Chapter 290: Chapter 119 The Colt_1
"Why are you afraid of Pei Yunmeng?"
The disheveled medical scrolls on the table were tidied up and set aside. Miao Liangfang leaned his walking stick against the wall and sat down, supporting himself on the edge of the table.
Lu Tong waited for him to speak.
After a long while, Miao Liangfang touched his nose and began hesitantly, "Actually, this matter, well, it’s an old account from many years ago."
"Twenty years ago, I took part in the Imperial Medical Bureau’s spring examination and became the only commoner medical worker who passed that year. I was just twenty-two years old at the time, see, about the same age as your young master."
"I ranked third in the entire spring examination, outperforming all of the students in the Imperial Medical Bureau. Afterward, I entered the Hanlin Medical Institute. It wasn’t long before I got promoted to medical officer. The officer in charge thought highly of me. I was often consulted about the noble’s pulse diagnosis and dietotherapy."
"Young people, you see, they can’t withstand being flattered. Just when I was enjoying the limelight, I inevitably became a bit arrogant. I was straightforward in my younger days and sometimes offended people. But relying on my favor with the nobility, I managed to get by without getting into trouble. Over time, I even forgot my own surname."
Miao Liangfang talked about the past, initially uncomfortable, but as he continued, he became moved by his former experiences, and his expression turned to one of wistfulness.
Lu Tong listened quietly.
"That kid from the Pei Family, the first time I saw him, he was only eight or nine years old, accompanying his father into the palace. His father was Lord Zhao Ning, and he was the Princely Heir of Zhao Ning Manor. He was good-looking and smart, delightful from a young age."
Miao Liangfang remembered the first time he saw Pei Yunmeng. In a quick glance in front of the Palace Front Office, the child was still young but already stood out, dressed in purple sandalwood with a pattern of vermilion birds, lips red, teeth white, and a pair of eyes sparkling like stars. One could already glimpse his future grace.
Such children of nobility are born with their paths seemingly paved smooth and wide, and without effort, they live in luxury and ascend high ranks, unlike how we struggled for food in the mud as children, unable even to afford a pair of shoes.
Miao Liangfang felt a subtle envy.
"Originally, there was no interaction between him and me. But then one night, someone from the Zhao Ning Manor came with a note, requesting a medical officer from the Hanlin Medical Institute to make an urgent house call, claiming there was a medical emergency. That night I was on duty, so I casually asked about it. It turned out that the beloved foal of the Pei Family’s Little Crown Prince had ingested poison and was on the brink of death."
Lu Tong looked up, "You weren’t able to save it?"
"If only I hadn’t saved it, that’d be fine," Miao Liangfang laughed dryly, "but at that time, I didn’t even make the house call."
Lu Tong was slightly taken aback.
"Back then, I was young and full of pride, and also busy compiling medical books. Irritated and distracted, when I heard it was about treating a horse, I felt that the Pei Family was insulting me by virtue of their noble status. I told the Pei Family’s envoy that I was a medical officer, not a veterinarian; I treated people, not animals. So, I sent another new medical officer to the Pei Family instead."
Lu Tong was surprised, "Mr. Miao, you had such moments?"
Such arrogant words were hard to reconcile with the Miao Liangfang of today who humbly fled in the face of Pei Yunmeng.
Miao Liangfang covered his face and wailed, "...I must have been out of my mind back then! Either that or possessed by someone else. I really was a calf not afraid of tigers, as if I didn’t have enough enemies already!"
"What happened afterward?"
"Later... I heard that the horse couldn’t be saved, it died."
Lu Tong nodded, "So, he’s taking revenge on you for this?"
"Not at all!" Miao Liangfang hurriedly shook his hands, "I heard he was downhearted for a while after that incident, but the Medical Officer Institute was so busy at that time, and the palace ladies frequently summoned me for pulse diagnosis. I gradually put the incident out of my mind."
Miao Liangfang sighed, "Later on, there was some trouble at the Medical Officer Institute, and I was driven out. I never saw him again after that."
"If that’s the case, then why are you afraid of him?"
Miao Liangfang helplessly said, "It’s been over ten years. I heard the Zhao Ning Manor faced some troubles later, and Lord Zhao Ning’s wife passed away. But now Pei Yunmeng has become the commander of the Palace Front Office and is in the emperor’s good graces. Once, when I was wandering around, I saw him in the street and heard many rumors about him. He’s very protective of his own, appears amiable and modest, but in fact, he’s ruthless in action, a smiling tiger."
"Just look at those venomous eyes of his. Even in my current state, with a swollen body, thinning hair, and a lame leg, he could recognize me at a glance. It shows that he keeps me in mind, cursing me day and night."
Lu Tong was speechless.
From her understanding of Pei Yunmeng, she felt Pei Yunmeng wouldn’t bother with such trivial matters.
"After all, that was more than ten years ago. Besides, even if you had made the house call that day, you might not have been able to save his horse. Perhaps Pei Yunmeng has long forgotten that old matter," she said.