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Moments later, Doctor Luo tossed the item in his hand back into the basin, shook his hand, and sighed, "This won't do. Check the latest updates on 0ᝧȷɌ website."
Qing Wu had not expected that Doctor Luo would help him solely based on his own idea. Hearing his refusal, he did not feel discouraged and said kindly, "Perhaps the Imperial Physician could reconsider."
"Why does Lord Liu have such an idea?" Doctor Luo asked as he picked up a medicine jar and poured it into an empty bowl, carefully avoiding the dregs.
From his words and tone, Qing Wu could not discern any anger or joy, so he shared some things he had heard previously.
"...There are many women in the palace, but their statuses are low. Once they fall ill, they cannot receive timely treatment. I thought about selecting a few to specialize in medicine."
Seeing that the bowl was nearly full, Qing Wu took another empty bowl that Doctor Luo had prepared earlier and placed it in front of him.
Doctor Luo quietly thanked him and said, "Studying medicine is a tough job. It requires patience and time. How can one learn it in a short period? If there is no patience and one gives up halfway, wouldn't that be a waste of effort?"
"Of course, we should choose those who are interested and have perseverance. Once selected, they will be strictly supervised. I am not well-versed in medicine; if this matter is settled, we can discuss the details further."
Qing Wu spoke earnestly, and Doctor Luo couldn't help but sigh again after listening. After a moment of silence, he poured out all the medicinal soup and added water to boil a second batch. Sitting down in front of the medicine stove, he used a fan to stoke the fire before saying to Qing Wu, "Lord Liu's idea is good. However, it is indeed difficult to implement in this palace."
"Why?"
"There are many women in the palace, but they are all servants without masters. If it's just for treating fellow servants among the palace maids, it might work once or twice. But over time, they have to manage their daily tasks while also taking care of others' health; how can they not complain about their extra labor? How can they not envy others' leisure? Even if those selected are capable now, what about after them? If there are no successors, it would be better not to start this at all. The hardest part of this matter is probably the 'long-term' aspect."
It was then that Qing Wu understood Doctor Luo's greatest concern.
She did not expect that the moment she proposed an idea, Doctor Luo had already thought it through so thoroughly. It was evident that Doctor Luo truly took her words to heart and considered them carefully.
Qing Wu felt delighted. Seeing that there were no others around, she shared her earlier thoughts with Doctor Luo.
"I plan to select a group of people who will then be dedicated to this task. Once we have managed the palace maids, we will set up a separate courtyard for them. As long as the methods are appropriate, this can continue year after year and will not be in vain for the effort we are putting in now."
Doctor Luo did not expect Qing Wu to mention "managing the palace maids." He paused for a moment and lowered his head to look at the flickering fire in the stove.
"Let me think about it," he said, shaking his head with a sigh. "I need to ponder this matter carefully before I can give you an answer."
Since it was a significant change, it naturally could not be accomplished overnight.
Today was merely the initial discussion with Doctor Luo about this matter. Qing Wu did not anticipate that in just a few brief sentences, Doctor Luo had already contemplated it so thoroughly; this situation was indeed much better than she had initially expected.
Upon hearing that Doctor Luo needed some time to consider, Qing Wu responded appropriately. She helped him set aside the utensils needed for preparing medicine and then took her leave.
When lunch was about to be served, Dou Mama returned. Upon hearing that Qing Wu was at Zhaoyuan Palace, she did not return to Ningxin Pavilion but went directly to Zhaoyuan Palace to see her.
At this time, Qing Wu was in the Imperial Study accompanying Huo Yun'ai in reading.
She dared not forget that her duty was as a Lady-in-Waiting. If she mishandled this matter, it might draw criticism. Therefore, after returning from the Imperial Medical Institute, she went straight to the Imperial Study.
She originally intended to see if there was anything she needed to do. However, Huo Yun'ai did not allow her to worry too much about trivial matters; everything had already been prepared by others in advance.
The ink had already been ground by Li Zi. The tea had been set out early by Uncle Yu. The desk had also been tidied up by them.
When Qing Wu approached, she found herself mostly just standing there in a daze. So she hesitated and stood beside Huo Yun'ai, wanting to help pass documents back and forth. However, he moved quickly. Before she could act, he had already set down what he had read and picked up another one.
Qing Wu paused for a moment, then decided to stand still, lowering her head to look at the two feet of ground in front of her.
