Chapter 442: Chapter 161 Gold_3
Upon reaching this point, Lu Tong suddenly stopped speaking, seemingly lost in thought, her expression turning somewhat vacant.
Lin Danqing did not notice her peculiarity, appearing to be influenced by her words as well, he bowed his head in silent contemplation, and did not speak for a while.
After a moment, Lu Tong stood up, "I’ve delivered the steamed buns, I have nothing else, I’ll head out first."
Lin Danqing snapped back to reality, lifting his head to look at her, "Aren’t you going to make medicine?"
Today was not the day to treat Jin Xianrong, and if there were no other matters, Lu Tong would usually stay in the pharmacy, flipping through medical books and concocting new medicines—the poultice for Jin Xianrong had already been changed several times.
"Not anymore."
Pausing for a moment, Lu Tong spoke again, "I’m going to the Palace Marshal’s Mansion, today is the day for me to treat the guards."
...
The Capital Marshal’s Mansion was particularly lively today.
The young Imperial Guards, upon hearing Lu Tong’s name, popped up from everywhere; those who were training at the Martial Arts Field didn’t even bother to change out of their sweat-soaked clothes, sprinting into the Marshal’s Mansion Hall, rolling up their sleeves and casually showing off their sturdy arms, "Doctor Lu is here!"
The quacking of five hundred ducks started up again in the Marshal’s Mansion.
Chi Jian stood off to the side, observing with a cold eye.
He couldn’t understand why Lu Tong had garnered so much favor from so many Imperial Guards in the Marshal’s Mansion. The girls who had visited the Marshal’s Mansion before were enthusiastic and friendly, tender and charming, whereas Lu Tong was always cold, her indifferent face inexplicably winning the most affections in the Marshal’s Mansion.
And then there was his own master...
Chi Jian heard from Qingfeng that Pei Yunmeng had pushed aside a mountain of official documents and specifically spent a whole day accompanying Lu Tong on a trip out of the city to the tea gardens, resulting in him dealing with official documents until midnight that day.
Chi Jian glanced at the female Medical Officer surrounded by the crowd and was puzzled in his heart.
Could it be that Lu Tong had bewitched these colleagues with a spell?
He had heard that the women from the Southern Borderlands were adept with love spells, and upon seeing handsome men from the Central Plains, they would surreptitiously cast spells, ensnaring their victims entirely, heart and soul. If the person did not succumb, they would suffer, tormented day after day.
What a terrifying thought.
He shuddered and hastily made his escape.
Lu Tong, unaware of Chi Jian’s thoughts, was at a loss for words within the crowd.
Going to the Marshal’s Mansion for treatment was just an excuse, but who would have known that so many guards in the Marshal’s Mansion would actually seek her for medical attention. Each one of them, full of youthful vigor and robust vitality, pointed to scrapes no bigger than a fingernail on their arms, imploring her to check on them, their tone unusually aggrieved.
She was also perplexed.
Everyone said that the guards in the Capital Marshal’s Mansion were selected for their looks and stature, but could it be that based purely on their delicate appearances and physiques, Shengjing’s stability was truly secure?
If the guards from the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion were all this delicate, maybe she wouldn’t even need poison; she could wreak havoc there all on her own.
Thinking thus, her hands moved even more swiftly.
It was not until the setting sun began to slant that Pei Yunmeng came to disperse the crowd, and the guards reluctantly scattered.
Pei Yunmeng stood at the doorway, smiling at Lu Tong, who then got up, packed her medical kit, and followed him inside.
It was still the same room where he dealt with official documents. On the purple sandalwood polished heart long desk by the window lay a thick stack of documents. The Purple Hare brush tip hanging from the Official Kiln brush rest was moist, beside it was an inkstone, as if the person who sat here had just been fervently writing.
He seemed very busy.
The young man gestured toward a pearwood chair, and Lu Tong sat down on it.
Pei Yunmeng also took a seat across from her.
He asked with a smile, "What brings you here so suddenly?"
Today was not a treatment day.
Lu Tong pulled out a letter from her sleeve and pushed it across.
Pei Yunmeng glanced at it.
The familiar envelope; it was the letter he gave to Lu Tong after visiting the tea gardens, right before they parted that day.
The letter that contained the "prescription."
He reached out for the letter, not in a rush to open it, but raised his eyebrows towards Lu Tong, "Has Doctor Lu read it?"
"Yes."
"Is there a problem?"
"There is."
