Chapter 355: Chapter 136 Night Meeting_3
"Mei Erniang," Lu Tong mused for a moment, "What is the relationship between Mei Erniang and Zhu Mao?"
He Xiu was startled: "How do you know?" She also looked around and said, "Physician Lu, please don’t tell anyone!"
Lu Tong nodded.
"Erniang is a pitiable person," He Xiu sighed, "It’s said that she accidentally damaged a ginseng root and was sent to work at the Southern Pharmacy. She was known to be skilled in medicine at the Medical Officer Institute and also young and beautiful. When she first came to the Southern Pharmacy, she was unwilling and always hoped that one day she would return."
"Medical Supervisor Zhu coaxed her by saying he could get her back to the Medical Officer Institute, so she willingly gave herself to Medical Supervisor Zhu, but in the end..."
In the end, she still couldn’t leave the Southern Pharmacy.
Lu Tong fell silent and after a while said, "Given that things have been like this for so many years, she should have realized that Zhu Mao simply can’t help her leave. Why does she still stay with Zhu Mao?"
Lu Tong could see clearly that on her first night at the Southern Pharmacy, as well as the next day when Zhu Mao spoke with her, the hostility in Mei Erniang’s eyes was not her imagination.
"Physician Lu," He Xiu clenched the medicinal cake in her hand and spoke with a downcast tone, "Sometimes, even a false hope is better than no hope at all. Medical Supervisor Zhu deceives Mei Erniang, and that way, Erniang still has hope to survive. If he didn’t even bother to deceive her, then Mei Erniang would truly be without hope and would die. Erniang... has chosen to deceive herself."
In difficult times, some choose to be clear-headed while others opt for oblivion, perhaps both with the same outcome in the end.
"Physician Lu, I am not trying to make excuses for Erniang by telling you all this," He Xiu chewed on a piece of the cake, "You are good-looking, and Medical Supervisor Zhu might take a fancy to you. Don’t be fooled by him. He won’t help you leave the Southern Pharmacy."
He Xiu looked at Lu Tong with a flicker of concern in her eyes.
Lu Tong had taken an antidote as a child, so the Hong Fang Xu had no effect on her. This was a good thing for Lu Tong because she didn’t have to endure the poisoning of her body nor disfigurement. Yet, at the same time, it was also a disaster for her.
A beautiful woman living under close watch every day, how could Zhu Mao restrain himself? He would probably eventually make a move on Lu Tong.
Lu Tong looked so frail and vulnerable and had offended people in the Medical Officer Institute; how was she to protect herself in this place?
He Xiu shook her head silently in her heart.
Perhaps, she would become another Mei Erniang.
...
Lu Tong and He Xiu didn’t return to the Southern Pharmacy until the evening.
Thanks to Lu Tong’s help, He Xiu finished the day’s harvesting with ease. In the past, after picking so much Hong Fang Xu, she would always feel cold all over and pale when she returned to her quarters, suffering the whole night from the poisonous fragrance. For the first time, she even felt lighthearted on the way back while pushing the wooden cart.
Of course, she felt deeply apologetic to Lu Tong. Most of today’s harvesting was done by Lu Tong, and even though Lu Tong told her repeatedly that the Hong Fang Xu would not affect her health, He Xiu still felt guilty.
Because of this guilt, He Xiu volunteered to help Lu Tong organize the medicinal materials in the storeroom. He Xiu said, "The inventory will take a while longer; you go to the kitchen and eat something first. The leftovers from the day are kept in the pharmacy kitchen, and I have steamed buns in my bag; find some leftovers to warm up and eat."
The Southern Pharmacy was different from the Medical Officer Institute; the meals for medical practitioners were all in the kitchen. According to He Xiu, sometimes when they returned late, there was only a little cold porridge left.
Unable to decline He Xiu’s warm offer, Lu Tong had no choice but to agree.
The kitchen was some distance away from the storeroom, far enough to avoid mixing up the medicinal materials, so it was purposefully kept at a distance. Lu Tong crossed a long corridor, turned around an open space, and finally found the kitchen.
