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墨書 Inktalez
Huo Yun'ai was in a good mood as she strolled out of the hospital. After walking about twenty or thirty paces, before reaching Zhaoning Palace, Mu Hai hurried over. After greeting her, he quickly raised his head to glance at Huo Yun'ai.
If it were anyone else, it might have been considered disrespectful. However, knowing Mu Hai had urgent matters to discuss, Huo Yun'ai immediately dismissed everyone around her and only called for Mu Hai to follow her as she stepped into Zhaoning Palace.
Once the palace doors closed behind them, although there were no outsiders present, Mu Hai still did not dare to be careless. Approaching the young man’s side, he whispered, "Your Majesty, Lord Bian has arrived in the capital."
Lord Bian was one of the earliest followers of the Former Emperor, even predating Zheng An. Because of this, along with his significant military achievements and upright character, the Former Emperor granted him a title of nobility.
Upon hearing this, Huo Yun'ai's eyes suddenly sharpened. "Is that true?" The information she had previously gathered indicated that Bian Wang was secretly planning to come to the capital in March or April. Now it seemed he had arrived earlier than expected?
"Absolutely true," Mu Hai replied quietly. "Originally, he arrived quietly in the capital and sent someone to discreetly seek out the Heir Apparent of Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion. However, for some unknown reason, Wen Heir's temperament changed drastically today. Lord Bian's confidant merely exchanged a few words with him, but he found the other too noisy and didn't even ask who they were before starting a public argument. If that person hadn't reacted quickly, they might have been struck by Silver Whip."
Huo Yun'ai lightly tapped the table. "What about the Wen Family and Bian Wang's residence..."
Mu Hai pondered for a moment. "Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion and Lord Bian should not be related. The Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion has kept itself out of court affairs for years. Moreover, no one expected Wen Heir would come to the capital at this time. It seems Lord Bian acted on impulse and sent someone to try to win over the Marquisate. Who would have thought such an incident would occur?"
"Where is Bian Wang now?"
"In Zheng's residence," Mu Hai said with a hint of an ambiguous smile. "He disguised himself as an old man pushing a cart and delivered a load of vegetables to Zheng's residence. When he pushed the empty cart out later, he had already switched places with another person."
...
The Imperial Medical Institute was located on the eastern side of the palace. It wasn't too far from Zhaoning Palace.
In the past, Qing Wu might have walked directly there to familiarize herself with this route. However, today was particularly busy with many matters to attend to after just opening for business; she would certainly have to work hard upon her return.
Thus, she ultimately called for someone to carry her sedan chair. Saving some energy at this moment would prevent her from becoming too fatigued after noon.
After a brief moment of waiting, Qing Wu quickly examined herself in the mirror. Noticing that the lipstick she had just applied was even and without any flaws, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.
At that moment, she suddenly remembered something. Although she was initially reluctant to think too much about it, she ultimately made up her mind and called for Dou Mama.
"I noticed that Wen Heir seemed off earlier. Please go to his residence and see how he is doing now."
Dou Mama looked puzzled and expressed some concern, "Miss, it might be best not to meddle in others' affairs. Although the Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion is known for its integrity, I can't shake the feeling that Wen Heir has ulterior motives."
"Whether he has ulterior motives or not doesn't matter. After all, he saved me last time. I need to remember this favor," Qing Wu replied. "It's just a visit. If there's nothing wrong, that's great. If there is something amiss, we can address it in time."
"But Miss, you should have someone with you," Dou Mama suggested after some thought. "I think Azalea would be a good choice. Why not take her along to assist you?"
Azalea was a maid serving in Ningxin Pavilion. She was usually quiet and rarely spoke a word but was honest and reliable, showing little ambition to climb the ranks.
Qing Wu had a good impression of this maid and nodded in agreement.
Dou Mama then took her leave to carry out the task.
Not long after she left, the sedan chair arrived. As Qing Wu sat inside and it swayed gently for a while, she could faintly smell the medicinal scent wafting from the Imperial Pharmacy.
Just as a smile began to form on her lips, she heard a man's voice from outside.
"May I ask if Lord Liu is inside the sedan?"
