Chapter 199: Chapter 92 Dan Gui_4
"Oh?" Lu Tong showed no gratitude, "But today, I ended up in danger because I saved the Princess Consort. Moreover, as a mere commoner, my life is not as valuable as that of the Princess Consort and her daughter. If you calculate it, you owe me more favors," she said.
When she spoke of the value of lives, her tone was calm, but her eyes could not hide a trace of disgust.
Pei Yunmeng’s eyes twitched with amusement, and he teased with a smile, "Who said that, Doctor Lu? How can you see life as having different levels of value?"
"The fortunate are served by others, while the less fortunate serve. The Princess Consort is served by others, I serve others—that is the distinction between noble and humble," she said.
His smile faded slightly, "Is that so vulgar?"
"Poor people are always vulgar," she replied.
He nodded, leaned forward slightly, his black eyes fixated on Lu Tong, his lips curving into a smile.
"It’s always the villain who masquerades as a good person, so why does Doctor Lu do the opposite?" he asked.
A jolt went through Lu Tong’s heart.
His bright black pupils seemed to see right through her, the dimples at the corners of his lips appearing and disappearing under the moonlight. With the moon’s shimmering light, he was extremely captivating.
Lu Tong lowered her eyelids.
He was indeed handsome, but that was useless. Good-looking medicines could be used to make poisons, and good-looking men... were just that, good-looking.
Pei Yunmeng was also looking at Lu Tong.
The night was deep, the flowers asleep, and the moon enchanting. The woman sat within the gentle glow of the lamp, her beauty surpassing the radiant women of Shengjing, with the delicate charm of a Jiangnan beauty. Her slender and graceful figure appeared so fragile that it seemed a breeze could blow her away.
The half-worn, algae-patterned, embroidered blue dress she wore was stained with blood from the recent delivery, and the cuffs showed signs of wear. Her jet-black hair was loosely braided to the side—probably for convenience in making medicine—and was somewhat disheveled now, with the Blue Jay Velvet Flower from their first encounter at Baoxiang Tower still tucked by her temple. The velvet flower, once stained with blood and not thoroughly cleaned, was obscured by the moonlight, making her solitary figure seem all the more lonely.
Pei Yunmeng’s gaze flickered slightly.
She seemed very frugal. Although he and Duan Xiaoyan had said that Lu Tong’s expenses for clothes and flowers had increased quite a bit, he had to admit that most of the time, she wore old clothes. She never used any jewelry, plain and unadorned, unlike a typical seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl.
However, Renxin Medical Hall had clearly earned a lot in the past six months.
Moonlight filtered through the uneven shadows of trees and fell on the stone table. The night was long, and dawn was still far off.
He took a sip of tea and smiled, "Alright then, Doctor Lu, how much consultation fee do you want?"
Lu Tong didn’t speak.
Pei Yunmeng looked at her leisurely.
After a while, Lu Tong spoke.
She said, "Lord Pei, let’s make a deal instead."
"What kind of deal?"
"I saved the lives of the Princess Consort and her daughter, two lives. I’ll return one for the life-saving favor at Baoxiang Tower, and for the other, let’s pretend the incident at Mount Wangchun never happened, calling it even for the previous misunderstandings," Lu Tong said calmly.
She didn’t want to get entangled with the Palace Front Office too much for the time being. This man was indeed troublesome. Eliminating him would inevitably raise suspicions. However, given his evident concern for Pei Yunshu, at least in this matter, he was indebted to her.
Not expecting Lu Tong’s terms to be this, Pei Yunmeng paused for a moment, then chuckled, peering at her with a subtle look, "Why don’t you mention Master Ke? Doctor Lu, are you trying to bluff your way through?"
A stir went through Lu Tong’s heart; he had indeed guessed it.
She smiled faintly, "Do you have evidence?"
The young man sighed, "No."
He shook his head with a smile, "Deal, I don’t care what personal grudges you have with him. I won’t meddle in this matter again, but next time, I won’t cover for you."
Lu Tong was somewhat surprised; she had thought he would probe further but didn’t expect him to agree so readily—it almost made her feel petty.
She then picked up a piece of mooncake from the dish to eat. The mooncake, with its milk-flavored crispy pine nut filling, was so sweet that it was almost cloying. She ate slowly while Pei Yunmeng watched her from across the table and suddenly asked, "Doctor Lu, who was your master?"
