Denghuaxiao

On the 15th, the sun came out early.

It's just that the cold dew has passed and it's almost the beginning of winter. The sun shines on people's bodies with a faint layer of coldness, but it doesn't warm the clothes.

Lu Tong arrived at the Prince's Mansion very early, and the bathing party had not officially started yet. Yin Zheng didn't follow, so Lu Tong asked her to stay in the hospital to help. Pei Yunshu's personal maid Fangzi saw Lu Tong and pulled her into the courtyard with a smile: "Doctor Lu is here just in time. The young lady has just woken up. Go and take a look."

Since Lu Tong successfully induced labor for Pei Yunshu and her daughter last time, the people in Pei Yunshu's courtyard have become particularly respectful to Lu Tong. Lu Tong followed Fangzi into the courtyard. As soon as she entered the house, she heard the loud cry of the baby girl.

Pei Yunshu was picking up the baby girl from the cradle. When she saw Lu Tong approaching, she handed the baby girl to Lu Tong and said with a smile: "Doctor Lu also holds Baozhu."

Lu Tong took the swaddling clothes and looked down. When she was first born, the little girl was like a sickly kitten, and she cried softly. After one month, she became much rounder and fuller, and gained some weight when held in her arms, unlike when she was just born.

Pei Yunshu named the little girl Baozhu, which means the pearl in the palm of the hand and the treasure in the heart. The little girl was hard-won and was very dangerous when she was born, so this name is a perfect fit.

Qiong Ying whispered: "Doctor Lu, the little lady's poison..."

Lu Tong inspected the condition of the orb, carried it back to the cradle, and said, "It's much better than before."

Several people in the room breathed a sigh of relief.

These days, many medical officers from Hanlin Medical Hospital came to visit, and they all said that Baozhu was healthy. The more so, the more uneasy Pei Yunshu felt. Now she no longer trusts the palace medical officer, but firmly believes in Lu Tong's words. Now that I heard Lu Tong say it was nothing serious, I felt a little relieved.

There were some golden fruit and rhinoceros jade from Xi'erhui on the table. Lu Tong took out a congratulatory package from his sleeve and handed it to Pei Yunshu's hand, saying: "Princess, this is the heart of a common woman."

Pei Yunshu was stunned.

Xu was pregnant and had just given birth. Her thoughts were not as clear as before. People around her also forgot to remind her that the people who came to watch the "Washing for Children" were either rich or noble. There were many rhinoceros jade and pearls in the congratulatory package, and Lu Tongsu Sitting in the hospital every day and giving her gifts with her monthly salary is really too much.

While she was hesitating, she heard Lu Tong say: "The gift is shabby, just a bunch of lottery money. I hope the princess doesn't mind it."

The lottery money was a copper coin wrapped in gold and silver thread. Pei Yunshu breathed a sigh of relief and took it generously and said with a smile: "I would like to thank Dr. Lu for his thoughtfulness on behalf of the pearl."

Lu Tong smiled slightly.

Because the auspicious time had not come yet, the baby shower had to wait a while longer, and the distinguished guests who came to watch the ceremony had not yet appeared, so Pei Yunshu invited Lu Tong to sit down first, and asked Fangzi to make tea.

Lu Tong sat down in front of the small table and saw that Pei Yunshu looked in high spirits. Because she had taken a shower today, she had specially changed into a rose-purple face make-up. Her hair was lightly pulled back, which made her face rosy and her expression soft. , much more energetic than when we first met.

I think this month has been good.

While teasing the infant Baozhu, Pei Yunshu said to Lu Tong: "Before, the affairs in the house were too busy, and I was worried about Baozhu's illness, so I didn't have time to thank Dr. Lu properly. I wanted to ask Aying to send some thank-you gifts to the door. But he left the city the day before yesterday and hasn't returned yet, so it was delayed."

Lu Tong lowered his head and took the hot tea from Fangzi, "It is the doctor's duty to treat illnesses and save people. Princess, there is no need to say thank you."

Pei Yunshu looked at her with a smile: "You and Aying are friends, wouldn't it be awkward to call me princess? You can call me sister."

Lu Tong's hand holding the tea tightened, and after a while, she said: "Sister Yun Shu."

Pei Yunshu didn't care and just looked at her curiously: "Speaking of which, I never knew that Doctor Lu was A Ying's friend. I heard from A Ying that Doctor Lu came to Shengjing from other places half a year ago... Where is Doctor Lu from? ?”

Lu Tong replied: "I am from southern Sunan."

"Sunan?" Pei Yunshu recited silently, "Aying also went to Sunan a few years ago." She looked at Lu Tong and suddenly said as if she had discovered some secret: "Did you meet in Sunan?"

Lu Tong was slightly startled, shook his head and said, "No."

"That you……"

"Not long after I came to Shengjing, I encountered someone making trouble on the road. Master Pei helped me once."

