When Lu Tong arrived at the dormitory compound, darkness had already fallen. She had spent half the day organizing registrations at the Medical Officials’ Court, followed by the afternoon listening to Medical Official Shi Chang Jin lecture the group in the hall about rotation duty arrangements. By the time everyone dispersed, it was already dusk.

The female official who guided her pointed out the path at the medicinal garden entrance before leaving. Lu Tong carried her medical box and belongings as she walked inside. On a medical official’s first day entering the compound, they weren’t required to be on duty – they only needed to familiarize themselves with the dormitory and fellow medical officers. Official duties would begin the following day.

Without any fellow medical officers accompanying her, Lu Tong followed the direction the female official had indicated. The medicinal garden was vast – looking out, the vegetation stretched endlessly, some areas neatly trimmed and well-tended, while other sections grew wild and scattered like weeds and shrubs.

Beyond the sprawling wild grass lay what appeared to be a sea of rose-colored flowers. In the sunset’s glow, their hue was enchanting – viewed from afar, they resembled a cloud of brilliant crimson mist, with a faint fragrance carried by the wind.

Lu Tong only glanced at it briefly before averting her gaze, carefully circumventing the herb fields. After walking for about half an incense stick’s time, the medicinal plots gradually decreased until they disappeared entirely. A row of courtyards appeared before her.

The last rays of sunset vanished below the horizon. In the pitch-black compound, only a few dim lanterns cast a dreary light on the ground.

The compound was divided into two sections – on the left was the medicine storehouse with its black gates tightly locked, while the dormitory was on the right with its gates open. The courtyard was already quite old – after the rain, several roof tiles had been washed away from the eaves, and thick cobwebs covered the corners.

Lu Tong had passed by the Medical Officials’ Court dormitory before coming here – its exterior appeared clean and tidy with spacious courtyards, completely different from the dilapidated state before her eyes.

She had known the Southern Pharmacy was the assignment medical officials least desired, and now she could see why. If the entire Imperial Medical Academy was compared to the palace, with each department as the inner palace, then the Southern Pharmacy appeared to be like the cold palace that no one cared about.

Lu Tong knocked lightly at the door. When no one answered, she pushed it open and entered.

Upon entering, a damp and musty odor assaulted her senses.

The room wasn’t large. An old wooden cabinet stood by the window. The four earthen walls were splattered with stains – whether blood or something else, or perhaps mold from the excessive dampness, she couldn’t tell. Looking closely, the dense patterns were unsettling.

Against the walls were wooden beds, one after another. The beds were narrow and placed close together, with bedding that showed signs of use.

Lu Tong turned to count – twelve beds in total – and made her calculations.

She put her medical box on an empty bed, intending to take out a cloth from her bundle to wipe the dust off the bed. But when she opened the bundle and moved aside the clothing, she froze.

Beneath the neatly folded clothes, silver ingots had been hidden away, with a gray-brown linen sachet on top. The sachet was washed pale and unremarkable-looking but felt heavy. When Lu Tong opened it to look, inside were loose pieces of silver, cut into tiny fragments.

Lu Tong’s fingertips trembled as she held the sachet.

When she left West Street, everyone from the medical hall had come to see her off. Under Du Chang Qing’s endless chatter, Yin Zheng had been more quiet than usual. She had thought Yin Zheng was angry about what she had said the night before, not realizing that Yin Zheng had secretly returned the silver – and even added a sachet of loose silver pieces.

She didn’t know how long it had taken Yin Zheng to save up this bag of silver fragments, but it couldn’t have been easy.

While she was lost in thought, the sound of people talking and laughing came from behind. Lu Tong quickly pulled the bundle’s wrapping over to hide the silver concealed among the clothes.

The laughter abruptly ceased. Lu Tong turned around.

A group of women stood at the doorway. These women weren’t young, and their medical official robes differed from those worn by officials at the Medical Court earlier that day – these were dark brown and stained with unknown substances. Each person appeared agitated, with dark complexions and listless expressions.

The woman in front appeared to be in her thirties, with fine brows and phoenix eyes, a pale narrow face, and black hair piled high on her head, giving her a somewhat harsh appearance. She stood in the doorway’s shadow, regarding Lu Tong with unfriendly eyes.

She didn’t speak, and neither did those around her. The room was already dark and damp, and being coldly appraised by the group made their gazes feel like the large patches of mold on the walls – wet, cold, and sticky as they clung to one’s body.

