Cai Zhaoji's cheeks flushed. Although she retained some of the inherent shyness of a young woman, she was too curious about this question.
After a slight hesitation...
The last five words still slipped out.
"Who is more comfortable?"
Ah... comfortable?
Comfortable in the literal sense?
Upon hearing this, Lu Yu almost choked on his breath, feeling as if he had been gagged.
"Cough cough..."
He sneezed repeatedly.
Suddenly, in front of Sister Zhaoji, Lu Yu felt like a child. He scratched his head and immediately retorted, "Sister Zhaoji, when did you become bad!"
In reality, she hadn't become bad, but rather… lewd.
Having asked this, Cai Zhaoji became even more forthright.
"No matter how bad I am, can I be worse than you, my little brother? If you don't put in more effort and catch up, I'm afraid you'll forget about your sister once you take concubines!"
As she spoke, Cai Zhaoji's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.
After all, Lu Yu had been away for several months without sending a single letter, and upon his return, he had added two "little mistresses" to the Ministry of Agriculture. How could she not feel a bit miffed?
However, upon seeing her younger brother, all her anger dissipated, and apart from teasing him, there was no trace of resentment left.
Seeing Lu Yu remain silent...
Cai Zhaoji once again brought her fair face close to Lu Yu.
"Brother Yu, you still haven't answered me. Who is more comfortable?"
This time, Cai Zhaoji grasped Lu Yu's wrist, fearing he might not answer and would try to escape...
Lu Yu's throat tightened. "Actually, it's alright... it's alright! They're all about the same."
"Cough cough... Sister, can we talk about something else?"
As the words left his mouth, Cai Zhaoji shook her head. "This matter isn't settled yet, how can we just skip over it?"
With that, she looked up at Lu Yu and then asked, "Brother Yu? Where are they now? Have they entered the Ministry of Agriculture?"
Lu Yu replied truthfully, "They haven't offered tea to you yet, Sister, so naturally they won't be sent to the Ministry of Agriculture. On the way back to Xudu City, I sent people ahead to purchase a residence in Xudu City, and they are temporarily staying there!"
"Oh..." Cai Zhaoji nodded thoughtfully. "Brother Yu seems quite attentive. Is this what they call keeping a mistress in a golden house?"
Heh...
Lu Yu suddenly didn't know how to respond.
As the eldest sister in the Ministry of Agriculture, she was practically the mistress of the household.
If she didn't allow Da and Xiao Qiao to enter, it would indeed be a troublesome matter!
Lu Yu suddenly became nervous.
Unexpectedly, Cai Zhaoji smiled and immediately tugged his wrist. "Brother Yu, this isn't like you. What are you being so shy about? You're about to reach adulthood. Your sister has long wanted to select a few concubines for you. When you come of age, you can formally marry a wife from a prominent family to be the mistress of the Ministry of Agriculture!"
"Rumor has it that Lujiang has two Qiaos, and Hebei has Zhen Mi. It is said that these two Qiaos are national beauties. It's a sign of your great skill and good fortune to take them as concubines. Your sister is happy for you!"
As she spoke, Cai Zhaoji noticed that Lu Yu's topknot was a little messy. She stepped forward and, without any hesitation, moved closer to Lu Yu, reaching out her delicate hand to tidy his topknot again.
While such an action might appear excessive to outsiders, to this brother and sister, it was the most natural thing in the world.
While tidying, Cai Zhaoji said,
"Brother Yu, you make the arrangements. Choose an auspicious day, and your sister will await their tea ceremony at the residence. They are both good girls, and the Ministry of Agriculture is not lacking a house or two. Let them move in, it will be easier to dress and care for you."
After finishing her words, her topknot was neatly arranged, and Cai Zhaoji took a small step back. Seeing Lu Yu somewhat dazed, she reminded him, "What? Did you not understand what I said?"
Uh...
Lu Yu swallowed and finally came back to his senses, nodding with a smile.
"Understood. Tomorrow is an auspicious day. I will trouble Sister to return to the Ministry of Agriculture to accept their tea ceremony. I will guard this Imperial College for Sister for now."
"Tomorrow?" Cai Zhaoji hesitated slightly, but still nodded gently. "Since Brother Yu said tomorrow, then tomorrow it is... It's good, I'll also meet the two younger sisters and have a good chat tomorrow..."
As she spoke, Cai Zhaoji cast a sideways glance at Lu Yu and finally admonished him, "Looking at you, you seem impatient! Although Da and Xiao Qiao are good, remember to take care of your health and don't drink too much!"
Heh...
Hehehe...
Hearing Sister Zhaoji's words, "take care of your health and don't drink too much!", Lu Yu's heart felt complicated.
It seemed that in the hearts of every woman, his image was not that of a mighty, powerful man with a six-pack...
