Several servants were holding down the confused Qi Yutai, with soup spilled all over the floor, as soone was snatching pieces of broken porcelain from Qi Yutai’s hand. It seed he had smashed the dicine bowl, and Qi Yutai’s fingers were cut, so at this mont, soone was wrapping a bandage around his hand. Lu Tong touched her throbbing forehead and glanced again at a piece of porcelain that had fallen near her foot.
Just now, it was Qi Yutai who had thrown it.
She looked again at the woman who was watching over Qi Yutai with concern.
This must be Miss Qi of the Qi Family, Qi Huaying.
Since that hurried glance in Baoxiang Tower, it was the first ti Lu Tong had a close look at Miss Qi from the Qi Family. Qi Huaying seed to have a deep affectionate bond with her brother, Qi Yutai, which explained why on Huangmao Hill, Qi Yutai defended his aggrieved sister so fiercely.
After pausing, Lu Tong stepped forward and said, "Leave two people to help hold down Young Master Qi, the rest may leave, as I need to examine Young Master Qi."
Her voice was calm as Qi Huaying looked over at her.
Lu Tong calmly allowed her to scrutinize.
"But there will only be two people in the room; what if sothing happens?" Qi Huaying asked.
Before Lu Tong could speak, the short and elderly steward standing in the room spoke up first.
"It’s alright," he said, approaching Lu Tong with a slight bow, his expression extrely respectful, "the master has already ordered that everything should follow dical Officer Lu’s instructions." He gestured to the people behind him, and except for the two guards by Qi Yutai’s side, the rest bowed their heads and left the room.
The broken pieces of porcelain on the ground were also cleared away.
"Miss, you should go back first," the steward said with a smile.
Qi Huaying looked worriedly at Qi Yutai, then back at Lu Tong, before turning around and leaving without another word.
"dical Officer Lu," the steward turned to Lu Tong again, "when the young master has an episode, he’s like a child, so if there’s any inappropriateness, please forgive him."
Lu Tong claid she dared not.
"With that, I shall leave the young master in your care," the steward bowed and left, and the door closed once more.
Lu Tong turned her head to look at Qi Yutai.
Qi Yutai, restrained by two people beside him, looked at her with eyes filled with fear.
"Don’t co over!" he scread, kicking his legs frantically, his tone sharp and bizarre, "Don’t co closer—"
Lu Tong watched him gently.
"Don’t be afraid, Young Master Qi."
She smiled, "I am here to treat you."
...
The night grew deeper.
In the study, the light from the lamp was faint.
The steward entered the room, approached the man seated at the desk, and whispered, "Master, the young master has fallen asleep."
Qi Qing nodded, "Good."
Not speaking further, the steward took the initiative to continue.
"After dical Officer Lu entered the room this afternoon, she checked the young master’s pulse and symptoms, changed his prescription, then brewed dicine and applied acupuncture... she spared no effort, and the two guards have been watching closely, and have not noticed anything amiss."
A stranger becoming a dical officer and treating Qi Yutai in the Qi Family ho was always dangerous.
Even though Cui Min might not excel in dicine, he had been raised by the Qi Family for many years, a ta dog.
This new stray was different.
Unknown background, unclear intentions, and murky objectives, there was always reason to be vigilant.
The guards in the room had been carefully chosen; if she dared to harm Qi Yutai, blood would spill on the spot imdiately.
"Has there been any improvent in the young master?" Qi Qing asked.
"... No."
Qi Qing sighed.
"Let’s see how it goes."
He gazed at the dark Buddha beads in his hands and lightly closed his eyes.
"Keep a close watch on her."
"Yes, Master."
...
The curtains around the bed were drawn, and the breaths of the person on the couch were even.
Lu Tong sat on the threshold outside the room, her head bowed as she ate.
Evening als, now entirely cold by late night. While Qi Yutai was seizing, she could spare no mont, only finding gaps to eat, like now, as Qi Yutai, having raged all day, had finally fallen into an exhausted slumber, allowing her to sit and rest montarily.
als at the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion were exquisite, but once cold, their taste turned peculiar.
She carefully swallowed, ignoring the scrutinizing gazes of the guards inside Qi Yutai’s room behind her.
The steward said that Qi Yutai, when ill, was like a child. That was euphemistic; when sick, Qi Yutai was like a devil, perhaps inherently evil.
She had to constantly face his panic and wild talk; sotis, in the middle of acupuncture, Qi Yutai would suddenly wake up. n naturally had more strength than won, and perhaps because the guards inside Qi Yutai’s room were afraid of hurting him, they did not use their full strength when restraining him.
Brewing dicine, feeding dicine, acupuncture, comforting...
Lu Tong now understood why the usually steady and astute Cui Min, after Qi Yutai’s illness, would also beco desperate for treatnt, losing his usual calm. And why, after the fire at Fengle Building, in just a few short days, Cui Min’s hair had turned significantly gray.
Less sleep, more worries, physical exhaustion, an ordinary dical officer would find this job crushing.
She finished her al quickly, a maid cleared away the bowl and chopsticks, and took her to the adjacent room to wash up. The Grand Preceptor’s Mansion required her to stay all night with Qi Yutai, in case he fell ill again during the night.
Lu Tong washed up quickly, applied a thin layer of dicinal powder to her forehead, which had been scraped by Qi Yutai during the day, then returned to a room where a maid had prepared her bed.
The small bed was set up close to the room’s door, a very low couch so that she could reach Qi Yutai imdiately if he awoke during the night, yet not so near that if he had ill intentions, the guards would not have ti to stop him.
Lu Tong got into bed and pulled up the covers.
The Qi Family’s behavior, having her sleep in the sa room as Qi Yutai and other n, was intended to sacrifice her reputation, creating a difficult question for future marriage prospects.
However, she was unconcerned about that.
Lu Tong turned over and touched the hairpin with hibiscus flowers in her hair.
The hibiscus leaves were slender, its purity in the dark like fresh snow.
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