Chapter 188 Jasmine

The trees are thick and the sun is clear.

The medicine room is silent.

The little boy came in from behind the door and brought two cups of warm medicinal tea, and then went to the front to check the medicine furnace.

Lu Tong sat in front of the table.

This is Ji Xun's medicine room.

Ji Xun has a special status in the Medical Officer's Court, and is quite loved by the nobles in the palace. The medicine room is too cramped, so the Medical Officer's Court specially prepared a medicine room for him to test prescriptions and prepare medicines here on weekdays and study medicine.

The medicine room is not big.

There is a long table and a low table. The medicine room and the study are separated by a carved bookshelf. The bookshelf is stacked with medical books, and the floor is also filled with scattered prescriptions randomly stacked on the couch, bamboo chairs, and corners, which looks a bit messy.

On the table are incense burners, pen beds, and silver scissors for trimming herbal branches and leaves. A few gardenias are inserted in an ice-green glass vase, and the fragrance dilutes the strong medicinal smell in the medicine room.

There are dense green branches in front of the window, and the breeze is cool. There is no hot summer outside the door. This place is like a paradise in the mountains, with its own leisure and wild fun.

Ji Xun's voice came to my ears.

"What happened to Doctor Lu after they parted in Sunan that year?"

Lu Tong retracted her gaze and looked at the person in front of her again.

Ji Xun sat opposite her, looking at her with serious eyes.

When she was in Sunan before, she had guessed many times about the scene of reuniting with Ji Xun. When she really arrived in Shengjing, she slowly gave up this idea.

But maybe God likes to play tricks on her. The more she didn't want to recognize Ji Xun, the more unexpected this moment came.

Lu Tong calmly replied, "After Doctor Ji left, I recovered from the poison I had been poisoned with soon. Then I returned home." After a pause, "Two years ago, my family died, so I came to Shengjing to seek refuge with a cousin."

"Where is your distant relative now?"

"He passed away."

"I see." Ji Xun suddenly realized, "So you went to West Street to practice medicine in order to be independent."

A foreign woman, who had no relatives in Shengjing, could only rely on her medical skills. Practicing medicine in a clinic was indeed a bold but best choice.

"But why didn't you come to Changlefang to find me?" Ji Xun was puzzled: "When I left, I told you that if you wanted to go to the Imperial Medical Bureau, I would help you."

Lu Tong practiced medicine in West Street, but finally participated in the spring examination of the Imperial Medical Bureau, which shows that she wanted to enter the Imperial Medical Officer Academy.

If you want to enter the Imperial Medical Officer Academy, it is actually easier to go to the Imperial Medical Bureau.

"My medical skills are not good, and my knowledge is shallow, like the river god looking at the sea, and the frog in the well looking at the sky. How can I expose my shortcomings and make people laugh at me?"

This sounded like sarcasm, and Ji Xun frowned.

He said: "I don't know who your teacher is, but with your medical skills, you can make "Chun Shuisheng" and "Xianxian", which has already surpassed many students in the Imperial Medical Bureau. Why do you belittle yourself?"

"After all, I was born in a humble family..."

Ji Xun interrupted her, "So, this is also the reason why you still refused to recognize me after entering the Medical Officers' Hospital?"

Lu Tong paused.

He looked at Lu Tong and shook his head slightly: "You are a doctor, you should only look at the disease, regardless of the noble and humble, let alone belittle yourself?"

There was silence in the room.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Ji Xun lowered his voice, "You are gifted in medicine, smart and hardworking. Maybe you have a prejudice against the Imperial Medical Bureau, but I want to tell you that the medical classics and pharmacology taught by the Imperial Medical Bureau are not available to ordinary doctors."

"You are willing to enter the Medical Officer Academy, and you have this ambition, so you shouldn't waste your talent. I know that the medical theory you learned in the past is different from that of ordinary doctors. I will find books used by students of the Imperial Medical Bureau for you. If you have nothing to do, read as many as possible. If you have different opinions, you can come here to find me."

