Chapter 413: Chapter 152: A Night Encounter with the Marshal_4
After a long while, she stared at Lin Danqing and murmured in a low voice, "It’s like the long-term effect of taking Cold Food Powder."
The room fell into silence for a moment.
Lin Danqing swallowed the marrow cakes in her mouth in a few quick bites, turned her head to look outside the window, and raised her hand to close the window.
"Younger Sister Lu," she said as she picked up the teapot from the table to pour Lu Tong a cup of Ginger Honey Drink and softly warned her, "You can talk about this in front of me, but don’t mention it outside."
Lu Tong fixed her gaze on her.
Lin Danqing waved her hand and said, "The late emperor had decreed that any court official who discovered someone taking Cold Food Powder should be severely punished without exception. I know some noble offspring secretly take it behind closed doors, but he is the Young Master of the Grand Preceptor, right? If he knows you’re talking, he will certainly give you trouble."
Lu Tong nodded thoughtfully, "Is Young Master Qi difficult to deal with?"
"It’s not that he’s difficult to deal with, how should I put it," Lin Danqing picked up the Ginger Honey Drink and sipped it, choosing her words carefully, "I have grown up in Shengjing City since I was little, and I have witnessed countless embarrassing acts of the young nobles. Despite their respectable appearance, I’ve seen all sorts of unsightly behavior in private, but this Young Master Qi is different..."
Lin Danqing rested her chin on her hand, thought for a moment, and then said, "I’ve never heard anything bad about him."
"Those elders in Shengjing speak of him, saying he is clever and sensible, exceptionally well taught in manners, never putting a foot wrong, and is both gentle and courteous. He is considered a role model among the younger generation."
Lin Danqing shook her head, "I don’t like him."
Lu Tong asked, "Why don’t you like him?"
Lin Danqing widened her eyes, "Younger Sister Lu, isn’t it quite terrifying that a person has no other commendable qualities but is widely praised solely for being ’well-mannered’?"
"Like a puppet in a play, you don’t know what he likes or dislikes. Every move he makes is controlled by others, and yet others tell you to learn from his sensibility and understanding. Just the thought of it is irritating. Let me tell you a secret," Lin Danqing moved closer to Lu Tong and whispered, "I know what those officials’ children in Shengjing say behind his back, calling him a ’fake person’."
A fake person?
Lu Tong chuckled internally; the words were harsh but true.
Knowing that today she had just seen Qi Yutai’s true face, it was hard for her to imagine that this seemingly docile and ordinary, even somewhat cowardly person, was the culprit who had murdered the four members of the Lu Family.
"So," Lin Danqing tapped the table, guiding Lu Tong earnestly, "you best keep your kindness to yourself and keep away from him."
Lu Tong nodded and took a sip of the Ginger Honey Drink.
The honey drink was sweet and refreshing, boiled with ginger to warm one’s body. In such weather, drinking it was the most comforting. Lu Tong emptied the cup and set down the teacup, saying, "But I am going to examine Vice Minister Jin, and I will often go to the Board of Rites Office in the future. It’s inevitable I will encounter Young Master Qi. Do you know of any other taboos regarding him that you might share with me, so that I don’t unintentionally offend him?"
Thinking it over with a cake in her hand, Lin Danqing said, "To be honest, I am not very familiar with him either, and a lot of what I know comes from others’ words. However, I have never heard of Qi Yutai bullying anyone. As for taboos..."
She wracked her brain for a long while before suddenly saying, "I only know that he dislikes Light-vented Birds, so just don’t mention them in front of him."
Lu Tong’s mind stirred, "Light-vented?"
"Yes, it’s strange when you think about it," Lin Danqing said, "Grand Preceptor Qi likes keeping birds. I remember that every year on the Grand Preceptor’s birthday, officials would search everywhere for rare birds to present to the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion. But a few years ago, the Mansion suddenly freed all the birds, citing that Young Master Qi dislikes them."
Lu Tong asked, "Why does he dislike birds?"
Lin Danqing shrugged, "I don’t know."
Lu Tong’s expression became slightly restrained.
Then it dawned on Lin Danqing, who began to ask suspiciously, "Speaking of which, why are you inquiring about Qi Yutai today? It’s not like you."
On any regular day in the Medical Officer Institute, aside from reading and preparing medicines, Lu Tong showed no interest in anything else. It was the first time she had asked so many questions about something unrelated to her medicinal work.
Lin Danqing leaned in, gazing into her eyes as she slowly asked, "Could it be that you..."
Lu Tong’s fingertips twitched slightly.
"...have feelings for him?"
Lu Tong: "..."
"That’s not acceptable!" Lin Danqing exclaimed in horror, shaking her shoulders, "Let alone what his character is like, he looks so utterly ordinary. How could someone like that be worthy of you, Younger Sister Lu? You must stay clear-headed!"
Lu Tong, dizzy from the shaking, managed to say, "I don’t have..."
"I don’t believe it, swear to me!"
"I swear..."
Lin Danqing looked as though she saw a young girl about to leap into a pit of fire, filled with heartfelt sorrow. It was not until Lu Tong reassured her multiple times, promising she would never harbor thoughts about Qi Yutai, that Lin Danqing finally gave in.
She sat back in her place, picked up the half-eaten marrow cake and stuffed it into her mouth, carelessly pinching her fingers into a lotus pose, and said, "Anyway, I have calculated, Younger Sister Lu, and your destined one isn’t here. That Qi Yutai is no good man. It’s best to let go of such thoughts early on."