Chapter 621: Chapter 215: Heartbroken
After several spells of autumn rain, once September arrived, Shengjing was through with the Cold Dew.
The maple leaves at Wan’en Temple turned a vast expanse of red, and at Danfeng Pavilion, visitors were constant. From there, one could behold the great swaths of crimson maples, like blood.
Chrysanthemums bloomed overnight at Grand Preceptor’s Mansion.
Servants picked fresh chrysanthemums to brew wine and tea, and to make chrysanthemum cakes, their fragrance wafting through the air.
When Lu Tong walked into Qi Yutai’s room, Qi Yutai had just smashed a pot of chrysanthemum tea.
The golden petals, boiled in hot water, lost their beauty as they fell to the ground, crushed and dirty like trodden filth, sticking to the carpet.
Lu Tong lifted her foot, stepping over the mess on the floor.
Qi Yutai was furious, but upon seeing her, his expression instantly turned to one of wild joy, and he hurried over in just a few steps, "You’re here! Where is it?"
Lu Tong turned around to set down her medical box, bending down to pull out the velvet cloth containing Golden Needles, and spoke calmly, "Young Master Qi, if you can’t keep your composure, beware of Minister Qi noticing something amiss. By then, there really won’t be any leeway left."
After speaking, she glanced fleetingly at the maid and guard sitting at the doorway.
Qi Yutai was at a loss for words.
Ever since he recovered from his illness, those pairs of eyes in his room had never stopped watching, in spite of Qi Yutai’s repeated protests, to no avail.
He was well aware that his father did not trust Lu Tong, hence the surveillance.
But those gazes monitored not only Lu Tong but also himself.
It was exasperating.
Qi Yutai endured for a moment, waiting until Lu Tong followed him into the inner room to perform acupuncture, before he asked in a low voice, "Where is it?"
Lu Tong, "It’s not here."
"Not here?" Qi Yutai’s face changed dramatically, and he grabbed her by the collar in a rage, "How can it be not here?"
It had been five whole days since Lu Tong brought him any more of the medicine powder.
Qi Yutai was nearly driven mad.
Though the medicine powder wasn’t as potent as Cold Food Powder, and at first, he found it rather mild, only after five days without taking it did the sensation of worms gnawing inside become increasingly intense. That’s when he realized the medicine powder was still just that – capable of addiction even if it seemed mild at first glance.
He was addicted once again.
"Don’t think I won’t dare kill you," Qi Yutai gritted his teeth, "You think you can use this stuff to keep me on the hook? We’ll see if you live that long!"
Lu Tong was indifferent to his threats, merely stating, "Young Master Qi, tomorrow is the grand ceremony of the ritual. Minister Qi places great importance on this event. Not the slightest error can be afforded."
"Before I enter the mansion each day, I must be searched by your mansion’s maids. If it were to be discovered, it would be of no benefit to either of us."
Qi Yutai’s face turned dark and brooding.
What Lu Tong said was true.
It wasn’t just that he was searched; in recent days, aside from Lu Tong, other medical officers summoned from outside by his father also made daily visits to check his pulse, fearing an incident during the mid-ritual ceremony.
After all, during the entire ceremony period, while all the officials were present and different from Rouge Lane, any incident would unleash rumors that could never be quelled.
Even though Qi Yutai repeatedly explained to his father that he was not ill, his father didn’t believe him.
For Minister Qi, the reputation of Grand Preceptor’s Mansion was paramount—
"Don’t try to fool me with these excuses!" Unable to vent his internal fury, he unleashed his anger on the person in front of him.
Qi Yutai extended his hand and pushed Lu Tong. She stumbled backward and her spine hit the wall behind her, causing her to frown at the discomfort.
This discomfort seemed to please Qi Yutai.
He sneered, "Aren’t you clever? Fooling them during the searches should be no trouble for you. You just don’t want to!"
The room lapsed into silence for a moment.
After a while, Lu Tong said, "The vigilance during searches in the mansion is strict, and with people keeping close watch at the door, I dare not take the risk."
Qi Yutai huffed coldly, about to threaten her, when he heard the woman change tack, "However, I do have a method."
"What method?"
"Seeing as your ailment has not yet subsided, Minister Qi, out of his deep love for his son, only permits you to recuperate within the mansion, forbidding you to leave. But during the Tianzhang Platform ceremony, Young Master, you might find an opportunity."
Qi Yutai was bewildered, "You want me to take it during the ceremony?"
"Ceremonial rites are a major imperial affair. If discovered, it’s a grave crime. Are you trying to get me executed? Your heart deserves punishment!"
He looked at Lu Tong, his eyes filled with suspicion in an instant.
"Not at all."
"Then what are you suggesting with your words?"
Lu Tong explained, "The imperial ceremony has many parts. Before the rites, there are games and performances at the Water Palace during the day. Following the rites, after the Nuo ritual is complete, it is said that His Majesty will ascend to the viewing platform to watch the fireworks with the officials. It’s before the grand Nuo ritual that an opportune moment might arise."
The grand Nuo ritual was originally a spring festival of good fortune, and by the year’s end, members of the Imperial Clan Troupe would wear masks and embroidered colored clothes, carrying Gold spears and dragon flags. After Emperor Liang Ming ascended the throne, the Nuo ritual had been canceled, but this year, due to locust plagues in Su Nan, to dispel pestilence and avoid epidemics, the ritual was rescheduled alongside the Tianzhang Platform ceremony. The event was not as grand as in the past.