Chapter 200: Relapse

It was late at night, and a layer of white dew rose in the garden.

The white dew added a touch of quietness to the late summer nights. It would be the beginning of autumn in a few days.

The mansion was quiet. Someone was walking along the long corridor with a lantern. The light flickered in the night, like a flying firefly, stopping in front of a door.

Cui Min pushed the door and walked into the study.

The lights in the room were on.

The surroundings were gradually illuminated. There were several medical books on the long table. They were cleaned very cleanly every day. The inkstone was of high quality. There was a green jade bamboo potted plant on the corner of the table. It was bright and very quaint.

The study was large and looked simple, but in fact, the objects and furnishings were all very exquisite.

He sat down at the table.

The flickering flames in the copper-bottomed candlesticks on the jade plate shone on his face, illuminating the gradually growing grooves at the corners of his eyes and the slightly white stars on his temples, which actually added a bit of vicissitudes that had never been seen before.

Cui Min looked around quietly.

He had this study built by him personally.

When he was young, he worked as a clerk in a medicine shop. At that time, he didn't even have a place to live, let alone a study. After the medicine shop closed, he spread a mat in the woodshed, slept, ate, read and learned characters in it.

The woodshed was his study.

It was not a good place. It was hot in summer and cold in winter. There were fleas on the mat, which made him itch all over. Sometimes when the weather was warm, mice would crawl over him at night.

At that time, he dreamed of having his own house in the future, if he could have his own study in Shengjing where every inch of land was worth a lot of money. It didn't have to be too big, as long as it could accommodate his medical books and a square table and chairs.

Later, he became a court official and gradually saved money. As soon as he bought a house in Shengjing, he asked the craftsmen to build this study.

It was spacious and bright, with shelves full of medical books and a good view in front of the window.

It was a hundred times better than what he dreamed of when he was young.

The wind blew the shadows of the trees in the courtyard.

Cui Min tightened his outer clothes.

It's strange to say that when he was young, he slept in the woodshed, had rough food and bad housing every day, but he slept well. Even if it rained at night, he could still sleep until dawn. He only regretted that he didn't sleep enough every day and couldn't rest for a while.

On the contrary, now that he has a big house, soft silk couch, incense, cool ice in summer, and warm charcoal in winter, he often suffers from insomnia. Even if he lies on the couch, he often has no sleep in the middle of the night.

For example, tonight, he couldn't sleep again.

Cui Min rubbed his forehead.

Perhaps he is really old.

The door of the study made a slight sound, and the servant came in from outside with a bowl of soup in his hand.

Cui Min glanced at the brown soup in the bowl and asked, "Don't wake up the lady and the young master."

"Don't worry, master." The servant said, "The lady and the young master are asleep."

Cui Min nodded and reached out to take the soup from the servant.

This is the prescription he prescribed for himself.

Qi Yutai suddenly suffered from epilepsy. For more than a month, he worked hard in the Taishi Mansion and worked hard in the Medical Officer's Office at night until the early morning.

He had not been so overworked for many years. He could barely hold on before. After Qi Yutai recovered from the illness, he gradually showed symptoms of fatigue and weakness.

Cui Min knew that he had damaged his heart and spleen, so his qi and blood were lacking, and his mind was not nourished. Therefore, he asked his servants to boil Baoyuan Yangxin Decoction every day to nourish the heart and calm the mind.

Although the effect was not very good.

He raised his hand and drank the soup in the bowl. He took out a silk handkerchief to wipe the medicine juice on his lips. Suddenly he thought of something and asked: "Has Lu Tong been moving recently?"

Lu Tong had left the Medical Officer's Office for some time.

These days, nothing else happened in the Medical Officer's Office. Ji Xun and Lin Danqing came to ask several times, but they all returned without success.

On the surface, Lu Tong was only punished by suspension, which was already a leniency.

The servant replied: "After returning to West Street, Doctor Lu has been working at Renxin Clinic. Today is the 50th anniversary of the opening of the clinic. Pei Dianshuai, Doctor Ji and Doctor Lin all went to West Street to congratulate."

"Renxin Clinic?"

Cui Min frowned slightly.

He knew this clinic.

When Lu Tong was selected as the first on the list of the spring exam, he had asked someone to find out about Lu Tong's background.

Lu Tong was from southern Jiangsu. He came to Shengjing from other places to seek refuge with his relatives. For some reason, he ended up in West Street. Because he had some medical skills, he worked in West Street.

Renxin Clinic was a run-down clinic. The owner Du Changqing was a playboy. Because of Lu Tong's appearance, the small clinic came back to life. In addition to Du Changqing, there was a clerk and Lu Tong's maid in the clinic. After Lu Tong entered the Imperial Academy of Medical Officers, the clinic hired an old doctor from the common people as the clinic.

A bunch of weeds, a mob.

