In ancient times, she gave birth to seven daughters and was divorced by her husband's family.

Chapter 945 A patient suffering from dissociative identity disorder comes to Bai Lu for treatment.

"If the world knew that my name was the same as the Empress's, it would certainly be bad. From now on, I will be called Bai Pingting..."

"Although it also has the surname Bai, it's not as eye-catching anymore."

She picked up the teacup, the warm touch spreading from her fingertips, a warmth that went straight to her heart.

Looking at the extraordinary young man before her, she said sincerely, "Young Master Xi, thank you so much for your help this time. I will remember this kindness forever."

Young Master Xi said calmly, "I am merely fulfilling a request made by someone."

"The person you should truly thank is Marquis Anguo."

Bai Lu used her superb medical skills and ingenious schemes to deceive everyone, including the emperor and the imperial physicians.

Before the encoffining, she took the opportunity of tidying up the empress's appearance to secretly replace the real empress and put a disguised corpse that had been prepared in advance into the coffin.

The real Bai Pingting, however, escaped unnoticed from the magnificent cage that had imprisoned her for half her life, through a secret passage in the palace known only to empresses throughout the ages, with the help of the young master Xi.

"Bai Lu... must be very sad too," Bai Pingting sighed softly.

She could imagine the torment Bai Lu must have felt when faced with the despair in the eyes of the emperor and the crown prince.

“The Marquis’s heart is as firm as iron. Now that she has made her decision, she will bear all the consequences,” Young Master Xi said calmly.

"All you have to do now is live well, live healthily, and live freely."

"This is the best reward for her."

Bai Pingting nodded and drank the warm tea in her cup in one gulp.

A warm current slid from my throat into my stomach.

She drew back the curtains again and looked out the window.

The rain had stopped, and a faint ray of sunlight peeked through the gaps in the dark clouds.

In the distance, a hazy green expanse is tenaciously radiating vitality after being cleansed by wind and rain.

-

“In the past, when I was in the palace, I could only see the sunrise and sunset, and the changing of the seasons, through the sky at the four corners of the palace walls.”

"The book says that in the Northwest there is a long river at sunset and a lone plume of smoke rising from the desert. I have never seen it with my own eyes."

"The book also says that there are small bridges and flowing water in Jiangnan, and apricot blossoms in the misty rain. I have only seen them in paintings."

"Now I'm free. I want to go see it."

"I want to go to the northwest of Dawu to see with my own eyes how the sunset dyes the great river gold. I also want to go to Jiangnan, take a small boat with a black awning, and listen to the soft Wu dialect songs."

"And those delicious foods."

"Although the imperial cuisine in the palace is exquisite, every dish has its own set rules. What to eat and how to eat it are all predetermined. I've long heard that the roast duck in the capital is fatty but not greasy, the lotus root with osmanthus sugar in Jiangnan is sweet and sticky, and the Mapo tofu in Sichuan is fresh, fragrant, spicy, and numbing..."

She said a lot in one breath.

These foods, which ordinary people could easily enjoy, were an unattainable luxury for her, who was once the empress.

"I want to try them all."

Young Master Xi listened quietly the whole time.

He slowly nodded only after she finished speaking.

"very good."

He only said those two words, then lowered his head and continued to pour her tea.

Meanwhile, in Kyoto, inside the Imperial Palace.

On the streets outside the mansion, one could still faintly hear the chanting of prayers for the late empress and the weeping of the common people.

Peony entered through the side door, came up behind her, and whispered her report.

"My lord, Young Master Xi's carrier pigeon has arrived."

Bai Lu did not turn back.

"Have the people left the city safely?"

"all the best."

"Young Master Xi wrote that the person is already a hundred miles away, heading towards Jiangnan."

The confidant paused, then added.

"The letter also said that she... was in a good mood and said she wanted to travel the world and eat all the delicious food in the world."

"understood."

She waved her hand, signaling Peony to step back.

Silence returned to the mourning hall.

Live well.

Go where you want to go, see the scenery you want to see, and eat the food you want to eat.

pretty good.

The two of them didn't have a very good relationship before, but now there's a sense that they've buryed the hatchet...

Just then, a soft footstep sound came from behind.

"My lord, the Third Madam has arrived. She says she has important matters to discuss with me."

"Invite her in."

A moment later, Murong Jinshu, dressed in plain clothes, strode into the mourning hall.

