correctly?"

"There's one, he answered one correctly." The little eunuch gestured towards the bowl of the darkest wine. "Look, that bowl. I remember Physician Xu said there were more than a dozen kinds of medicine in that bowl."

"A dozen or so ingredients?" The young palace maid gasped. "Who could possibly guess?"

"If you can't guess, just take a sip. Last time, that guy would take a sip and write down one ingredient, then take another sip and write down another."

"If we try every single bowl, won't we get drunk first? How will we win then..." The little palace maid suddenly tugged at the little eunuch's sleeve, her voice extremely low, "What about the bowl that's the blandest? It looks like water."

"As Judge Xu once said, the weakest bowl of wine is poison; it will kill you if you touch it."

"Ah?!" The young palace maid instinctively covered her mouth with her hand, afraid of accidentally letting out a sound. She looked towards Lin Ci, whose hand was reaching down to place a bowl of poison...

Before she could even utter the word "no," the little palace maid was pulled behind her by the eunuch.

"Shh!" The little eunuch covered her mouth. "Don't make a sound, or you'll lose your head."

The young palace maid nodded vigorously, not daring to breathe. When she peeked out again, Lin Ci was already holding the bowl of poisoned wine in his hands.

Judge Xu stood aside, stroking his beard and sneering inwardly: What do you mean by "descendant of the Ghost Hand"? Nobody in this world knows where the Ghost Hand is. It's all nonsense.

Pei Jinxuan's hands, resting on his knees, were unconsciously sweating; he didn't know if it was from the cold or from nervousness.

He believed in Lin Ci's medical skills, but what if something went wrong?

What if she makes a mistake and drinks the poisoned wine?

Wouldn't his capable assistant, whom he had found from afar, perish in this side hall?

Pei Jinxuan's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed the last bit of osmanthus cake in his mouth.

"Alright." Pei Jinxuan suddenly stood up. "I'm tired. Let's go back to the manor."

Upon hearing this, Judge Xu was extremely pleased with himself, straightening his back even more, his smug little eyes seeming to say: Why didn't you just admit defeat earlier?

Little did anyone know that Lin Ci had already drunk most of the poisoned wine when no one was paying attention, gulping it down like water.

"You!" Judge Xu was too late to stop him.

Lin Ci picked up another bowl of wine, tilted his head back and drank it down in no time.

Everyone was stunned.

I don't know if she's taking an exam or craving some alcohol.

Lin Ci put down the empty bowl, wiped her mouth, and bowed respectfully to Judge Xu: "I was very rude just now and offended you. I hope Judge Xu will forgive me."

Judge Xu ignored her. He rushed to the table, grabbed two empty bowls, turned them upside down, and found the bottoms completely empty, not a drop left.

"You...who told you to finish this wine..."

"A fine medicinal wine." Lin Ci smiled. "Almonds, pinellia, and aconite, the three ingredients complement each other perfectly. Although there is a bitter almond flavor, it is masked by the honey water, leaving only a refreshing taste. It is smooth and mellow on the palate, and can kill without leaving a trace. It is indeed a top-grade product."

Judge Xu's face turned ashen, and the porcelain bowl in his hand clattered to the ground. His knees buckled, and he knelt before Pei Jinxuan, his once straight spine bending into an arch.

"Your Highness! I had absolutely no intention of harming anyone! This poisoned wine was laid out in plain sight, and none of the previous examinees would have touched it, let alone drunk it! I never expected this!"

Judge Xu was filled with remorse, beating his chest and stamping his feet. He never expected this woman to do the opposite, not only carrying the poisoned wine but also drinking it all. If she really died here, how would he explain it?!

Pei Jinxuan's face turned ashen as he strode over to Lin Ci. Lin Ci, however, smiled and helped Xu Yuanpan up.

"Judge Xu, there's no need to panic. Although there's a bowl of poisoned wine on this table, haven't you also placed a bowl of antidote?"

Judge Xu trembled, his eyes widening in surprise as he looked up at her.

"Of the five bowls of wine, one is poison and the other is the antidote. Most people can only recognize one, not the other. But I, a humble woman, have managed to recognize both."

Upon hearing this, Judge Xu breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground.

Her life was saved.

His life was saved.

With a trembling gait, Xu Yuan propped himself up, wiped the cold sweat from his brow, and bowed to Lin Ci, saying, "I admire you."

Lin Ci lowered her eyes, her smile radiant. "Next, I'll pose a question, Judge Xu. Will you answer it or not?"