It was night; there was not a single person outside, only lanterns were hanging in the courtyard, swaying gently, casting scattered gentle light. Lu Tong pushed the door and went in; a lantern was placed at the entrance to the kitchen. Holding the lantern, she walked in—cold stoves and an unoccupied cutting board with some empty bowls placed carelessly, but no leftovers in sight.
He Xiu had said that the practitioners at the Southern Pharmacy lived austerely and the food quality was mediocre. Since they consumed a lot during the day, the food left at night was not very good. But even if it was terrible, there should at least be a bowl of cold porridge.
Lu Tong’s gaze fell on a large iron pot in the center of the kitchen.
The pot was covered with a lid, which Lu Tong lifted.
The bottom of the pot was clean and clearly had been carefully washed.
There was no cold porridge, no steamed buns, not even a bowl of hot water.
Lu Tong let go of the pot lid with a clang and furrowed his brows.
They hadn’t left her a single grain of rice.
...
Under the long corridor outside the Southern Pharmacy’s medicine store, two medical practitioners were carrying empty bowls that had been used to deliver medicinal meals, heading toward the store.
"I heard that the person from Hongfang Garden is back. She seems to have regained her senses and doesn’t appear to be much affected by the fragrance poison. Ah Xiu has been taking good care of her, even volunteering to help organize the storehouse," one of the medical practitioners said.
The other kicked away a small stone that was in their way, agreeing, "It’s only the first day; it’s too early to say anything. And Ah Xiu, why bother looking for trouble? It’s still unknown whom she offended, but Lord Zhu ordered today to have all the food in the kitchen taken away. It’s likely she won’t avoid going hungry tonight."
As they spoke, the kicked stone rolled along the pavement and came to a sudden stop in front of a pair of boots.
Someone was approaching from not too far away.
The two medical practitioners looked up and quickly bowed their heads in greeting upon seeing who it was: "Marshal Pei."
It was Pei Yunmeng, the Commander of the Imperial Guards from the Palace Front Office.
In the vicinity of the corridor, it was common for imperial guards to move around at night, and occasional encounters were nothing unusual. Marshal Pei, often seen at the emperor’s side, commanded respect from everyone, even from the Officer.
The young man nodded slightly without halting his steps and walked past them.
Only after he had passed did the medical practitioners pat their chests, "That scared me to death. Our conversation just now wasn’t overheard, was it?"
"Even if it was, it’s no big deal. He’s just a new Imperial Medical Officer, and Marshal Pei doesn’t know him. He wouldn’t have the spare time to bother with these trifles."
"You’re right..."
Their voices faded into the distance as Pei Yunmeng came to a halt.
Just a short distance away was the entrance to the Southern Pharmacy’s sleeping quarters. Two dimly lit lanterns at the gate flickered in the night wind, reminiscent of the old sign hidden by the branches of plum trees on a snowy night.
The same chilling silence.
Pei Yunmeng stared intently at the blurred light.
He had finished his errands and was passing through the eastern corridor, passing by the medicinal garden. The chatter of the idle medical practitioners was too noisy to ignore.
And so, he suddenly remembered that the young female doctor should be on her second day in the Southern Pharmacy.
She was burdened with hatred, calm and decisive, seemingly rational yet crazy. But the Imperial City was not West Street; here the hierarchy was rigid, and the distance between people was marked by ranks, identities, and all manners of rules and rituals. Having just joined the Medical Officer Institute, she was banished to the neglected Southern Pharmacy, and barring any accidents, she would never come close to her enemies.
Fearful that she might die old and alone in the palace before achieving her revenge.
Does she now regret her situation, or has she perhaps thought of another plan?
Lost in thought, he suddenly heard someone speaking behind him, "What are you doing?"
Pei Yunmeng paused and turned around.
The spring night was cold, and the woman was dressed in a brown hemp garment, her skirt stained with mud and dust. Nevertheless, her face remained clean and porcelain white, her eyebrows and eyes outshining the harshness of the night.
Seeing it was him, Lu Tong showed a flash of surprise in her eyes and said, "Lord Pei?"