Denghuaxiao

Chapter 211: Recruiting Peach Blossoms

 It will be dawn the next day.

Lu Zhen got up early in the morning to wash up, put on a lotus-colored narrow-sleeved cotton skirt, and sat at the table to comb his hair.

There are various silk flowers in the wooden box at the corner of the table. She has no other jewelry, except her sister's hibiscus hairpin, and that's all.

However, in the wooden box today, there is an extra peony-patterned wood-carved comb.

 The colorful hair comb she won in "Lanye Douqiao" is much smaller than the one she usually uses. It is not convenient to comb her hair, so it is suitable for inserting it between her hair and combing it down.

Lu Zhen's eyes fell on the comb in the wooden box. After a long time, he reached out and picked it up.

 The woman in the mirror was not wearing makeup and looked at her hesitantly.

 She hesitated for a moment, and finally inserted the comb into her bun.

 …

"Snapped-"

 The porcelain pot in the house was smashed to pieces.

As soon as Qi Yutai reached the door, he was stopped by the guards.

“Young master, I have ordered you not to go out these days.”

Qi Yutai slapped him and said, "Who do you think you are? How dare you stop this young master!"

The guard did not dare to speak, but he did not move out of the way of the house door.

 Qi Yu looked anxious on the table.

　　For several days, he was locked in the house without being able to leave.

 This was even more painful for him than going to jail.

The longer he stayed at home, the worse his drug addiction became. It was like there was a fire in his heart that could not be relieved. He just wanted to run out of the house immediately and take a packet of cold food powder before he could stop.

Hanshi Powder is hard to find in Beijing these days, but a few days ago, he learned from Lu Zhuo another alternative to Hanshi Powder. Qi Yutai was doubtful. He originally wanted to send someone to prepare the recipe according to Lu Zhuo's instructions and find someone to try it. However, now that his father's spies were everywhere inside and outside the courtyard, he could not move his father's people at all.

 He wanted to go out in person, but for some unknown reason, the government's supervision on him had become even tighter in the past few days, and now he couldn't even leave the courtyard.

 Qi Yutai’s heart is like a cat scratching his head.

At the corner of the desk, Lingxi Incense burned quietly. The originally fragrant agarwood could not calm him down, but made him even more irritable. Qi Yutai grabbed the incense burner and slammed it against the door. With a "dong" sound, the burner was full of incense ashes scattered on the floor.

 One foot stopped in front of the incense burner.

Qi Qing stood at the door, looking across the mess on the ground, and spoke calmly.

"What are you doing?"

Qi Yutai was stunned: "Father?"

 Qi Qing is here.

Qi Qing stepped forward, walked around the broken porcelain pieces and incense ashes all over the house, entered the house, and stood in front of the house: "What are you making a fuss about?"

Father's tone was calm, and Qi Yutai shuddered.

 But soon, anxiety overcame fear, and he said: "Dad, I want to go out."

"no."

"Why not?" Qi Yutai tried his best to explain, "Dad, you see, I have been fine these days, and I haven't made any mistakes... I haven't gone out for a long time. I just go out for a walk and nothing else."

“The ceremony in the palace is approaching. If you are not recovered from your illness, it would be best for you to rest in the palace..."

 “I’m not sick at all!”

 Suddenly, Qi Yutai interrupted him.

Qi Qing had a meal.

 Qi Yutai scratched his head, his expression full of anxiety.

"I'm not sick at all." He repeated: "Both the man named Lu and Cui Min said that I was just temporarily frightened by the evil wind. Why don't you always believe it?"

Lu Zhen and Cui Min both told him that he was only temporarily frightened, not really epileptic.

Qi Qing looked at him, his tone still unquestionable: "No."

　　No, no, no, no. What his father told him the most was no.

 The scent of Lingxi Incense in the room was blown to the ground, and the aroma became stronger. Qi Yutai felt a surge of anger filling his chest.

 “You are still injured, so don’t startle yourself at will to avoid being frightened again.”

 “Stop making excuses!”

Qi Yutai couldn't bear it anymore and yelled: "You keep thinking about me, but you don't let me go out. You are not worried about my health, but you are worried that I will get sick in the middle and lose the face of the Taishi Mansion. You are afraid that I will become a stain on the Taishi Mansion. You are really worried that I will become a stain on the Taishi Mansion." Hide me!"

 The deathly silence in the room.

The guard maids stood at the door with their heads lowered, not daring to look this way.

Qi Qing was still looking at him quietly, his gray and gloomy eyes without any emotion, indifferent, disappointed and uncaring.

Qi Yutai suddenly felt resentment in his heart.

always like this.

 Father is always like this.

