Lamp Flower Smile

After a few days, the weather became hotter and hotter.

The nanmu screen wall in front of the door of Si Li's Mansion, carved with a giant elephant, which symbolizes "the scene of peace", also looks wilted under the fierce sun for days, and loses its former glory.

Jin Xianrong couldn't stand the heat the most, so he bought ice cream early and put it in the corner of the house. On a sultry summer afternoon, there was no heat at all in the house. The incense burner on the table exuded a sweet fragrance. Jin Xianrong sat under the window. I fanned slowly on the recliner and stuffed a purple grape soaked in ice into my mouth from time to time. It was as comfortable as the gods.

He half-closed his eyes to rest, so he didn't know anyone was coming from Si Lifu until a servant came to him and reminded him: "Sir, someone is coming." Jin Xianrong opened his eyes, sat up, and saw the person from Si Lifu. Standing at the door was a young man wearing a snow-white robe.

This young man was tall and thin, and his snow-white robes were fluttering in the breeze, making his delicate face look even more aloof and arrogant. Jin Xianrong stared at the other person's face with jealous eyes for a while, then came to his senses and asked the person beside him: "Who is this……"

This is Zhang Sheng's face, but the material of his clothes and the jade ornaments he wears are not ordinary.

The servant bent down and said, "Sir, this is Medical Officer Ji Xunji of the Hanlin Medical Academy." Seeing that Jin Xianrong was still frowning, he reminded him again in a low voice, "Young Master Ji's residence."

As soon as these words came out, Jin Xianrong frowned with two broken eyebrows.

Oh, it turns out to be that Ji Xun!

He didn't remember much about the medical officers of the Medical Officials' Hospital except Cui Min and Lu Zhu, the hospital's envoys. After all, he was in good health and had not seen many medical officers for many years before this, so he was not sensitive to the name Ji Xun.

But if we talk about Bachelor Ji, it is very clear.

All members of the Ji family are bachelors, and each one is well versed in economics. When Mr. Ji was still alive, he was a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, and later he had the privilege of teaching the late prince.

After the death of the former crown prince, Mr. Ji also died of illness not long ago. Now that His Majesty has succeeded to the throne, he still treats the Ji family favorably. The Ji family's status in the court is really not low.

It's just that the Ji family, as civil servants, did not participate in the struggle between the government and the party. After the death of the prince, they focused on compiling classics and ignored external affairs. Ji Xun, the only legitimate son of the Ji family, didn't even want to be a civil servant, so he simply became an imperial doctor. Many official families in Shengjing secretly laughed at this. Even though Ji Xun had superb medical skills and even though he was actually on an equal footing with the envoys in the Imperial Medical College, how could being an imperial doctor sound as glamorous as being a high official?

Not to mention the risk of losing your head.

Jin Xianrong thinks so too.

His heir cannot be so useless in the future. If he goes to study medicine, his legs will be broken.

With this thought in his mind, a smile appeared on his face. Jin Xianrong stood up, welcomed him into the room, and ordered the servant to quickly pour tea. He said respectfully: "It turns out to be Medical Officer Ji. I didn't know that Medical Officer Ji suddenly So far, what’s the matter?”

A skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Even though Ji Xun is just an imperial doctor now, the Ji family behind him still makes Jin Xianrong dare not neglect him.

He was just confused. What was Ji Xun doing here?

Ji Xun glanced at the luxurious furnishings in the Si Li Mansion, passing by the jade couches, incense tables, and the golden table with paintings for a moment, before looking away, "I heard that Jin Shilang was unwell the past few days."

"Yes, yes, I didn't expect the medical officer to know about this."

Ji Xun looked at him: "How is Minister Jin feeling lately?"

Feelings?

Jin Xianrong was stunned for a moment.

He really didn't expect Ji Xun to ask this suddenly.

He and Ji Xun had never had any contact or friendship in the past, so why did he suddenly care about him? Furthermore, the whole Shengjing knew that Mr. Ji didn't like to interact with others. He said he was aloof, but to put it bluntly, he was withdrawn and unsociable. When an unsociable person suddenly cared about him, Jin Xianrong's heart suddenly beat.

He chose his words carefully, "It was a little bad at first. Later, Dr. Lu came to diagnose me. I felt much better. I can now and again have intercourse once or twice these days, and it's even better than before I got sick." Look, Medical Officer Lu’s medical skills are really good, much better than the medical officer who was sent to me first..."