He said seriously, and Lu Tong frowned: "Doctor Ji, I have made it very clear that I studied medicine just to make a living and climb up, which is different from your original intention of benefiting the world."

"If you just wanted to make a living," Ji Xun looked at her, "you wouldn't have been in the Medical Officer Academy for so long and didn't recognize me."

Lu Tong was speechless.

A medical officer who only pursues his own desires and wants to climb up the ladder should have found a way to send a message on the first day he entered the Southern Pharmacy. With Ji Xun's personality, he can lend a hand to passers-by who meet by chance, and he will only take better care of those who have old acquaintances.

She said: "Actually, I am not what you think."

Ji Xun shook his head: "In the past, I misunderstood that you were clinging to the rich and powerful and your medical ethics were not right. I listened to one side and believed it. I apologize to you."

If she wanted to cling to herself, she didn't have to use those rumors. It was obvious that she only needed to use this jade pendant and Su Nan to pass by.

Ji Xun was a little emotional.

Lu Tong was an ordinary person. It was not easy for her to walk from West Street to the Medical Officer's Court. However, she was still slandered and framed in the Medical Officer's Court. Alone, she didn't explain to the rumors, just like she did in the Sunan Inn. She insisted that she was fine even though she was poisoned. The world is unfair. When ordinary people encounter trouble, they always try their best to swallow their anger and endure the grievances.

Lu Tong is the same.

When he looked at her again, his eyes were more compassionate.

This look was noticed by Lu Tong.

She tightened her hand holding the cup, lowered her head, and took a sip of the tea in her hand.

The tea is medicinal tea, fragrant and bitter, and the strong medicinal fragrance makes people frown.

Maybe she drank too much sweet juice recently, she is not used to such a bitter taste. Inexplicably, she suddenly missed Pei Yunying handing her the cold white lotus dew outside the windy window on a summer night.

It's sweeter than this.

When she drank tea, her rolled-up sleeves fluttered, revealing a faint red mark on her elbow.

Ji Xun's eyes paused.

After a moment, he frowned and asked, "Why hasn't your wound healed yet?"

Lu Tong was stunned.

"The Immortal Jade Skin Cream is very effective in removing scars. Whether it is a knife wound, a sword wound, or a burn, using this cream will make the scar fade quickly. Why is your wound still obvious after more than a month?"

After speaking, he reached out to Lu Tong's wrist: "Let me see."

Lu Tong shrank back.

She subconsciously reached out and put down her sleeve to cover the faint red mark.

Ji Xun was puzzled: "You..."

She quickly said: "I didn't use it."

"What?"

Lu Tong calmed down and regained her composure, saying: "The Jade Skin Cream is precious, I can't bear to use it, so I just use ordinary plasters to apply the wound these days. The Jade Skin Cream given by Doctor Ji is kept by me."

Ji Xun frowned and stared at her. After a while, he shook his head in disapproval.

"Medicine is dead, not as precious as living people. Although your injury is not fatal, if the scar is left for too long, it may not be removed in the future, so you should apply it in time."

He stood up, opened the wooden drawer of the bookshelf behind him, took out two new bottles of jade cream and placed them in front of Lu Tong.

Lu Tong: "Doctor Ji..."

The jade cream is precious, and only the nobles in the palace can get one bottle. He was generous and gave two bottles at once.

"This medicine was originally made by me." Ji Xun said, "It's not precious to me. You can use it. If it runs out, I'll let Zhu Ling send it to you."

He looked at the little medicine boy who was decocting medicine outside.

The little medicine boy nodded hurriedly.

Lu Tong stared at him, and Ji Xun's eyes were persistent. After a long stalemate, she could only lower her head and reluctantly agreed.

……

Coming out of Ji Xun's medicine room, Lu Tong breathed a sigh of relief.

The white jade returned to its original owner, and an old matter was settled. She should have felt relieved, but for some reason, the recognition with Ji Xun was not as pleasant as she had imagined.

