Smiling Under Lanter Chapter 369 - 140 Digging at the Foundations3

Chapter 369: Chapter 140 Digging at the Foundations_3

The sound of his voice hit the ground, and He Xiu raised his head in surprise on the other side.

The Southern Pharmacy had entries but no exits unless one was dead; in all these years, no one had ever been seen leaving the Southern Pharmacy. This was the place for the abandoned, the ones who had offended the powerful, the ones without a future.

And yet, now the Envoy of the Imperial Apothecary was personally inviting, clearly intending to give Lu Tong special attention. Having won favor from higher-ups, Lu Tong’s future could only be bright. He would no longer need to lower himself to squeeze into the cramped lodging of the Southern Pharmacy, constantly accompanied by poisonous flowers and herbs.

No one would refuse such an offer.

Qiu He was confident.

"The Envoy honors , I am flattered," Lu Tong said. "But I regretfully cannot accept..."

Qiu He stopped, hardly believing his own ears, "Why?"

He Xiu also could hardly believe it.

How could one refuse?

"I belong to the dical Officer Institute. Envoy Cui personally appointed

to gain experience in the Southern Pharmacy," she raised her head, her expression both longing and apprehensive, as if a beautiful dream was before her eyes, yet she dared not reach for it.

"If I were to go to the Imperial Apothecary, I’m afraid Envoy Cui would have to decide."

...

In the dical Officer Institute, Cui Min was sitting at a table, flipping through dical books.

A Servant was carefully grinding ink beside him. As he read, Cui Min seed to rember sothing and looked up to ask the person beside him, "How is the Southern Pharmacy doing?"

The Servant replied, "No news has co through."

Cui Min nodded slightly and put down the dical book in his hand.

Today was the third day since Lu Tong had been sent to kneel in the Shennong Shrine as punishnt.

Being sent to kneel in the Shennong Shrine was just the beginning. Zhu Mao’s tests had not elicited any response from the dical Officer Institute in these three days, so very soon, he would make his move against Lu Tong.

A young woman, no matter how proud and resilient, once she fell into such a wretched state, would soon be destroyed.

The prouder one was, the more completely they would be destroyed.

It had been just so with i Erniang in the past.

But Lu Tong was a bit luckier than i Erniang because she was valuable. So he would magnanimously save her from purgatory and beco her benevolent savior for whom she would be eternally grateful.

"In these three days, has Lu Tong sent any ssage?" Cui Min asked.

"No, sir," ca the reply.

Cui Min’s eyes darkened.

If no ssages had been sent in three days, this either ant that kneeling as punishnt at the shrine had not yet reached an unbearable level for Lu Tong and she had not thought to seek help, or she was so incapable and foolish that even after being in the Southern Pharmacy for so long, she hadn’t found anyone to send a ssage on her behalf.

However, based on her previous performance, Cui Min did not believe it was the latter.

The punishnt was not severe enough, then.

Until one reaches the abyss, everyone always feels that they can climb out on their own rit; little do they know that in a place like the Imperial City, it’s a small matter if no one gives you a hand, but when you’re stuck in the mire and soone steps on you, that’s the more common occurrence.

Cui Min shook his head, took the inkstone, and started to grind his own ink, saying, "You go to the Southern Pharmacy and ask Zhu Mao a few questions about Lu Tong, and don’t do anything else."

The Servant’s expression turned solemn.

This was like pouring fuel on the fire.

It was almost a clear signal to Zhu Mao that the dical Officer Institute had no objections to his treatnt of Lu Tong and would ignore it despite being aware. With this knowledge, Zhu Mao would be even more unrestrained and carefree in his tornt of Lu Tong.

Lu Tong’s good days were coming to an end.

"Yes, sir."

The ink slowly spread into a large swathe of dark traces in the inkstone, and Cui Min squinted at it.

He was waiting.

Waiting for Lu Tong to fall into the abyss, with no one to turn to for help, and then to appear before her as a saving star.

By that ti, he would be like a light in the dark room to Lu Tong, a boat encountered by accident in a hopeless situation, and he would easily reap her tears of gratitude.

Human nature is always so, it is easy to add flowers to the brocade, but difficult to send charcoal in snowy weather. All of this could be considered a little lesson he was giving that young female dical officer, to teach her that fighting alone in the Imperial City is not enough.

Just like the ink in this inkstone, at first black and white on paper are clearly defined. However, with just a light stroke, the ink imbues the whole blank page, fusing the two together, until you can no longer distinguish black from white.

It’s easy to follow the crowd, but difficult to maintain one’s integrity.

As he watched, suddenly soone ca in. It was one of his dical officers, who hesitated at the door, not daring to walk any farther, and with his head low, he said, "Envoy, Envoy Qiu from the Imperial Apothecary is here, currently waiting at the door."

Qiu He?

Cui Min was puzzled.

Though there was interaction between the dical Officer Institute and the Imperial Apothecary, he was not close with Qiu He and seldom t privately. Qiu He barely visited the dical Officer Institute even once a year; why would he suddenly co by?

"What for?"

The Servant hesitated before speaking, "Envoy Qiu said it’s to ask you for soone."

"Ask for soone?"

Cui Min frowned.

There were dical officers in the dical Officer Institute with outstanding knowledge of pharmacology who were sotis called away by the Imperial Apothecary; such things had happened before.

But it was the first ti an Envoy of the Imperial Apothecary had personally co to ask for soone. When had such a person in the dical Officer Institute beco so esteed by Qiu He?

"Who is he asking for?"

For a while, no one answered.

eting Cui Min’s increasingly suspicious gaze, the dical officer lowered his head and finally spoke hesitantly, "It’s... Doctor Lu from the Southern Pharmacy."