Chapter 275: Chapter 114: Descendant of the Lu Family_2
"You also have such an ambitious friend?"
Du Changqing angrily said, "Is there or not?"
Luo Dazui wiped the duck grease from his hands and pointed into the bookstore, "They’re all in there."
Du Changqing approached the bookshelf that Luo Dazui had pointed to.
The bookshelf was not large, and compared to the volumes on strategy, its collection was surprisingly sparse, so much so that it couldn’t even fill a single row.
Du Changqing picked up a medical book that looked very old, as if it hadn’t been read in quite a while, and had a thin layer of dust accumulated on it.
He blew the dust from the cover and asked, "Why only these few?"
Luo Dazui shrugged his shoulders, "A lot of medical books are collected in the Imperial Medical Bureau’s library, and not many are in circulation. These are quite complete."
During the Liang Dynasty, aside from the students at the Imperial Medical Bureau who had specialized teachers to instruct them in medical theories, most civilian doctors solely relied on passing down expertise through generations of teaching by elder physicians, which is why most of the exceptional healers among commoners were elderly with graying hair.
Experience always required time to accumulate.
Ordinary doctors, not having the carefully taught medical theories of the Imperial Medical Bureau’s teachers, depended entirely on guidance from their own mentors and personal exploration. A good medical book was very valuable and rare on the market.
The medical theories on the shelves of Yazhai Bookstore were in fact only some basic ones and were not considered very exquisite.
Du Changqing looked at the books with a frown for a while, and ultimately sighed in resignation, taking all of the few remaining medical books on the shelf and slapping them on the counter, "How much silver?"
Luo Dazui glanced over them, "Two taels."
"Two taels?" Du Changqing jumped three feet high in indignation, "Why don’t you just go rob someone!"
"If you think it’s expensive, don’t buy it," Luo Dazui picked up the books and was leisurely returning them to the shelf one by one, "When is a scholar’s item ever cheap?"
Seeing this, Du Changqing snatched the medical books back while digging out pieces of silver from his bosom and throwing them on the counter, cursing, "Who said I’m not buying? To sell these few shabby books for two taels, your heart is too dark. No, you have to throw in something extra for Young Master!"
Luo Dazui looked at him with contempt.
Du Changqing kept pestering, half begging, half demanding.
Eventually, unable to bear Du Changqing disrupting business in the bookstore any longer, Luo Dazui rose to his feet, went inside the house, and from a pile of miscellaneous books in the corner, he rummaged around and found a stack of unkempt scrolls.
Du Changqing looked suspicious, "What’s this?"
"Didn’t you ask for something extra?" Luo Dazui shoved the scrolls into Du Changqing’s chest together with the medical books he bought before, while pushing him to the door, "This is the ’Imperial Medical Bureau of Shengjing’s Spring Examination Past Test Questions with Detailed Explanations.’ With this, you will surely top the list in this year’s spring examination!"
"Really?" Du Changqing was incredulous, "Who wrote it? Are you trying to fool Young Master?"
Outside, the snow lay thick. Luo Dazui stood at the bookstore entrance, giving him a wink and a sly smile, "Yes, of course."
Then, with a "bang," the door was closed.
Du Changqing: "...Unlucky!"
...
The snow in Shengjing had piled up to half a foot deep on West Street, enough to obstruct the traffic of passing carriages. In the compounds of the wealthy households, it simply added a decorative touch to their beauty.
In the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion, plum branches in the rock garden were covered with deep snow, and the weight of the accumulating snow caused them to drop steadily into the pond below, where koi in the pond stirred, their length tails trailing light through the ripples.
An elder stood in the pavilion, gazing into the distance.
After the snowfall in Shengjing, everything looked hazy. Towards the east lay the direction of the Imperial City. The vermilion walls appeared as a bright spot against the dull gray clouds, only to be quickly enveloped by an even deeper layer of silvery white.
The elder lowered his gaze and coughed softly twice.
Last night, an assassin had breached the palace gates, attempting to assassinate the Crown Prince, but the assassin managed to escape from right under the Imperial Guards’ noses. Today the city was under martial law, the Emperor was furious, and the royal court was in chaos. But Grand Preceptor Qi had taken sick leave several days before due to a cold, conveniently missing out on this turmoil.
The steward came forward from behind and, draping a cloak over Grand Preceptor Qi, said, "Your Excellency, there’s news from the palace that the Crown Prince was frightened last night, and has not left his bed. His Majesty has urgently summoned the Palace Front Office and all of the Imperial Guards into the palace."
"His Majesty has always been decisive in his actions, hence he naturally harbors fear and guilt now," the elder withdrew his gaze and sighed, "Troublesome times indeed."
The steward said, "According to your orders, Your Excellency, I’ve arranged for the young master and young mistress not to leave the mansion in the coming days."
Grand Preceptor Qi nodded, "With the city being so unstable, caution is the best approach."
Perhaps mentioning Qi Yutai reminded the steward of something, he hesitated, then looking up at the man before him, spoke in a low voice, "There is another matter, Your Excellency. Regarding the good wife from the Ke Family that you had people inquire about, we now have some leads."
At these words, Qi Qing’s previously unshakable figure moved slightly.
"How so?" he asked after a long pause.
The steward bent even lower and answered softly, "The good wife of the Ke Family is named Lu Rou, and she is not a native of Shengjing. She lives in Changwu County. The people who inquired reported back saying that both of Lu Rou’s parents have passed away. Her younger brother, Lu Qian, was imprisoned for theft and bringing shame upon his parents last year when he came to the capital. He was sentenced to the most severe punishment.
"Apart from that, there has been no other known contact with relatives of the Lu Family in recent years."
"Oh? They have all died?"
"Yes, but Your Excellency, there is something else I found out..."
Qi Qing’s expression tensed.
"Eight years ago, an epidemic hit Changwu County, and almost everyone who was good-hearted there did not survive. Yet, by some stroke of good fortune, all four members of the Lu Family managed to stay alive and well."
The steward continued, "This matter is strange; the Lu Family was poor, and there were hardly any survivors in Changwu County, yet no one from the Lu Family suffered a loss. However, back then, the epidemic in Changwu County was fierce, and the living were almost wiped out. Since all those who knew about the Lu Family’s past are no longer alive, according to new neighbors in the county, there seems to be nothing suspicious."
Since all those who knew about the Lu Family’s past were dead, no useful information could be unearthed.
A long silence ensued.
After pondering for a moment, Qi Qing asked, "The Lu Family has no other relatives?"
The steward shook his head, then looked towards Grand Preceptor Qi, "Do you suspect..."
"The Lu Family has been wiped out. If someone wanted to use the Lu Family as a pawn, they would have to find living relatives of the Lu Family. Moreover..."
Qi Qing spoke lightly, "In the past, filial children sought vengeance for their fathers. If a descendant of the Lu Family is still alive, they would certainly not rest until they had their revenge."
He turned around, his silver hair blending with the snow behind him.
"Perhaps, there is a fish that slipped through the net," he said.