It was heavy.

It was strange that they met again after many years. When she recognized Pei Yunying, she was only briefly surprised and accepted it as a matter of course. She was always tense when talking to Ji Xun, and she dared not relax for a moment, and her mood was even more complicated.

Perhaps it was because Pei Yunying had seen her most real and vicious side, so he had no scruples. And Ji Xun...

Lu Tong held the strap of the medical box tightly.

In Ji Xun's eyes, she was just a poor and miserable orphan who was bullied and climbed to the medical officer's hospital after untold hardships.

It was always uncomfortable to accept the sympathy and charity of others under the mask of a kind and honest person.

Turning around the corridor and returning to the dormitory, Lin Danqing was sitting in front of the window fanning herself.

Seeing her coming back, Lin Danqing stood up from the bamboo couch and said, "The doctor asked me to deliver some prescriptions to Mingxian Temple. There's nothing to do in the courtyard this afternoon, so come with me." He leaned close to Lu Tong's ear and whispered, "It's just right to go to Qiaomen to buy some melons to eat."

Lu Tong agreed, put down the medical box at the table, opened the wooden cabinet door, and put two new cans of Shenxian Yuji Cream in it.

The porcelain can was small, but it felt heavy in her hand.

Lu Tong looked down and sighed in her heart.

In the past, Pei Yunying called her "creditor" all the time, but now she understood Pei Yunying's feelings a little.

It's really more uncomfortable to owe someone a favor than to be owed a favor.

...

Pei Yunying, who was thought of by Lu Tong, didn't know what she was feeling at the moment.

In the small room, the screen covered half of the shadow of a person, who was leaning over slightly, holding a pen and writing on the silk paper on the table.

The handwriting was splashed and seemed to be written at will. It was a poem called "The Run of Quails".

The Run of Quails, the Magpie's Rage. I thought a man was unscrupulous, but he was my brother!

The Rage of Magpies, the Run of Quails. I thought a man was unscrupulous, but he was my king!

When Pei Yunying entered, Prince Ning Yuanlang was just finishing his last stroke. Seeing him approach, he put down his pen, looked up and smiled at him.

Pei Yunying nodded: "Your Highness."

The late emperor had five princes in total.

The late crown prince Yuan Xi, the current Emperor Liang Ming ranked second, and Prince Ning Yuanlang was the youngest.

Yuanlang was not born to the late queen. His mother was just an ordinary palace maid in Huanhua Court. Yuanlang's mother died of illness when Yuanlang was very young. The late emperor pitied him for losing his mother at a young age and raised him under the lap of the late queen.

Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. The former queen also passed away eight years later. Fortunately, the crown prince Yuan Xi was gentle and harmonious, and was popular among the people in the court. They were willing to protect his younger brother, so Yuan Lang was not bullied in the court.

Later, in the autumn flood that killed the former crown prince, Yuan Lang worshipped the eternal lamp in the national temple for his brother for three years and never returned to the capital. During these three years, the former emperor died of depression. The other two princes also committed crimes and were imprisoned. Emperor Liang Ming ascended the throne. Three years later, Yuan Lang returned to the capital. Of the five princes, only he was left except the current emperor.

He became the emperor's only sibling.

He was young and had no mother's family to protect him. He was ordinary and mediocre in the past, and he didn't have any enemies. No one cared about him. After the chessboard was reshuffled, he was like a grain of dispensable dust that was thrown behind people's minds, and no one was willing to mention it.

Yuan Lang was also willing to be an idle prince and never participated in the affairs of the court.

Gradually, the whole Shengjing knew that there was such a kind-hearted prince who was approachable and personally went to Guanxiang Vegetable Market to pick cabbages.

He was also happy and at ease.

Others said that Prince Ning was unworthy of being a member of the royal family, had no ambition, was mediocre, and wasted the surname "Yuan".

But only those who know can understand that those who are willing to lie dormant have never been shallow.