But Pei Yunying and Ji Xun treated him differently.

Cui Min sneered.

Ordinary people have to find a backer to survive in the imperial city. For women, nothing is easier than climbing the high branch.

Lu Tong is very smart, so she wanders between Ji Xun and Pei Yunying, playing the two proud sons of heaven around.

But she is also very stupid, otherwise she would not have accused herself of stealing prescriptions in front of all the medical officers.

The empty medicine bowl was held in his hand, and there were shallow traces of soup on the wall of the bowl, which dried and attached to the white porcelain, like a stain that could not be washed off.

Cui Min looked down, and a trace of contempt flashed in his eyes.

He was afraid of Pei Yunying and Ji Xun, but now Qi Yutai's epilepsy has become his life-saving talisman. Even for Qi Yutai, Master Qi would not let him get into trouble.

You have to look at the owner before beating the dog. Lu Tong has someone behind him, so is he?

Each of them relies on what they have.

He and Lu Tong are both toys of the rich and powerful, just a dog.

Just as he was thinking, his right eyelid twitched suddenly.

Cui Min reached out and pressed his eyelid.

These days, his eyelids would twitch every few days, and Cui Min always felt uneasy, as if something big was about to happen.

He shook his head, just about to get rid of this inexplicable and absurd illusion, when suddenly, in the night, someone's footsteps hurriedly sounded.

The gatekeeper's servant ran to the door of the study with a lamp in his hand and knelt on the ground: "Master, someone is coming from the Grand Tutor's Mansion!"

Cui Min was startled.

The ominous premonition in his heart became stronger and stronger. He stood up and stared at the person in front of him: "What happened?"

The servant raised his head and spoke anxiously.

"It is said that the son of the Qi family took soup medicine, woke up at night, and started to get sick again in the evening!"

Cui Min was startled and his hand loosened unconsciously.

"Bang——"

The shattering sound was particularly harsh in the night.

The porcelain white medicine bowl fell to the ground, and the remaining soup and snow-white porcelain pieces were mixed together, blurry and unclear under the light.

And his face was whiter than the broken porcelain pieces.

He murmured: "What did you say?"

...

The Grand Tutor's Mansion was noisier than the daytime in the middle of the night.

From time to time, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard in the courtyard. Under the dim lantern in the courtyard, the suppressed roars and the sound of objects breaking could be heard faintly from the window cracks, mixed with subtle cries and howls, which looked a bit terrifying in the dark night.

In the room, Qi Qing's face was as gloomy as water.

Qi Yutai was held down by two servants, with disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes. He was struggling hard, trying to break free from the shackles of the people beside him, scratching his hands and feet, saying that someone was forcing him.

"... He was fine during the day, took medicine at dusk, went to bed, and became abnormal at night." The maid lowered her head and explained to Cui Min who hurried over.

Cui Min looked at Qi Yutai's condition, and his heart was like falling into an ice cellar.

This look clearly showed that he had another attack, and it was more serious than the last time.

A few suppressed coughs came from the room.

Qi Qing put down the silk handkerchief and looked at Cui Min. His cloudy old eyes looked grayer and grayer under the lamplight, like the eyes of a fish that had been dead for a long time, emitting a strange silence that made people shudder.

"Envoy Cui," he coughed a few times and then slowly said, "Didn't you say that my son's illness has been cured?"

Cui Min felt that his heart was once again suspended by a thin thread in his chest. Facing the old man's questioning eyes, he almost couldn't breathe.

He hunched his waist and lowered his head and said, "Sir, the young master has a slight fever. He was frightened by the fire before, and the wind evil entered the yang, and the wind evil entered the blood..."

"Although the medicine has gradually improved, the young master had a heart blood deficiency in the past, and the fire made him more blood deficient. Now he is frightened again, and it is still because of the weakness of the internal organs, which hurts the soul."

He wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Please give me some more time, I will do my best to treat you!"

Qi Qing did not speak.

The sight above his head was like a heavy stone, weighing heavily on Cui Min's shoulders. The copper stove in the room was clearly filled with ice, and it was clearly cool, but he felt like he was thrown into a scorching stove, slowly, slowly oozing out cold sweat.

After a long time, Qi Qing sighed softly.

The old man raised his eyelids slightly, and his dim eyes always seemed to be covered with white film, and his emotions could not be seen clearly.

"Thank you for your help, envoy."

His tone was calm, as if the person in the accident was not his son.

"Punishment of illness shortens life, and pride in strength leads to violent death. I only have a pair of children, and Yutai has been weak since childhood. Because of this, I have been carefully caring for him all year round to avoid any mistakes."

"And for him to grow up safely, the Qi family built bridges and paved roads, and did many good deeds to accumulate virtue and seek blessings. Unexpectedly, the heavens were out of balance, and my son always fell into unprovoked disasters."