No matter what he said or did, no matter how big the trouble was, his father would never get angry or shout or scold him. He would only accuse him calmly, and then look at him calmly with that disappointed look in his eyes.

It seems that all his actions and behaviors cannot arouse any emotional fluctuations in the other party, and are just dispensable decorations.

 Obviously he has never treated Qi Huaying like this.

 He took two steps back and suddenly laughed miserably.

Lu Zhen said that she had been naughty since she was a child, but her father was strict with her, but she would always praise her and praise her.

An old man named Yang from Mangming Township, his son is a fool, but his father is still proud when talking about it with others.

Their casual remarks sounded particularly harsh in his ears.

 He cannot get what he wants, and he is jealous because of it.

“Have you thought I was a lunatic since you were a child?” Qi Yutai suddenly said.

Before Qi Qing could speak, he added: "You have felt this way since I was five years old."

 He actually did not start getting sick five years ago.

　　is earlier.

Qi Yutai vaguely remembered that his father was very kind to him in the past, but he changed after that. Qi Qing treated him lukewarmly, like an item that failed to be made. He couldn't destroy it but didn't want to admit it. He could only put it in the mansion as a dispensable decoration.

 Hide your dislike by not being emotionally involved and watching indifferently.

The servants in the mansion are very secretive about what happened many years ago, but after all, he is the only legitimate son of the Taishi Mansion. If he wants to know, he can eventually find out something.

"I said Huamei can kill people, but you don't believe it. I said someone in Fengle Tower wants to harm me, but you don't care."

“Dad, do you really think that I am a lunatic? What I say is all crazy!”

Qi Qing lowered his eyes: "You are too excited and need to calm down."

 “I told you I’m not sick!”

Qi Yutai shouted: "If you dislike me, kill me, just like my mother did. If you die, you won't bring shame to the Grand Master's Palace—"

"Snapped-"

 There was a crisp sound in the house.

Qi Yutai covered his face and looked at the person in front of him in disbelief.

 The old man's gray eyes stared at him, always making waves in the calm water. The anger made those eyes look cold and sinister, which frightened Qi Yutai's furious heart for a moment before he gradually calmed down.

Qi Qing looked at him gloomily, and Qi Yutai did not dare to speak for a while.

 After a moment, Qi Qing turned around and said coldly: "I'm recovering at home, and I'm not allowed to leave the yard."

 He turned around and walked out of the house.

After leaving the yard, the housekeeper who had been standing at the door followed him and whispered: "The young master was in a hurry today and said what he said. Please don't take it seriously."

 “He mentioned Shuhui…”

Qi Qing closed his eyes.

 “Obstacle.”

 …

 The maids in the house bent down to pick up the broken porcelain pieces on the floor, and cleaned the incense ashes from the blanket.

 Qi Yutai sat at the table, his eyebrows gloomy.

There was burning pain on the slapped face. Qi Qing slapped him with all his strength.

 He touched his face, and there were vague marks gradually swelling.

Someone came in from outside the door. Qi Yutai raised his eyelids. Lu Zhuo entered the room and put the medical box on the table. He paused when his eyes fell on his face.

The swelling and scars on his face were still there, and anyone could tell that he had been slapped. It was easy to imagine the people who dared to attack him in the entire Taishi Mansion.

Lu Yan lowered his head and opened the medical box. She didn't ask anything, which made Qi Yutai feel even more humiliated. He was sure that the doctor who was pretending to be calm was laughing at him in her heart at this moment.

“Have Mr. Qi taken the medicine?” she asked.

 “Falled.”

 He ​​was always like this. He threw away the medicine Lu Zhu cooked, and she had to cook another bowl. It was hot in summer, and waiting in front of the medicine stove was a chore.

Qi Yutai likes to use this kind of trivial things to rub her.

Lu Zhen nodded without any trace of impatience, "I'll fry another one."

 The pleasure of torturing people disappears in the other person's calmness.

Qi Yutai cursed secretly. No matter what, Lu Zhuo could at least go in and out of the Taishi Mansion every day, but he had to be imprisoned here. Even a lowly ordinary person was freer than him.

 Qi Yutai felt a sudden movement in his heart when he saw Lu Zhu bend down and take out the silver jar from the medical box.

 He held Lu Zhuo's arm.

 Lu Zhen looked at him.

“You told me last time that you could find a substitute for Hanshi Powder?”

"yes."

 “You do it, and bring it to me when you’re done.”

Lu Zhuo looked at him in surprise and said, "Master Qi, you have just recovered from a serious illness. It is not appropriate to take other medicines."

 “Cut the nonsense!”

Qi Yutai grabbed her hand hard. His action was so brutal that Lu Xu frowned slightly.

