Chapter 459: Chapter 167 Qi Huaying_3
Pei Yunmeng flipped through another page of official documents without lifting his head, "You are the Vice Envoy, so you hold a high position, which makes bringing you into the matter seem more important."
Xiao Zhufeng didn’t want to entertain his companion’s insincere flattery. He sat down at the desk opposite and asked, "Has she reviewed the medical prescriptions?"
"She has, and it’s the same as before."
Xiao Zhufeng fell silent for a moment, then said, "It seems that His Highness is already aware."
Pei Yunmeng’s lips curled into a smirk, "It’s a matter of knowing without saying, more evidence just clarifies the heart."
Xiao Zhufeng didn’t continue the conversation.
The room was quiet, with only the soft rustling of flipping pages. After a while, Xiao Zhufeng spoke up again, "Lu Tong is aware of the medical prescriptions, is that a problem?"
The young man’s hand, poised to write, paused.
He lifted his gaze, "I only let her look at the prescriptions, I didn’t reveal anything else."
"But she’s very intelligent," Xiao Zhufeng reminded, "By putting two and two together, she might figure it out."
"You’re overthinking it, she’s preoccupied with seeking revenge, she doesn’t have the leisure for that."
Xiao Zhufeng asked, "What about you, then? Will you keep helping her? You haven’t really fallen for her, have you?"
The room fell silent once more.
After a short pause, Pei Yunmeng let out a derisive laugh, "Do I look like Duan Xiaoyan to you?"
"If you were Duan Xiaoyan, it wouldn’t matter whom you liked."
Xiao Zhufeng kept his expression stern, maintaining a businesslike tone, "His Highness is ready to take action, we cannot afford any mishaps at this crucial time. By the way," he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Did you reject the Qi Family’s invitation again?"
Pei Yunmeng responded indifferently with a "Hmm."
Xiao Zhufeng gave a look that said "I thought as much."
"Qi Qing wants you as his son-in-law to bring honor to their family, yet you constantly refuse, showing no appreciation for their regard. He really values you," he said sarcastically, though his face remained serious.
Pei Yunmeng pulled at the corner of his mouth, "He doesn’t value me, it’s the Pei Family that he values."
"It’s all the same."
The night was unusually quiet, and he turned his head to look out the window.
The summer nights in Shengjing were cool, the moonlight silver, and the faint fragrance of night blooming flowers carried into the courtyard on the breeze.
He watched for a while, then withdrew his gaze.
"Xiao Er."
"Hmm."
"The hunting event in the suburbs of the capital is coming up soon."
Xiao Zhufeng’s eyes flickered with thought, and after a moment, he murmured, "Time flies."
"Yes, it does."
The young man gazed at the flames dancing within the brass lamp on the desk, their warmth reflecting in his dark eyes, which only made his gaze seem more detached.
"Time flies."
...
The hunting event in the suburb of the capital was also considered a grand event among the nobility of Shengjing.
Grand Preceptor Qi Qing disliked noise and clamor, preferring tranquility. At his advanced age, he did not participate in such occasions. His son, Qi Yutai, as a young man, however, would join the event.
While other officials’ sons were busy practicing their riding and archery, hoping to showcase their skills at the hunting ground, the Grand Preceptor’s legitimate son, Qi Yutai, seemed exceedingly idle.
He was not skilled in racing, and his archery was mediocre at best. Qi Qing also forbade him from engaging in such martial activities, so each year’s hunting event was merely a formality, where he would carry his gear and arbitrarily roam the outskirts. When asked, he would claim to be influenced by his father’s Buddhist beliefs, averse to taking lives.
The Ministry of Revenue had approved his leave, and he spent his days in the mansion, seemingly restless from being confined for so long. The more restless he became, the more idle he felt, and in his idle days, he happened to find a real issue to delve into—discovering the woman who had made his sister shed tears.
A few days ago, as Qi Huaying passed by the entrance of the Medical Officer Institute, she saw a woman behaving intimately with the Commandant of the Palace Front Office, Pei Yunmeng. Pei Yunmeng was a person valued by the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion, and such a gesture was like a slap in the face, wasn’t it?
Additionally, Qi Huaying’s personal maid said she glimpsed the person intimate with Pei Yunmeng wearing the gown of a female medical officer from the Medical Officer Institute. Qi Yutai immediately sent someone to inquire.
The response came quickly; within a day, it was clear that the only medical officer out on a night visit that day was Lu Tong, a doctor from the Hanlin Medical Institute.
The moment Qi Yutai learned this information, he hurried to tell Qi Huaying.
Qi Huaying lounged on a soft couch, flipping through a book of poems indifferently. Upon seeing Qi Yutai enter, she glanced lethargically at him and then lowered her head, continuing to gaze vacantly at the page of poetry in her hands.
Ever since she returned home that day by carriage, Qi Huaying had been listless and joyless, lackluster in everything she did.
"Sister, I’ve found out!" Qi Yutai burst into the room, moved quickly to her side, and said as he sat down, "The woman who was out with Pei Yunmeng that day is the new Imperial Medical Officer from the Hanlin Medical Institute—her name is Lu Tong."
Qi Huaying paused, "Lu Tong?"
She had never heard the name before.
"She’s a commoner Medical Officer, used to have a clinic on the street. I’ve seen her before at the Board of Rites Office when she went to treat Jin Xianrong," Qi Yutai added somewhat excitedly.