He looked at Qi Yutai who was being pulled on the couch, his eyes seemed to be pitying, and there seemed to be a hint of disgust.

"In the whole Shengjing, the Qi family has only the most outstanding medical skills and medical ethics in the Qinyuanshi. Therefore, if Yutai gets into trouble, the Qinyuanshi must take care of it."

"This is my duty, I dare not claim credit."

Qi Qing shook his head: "Since the fire in Fengle Tower, rumors have spread all over the capital. It was not until Yutai returned to the Sili Mansion that the rumors stopped."

Cui Min's heart tightened.

He had also heard those rumors, and the rumors said that Qi Yutai was crazy.

"It has only been a short time since it stopped, and Yutai has another accident..."

Qi Qing looked at Cui Min: "I'm afraid it's not appropriate."

"I will definitely cure the young master as soon as possible..."

"In a short while, the Tianzhangtai sacrifice will be held, and all the officials in the imperial city will come."

Qi Qing spoke slowly, "My son, you need to be in front of people."

Cui Min's heart skipped a beat.

It has been less than two months since the Tianzhangtai sacrifice.

In such a short time, can Qi Yutai really regain consciousness?

He looked at the bed.

Qi Yutai was held down for a long time, and finally exhausted, no longer moving, but his bloodshot eyes still looked at the people in the room in fear, sometimes sober and sometimes crazy.

Cui Min curled his fingers.

He had no confidence.

"I know this is difficult."

Qi Qing said sadly, "I have exhausted all my efforts for my son, and I pity the love of parents in the world."

"Empress Cui also has children, so he should be able to empathize with me."

Like a basin of cold water poured over his head, Cui Min could no longer speak.

Kind and gentle words.

But such a terrible threat.

If he can't cure Qi Yutai... If he can't cure Qi Yutai on the day of the August 15th Festival, his children may be more miserable than Qi Yutai now.

Qi Qing held the silk handkerchief, bowed his head and coughed a few times, and the snow-white silk handkerchief was stained with light red silk.

He raised his hand, and the housekeeper beside him hurriedly helped him stand up.

"Envoy Cui, I'll leave the jade platform to you."

He patted Cui Min on the shoulder and walked away slowly, his back was withered and old, like a strange walking dead wood.

Cui Min hunched slightly, looking at his receding figure, as if something in his body had flowed away with this withered back, leaving only a light and empty shell.

Behind him came the sound of Qi Yutai clapping his hands, accompanied by a frightened and angry roar.

"There is a dog! What a big dog! A dog that bites! Help, help!"

Cui Min closed his eyes.

For a moment, I felt cold all over my body.

…

The night was getting darker and thicker, so thick that not a single star could be seen. The world seemed to have turned into a huge hole, sinking to swallow everything.

Just after this extreme darkness, the distant sky gradually became brighter, and a hint of gray appeared in the sky, but the darkness was blown away.

When Cui Min came out, it was almost midnight.

Qi Yutai's maid sent him to the door. Cui Min said a few words to her before walking to the carriage in front of the door.

Half an hour ago, Qi Yutai finally fell asleep.

When a person suffers from epilepsy, his originally weak strength will suddenly increase. Although Qi Yutai was not strong, he was still young and would not care if he went crazy. Moreover, because of his status as the master's son, the servants in the house did not dare to use force to stop him, otherwise they would be injured by him.

He also scratched a blood mark on Cui Min's face.

He carried the medical box on his back and got into the carriage waiting at the door. His confidants were shocked when they saw the blood stains on his face and asked, "Envoy, Mr. Qi is really ill?"

Cui Min was silent.

Not only was the illness coming, Qi Yutai's symptoms this time were clearly much more severe than the last time. He tried all kinds of methods, but he couldn't calm Qi Yutai. If Qi Yutai hadn't finally fallen asleep due to exhaustion and sleepiness, he doesn't know how long he would have been struggling.

Cui Min's face was extremely ugly, and his confidant asked: "Mr. Qi's symptoms had obviously improved before, but he suddenly fell ill, but he was stimulated again, leading to disorder?"

"no."

He also asked Qi Qing that it was impossible for Qi Qing to conceal Qi Yutai's illness. These days, Qi Yutai was followed by people when traveling, and nothing unusual happened.

"That's weird. Could it be that it's not all right?"

Cui Min lowered his head, his eyebrows gloomy.

He had seen Qi Yutai's pulse, and it was indeed different from before. It turns out that although Qi Yutai suffered from epilepsy, except for his weak pulse, he was just like ordinary people.

Nowadays, Qi Yutai seems to have lost the nourishment of his brain veins and his marrow sea. Therefore, no matter what medicine he used or how much acupuncture he performed, Qi Yutai had no reaction.

What should I do?

