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Lu Man walked to the doorway, paused, turned around, and asked, “Miss Liu, what kind of pigment do you use on your face?” Then she chuckled, “I’m just curious, why does your skin stay so fair and delicate despite using that stuff every day?”
Liu Xirui smiled and replied, “It’s lead powder mixed with mulberry water. Mulberries are good for beauty and skincare, protecting the skin.”
Lu Man nodded, smiling, “Miss Liu is clever.” She then waved Sweet Pea in her hand, “If you ever urgently need to reach us and happen to have this little thing with you, you can attach a small pouch around its neck. It will come back to us. When your medicine runs out, we’ll have this little one deliver it to you.”
Liu Xirui graciously thanked her again.
Xi exited the gate first, checked for any issues, and the group quickly departed from the Liu residence.
Once they passed through that small gate, Lu Man finally relaxed. Throughout her past and present lives, she had always been a good child and never engaged in sneaky activities.
Inside the Yuling Courtyard, Lu Man emphasized the importance of keeping this matter absolutely confidential, warning against any leaks, as it could ruin He Cheng’s reputation in an instant.
The servants solemnly agreed to keep the secret.
It was already late in the evening, and Liu Xin was worried about Lu Man going back alone. He ran back to Donghui Courtyard, summoned a few guards, and personally came with a carriage to take Lu Man away.
Upon returning to the yard, the loud voice of little Yue and the laughter of Jiang Jiu drifted out of the small window. Entering the east room, she saw Jiang Jiu and little Yue playing on the heated brick bed, while Jiang Zhangkui sat at the table working on his studies.
Jiang Yue usually didn’t stick to Lu Man, but every night, she could only fall asleep in Lu Man’s arms. The wet nurse and maid couldn’t lull her to sleep at night.
The dim candlelight reminded Lu Man of the dim street lamps and the saxophone tune “Going Home” that floated out of shops in her past life.
She had finally come home.
Lu Man walked over, first embracing Jiang Zhangkui and Jiang Jiu before lifting up the eagerly reaching hands of little Yue.
Lu Man kissed her daughter, exchanged a few jokes with Jiang Zhangkui and Jiang Jiu, and then sent the siblings back to their respective courtyards.
The wet nurse and maid bathed little Yue, dressed her in a pink fine fabric embroidered with little ducks, dried her hair, and Lu Man had also finished bathing and changed into pajamas and pants.
Holding her daughter, Lu Man hummed a song from her past, and within moments, the little one fell asleep. Placing her in the crib, covering her with a silk quilt, and giving her a kiss on her tiny upturned nose, Lu Man then rose and headed to the study in the west room.
The next day, the old Marquis arrived early to join them for breakfast.
After breakfast, Lu Man took little Yue to the east room, letting the old Marquis wait for her to wake up before they played together. She hurriedly made her way to the Crane Hall.
Although Princess Changting had not yet risen, she was awake. Hearing Lu Man and Guo whispering in the side room, she said, “Zhanwei’s wife has come, come in.”
Once inside, after the servants had left, Lu Man quietly recounted what she had seen with Liu Xirui the day before, “I observed carefully, and it does indeed resemble the crown prince’s illness…”
Princess Changting’s face grew more serious, whispering, “Although the crown prince has been affected by fetal poison, Empress Dowager and Empress Wang are not innocent. There might be another player behind the scenes. This matter must be kept strictly confidential, and any clues should be dealt with in due time.”
Lu Man nodded and whispered, “I understand. Grandmother, please refrain from worrying too much about court affairs. Let the men handle and think about these matters. Your primary task now is to focus on recuperating and not overburdening yourself with thoughts. This family cannot be without you.”
Princess Changting held Lu Man’s hand, saying, “I know, and I don’t want to die so soon either.” She then instructed, “Be extremely cautious with the prince’s medicine. It’s best to have the master personally prepare it, and your brother should oversee the process.”
Lu Man replied, “I’ve already thought of that. I’ve just sent Xiao Zhong to pick leaves of the Night Yellow Flowers to the Tongren Hall. Cheng will watch as Master Qin prepares the medicine there this afternoon and bring it back after it’s sealed.”
Thirty-six pots of Night Yellow Flowers had all been successfully transplanted and were thriving. After the spring began, they had been moved from the greenhouse to the Donghui Courtyard. Princess Changting knew the value of these flowers and had a portion of the bamboo forest behind Jiang Jiu’s residence in the west cross-courtyard cut down to create a small courtyard called the Rear Cross-Courtyard specifically for these flowers. This way, they were easily managed, and Lu Man could access them whenever needed.
After some thought, Lu Man decided to inform Princess Changting that the eldest Madam sent someone to inquire about whether Xie Shu went to Donghui Courtyard to seek medical treatment.
Princess Changting’s gaze darkened as she said, “You were able to detect the rare poison that affected Mo, and you even managed to produce miraculous pills. Do you have any other poison, like what Mo endured, that even the imperial physicians couldn’t detect?” Seeing Lu Man slightly stunned, she sighed, “It’s Hong. Now that the Hong family has produced a virtuous Lady-in-waiting, she’s become even more audacious, extending her reach to the Eastern Palace. She doesn’t even want the Crown Prince’s Consort to have children, truly courting disaster. She believes that one day the Empress will oust the Crown Prince’s Consort, and the Hong family girl will become Empress. She’s been by my eldest son’s side all along, and I’m worried. Initially, I wanted to catch her mistakes and send her to the Buddhist Hall, but now we can’t wait. We can’t let her meddle in certain matters and bring trouble to this family.” She coldly added, “Originally, Eldest son was worried about Zhanwei’s wife being audacious and causing trouble in the family. Little did he know, the real troublemaker is his inattentive wife.”
Thinking of the “Collection of Cautious Illnesses”, Lu Man chuckled, “I have a prescription that can give her a ‘hidden illness.'” She then whispered a few words to Princess Changting.
After exchanging a few more words, Lu Man told Princess Changting that she needed to visit the Tongren Hall and took her leave.
Entering the Donghui Courtyard, Lu Man, wary of being seen by the old Marquis and Jiang Yue, quickly turned right from the side building and exited through the Gate.
He Cheng had already arranged for a carriage and was waiting in the front courtyard for Lu Man to accompany him to the Tongren Hall, with Xing, Xiao Zhong, and Xiao Xi present. Starting this year, He Cheng had focused primarily on studying medicine and didn’t attend Mr. Feng’s classes every day, only going for one hour every two days.
Currently, the original site of the Tongren Hall was used for consultations, similar to a clinic in the past, now named the Tongren Clinic. The Tongren Medical Lodge was next door, and the pharmacy had been relocated to a quadrangle courtyard on a street adjacent to the Tongren Clinic, named the Tongren Pharmacy. These three locations were collectively referred to as the Tongren Hall.
Due to the existence of miraculous medicines like the Salicylic (Willow Bark) pills and powders, as well as the detoxifying Bai Hezi pills, and the advanced gynecological and cardiac treatment at the Tongren Hall, the place was always bustling with patients, with many coming from out of town due to its reputation.
Li, the manager, was the overall supervisor of these three locations and served as the head of the Tongren Hall.
Though middle-aged, Li had a refined appearance and was now not only the head of the largest medical hall after the Imperial Hospital but also the head of the Tongren Hall, with people lining up to propose marriage to him. However, he turned them all down, still patiently waiting for He Mingzhu.