Lamp Flower Smile

The jasmine has mostly bloomed under the window, and its branches are fragrant. The green leaves are fragrant, diluting the smell of Chinese medicine in the house.

In the garden outside Qi Yutai's door, Qi Qing stood with his hands behind his back.

The setting sun fell into the pond, and the water was dyed with a layer of light red. The shimmering light seemed to be swaying like fire burning at the bottom of the water, and the remaining red was brilliant.

Qi Qing watched quietly.

Nearly ten days have passed since the fire broke out in Fengle Building that night.

In the past ten days, there have been endless disputes between the court and the court, Yuan Yao is pressing harder and harder, and the prince's people have come several times - Emperor Liang Ming's attitude is subtle, and he can no longer calm down.

There was endless turmoil in the court. He only said that he was ill and stayed in the mansion, guarding Qi Yutai every day.

There were footsteps behind him. The old housekeeper walked across the yard and walked behind Qi Qing. He whispered: "Master, the matter of Han Shi San has been taken care of."

"good."

On the second day after the Fengle Tower fire, someone accused Qi Yutai of taking medicine powder in the building. How could Yuan Yao not seize this opportunity and force the emperor to conduct a thorough investigation in front of all the officials?

There are countless nobles who take cold food powder secretly. As long as they can hide it openly, no one will pursue them.

Exactly now.

Qi Qingren found a scapegoat to take the blame. There was another person who took the medicine powder, and naturally it had nothing to do with Qi Yutai.

Forget it.

The old housekeeper said: "The young master had an accident that day and was sued the next day. It is too coincidental. Master, could this matter be a trap set by the third prince?"

Qi Qing shook his head.

Yuan Yao had an impulsive temperament and relied on the emperor's favor to act on his own will. If he had the intention to set a trap, he would not use such a roundabout method. What's more, it can be said that some people have heard about Qi Yutai's taking medicine powder, but Qi Yutai's old illness... Apart from the Qi family, only Cui Min knows about it.

Unless Cui Min risked his life, there was no way he would take the initiative to reveal this matter to others.

"Let's go." Qi Qing turned around, "I'll go see him."

In Qi Yutai's house, the door was closed.

When he fell ill, he ran away crying in fright and anger, and loudly beat and cursed the people around him. In just a few days, several batches of servants were changed to serve him.

The housekeeper pushed open the door, and there was a maid kneeling in front of the door. Her forehead was still bleeding, and the porcelain was smashed on the floor. There were two other servants standing by the couch, watching the person on the couch nervously.

The old housekeeper winked at the maid who was bleeding from the forehead, and the maid stepped out while pressing the wound on her forehead. When the two boys saw Qi Qing coming, they quickly moved out of the way. Qi Qing stepped forward slowly and pushed aside the hanging curtain.

On the bed with red sandalwood and lotus patterns, Qi Yutai huddled in the corner, with a thin blanket wrapped around him, looking at the four-cornered sachet hanging above his head.

Qi Qing tightened his grip on the corner of the curtain.

The same was true when Shuhui fell ill.

He doesn't listen at all to what others say, or he lowers his head and whispers to someone he doesn't know. Yutai had an illness a few years ago, but it was not as severe as now. The way he ignored it made people suspicious that he might never wake up again in the future.

Qi Yutai in the corner seemed to finally hear the noise, his eyes moved, and his eyes slowly moved to the two people who entered the room.

"Father," he called suddenly.

Qi Qing was silent and held his hand: "Yutai."

The thin old hands and the young and pale hands were held together, and they looked more and more desolate and dead.

Qi Yutai whispered: "Dad, someone wants to harm me."

In the past few days, Qi Yutai would occasionally say this sentence.

Qi Qing held his hand, like a father looking at a young child, and asked warmly: "Yutai, tell dad, who wants to harm you?"

The loving tone seemed to make Qi Yutai more courageous. He looked dazed for a moment: "I saw the thrush..."

"Where's the thrush?"

"In Fengle Building, on the wall, there is a large painting with a painting of thrushes, lots and lots of thrushes——"

Qi Qing's expression changed.

The old housekeeper behind him looked up in surprise.

Qi Yutai has been delirious every day since he was sent back to his home. He always said that he saw a thrush.

Perhaps it was the fire at Fengle Building that made Qi Yutai think of the fire at Yang's house in Mangming Township in his panic, thus bringing back old memories of Huamei.

But today is the first time that the "paintings" in Fengle Tower are mentioned.

After the fire in Fengle Building, the Qi family also suspected that the fire was not accidental and sent people to investigate deep into the building. However, the top pavilion where Qi Yutai was located was the place where the fire first broke out. The people who went into the fire shop put out the fire downstairs, but they were unable to save the fire upstairs. It was completely burned by the fire at night, leaving no trace.