The room fell silent for a moment.
He lowered his gaze and thought for a while, then looked up again with a smile still on his face, but his eyes were suddenly cold as he asked, "Where is the problem?"
Lu Tong’s voice remained calm, "It’s all tonic herbs, the prescriptions are exquisitely crafted, and at first glance they seem to nourish the body, but if mixed with a certain substance, the tonic becomes poison. It won’t be fatal immediately, but over time, the body will weaken day by day until one dies of heart failure."
Pei Yunmeng fixed his gaze on her, "What substance?"
"Gold."
He was taken aback, "Gold?"
"Gold dust is toxic; it can be used to treat convulsions, loss of spirit, and to calm the heart and pacify the soul. It can be added in small amounts to pills and powders for treating issues like cough with qi rising, spit blood caused by injury and cold, lung disease, extreme fatigue causing thirst, and more."
After a pause, Lu Tong continued, "But the prescription Lord Pei gave me, if laced with gold dust, would be endlessly troublesome."
He remained silent, seemingly deep in thought.
Lu Tong continued, "These prescriptions require expensive medicinal ingredients. The families that use them must be wealthy. If you were to serve the medicine in a gold bowl..."
Pei Yunmeng’s expression shifted subtly.
If served in a gold bowl, there would be no need to add gold dust, the tonic itself would become a strong poison. Over the years, it would not be detected. Because the prescription and the medicinal ingredients are harmless, and the gold bowl is also harmless. However, when combined, their effect is dangerously potent and hard to describe.
It was both secretive and ingenious.
Lu Tong’s gaze fell, her heart also restless.
After Pei Yunmeng provided her with the prescription, she had carefully studied it these days. Yet, after many readings, she did not notice anything wrong. She did not believe Pei Yunmeng would give her an ordinary prescription without reason. She pondered for a long time without an answer, until today, when she spoke with Lin Danqing about the incompatibility of medicinal properties and suddenly understood the key to the issue.
If gold dust were mixed into the medicine, it would be too obvious and could be easily detected at a glance. But if one were to serve it in a gold bowl, although the effect would not be as immediate as with gold dust, over the years, it would take one’s life.
She did not know whose hands these prescriptions from Pei Yunmeng came from, nor for whom they were prepared, but those affluent enough to afford such expensive ingredients would typically use cups and vessels that are rich and luxurious.
As for gold bowls...
Such valuable material is not affordable for ordinary families. Only those with sufficient wealth could own them, and those people are certainly either rich or noble.
Just as she reached this point, Pei Yunmeng’s voice came to her ears, "Doctor Lu indeed has superb medical skills."
Lu Tong looked at him.
He put away the letter as if the matter was of little concern, making it difficult for others to discern his thoughts.
"Thank you."
"No need," Lu Tong said, "Lord Pei told me about the Light-vented case, and I examined the prescription for Lord Pei. This was the agreed transaction condition from the beginning. It’s very fair."
Pei Yunmeng smiled, "That’s very typical of Doctor Lu."
Always clear about personal and professional boundaries, as if afraid of owing favors or being owed, insisting on clarity and transparency, as though once a deal is concluded, relations were to be severed forever.
He glanced out the window, the sun was setting. The golden red glow of the sunset filtered through the branches and reflected onto the window. One could see half of the setting sun’s outline in the distance.
"It’s getting late," Pei Yunmeng withdrew his gaze, got up, and took her medical kit for her, "Let’s go, I’ll walk you out."
Lu Tong nodded.
Upon exiting, the Palace Marshal’s Mansion was nearly empty; it was evening and the guards had all gone to the dining hall for supper. The guards at the Palace Marshal’s Mansion were more aggressive at mealtime than those at the Medical Officer Institute; if one was late, not even the leftovers would be available.
The setting sun cast a layer of smoky red upon the banana trees in the Palace Marshal’s Mansion courtyard, and walking among them one felt enveloped in a fuzzy warmth from the twilight hues. In the distance, late return swallows were circling the trees, adding a touch of gentle tranquility to the dusk.
Lu Tong noticed that the shed made of wood under the flower vine was empty; cotton cloths were strewn about inside, and there was an empty bowl that had contained clear water.
That was...
As if aware of the doubts in her heart, Pei Yunmeng suddenly spoke, "After you came, I asked Duan Xiaoyan to take Zhizi to the Martial Arts Field."
Lu Tong was taken aback.
He said, "Don’t be afraid, Doctor Lu."