They all liked to tell him, "take care of your health!"
Lu Yu felt that his body was fine!
It was just not obviously so!
Of course, Sister Zhaoji was right. He did need to train his body well. With the increasing population in the Ministry of Agriculture, Lu Yu's physique seemed particularly important.
This wasn't a matter of a day or two, but a lifelong endeavor. After all, health is the foundation of everything!
...
...
The time spent talking with Sister Zhaoji was always brief.
As the Head of the Imperial College, Cai Zhaoji was extremely busy. After chatting with Lu Yu for a short while, she hurried off to teach. They agreed to chat more later that evening at the Ministry of Agriculture.
Lu Yu, having inquired about Zhang Zhongjing's whereabouts, intended to find this "junior brother"!
It could be said...
After "lighting up" Xiapi City again, he could find a reliable disciple from his junior brother.
Speaking of which, Zhang Zhongjing was also a lecturer at the Imperial College, primarily responsible for teaching pharmacology.
The Hundred Crafts curriculum included not only forging and refining.
It also included silkworm cultivation, mulberry leaf picking, and mulberry tree cultivation techniques;
In addition, there was cotton spinning, hemp weaving, papermaking, etc. However, the most important of these was the basic knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine and pharmacology, including the identification of herbs, medicinal properties, differential diagnosis, observation, auscultation, palpation, and pulse diagnosis!
After discussing with Zhang Zhongjing, Cai Zhaoji established a rule: all Imperial College graduates must be able to identify over a hundred types of medicinal herbs.
Even the pharmacology course at the Imperial College was personally taught by Zhang Zhongjing.
Speaking of which, the current number of students at Xudu Imperial College was less than a hundred, but there were over a hundred instructors, meaning almost every student had a dedicated instructor to guide them!
Being able to achieve this was largely due to Lu Yu's concurrent role as the Grand Minister of Agriculture.
By allocating countless funds and supplies from the empire's treasury to the Imperial College, Xudu Imperial College had been revitalized.
The sound of a zither lingered, soothing the heart...
The sound of a zither arose from a classroom, and Lu Yu knew that Sister Zhaoji had gone to teach a class to a group of Imperial College students.
Just like when Cai Yong taught, she would first play a piece of music on the Jiaowei Zither.
In fact... this was equivalent to a class bell.
Lu Yu, on the other hand, walked towards another classroom where Zhang Zhongjing was teaching pharmacology to the Imperial College students.
The class was halfway through...
Lu Yu decided to wait outside for a while.
At this moment, Zhang Zhongjing was introducing the various medicinal herbs on the desk one by one.
Lu Yu listened for a while and felt his head spinning.
Indeed... medicine and pharmacology were not as simple as he had imagined.
There was a great deal of knowledge involved... it wasn't enough for Lu Yu to simply write down a volume of "Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases" to be able to heal people and perform miracles!
In this regard...
To study medicine, the first priority was to master various pharmacological knowledge, distinguishing between root types, rhizome types, fruit types, seed types, flower types, leaf types, and so on...
In addition, common wild herbs such as Prunella vulgaris, Astragalus sinicus, Erigeron breviscapus, Desmodium triquetrum, and Tussilago farfara!
Imperial College students must be able to identify their external appearance!
Furthermore, by smelling their aroma and tasting their flavor, they must firmly remember all the characteristics and indications of the medicinal herbs.
For example...
Many common daily vegetables could also be used as medicine to treat diseases.
For instance, garlic, ginger, scallion whites, coriander, radish seeds, water bamboo, lotus root, fennel, star anise, cinnamon... as long as they were used properly, they could effectively treat illnesses and prevent ailments!
Hearing this, Lu Yu's headache intensified...
No wonder people in his previous life always said: "Advise someone to study medicine, and heaven will strike them with lightning!"
It turned out that it was because medical and pharmacological knowledge was so profound and difficult to study...
However, there was no other way. This was the Imperial College!
They were training all-rounders of this era... all-rounders with fully developed six-dimensional attributes!
Just as he thought this, Lu Yu glanced through the window and saw a familiar face in the classroom.
- Yang Xiu!
That's right, he had recovered? He had returned?
Lu Yu was somewhat surprised. He had thought that after beating him severely last time, Yang Xiu would be afraid and wouldn't dare to come. Unexpectedly, he had obediently returned to attend classes normally.
For a moment, Lu Yu was curious about his mental journey.
Of course, Lu Yu had no idea...
Yang Xiu was an intelligent person. Perhaps he hadn't fully grasped the intricacies when Lu Yu beat him that time.
However, after thinking about it afterwards, and with the analysis from his father Yang Biao,
How could he not realize that Lu Yu was reminding the Yang family in a special way, that he was saving the Yang family!