Lu Tong paused.
Pei Yunmeng looked down at the remaining mooncakes on the carved red lacquer begonia flower tea tray and said, "You mentioned that the poison my niece has been afflicted with is currently difficult to resolve—perhaps, if your master would intervene..."
Pei Yunshu had asked her the same question before, and Lu Tong replied, "My master has passed away."
Pei Yunmeng swallowed the rest of his words.
Lu Tong thought for a moment and said, "I will try my best to cure the little miss of the poison, Lord Pei can rest assured for now."
The words sounded like a serious promise, different from her usual nonchalance when she spun her lies.
Pei Yunmeng gave a slight smile.
In fact, it was his overthinking—so many medical officers came and went from the Medical Officer Institute, but only Lu Tong was able to uncover the truth behind Pei Yunshu’s poisoning; at least in Shengjing, her medical skills were not to be underestimated.
Before he realized it, the night advanced, and outside the wall, the music of flutes played unceasingly. In the sorrowful melody of flutes, autumn dew glistened like pearls and the autumn moon shone like a flawless jade. The long shadows of osmanthus trees danced about, illuminating the woman as if she were Chang’e from the Moon Palace, untouched by worldly concerns.
Chang’e, who doesn’t partake of worldly smoke and fire, yet has a particular fondness for sweets.
Pei Yunmeng saw Lu Tong pick up another piece of sweet osmanthus and chestnut flour cake and couldn’t help but laugh. A gust of wind blew by, causing Lu Tong’s hair to flutter, and his gaze fixed on her for a moment, suddenly becoming intense.
On the fair face of the young woman, just below her ear, there was a faint trace of a bloodstain, likely from being grazed by a knife’s edge during the earlier scuffle in the room. It was like a stark crack on pure white porcelain, glaringly visible. It had been hidden by the loose strands of hair beside her ear, but now it was exposed.
He hesitated before saying, "Your injury..."
Lu Tong casually touched it and said, "It’s nothing, I’ll just apply some medicine when I get back."
As soon as she said this, Pei Yunmeng remembered the first time he saw her under Baoxiang Tower when she was being held hostage with a bleeding neck wound. He had uncharacteristically shown kindness by giving her a scar removal medicine, which she left at the Rouge Shop without giving it a second glance.
Very cold.
With that in mind, his gaze fell on the Blue Jay Velvet Flower next to Lu Tong’s temple.
The three silver needles hidden behind that Blue Jay Velvet Flower were sharp and deadly, more so than ordinary hidden weapons. He remembered seeing the bodyguard’s corpse in Pei Yunshu’s room in the afternoon with vases broken all around. When Fangzi later spoke about the incident, her tone was incredulous, evidently shaken by the decisive and ruthless actions of the seemingly frail female doctor.
Pei Yunmeng thought casually, in fact, even if he hadn’t arrived in time, Lu Tong would not have necessarily been at a disadvantage. Her velvet flower needles were indeed sharp, and she was never one to just sit and wait for doom.
The sound of the zither had stopped at some point, and the courtyard was bathed in moonlight mingled with the fragrance of osmanthus. As Lu Tong looked up, she met Pei Yunmeng’s thoughtful gaze. His pupils shimmered under the lamp light, and the crimson official robes he wore seemed less stern and more debonair on him, adding an exceptional charm to his handsomeness.
The vast sky was like still water. On such a beautiful, serene night, with the scent of cold osmanthus, the subtle flavor of tea, the melody of zither, and the glow of candles, the pair seated in the moonlit courtyard seemed like long-time acquaintances. He, dressed in black, exuded an unrivalled elegance, while the young female doctor’s beauty was delicate as a willow flower, rendering the scene as if they were a pair of old friends.
Lu Tong said, "The poison in the Princess Consort has been accumulating over a long period of time, and it is well-concealed; the one who poisoned her must be hiding in the mansion. Does Lord Pei really intend to let that go?"
His eyes shifted slightly, and then he raised his eyebrows with a smile, "Doctor Lu, do you have any advice for me?"
Lu Tong picked up a porcelain pot from the table and poured herself a cup of sweetened dew, then raised it towards Pei Yunmeng at eye level.
She spoke softly, "Marshal, let me give you a gift."