Chapter 505: Chapter 181: Fengle Building_2
Pei Yunmeng lowered her head in thought for a moment, then raised her eyes to ask, "So what do you want to do?"
"I would like to ask for a favor from Lord Pei."
"What favor?"
Lu Tong looked at him and, after a long pause, spoke.
"I would like to ask Lord Pei to paint a picture for me."
...
The night gradually deepened.
Lu Tong left the Palace Marshal’s Mansion, with Pei Yunmeng seeing her onto the carriage, and Qingfeng escorting her back to the Medical Officer Institute.
Not until the carriage disappeared at the alley entrance did Pei Yunmeng return to the Palace Marshal’s Mansion and call Chi Jian into the room.
He handed the letter he had written to Chi Jian, "Pick a few men to go to Fengle Building, and do as it says."
Chi Jian took the order and left.
Xiao Zhufeng had returned at some point and was sitting at the table, watching him coldly, "You helped her out of pity before, now out of gratitude. What about next time, because of love?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a voice came from behind, "Love? Who has feelings?"
Duan Xiaoyan’s head peeked out from behind the door, her face full of shock, "Who? Brother, is it you? Do you have feelings for Doctor Lu?"
Pei Yunmeng glanced at her, "Get out."
Duan Xiaoyan uttered an "oh," sulkily retracted her head, and closed the door for the two of them.
"Do you know what an incurable disease in this world is called?"
Pei Yunmeng replied helplessly, "Xiao Er, when did you and Duan Xiaoyan start having nothing in your minds but romantic trifles?"
"I just don’t understand," he retorted.
"What if I say, I hope she can have her great revenge?"
Xiao Zhufeng looked at him.
Pei Yunmeng lowered her gaze, calmly beginning, "I really hope she can succeed, sincerely."
...
The coolness of the summer night dissipated, and when the sky lightened again, the sun was even more scorching—it was suddenly in the midst of the dog days.
The sun was like a blazing fire, the daylight so bright that it was blinding.
The Medical Officer Institute and the Imperial Apothecary brewed medicinal soups to quench thirst and relieve the heat for the various offices. Just amidst these three stifling hot days in the Imperial City, several sensational incidents occurred.
One was that Commander Pei Yunmeng of the Palace Front Office and Commander Yan Xu of the Privy Council had a private fight, with Pei Yunmeng getting a bruised and swollen mouth from Yan Xu. Passing by the eastern corridor, many palace attendants witnessed it.
These two had always been incompatible like fire and water, but such public brawling, undignified as it was, was a first, leading to much speculation and enjoyment as gossip during leisure time.
The other matter was too sensitive to discuss recklessly: the increasingly sharp conflicts between the Third Prince and the Crown Prince, with several unsettling incidents at the court. Emperor Liang Ming was already unwell, and this added to his malaise, worsening by the day.
However, these undercurrents behind the deep palace gates, after all, had little to do with the common people in the streets. It was the elder statesmen in the court, who, in recent days, were frequently summoned by Emperor Liang Ming late at night, causing the lights at Nourishing Heart Hall to be lit until dawn.
That night, nearly at midnight, the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion stopped the carriage, and the old steward assisted Grand Preceptor Qi Qing into the mansion.
In the insomniac summer night, Qi Qing wore a thin black Taoist robe, his beard and hair frosty white. As he descended the steps, a breeze swept through the courtyard, and from afar, he looked like an immortal, vested with the aura of a sage.
He brought a handkerchief to his lips and coughed quietly a few times.
The old steward said, "Master, you have been staying up late these days. Envoy Cui brought some heat-relieving herbal medicines today, and the kitchen has been cooling them down perfectly. Why not have a bowl to nourish your energy?"
Qi Qing shook his head.
"As one gets older, it is always so. There’s no need for such efforts."
Emperor Liang Ming had summoned him into the palace late at night for five consecutive days. As an elderly man, enduring such nights made him feel chest tightness and discomfort, and his movements resembled a pine breaking and withering, ready to collapse at any moment.
The old steward bowed his head, speaking even more softly, "The Crown Prince’s Mansion has also sent several invitations."
Qi Qing’s steps halted.
The late emperor had established the rule of succession: prioritize the legitimate son, followed by the eldest and the virtuous.
The position of the heir apparent had fallen to the Crown Prince, yet over the years, Emperor Liang Ming had neglected him, instead lavishing affection on the Third Prince, Yuan Yao, and his mother Consort Li. It was something all the officials had noticed—how could the Crown Prince not feel it?
Seeing the Third Prince’s power growing, the Crown Prince was naturally anxious. And the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion, as the Crown Prince’s greatest ally and strongest support, naturally became the lifeline Yuan Zhen clung to for salvation.
"I’m starting to have some regrets now," Qi Qing suddenly said.
The night was long and still, with low insect chirps arising from the thickets. The steward stood behind the old man, like a shadow in the darkness, silently and loyally shadowing his master’s steps.
The courtyard was silent.
After a while, the old man heaved a long sigh.
In the quiet night, the sigh was so weighty it felt chilling, and he turned back, seemingly recalling something, and asked, "Has the young master gone to bed?"
The steward lowered his head, "The young master went out at dusk and hasn’t returned."
Qi Qing closed his eyes.
"That child is a calamity."
...
Rouge Lane was bustling.
The east of the city was not as opulent and expensive as the South City with its misty red luxury reserved for the high-ranking visitors. Nor was it like the filthy, muddy west, with rows of hovels where commoners walked around bearing hoes and wearing coarse clothes. It lay to the east of Shengjing, not far from Tanqiao River, with a series of deep alleys lined up.