Nothing to be found.

but……

The layout of Fengle Building is such that the guest rooms are facing the wall, and it is true that there were silk paintings hanging there.

Qi Qing leaned forward and his tone became gentler, "Yutai tell dad, what does that painting look like?"

"Yes... there are many birds in the tea garden..."

Qi Yutai stared into the void, as if he saw a silk painting invisible to others, and murmured: "And that old man, he and Huamei looked at me together... His eyes are bleeding... Dad!" He suddenly became frightened, He grabbed the blanket and buried his head in it, going crazy, "There is a ghost, there is a ghost, the ghosts of the Yang family are here!"

"Go away——"

He started to cry and curse, and two young men rushed forward to hold him back as much as possible.

Qi Qing lowered his head, looked at the blood mark on his wrist that Qi Yutai suddenly grabbed, and sighed deeply.

"Young Master...it doesn't seem to be getting better..." the housekeeper said worriedly.

Even after such a long time, Qi Yutai still spoke in a trance, without any improvement.

Qi Qing shook his head.

In the incense burner in the house, Lingxi incense burned quietly, and there was a gentle knock on the door. Then, the door was pushed open, and Cui Min walked in holding a medicine bowl.

Seeing Qi Qing's presence, Cui Min bowed and said, "Sir."

Qi Qing waved his hand.

Cui Min then stepped forward and placed the medicine bowl in his hand on a high table that was out of Qi Yutai's reach. Seeing two young men pressing Qi Yutai, he let them go and poured a medicine bottle from the medicine box. Feed Qi Yutai the red pill and take it.

Qi Yutai gradually became quiet.

The Anshen Pill could only make him calm down for a short while, and he briefly regained his composure due to his confusion. Cui Min asked the boy to bring him a medicine bowl, and when Qi Yutai was calm, he fed him a spoonful of medicine.

After drinking a bowl of medicine, Qi Yutai had completely calmed down, his eyelids were drooping, and he was drowsy. The boy wiped him clean and accidentally got the concoction on his body. He helped him lie down and covered him with the quilt. He lowered the curtain and the room finally calmed down.

Qi Qing looked at Cui Min who was packing the medical box. After a while, he said, "Mr. Cui, Yutai's condition has not improved."

Cui Min made a move.

He turned around and bowed respectfully to Qi Qing: "My medical skills are not good, and my diagnosis has been useless for many days. I am unworthy of trusting you, and I am very ashamed."

Qi Qing said calmly: "Why are the envoys so humble? The "Cui's Pharmacology" was praised by all the doctors in Shengjing. If you say that your medical skills are not good, no one in the Liang Dynasty would dare to say that they know medical principles."

He said: "The envoy from the hospital also performed medical consultations for my son before. Why is this time different from the last time?"

Cui Min's palms were slightly wet and he replied calmly: "Sir, the young master's illness was caused by panic. It was due to a sudden encounter with a fire and a narrow escape from death. He was frightened and lost his mind. Last time, although the young master's panic was unbalanced, the symptoms of panic were similar. It’s not fatal, but maybe the situation is dangerous this time, so it’s more serious.”

He didn't mention the word "crazy", nor did he mention the weirdness in Qi Yutai's words, as if it was just a common and complicated disease.

Qi Qing was silent for a while and asked: "Chief Cui, this is the only son I have."

"Yutai has been weak since she was a child and has a gentle temperament. Although she is occasionally naughty, she is still well-behaved."

"I won't get this son without being confused. When Yutai's mother left, she was only worried that the Yutai would not be down. If something happens to Yutai, I will be too embarrassed to face my wife in the future."

"Therefore, I just want to ask you," Qi Qing looked at Cui Min, "Can Yutai's disease be cured?"

The room was quiet, and the muttering behind the curtain was particularly obvious.

The old man looked at him calmly with a pair of gray eyes. Because he was too old, if he looked carefully, he seemed to have a shallow haze. When he looked again, the gray haze seemed to be an illusion again.

Cui Min felt a layer of fine sweat gradually forming on his hands in his sleeves. The fine sweat seemed to grow, crawling from the palms of his hands to his back, and then fell drop by drop from his forehead, silently sinking into his clothes. Collar.

He lowered his eyes, and wherever he looked, the woolen carpet had bright patterns, and the petals dotted with spar were dark brown. Qi Yutai sometimes got sick, and would often pick up everything that could be smashed in the house and throw it around. Not long ago, a young maid was killed here.

The stagnant air was heavy on his head. Cui Min stared at the red spot for a long time and uttered two words: "It can be cured."

Qi Qing was pleased: "Okay."