She said it in an understatement, but Pei Yunshu laughed, "So we are so destined."

Lu Tong didn't quite understand what Pei Yunshu meant by "fate", so he heard Pei Yunshu continue to ask: "I think Doctor Lu's medical skills are already superior to those of the medical officers of Hanlin Medical Academy at a young age... How old are you this year?"

"It's seventeen years old."

Pei Yunshu's eyes lit up and she murmured: "Little Aying is four years old..." She looked at Lu Tong again and asked with a smile, "I wonder if Dr. Lu has any relatives?"

Lu Tong: "..."

She was rarely speechless. Princess Wenjun now looks less dignified and dignified than she did when we first met her. Instead, she is so enthusiastic and familiar that it is a bit overwhelming.

After a moment of silence, Lu Tong said, "Yes."

Pei Yunshu's smile faltered.

"I already have a fiancé," she said.

The smile on Pei Yunshu's face suddenly turned sly. After a moment, she spoke to herself as if to lighten the atmosphere, "That's right. Doctor Lu is such a sweetheart, so there must be a lot of people proposing marriage."

She wanted to ask again, but Lu Tong interrupted her: "I would like to ask, has the princess found the person who poisoned the young lady?"

Pei Yunshu paused.

Lu Tong looked at her seriously.

Mohai Luoli's "child worry" has caused Pei Yunshu and her daughter to be poisoned for a long time. As a last resort, Lu Tong could only find a way to temporarily induce labor. Pei Yunshu said at that time that this Mohairuo was given to her by Prince Wenjun.

Even if Mu Sheng dislikes his own princess, there is absolutely no reason to harm his own flesh and blood. But these days, there seems to be no major news in the county prince's palace.

Pei Yunshu's face became a little uncomfortable, and she just smiled and shook her head: "No."

The Prince's Palace is so big, and if you really want to find the person who poisoned you, you may not be able to find it. Pei Yunshu said this, it must be because of some difficulties.

Lu Tong thought for a moment and then asked: "Where is the concubine? That day, I induced labor for the princess, and I hit the concubine..."

She said it tactfully. At that time, Meng Xiyan transferred the palace guards to Lu Tong's life. If Pei Yunying hadn't arrived, no one knew what the consequences would be. Lu Tong didn't see Meng Xiyan's shadow nearby today, and she didn't know if it was her misunderstanding. The servants of the county prince's palace were much more respectful to Pei Yunshu.

Pei Yunshu's smile faded and she said, "She is grounded. You don't have to worry."

Lu Tong's heart moved.

Pei Yunying took Meng Xiyan away that day, but now Meng Xiyan is still in the house, just grounded. It seems that Prince Wen still saved Meng Xiyan.

This concubine was really favored.

Pei Yunshu came to her senses, shook her head and said, "Let's not talk about that. I think the auspicious time is coming. Doctor Lu, please accompany me to prepare."

……

"Washing" is always lively.

After the mother in Shengjing gives birth to a baby, she invites relatives and friends to attend a newborn "baby shower". Wealthy people often boil hot water mixed with spices and pour it into a basin together with fruits, colorful flowers, money, onions, garlic, gold, silver, rhinoceros, etc. The basin is surrounded by several feet of colorful silk, which is called "enclosing the basin". . Stirring the soup with a hairpin is called "stirring the basin". Viewers threw money into the water one after another, calling it "adding pots".

After the baby is bathed and the fetal hair is shaved off, the fetal hair is put into a small box of gold and silver, and then tied into a sash with colored silk threads. Finally, the baby was held in his arms, thanked by all the relatives and guests, and carried into his aunt's room. This is called "moving to the nest".

Princess Wenjun went into labor before she could give birth, but she had a sudden emergency delivery. Fortunately, mother and daughter were safe in the end. As the legitimate daughter of Princess Wenjun, she invited all the noble officials from the capital to attend this "Water-Washing Party". After all, in addition to the prince's palace, Duke Zhaoning also had to give her face.

The laughter of the guests passed through the courtyard, making the usually deserted courtyard look a bit crowded, and the lively sound spread through the wall to the other eaves.

In the vase on the table, the golden osmanthus has completely withered, leaving only clusters of dry branches and leaves stuck in the vase, struggling to support a little freshness.

Meng Xiyan was sitting on the couch. She didn't even apply any makeup, but her originally beautiful face looked a little haggard.

She glanced at the clock on the table and asked in a low voice, "Has the shower started?"

The maid beside her cautiously answered, "Yes."

Meng Xiyan lowered the corner of her mouth coldly.

On August 15th, Pei Yunying asked the imperial guards to take her away. After suffering for several days, Prince Wen took her back.

