Chapter 616: Chapter 213: Birthday_2
The wooden hairpin was simple rather than luxurious, but when worn by Lu Tong, it added a touch of elegance. However, it seemed to have disappeared for some days now, as Lu Tong couldn’t find it in her makeup box.
Lu Tong said, "It’s gone, I’ve lost it already."
"Ah?" Yin Zheng expressed regret, "That’s a pity, it was quite pretty."
Lu Tong seemed not to have heard her, she lowered her head and climbed into the carriage waiting at the door, "I’m leaving."
...
When Lu Tong arrived at the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion, Qi Yutai was just talking to the people sent by Qi Qing about the Tianzhang Platform ceremony.
All the officials and guards were present for the palace ceremony, and the rumors of Qi Yutai’s epilepsy had been fiercely circulating recently. He needed to appear in public at this ceremony to crush the rumors.
The Grand Preceptor’s Mansion regarded this matter with utmost importance.
The steward was explaining to Qi Yutai about the ceremonial attire and procedures for the day of the ceremony when Qi Yutai, impatient, knocked the documents out of his hands, "It’s not my first time going, what is there to prepare for."
The steward was about to say a few more words when he lifted his eyes, saw Lu Tong entering the door with the servant girl, and stepped back to greet her, "Doctor Lu."
Lu Tong nodded, placed the medical kit on the table, and gestured for Qi Yutai to sit down for pulse diagnosis.
After the diagnosis, the old steward asked, "Doctor Lu, how has the Young Master been lately?"
"The pulse is stable, showing no sign of discomfort."
Only then did the old steward feel relieved.
"Alright, that’s enough, you can leave now," Qi Yutai said irritably, "I’ll read the document."
The old steward took another glance at Lu Tong and left with soft words.
As soon as the steward left, Qi Yutai eagerly reached out to Lu Tong.
Lu Tong paused, "Let’s go ahead with the acupuncture first, Young Master Qi."
The Golden Needle pierced into the flesh, causing a tingly pain, but the itchy sensation deep within was completely relieved. Qi Yutai covered his nose with his sleeve, his nostrils flaring beneath the wide sleeve, as he guzzled down a pot of hot tea, emitting a comfortable sigh.
Exhilarating.
It was truly exhilarating.
Receiving the acupuncture daily was the moment he looked forward to the most.
The medicinal powder Lu Tong made as a substitute for Cold Food Powder immensely satisfied his addiction, preventing him from going mad within the mansion. He was obsessed with it, unable to extricate himself, and it had become the sole consolation within the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion.
Moreover, this powder was not as potent as Cold Food Powder and didn’t cause one to behave impulsively or indecently after consumption. Thus, even after half a month, no one had noticed anything amiss, including the other Medical Officers invited by the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion.
This was its only fault.
The potency was weak, meaning it was not satisfying enough; it was like scratching an itch through a boot or stopping abruptly just when things got crucial, leaving one craving for more.
Qi Yutai licked the oiled paper wrapped around the medicinal powder, cleaning off the last bits, and complained dissatisfiedly, "Lu Tong, can’t you add a bit more powder for me? Every time it’s just this little bit, do you think you’re dealing with a beggar?"
Lu Tong put away the Golden Needle, "Young Master Qi, taking too much of this powder is poisonous. The dosage given is the most beneficial for your body right now."
Qi Yutai sneered, "Are you doing this on purpose?"
Lu Tong came to administer acupuncture daily, but she didn’t bring the medicinal powder with her every time.
Sometimes she felt that the guards and maids in the room were watching too closely, or if she detected a change in his pulse, then there would be no medicinal powder that day.
She was very cautious, and that was why it had gone undetected for so long.
But Qi Yutai felt like he was being tantalized, his insides constantly itching with need.
"It won’t be long before the ceremony," Lu Tong said, "The Grand Preceptor has said that nothing untoward can happen before the ceremony."
"So you’re using this to hold over me?"
Qi Yutai gave her an up-and-down look, a flippant smile curling his lips.
"Rest assured, as long as your medicinal powder is well made, I can guarantee to make you my Servant Concubine after the ceremony," he said.
"All you need to do is please me."
Lu Tong appeared not to have heard his demeaning tone, calmly packed up the medical kit, and said, "I shall take my leave first."
Qi Yutai, unamused, curled his lip, watching her delicate figure disappear into the rain with an umbrella.
She was very aloof.
Yet that inexplicably made others yearn to conquer her.
Previously, Qi Yutai only wanted to kill her—to capture the tiger, to avenge his sister. But now, he had a better idea.
He wanted to break her pride, to see her normally indifferent gaze submit under him. The highly skilled female Medical Officer from the Medical Officer Institute would eventually whimper for mercy in his own backyard—a thrill far surpassing that of taming a ferocious dog like a captured tiger.
He touched his chest, the lingering effects of the medicinal powder stirring his heart.
Who could blame her for being a Commoner?
Fortunately, she was a Commoner.
...
After leaving the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion, Lu Tong turned the corner and entered the alley at the end of the long street of the Mansion. Usually, if there was nothing else, the carriage hired by Du Changqing would be waiting for her here.
The rain poured down incessantly, with the carriage waiting silently under the eaves.
Lu Tong, holding her umbrella, approached, and upon clearly seeing the person on the horse in front of her, she paused involuntarily.