Cui Min was extremely anxious and couldn't help but lick his dry and flaky lips. After working all night, he didn't even sit down to take a sip of water.

The Qi family has spent its last days with him. During the grand ceremony, Qi Yutai must appear sober in front of everyone. But now he can't even find a clue. The previous formula has no effect on Qi Yutai now, but how can the new formula be made...

New side…

Suddenly a figure flashed in his mind, and Cui Min's eyes lit up.

Lu Zhu——

It was not that he had no escape route. When he first cured Qi Yutai, in order to give himself a backup plan, and when Lu Zhu sued him for plagiarizing medical prescriptions, he simply suspended him. The purpose is that if Qi Yutai gets sick again one day, there will be at least one person available.

A prophecy.

He suddenly opened the curtain and said to the driver: "Go to West Street, Renxin Medical Center."

The confidant was surprised: "The envoy wants to..."

Cui Min let go and the car curtain lowered.

The wheels turned slowly and drove past the intersection of darkness and day in Shengjing. His confidants hesitated: "But Lu Zhuo has been suspended from his post. He must be resentful of the hospital envoy. Will he really agree to treat Mr. Qi?"

No one spoke.

After a long while, Cui Min said: "I will convince her."

Lu Chen is a genius.

But he is still just an ordinary person.

Therefore, as a genius, Ji Xun can have no worries in the medical hospital, but Lu Yan has to be bullied everywhere. As long as others want to, they can easily send her to the South Pharmacy, where she will be taken advantage of by the lecherous waiter, and she will kneel down to the vicious dog that bit her.

One identity, a completely different future.

He can give Lu Zhen what he wants. He knows very well what a talented ordinary person who is unwilling to be mediocre and relies on his talent most longs for. As long as Lu Chen wanted to, he could even help her get the position of vice-chancellor.

What's more, there is also the Grand Master's Mansion.

Cui Min murmured as the hands on his knees gradually tightened.

"...I can convince her."

…

"rustle--"

When it was just dawn, the sound of sweeping the floor could be heard on West Street.

The vendors who got up early and loved to be clean opened the door early, swept the dust in front of the door with a bamboo broom, and poured a basin of water on it. The ground was washed clean. When the sun rises, the place will become Clean and refreshing.

In front of Renxin Medical Center, the wooden door has long been opened. On the wall facing the door, there is a shining banner, and a wind lantern is placed in front of the wooden cabinet, making the dim morning more peaceful.

A carriage stopped under the plum trees.

It was still early, most businesses on West Street were closed, and there was not a single pedestrian on the street. Two people jumped out of the carriage. One of them was wearing a brown robe. After getting off the carriage, he looked around and saw the four words "Renxin Medical Center" written in flying colors on the plaque in front of the door. He paused and walked towards the shop. .

Water was splashed in front of the door, moistening it. Cui Min lifted his robe to prevent the corners of the robe from getting wet with dirt. He stepped over the stone steps and walked into the medical center.

There is no one in the medical clinic. The two shops on the left and right are open. The medicine cabinets are large and neatly arranged on all sides against the wall. There are several medical books piled on the table. A wind lamp is on quietly, and the hazy yellow light makes the medicine shop dim in the early morning. It was extremely dark.

"Excuse me--"

Cui Min raised his voice: "Is anyone here?"

No one responded.

He frowned and shouted twice more.

Suddenly, from the deeper part of the shop, a "Hey" response was heard, followed by a muffled "dong dong" sound as if something heavy was poking the ground. As the sound approached, the felt curtain was lifted and a person came out from inside.

This person was dressed in coarse linen clothes, with gray hair tied up with a cloth towel. He was leaning on a crutch and limping as he walked, like a not-so-flexible field mouse. His steps were full of staggering joy. He said directly: "I was just sorting herbs in the yard. This person——"

He approached, and the whole person gradually became clear in the light. The familiar eyes, nose, and mouth, but the facial features were pieced together into a strange face. It seemed that he was about to say something, but he was instantly speechless when he saw Cui Min's face.

This is...

Cui Min's mind was confused, and in an instant, he screamed out.

"Miao Liangfang!"

Miao Liangfang froze in place.

It was not yet bright, and the boundary between night and day was still unclear. The thick white fog seemed to envelop everything, but the dark yellow light in the lantern seemed to illuminate everything, coldly, illuminating every trace of shock and panic on the faces of the two.

In the stagnation, another voice sounded.

"Mr. Miao."

The felt curtain was lifted, and Lu Tong walked out from the backyard.

Seeing Cui Min, the woman's eyes were startled, as if she was also surprised that he would suddenly appear here.

But soon, she calmed down and put the herbs in the dustpan in her hand on the table.

"Envoy Cui."

Lu Tong walked around the small table in the inner bed, walked slowly to him and stood still, speaking in a gentle voice.

"You are finally here."