I don’t know what Prince Wen said to Pei Yunying, but Pei Yunying finally let her go. Come to think of it, no matter how arrogant he is, Prince Zhaoning cannot take away the concubine of the county prince's palace at will without evidence. Just to take her back, Prince Wen didn't treat her as lovingly as before.

Meng Xiyan knew in her heart that Prince Wen had a grudge against her because she was trying to harm the heirs of the prince's family.

Meng Xiyan dedicated the Mohailuo to Mu Sheng. She only said that she got it by chance. Seeing that the clay doll was cute and auspicious, and fearing that Pei Yunshu would not like it, she refused, so she asked Mu Sheng to send it to Pei Yunshu's courtyard in Mu Sheng's name. After Pei Yunshu gave birth to a baby girl, Mu Sheng learned that Mohailuo was poisonous. Although he took her back, his look at her changed.

Meng Xiyan knelt in front of Prince Wen and cried so hard, "Prince Mingjian, even if I have ten courages, I would not dare to harm the princess. I have never heard of the word 'child's sorrow'. This clay doll is the maid on the street in the south of the city. I bought it from a clay doll shop. I was thinking that the princess was about to give birth, so I left this thing to pray for the princess to give birth to a son."

The maid who purchased the clay doll had committed suicide out of fear of crime on the day of the incident. Prince Wenjun could not find out anything. After all, he was thinking of their loving past and did not pursue the case any further. He only allowed her to stay in the house.

As for the poisoning of Pei Yunshu, the matter was not announced to the outside world, and the Zhaoning Palace was not aware of it. It was related to the face of the Prince's Palace, so Mu Sheng protected Meng Xiyan, which meant protecting himself.

Meng Xiyan was originally worried that the commander in front of the palace would be recalcitrant, but she didn't expect that Pei Yunying had not made any movement in the past few days, and she gradually felt relieved. In the final analysis, the Prince's Palace is a sacred favor, and Pei Yunying still has to take into account the title of Prince Wen.

Today, Pei Yunshu held a "baby shower" for her daughter and invited all the family members, but she was restricted from going out. Those noble family members are always talkative, and I don’t know how they will arrange her behind her back. Moreover, since she entered the royal palace, she has not attended any feast, and now she is deliberately neglecting her, as if she is slapping her in the face.

Meng Xiyan's face turned pale when she thought of taking a bath.

She asked the maid next to her: "Who are the distinguished guests here today?"

The maid lowered her head and replied in a low voice: "There are Mrs. Dong from the palace of Taifu Temple, the palace of the great scholar of Jixian Palace, and the palaces of the envoys of the three departments..." After mentioning many people in succession, the maid remembered something again and added : "The doctor Lu who came to induce the princess' labor that day is also here."

"Lu Tong?"

Meng Xiyan's expression changed.

That day in Xunfang Garden, she didn't take the female doctor seriously, but she just wanted to make him a scapegoat. Who knew it would fall into the hands of this woman.

If Lu Tong hadn't discovered the "child worry" in Mo Hailuo, if Lu Tong hadn't induced Pei Yunshu's labor, if Lu Tong hadn't joined forces with Pei Yunying in full view of the public...

Why did she do this?

Now he was banned from the courtyard, his face was completely lost, and he was even separated from Prince Wen, all because of this woman.

Meng Xiyan sneered: "A sitting doctor is invited as a guest of the royal palace. Do you really think you are climbing a high tree?"

The maid dared not speak.

There was a shower party outside, and the laughter could not hide the harshness even through the wall.

Meng Xiyan walked to the table. The withered golden osmanthus on the table was placed in a vase, showing a towering and struggling life.

She reached out and caressed the withered branches.

The man surnamed Lu climbed up by rescuing Pei Yunshu and his daughter, but she couldn't go anywhere because she was locked up in the room by the man surnamed Lu. It is clear that there is only one step left, but the success is on the verge of failure. How can we be willing to do so? This bad breath accumulated in Meng Xiyan's heart, and she couldn't swallow it.

She couldn't do anything to Pei Yunying, nor could she do anything to Pei Yunshu, let alone Prince Wen.

But Lu Tong is just a civilian medical woman, with no power and low status. How can she still be unable to do anything?

If you want to wade in this flowing water in a big family, you have to see if you have the destiny.

There was a slight crunching sound, and the cinnamon branch under his hand was pinched in two. Meng Xiyan retracted her hand, curled her lips, turned around, walked to the room and sat down again.

"Go and get someone here."

She raised her eyebrows, and the two drops of red coral in her ears were so bright that they bled: "I have something important to tell you."

……

It's getting late.

The "Washing Party" ended at noon. After the luncheon, Lu Tong stayed at the Prince's Mansion to take Baozhu and Pei Yunshu's pulse again, and also changed the prescription. After teaching Fangzi how to cook the new medicine, it was already evening.