This uncomfortable look actually made him feel relieved for a moment.

"Medical Officer Lu, I'm not afraid to tell you," he said coldly, "It's not easy to get out after entering the Grand Master's Mansion. Even if you cure me, you will still die as long as I am unhappy."

"Don't think that if you please my father, you will be safe. Cui Min was also my father's dog at the beginning, and now he has met a miserable end."

 He approached Lu Yan and said in a scornful tone, "Instead of trying to please my father, it's better to please me. If you serve me to your satisfaction, maybe I will be soft-hearted and won't make things difficult for you anymore. Otherwise..."

"I have a lot of ways to make you stay in the Qi family for the rest of your life, and you can't live but die!"

 The last sentence suddenly sounded sinister.

 Lu Zong remained silent.

 Qi Yutai stared at her intently.

 After a moment, Lu Zhuo spoke.

“If the Grand Master knew about this, I would die.”

Qi Yutai looked relieved: "I won't let him know."

“Although this substance is not as toxic as Hanshi Powder, it can only be taken in small amounts. If it is overdosed, there will still be endless consequences.”

 “I know it well.”

 The house became quiet.

The guard and the maid glanced over and saw Qi Yutai holding Lu Zhu's arm, as if to threaten him, and then turned their faces in unison, pretending not to notice.

Qi Yutai let go of his hand: "Have you thought about it?"

On the table, the rekindled Lingxi incense was fragrant. In the thin green smoke, Lu Zhu lowered his eyes.

 “I’ll give it a try,” she said.

 …

　　The martial arts field was busy all morning during the day, and at noon when meals were being served in the small kitchen, the guards were all running particularly diligently.

When Pei Yunying came back from the martial arts field, Xiao Zhufeng had just moved two large baskets of feather arrows into the yard.

“Didn’t you go into the palace?” Pei Yunying asked, “Why are you back again?”

 Xiao Zhufeng dusted off his hands and entered the house without saying a word.

Pei Yunying looked slightly relieved when she saw him like this. She followed him back to the house and asked, "What happened?"

Xiao Zhufeng said: "The prince is under house arrest."

Pei Yun paused.

“Someone was tampering with food and drink in Concubine Chen’s palace, and drugging the palace maid identified him as someone from the Queen’s Palace.”

 “House arrest is the emperor’s intention.”

Pei Yunying sat down on the chair, thought for a while, and chuckled.

"Huangmaogang and his party, the prince and the third prince were attacked at the same time. Now only the prince is punished, and he is also his son. The emperor's intention is really biased."

Xiao Zhufeng said: "That was because something happened in the Grand Master's Mansion before, so the emperor moved faster." At this point, he looked at Pei Yunying: "Now for everything, I have to thank your medical officer Lu."

This ridicule can no longer stir up trouble in the other party. Pei Yunying shrugged and said nonchalantly: "The time is just right, Qishui is about to leave."

During the messenger chaos, Emperor Liang Mingzhi, General Zhenwei, went to be a cruel person. Maybe he really wanted to put an end to the chaos, or maybe, Shengjing was about to have a storm, and he wanted to drive away all the variables that might arise, so as to clear the way for and protect the son whom the emperor truly loved.

He is truly a loving father.

"I think there will be some action in the palace after the ceremony at the latest." Xiao Zhufeng nodded, "The Qi family will be useless by then. You can use the Qi family as a favor and give it to your savior."

"That's not possible," Pei Yunying said, "It's not like you don't know. It's more satisfying to take revenge yourself."

Xiao Zhufeng sneered: "Pretentious."

Just as he was talking, Duan Xiaoyan walked in from the door, holding a porcelain vase and a handful of pink roses in his arms.

He placed the vase on the cabinet in the corner of the room, picked up the pot and poured half of the bottle of water into it, and then filled the vase with roses. Then he took two steps back, looked at it for a moment, and said with satisfaction: "Very good!"

Pi Yunying and Xiao Zhufeng looked at him and frowned at the same time: "What are you doing?"

 “Attract peach blossoms!”

Duan Xiaoyan explained cheerfully, "I went to West Street to get some medicine, and I met the fortune teller He Xiazizi. He said that our front office has too many men and too much yang energy, so the feng shui is not good for marriage."

“He taught me a trick: place a vase of flowers in the southeast corner of the house and change them frequently every day. Within the third month, the peach blossoms are bound to come and Hong Luan’s heart will flutter. It’s very effective!”

Pei Yunying was speechless and asked him: "How much did you spend?"