Since Qing Wu took office, Huo Yun'ai had specifically ordered that everyone in Ningxin Pavilion be given distinctive clothing. The attire of the maids serving in Ningxin Pavilion was completely different from that of others in the palace. It seemed that the person outside had asked this question after seeing Azalea's outfit.
After a moment's thought, Qing Wu dismissed her concerns. She lifted the curtain and stepped down from the sedan to greet the person outside.
The man, surnamed Cheng, was dressed in the attire of an imperial physician and appeared to be around thirty years old. He was slightly plump with a friendly expression on his face, looking quite amiable.
He cupped his hands toward Qing Wu and asked, "May I inquire what brings Lord Liu here today?"
“Qing Wu” bowed slightly and said, “I have a few matters to discuss with ‘Doctor Luo.’ I wonder if ‘Doctor Luo’ is…”
“‘Doctor Luo’?” ‘Cheng Taishi’ replied, “He is busy preparing medicine in the ‘Imperial Pharmacy,’ so he probably won’t be able to spare any time. If you don’t mind, I can show you around instead?”
His tone was very relaxed and casual, as if discussing with an old friend.
Before ‘Qing Wu’ could respond, he made a gesture inviting her and said, “‘Lord Liu,’ please follow me.”
After taking a couple of steps, he noticed that ‘Qing Wu’ remained still and did not follow. He turned back, puzzled, and asked.
“Thank you for your kind offer,” ‘Qing Wu’ politely declined. “Since ‘Doctor Luo’ is busy, I will wait for him.”
Without waiting for ‘Cheng Taishi’ to speak, she sat back in the sedan chair and directly instructed, “Go to the ‘Imperial Pharmacy.’”
‘Cheng Taishi’ hurriedly followed a couple of steps and urged her again.
Just as ‘Qing Wu’ was about to refuse once more, a slightly shy voice came from outside the carriage.
“My lord, please do not persuade any further. My master is seeking ‘Doctor Luo’ on the emperor’s orders. If you wish to invite ‘Lord Liu,’ you will need to seek the emperor’s permission first.”
With just a few words, she completely silenced ‘Cheng Taishi.’
‘Qing Wu’ was somewhat surprised and lifted the curtain of the sedan chair to take a look outside.
‘Azalea’ still wore that submissive expression. Her features were not particularly striking, and her skin was slightly dark. However, her voice was quite loud, taller than ‘Qing Wu’ by half a head.
Seeing that they had moved some distance away from where they had encountered ‘Cheng Taishi,’ ‘Qing Wu’ asked, “How did you know that my visit to seek ‘Doctor Luo’ was the emperor’s idea?”
In the palace, it was crucial to be cautious with words and actions, especially when it involved the current emperor's directives; one had to be extremely careful.
Even if it were to help her get rid of that person’s entanglement, it was unlikely that ‘Azalea’ would casually fabricate a reason. She must have known the circumstances before speaking out.
Hearing Qing Wu's question, Azalea pondered for a moment and said, "Since you are new to the palace, you may not know the court physicians. Doctor Luo is highly trusted by His Majesty. You specifically requested to see him upon your arrival, and it must have been instructed by the Emperor."
Qing Wu couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.
This reasoning made sense.
She recalled seeing Doctor Luo during her childhood, either outside the palace or in Huo Yun'ai's chamber, where others were unaware. It was reasonable for Azalea to have such a guess.
Only then did Qing Wu slightly ease her doubts, responding softly without saying more.
They had already gotten quite close to the Imperial Pharmacy. After just a short while, the sedan chair arrived outside the courtyard of the Imperial Pharmacy.
Qing Wu instructed the Maid carrying the sedan chair to stop at the entrance and stepped down to walk inside. After taking just a couple of steps, she saw a person standing cautiously in the middle room in front of the medicine stove, gently fanning the flames and occasionally glancing at the medicine pot. With a serious and focused expression, it was indeed Doctor Luo.
Qing Wu did not intentionally lighten her steps but walked in as usual. Although her footsteps were light, they could still be heard clearly.
Despite this, the person inside remained completely unaffected. He continued to focus intently on his work without looking outside even once.
Upon reaching the Door, Qing Wu couldn't help but sigh, "Indeed, Doctor Luo is truly dedicated. I suppose no matter how chaotic it is outside, it wouldn't disturb you in the slightest."
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