As he was speaking, he was unexpectedly interrupted by someone around him: "Do you trust Medical Officer Lu?"

"Medical Officer Lu is very good. He is young and good-looking..."

He thought for a while, looking after each other in the officialdom, and Lu Zhu gave him a second life. In the future, he wanted to ask Lu Zhu for more love, so he praised Lu Zhu a few more times.

The servant came out with tea and placed a cup in front of Ji Xun. Ji Xun looked down. The tea soup was clear, and the fragrance of tea diluted the overly sweet aroma in the room, but it made his expression become colder.

He interrupted Jin Xianrong's praise: "I know about Jin Shilang's illness, but I don't understand some of the problems, so I asked the doctor to find the residue of the medicine that Medical Officer Lu gave Jin Xianrong. I hope Jin Shilang will not blame him."

Jin Xianrong looked at him, not quite understanding what he meant.

"I found traces of red fragrant catkins in the medicine residue. Mr. Jin, a little red fragrant catkins were used in the medicinal materials that Medical Officer Lu grabbed for you."

Jin Xianrong was confused.

The name of the medicinal material was too unfamiliar to him, and he didn't understand medical science at all, so he could only laugh blankly.

As if he knew his doubts, Ji Xun paused and then continued: "Hongfangxu is poisonous and is not suitable to be used in prescriptions. It will harm the body if used for a long time. After many years, the minister got older and the sequelae gradually appeared, which would make the minister Forgetting things and having a headache is the result of poisoning.”

"Using this poison as a medicine for the servant's illness is not worth the loss."

The house was quiet.

After Ji Xun finished speaking, he saw that the person opposite was still looking at him blankly, without the expected shock or anger. He couldn't help but feel a little surprised, and frowned and said: "Jin Shilang, do you understand what I just said?"

Jin Xianrong nodded quickly, then shook his head.

"Medical Officer Ji," he considered the words, "what you just said is red and green. I don't study medicine and I don't understand it very well. But..."

He swallowed and said, "This recipe is poisonous, and I know it will hurt your health if you use it for a long time."

Ji Xun raised his head suddenly: "What?"

Jin Xianrong was stunned and carefully replied: "Doctor Lu has told me this a long time ago."

…

The sun was gradually setting.

The last rays of sunset have fallen, but the courtyard is still dry. The chirping of cicadas coming from the branches makes the summer evening even more tranquil.

Under the long corridor outside the pharmacy, figures were lingering on the ground.

The little medicine boy beside me couldn't help but remind: "Sir, it's better to come back later."

Ji Xun shook his head.

During the day, he went to Si Li's Mansion.

Ever since he clarified the matter about Hong Fangxu to Lu Xun at the entrance of the Medical Officer's Hospital a few days ago, Ji Xun has been considering whether to report the matter to the hospital envoy. But after thinking about it all night, he decided to go to Si Li Mansion to find Jin Xianrong first.

What Lu Zhu said in front of the door that day, using only the broken branches and leaves of red fragrant catkins, does not violate the regulations of the Imperial Medicine Institute, because the broken branches and leaves are considered "waste" after all, and medical workers can dispose of the waste by themselves.

But if there was something wrong with the prescription that Lu Zhen prescribed to Jin Xianrong, it would be a violation of the rules of the Medical Officer's Academy, and he could be suspended from his job at the least, or be punished at the worst.

Ji Xun planned to go to Si Li Mansion to look at Jin Xianrong's syndrome, and use the syndrome to find out how much Hongfang Xu Lu used.

However, what he did not expect was that Jin Xianrong, the minister of household left Cao, actually told him that Jin Xianrong knew about Hongfangxu.

The servant with a severed eyebrow sat in front of him, holding tea and joking.

"Medical Officer Lu has told me the pros and cons a long time ago. After decades of use, my brain will have some problems. It doesn't matter, I can afford these side effects. Well, my little brother is much more important than my brain. What will happen in the future will be in the future. Let’s make plans, besides, my brain is already smart and abundant, no matter how much I use it up, I will still be better than ordinary people.”

Ji Xun frowned slightly.

Jin Xianrong was fully aware of the pros and cons, and agreed with Lu's diagnosis method under this premise. Lu's move was in line with the rules. None of what he accused Lu Zhuo of was true.

It was him who was preconceived and aggressive.