She first bowed solemnly in the direction of the mourning hall, and then walked up to Bai Lu, her face showing a mixture of urgency and embarrassment.

"Bai Lu, I know it's really inappropriate to bother you at this time, but I..."

Murong Jinshu hesitated, looking quite conflicted.

Bai Lu looked at her and spoke in a calm tone.

"Speak directly if you have something to say."

“He is a distant cousin of my mother’s. He…he has contracted a strange illness…and many famous doctors have been unable to cure him. Hearing that you are a highly skilled doctor, he asked me to come here and ask you to take a look.”

What kind of illness is it?

Bai Lu asked.

Murong Jinshu frowned even more deeply.

"They say it's... dissociative identity disorder."

Bai Lu's eyes flickered slightly.

Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is an extremely rare condition. Medical records indicate that patients often experience a loss of mental focus and a detachment from their body due to extreme fright or trauma. Mild cases result in mental confusion, while severe cases manifest as a state of complete numbness and a lack of responsiveness to external stimuli.

"Did someone bring it?"

Murong Jinshu nodded, a hint of joy on her face.

“I brought it with me. It’s waiting in an alley not far from the mansion. I was afraid of being too forward, so I didn’t bring it in directly.”

Bai Lu did not hesitate.

"Let's go to the Marquis's residence."

Soon, the two figures were led into a secluded guest room in the Marquis's residence.

The one in the lead was that patient.

Just as Murong Jinshu had said, he was completely wrapped up from head to toe. A large cloak covered his head and toes, and a thick veil covered his face, the black gauze hanging down to completely obscure his features. He was huddled in the large garments, his figure indistinguishable, and he seemed motionless, as if he were lifeless.

Beside him was an old servant.

The old servant was unusually short, dressed in an ill-fitting gray servant's uniform, with a slightly hunched back and an old felt hat with the brim pulled low, obscuring his full features.

Upon entering the room, the old servant immediately helped the patient sit down, his movements revealing a cautious wariness.

Bai Lu walked in.

She didn't say much, but simply reached out her hand to the old servant, gesturing for him to remove the patient's wrist.

The old servant hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Bai Lu. Beneath the brim of her hat, a pair of cloudy but unusually sharp eyes were visible.

He slowly rolled up the patient's sleeve and placed a pale wrist on the pulse pillow on the table.

The room was quiet, with only the occasional sound of wind coming from outside the window.

Bai Lu extended three fingers and gently placed them on that cold wrist.

As soon as her pulse was felt, her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

This pulse... as thin as a spider's thread, intermittent and intermittent, is indeed the pulse of someone whose spirit is severely damaged and whose soul is not at peace. The patient's body is extremely weak, with both qi and blood deficient, as if his life force is being slowly drained away.

After a while, Bai Lu withdrew her hand.

"It can be cured."

Murong Jinshu and the old servant, who had been watching her intently, both visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

Bai Lu turned her gaze to the patient, but something still seemed off.

I can't quite put my finger on what's strange about it.

What's even stranger is the old servant standing next to him.

Bai Lu sensed it the moment he entered. Although he kept his head down, appearing submissive, his posture... exuded a sense of superiority.

That was not the demeanor of an ordinary servant.

This person... gave me a very familiar feeling.

A hint of doubt crossed Bai Lu's mind, but she remained outwardly calm.

She stood up, walked to the table, and began to write down the prescription.

It didn't matter to her who these people came from or what their purpose was.

All she knew was that he was a patient.

And she was a doctor.

Bai Lu picked up her brush and wrote lines of medicine names on the snow-white Xuan paper.

When the last word was written, she put down her pen and gently blew on the still-wet ink of the prescription.

The old servant, who had been standing bowed to the side, finally broke the silence. His voice was unusually hoarse, making it impossible to tell if he was male or female.

"Miracle doctor, may I ask... how much is the consultation fee for my master's illness? How much will the medicine cost?"

Bai Lu raised her eyelids and calmly met his gaze.

"Ten thousand taels."

Murong Jinshu, who was listening nearby, gasped in shock.

Ten thousand taels!

This is simply a sky-high price!

Ten thousand taels of silver is enough to buy a three-courtyard mansion in the heart of the capital, or to make an ordinary family rich for generations.

