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

Judge Xu was terrified, truly believing someone was about to die. Now, having narrowly escaped death, his heart was still in his throat; how could he dare accept another call?

He looked at Pei Jinxuan.

Pei Jinxuan's expression turned cold, and his smile vanished.

He stared intently at Judge Xu, as if to say: You decide what to do.

Judge Xu swallowed hard, stood up while holding onto the corner of the desk, and wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

"This old man...this old man..."

He glanced quickly around the hall. Several pairs of eyes, including those of eunuchs and palace maids, were staring at him with varying expressions.

If he doesn't answer this question, his reputation as the head of the Imperial Medical Academy will be ruined today. Once he leaves this hall, he'll be a laughingstock for bullying a woman.

But if he accepts the question, what if the woman asks him a tricky question that hits his weak spot? Where would he put his old face then?

Judge Xu was caught in a dilemma.

He looked up at Lin Ci.

Lin Cizheng looked at him with a smile, neither impatient nor agitated.

Judge Xu took a deep breath, his proud expression returning to his brow, and his back straightened up little by little.

Back in the day, my great-grandfather founded Cheng'an Hall, saving the common people from the plague. A renowned medical institution, its story has been told for a century. As the fourth-generation successor, and a dignified head of the Imperial Medical Academy, holding the rank of sixth grade, how could Xu Chengyan possibly back down before a mere woman?!

He lifted the front of his official robe and said, "Please give me a question."

Lin Ci smiled gently, first bowing respectfully, then picked up a bowl of wine from the table, tilting her wrist slightly to add drop by drop of the wine into the deepest amber-colored liquor.

One, two, three, four... ten drops were poured, then I stopped.

She placed the wine bowl back on the table, looked up at Physician Xu, and smiled, saying, "Physician Xu, since you are so knowledgeable about the properties of medicinal wine, would you dare to drink this bowl of wine that I specially mixed for you?"

Judge Xu was slightly taken aback. What kind of question was this?

He was about to reach for it when he caught a glimpse of Lin Ci's sly smile and abruptly withdrew his hand.

Could this woman have done something underhanded?

"Don't worry, I didn't tamper with it." Lin Ci seemed to know him inside and out, directly exposing his thoughts. "I just mixed two different medicinal wines together. These herbs have synergistic and antagonistic effects, so what kind of effect will they have when mixed together..." She pushed the wine bowl forward half an inch, "It all depends on whether Physician Xu dares to drink it."

With confidence, Judge Xu said, "This bowl contains Atractylodes macrocephala and Poria cocos, which invigorate the spleen and replenish qi; the other bowl contains Salvia miltiorrhiza and Ligusticum chuanxiong, which promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis. Even if they are mixed together, it won't cause any problems. Why wouldn't I dare to do that?"

He picked up the wine bowl and brought it to his lips.

"Judge Xu, please reconsider," Lin Ci's voice rang out calmly.

Judge Xu paused for a moment.

Lin Ci continued, "Even if what you say is true, the medicinal properties of these two bowls of wine do not clash. But what is the pulse of the person who drank the wine? Does he usually have yin deficiency or yang deficiency? Did he take any antagonistic substances before drinking the wine? Although only a few drops were ingested, what are the medicinal properties... Has Judge Xu verified this?"

"Take you, Dr. Xu, for example. You are usually in good health and speak with a strong voice. However, your lips are slightly bluish-purple, which may indicate liver yang hyperactivity and potential blood stasis in the heart vessels. Of course, this is not yet considered an illness, but your health makes it unsuitable for drinking alcohol."

Judge Xu's hand froze in mid-air, his expression stiffening.

She's right. Although medicinal wine uses alcohol as a base, it's still medicine at its core. Diagnosis, diagnosis, cause assessment, and situation evaluation are all crucial; lacking any one of these can turn a potent tonic into a deadly poison.

He was so focused on identifying the wine that he forgot to identify the person. He knew the medicinal properties of these few bowls of wine like the back of his hand; but if he didn't know who was drinking it, or the strength or weakness of that person's pulse, or their constitution (whether they were hot or cold), then no matter how well he identified them, it was all just theoretical knowledge.

He could lift the bowl of wine, but he couldn't drink it.

This step was his own fault; he was too eager to win, which narrowed his own path.

He slowly placed the wine bowl back on the table, the bottom of the bowl hitting the table with a dull thud.

Judge Xu lowered his head and remained silent for a long time before bending down and cupping his hands in a gesture of respect to Lin Ci.

"My wife is absolutely right, I admire her."

He had clearly admitted defeat.