It could be said that the preservation of the Hongnong Yang clan, their not completely breaking ties with Situ Cao, and even the absence of cracks in the relationship between the Han court and the Cao clan, were all thanks to the efforts of Chief Secretary Lu.
Having understood this, even though Yang Biao had long since resigned and moved back to Hongnong, Yang Xiu still insisted on staying and studying at the Imperial College.
...
After about half an hour.
The pharmacology class finally ended. As Zhang Zhongjing walked out of the classroom, he saw Lu Yu waiting outside.
"Master?"
Immediately, he instinctively uttered.
"Junior Brother, don't spout nonsense!" Lu Yu retorted directly. How many times had he told him to call him Senior Brother, Senior Brother...
If he remembered correctly, every time Lu Yu saw Zhang Zhongjing, he had to emphasize this issue a few times.
The main reason was that Lu Yu felt his own face wasn't thick enough. He had intercepted Zhang Zhongjing's "Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases," so how could he still be his master? What kind of shameless person would do such a thing.
It felt much more comfortable to be called Junior Brother!
"Junior Brother, if you continue to call me Master, I will have to expel you from the sect on behalf of my old master!"
Lu Yu's expression was solemn and serious.
Zhang Zhongjing paused slightly and had to change his address. "Greetings, Senior Brother!"
With a single statement...
Zhang Zhongjing frowned. He seemed to have figured something out.
"When did Senior Brother return from Lujiang? Senior Brother's complexion doesn't seem too good. You look a bit weak. That's right, it's symptoms of kidney deficiency!"
"During this period? Senior Brother must have been indulging in excessive indulgence. You must take care of yourself!"
Heh heh...
Hearing Zhang Zhongjing say "take care of yourself," Lu Yu chuckled.
In response, Lu Yu replied, "Just now! I came directly to find you upon my return!"
By saying this... he wanted Zhang Zhongjing to realize his importance. He was the key to unlocking Xiapi City this time!
Indeed, Zhang Zhongjing was overwhelmed with gratitude.
Senior Brother Lu had just returned, and without first paying his respects to Situ Cao or meeting Miss Cai Yan, he came directly to find Zhang Zhongjing. This...
"Senior Brother... you are more familiar with the prescription for kidney deficiency than I am, so there's no need to specifically come to find me, right?"
Heh heh...
Lu Yu was speechless. What the hell was he talking about, a prescription for kidney deficiency! Did he look weak?
"Cough cough..."
Lu Yu coughed lightly. "Junior Brother Zhongjing, it's not about kidney deficiency. Don't speak for now, follow me. I have a task here that requires a young man who is proficient in medicine and pharmacology, and is also well-rounded. You need to help me find someone among your disciples."
The person Lu Yu wanted was to go to Xiapi City, under the guise of medical treatment, to re-establish contact with the father and son duo, Chen Gui and Chen Deng.
Proficiency in medicine was a basic skill and a strict requirement, while being well-rounded was crucial for establishing contact with Chen Gui and Chen Deng on behalf of Situ Cao.
Without either of these, it would be difficult to find such a person.
Along the way, Lu Yu narrated the plan to "light up Xiapi City and connect with Situ Cao" to Zhang Zhongjing.
Upon arriving at Lu Yu's office, the Lingyan Pavilion of the Imperial College, Lu Yu turned around and said solemnly,
"Junior Brother Zhongjing, you must help me select such a person! This concerns the entire situation in Xuzhou, and even the entire Central Plains. This is an opportunity for our medical department to gain recognition!"
Ho...
Hearing Lu Yu say this, Zhang Zhongjing felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders.
However, regarding this candidate?
Zhang Zhongjing's eyes darted around. He recalled each of his disciples. If it came to proficiency in medicine, there were no major issues with these disciples.
But... being well-rounded, that was a bit difficult to find.
After all, Zhang Zhongjing was very cautious when selecting disciples. He didn't want any clever or deceitful individuals, so... among his direct disciples, there were more who were down-to-earth, diligent, and willing to bear hardship. It would likely be difficult to select someone well-rounded!
"Senior Brother, this might be difficult for me. Among the disciples of the medical department, there are still..."
Zhang Zhongjing was about to say that there really wasn't such a person.
But before the words left his mouth, he suddenly thought of someone.
"Senior Brother, I have thought of someone. Although there are no such disciples in the medical department, there is such a person in the Imperial College. He has only studied pharmacology for a few months, but due to his exceptional talent and extraordinary intelligence, his mastery of pharmacology and medicine has reached a quite exquisite level. Coupled with his quick thinking, he would be most suitable for this mission!"
"Who?" Lu Yu asked directly...
"Yang Xiu, Yang Dezu!" Zhang Zhongjing replied without hesitation.
Heh...
Not bad. The name Yang Xiu, when it came out, Lu Yu felt it was quite fitting for this mission.
