Denghuaxiao

Chapter 179 Privy Council

 In the right gate of the south wall of the palace, go eastward to the veranda on the back and you will find the Privy Council.

Lu Zong followed a man in green official uniform and stopped under the verandah.

The man said: "Medical Officer Lu, here we are."

 Lu Zhuo raised his eyes.

This is a very grand official residence. Two lions are placed in front of the main entrance of the porch, which is majestic. This is for the officials of the Privy Council to enter the palace through the Youye Gate to work and go to court, opposite to the Zhongshu Province.

The man in green official uniform waved the token to the guard in front of the door. The guard stepped aside, and Lu Zhuo followed the man and walked in.

The official residence is very large. Although it is not as gorgeous as the Si Li's Mansion, it is more spacious than the Palace Commander's Mansion. The man led Lu Zhuo through the long corridor, around the inner room, and entered a large room. There was a stone staircase under the house, half of which was sunk into the ground. Lu Zhuo followed the man down the steps. Once he passed the narrow steps, he saw in front of him Suddenly clear.

The torch hanging on the wall is dim and dim. There are no windows on all sides. A long corridor leads to the end of the sight. It is obscured by deeper darkness and cannot see what is inside.

　　Seems to be a dark room.

There was a rustling sound, like the sound of heavy objects being dragged, along with a heavy smell of blood.

The person in front of him picked up an extinguished torch from the wall, took out the torch and lit it. The place where Lu Zhu was was suddenly illuminated. The next moment, Lu Zhu's pupils shrank.

Not far from her feet, five or six corpses were lying neatly, covered with white cloth. The white cloth was soaked with blood, and the broken and twisted human body could be faintly seen under the cloth, exuding a sense of silence and death.

In the silence, a voice suddenly sounded from behind: "Coming?"

This voice was like a ghost's moan in the dark room where only breathing could be heard. It was cold and eerie, and Lu Yan suddenly turned around.

At some point, a person stood quietly behind him.

He was a middle-aged man wearing black clothes, with a thin build and a pair of deep and sinister eyes, staring at her coldly.

 Lu Zhen looked at him.

 This is the privy envoy Yan Xu.

 At Huangmaogang Hunting Ground, Lu Zhuo had seen this person before. He had a tit-for-tat confrontation with Pei Yunying on the boulevard under the paddock, and many people saw it.

Regarding Yan Xu, except for his past with Mrs. Xian Zhaoning, Lu Xu knew very little about him, and Miao Liangfang was not familiar with him either. He only knew that the Privy Council and the Palace Chief did not deal with Yan Xu and Pei Yunying. In the human world, each other sees each other as a thorn in the side, and they wish they could get rid of it as soon as possible.

 She nodded slightly: "My lord."

 A scrutinizing gaze fell on her.

Lu Zong calmly let him look at him, and he was also paying attention to this person in his heart.

 Last time I had a quick glance at Huangmaogang, now I have a chance to see this person's appearance clearly. The man's facial features were mediocre, his figure was not strong, and he was a little lean. He only had a pair of bright and slender eyes, as fierce and sharp as an eagle, with a bloodthirsty aura.

Between his eyebrows, there was an inch-long scar passing from the corner of his eye. Under the dim and dark room, it looked even more ferocious and terrifying.

Somehow, Lu Yan's heart was inexplicably plundered by a ridiculous idea. Listening to Lin Danqing said that the selection of talents in the palace of the palace should be tested. Now seeing the appearance of this promotion, there is no such rule to choose to choose from the Privy Courtyard.

 No wonder Mrs. Zhaoning refused to get married.

 She was thinking about these irrelevant things, and her nervousness had dissipated a lot.

Yan Xu also saw the change in her expression.

After a moment, he said solemnly: "Medical Officer Lu is quite courageous, and his expression does not change even when he sees the dead."

 Lu Zhen replied: "Dead people are also sick when they are alive."

She raised her eyes and looked at Yan Xu: "I wonder, sir, where is the sick person now?"

Yan Xu was slightly surprised, but soon he looked at the green-clothed official beside Lu Shu. The man understood, lowered his head and walked into the corridor. After a while, he dragged his body out again.