Lin Ci did not press her advantage. She regarded Imperial Physician Xu as a senior, and humbled herself, respectfully returning his greeting, "Even if my master were alive, he could not find a single fault with Imperial Physician Xu's medicinal wine. Just now, I dared to presume to judge the person, not the wine. In terms of pharmacology, I am inferior to Imperial Physician Xu."

Judge Xu looked up at her, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration, but he couldn't be certain, so he tentatively asked in a soft voice, "You... are you truly the successor of the Ghost Hand?"

Lin Ci nodded and smiled slightly: "My master once mentioned that there was a Cheng'an Hall in the capital, founded by a man named Xu Bode. He met my master a few times. I wonder if he has any connection with the Imperial Judge?"

Judge Xu trembled and quickly raised his hand to bow in a gesture of respect to the air. "Oh dear, Xu Bode is indeed my ancestor! He also mentioned to me his discussions on medicine and philosophy with Xiaoyaozi."

As he spoke, he let out a long sigh, and when his gaze fell on Lin Ci, he showed a hint of regret for her talent.

Judge Xu couldn't help but sigh, "I never expected... after searching for so many years, I've actually encountered a descendant of Xiaoyaozi today."

After speaking, he straightened his clothes, turned around, and bowed deeply to Pei Jinxuan.

"Your Highness, I was rash and did not recognize your greatness. Since this lady possesses unparalleled medical skills, I am willing to make an exception and petition Your Majesty to allow her to serve in the Imperial Hospital."

Pei Jinxuan's eyebrows twitched slightly, and a smile appeared on his lips.

"However..." Imperial Physician Xu changed the subject, straightening his back again, "Your Majesty's daily prescriptions concern the safety of your health, and I cannot reveal them to outsiders. Rules are rules, and even if Your Highness disapproves, I cannot break them."

Pei Jinxuan's smile vanished. He looked at Judge Xu, feeling utterly helpless.

"You old-fashioned person..."

"Oh no! Oh no!!"

Suddenly, the eunuch Gao's shrill voice broke the silence of the side hall, and hurried footsteps approached from afar.

With a loud bang, the palace door was kicked open.

Grandpa Gao leaned on the threshold, panting so hard he couldn't straighten up.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty has vomited blood!!"

"What?!"

Judge Xu's expression changed drastically. He abandoned all manners and rushed out with a flick of his robe.

Pei Jinxuan suddenly stood up, turned to look at Lin Ci, and said in a deep voice, "Take your things and come with me."

Lin Ci nodded, picked up her medical kit, and followed behind him.

The snow started falling again sometime during the day, falling gently and instantly covering the magnificent palace with a layer of cold white.

When everyone arrived at Qianyuan Hall, the hall was already in chaos.

The palace servants knelt on the ground, heads bowed, not daring to utter a sound.

Before the imperial bed, a young eunuch was kneeling on the ground wiping away a pool of dark red blood, his body trembling like a leaf.

The Empress was already standing guard by the bedside. She wore a bright red robe embroidered with gold phoenixes, and the nine-tailed phoenix hairpin in her hair gleamed coldly. Her face was half-hidden in the shadows, so her expression was impossible to discern.

Eunuch Gao hurriedly knelt down: "Long live the Empress!"

As soon as he knelt down, Judge Xu followed suit, holding his breath.

Pei Jinxuan bowed deeply, cupping his hands in a respectful gesture. Lin Ci followed behind him, also bowing with her eyes lowered.

"wrong."

Lin Ci suddenly spoke, her voice not loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the silent palace.

"You can't burn incense here. Put it out quickly and open the windows for ventilation."

As soon as Lin Ci finished speaking, the entire hall was astonished.

The palace servants kneeling on the ground all turned their heads to look, wanting to see but not daring to.

The empress, who was standing guard in front of the bed, slowly turned her head, her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and her two slender eyebrows furrowed.

She stared at Lin Ci, her beautiful face devoid of any kindness, her lips slightly pursed, revealing a hint of meanness.

"Who is she?" The Queen's voice wasn't loud, but it was chillingly cold. "Who gave you the audacity to spout such nonsense here?"

The eunuch Gao almost pressed his head to the ground, his voice trembling as he said, "Your Majesty, this person is..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Ci grabbed the Boshan incense burner from the corner of the hall, along with the incense, and threw it out of the hall.

With a loud crash, the small bronze incense burner slammed onto the stone steps, scattering incense ash everywhere.

Before anyone could react, she turned around and pushed open the tightly closed palace windows one by one.

A cold wind howled in, completely dispelling the sweet warmth in the hall.