Chapter 453: Chapter 165 Ji Xun’s Questioning_3
The hand clutching the medical box tightened slightly, yet Lu Tong’s expression remained calm as she looked up at him.
"Doctor Ji, do you have evidence?"
He was bluffing her.
The fragrant pill had long been burned to ashes by Qi Yutai, and she had dumped them beneath the window sill of the Board of Rites Office. The rain and wind over the days had washed everything clean. After all this time, Ji Xun couldn’t possibly have any evidence. Although she didn’t know how he found out, the little bit of red aromatica fuzz from He Xiu alone was not enough to convict her.
"There’s no such clause in the Liang Dynasty Laws."
"Of course, I do."
Lu Tong’s pupils contracted.
Ji Xun’s voice was very cold.
"Although the prescription you gave to Vice Minister Jin didn’t list red aromatica, I had someone search his medicine dregs."
"In the dregs, there was still the residue of red aromatica."
Lu Tong was momentarily stunned, but after a brief confusion, her whole body suddenly relaxed.
The remains of Jin Xianrong’s medicine...
What Ji Xun spoke of wasn’t Qi Yutai’s fragrant pill but the prescription given to Jin Xianrong!
Jin Xianrong’s impotence wasn’t completely unfounded; otherwise, Cao Huai would not have found it difficult to begin his treatment. She had used a bit of red aromatica as a medicinal guide to help improve Jin Xianrong’s condition.
Facing Ji Xun’s interrogation just now, she thought she had revealed a slip, perhaps out of a guilty conscience, and that’s why she immediately thought about Qi Yutai’s fragrant pill.
After the cold sweat, feeling the heavy burden lifted from her body, Lu Tong’s mind suddenly felt lighter.
This sense of relief was captured by Ji Xun, and his gaze grew even colder.
He questioned, "Red aromatica is toxic. Using red aromatica for Vice Minister Jin’s kidney disease, while it produces fast results and shortens the duration of illness, long-term use will inevitably leave behind sequelae. The Medical Officer Institute’s practice in diagnosing and prescribing always prioritizes the safety of the patient first, yet you only care about the immediate effects, recklessly using poisonous herbs. Even if you never studied at the Imperial Medical Bureau, surely your mentor taught you the ethics and principles of practicing medicine, didn’t he?"
The moonlight was overcast, in the distance crows and sparrows screeched, their cries piercingly sharp in the silent courtyard.
Lu Tong paused for a moment.
The person standing before her, under the tree, in his pristine white robe untouched by dust, stood out brightly against the dim night, clashing with the surroundings.
She bowed slightly, maintaining a respectful posture, and slowly spoke.
"Doctor Ji," she said, "haven’t you made a mistake?"
Ji Xun furrowed his brow.
"The Imperial Apothecary decrees that medical officers and medical workers may not use red aromatica at will, but the leftover fragments and leaves of red aromatica are not counted as medicine, considered waste to be disposed of by medical workers themselves."
"Since it’s waste, it’s useless to the Imperial Apothecary. Whether it’s to be sold or used personally, it’s surely up to the individual. Doctor Ji, born into nobility, may not understand the difficulties of commoners. Waste exchanged for a few silver coins can support a commoner for half a month. When people are poor, it’s understandable to trade for some money."
She looked up: "Lu Tong comes from humble origins and didn’t have the guidance of the distinguished masters of the Imperial Medical Bureau, but I remember the relevant laws of the Liang Dynasty very clearly. Even if Doctor Ji reports to the Imperial Apothecary the matter of He Xiu selling the fragments of red aromatica, it should not be against the law, right?"
"Isn’t it?"
Her tone was very gentle and her voice soft, but her words carried a barely perceptible sharp sarcasm, clearly a calm exterior housing a pair of rebellious eyes.
Ji Xun was somewhat annoyed, as if he was discovering the shrewdness beneath her compliant façade for the first time.
He said with restraint, "What about Vice Minister Jin?"
Lu Tong said, "The prescriptions used in medical practice should not remain the same..."
"Preposterous," Ji Xun interrupted her, "You had other methods that could slowly nourish his constitution, yet you chose to use the most harmful one. Too eager for quick success."
"You were conspicuously high on the red list of the Imperial Medical Bureau’s spring exam, yet you flaunted my name in the Medical Officer Institute, throwing your weight around."
"Morality is of the utmost importance for healers. To follow the path of medicine, one must first be upright. Since your intentions are dishonest, how can you be a healer? You might as well leave early."
Dishonest intentions, how can you be a healer?
Those words were like heavy drumbeats, resounding dully under the night sky. The disappointment and scorn in his eyes were undisguised, falling with the willow branches behind him onto the dust, spreading out a layer of unease.
Apart from the branches lit by the wind lantern, Lu Tong watched him.
From his youth to his years as a young man, his appearance seemed not to have changed much. He still stood aloof and noble as a crane. Yet, the words "Seventeenth Miss, you must treat your wounds promptly in the future. As a healer, you should understand this principle," felt as distant as a past life.
Lu Tong’s gaze settled on the jade Jue tied to his belt.
That piece of jade was translucent and warm, the beautiful stone flawless.
He had changed it for a new jade Jue.
She was momentarily lost in thought.
The sharp retorts that had filled her just now suddenly stuck in her throat, unable to utter a single word.
The place was desolate, silent all around, with rustling footsteps and figures slowly approaching from behind the courtyard’s medicine storeroom, likely the medical officer finishing the inventory.
As the footsteps drew closer, and once they walked through the corridor, they would discover this standoff.
In the cold darkness of the night, suddenly, a voice laced with a smile cut across.
"Why stand around foolishly?"
With that voice, the dimness at their feet was abruptly illuminated.
Lu Tong looked up.
Pei Yunmeng walked in from outside the gate.
He was carrying a Pear Blossom Palace Lantern, its flame clear, instantly dispelling the chill in the courtyard, casting a warm and bright glow all around.
The young man glanced at Ji Xun standing under the tree, paused in silence for a moment, then gave a faint smile.
"What’s the matter, have I come at a bad time, interrupting a lesson?"
The two beneath the tree remained silent.
He looked at Ji Xun, amusement still in his dark eyes, but Lu Tong felt she could see a hint of impatience within that mirth.
"If you want to give a lesson, it might be better to choose another day."
He smiled, taking hold of Lu Tong’s arm: "Let me borrow her for a moment."