The cool breeze passed through the courtyard in the evening. The child beside him raised his eyes and glanced at him. Seeing the young man staring at the door of the pharmacy, he couldn't help but let out a sigh in his heart.

My son was born with orchids and jade trees, and was erudite and good at writing, but his temperament was as hard as a stone.

After learning that he had misunderstood the girl, he immediately came to apologize in person. However, as a medical officer of the Hanlin Academy, Lu Chen was even busier than a hospital envoy every day. After lunch, he rushed into the pharmacy and has not come out yet.

He was getting hungry from waiting.

However, my young master is very stubborn and will not give up until he is punished. His serious expression could not be seen as an apology. Those who didn't know better thought he was calling for an apology.

Just as he was thinking about it, the door of the room in front of him opened with a creak, and Lu Zhuo walked out of the house carrying a medical box.

The little medicine boy hurriedly pulled at the corner of Ji Xun's robe.

As soon as Lu Yan went out, he saw two people standing in front of the door and couldn't help but pause in his steps.

The cool breeze blew through the trees and the cicadas chirped intermittently. Ji Xun stood at the door, blocking her way.

"Medical Officer Lu."

She only paused for a moment, then nodded to Ji Xun: "Medical Officer Ji."

His tone was calm and cold, as if the questioning at the entrance of the Medical Officer's Hospital a few days ago was all an illusion.

Ji Xun pursed his lips and lowered his voice: "Today I went to Si Li's Mansion and met Jin Xianrong."

"Um."

"Jin Shilang said that you have told him that Hongfangxu is used in the prescription and explained the toxic pharmacology of Hongfangxu."

"yes."

He looked at Lu Chen: "In that case, why didn't you explain when we were at the entrance of the Medical Officer's Hospital the day before yesterday?"

explain?

He said it so seriously and so matter-of-factly, as if he would believe her as long as she explained it, which actually made Lu Chen feel ridiculous.

After a long silence, she spoke.

"Actually, there is no need to explain. An ordinary medical officer would not add red fragrant catkins to Jin Shilang's prescription. Medical Officer Ji commented that there is nothing wrong with my eagerness for quick success."

She raised her head and her tone was a little cold.

"It's just that Mr. Jin is more eager for quick success than me."

For Jin Xianrong's illness, using red fragrant catkins as a medicine was more effective than the mild medicines from the medical hospital. She clearly informed the pros and cons of it early on, just to make sure that this man with a brain in his waistband would get out of control as soon as he tasted a little bit of sweetness.

It would be a bit difficult for a person who indulges in pleasure to think about the troubles that will arise decades later. After all, Jin Xianrong's father died in bed back then.

Some things don't need to be hidden at all.

Ji Xun shook his head in disapproval: "What about those rumors?"

Mrs. Dong once stopped the carriage on his way home and talked to him. In and out of her words, it was said that he ranked first on the red list and had a close relationship with Lu Zhu. Cui Min, the envoy of the hospital, also tried to test him intentionally or unintentionally, and the hints in his speech seemed to be made by Lu Zhu himself.

He knew that it was not easy for ordinary people, and it was understandable that he wanted to find a backer to support him in the medical hospital, so he did not deliberately expose it, but he was not happy with this speculative move after all.

However, after the previous incident about Hongfangxu, Ji Xun gradually became less sure.

He asked Lu Chen: "Are those rumors really the autobiography of Medical Officer Lu?"

"Puch" sound.

The woman in front of him seemed to find his words very funny and actually laughed out loud, but the smile looked cold.

"It is rumored that Medical Officer Ji has a close relationship with me, and he personally selected me to be the first on the red list for the Spring Examination. However, as soon as I entered the Medical Officer's Hospital, I was assigned to Nan Pharmacy, and later assigned to Master Jin's medical practice."

She looked at Ji Xun with mockery in her eyes.

"They say you use your power to bully others. It seems that Medical Officer Ji's power is not very useful."

The words were harsh and harsh, making Ji Xun frown. It was the first time that someone had ridiculed him so unceremoniously, and he felt a little at a loss.

The woman in front of him had a calm expression and a calm tone. He was not good at interacting with others and always regarded people as simple, but he felt that the person in front of him was very complicated.

The wind and dew are getting heavier, and the grass leaves under the courtyard are rustling in the evening breeze.

After a long while, Ji Xun shook his head slightly and whispered: "I'm sorry."