Huo Yun'ai, seeing this, couldn't help but chuckle. Smiling, he called out to her and pushed a stack of books from the side of the desk toward her. He then continued to lower his head and review the memorials.
When Qing Wu had come over earlier, she had noticed those books. They were more than two feet high and had not originally been placed on Huo Yun'ai's desk, so they appeared quite out of place at first glance.
She thought they were books that Huo Yun'ai had recently intended to read, so she only glanced at them without giving it much thought. Little did she know they were meant for her to read?
Qing Wu felt puzzled. She tried to lift them all at once but found it impossible. So, she divided them into three trips and moved the large stack of books to the nearby table. Picking up the top book, she glanced at the title and was taken aback. After flipping through it briefly, she realized it was about the establishment of female officials in ancient times.
Suddenly, a thought popped into her mind. She quickly set that book down and skimmed through some of the others beneath it.
Indeed, every single one of these books was related to that topic.
Only then did Qing Wu understand; these were likely the books that Huo Yun'ai had found from the library during New Year when he had nothing else to do. The purpose was to help her complete the matter of "managing palace maids."
A warm feeling surged in her heart. She couldn't help but raise her eyes to see the young man diligently focused on his work, carefully observing his cold and serious brows…
After a long while.
Huo Yun'ai tossed aside his red brush and helplessly rubbed his forehead.
Qing Wu suddenly came back to her senses and hurried over, asking with concern, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Huo Yun'ai chuckled lightly and said, "If you keep looking at me like that, I fear I won't finish reviewing these memorials by tomorrow."
Qing Wu suddenly understood. He was clearly distracted because she had been staring at him for too long.
She was about to argue when he lowered his voice and whispered in her ear, "How about this? After dinner, when there's nothing to do, we can drink under the moonlight. That way, you can look as long as you want. What do you think?"
Qing Wu was immediately embarrassed. Annoyed, she pushed him away and turned to walk out the door. Just a few steps later, she happened to see Li Zi opening the door a crack. Through the gap, he was waving at her from outside, clearly urging her to come out.
Once outside, she saw Dou Mama standing nearby. Qing Wu was somewhat surprised that she had returned so quickly and asked, "How is he? Is he alright?"
Regarding Qiwen Young Master's condition, Dou Mama shook her head and sighed, "Not so good. He had an argument with someone and after returning to the inn, he locked himself in his room alone. I noticed he hadn't shown any signs of coming out for a long time, so I came back first." After a pause, she suggested, "Why not go check on him later?"
Qing Wu considered it for a moment and said, "Forget it. I'll wait a few more days."
It was only around the Lantern Festival that she finally had a day off. Before that, she couldn't leave the palace. Even if she knew his condition wasn't good, she couldn't help him.
Qing Wu didn't expect that Huo Yun'ai would directly obtain a schedule of the physicians on duty from the Imperial Medical Department after hearing her conversation with Doctor Luo. The schedule listed all the dates and times each physician was on duty for the month, including Doctor Luo's.
From that day on, whenever Doctor Luo was on duty and Qing Wu had nothing to do, she would visit him.
If he was busy, she'd just say hello and leave. If Doctor Luo had time, they would discuss in detail the matter they had previously mentioned.
In the end, Doctor Luo was moved by her persistence and agreed to consider feasible methods carefully.
Qing Wu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Although things were progressing smoothly on Doctor Luo's side, Qing Wu encountered some resistance with Yen Mama.
Before the New Year, Dou Mama had promised Qing Wu that she would often visit Yen Mama's place, so she started going to the Brewery from time to time.
At that time, the relationship between Qing Wu, Dou Mama, and Yen Mama had improved significantly. Both Dou Mama and Yen Mama were straightforward people. After putting aside their prejudices and speaking calmly with each other, they found it quite easy to talk.
Things had originally been developing in a positive direction. However, after a year, when the two returned to the Brewery, they were met with a cold reception.
Yen Mama was nowhere to be found, and neither were Qing Wu and Dou Mama. No matter how nicely Qing Wu tried to approach, it was of no use.
Qing Wu felt helpless.
Before leaving, she knocked on the closed door and asked Yen Mama, "If you refuse to meet me, could you at least give me a reason?" It was better than being rejected without knowing anything.
At first, there was no sound from inside the room.
Just as she was about to give up and take a few steps away, she heard Yen Mama's voice from within.
"If the master is secretly meeting with that Jade Orchid behind my back, why bother coming here to put in so much effort?"
Qing Wu paused in her steps and stopped.
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