Chapter 376: Chapter 142: Marshal Rescues_3
Pei Yunmeng smiled faintly as he spoke, "The Imperial Guards have been training too fiercely lately, and with the added irritability of spring, the guards are all exhausted. I’m here to request that a medical officer accompany me to see to them."
Having said that, he seemed to notice Lu Tong standing off to the side for the first time, his eyebrows raising slightly: "A new medical officer? I think she is quite suitable. Let’s go with her."
His words were so sudden that everyone in the room was taken aback.
Lu Tong was also taken aback.
She looked up at Pei Yunmeng, whose face wore the usual smile as if he had casually chosen a medical officer that caught his eye, with apparently no other intentions, as innocent as can be.
Meanwhile, Cui Min’s face began to look ugly.
Pei Yunmeng’s words were directing Lu Tong to the Imperial Guards, but they also rescued Lu Tong from the embarrassing situation just moments before.
By doing so, not only was Lu Tong spared the hassle with the individual surnamed Jin but she was also spared from the suspicions of the crowd—a perfectly reasonable explanation that left no room for fault.
But it was at this very moment...
Cui Min’s eyes darkened, a memory vaguely coming to mind.
After Lu Tong had topped the spring examination red list, he had someone inquire about her past achievements. Besides developing two new medicines named "Spring Water Birth" and "Xianxian," her most famous feat was probably uncovering the poison "Infant Sorrow" that Princess Consort Wen had been afflicted with, saving her life while causing Consort Yan inside the Palace to be implicated. Someone from the Imperial Apothecary involved in supplying forbidden drugs was also implicated, making everyone in the Medical Officer Institute and Imperial Apothecary uneasy at the time.
Princess Wen Pei Yunshu is Pei Yunmeng’s legitimate older sister.
If Lu Tong and Pei Yunmeng had already formed a private connection at that time, the sudden actions of this Commander might not be just an impulse.
As he was mulling this over, the voice of Pei Yunmeng reached him from beside: "Thinking it over for so long, is the Envoy finding it difficult to decide?"
Cui Min was jolted back to reality.
The young man before him had a smile on his lips, his Official Uniform of the Imperial Guards worn casually, not as stern and rigid as the usual guards but with dimples on his cheeks that made him appear friendly and bright.
Yet his gaze was not friendly.
Those beautiful black eyes shone like the stars but seemed like a still deep pond, chilling to those who met them.
Cui Min’s heart tightened, suddenly feeling a trace of fear.
His encounters with the Commandant of the Palace Front Office had been few and far between. The man was young and promising, always bright and smiling whenever they met as if he was very approachable. However, at such a young age to hold high office, who could be simple minded? Over the years, those who had opposed him either met with accidents or were demoted...
It seemed beneath his warm exterior lay another, more defiant heart.
It gave people an inexplicable intuition, that anyone who defied or disobeyed him was likely to meet a terrible fate.
Cui Min neither wished nor dared to oppose him.
Putting away his reluctance, Cui Min bowed and said, "The Marshal jokes. If the Palace Marshal’s Mansion needs our service, it is our duty to comply." He turned to Lu Tong and instructed, "Doctor Lu, you should go to the Palace Marshal’s Mansion. Lord Jin’s urgent case will still be attended to by Cao Huai."
No matter whether Pei Yunmeng was deliberately rescuing Lu Tong or not, this statement gave Pei Yunmeng face.
Officer Cao Huai in the crowd looked disappointed upon hearing this, while Lin Danqing and Chang Jin heaved a sigh of relief.
Lu Tong stood still.
Pei Yunmeng glanced at her, "Doctor Lu?"
Lu Tong knitted her brows slightly: "Yes."
Cui Min smiled: "Good."
However, in the next moment, Lu Tong lifted her head: "However, Envoy, regarding Lord Jin’s case, I still wish to attend it with Officer Cao."
As these words fell, the room suddenly fell silent.
The gazes fixed on her turned odd in an instant.
She had already extricated herself from those vexing issues and did not need to be entangled with Jin Xianrong, so why was she eagerly running towards it? Was she a fool?
Lin Danqing abruptly made meaningful eye contact with Lu Tong, but Lu Tong seemed not to notice, calmly addressing Cui Min: "I will arrange the timings, attending to the Palace Marshal’s Mansion will not delay attending to Lord Jin, please grant permission, Envoy."
Her words were uttered so sincerely and calmly as if she genuinely wanted this task. Indeed, there were new medical officers in the Hanlin Medical Institute who would clamor for more work to show off their diligence and dedication to their superiors... but one should also be clear about what kind of tasks they were clamoring for.
Any other medical officer wouldn’t be so eager for this duty.
When Pei Yunmeng heard Lu Tong’s words, his eyes landed on her face, his expression becoming quietly scrutinizing.
Without a word, Cui Min’s gaze shifted between the two of them before he slowly began to smile.
He commended, "Doctor Lu has a Benevolent Heart, very good."
"Since Doctor Lu herself seeks it..."
He intentionally stressed the word "herself," his demeanor gentle and approving, "granted."
...