Lu Tong calmly returned their stares, unperturbed.

Seemingly surprised by her composure, the lead woman’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly before she approached Lu Tong and asked, “Newcomer, what’s your name?”

“Lu Tong.”

The woman nodded, walked to Lu Tong’s side, picked up her bundle, and tossed it aside, saying maliciously: “Your bed is over there.”

She pointed to a bed at the very back of the room.

The bed was already very old, situated in the deepest part of the room where no sunlight could reach. Most importantly, there was a hole in the wall above the head of the bed, with residual rainwater dripping down, forming a small damp patch on the wooden bed.

It wasn’t raining today, but when it did, the bed would be completely uninhabitable.

Lu Tong raised her eyes to look at the woman.

The woman stood imposingly before her, her pale narrow face like an exaggerated painted mask, with only those dead, sunken eyes behind the mask staring at her, like watching someone about to sink into a quagmire, flashing with inexplicable excitement.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense.

After a moment of silence, Lu Tong bent down to pick up the bundle that had been thrown to the ground and turned to walk toward the corner bed.

She could feel the disappointed gaze behind her, but quickly, after this incident, the earlier deathly silence was suddenly broken, and the room became noisy again.

There was giggling and laughter, along with cursing about the endless work at the medicine storehouse. The women climbed into their beds, but even the noise was lifeless, like a forgotten, putrid ditch that occasionally rippled when stirred by the wind.

It was suffocating.

Lu Tong walked to the wooden bed and began laying out the bedding. Although she had wiped clean the area previously dampened by rain, it would inevitably become damp during the night. The clothes in her bundle had been personally prepared by Yin Zheng, and she was reluctant to use them as padding underneath.

While she was frowning, a piece of dark gray linen suddenly appeared before her eyes. The hand quickly tossed the linen onto Lu Tong’s bed and swiftly withdrew.

Lu Tong was startled and looked to the side, only to see the woman in the bed next to hers turning away as if nothing had happened, burrowing into her bedding.

After a moment of silence, Lu Tong carefully folded the gray linen and laid it over the damp spot before spreading her bedding. By the time everything was prepared, the noise in the room had gradually quieted down.

Someone blew out the lamp, and what little dim light remained was swallowed up, plunging the entire room into a deathlike silence, like an enormous tomb.

The wooden bed was narrow and hard, barely able to accommodate one person. The assigned bedding was also very thin, emanating a faint dampness.

Lu Tong lay curled up on her side, holding her bundle, with the medical box beside her pillow. The darkness blocked out the malicious gazes from around her, bringing a sense of security.

This was her first night after entering the Medical Officials’ Court, living in what felt like a dark prison cell. Before she came, Miao Liang Fang had repeatedly cautioned her to be careful in the Medical Court, saying life outside wasn’t as easy as ordinary people imagined it to be.

But Miao Liang Fang probably hadn’t expected her situation to be this difficult.

Unable to see Qi Yu Tai, unable to find opportunities for revenge, she had been thrown far away to the Southern Pharmacy, unable to even touch the hem of her enemy’s robe.

Around her, light snoring gradually began, accompanied by murmured sleep-talk. In the narrow room, even dreams were stingy.

Lu Tong listened quietly for a while before closing her eyes.

…

Early the next morning, when the sky was barely light, Lu Tong was woken up.

The woman who had made her change beds the day before stood at her bedside, her lips painted garishly bright, and said coldly, “Newcomer, get up. Time to work.”

Lu Tong got up and quickly washed. As soon as she walked out the door, she saw a group of people already standing properly arranged in the courtyard. Besides women, there were also men, all wearing brown robes, mostly older, with drooping eyes and sallow complexions, each looking listless.

At the front stood a pot-bellied man dressed in fine silk, with a dull and fat appearance, his face seemingly glazed with oil. Seeing Lu Tong emerge from the room, his eyes brightened, his gaze shamelessly roaming over her body.

The woman who had harassed Lu Tong yesterday darkened her expression at the sight.

After registering names, the fat man sent everyone to organize herbs in the medicine storehouse, keeping only Lu Tong behind.

Before leaving, that woman shot Lu Tong another fierce glare before quickly departing.

“Lu Tong,” the man beside her called her name.

Lu Tong lowered her head. “Sir.”

This man was the Medical Supervisor of the Southern Pharmacy, named Zhu Mao. All harvested and processed medicinal herbs had to pass through his inspection, and he was in charge of the Southern Pharmacy’s annual evaluations, holding a very high position. Lu Tong noticed that even yesterday’s seemingly domineering woman was very respectful in front of Zhu Mao.