Pei Yunying stepped forward and presented the letter in his hand: "Your Highness, the confession of the person who was arrested before has been revealed."

Prince Ning nodded, reached out to take the letter, but did not open it immediately, just put it on the table, sat down at the table, and sighed.

"What is your Highness worried about?"

Prince Ning shook his head: "Today, the local government reported that the locust plague in southern Jiangsu is raging. The people are suffering."

"Although the crown prince and the third prince have been decided, the emperor's brother is still undecided. The court is fighting every day, and no one cares about the locust plague. The people are the ones who suffer."

"Troubles arise from anger, and disasters arise from trivial matters. I'm afraid that if this continues, the world will be in chaos."

After a moment of silence, Pei Yunying replied: "A good driver never forgets to ride a horse, a good archer never forgets his bow. A good leader never forgets his subordinates."

King Ning laughed: "Are you scolding my brother or praising me?"

"Both."

"If you say this, you will kill all your clans."

"Then I would like to thank you, Your Highness."

Hearing this, King Ning laughed.

"In the past, Lord Yan always said that you were a rebellious person, which made him very angry. With his personality, he was already very open-minded if he was not angry with you."

"No wonder you dared to reject the Grand Tutor's Mansion in front of everyone and left no room for that old fox..."

Speaking of the Grand Tutor's Mansion, King Ning paused and stared at the young man and said, "Speaking of which, the female medical officer you protected, Hongman said last time that she had taken her to Yuxian Tower once last year."

Pei Yunying: "..."

"You actually protected her in Yuxian Tower," King Ning's eyes were full of curiosity, "I didn't see her during the last hunting. Yunying, when do you plan to marry her?"

Pei Yunying had a headache: "Your Highness, she and I are just friends."

King Ning waved his hand, "This kind of words can only deceive Lord Yan, the old bachelor. I was also young and frivolous. If you don't like her, why bother to disturb the Grand Tutor's Mansion at this time."

Pei Yunying paused.

After a while, he said, "I'm sorry."

"I'm not blaming you." King Ning sighed, "Madam was kind to me in the past, and you are her son. Of course, I hope you can marry and have children like other men and live an ordinary life. This is also Madam's long-cherished wish."

"Now that you have a girl you like, I don't want you to miss it for other reasons."

He said it seriously, and Pei Yunying was slightly moved. Just as he was about to speak, he saw King Ning continue to speak.

"Sad lover, Lord Yan is enough."

Pei Yunying: "..."

The emotion just now was swallowed back in an instant.

"Anyway, if you have time, let me see your favorite girl. Lord Yan, Deputy Envoy Xiao, and Lian Hongman have all seen her. I can't fall behind, but if I secretly look at her, it's not right after all, since she's your sweetheart. So next time there's a hunting party, ask someone to tell me secretly."

"I've seen her, so I know her."

He talked for a while, and gradually started talking about these messy things. Although I know that King Ning's temperament has always been like this, he is very serious when he is serious, and he is also very absurd when he is rambling. His gossip is even worse than that of street vendors, which is really hard to resist.

Pei Yunying perfunctorily dealt with a few words, raised his hand to say goodbye, and hurriedly left when he found an opportunity.

After leaving King Ning's secret residence, Pei Yunying breathed a sigh of relief.

Such a gossipy trip is indeed unlike the Yuan family.

It's outrageous.

Luobu, a restaurant on Qinghe Street, after the sun sets, the evening is not as hot as the afternoon, and it gradually becomes lively.

Under the flower gallery selling pearls and jade headwear downstairs in Hongxing Building, an elderly woman with white hair was hawking her wares along the street. Fresh jasmine was placed in a wooden basin filled with water, and the snow-white color and strong fragrance filled the nose.

Water dripped from the bottom of the wooden barrel and fell into the flower gallery along with sweat. The shopkeeper who sold gold beads frowned and drove her away loudly. The old woman was forced to leave. Qinghe Street was full of noble guests and would not allow ordinary vendors to hawk their wares. The old woman walked a few steps with her head down, and she was exhausted. She squatted down slowly against the stone wall.