It is said that he has a body, but it is not realistic. This person is still alive, but only half of his body is cut off from the waist to the legs, but he has not been properly treated. His whole body looks like he was fished out of a bucket of blood. Come on, I can't see a good piece of meat clearly.

As the person was being dragged along, there was a "rustling" sound in the silence. It was the sound of a broken leg rubbing on the ground. When I heard it, I felt a chill on my spine. Under the light of the fire, a long line of dragging blood was left behind, winding. He stopped in front of Lu Yan.

The man let go, and the broken body hit Lu Zhu's feet with a "thud" sound. Lu Zhu's heart tightened when he heard it, and he subconsciously looked down.

This man's eyes were blurred, and he was obviously in trouble.

“It is said that Lu’s medical officials are very skilled in their skills, and their dry bones give rise to flesh.”

Yan Xu stared at Lu Zhuo's face closely and slowly uttered three words.

 “Save him.”

 …

It was a hot summer day. Gardenia and a few small black dogs huddled together under the tree at the entrance of the Palace Commander's Mansion, hiding in the shade to enjoy the coolness.

When Pei Yunying came back, Xiao Zhufeng was pouring the rock sugar plum suds drink from the pot.

Decocted with black plum, kudzu root, perilla and water, it is refreshing and refreshing in summer, sweet and sour, and is Duan Xiaoyan's favorite.

Xiao Zhufeng poured a cup and frowned after taking a sip: "Why is it so sweet? How much sugar did Duan Xiaoyan put in it?"

Pei Yunying also took a cup, took a sip and said, "I think it's okay."

 Xiao Zhufeng put the cup further away: "Why do you taste sweeter and sweeter now?"

In the past, Pei Yunying, the front clerk, was the most unaccustomed to sweets. Now he not only occasionally orders the kitchen to make some sweet snacks, but also asks Duan Xiaoyan to buy honey cakes from Qinghe Street.

 As if being robbed.

"Is there any?" Pei Yunying disagreed, "You must be suffering too much."

 Xiao Zhufeng choked for a moment and said expressionlessly: "It's a bit of a hard life."

Pei Yunying glanced at him and said, "Why do you say that? I haven't treated you badly."

 Xiao Zhufeng glanced at him, "Has His Highness seen you?"

Hearing this, the smile on Pei Yunying's face faded.

After the Huangmaogang hunting ground incident, the conflict between the prince and the third prince became increasingly fierce, and the Qi family was involved. Although the palace minister was not directly involved, he finally gained a place in the rumors because of the news about his affair with Lu Zhu.

 For Pei Yunying himself, it is not a good thing.

 He has a lot of upcoming troubles to deal with.

Xiao Zhufeng's voice came to my ears: "Your Highness, are you calm?"

Pei Yunying came to his senses and muttered: "More than calm."

Not only was he calm, but he was even a little cheerful as if he was just watching the excitement. He remembered that the other person was sitting on a chair, looking at him with curiosity: "Yun Ying, what does Medical Officer Lu look like? Is he prettier? Better than the one from the Qi family." Does a young lady still need to be good-looking?”

 He suddenly felt a little headache.

 Xiao Zhufeng glanced at him: "That's good, Lu Zhuo returned to the medical hospital early this morning."

Pei Yunying nodded and picked up the official documents piled on the table: "I know."

 “Aren’t you going to meet her?”

"She just went back. She is very busy, so she will come later. I also have official business to deal with."

Xiao Zhufeng nodded, picked up the brochure on the table and stood up to go out. When he reached the door, he stopped and looked at the person at the table without hesitating to speak.

“You really don’t want to see her?” he reminded. “I thought you would keep an eye on her twelve hours a day for protection.”

Pei Yunying sneered: "I'm not a pervert."

Xiao Zhufeng said "hmm" and still stood at the door without leaving.

Pei Yunying realized something, suddenly raised her head, stared at him and asked, "What happened?"

 The house is quiet.

Xiao Zhufeng coughed lightly and turned his head to avoid Pei Yunying's gaze: "I have something... I want to tell you... calm down first."

"explain."

“Early this morning, Lu Zhuo went out to treat people.”

"who?"

 Xiao Zhufeng looked away: "...people from the Privy Council."

 …

 A cold dark room with a dimly lit torch.

 The thick smell of blood lingered in the small space. Lu Zhen lowered his head and carefully wiped the wounds all over the body of the person in front of him.

