Chapter 525: Chapter 187 Jasmine
The shade of green trees was dense, and a gentle breeze accompanied the clear, long day.
The medicinal room was steeped in silence.
A young boy entered from behind the door, bringing in two cups of medicine tea cooled to a tepid temperature before attending to the medicine stove at the front.
Lu Tong sat in front of the desk.
This was Ji Xun’s medicinal room.
Ji Xun held a special position in the Medical Officer Institute and was also favored by the nobles of the court. Since the pharmaceutical room was too cramped, the Medical Officer Institute had specially prepared this medicinal room for him to study and concoct medicines daily and to delve into medical techniques.
The medicinal room wasn’t large.
A long table and low desk separated the pharmacy from the study with a carved bookshelf, upon which layers upon layers of medical texts were placed, as well as scattered on the floor—in a disarray of medicinal prescriptions tossed carelessly next to the couch, on the bamboo chair, and in the corners, giving the room a somewhat chaotic appearance.
The desk was furnished with a censer and a pen holder, Silver Scissors used for trimming herbs, and a few Zhizi branches inserted in an icy blue glass vase, their fragrance somewhat diluting the heavy medicinal smell of the room.
Dense green branches filled the view from the window, with a pleasant cool breeze that kept out the blazing heat from outside. It felt like a secluded paradise with its own carefree, rustic charm.
Ji Xun’s voice reached her ears.
"We parted in Su Nan years ago, what happened to Doctor Lu afterwards?"
Lu Tong shifted her gaze back to the person before her.
Ji Xun sat opposite her, his gaze filled with seriousness.
In the past, while in Su Nan, she had often imagined the scene of reuniting with Ji Xun. Yet, upon actually arriving in Shengjing, she slowly let go of that thought.
But perhaps as fate would mock her, the less she wanted to acknowledge Ji Xun, the more suddenly and unexpectedly the moment came.
Lu Tong answered calmly, "After Doctor Ji left, the poison I was afflicted with was soon cured. I then returned to my family." She paused, "My family passed away two years ago, so I came to Shengjing to seek refuge with some distant relatives."
"Where are these distant relatives now?"
"They have passed away."
"I see." Ji Xun had a moment of realization, "That’s why you chose to practice medicine on West Street, to establish independence."
An out-of-town woman, alone and without relatives in Shengjing, had only her medical skills to rely on. Practicing medicine was indeed bold but also the best choice she could make.
"But why didn’t you come find me at Chang Le Alley?" Ji Xun was puzzled, "Before leaving, I told you that if you wanted to go to the Imperial Medical Bureau, I would help you."
Lu Tong had been practicing medicine on West Street but eventually participated in the Imperial Medical Bureau’s spring examinations, evidently aiming to enter the Hanlin Medical Institute.
If she wanted to enter the Hanlin Medical Institute, it would have been easier through the Imperial Medical Bureau.
"My medical skills are unrefined, my knowledge shallow; it’s like a river god glimpsing the sea or a frog peering out from a well—how could I expose my shortcomings and become a subject of ridicule?"
Her words sounded almost sarcastic, making Ji Xun frown.
He said, "I don’t know who your teacher was, but with your medical skills, able to create ’Spring Water Birth’ and ’Xianxian’, you’ve already surpassed many students at the Imperial Medical Bureau. There’s no need to belittle yourself."
"After all, I come from humble origins..."
Ji Xun interrupted her, "Is that also why, after entering the Medical Officer Institute, you still refuse to acknowledge me?"
Lu Tong hesitated.
He looked at Lu Tong and shook his head slightly, "You are a healer; your eyes should only discern illnesses, not the divide between noble and commoner, let alone belittling yourself."
The room fell silent.
Seeing her silent, Ji Xun softened his voice, "Your natural talent for medicine is extraordinary, and you are both intelligent and diligent. Perhaps you have a prejudice against the Imperial Medical Bureau, but what I want to tell you is, the knowledge of medical classics and pharmacology taught there is not something ordinary practices can offer."
"If you are willing to be part of the Medical Officer Institute and have such aspirations, you should not waste your talent. I know the medical theories you’ve studied in the past differ from those of ordinary practices. I will find you the textbooks used by the Imperial Medical Bureau students. If you have free time, try to read as much as possible, and if you have different opinions, you can come here to find me."
He spoke earnestly, and Lu Tong frowned, "Doctor Ji, I’ve made it very clear, I’m practicing medicine just to make a living and climb higher, which is different from your intention of benevolently aiding the world."
"If you were only trying to make a living," Ji Xun looked at her, "you wouldn’t have stayed in the Medical Officer Institute for so long without acknowledging me."
Lu Tong was at a loss for words.
A medical officer who was only driven by personal desires and eager to climb higher would have tried to send a message out on the first day at the Southern Pharmacy. With Ji Xun’s disposition, ready to lend a hand to a stranger he had briefly encountered, he would have taken even greater care of someone with whom he had a past connection.
She said, "In truth, I am not as you think."
Ji Xun shook his head, "In the past, I misunderstood you as someone who sought to climb the ranks through connections and who lacked medical integrity. It was my mistake to trust one-sided stories. I apologize to you."
If she had wanted to use him for her advantage, she wouldn’t have resorted to using those rumors, when she simply could have used this jade pendant and her past in Su Nan.
Ji Xun felt a touch of regret.
Lu Tong, a mere commoner, had not had an easy time getting from West Street to the Medical Officer Institute, and even once there, she could not avoid slander and false accusations. Alone and solitary, when faced with rumors and gossip, she did not offer explanations, just as in the Su Nan Inn years ago, when seriously poisoned, she still insisted that she was fine. The world was unfair; when commoners encountered trouble, they always tried to swallow their pride and endure humiliations silently.