Chapter 451: Chapter 165 Ji Xun’s Interrogation
The next day dawned clear after rain.
Early in the morning, Chang Jin came to check the lodgings, only to be met with a heavy stench of alcohol in Lu Tong’s room. Eventually, under Lin Danqing’s bed, he discovered two empty wine jars and several greasy paper-wrapped chicken bones.
The Chief Physician was furious and penalized both of them, docking their salary and also assigning them to sweep the courtyard in front of the lodgings for a month.
Lin Danqing, often scolded and punished, didn’t utter a word of protest and readily accepted her fate with an air of open honesty.
Yet, Lu Tong was nowhere found in the room, having left early in the morning for parts unknown.
Though the Chief Physician scolded them, he still harbored paternal concern and, having done so, instructed the kitchen to prepare radish and mung bean soup as a hangover cure. Seeing Lin Danqing with dark circles under her eyes and a weary expression, handing him an empty bowl, he took it from her, scooping a generous portion of soup into it and pressing a spoonful of pickled radish on top, he furrowed his brow and asked, "Where is Doctor Lu?"
At the mention of Lu Tong, Lin Danqing couldn’t help but feel awkward, her mind dodging the embarrassment that stirred within as she settled at a low table, absentmindedly saying while holding the soup bowl, "The Chief Physician must have forgotten again, today is the day to administer treatment to Vice Minister Jin."
Chang Jin’s spoon-wielding hand paused.
The ailment of Jin Xianrong from the Ministry of Revenue had been lingering for so long without full recovery, and it’s fortunate that Lu Tong had such a good temperament. Had it been another Medical Officer, complaints would have surfaced by now.
Indeed, life as a commoner Medical Officer is not easy.
Chang Jin sighed at this thought, covering the pot and glancing disapprovingly at Lin Danqing, "You’re really irresponsible, attending to patients after a night of heavy drinking, not fearing that your inebriation might lead to a medical mishap. If you buy alcohol back to the Medical Officer Institute again, I’ll tell your father!"
Lin Danqing almost buried her face in the radish soup, stifling a laugh at the notion.
Hangover?
Last night, while she vomited and cried, Lu Tong seemed perfectly fine, leaving early in the morning with her medical box, even helping Lin Danqing tally the accounts for the previous day’s purchases before she left, placing the neat ledger on the table.
She was even more lucid than the current Chang Jin.
If Lin Danqing hadn’t consumed a whole jar herself, she would have suspected that the errand-runner had bought her counterfeit liquor.
Doctor Lu, though looking delicate and fragile as a paper doll, had the drinking capacity of a valiant hero, downing a whole jar as if it were water, without her face turning even slightly red!
Lin Danqing bit the end of her chopsticks ferociously.
It was bad enough to fail the spring examinations, but to lose at drinking too!
...
Lin Danqing was inwardly shocked by the alcohol tolerance she had inadvertently displayed, a fact of which Lu Tong was completely unaware.
To her, that amount of liquor was insignificant, or rather, most things she consumed had very limited effect on her.
Early in the morning, Lu Tong had gone to the Board of Rites Office.
Jin Xianrong was lying back leisurely sipping tea when he saw her arrive. Hurriedly getting up to greet her, he flattered, "Knowing that Doctor Lu was coming to treat me today, I arrived early at the Board of Rites Office, fearing I might delay your work... tsk tsk tsk, having not seen you for a few days, Doctor Lu appears even more beautiful, the Hanlin Medical Institute is truly blessed to have such a jewel as you..."
His health was improving day by day, and thus his respect for Lu Tong grew stronger by the day. To him, Lu Tong was his second parent, his savior, and treating the savior demanded utmost devotion.
Offending her was not an option.
Lu Tong simply nodded at him, responding indifferently.
When she reached Jin Xianrong’s table, she noticed an incense burner wafting thin streams of smoke, filling the room with a faint sweet fragrance. Lu Tong stopped in her tracks and asked, "After changing the incense, Lord Jin, have you noticed any improvement in your health recently?"
"Yes, much better!" Jin Xianrong perked up as soon as the topic arose, smiling proudly, appearing rather spirited, "Ever since I started using this ’Spring Grass by the Pond Dream’ you prescribed, my condition improves day by day. Doctor Lu, you previously mentioned that I might engage in conjugal activities occasionally, so I tried it once, and tsk tsk..."
He didn’t finish his sentence, but it was obvious that his performance was much better than the previous "surrender at the first sign of the enemy".
"...This stuff is good, and it’s not expensive. To be honest with you, Doctor Lu, that Young Master Qi from the Royal Family who’s accustomed to the finer things even asked me for a few the other day!"
Lu Tong’s expression shifted slightly as she glanced at Qi Yutai’s room, noting the wide-open door and the absence of anyone inside, she inquired with profundity, "Is Young Master Qi not here today?"
Jin Xianrong waved his hand dismissively, "The suburban royal hunt is coming up soon; there’s nothing much happening at the Ministry of Revenue, so I let him return early to prepare his hunting gear and riding attire."
The Liang Dynasty’s royal family had a long-standing tradition of autumn hunting, but since the untimely demise of the former Crown Prince due to autumn floods, the current Emperor had changed the hunt to summertime, dubbing it "The Summer Hunt."
On the day of the hunt, it is a grand spectacle to see princes and noblemen set out for the chase.