The wooden basin was right under her feet, and the delicate white flowers were like jade. The fragrance dispelled some of the heat and dryness. Qinghe Street was crowded with people, and no one stopped for the fragrance of flowers.

A pair of boots stopped in front of her.

The woman looked up.

A young and handsome man stood in front of her.

The man was dressed in a deep red and gold-embroidered brocade, with red lips and white teeth, and a face like a crown of jade. Under the setting sun, he leaned over and picked up a bunch of jasmine.

The old woman rubbed her knees and stood up, greeting him warmly: "Young man, buy a bunch of jasmine flowers. Fresh jasmine flowers smell so good when worn on your head! One penny for one bunch!"

The young man smiled, with a small dimple on the corner of his lips. He just reached out and picked up all the jasmine flowers in the wooden basin, took out a silver ingot from his bosom and handed it to her.

"I've bought them all. You can go home."

The woman was stunned.

The young man had already stood up and walked forward with a large bunch of jasmine flowers.

...

There was a constant stream of people at the entrance of Guanxiang Flower Market.

There are all kinds of flowers in summer, and flower buyers linger.

After delivering the prescription at Mingguang Temple, Lin Danqing took Lu Tong to a restaurant near Guanxiang to eat something, and watched a variety show for a while. It was not until the sunset that it was late, and then he planned to return to the Medical Officer's Court.

Before leaving, Lin Danqing took Lu Tong to Lianxiangfang to buy some cakes to bring back, and ate them in the dormitory when he was hungry at night.

"Lily cake, rose cake, honey orange cake, sand cake, little red head..." Lin Danqing pointed at the names on the menu and turned to ask Lu Tong: "What do you want to eat? You are not allowed to say it!"

Lu Tong: "... Jasmine cake?"

The basket of jasmine cakes that Pei Yunying sent to Renxin Medical Clinic last time was very sweet.

The female shopkeeper smiled and said: "Oh, the girl is very picky. She picked one that we don't have here."

Lin Danqing became interested: "If it's not here, where can I get it?"

"Qinghe Street Shidingxuan!"

The shopkeeper said again: "But it was only available in the past. Jasmine cakes are difficult to make and difficult to preserve. I heard that Shidingxuan stopped making them a few years ago. The recipe is not hidden. We have tried it before, but it is troublesome and not as profitable as other cakes, so we are too lazy to make it."

"You can't buy it at other bakeries!"

Lu Tong was surprised: "But I tried it some time ago..."

The shopkeeper was stunned, "Maybe it's made by yourself, it's quite thoughtful."

Lu Tong didn't hear what the shopkeeper said later, Lin Danqing went with her to pick up snacks. Lu Tong stood at the porch and was stunned for a while.

It was a summer evening, it was getting dark, and in the humid and hot air, a refreshing fragrance suddenly came.

She raised her eyes and saw a flower girl in a red dress walking by the door, holding a bunch of jasmine in her hands and humming a little song.

Lu Tong turned around and looked.

"When I feel bored, I go to the garden to find flowers to wear..."

"Looking up suddenly, I see jasmine flowers lined up on both sides..."

"Pick a flower to wear..."

"I picked the flower, but the heart of the flower hasn't opened yet..."

"I knew you didn't care about him..."

"Flowers, I won't pick them after all..."

The melody is long and lingering, playful and gentle, and gradually drifts away with the girl's footsteps, leaving only a faint and cold fragrance, like a lingering undercurrent, quietly circling in people's hearts.

She was so absorbed in watching that she didn't turn around for a long time, until Lin Danqing behind her bought snacks and called her: "Let's go, sister Lu, everything is bought."

Lu Tong retracted his gaze, said "hmm", and followed her away.

"When I feel bored..."——Feng Menglong "Hanging Branches"