Chapter 575: Chapter 201 Meeting with the Grand Preceptor_3
Continuing to hold steadfast would show a lack of appreciation.
Lu Tong looked at him, fell silent for a moment, and then spoke.
"The Resident Doctor at Benevolent Heart Medical Hall is named Miao Liangfang, who was once the Vice Director of the Hanlin Medical Institute."
"Eleven years ago, Cui Min framed Vice Director Miao, drove Miao Liangfang out of the Medical Officer Institute, and claimed his ’Miao’s Prescriptions’ for himself, renaming it ’Cui’s Pharmacology.’
She said, "For over a decade, Miao Liangfang has been dispirited, drowning his sorrows in alcohol, bearing groundless accusations, living in a daze until he came to Benevolent Heart Medical Hall."
"With Grand Preceptor’s reputation for integrity and distinguished virtues, we hope to use the Grand Preceptor’s name to restore Vice Director Miao’s honor, reveal the truth of the past to the public, and let the villain Cui Min reap the consequences of his own doing."
As the words fell, Qi Qing’s brows shifted slightly.
He asked, "Are you negotiating terms with me?"
He allowed her to state her terms—offering her wealth was already a considerable courtesy.
Yet she insisted on using the downfall of Cui Min as her bargaining chip.
Truly reckless and fearless.
Lu Tong bowed slightly, "This officer dare not, but Cui Min is a vengeful man. If this officer returns, perhaps one day I will be subjected to Cui Min’s schemes and suffer a fate like Miao Liangfang’s. As long as Cui Min remains unscathed, I dare not return to the Medical Officer Institute. Unless Cui Min leaves, I would rather remain a Resident Doctor on West Street, never to return to the Medical Officer Institute."
Never to return to the Medical Officer Institute.
Such naïve words momentarily cause the old man’s kindly face to turn cold.
This was a threat.
If he did not deal with Cui Min, she would refuse to treat Qi Yutai.
"Do you know what you are saying?"
Lu Tong raised her head, her voice steady and respectful.
"If a tool is useful, it is valued regardless of status. To you, sir, Cui Min and I are no different. Instead of using a mediocre doctor who only knows how to steal others’ prescriptions without genuine skill or learning, wouldn’t it be better to use someone more competent?"
Qi Qing quietly watched her.
The mid-afternoon sun was blazing, but slowly thick clouds approached, and the bright street instantly became overcast.
After a long silence, he began to laugh.
"Doctor Lu is quite bold."
Qi Qing looked at Lu Tong, his tone filled with appreciation: "I have a daughter about your age. If she were as astute as you, I would be at ease."
Lu Tong humbly declined to agree.
He nodded, "Your insistence on justice is commendable. Envoy Cui has been at the Medical Officer Institute for many years. If your words hold truth, and if Cui Min truly has committed the act of stealing another’s prescription, even if he is a close associate, he will be punished. I will grant you justice and make the truth of the past known to all."
He stood up, leaning on his cane, preparing to leave.
Lu Tong called out to him, "Sir, you’ve forgotten your medicine packet."
"It’s not needed."
Qi Qing smiled, "Heart ailments need heart medicine. Once Doctor Lu cures my heart’s distress, I believe my symptoms will naturally recede without medication."
After these words, he no longer looked at Lu Tong, but slowly left the shop, gradually disappearing under the Li Zishu tree.
Not until Qi Qing’s figure was no longer visible from the entrance did the smile on Lu Tong’s face vanish abruptly, her gaze turning coldly to the teacup on the table.
In the teacup, the light brown tea was clear and calm, without a single ripple.
From the moment he sat down to the time he left, Qi Qing had not taken a single sip.
Exceptionally cautious.
She looked down, releasing the fist she had clenched in her sleeve.
Her palm was full of sweat.
...
In the carriage, Qi Qing lightly closed his eyes.
In the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion, ice blocks are commonly placed near the bronze ox in summer to stay cool and comfortable. Yet on West Street, the sun shone without respite, and even though Benevolent Heart Medical Hall was not sweltering due to the shade from trees at the entrance, staying inside the cramped pharmacy was still stifling compared to usual days.
The steward, holding a silk handkerchief, gently wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Sir, whether what Lu Tong said was true or false..."
"False."
"How can you be sure..."
Qi Qing, still with his eyes closed, said faintly, "She couldn’t have possibly come for the sake of Miao Liangfang."
As Lu Tong said, the theft of the prescription by Cui Min was an accident, and she has used this lapse to negotiate terms with the Qi Family, merely seeking to avenge Miao Liangfang.
But if it was solely for the purpose of avenging Miao Liangfang, there would be no need to offend the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion to such an extent.
When one’s sacrifices far outweigh their demands, there must be an ulterior motive.
The steward, puzzled, said, "But before this, she truly couldn’t have known about the young master’s illness."
Qi Qing remained silent.
This too was something he could not fathom.
Lu Tong could not have possibly started scheming since the spring examination.
"My lord," the steward said, "No matter what she is aiming for, right now the young master is ill, and Cui Min is utterly helpless. The female doctor claims she can heal, but her actions are suspicious, whether true or false. Do you really plan to let her treat the young master?"
"Treat."
Qi Qing twisted the Buddha Beads, "Cui Min has outlived his usefulness, he can be discarded. Yu Tai is the same, it’s worth giving her a try."
The steward’s heart tightened, and he remained silent.