Chapter 538: Chapter 190: The Real and Fake Fiancé_3
"Young Master Duan," Ji Xun said, "this jade has always been mine."
"Always been?"
As soon as these words came out, not only did Duan Xiaoyan’s gaze shift towards Ji Xun, but Pei Yunmeng’s did as well.
"But this is clearly Doctor Lu’s jade pendant..."
Ji Xun looked towards Lu Tong, their eyes meeting just as Lu Tong’s grip on the Jade Jue tightened.
He was very fond of this piece of white jade, and after recovering it, he had resumed wearing it without giving it much thought. However, he forgot about this implication.
A man’s personal item ending up in someone else’s hands, especially since Lu Tong was a woman, would inevitably subject her to gossip. Considering this, he spoke sternly, "I’m not sure where Young Master Duan’s words come from, but this jade has always been mine, never having left my side since I was young, perhaps you have mistaken it for another." After speaking, he discreetly gave Lu Tong a meaningful look.
This exchange of glances did not escape another observer; Pei Yunmeng’s eyes subtly flickered.
"Isn’t it the same piece?" Duan Xiaoyan said, scratching his head in confusion, "But it looks to me like the same one..."
Ji Xun re-secured the Jade Jue and, not wanting to entangle himself further with these people, he gave a slight nod and left the room.
The room returned to its previous quiet state.
For some reason, while Ji Xun was there, the atmosphere in the room was inexplicably awkward. Now that he had left, instead of dissipating, the awkwardness seemed to intensify, making one somewhat reluctant to remain.
But the people in front of her still needed to be dealt with.
Lu Tong said, "Young Master Duan, please have a seat, I will take your pulse first."
"...Oh." Duan Xiaoyan sat down somewhat absentmindedly, extending an arm.
Pei Yunmeng stood in the room, markedly more silent than usual. He simply stood by the window; it was an overcast day, with the shadows of the trees swaying, making it hard to discern his expression in the dim light.
But the oppressive feeling was hard to ignore.
No sooner had Lu Tong’s fingertips touched Duan Xiaoyan’s wrist than he spoke suddenly.
"The jade he wears is your piece, isn’t it."
After a moment of silence, she said, "Yes."
If even Duan Xiaoyan recognized the jade, it was impossible to deceive Pei Yunmeng with his sharpness; it was better to admit it frankly.
"Eh?" Duan Xiaoyan spoke up in surprise, "Then why is that jade with him, did you give it to him?"
Upon hearing this, Pei Yunmeng’s expression turned slightly cold.
Lu Tong paused in her actions and looked up to see Pei Yunmeng quietly watching her.
He was different today, uncharacteristically quiet, and she couldn’t guess his thoughts. His deep black eyes were dark and brooding, as if someone owed him money.
Lu Tong sighed in her heart.
The jade piece belonging to Ji Xun was rumored to have been shattered, but on the day that Duan Xiaoyan had brought it to her, she saw clearly that it was flawless, hardly showing any sign of a crack.
With such craftsmanship, it must have cost a considerable amount of silver. If Pei Yunmeng thought that she had given away the jade pendant he had spent a lot of gold to mend as a secondhand gift, it was natural for him to be unhappy.
So she said, "I knew Doctor Ji from before in Su Nan, and we had a certain connection back then."
As soon as she spoke, Duan Xiaoyan slapped his hands together in sudden realization: "I get it now!"
"So Doctor Ji is actually Doctor Lu’s fiancé!"
At this revelation, the two people in the room were both shocked.
Lu Tong: "Fiancé?"
Pei Yunmeng’s brow furrowed, his gaze suddenly sharp.
She denied it: "No, it’s not..."
Duan Xiaoyan excitedly said, "Didn’t Shopkeeper Du from Benevolent Heart Medical Hall say that Doctor Lu has a fiancé working inside the Palace? And that she came to Shengjing to find him."
"Oh! I understand now," as if he had glimpsed the truth, the young man’s voice grew more excited, "You two met in Su Nan many years ago, you saved him, and he left you a jade pendant as a token. Now that you’ve recognized each other, your relationship is officially acknowledged! So this gentleman is the real fiancé!"
The pharmacy room was cramped and the overcast day made the air heavy; speechless, the two in the room remained so, while only Duan Xiaoyan seemed in high spirits.
Just as Lu Tong was about to explain, she heard Pei Yunmeng speak coolly from the side, "You also left a token with him?"
"’Also’?" Duan Xiaoyan caught the word, his face showing confusion, "Did Doctor Lu leave a token with someone else too? Who?"