Even as the eldest daughter of a general's family, if she hadn't married Bai Qingze... coming up with such a huge sum of money all at once would have been no easy task. Could this distant cousin afford it?

Murong Jinshu felt a little uneasy and was about to say something when she was stunned by the old servant's next reaction.

The short, old servant showed no surprise or embarrassment upon hearing the number.

He paused only slightly, as if to make sure he hadn't misheard, and then nodded without hesitation.

"no problem."

His answer was crisp and decisive, as if ten thousand taels were nothing more than an insignificant number to him.

"Money is no object as long as my master's illness can be cured."

He pulled a heavy money bag from his pocket and placed it on the table with a dull thud.

"Here is a deposit of one thousand taels."

"Tomorrow, this old servant will bring the remaining nine thousand taels. I beg the divine physician to do his best to treat you."

This display of wealth and extravagance created a somewhat awkward atmosphere in the room...

Bai Lu's gaze swept over the bulging money pouch, finally settling on the old servant's face, hidden in the shadow of his hat. She spoke softly, her tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

"The processing of medicinal herbs takes time. Come back in three days to collect the first batch of herbs."

"Thank you, the miracle doctor."

The old servant bowed respectfully, then helped up the patient who had remained silent, and turned to leave the guest room.

Throughout the entire ordeal, the patient remained completely still and silent, as quiet as a delicate doll.

Inside the guest room, only Bai Lu and Murong Jinshu, who was still in shock, remained.

Murong Jinshu looked at the heavy money bag on the table, then at Bai Lu, and finally couldn't help but speak up: "Bai Lu, why...why are you asking for such a high price? Ten thousand taels, this is really..."

She wasn't questioning whether Bai Lu's medical skills were worth the price; she simply felt that the amount was far too large and somewhat shocking.

Bai Lu picked up the prescription from the table, carefully folded it, and put it into her sleeve.

"Medicine is expensive."

She explained succinctly.

"The prescription contains a rare ingredient called the Nine-Turn Resurrection Grass, which grows on the summit of the far northern snow mountain and takes a hundred years to mature. Its price is comparable to gold, and it is priceless. This one herb alone is worth thousands of taels of silver."

Murong Jinshu suddenly realized, but then frowned.

"Even so, they agreed far too quickly... without even blinking an eye."

"Just who is this distant cousin of my mother's?"

Bai Lu walked to the window, watching the departing figures of the master and servant, her eyes deep and thoughtful.

"That's the question I wanted to ask you."

She turned around and looked at Murong Jinshu.

"What kind of business does your relative do?"

Murong Jinshu was taken aback by the question and said somewhat awkwardly, "Well... actually, I'm not very familiar with him."

"He was a distant relative of my mother's, someone from a remote, distant family. His ancestors seemed to have been officials, but their fortunes declined, and they went to do business in other places..."

“I only received his letter a couple of days ago. He said he had long admired the Marquis of Anguo and wanted to ask me to introduce him to a doctor… I didn’t want to agree, but my mother insisted that I do. I know nothing else about him.”

"A businessman..."

She murmured thoughtfully.

"That makes sense."

She looked at Murong Jinshu, who had a puzzled expression, and explained, "In the Great Wu Dynasty today, there are only two kinds of people who can so easily produce ten thousand taels of silver."

"One type is the top-level nobles who hold great power, such as imperial relatives or aristocratic families like the Duke's Mansion."

"But these people don't hide their medical needs like this."

"The other type is the extremely wealthy merchants."

“Ordinary officials, even those who reach the rank of Minister, have limited salaries. Although they may have savings at home, it would be very difficult for them to take out ten thousand taels of silver in one go. They would never be as relaxed and casual as that old servant.”

"Only those wealthy merchants who travel frequently throughout the north and south, and even trade overseas, could amassed such an astonishing amount of money..."

"For them, ten thousand taels might just be the profit from a few boatloads of goods."

After listening to Bai Lu's analysis, Murong Jinshu nodded repeatedly, finding it very reasonable.

"I see. It seems this cousin's business is quite large."

"But... why does he cover himself up so tightly? He won't even show his true face to you, the doctor."

This was precisely Bai Lu's biggest question.

The scene from earlier replayed in her mind.

Why would a wealthy businessman be so secretive, even his medical treatment is like a secret rendezvous?

"Perhaps they are afraid that showing off their wealth will attract the covetous eyes of bad people."