Zhu Mao glanced at Lu Tong. “Since you’re new, you’ll be picking and processing ‘Hong Fang Xu’ in the Fallen Petals Garden these days.”

Hong Fang Xu?

Lu Tong’s heart stirred.

Having followed Yun Niang for many years, she had heard of most medicinal herbs, but she had never heard of ‘Hong Fang Xu.’

“Hong Fang Xu is precious,” Zhu Mao’s expression was benevolent, his face smiling, though his tone couldn’t hide its condescension. “He Xiu will harvest with you. Remember, don’t damage the petals while picking – each Hong Fang Xu plant produces one flower, all recorded in the garden. If any go missing, even selling yourself wouldn’t cover the cost.”

After speaking, the man’s thick palm brushed against Lu Tong’s shoulder a few times casually before he left with a smile.

The slick sensation seemed to linger on her shoulder. Lu Tong looked up to see the woman who had given her the linen yesterday and slept in the bed next to hers standing not far ahead, awkwardly waving to her.

Lu Tong understood – this must be He Xiu, who would be harvesting “Hong Fang Xu” with her.

She walked to the woman’s side.

He Xiu raised her head, revealing a sallow, gaunt face, gave Lu Tong a dry smile, pushed forward the wooden cart in her hands, and said softly, “Follow me.”

…

The medicinal garden was some distance from the dormitory.

He Xiu pushed the wooden cart in front.

Lu Tong silently watched the slightly hunched figure ahead. Seeming to notice Lu Tong’s gaze, the woman turned back, pressed her lips together somewhat uncomfortably, and took the initiative to speak.

“The Hong Fang Garden is in the deepest part of the medicinal garden, still quite a walk away. After harvesting, we need to clean and process the stems and leaves of the Hong Fang Xu, then send them to the medicine storehouse to be transported to the Imperial Pharmacy.”

“The Imperial Pharmacy will make medicines from the herbs.”

He Xiu glanced carefully at Lu Tong, and seeing that Lu Tong showed no signs of rejection, continued, “Daily Hong Fang Xu harvests must be recorded. You’re new to the Southern Pharmacy, and your technique isn’t practiced yet – if you don’t harvest enough, Master Zhu might scold you tonight… Once we enter the garden, we must make good use of our time.”

Lu Tong asked, “Are we also responsible for cleaning and processing?”

He Xiu nodded.

Lu Tong understood. This was probably a difficult and laborious task. Zhu Mao had perhaps received instructions from Cui Min, or maybe he just wanted to break her spirit, so he assigned her this hard work.

“What happens if we can’t complete it?” Lu Tong asked casually. “What’s the punishment?”

Hearing this, He Xiu shuddered. “…If we don’t finish, we get no food, and can’t sleep… and, and Master Zhu will scold us.”

It didn’t sound too terrible, but He Xiu seemed very nervous. Lu Tong pondered this thoughtfully but said nothing more.

The two walked together, passing by medicinal fields where occasional medical officers bent to harvest herbs. As they went deeper, the herb fields became sparse, replaced by untended weeds, and other medical officers were no longer in sight.

While she was thinking, He Xiu stopped. “We’re here.”

Lu Tong looked up and couldn’t help but freeze.

Beyond the scattered, messy wild grass suddenly appeared a great expanse of pink mist. It was a field of rose-red flowers. Lush flowers grew in large patches, the blooms exquisitely beautiful and extraordinarily vibrant. As a breeze blew, pink haze drifted slowly from the field, bringing with it an intense fragrance.

Lu Tong’s gaze fixed on the sight.

Yesterday when she was looking for the dormitory, she had passed by this place and seen a crimson sea of flowers from afar. She hadn’t expected this to be the Hong Fang Garden.

These flowers grew extremely abundantly – harvesting them one by one would be no easy task.

Lu Tong hesitated no longer and took the cart’s handle, about to walk in, when He Xiu suddenly stopped her.

“Wait!”

Lu Tong turned around. “What’s wrong?”

He Xiu pulled something from her clothes and pressed it into Lu Tong’s hand. “The fragrance and pollen of Hong Fang Xu are poisonous. This will help if you cover your nose and mouth.”

Lu Tong looked down to see a wrinkled face cloth. The fabric was coarse, used for who knows how long, with edges frayed from washing.