No matter what kind of person Lu Yan is, it is always wrong to speculate and slander others at will. He convicted Lu Zhuo without any verification, which is not what a gentleman would do.

Lu Zhuo was shocked.

After a moment of silence, she shook her head, as if laughing at herself: "I have long forgotten what I said before."

"Medical Officer Ji," she took a step back and looked at him politely, "I don't care what others say, and I won't take this matter to heart. So you don't have to apologize to me."

"In this world, some people practice medicine to save lives and help the wounded and benefit the world, but some people practice medicine just to feed themselves and make some money to climb up the ladder."

"I am such a person."

After finishing speaking, he nodded slightly to him, carried the medical box and left.

The lights under the eaves changed back to two.

Ji Xun stood for a while, picked up the lamp again, and was about to leave.

The little medicine boy beside him couldn't help but said: "Is this the end?"

"What else?"

"Sir, why don't you buy Medical Officer Lu something to apologize to?"

Ji Xun was puzzled: "Didn't she say that she doesn't care about other people's opinions and has long forgotten what happened before?"

The child looked at him for a long time, and finally couldn't help but hold his forehead.

"You don't really believe what the girl said!"

…

After leaving the pharmacy, Lu Zhuo returned to the dormitory.

When the lights came on in the room, she sat down at the table and took out a few medical books from the table drawer. Thinking of what just happened, she still felt a little uncomfortable.

Lin Danqing came in from outside, put the plum and ginger bought outside on the table, and invited Lu Zhuo to come and eat.

After the embarrassment of being drunk a few days ago, Lin Danqing has returned to his former self, and even worse. In the past, he had to remain bright and generous in order to maintain his appearance. Now, after turning off the lights, he scolds his colleagues in the hospital without any concealment.

Like a broken jar.

Lu Chen didn't want to eat, so she started eating by herself, saying, "Just now I saw Medical Officer Ji talking to you at the door of the pharmacy. Why does he keep talking to you lately?"

Ji Xun rarely came to the medical hospital, and when he did, he would never take the initiative to talk to others. He was extremely aloof. Lin Danqing had bumped into him and Lu Zhen twice in succession, and he couldn't help but wonder: "Could it be that he also has ulterior motives for you?"

"'also'?"

Lin Danqing laughed: "I'm joking." Then he sighed: "If you want to say that the person with the best face in Shengjing City, Pei Dianshuai, the front secretary, and the medical officer of our Medical Officer's Hospital, they can't fault each other. It's a pity that one has a temper problem and can't say a word for three days, and the other one has something to do with the Taishi Mansion."

Lu Zhuo's eyes moved slightly and asked, "Will the Pei family really marry the Grand Master's Mansion?"

"You want to hear the truth?"

Lu Zhuo nodded.

Lin Danqing shook his head: "From the perspective of my wise eyes, even though the Grand Master's daughter is a wealthy person, she may not be able to achieve success. Even though Pei Yunying looks friendly on the outside, he doesn't even bend down when talking to others. He is very arrogant on the inside. . Miss Qi always has to be coaxed, how can he have the patience? "

"I'm looking at Xuan."

Lu Tong thought to himself, that's good.

Publicly and privately, she didn't want Pei Yunying to become Qi Qing's son-in-law. Otherwise, the previous debt has not been cleared, and a new hatred will have to be added.

Lin Danqing didn't know what she was saying, so he just stretched his waist and said, "There are also things that are not satisfactory for the grand master's daughter. She can only choose one man in her life. Naturally, she has to choose carefully. She is not as good as a concubine like us."

"Not as good as?"

Lu Zhen was puzzled: "Can a concubine choose many men?"

She had only heard of men having three wives and four concubines. She had stayed in Luomeifeng for many years. Could it be that women in the Liang Dynasty now also had three husbands and four concubines?

Lin Danqing laughed a few times: "There are not so many people watching, just handle it yourself. The wise ancestor of my family once said, never give up the entire garden for a flower. If the water is weak, I will take three thousand." A thousand ladles of drink, but one ladle is not enough?”

Lu Chen was speechless.

She coughed slightly and saw a thick pile of medical books on Lu Zhuo's desk, and wondered: "The inspection by the medical officer's office will still be half a year away. Why do you start working so hard so early? You live in the pharmaceutical pharmacy every day. You are too tried."

Lu Yan lowered his eyes, reached out to open the medical book, and brought the oil lamp closer.