Pei Yunmeng stared at her intently, his tone neither cold nor warm, "Just how many people has Doctor Lu picked up in Su Nan? Could it be that each one left a keepsake?"
Lu Tong: "..."
Why did she detect a hint of reproach in his words?
Duan Xiaoyan spoke up, "There’s nothing wrong with keeping keepsakes. Otherwise, amidst the vastness of the world, who would remember the affection of old friends? I previously thought Shopkeeper Du was just bluffing, but it turns out to be true. Doctor Lu, are you and Doctor Ji going to get married or what? I brought this jade back; can I and Zhizi get invited for a celebratory drink or not..."
Lu Tong, no longer able to contain herself, interjected, "I’ve already said it’s not like that."
Suddenly losing her temper, the two men in the room fell silent.
The trees outside the door swayed.
Pei Yunmeng looked away, his face cold and silent.
Lu Tong held back her irritation, "The two of you didn’t come here today just to chat about this, did you?"
The Palace Marshal’s Mansion is on duty every day; when would they have such idle time?
Pei Yunmeng, with an expressionless face and a melancholic tone, said, "My sister made some pastries and asked me to bring them to you."
Lu Tong glanced at the food basket on the windowsill, fell silent for a moment, and said, "Thank you."
He looked at Lu Tong again, paused, and then suddenly said, "On the seventh day of the next month, it’s my sister’s birthday. She asked me to tell you and invite you to the mansion."
It had been some time since Lu Tong went to check the pulses of Pei Yunshu and Treasure Bead, so she said, "Understood."
The room fell silent once more.
Duan Xiaoyan vaguely sensed that something was amiss in the atmosphere, but couldn’t pinpoint what it was, and sat lost in contemplation.
Lu Tong took out pen and paper from her medical box and quickly wrote a prescription. As she finished, a Medical Officer came to the door and said, "Doctor Lu, a new batch of medical cases has arrived at the archive, and the Chief Physician has asked you to sort and store them."
Lu Tong complied and handed the freshly written prescription to Duan Xiaoyan, "With proper care for some days, you’ll be fine. Young Master Duan, take this prescription to the front hall later; another Medical Officer will prepare the medication for you. I’m quite busy at the moment and won’t see you out."
Having said that, she packed up her medical box and medicine basket, picked up the bamboo-woven food basket from the windowsill, and left.
Duan Xiaoyan remained seated, holding the prescription in his hands.
The ink on the prescription was still fresh. He blew on it, his mind elsewhere, he watched Lu Tong’s retreating figure and murmured, "So that’s how it is..."
"Brother," he suddenly thought of something, "we spent quite a bit of silver on that jade flower repair, and in the end, it was originally for Doctor Ji. Since Ji Xun is Doctor Lu’s fiancé, can we ask him for the silver back?"
Pei Yunmeng spoke up coldly, "It seems like she didn’t acknowledge Ji Xun as her fiancé."
Duan Xiaoyan replied, "That’s true, but anyone with eyes can see it. Think about it, Doctor Lu keeps that jade pendant in her medical box and never leaves it behind; we always suspected that this jade held special significance for her. If Ji Xun weren’t her fiancé, why would she cherish his jade so keenly?"
Then he rubbed his chin, adding, "You have to say, Doctor Lu has good taste. The Ji family’s Master Ji may be a bit reclusive, but with a good family background and appearance, and as a fellow professional, just by appearances, they indeed resemble a perfect match of golden boy and jade girl..."
As he talked, he looked up to meet the calm gaze of the young man.
Pei Yunmeng pulled at his lips, his voice very faint, "Did you take Ji Xun’s silver?"
"...No."
"To boast like that, one would think you belong to the Ji family."
Duan Xiaoyan was startled.
Although he didn’t understand the sudden displeasure that befell Pei Yunmeng, years of interaction with him had taught Duan Xiaoyan one thing: the angrier Pei Yunmeng got, the calmer his voice became.
It seemed he was truly angry.
The young man coughed lightly, "I’m just speaking the truth..."
"You’re on Palace duty this afternoon."
Duan Xiaoyan was shocked, "Brother, it’s not my turn to be on duty today!"
He finally had a rare day off and had plans to stroll around Qinghe Street after lunch.
"But it looks to me like you’re quite idle," Pei Yunmeng replied calmly, "idle enough to have the mind to attend someone’s wedding celebration."
"It’s not that, brother, I just..."
"Go right now."
After a tense standoff, Duan Xiaoyan finally lowered his head sheepishly, "...Okay."