"My Prince, we've found it," a dark guard hurried up to Prince Yingchuan and presented a wooden box.
The box opened to reveal a bundle of cloth, aged and faded.
Prince Yingchuan reached out to touch it, but before his hand made contact with the cloth, the sachet at his waist spontaneously ignited. He quickly fumbled for the sachet, ripped it off, and threw the burning object to the ground.
"My Prince, be careful!"
He realized the sachet contained a protective charm given to him by Lin Yan, and dared not touch anything inside the box anymore.
"My Prince, this didn't happen when we retrieved it," the dark guard quickly explained.
"Go to the front courtyard and invite Young Master Lin here." Prince Yingchuan decided not to touch the bundle again. He now believed everything the young master had said.
Although An An's condition had indeed improved, he had always attributed it to Lin Yan's superior medical skills.
But now, the self-immolation of his protective charm upon his mere contact with the bundle forced him to believe that truly incomprehensible things existed in this world.
Furthermore, this existence had harmed his child, filling him with hatred for whoever used such a venomous method to target a child.
"Yes." The dark guard placed the box on the ground to the side and then left to fetch Lin Yan.
Prince Yingchuan now knew who was behind the attacks on his child within the manor. It was a particularly taciturn concubine.
Also bestowed by the Emperor, unlike other concubines who desperately vied for his attention, this concubine was excessively quiet.
From the moment she entered the prince's manor, she showed no inclination to become his concubine or compete for his favor. At first, he thought it was a ploy to gain favor, but she maintained the same disposition for many years. He and the Princess had even discussed when to allow her to leave the manor.
However, the Princess had once inquired, and the concubine had stated she had no surviving relatives and no other place to go but the prince's manor. This was why the Princess had kept her.
But he never expected that such a person, whom he and the Princess trusted implicitly, would be the mastermind behind harming his child.
Prince Yingchuan was momentarily at a loss for expression. He sat back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the box on the ground.
Lin Yan saw this scene upon entering. "Your Highness."
"Nephew Yan, this must be the object of malevolent sorcery. I merely brushed against the cloth wrapping it, and the protective charm you gave me spontaneously combusted." He gestured towards the charred sachet on the ground.
Lin Yan walked directly to the box. Although he couldn't see with his 'Heavenly Eye' anymore, he could still sense the ominous aura emanating from the box.
"Yes, this is indeed an object of malevolent sorcery. Someone must have touched it when it was unearthed. Have them bathe repeatedly in water infused with pomelo leaves and avoid going out recently." Lin Yan also did not touch the box with his hands.
In this world, he was merely a frail scholar. Direct contact with this object would likely harm him as well.
"Fetch some black dog blood. There is no better method at this moment."
"Have someone fetch black dog blood," Prince Yingchuan ordered directly.
"Yes." Upon hearing Prince Yingchuan's command, the person who brought Lin Yan responded immediately.
"I never imagined An An's condition was due to this malevolent sorcery. No wonder so many physicians were of no use. Nephew Yan, I am truly grateful to you. Without you, An An might not have lived for many more years."
The gratitude in Prince Yingchuan's voice was genuine, but the underlying ferocity in his words was equally serious.
"Your Highness, there is no need for such words. I am happy to be able to help An An."
"Nephew Yan, you are An An's savior. Please do not address me as 'Your Highness' anymore; it sounds too distant."
Seeing Prince Yingchuan's sincere expression, Lin Yan did not refuse and directly addressed him as "Uncle Zhao."
After the guards brought the black dog blood, Lin Yan poured it into the box.
Upon contact with the dog blood, the contents of the box sizzled as if encountering hot oil.
Witnessing this reaction, Prince Yingchuan once again felt fortunate that his old friend had taken him as a disciple.
Once the sizzling subsided, Lin Yan used a wooden stick to lift the wrapping cloth. Inside, he found a small doll made of fabric.
The doll was lifelike, with discernible limbs and facial features, even styled hair in a child's fashion.
Ignoring the dog blood staining the doll, Lin Yan took it out and borrowed a dagger from a nearby guard.
He carefully slit the doll open with the dagger, revealing a small, triangular piece of yellow paper folded within. Opening the triangle, he found a lock of infant hair and a birthdate written on the yellow paper.
Once Lin Yan confirmed there was no further danger, he handed these items to Prince Yingchuan, who stood beside him.
Upon receiving them, he saw that the birthdate was indeed An An's, and it was highly likely the hair was also An An's.
Recalling how he had allowed that concubine, who was so exceptionally well-behaved, to approach An An, he felt immense self-reproach.
Lin Yan knew that the subsequent events were not convenient for an outsider to witness. Therefore, while Prince Yingchuan examined An An's birthdate, Lin Yan excused himself, using the pretense of administering acupuncture to An An.
Lin Yan was not concerned with what happened afterward. He knew that Prince Yingchuan and his wife would not let the culprit go unpunished. His most crucial task now was to help An An recover his health as quickly as possible.
Leaving Prince Yingchuan's study, Lin Yan headed towards the back courtyard. He now knew An An's true identity, so the Princess's confidantes in the back courtyard no longer obstructed his entry.
By the time Lin Yan arrived at An An's bedroom, the child was already waiting.
"Brother Yan, you've arrived." An An's mood visibly brightened upon seeing Lin Yan.
For some reason, he had felt a strong sense of familiarity with this young man named Lin Yan from their first meeting. Now that Lin Yan could heal his body, which all other doctors had been unable to help, An An felt even more akin to him.
However, as he was still disguised as a girl, he couldn't spend intimate evenings with Brother Yan. Once he could resume wearing male attire, he was determined to become best friends with Brother Yan.
"How are you feeling today, An An?" Lin Yan asked, walking to his side.
"Much better. Just before you arrived, I suddenly felt my body lighten considerably, as if I had broken free from some restraint."
Lin Yan knew that An An was referring to the time they had destroyed the object of malevolent sorcery.
Now that the object had been dealt with, as long as he was careful and An An did not fall victim again, his health would gradually recover.