It is a bit reluctant to call him a "person". Before he was washed, the scars were not visible. Only after being scrubbed with cloth did he realize that this person's wounds were shocking.

There was no intact piece of flesh left on this man's body. His hands were broken, his legs were cut off, and his ten fingers were bloody. There were countless marks left by iron hooks and irons on his body. What was even more frightening was that he suffered such serious injuries. This man is still alive, but he probably won't live long.

It is impossible to save this kind of injury.

Lu Zhen didn’t know the identity of this person or what he had done to deserve such treatment. Yan Xu asked her to save people, so she saved people. As for other things, she didn’t ask.

Beside her, the man in green official uniform obeyed Lu Yan's words and brought her clean hot water. Yan Xu sat on a chair in the corner of the dark room and stared at her movements coldly.

Lu Zhen could feel the other person's scrutinizing gaze falling on her, but she had no time to care about it at the moment. The man was too seriously injured, so she could only hang him alive with a needle, and her hair gradually became wet with sweat.

The last needle was pulled out from the hair of the person in front of him. Lu Zhuo wiped away the blood from the patient's lips with a handkerchief, and stuffed a pill into the base of his servant's tongue.

The man was still lying on the ground, his chest rising and falling a little more steadily than before, he opened his mouth, and let out his first moan since he appeared.

woke up.

Yan Xu stood up, walked to Lu Huan's side, looked down at the person at his feet: "Did you save him?"

 “Three hours.”

"What?"

Lu Zhu dipped his hands in the water that was stained red, washed them, wiped them with a handkerchief, then stood up and said to Yan Xu: "This man is seriously injured, and the lower official has used the Guiyuan Pill to hang his hands." He still has three hours to live."

The face of the person in front of him was uncertain: "Doctor Lu, didn't you understand what I said? I asked you to save him."

Lu Zhen was unmoved and calmly replied: "Sir, I am a doctor, not the king of hell. I cannot live if I want anyone to live, and die if I want someone to die."

This was a bold rebuttal, and the subordinate in green couldn't help but glance at Lu Huan.

Yan Xu stared at Lu Huo with a pair of eagle eyes for a long time. After a while, he sneered and said: "That makes sense. Someone -"

He glanced at the dying man on the ground and said, "Tug him back." He looked at Lu Huan with a smile: "You have been busy for so long, Medical Officer Lu has also worked hard. Let's stay and have a cup of tea before leaving."

 Lu Zhen's heart sank.

Yan Xu didn't let him go immediately, it was clear that Yan Xu wanted to keep her here.

The man in green clothes in front of her didn't wait for Lu Zhuo to reply, then walked up to her and motioned for her to follow him.

Lu Zong paused for a moment, put the medical kit on his back, then turned around and said softly: "Yes, sir."

 …

 The coldness of the darkroom was gradually left behind. When we came up the steps, the sun was shining brightly outside.

Yan Xu’s subordinates sent Lu Zhuo to a teahouse and left.

Lu Zong sat at the table and looked around.

This seems to be Yan Xu's study or tea room.

There is no decoration. There is a dark wood bookshelf behind it and a long dark desk. The chairs and couches in the room are all square, the color is dull and old-fashioned, and there are not even square bonsai antiques.

Jin Xianrong was the Minister of Household Affairs, Zuo Cao, and the Office of Li was renovated to a particularly magnificent state, not to mention Qi Yutai. However, Yan Xu was a Privy Council commander with a high position and was in charge of military affairs in Daliang, but the house was surprisingly old-fashioned and dull.

Lu Zhen thought to himself, and paused suddenly when his eyes passed over the wall behind him.

In this gloomy study room, on the wall opposite the bookshelf, there was a silk painting hanging.

 The painting is a picture of sunset in the mountains.

 The sky is clear after the rain, the wind is clear and the water is beautiful, a patch of red clouds dye the river water red, and a pair of flying egrets are startled.

The painter's brushstrokes are both delicate and grand, and the splashes of gold and red are eye-catching. This bright color brightens up the dull study, and the dull and deep colors are actually a little more tender.

Lu Zhen was watching intently when footsteps came from behind him and Yan Xu walked in from outside the door.

