Chapter 84: Chapter 59 Zhao Feiyan_3
Zhao’s maiden name was Fei Yan, yet she looked drastically different from that peerlessly beautiful woman who could dance in the palm of one’s hand. Her figure was plump and full, which, coupled with her delicate beauty, suited her just right, embodying the beauty of a rounded pearl.
It was a pity that Zhao herself did not appreciate her own beauty; instead, she favored the delicate beauty of those slender as willows in the breeze.
Particularly these past few days, Fan Zhenglian had casually mentioned several times a daughter of one of his subordinates.
Zhao had seen this girl, whose appearance could not compare to her own, yet her waist was indeed slender.
Zhao stared at Lady Dong’s snow-blue silk damask, and after looking for a while, she suddenly said to Lady Dong, "But, why do I feel that you’ve become thinner recently?"
Lady Dong was taken aback.
"You really have lost weight, your chin has become much sharper." Zhao sized Lady Dong up and down, "Could it be that you have been overworking recently?"
Though her words were of concern, there was no sign of worry in the woman’s eyes, rather a trace of inquiry, which made Lady Dong understand.
Zhao Feiyan cherished her appearance dearly and especially paid attention to her figure being plump, so even an inch wider at the waist would seem like a grave threat to her. Now on the surface, she was concerned about her health, but, in reality, she most likely wanted to probe how she had managed to slim down.
Lady Dong originally intended to brush off the question, but as the words reached her lips, she suddenly remembered something, paused, and then put on a smile, leaned closer to Zhao, and spoke with a hint of secrecy: "I won’t hide it from you, sister, I have indeed slimmed down these days, not from being tired, but from a herbal tea."
"Herbal tea?"
"Indeed, it’s a herbal tea called ’Xianxian,’ available at the West Street Benevolent Heart Medical Hall. This herbal tea is not easy to buy. If I hadn’t had an old acquaintance with the resident doctor there, I would have found it difficult to even get one or two jars," Lady Dong replied with a smile.
"Xianxian?" Zhao repeated the name several times, a look of interest in her eyes, but with disbelief in her voice, "Are you teasing me, sister? Is there really such a miracle-working herbal tea in the world?"
Lady Dong sighed, "Who would tease you? That herbal tea is the real deal. I only used half a jar and it was quite effective. It’s said that it even turned a butcher into Pan An. That pork-selling Pan An is now cutting bones at the East City Temple Entrance, and there is a long queue every day to see him. If you don’t believe me, sister, you can send someone to check to see if it’s true or not."
"However, this herbal tea is rare, I only got one jar myself, so even if you wanted some, I’m afraid you might have to wait a bit longer."
Not mentioning it might have been fine, but once brought up, Zhao grew even more eager. She had already been intrigued by Lady Dong’s words and had always valued such things highly. Upon hearing this, she couldn’t wait and immediately sent a maidservant to the East City Temple Entrance to investigate.
After the maidservant had left, Lady Dong chatted with Zhao for a while longer. Seeing that Zhao was distracted, Lady Dong then got up to take her leave.
Once she had left the Fan Mansion and was in her carriage, a maid beside her asked, "Madam, why did you tell Lady Fan about the Benevolent Heart Medical Hall? Even if it was to help Doctor Lu, if the young master’s issue becomes known...
If the news of Dong Lin’s lung disease became known to the ladies, it could hamper his future marriage prospects.
"I am well aware of that," Lady Dong’s smile cooled, "but it was rare to see her take a liking to it, so I just offered it as a favor."
"That Lu Tong personally assured me that he wouldn’t speak of Lin’er’s matter to others. Should there be a leak... I can make sure she doesn’t get away with it."
"Besides," Lady Dong’s gaze shifted subtly, "I’m not all about helping her."
Three days ago, Lu Tong had delivered a jar of weight loss tea to Lady Dong, hoping that Lady Dong would promote it among the circle of noble ladies in the Capital City. At that time, Lady Dong had casually agreed, but in reality, she had not taken it to heart. After all, admitting that she was using weight loss tea wasn’t something to boast about.
But her thoughts changed after Missus Wang returned.
Missus Wang, who had escorted Lu Tong back to the clinic, reported to her that she had personally seen Pei Yunmeng waiting for Lu Tong at the entrance of Renxin Medical Hall. The two of them were behaving intimately, talking and laughing.
This made Lady Dong unable to help but overthink.
That time at Wan’en Temple, Pei Yunmeng had stepped in to help Lu Tong out of a difficult situation. Lady Dong had doubted their relationship even though Lu Tong had personally admitted to having a deep connection with Lord Zhao Ning’s Princely Heir. Still, Lady Dong had always harbored some skepticism.
After all, one was a distinguished noble of notable birth and youthful prominence, the other a publicly known, low-class civilian female doctor. In terms of both status and position, the gap was simply too vast.
But what Missus Wang had seen with her own eyes couldn’t be fake.
Lu Tong and Pei Yunmeng had a private affair.
Helping Lu Tong was helping Pei Yunmeng, and this Commander of the Imperial Guards was now deeply favored by the Emperor. His father, Lord Zhao Ning, held a high position in the court. It was a pity that this father and son duo, although seemingly approachable, were actually very proud and difficult to get close to.
With this connection to Lu Tong, Lady Dong was not worried about winning over Pei Yunmeng.
The maid nodded, pretending to understand, then carefully broached the topic, watching Lady Dong’s expression, "Lord Fan currently only holds the post of an Examiner Official, which isn’t even as high as the master’s official rank. Why bother giving him so much thought and even making a trip yourself..."
"Quiet."
The maid dared not speak any further.
Lady Dong coldly glanced at her, "What do you know."
Indeed, looking at Fan Zhenglian now, his official rank seemed no greater than that of the Minister of Imperial Treasury. But her own master had personally hinted to her that Fan Zhenglian might have connections with the current Grand Preceptor’s Mansion. Everyone knew that Grand Preceptor Qi wielded great power over the court and political arena. Lord Dong was worried about not having any means to curry favor with the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion. With this connection, things would be much easier in the future.
So, Lady Dong had been sending cosmetics and silk fabrics to Zhao Feiyan every now and then, knowing Zhao Feiyan’s love for beauty and catering to her tastes. However, Zhao Feiyan’s discerning eye was hard to please, often leaving Lady Dong fuming in private.
Now that Zhao Feiyan was obsessed with maintaining a slender figure, the weight loss tea from Lu Tong’s medical hall was like sending charcoal in snowy weather; if it truly worked, it would probably be more effective than anything else.
And by winning Zhao Feiyan’s favor, with a whisper in bed, the relationship between Lord Dong and Fan Zhenglian could become even closer.
Lady Dong smiled slightly.
She had no intention of being like Zhao Feiyan, who always dressed up like a seductive spirit to tie her husband’s heart to her. Helping a man with his career could be more useful than beauty.
The woman let down the carriage curtain, leaned back, and closed her eyes, saying, "Let’s go."