"One tael of silver." Duan Xiaoyan said anxiously: "Brother, believe me, he is definitely not a liar, he is a very good deal, and he also gave me a consecration bracelet. Hey, brother Yun Ying, I think you should go and see it too , I heard that he also has a red talisman. If you wear it after making it, your love will go smoothly, and the person you love will definitely fall in love with you. Don’t you covet the position of Medical Officer Lu’s fiancé? “Why don’t you get one too?”

"I just asked for all the brothers, and Blind He said that the more you buy, the cheaper it will be. If you like it, I can buy one for you too?"

Pei Yunying said expressionlessly: "Don't do that kind of thing."

"Can…"

"You should buy one." Xiao Zhufeng said seriously: "At the moment, it seems that your love life is quite bumpy."

 “You should say this to yourself.”

Pei Yunying looked at him with a smile: "After all, you haven't even found the road anywhere."

　　　…”

 …

 In the evening, Lu Zhuo came out of Taishi's Mansion and went back to West Street.

Yin Zheng was sweeping the fallen leaves under the plum tree at the door. When he saw her coming back, he put down his broom and shouted inside with a smile: "The girl is back."

Miao Liangfang was lying in front of the medicine cabinet counting the newly collected medicinal materials. Seeing this, he craned his neck and asked Lu Zhuo: "Xiao Lu is back? You came back early today. There is food left in the kitchen, including your favorite red date cake."

Lu Zhen agreed before entering the room. Yin Zheng looked at her, his eyes fell on her hair, and he said in surprise as if he had discovered something: "Why did the girl change her jewelry today?"

Miao Liangfang was startled, and Acheng also looked up after hearing this.

Lu Tong only has one hairpin in total. He usually uses silk flowers made of silver zither. Now there is an engraved comb inserted in the bun. Although it is not gorgeous, compared with before, it is already very eye-catching.

Everyone praised him.

Lu Zong touched the comb, feeling a flash of uneasiness in his heart.

Miao Liangfang's eyes were full of love, and he smiled and said: "Yes, the little girl should dress up more. When she is dressed like this, she will look energetic, just like the fairies in the paintings in the temple."

“Hey,” Yin Zheng came closer to take a closer look, “It’s strange, when did the girl buy this comb? Why haven’t I seen it before?”

Lu Zhen has never been interested in decoration, and she would not take the initiative to buy jewelry and hairpins on weekdays. It is rare to see her wearing a new pattern, which inevitably arouses curiosity.

Lu Zhen paused and said, "This is a gift from Lin Danqing." He then changed his subject and said, "Why don't you see Shopkeeper Du?"

“He was feeling unwell and went back in the afternoon,” Acheng said.

Lu Zhen nodded and asked again: "Shopkeeper Du seems to be leaving very early these days."

Although Du Changqing was not keen on staying at the medical clinic in the past, he would always wait until the sun had completely set before leaving. However, I don't know what he has been busy with in the past few days. Whenever Lu Zhuo comes back from the Grand Master's Mansion, Du Changqing is nowhere to be seen in the medical clinic.

Even Acheng left later than Du Changqing.

 It’s really abnormal.

　　Lu Zhen asked: “Are you sick?”

“Shopkeeper Du is such a big man, and he is not a child. He can get sick so easily. The girl should take care of herself first.”

Yin Zheng smiled and opened the felt curtain, "I'll go to the kitchen to heat up the food. Remember to come in and eat after the girl has rested."

Lu Zong hummed, and felt that Yin Zheng's attitude was a little strange today, so he looked at the two people in Lipu.

"What happened?"

Miao Liangfang shook his head and sighed. Acheng pulled Lu Huan to the corner and said mysteriously: "Doctor Lu, don't you know? My boss has been hurt by love. He has been recuperating in the house recently and doesn't want to go out to meet people. "

 “Sentimentally hurt?”

 Lu Zhen was stunned.

 She was busy with matters in the Grand Master's Mansion these days and had no time to pay attention to the people in the medical clinic. She didn't know when she missed such a big secret.

Du Changqing is a man with no ambitions, but he is calm and composed. Ever since Lu Zhu met him, Du Changqing's love and hate came and went much faster. He was locked up in his house because of his love and felt dejected. This shows that the other party hurt him a lot.

　　Lu Zhen asked: “Who hurt him?”

 The boy glanced behind the felt curtain.

Lu Zhen was surprised: "Yin Zheng?"

 When did Yin Zheng become involved with Du Changqing again?

"Just a few days after Chinese Valentine's Day, Xiao Du and Yin Zheng expressed their feelings."

Miao Liangfang showed sympathy in his eyes, and as he spoke, he sighed, "What two wonderful children, why doesn't Yin Zheng fall in love with Xiao Du?"

He Xiazizi: Some metaphysics, starting at 20% off for group purchases (.)

　　(End of this chapter)