"I want to make some new medicines," she said.

…

The summer nights are sultry.

When Qi Yutai returned to the mansion, the lights in the courtyard had just turned on.

Although Qi Qing did not restrain him now, he did not stop him from misbehaving and he had to go home before Xu time every day.

He also left the house secretly today, and it was already very troublesome just to get rid of his father's servants who were monitoring him.

Qi Yutai walked down the jade steps with her outer clothes open. In the dark night, her eyes were shining brightly, and her face, which had always been yellowish, showed an abnormal flush. Her clothes were unbuttoned a little, and she looked completely different from the groggy appearance of the previous few days. .

A gust of cool breeze blew by, and Qi Yutai squinted his eyes comfortably, feeling as if he was walking on the clouds, floating and happy.

A few hours ago, he secretly went out of the house and took Hanshi Powder.

The restraint he had been feeling for the past few days was finally relieved. Qi Yutai was relieved of his addiction. His heart was at peace. The remaining fire had dissipated, but his mind was getting more and more excited after being happy, and he wanted to do something for no reason.

He just walked into the courtyard and saw someone walking by with a hound. The hound was as big and nimble as a calf. It made people feel frightened at first sight. He was raising his head to catch the food thrown by the servant from the bowl. Raw flesh with blood.

Qi Yutai stopped.

The servant also saw his master and saluted hurriedly: "Master."

Qi Yutai was in a good mood and looked at the hound with a smile: "I am getting stronger when I catch the tiger."

The hound seemed to know that Qi Yutai was talking about him. He turned his head sharply, revealing his strong white teeth. The blood from chewing raw meat mixed with saliva dripped on the ground, looking as ferocious as a wild wolf.

Qi Yutai was also shocked.

But soon, this fear was replaced by satisfaction.

"Not bad." He said with satisfaction.

Qinhu is Qi Yutai's pet dog. He is tall and fierce, and his ferocious nature has not faded from being fed raw meat all year round. Qi Yutai takes Qinhu to the hunting grounds every year for hunting.

He was not good at riding and shooting, and always relied on catching tigers to catch a few prey, so as not to be laughed at privately by the nobles.

He also valued this dog very much and hired someone to raise it. At first, I didn't know the ferocity of this hound. The servant who was raising and catching tigers in the front was bitten to death, and then he was replaced by a beast trainer from a foreign race in the back. He said he could train wolves into dogs. Sure enough, in just a few years, he was about to be captured. The tiger was trained into a good dog that obeyed Qi Yutai's orders.

The dog trainer looked at his face and said: "These days, I have been taking Qinhu to the farm in the west of the city to hunt in order to prepare for the hunt. Today I bit off the ear of a farmer's child..."

Qi Yutai likes to hear the story of catching a tiger and hurting someone. It seems that the more ferocious a vicious dog is, the more intimidating it is to its owner. Hearing this, he actually smiled and said, "That's right, you've made great achievements in training dogs, I'll reward you!"

There is no mention of the peasant boy whose ear was bitten off.

Anyway, they will give them money, money that those untouchables cannot earn in decades. After all, it is those untouchables who make the money.

The dog trainer continued to say: "The lady found out about this when I returned home, and she was a little unhappy."

Qi Yutai disagreed: "My sister is just too soft-hearted."

If he was not soft-hearted, how could he be taken advantage of by a pariah medical woman? He secretly felt sad and refused to let him take action, which made his brother feel distressed.

Thinking of the medical woman, Qi Yutai suddenly felt something in his heart, and his eyes fell on the hound in front of him.

In the night. The hound purred, then lowered its head to eat the raw beef in the silver basin. Its sharp teeth chewed the blurry mass of flesh and blood. The sound of "crunching" made people's hearts tighten at night.

He stared at the rotten meat for a long time, as if seeing something else through the scene in front of him, and his expression gradually became strange.

After a long time, Qi Yutai spoke.

"Tell me, if I want Qinhu to bite whoever he wants, can I do that?"

The dog trainer was stunned for a moment, then said: "Young Master, of course you can."

After a pause, the servant raised his head and asked tentatively: "Who does the young master want the tiger to bite?"

Qi Yutai said nothing.

The wind at night was like a damp and hot net, wrapping the bloody smell on the ground even more intensely.

After a while, Qi Yutai turned around.

"bring it on."

He said to the dog handler: "I have something to tell you."