Chapter 373: Chapter 141 Back to the Courtyard_4
At the entrance of the Southern Pharmacy, dense branches provided shade; the old courtyard remained as decrepit as it had always been. However, it was spring, and the climate was gradually warming. Amidst the heavy grayness, several tiny flowers unbeknownst to anyone had sporadically bloomed, adding a dab of brightness to the gloom.
She turned around, carrying her medical kit and luggage, and left without looking back.
...
When He Xiu returned to the lodging quarters, it was already nighttime.
Because of the matter with Zhu Mao, she had been taken away for questioning by the Imperial Apothecary, her emotions fluctuating all day long. Knowing that Zhu Mao would no longer appear in the Southern Pharmacy, He Xiu still felt as if it had all been a dream.
The bed next to the quarters was empty, the bedding gone. He Xiu paused, asking the people inside the room, "Has Physician Lu not returned yet?"
Lu Tong had left with Qiu He during the day, and there were some words she hadn’t had the chance to say to Lu Tong.
"Don’t you know?" The medical worker who spoke glanced at her with an odd tone, "Physician Lu has already gone back to the Medical Officer Institute."
Gone back to the Medical Officer Institute?
He Xiu was stunned, then suddenly filled with joy, "Really?"
Even though He Xiu had vaguely anticipated this day might come when Qiu He sought out Lu Tong, she hadn’t expected it to happen so fast. One could enter the Southern Pharmacy but never leave; Lu Tong, with her expertise in pharmacology, should not have been buried there. Now that she had returned to the Medical Officer Institute, it was truly wonderful.
The medical worker who had just responded to her saw her reaction and sneered sarcastically, "Ah Xiu, you really are naive. After all the running around you’ve done for Lu Tong, now she’s just up and left, heading back to the Medical Officer Institute to become a medical officer, and here you are, stuck in this place. You two were so close, why didn’t she take you with her?"
Zhu Mao might have left, but when one medical supervisor left, another would arrive. The new medical supervisor might be better than Zhu Mao, or they might be worse. Those who remained in the Southern Pharmacy couldn’t help but harbor a bit of mean-spirited jealousy towards anyone who managed to leave.
Moreover, Lu Tong was previously not particularly liked in the Southern Pharmacy.
He Xiu defended softly, "The assignments in the palace are not for Physician Lu to decide..."
"But she didn’t even leave you a word when she left." As if to deepen her sorrow, the person taunted, "I told you before that she seemed cold and indifferent. You considered her a friend, but she never really saw you that way. You’re buzzing around enthusiastically for nothing..."
Before He Xiu could say anything else, the person had already climbed into their bed and pulled up the covers, refusing to talk anymore.
He Xiu could only remain silent.
Suddenly being alone, she felt a sense of emptiness. She sat on the edge of her bed, staring blankly at the empty bed next to her.
To say she wasn’t envious would be a lie; besides envy, there was also a faint feeling of loss.
After all, Lu Tong hadn’t been there for long, and her manner towards He Xiu hadn’t been particularly warm, but for some reason, He Xiu always felt a sense of kinship and comfort around her. Perhaps it was due to the young female medical officer’s composure, which made her feel less fearful when facing Hongfang Garden than before. From the first glance at Lu Tong, she had felt that Lu Tong was different from the rest of them, her brilliance in the field of medicine destined to take her to greater heights.
Only...
It would have been nice if she had said goodbye when she left, or at least left a few words...
He Xiu sat listlessly by the bed for an unknowable amount of time before she came to her senses and got into bed. She reached out to pull over her blanket from the foot of the bed, but her fingertips touched something firm and smooth.
With a stirring in her heart, He Xiu sat up and pulled out an envelope from the neatly-stacked bedding.
She hurriedly opened the envelope.
The handwriting on the paper was rushed, as if written in haste.
"Marsh plantain, bulrush, sow thistle, sesame oil, hyacinth bean, gallnut... Boil and take the juice to counteract the poison of Hongfang Garden."
He Xiu was stunned.
This was a medical prescription?
A prescription to counteract the poison of Hongfang Garden!
He Xiu’s eyes widened in shock.
Medical prescriptions were valuable; if the medical officers of the Medical Officer Institute and Imperial Apothecary could get their hands on a new prescription, it could ensure promotion and wealth. Cui Min from the Medical Officer Institute had once risen to the rank of Envoy with the help of a new prescription. Zhu Mao merely hoarding a medical officer’s prescription warranted severe punishment.
Yet Lu Tong’s prescription, which could counteract the poison of Hongfang Garden, if taken to the Imperial Apothecary or Medical Officer Institute, could have earned her not a promotion, but at least the favor and praise of Cui Min.
Such a valuable prescription, and she had chosen to give it to her, hidden in the musty blankets of the lodging quarters of the Southern Pharmacy.
There was another line written on the prescription, a hasty row of black characters that instantly brought tears to He Xiu’s eyes.
"For all the care, this medical cake is a token of gratitude. Take care."
In Hongfang Garden, the crude medicinal cakes made from the dregs were of minuscule help against the poison...
Moreover, Lu Tong was not affected by the poison of Hongfang Garden at all.
Yet for this, she had sent a token of thanks...
He Xiu clenched the letter tightly in her hand as tears fell pitter-patter.
...
The night was deep, and the lights burned brightly inside the Envoy’s House of the Medical Officer Institute.
Cui Min sat behind his desk, gazing out at the sky through the window.
It was a chilly spring night with thick clouds accumulated, the strong winds outside rattling the branches vigorously; a heavy rain was approaching.
Papers on the desk rolled wildly in the gusts. Timidly, someone spoke up, "My lord, tomorrow Lu Tong will return to the Medical Officer Institute."
Cui Min was silent.
Lu Tong was about to return to the Medical Officer Institute.
Qiu He’s visit to the Medical Officer Institute had been the talk of the town, seemingly light-hearted banter on the surface, but in reality, it was a show of support for Lu Tong. He couldn’t let the returning Lu Tong be sidelined, as that would confirm suspicions of his jealousy over his subordinates’ talents. But to put Lu Tong to good use...
He remembered the smile Lu Tong had given him at the entrance of the Medical Officer Institute during the day.
A calm, indifferent, magnanimous smile, one born from the confidence of having a plan in mind. Because of her confidence, she was magnanimous, resembling greatly another person from his memory.
Cui Min suddenly closed his eyes.
Noticing his suddenly darkened expression, the person beside him thought he was troubled by Lu Tong’s impending return, and proactively stepped forward, "My lord, I have a plan."
Cui Min remained motionless, "Speak."
"Since Lu Tong herself boasts of her high medical skills, even admired by the Envoy of the Imperial Apothecary," he bent down to whisper, "then we could have her..."
The voice trailed off slowly.
The fierce wind in the courtyard grew wilder, casting chaotic black shadows of tree branches against the paper window, which flapped with a ’patter’ sound.
After a while, the seated person looked up, the gloom on his face lightening slightly.
He said, "That’s an excellent idea."