Pei Yunshu asked the Prince's carriage to take her to the door of the hospital before leaving. Some neighbors on West Street recognized the Prince's carriage and looked at Lu Tong in a different way.

He used to be the minister of Taifu Temple, but now he is the prince's palace. The big shots recruited by Renxin Medical Center are more powerful than the others. It can be seen that the medical skills of this female doctor at Renxin Medical Center are indeed quite good.

Du Changqing lay in front of the counter and looked straight forward until the Prince's carriage came out of West Street. Then he pulled back. He glanced at Lu Tong and said lazily, "Not bad, the carriage is already on board."

Acheng walked out holding a lantern, with a look of pride on his face, "That's natural, Doctor Lu is the princess's savior!"

"My savior," Du Changqing chuckled and flicked his finger on the young man's forehead, "I really think it's so easy to be your savior. You see thieves eating meat all day long, but you also see thieves being beaten. Who knows what will happen next? What trouble."

Acheng covered his head and said aggrievedly: "What trouble could there be?"

"That's too much...forget it, you don't understand even after I tell you." Du Changqing took the lantern and held it in his hand. It was getting late and the hospital was about to close. He walked to the door, thought of something, and turned back to give instructions. Lu Tong: "Look..."

"A murderer died on Wangchun Mountain and the murderer has not been found yet. We two weak women have no ability to protect ourselves and are being targeted."

Before Du Changqing could finish speaking, Yin Zheng took over his words and said with a smile: "Now that we know Shopkeeper Du, we will be careful and won't run away blindly."

Du Changqing pointed, and finally said: "...It's good to know." He left with Acheng.

Yin Zheng and Lu Tong locked the door of the medical center and entered the small courtyard.

When Lu Tong came back from the county prince's palace, he also brought a basket of wedding baskets distributed to the guests at the "Xi'er Hui", which contained some jujube, osmanthus and colorful silks that symbolized good luck. Yin Zheng picked out the preserved fruits and put the colored silk aside separately, washed it with water, and planned to pick a few of the right colors to make silk flowers for Lu Tong.

"Did you see any important people when you went to the Prince's Mansion today?" Yin Zheng asked Lu Tong while squatting on the stone table and washing colored silk.

Lu Tong took a piece of tea and stuffed it behind her, shaking her head: "No."

She knew the meaning of Yin Zheng's words, but among the guests at the banquet hosted by the County Prince's Mansion today, there was no one from the Grand Master's Mansion.

She originally attended the "Child Washing Party" because she wanted the county prince's palace to invite distinguished guests, perhaps including the Qi family. It would be great if we could use this to get closer to the other person.

But at the moment, it seems that the Prince's Palace and the Grand Master's Palace have little to do with each other, and this path seems to be unworkable.

Seeing Lu Tong's silence, Yin Zheng twisted a wet cloth and smiled and comforted: "Don't worry, girl, now because of 'Chun Shuisheng' and 'Xianxian', our medical clinic has gradually gained a status in the medical practice. Today, the carriage of the county prince's palace As a gift to you, together with the previous minister of Taifu Temple, your reputation will only grow. By then, the officials, wealthy households, and big shots will be asking you to treat them with posts, so there is no rush now. "

Lu Tong nodded: "Yes."

The colored silk was washed quickly. Yin Zheng hung the cloths one by one on the thick lines in the courtyard and carefully smoothed out the wrinkles.

"Tuk-tuk-tuk-"

There was a rapid knock on the door outside, which was particularly clear at night.

Yin Zheng wondered: "It's so late, who's knocking on the door?"

"Maybe he's a patient seeking medical treatment." Lu Tong said. As Renxin Medical Center became more and more famous, another medical center on West Street, Xinglin Hall, was not making much money and closed early every day. Patients could only knock on the door of Renxin Medical Center for treatment.

Lu Tong said: "I'll go take a look."

Not far ahead on West Street is a restaurant. There are guards patrolling the barracks every night. Lu Tong walked to the door and the knocking on the door quieted down. With a lantern in hand, she opened the wooden door of the medical center.

There was no one at the door.

The light of the pale red lanterns under the eaves was swayed by the wind. The cool night breeze blew along the long street, and when it got into people's sleeves, a layer of tiny goose bumps immediately appeared. There was no one on West Street, and it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Yin Zheng came up from behind and asked while wiping her hands: "Girl, who is it?"

Lu Tong turned around and was about to speak when a bright white sword suddenly stabbed from his side.

Yin Zheng's eyes widened and she screamed in fear.

Lu Tong stood at the door of the medical center, with no other obstacles around him. It was too late to escape, and he was about to be stabbed——

Soon after, there was a "bang" sound, and another sword shadow came from an angle, blocking the tip of the knife that stabbed Lu Tong's heart.

Someone fell from the sky and flew in front of her.

"Xi'erhui..." - "Tokyo Dreams"