Chapter 385: Chapter 144: The Truth about the Needle_4
He looked towards the person in front of the desk.
Lu Tong sat in the great hall of the Palace Marshal’s Mansion, before a long wooden table that was broad and heavy, just like the chairs. Sitting there, she seemed delicately out of place, yet her expression was as calm and composed as ever.
It rather made a group of Imperial Guards look foolish and oafish by comparison.
Pei Yunmeng held his forehead and sighed.
"Come in, Doctor Lu," he said, "I have something to tell you."
...
Lu Tong followed Pei Yunmeng into the inner room.
There was no one inside.
Apparently, this room was where Pei Yunmeng dealt with official documents, furnished very simply—a large Purple Sandalwood Polished Heart Long Desk stood under the window, with a pair of huali wooden chairs padded with brocaded cushions on each side.
On the desk, there was an Inkstone, an Official Kiln Brush Rest with a few Purple Brushes, a dark Pixiu Paperweight, and a White Glazed Plum Vase grouped together, the plum vase empty and lonely in the corner without even a single flower stem.
Lu Tong placed her medicine chest on the desk and, noticing the white paper on the long table, walked over and sat down in the chair, reaching for the paper and brush.
Seeing her sit in his place, Pei Yunmeng paused for a moment.
Lu Tong did not notice his expression but merely bowed her head to start writing.
"I’ve checked the pulse, it’s just the heat of spring causing blood deficiency. I’ll prescribe a few nourishing decoctions, just take a warm bowl every morning and evening. I’ll come by in a few days to change the prescription—there’s no need for Lord Pei to worry."
Having finished speaking, Lu Tong looked up when she did not hear a response, only to find Pei Yunmeng standing nearby, arms crossed, studying her.
"What’s the matter?"
"Nothing," he replied with an indifferent smile, pulling out the chair opposite and sitting down, a speculative look in his eyes as he began, "You seem to be in good spirits today, arriving earlier than the appointed time. Jin Xianrong didn’t give you a hard time, did he?"
So that’s what this was about.
Lu Tong put away her brush, lifted the freshly written prescription to let it dry, and said, "I’m afraid I’ve disappointed you, Lord Pei."
The ink on the white paper was still fresh, the writing hasty and wild, barely decipherable from some talismanic scribble. Pei Yunmeng glanced at it and chuckled, "Jin Xianrong is a lecher without morals. Even if he feels unwell, it’s unlikely he’ll change his character."
His gaze fixed on Lu Tong with curiosity, he asked, "How did you persuade him?"
Lu Tong set the dried prescription aside and looked up at Pei Yunmeng.
He sat across from her, which was unusual as she often saw him walking about outside. Seated here, he exuded a more serious bearing, and the scarlet of his Official Uniform seemed subdued, now possessing a solemnity.
She figured this was where he typically dealt with official documents.
After a moment of silence, Lu Tong spoke, "Because I promised to keep a secret for him."
"A secret?" Pei Yunmeng naturally picked up a teapot from the desk, poured a cup for Lu Tong and pushed it towards her, then poured one for himself, inquiring, "What secret?"
He asked as if confident she would share it with him.
Lu Tong remained silent.
The young man took up the tea cup, gently blowing away the floating leaves on the surface, always carrying an air of ease and composure in any situation, even when injured and seeking help— a constant picture of effortless confidence.
It was really quite annoying to behold.
Seeing Lu Tong not responding, he glanced at her and smiled, "Inconvenient to say?"
After some thought, Lu Tong replied, "Nothing inconvenient about it."
Her fingertips lightly touched the Ni lion Paperweight on the desk. The paperweight was exquisite, polished to a warm, deep black, shining with a profound luster like a little ball of solidified dark clouds.
"An inch and a half," she said.
Pei Yunmeng, who was sipping his tea, looked up and chuckled, "What ’an inch and a half’?"
Lu Tong withdrew her hand.
She looked up at him, her tone distant and matter-of-fact as though she were discussing the weather.
"I told him that if he did as I said, I would keep the secret of his ’assets’ measuring a total of an inch and a half."
"Pfft—"
Pei Yunmeng choked on his tea.