Chapter 291: Chapter 119: Colt_2
"Though that may be, seeing him again would still be somewhat embarrassing," Miao Liangfang admitted, feeling guilty and looking down, picking at the hole in the leg of his trousers. "Back in the day, I was full of arrogance in front of his servants, thinking highly of myself. Now that he has made something of himself and I am in such a sorry state, even if he doesn’t seek revenge, I would still be too ashamed to meet anyone. He might be cursing me behind my back right now."
Lu Tong: "You’re overthinking it, sir."
"However," Miao Liangfang paused as he picked at the hole, looking at Lu Tong with uncertainty, "I noticed today that he spoke to you in a way that was very familiar. Are you two quite close?"
Although everyone on West Street knew of the incident where Lu Tong had saved Princess Wenjun and her daughter, Pei Yunmeng, as Pei Yunshu’s brother, naturally paid a visit to express his gratitude. But that should have been it. For something like delivering the final medicine to the young miss of the Pei Family, the Pei Family servants could have come to fetch it themselves. There was no need for him to make the trip personally.
Furthermore...
The tone in which Lu Tong spoke to Pei Yunmeng didn’t seem to take into account their respective statuses, it could even be described as impolite, reminiscent of his old pride and integrity.
"We’ve just met a few times," responded Lu Tong. "We’re not that familiar."
...
"You met Miao Liangfang?"
In the Palace Front Office, Xiao Zhufeng asked in surprise.
Pei Yunmeng put down the silver knife, "Surprised?"
"Surprised," Xiao Zhufeng said. "Miao Liangfang disappeared from the Medical Officer Institute ten years ago, and there were rumors that he had died. I didn’t expect that he had been hiding out on West Street in Shengjing all this time."
"What should surprise you is that he is willing to guide Lu Tong for the Imperial Medical Bureau’s spring exam," Pei Yunmeng said, sitting by the window.
"That too," Xiao Zhufeng nodded. "Not everyone can prompt Miao Liangfang to take up his old profession again, this Doctor Lu is no ordinary person."
Pei Yunmeng smiled faintly but said nothing.
"It seems that this Doctor Lu is your nemesis; everything he does and everyone he takes under his wing seem to interfere with your plans," Xiao Zhufeng said, still maintaining a stoic expression, but a hint of schadenfreude flickered in his eyes.
Pei Yunmeng’s smile faded, and his face showed a touch of impatience.
On the table was a plate of winter jujubes, fresh and tempting. Xiao Zhufeng picked one up and held it in his hand, "Since that is the case, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you."
"Speak."
"The Grand Preceptor’s Mansion has been acting strangely lately."
Pei Yunmeng looked up.
Ever since the tribute case, Fan Zhenglian had committed suicide in prison out of fear of his crimes, but before that, rumors had spread of his collusion with the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion. Although these rumors were quickly suppressed and didn’t spark a controversy in the court, Pei Yunmeng still kept an eye on the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion.
The Ke Family, Fan Family, the tribute case, the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion... Lu Tong had coincidentally appeared in connection with each event.
He had an inkling that everything Lu Tong did was aimed at the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion, but he didn’t know who was backing Lu Tong or what their intentions were. Qingfeng had secretly investigated Lu Tong’s background; she appeared in Shengjing from somewhere else, running a clinic and practicing medicine daily, without any apparent collusion with others, just like any other clear-background, ordinary commoner doctor.
No slipups could be caught.
Therefore, he had people watch the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion; cause and effect often go hand in hand. If he couldn’t find a starting point with Lu Tong, he might as well look for clues from the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion.
Pei Yunmeng asked, "What’s unusual?"
Xiao Zhufeng thought for a moment: "The Grand Preceptor’s Mansion has been inquiring about a commoner woman recently."
"Who?"
"The late wife of Ke Chengxing, Lu Rou."
Upon hearing this, Pei Yunmeng’s gaze sharpened, "Ke Chengxing’s wife?"
Regarding the Ke Family, after the events at Wan’en Temple, he had ordered an investigation. The Ke Family’s downfall was sudden, mainly due to Ke Chengxing’s death; there was no one left to uphold the family.
Later, on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Lu Tong saved Pei Yunshu and her daughter. To fulfill a promise to her, Pei Yunmeng agreed to cease investigating Ke Chengxing’s death, and the matter was put to rest.
The tribute case, the downfall of the Fan Family, rumors about the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion – afterwards, all these matters, the Ke Family was just a minor merchant family, and Ke Chengxing’s prematurely deceased wife was even less significant, like a speck of dust accidentally falling upon a complex tapestry – easily brushed aside and leaving no trace behind.
Ke Chengxing’s wife had been dead for a long time, yet it was only today that everyone noticed that the prematurely deceased woman’s real name was Lu Rou.
"Lu?"
Xiao Zhufeng said coldly, "The Grand Preceptor’s Mansion has been secretly investigating Lu Rou, so I went to the Department of Imperial City first, and they had information quicker than us. Do you still remember the Liu brothers involved in the tribute case?"
"I remember."
The Liu brothers, despite their low status, were on the list of exam fraud suspects and had connections with Fan Zhenglian, which was no simple feat.
"The father of these Liu brothers, Liu Kun, a few years ago, acted as an informant in a case. The suspect he accused in that case was the brother of Lu Rou, Lu Qian."