Smiling Under Lanter Chapter 421 - 155: Visiting the Pei Mansion

Chapter 421: Chapter 155: Visiting the Pei Mansion

The pale moon peered out halfway from beneath the eaves, and the night wind whistled through the gaps in the plum tree branches, rustling the dical texts drying in front of the window.

After a while, Miao Liangfang spoke, his gaze full of puzzlent as he looked at Lu Tong.

"Xiao Lu, why do you ask about this?"

Lu Tong fell silent.

That day, in the dical Officer Institute’s storeroom, she had seen Qi Yutai’s dical records.

Qi Yutai had long co of age, yet the records in his case history were scanty, perhaps because he had been healthy for many years with no major concerns. However, five years ago, late at night, he had requested Envoy Cui Min from the dical Officer Institute to make a house call and diagnose him.

The dical records indicated that Qi Yutai suffered from an excess of liver heat, leading to a stagnation that turned into an accumulation. The internal heat from his organs caused an imbalance, and the prescriptions Cui Min wrote were largely comprised of herbs for soothing the liver and relieving depression, nourishing yin to generate fluids.

But Lu Tong noticed that there were also so other ingredients, many of which were of the kind used to calm the mind and soothe the spirit.

Qi Yutai’s dical record was written very briefly, almost without any description of the patient’s condition, only a few simple lines of conclusions. In the nearly half-year period following that night, Qi Yutai had Cui Min attend to him several more tis to strengthen his foundation, but the dications used were also mostly sedative in nature to counter insanity.

Along with that, she recalled that during her previous visit to the Board of Rites Office, Qi Yutai had admitted to using Spirit Rhinoceros Fragrance to calm his mind for many years.

All these points seed to suggest long-term treatnt for a disorder of mania...

However, with the dical records being limited and such secrets unknown to others, she could only return to Renxin dical Hall and seek advice from Miao Liangfang.

Lu Tong looked up, "Mr. Miao, can you tell ?"

Miao Liangfang’s throat tightened.

This young female dical officer, who was proficient in various poisons and dical principles, was shrouded in mystery. Even Du Changqing, after a long association, knew almost nothing about her. And Yin Zheng, who would chat away with the neighbors on West Street, kept her lips sealed about Lu Tong’s affairs, without uttering a word.

She ca bearing secrets, and no one knew what she aid to do. Having arrived at West Street less than a year prior, she supported the dical hall, sold dicinal teas, sat for the spring examinations, entered the dical Officer Institute, and before leaving, she did not forget to arrange for the future respective paths of everyone at Renxin dical Hall.

But in fact, she was only seventeen years old that year.

If he had a daughter, she would be at this age now.

Miao Liangfang sighed, "No."

Lu Tong was startled.

"Before I left the dical Officer Institute, I had not heard of Qi Yutai suffering from mania, hypochondria, visual hallucinations, or any sense of confusion."

He was quite certain.

Lu Tong slightly clenched her hand.

No.

Those sedative herbs in his dical records and the long-term use of Spirit Rhinoceros Fragrance...if there was no such illness, why the need for ongoing care?

Moreover, she had once felt Qi Yutai’s pulse, which was thin and hesitant, indicative of blood deficiency and a lack of spiritual nourishnt, not resembling symptoms from taking Cold Food Powder.

Yet, judging by Qi Yutai’s actions and behavior, he seed no different from an ordinary person.

Could it be...

Was she mistaken?

Just as she was pondering, she heard Miao Liangfang’s voice, "However, what you say reminds

of sothing."

"Please, speak."

"When I left the dical Officer Institute, Qi Yutai was still a youth, and I don’t know much about his situation. But more than a decade ago, I gave a consultation to Qi Yutai’s mother... His mother was suffering from delirious speech."

Lu Tong suddenly looked up: "What?"

Miao Liangfang said, "That was many years ago."

At that ti, Miao Liangfang had just been appointed as an Envoy at the dical Officer Institute.

His dical skills were exceptional, well-appreciated by the royal family, and he had the reputation of a "genius dical officer". Naturally, he felt a bit proud. When the veteran court officials and high-ranking lords had a headache or fever, they would often send for him, and when busy, he couldn’t attend to everyone.

One day, Miao Liangfang received a note from the Qi Qing Residence.

At the ti, Qi Qing wasn’t as powerful in the court as he was now, with supre authority. The people from the Qi family ca in a hurry, simply stating that Lady Qi was seriously ill and urging Miao Liangfang to check on her right away.

Miao Liangfang quickly grabbed his dical kit and hurried to the Qi residence.

Lady Qi was Qi Qing’s second wife.

Qi Qing had a wife in his early years who had been in poor health and passed away early, leaving behind no children. It wasn’t until middle age that Qi Qing married his current wife, who was the younger daughter of the Minister of Rites, Miss Zhong, nearly twenty years his junior.

Miss Zhong, young and beautiful, married Qi Qing and soon bore him a son and a daughter, enjoying his affection deeply.

Miao Liangfang had t Lady Qi during that ti.

"That Lady Qi was very strange," Miao Liangfang recalled the scene of that day, "hiding in her room, unwilling to see anyone, with an absent look on her face. When I diagnosed her and felt her pulse, I noticed she must have taken sedatives beforehand, she was feeble and lacked strength, but whenever I approached, she trembled and looked terrified."

At that ti, Miao Liangfang felt sothing was off.

The Qi family claid that Lady Qi’s emotional imbalance was due to a fright, and perhaps that was why they had sent for him, hoping his outstanding dical skills could cure her.