Chapter 576: Chapter 201: Meeting the Grand Preceptor_4
The Buddha beads were warm and smooth, and Qi Qing quietly observed them, yet the image of the woman’s calm demeanor when facing him earlier floated before his eyes.
Whether she was being overly clever or not, the composure and serenity she possessed were something that even Cui Min, who had already become an Envoy back in the day, was unable to achieve.
Lu Tong was right, she was more useful than Cui Min.
It was a pity she was born a commoner, if only she were a daughter of the Qi Family...
But her last name was Lu.
Last name Lu...
The hand turning the Buddha beads paused abruptly as Qi Qing’s eyes snapped open, asking, "What was the name of the good wife who died earlier at Fengle Building?"
"Named Lu Rou."
"Lu Rou, Lu Tong..."
Qi Qing’s expression changed slightly.
"Do you suspect she is from the Lu Family of Changwu County?" asked the steward, puzzled, "But the good wife’s family are the Lu Family people, whereas Lu Tong is from Su Nan."
Qi Qing frowned.
Lu Tong was indeed from Su Nan.
He had also doubted the origins of this woman, but after the test in the pharmacy earlier, she had dispelled his doubts, indeed appearing to be from Su Nan.
Moreover, initially, the people he had sent to Changwu County reported back that there were no other relatives in the Lu Family, only the distant relatives, Liu Kun’s family, who had either died or gone mad, and had long since left Shengjing.
Yet, being too perfect was in itself a form of eeriness. Compared to evidence, he trusted more in the intuition honed over his many years of life. That intuition had helped him avoid disasters over the years, allowing the Qi Family to still stand unthreatened in this precarious world.
"Send someone to Su Nan again."
"Ask at the Su Nan Medical Practice if there’s a Female Doctor named Lu Tong," he said.
...
Dusk encroached from all sides.
Inside the Cui residence, Cui Min sat on the ground in front of a bookshelf.
Medical books and theories of medicine were strewn all over the place, amidst the chaos. There was Cui Min, sitting on the floor, absorbed in frantically flipping through the mountain of medical texts in front of him, his eyes bloodshot.
Ever since he had returned home during the day, he had locked himself in the study, eating neither food nor drinking water, madly turning over medical books.
His wife and son had come several times to persuade him, but he turned a deaf ear to them, continuing his relentless effort. Others said he had gone mad, but only Cui Min himself knew —
There was no time left.
He was running out of time.
The Grand Preceptor’s Mansion required him to make Qi Yutai regain consciousness before the festival, which was already very urgent, but Lu Tong was even more terrifying as she could replace him at any moment.
For a genius to replace a mediocrity was always easy. Everything he had worked so hard for over many years was nothing in her eyes, a fact Cui Min couldn’t accept.
He searched frantically, mumbling, "I can do it, I can also create prescriptions..."
He was an Envoy, and he had been one for so many years. He had read through all the medical cases and records at the Medical Officer Institute, and he had earned his place at the spring examination with his real talent. It was impossible that he couldn’t compare to a young female doctor with a commoner background.
He could definitely cure Qi Yutai, if only he had a little more time...
Suddenly, a muffled commotion and screams came from outside the door. Then, with a "bang," the door to the study was kicked open without mercy.
Cui Min abruptly turned his head.
The heavy wooden door crashed down under Cui Min’s horrified gaze.
A group of red-clad government officers swarmed in, the leader looking down at the disheveled and exhausted man on the ground, his tone as cold as ice.
"Hanlin Medical Officer, Envoy Cui Min, someone has accused you of stealing subordinates’ prescriptions for your own use, of slander and libel against your colleagues—"
"No—"
Before the officer could finish, Cui Min leaped to his feet, interrupting him.
It was as if the thing he had long feared had finally happened. The lack of sleep and rest had driven him to the brink of collapse, and as his last thread of sanity snapped, he jumped up, pushed the officer in front of him aside, and tried to run out.
The next moment, a sharp pain shot through his back as he was kicked to the ground, unable to get up again.
The severe pain caused his previous frenzy to dissipate in an instant, and he suddenly regained much clarity.
The officers surged into the room, rapidly searching through the study. One by one, the medical books were knocked to the floor, and the vases he had meticulously collected were smashed to pieces.
A boot stepped on his face, pressing Cui Min’s face against the ground. In a daze, he watched as the room turned to chaos, and as he watched, he realized the days were blurring together. It was as if he had returned to that day more than ten years ago, the day Miao Liangfang got into trouble. People from Consort Yan Palace burst into the Medical Officer Institute, pushing down Miao Liangfang, who was organizing medical records in the archives. In the rush and panic, it was unclear who stepped on Miao Liangfang’s leg, causing him to scream in pain, which seemed to please the officers as they deliberately ground their heels on his calf, listening to his agonizing cries.
At that time, Miao Liangfang was also held down in this way, his face pressed against the ground. As if sensing his gaze, he struggled to turn his head towards Cui Min, who was standing by the door, his eyes filled with disbelief.
The young Cui Min looked on coldly as his former close friend was trampled on the ground, eyes blood-red, as helpless as fish on a cutting board.
Just like him at this moment.