The Third Prince wants to place soone in the palace, it wouldn’t be this troubleso, it would simply be a matter of speaking a word, and it certainly wouldn’t beco entangled with the gossip about the Minister of Imperial Treasury.
He looked at Pei Yunng, fell silent for a mont, then said, "Could it be another prince?"
Pei Yunng shook his head.
In Shengjing, where the waters run deep and the bureaucratic relationships are intricate and complex, there is one certainty, neither the Third Prince nor any other prince would use a commoner woman as an important pawn.
It is the arrogance of the powerful.
Seeing his friend’s somber expression, Xiao Zhufeng patted the table, "Don’t think too much about it, it might just be a diversion. Every year in spring, the Imperial dical Bureau holds examinations, apart from the bureau’s students, very few common dical workers pass. Maybe this Doctor Lu has made a big scene only to fail in the end, not appearing on the list and becoming a laughingstock."
This was indeed the reality. Lu Tong, a female doctor from the common folk, without tuition from a dical officer, was very likely to fail the examination. It was probably for this reason that Lady Dong from the Minister of Imperial Treasury’s family let rumors spread far and wide—because she was certain that Lu Tong would be the biggest loser in this scandal.
The tea on the table was warm, and the ink painting on the porcelain cup was faint and indistinct in the rising steam.
The young man gazed down and said, "That might not necessarily be the case."
...
The common female doctor from Renxin dical Hall, oblivious to her limitations, aid to take part in the Imperial dical Bureau’s spring examination next year, and the news that people were sent to West Street bookstores to buy a large number of dical books and materia dica spread throughout the dical community overnight.
It wasn’t just within dical circles, the streets and alleys of Shengjing were also abuzz with rumors. After all, with the precedents of "Chun Shui Sheng" and "Xianxian", followed by the Princess Consort of Prince Wen sending a sturdy squad to deliver an embroidered carpet to Renxin dical Hall in person, it wasn’t a little-known clinic in Shengjing anymore.
Du Changqing, who learned about the news from God knows where, ca hurrying over early in the morning. Just as Lu Tong was opening the doors of the dical hall, she ran smack into Du Changqing’s face, which looked as if he was mourning his parents.
"It wasn’t who said it!" Du Changqing argued with his neck stiff, "It must have been Luo Dazui with his big mouth!"
The news of going to the bookstore to buy dical texts spreading wasn’t enough to make one the butt of jokes, but it certainly drew more onlookers. Sotis the stage is built too high, and whether you want to sing or not, you have to follow through.
"I just bought a few books and didn’t say much to him, how could I know this bastard can’t keep his mouth shut?"
Yin Zheng ca over with a teasing smile, "Eh? But didn’t Ah Cheng say that he was the one who bought those dical texts and that it had nothing to do with you, Shopkeeper Du?" Her eyes widened in realization, "How co now it’s you who bought them?"
Du Changqing was taken aback.
Yin Zheng burst into giggles.
Du Changqing, who had been so righteous in his words and had stayed away in a huff for more than ten days, hurried back as soon as the rumors started flying, revealing his tender heart beneath his rough exterior.
After hesitating for a mont, Du Changqing defiantly admitted, "What if I was the one who bought them?"
He flung his sleeves and scoffed coldly, "Doctor Lu is set on passing the Hanlin dical Institute examination this spring, all the better. I will just reduce the monthly allowance of my shop by two taels of silver, which conveniently saves money."
"Furthermore, with a Hanlin dical officer coming from West Street, the dical hall will also bask in the reflected glory. Such a good thing, of course, I want to help make it happen."
Ah Cheng looked at him, "But isn’t the boss fond of Doctor Lu?"
"Who’s fond of her?" Du Changqing retorted angrily, "She has her things to do, and I have my life to live! Everyone goes their separate ways, who can’t live without whom?"
Everyone in the room: "..."
Lu Tong put down the dicine pestle in her hand, "Shopkeeper Du."
"What!"
"Thank you for the dical texts you sent , they have been very useful to ."
Yin Zheng hastened to help, "That’s right, the lady has been imrsed in those books for several days, staying up late into the night. She definitely hasn’t wasted Shopkeeper Du’s good intentions one bit."
Du Changqing glanced at Lu Tong, and seeing her calm deanor, it made him feel even more like a fool unable to control his emotions. However, thinking about the fact that Lu Tong would soon leave, his heart felt stuffy, and he couldn’t help making a sarcastic remark, "That’s very good then. They say that one who fails in love will triumph in gambling. Since the Dong Family’s runt has turned his back and disowned her, maybe Doctor Lu will amaze everyone during the examination and our West Street can have a Hanlin dical officer. I’ve never seen a living Hanlin dical officer in my life!"
Yin Zheng: "..."
Lu Tong lowered her head and smiled.
Her smile only made Du Changqing more annoyed, yet before he could speak, Lu Tong spoke first, "There’s sothing else I’d like to ask Shopkeeper Du for help with."
"What sort of help? Why not ask for help from your Marshal Pei or Young Master Dong?" he exclaid. "Go on, say it!"
Lu Tong picked up the scroll from the table, "I want to know, where did Shopkeeper Du get this scroll?"
Du Changqing turned irritably and glanced at the scroll in Lu Tong’s hands. The scroll was thin, comprising just a few crumpled, coarse, and yellowed pages. At first glance, it looked more like scrap paper.
Du Changqing was taken aback for a mont and asked dubiously, "Isn’t that just filler paper?"
"Filler paper?"
"Two taels of silver for three dical texts, with a few sheets of filler paper included."
He glanced at Lu Tong, "Why, do you want a few more sheets?"
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