The man changed into a black robe with a round collar embroidered with unicorns, making him look even more cold and gloomy. He sat down at the table, and just then his subordinate came in, bent down and offered two cups of hot tea, and then quietly left, closing the door. On.

The room was extremely quiet, and you could faintly hear the birds chirping outside the window.

Lu Zhen looked at the person in front of him calmly.

Without the dimness of the dungeon just now, the other party's facial features appeared clearer. The long scar at the corner of the man's eye looked particularly hideous under the sun, as if it was just a hair away from scratching his eye.

 Very scary.

“I heard that the new medical officer of Hanlin Medical College has superb medical skills. When I see him today, he is well-deserved.” He spoke, breaking the silence in the room.

Lu Zhen lowered his eyes: "Your Excellency, I am so complimentary. Lu Zhen is too embarrassed to deserve it."

Yan Xu picked up the tea, took a sip, and smiled lightly: "I am an ordinary person, sitting in a restaurant on West Street, helpless, and relying on my own efforts to win the Spring Examination and enter the Medical Officer's Hospital..."

“Medical Officer Lu is amazing.”

Lu Zong looked at the tea soup in front of him.

The tea soup is clear, and the tea leaves float and stretch in the water, like a slowly blooming flower.

 She smiled: "It's just a fluke."

 “A fluke?”

Yan Xu narrowed his eyes slightly: "Dong Changming, Minister of Taifu Temple, Pei Yunshu, Princess of Wenjun County, Jin Xianrong, Minister of Household Affairs..."

“The wealthy people saved by Medical Officer Lu were not just lucky.”

 There is wind blowing outside the window, and the shadows of the flowers are swaying. The aroma of tea filled the whole room, covering up the smell of blood on the tip of the nose in the darkroom just now.

After a moment of silence, Lu Yan spoke quietly: "My fate is mine, and my own blessings are my own. I am from a humble background. Only by devoting myself to studying medicine can I win the favor of noble people and make the adults laugh."

 “It’s up to me to seek a good life for myself.”

Yan Xu held up the tea and took a sip of it leisurely, "So, it was Medical Officer Lu who asked for the public protection of Commander Pei in front of the palace?"

Hearing this, Lu Zhuo frowned slightly.

Behind the white mist rising from the tea soup, Yan Xu's gloomy eyes stared at her unfathomably.

Lu Zhen didn't speak, and was thinking quickly in his heart.

The former secretary of the palace and the Privy Council are sworn enemies. Yan Xu suddenly came to her to test her with words, which sounded like she was related to Pei Yunying.

There are rumors in the palace that she and Pei Yun are not clear about each other. Perhaps in Yan Xu's eyes, she and Pei Yun are not clear about each other either. If he wanted to deal with Pei Yunying, he could start from his own end—

 It’s just this attitude that seems a bit intriguing.

Perhaps she was silent for a long time. Yan Xu lowered his head and took another sip of tea. He put down the teacup in his hand and said lightly: "Why don't Doctor Lu drink tea?"

 Lu Zhuo was startled for a moment.

Hot tea is served in a celadon tea cup. The tea soup is green and green. The floating tea leaves are like a pond of green lotus flowers. You can't tell what kind of tea it is. The aroma is so fragrant that it makes your heart tremble.

 “This tea is very good, don’t waste it.”

Yan Xu said: "Try it, Medical Officer Lu."

 It became very quiet all around.

Lu Zhen lowered his head. The tea was no longer steaming like before, and was just warm and cool.

After a long time, she stretched out her hand, raised the teacup, put the teacup to her lips, and was about to drink -

"boom-"

At this moment, a loud noise suddenly came from behind, and the door of the study was kicked open from the outside. Lu Zhu suddenly turned around. The man in green clothes at the door fell to the ground at some point, clutching his stomach and showing pain.

Pei Yunying walked in from the door.

With the silver knife still on his body and his face as cold as ice, he strode up to Lu Xu, grabbed the tea cup from her hand and threw it behind him -

 A "pop" sound.

 The teacup hit the wall and broke into pieces in an instant, and the tea splashed all over the blanket.

Pei Yun's usual warm smile disappeared from his face. He put his long knife on the table and stared at Yan Xu with a cold and piercing gaze.

 “Master Yan.”

 He said coldly: "What do you want to do?"