Zhang Zhongjing said he was proficient in medicine. With his intelligence, and guidance from a renowned teacher, it wasn't impossible to master medicine in a few months!
Moreover, he was very clever. If this cleverness and quick-wittedness were used in the right place, it was possible that he could easily complete this mission.
But...
"Will he agree?" Lu Yu countered...
After all, he had just beaten up Yang Xiu a few months ago, and now he was asking him to undertake a secret mission. What if he messed it up?
Unexpectedly, as soon as these words left his mouth,
Zhang Zhongjing stroked his beard and said with absolute certainty, "He will definitely agree! He definitely will!"
Heh...
So resolute?
"Junior Brother Zhongjing, why do you say that?" Lu Yu continued to press...
"Haha..." Zhang Zhongjing replied with a smile. "Last time, Senior Brother publicly caned Yang Dezu, causing him to recuperate at home for half a month. Yet, he still tearfully begged to return to study at the Imperial College. Not only that, after returning to study here, he did not complain in the slightest. Instead, he even defended Senior Brother's image everywhere, saying that Senior Brother hitting him was for his own good, and even proposed to repay Senior Brother's kindness!"
"In my opinion, repaying kindness is secondary. He wants to ease the relationship with Senior Brother and get closer to him. Now, the opportunity to repay kindness has arrived! Furthermore, during this period, he has curbed his arrogance, and seems to be biding his time, waiting for the right moment to strike."
As Zhang Zhongjing spoke, Lu Yu felt reassured, as steady as a rock!
He immediately instructed a teacher to summon Yang Xiu.
In less than half an hour, Yang Xiu had rushed to the Lingyan Pavilion, panting heavily from the dormitory.
Upon entering, he saw Zhang Zhongjing in his Confucian robe, and beside him, none other than the Chief Secretary Lu, who had saved the Hongnong Yang clan, and whom he was eager to thank... Chief Secretary Lu!
With a "clatter," Yang Xiu immediately knelt. "Greetings, Chief Secretary Lu, greetings, Master Zhang!"
Lu Yu glanced at Zhang Zhongjing, and Zhang Zhongjing glanced at Lu Yu. Their eyes met.
Lu Yu didn't rush to speak. Zhang Zhongjing, however, spoke first. "Dezu, have you remembered the methods for treating cold damage that I taught you recently?"
"Thanks to Master Zhang's guidance, this disciple has remembered it all," Yang Xiu replied respectfully.
He was telling the truth. He was naturally intelligent and could infer things from one case to another when studying medicine.
While other Imperial College students were still pondering over the pharmacology, Yang Xiu had already achieved a comprehensive understanding, and was even studying the medical principles in the "Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases" under Zhang Zhongjing's guidance!
Even so, he appeared humble, exceptionally humble.
Indeed, it was as if he had been completely transformed from his previous arrogant and conceited demeanor, like a completely different person!
Lu Yu mused, he had been taught a lesson!
Very good... very impressive! As expected, children are filial under discipline, and talent emerges under discipline!
With this thought...
Lu Yu smiled and said, "Dezu, a few months ago, I gave you a beating. Do you still hold a grudge?"
"I dare not!" Yang Xiu quickly cupped his hands. "The Chief Secretary's reprimand towards this disciple is care and love. If not for the Chief Secretary, my Hongnong Yang clan..."
Mentioning the Hongnong Yang clan, Yang Xiu immediately stopped speaking. His father, Yang Biao, had specifically instructed him not to mention this matter, as it would harm Chief Secretary Lu, the Hongnong Yang clan, and even the Han court!
Therefore, Yang Xiu changed the subject.
"What I mean is... Chief Secretary Lu is my benefactor!"
He deliberately changed "benefactor of the Hongnong Yang clan" to "Yang Xiu's benefactor," his words showing even greater humility...
Lu Yu observed all these scenes...
Heh, not bad!
This Yang Xiu had instantly transformed from an arrogant young man into an intelligent "model student."
"Dezu, please don't say that. Stand up first. What are you doing kneeling down?"
Seeing Yang Xiu's change, Lu Yu felt immensely gratified. He displayed a smile like that of a proud father. "Dezu, do you know that among all the disciples at the Imperial College, you are the one I value the most!"
Hearing Lu Yu's words, Yang Xiu was instantly moved, tears welling up in his eyes...
However, Yang Xiu would never know.
The next sentence...
The Chief Secretary Lu, whom he greatly admired and who had brought tears to his eyes, was about to send him to the treacherous land of Xiapi City!
If he made the slightest mistake, he could be utterly destroyed!
Of course, if he performed his task well...
Yang Xiu could also claim a small portion of the credit.
The majority of the credit, naturally, would belong to Lu Yu.
This style of operation... was very smooth, very much like Lu Yu!
...
...