"The hospital envoy is benevolent and benevolent. In the hospital, I only trust you. The empress intended to promote Ji Xun to the position of deputy envoy, but I dissuaded her. After all, Medical Officer Ji is a bit younger and not older and more stable than the envoy Cui. "

He stood up slowly, patted Cui Min's shoulder affectionately, and said, "Envoy, please don't betray my trust." He left with the help of the housekeeper.

Cui Min stood there and didn't raise his head until Qi Qing and Qi Qing were no longer visible outside the door.

His spine, which had been slightly bowed just now, felt stiff and painful, and he wiped his forehead.

His body was covered in cold sweat.

…

The last ray of sunset sank and the moon rose.

Silence fell in the hospital.

When Cui Min returned to the medical hospital, the night was already very late.

The green branches were swaying in the grove, and there was no one around. His confidants were not in the Medical Officer's Hospital. Today he went to the Taishi Mansion for a medical consultation, and he should have gone back directly.

But Cui Min didn't want to go back.

The scent of medicine in the hospital seems to make him feel more peaceful.

He entered the study and closed the door.

There are piles of medical books on the bookshelves and tables in the room. Since he became a hospital envoy, he has collected all kinds of unique medical books everywhere. His subordinates also knew about his hobby and often spent a lot of money to buy them for him as gifts. Others say that it was because he came from a humble background, and all kinds of medical books in the Liang Dynasty were owned by the Imperial Medical Bureau. Cui Min, a common medical worker, had never studied in the Imperial Medical Bureau, so after he entered the Hanlin Medical Academy, he had to All the medical classics and pharmacology that have not been learned in the past are supplemented.

But he is not.

He just wants to prove himself.

Cui Min sat down at the table.

Halfway through the compilation of the new medical book, Fang Zi was still dissatisfied no matter how much he changed it. In fact, five years after the publication of "Cui's Pharmacology", he was already feeling anxious.

Ordinary medical workers are struggling in the medical hospital. Every year, there are new medical officers in the imperial medical bureau. There are many young students with strong backgrounds. This alone is not worthy of fear. What is even more frightening is that those with good family backgrounds, Not all of them are mediocre people, there are many who have outstanding medical skills and extraordinary talents.

For example, Lin Danqing, for example... Ji Xun.

Thinking of Ji Xun, Cui Min's eyes darkened.

This young genius medical officer showed amazing talent as soon as he entered the hospital. He was also uneducated and outspoken regardless of the situation if he had different medical opinions. He pointed out errors and omissions in his prescriptions several times, making it difficult for Cui Min to step down.

However, Ji Xun's family background was not bad. Even if he wanted to punish Fa Luo, he could not find the opportunity.

He couldn't criticize Ji Xun, he could only watch the other party getting more and more comfortable in the palace, and he felt more and more anxious in his heart. I had no choice but to decide to write another medical book.

One volume is accidental, two volumes, at least the position of envoy of other courts has not been shaken for the time being.

Cui Min thought so, but the more anxious he became, the harder it was to get the prescription. He is like an old scholar who has exhausted his talents, and the ink in his pen is full of decay. So he searched everywhere for lonely medical books, gained extensive knowledge, made up for his lack of intelligence, and tried to prove that he was not mediocre.

The book says: My appearance is dull, which will not catch others, and my talents, which are mediocre, will not catch others. If I learn it day by day, I will not slack off for a long time, until I am almost successful, I don't know whether I am dull or mediocre.

How can everyone in this world be a genius? As long as he works diligently, there is no difference between him and those geniuses.

That's what he thought. However, after several years, Cui Min sadly discovered a fact.

Genius and mediocrity are different from the beginning.

Ji Xun became more and more comfortable in the palace. He could only watch helplessly and felt that his position as the envoy was on the verge of falling. Ji Xun was born in a better family than himself, had the same medical skills, and was a young member of an aristocratic family. He was more suitable to be a medical official than an aging ordinary medical worker.

Just when Cui Min himself was gradually accepting his fate, something happened to Qi Yutai, the master's son.

Qi Yutai was frightened by the collision and started talking nonsense. Master Qi asked him to come to his house for a consultation. Cui Min knew that his chance had come and treated him diligently for several days, and Qi Yutai recovered.

Qi Qing was very grateful to him.

This gratitude was reflected in the fact that when someone in the palace reminded Ji Xun that he could now serve as the deputy director of the Medical Academy, Grand Master Qi blocked it.

Cui Min understood this, and this was the reward given to him by the Taishi Mansion.

In the following years, no one else coveted the position of envoy of his court.

Cui Min understood that this was the result of the Taishi Mansion. Then I dream about it at midnight, but sometimes I still feel uneasy.