Lu Tong asked her, “What about you?”

“I don’t need it,” He Xiu smiled awkwardly. “I only learned this morning that you were coming and didn’t have time to bring another cloth. I can just tear off a piece of fabric later.”

Though she said this, even such a coarse cloth had been carefully hidden in her clothes. It seemed that “tearing off a piece of fabric” wasn’t as easy as He Xiu made it sound.

Lu Tong’s gaze lingered on the dense red spots under her eyes. Those spots were dull and brownish, like the large moldy patches on the dormitory walls, making her sallow face look even more withered.

Seeing Lu Tong not respond, He Xiu became increasingly flustered, looking at her as if wanting to speak but not daring to.

Lu Tong pushed the face cloth back into her hands. “I don’t need this.” Then she took the cart’s handle and turned to enter the crimson sea of flowers.

He Xiu was startled and hurriedly called out, “No! Hong Fang Xu is poisonous – you’ll die!”

But the person she called to didn’t answer, only pushing the seemingly heavy wooden cart composedly into the misty depths.

Without the slightest hesitation.

…

Meanwhile, in a warm chamber deep in the Southern Pharmacy dormitory, incense smoke curled through the air.

The sound of creaking bed curtains rose, mixed with the pants and sighs of a man and woman.

After some time, the swaying curtains stilled. Someone lifted the drape, revealing a long, fair leg.

The woman sat up on the bed wearing loose clothes, her neck dotted with red marks.

If Lu Tong were here, she would recognize this spring-eyed woman as none other than the one who had thrown her bundle and made her change beds when she first arrived at the pharmacy.

“Second Sister…”

A man’s muffled murmur came from behind, seemingly satisfied. Mei Er Niang frowned in disgust, but when she turned back, her expression had changed to one of coy anger: “Sir hasn’t come to see me in so long, I thought you had grown tired of me.”

Her voice was three parts grievance and seven parts charm, making Zhu Mao’s heart melt. He pulled her back into his arms, laughing, “My dear, you’re the most beautiful in the Southern Pharmacy – what new could there be?”

“How can there not be?” Mei Er Niang lifted her chin. “The newcomer from yesterday – sir, you looked at her many times this morning. She is beautiful and young – it’s natural for you to fancy her.”

Zhu Mao was stunned, taking a moment to realize Mei Er Niang meant Lu Tong.

He held Mei Er Niang’s shoulder, laughing dismissively. “Her? How could she compare to you? She’s already made enemies just entering the Medical Court – she has hard days ahead.”

“Made enemies?” Mei Er Niang’s eyes flickered. “With whom?”

Zhu Mao just smiled without answering, a glint flashing in his eyes.

To be honest, that surname Lu medical officer was indeed quite beautiful, her delicate appearance making one’s heart itch. In the past, he would have found a way to have her on her first day at the pharmacy.

But unfortunately, she was someone the Court Director had specifically mentioned.

Zhu Mao felt some regret.

Who knows whom this young medical woman had offended – for a new medical official to be sent to the Southern Pharmacy immediately upon entering the palace was almost unprecedented. Since Director Cui had subtly indicated that this woman’s sharp edges needed to be ground down, Zhu Mao could only comply. Thus, he assigned Lu Tong to harvest Hong Fang Xu, which everyone else avoided.

That was a deadly task.

Mei Er Niang said, “Hong Fang Xu is poisonous – she won’t last long before begging for mercy. Surely then, sir will show tender care for such a beauty.”

Zhu Mao came back to his senses and stroked the beauty’s face before him. “No matter how tender the care, it depends on who it’s for. The main thing is not to let her have it easy.”

He had thoughts of taking advantage – after all, women assigned to harvest in the Hong Fang Garden couldn’t last long. Tormenting a helpless weak woman was so simple, and if she actively sought his favor, he couldn’t very well refuse. However…

“But I see that Medical Officer Lu is proud and aloof, focused only on leaving the Southern Pharmacy,” said Mei Er Niang.

“Leave?” Zhu Mao couldn’t help but laugh loudly. “Once you enter the Southern Pharmacy’s gates, there’s no logic in leaving. Especially someone like her – she’d better honestly spend her whole life in the herb garden and not dream beautiful dreams.”

Mei Er Niang’s eyelashes trembled as a chill slowly rose from her heart.

But Zhu Mao glanced at her and smiled, pulling her down onto the bed, his head buried in her neck as he mumbled, “Don’t worry, you’re different from her…”