Just like a hollow person who is forced to ascend to a high position, knowing that there is nowhere to hold on to, he is always frightened.

Until today, the fear has become a reality.

Qi Yutai fell ill again.

This time the attack was more serious than last time, and there was no improvement after several days. Cui Min himself was also worried. Epilepsy is inherently difficult to treat. Qi Yutai has used Lingxi incense since he was a child to sort out his emotions and stay awake. However, once the epilepsy occurs frequently, it is difficult to cure it with medicine or stone.

Very tricky.

Cui Min remembered what Qi Qing said in Qi Yutai's house in the evening.

He asked him: "Can Yutai's disease be cured?"

That's not asking whether he can be cured, but whether he still wants to live.

Cui Min's lips were pale.

He knew in his heart that Qi Qing sought him instead of Ji Xun to treat Qi Yutai, not because he thought his medical skills were better than Ji Xun's, but because in Qi Qing's eyes, he was easier to manipulate than Ji Xun.

Ji Xun, as a child of an aristocratic family, has family background to support him. He will treat Qi Yutai seriously, but he will not lie about Qi Yutai's medical records like himself.

Nor would he help conceal the fact that Qi Yutai had epilepsy.

That fact that the Taishi Mansion most wanted to hide.

He is still alive now only because the Taishi Mansion needs him. If Qi Yutai really falls ill and never regains his consciousness, he will not survive.

When an aristocratic patient gets into trouble, ordinary doctors and workers are buried with him. This has always been the case, even if the hospital envoy is no different.

Cui Min scratched his hair, his usually plain face was full of anxiety, and he was nervous about being at the end of his rope.

It would be great if there were a new remedy, a new remedy for confusion and madness.

It's a pity that he couldn't write it himself, and the disease is difficult to treat. In recent years, no new medical officer in the Medical Officer's Hospital has been able to come up with a new prescription. Even Ji Xun has not solved this problem.

Newcomers who passed the spring exam are not allowed either...

Spring test...

Suddenly, Cui Min's expression changed.

He stood up in a hurry, not knowing what he thought of, turned around and walked out the door with the lantern in hand, walked quickly through the woods, until he reached the door of the medical record library, unlocked the door and walked in.

There was no one in the medical record library, and fine dust lingered on the tip of his nose along with the scent of old ink. Cui Min walked around the corridor, walked to a wooden cabinet in a few steps, and unlocked the cabinet with a key.

There are piles of volumes neatly stacked in the wooden cabinet.

This is the nine-subject test paper for students in the Spring Examination of the Imperial Medical Bureau over the past years.

Cui Min put the lantern on the ground and leaned over to look for it.

He searched quickly, flipping through the papers quickly. There was only a rustling sound in the night. After a while, the sound suddenly stopped.

Cui Min took out a letter from the thick stack of volumes and held it under the lantern with trembling hands.

The light was dim. He squinted his eyes and looked at each word one by one in the light of the falling fire. Then, his expression gradually became excited.

"found it……"

The man pursed his lips silently, with rare joy in his eyes.

The scrawled handwriting on the examination paper, the name line with the seal torn off, was illuminated by the dim light, and the shaking blur gradually became clear——

Lu Tong.

…

"what sound?"

In the dormitory, Lu Zhuo looked towards the wooden window.

"It's a rat." Lin Danqing was sitting in front of the window reading a book. Hearing this, he reached out and closed the window. "It's been hot these past two days. There are a lot of rats in the Medical Officer's Hospital. I cleaned them the past two days and dragged them out of the hole in the wall of the hall." There was a big handful of peanuts, half a bag of rice, and half of the walnuts I had eaten were gone.”

"Shameless things," Lin Danqing cursed, "just doing petty theft."

Lu Yan smiled faintly.

"Speaking of which, the lights in the hospital guard's room were still on just now." Lin Danqing glanced outside and said, "It's so late to go back to the hospital. The hospital guard is really working hard."

After the fire in Fengle Building, Cui Min was often absent from the medical officer's hospital. The hospital was too busy with affairs, and even Chang Jin was transferred out of the library. Temporarily reinstate the position.

"I heard that Qi Yutai's illness has not recovered yet. I think it is probably very serious. Otherwise, why would the hospital commander be like this? It's been a long time. I have never seen him stay up so late before."

Then he sighed: "However, the condition is so serious, I think Cui Yuanshi will still be very busy in the future."

The night outside the window was quiet and windy, and there was no sound. Only the sparse black shadows of the woods hid the moonlight above the head.

Lu Yan turned over a page of the book and nodded casually.

"Indeed," she said, "he must be very busy."

"My posture is dim..."——"A poem to teach my nephew"