In the lonely spring courtyard, the cold moon formed frost. The wind lifted the crimson hem of the young man’s robe as he stood among the scattered tree shadows, his features illuminated by a sliver of moonlight through the branches.

Lu Tong slightly furrowed her brows – why was Pei Yunying here?

Pei Yunying walked up to Lu Tong and said, “Doctor Lu.” He paused briefly, then stared at her with a smile and added, “No, I should call you Imperial Physician Lu now.”

The words “Imperial Physician” falling on her ears at this moment, while she was in such a sorry state at the Southern Pharmacy, sounded like an unintentional mockery.

Lu Tong glanced around, and seeing no one nearby, suddenly grabbed Pei Yunying’s sleeve and quickly walked toward the other end.

Pei Yunying was slightly startled, his gaze falling on his sleeve where she held it. He remained silent, allowing Lu Tong to lead him into an old pharmacy not far away.

The pharmacy was small, filled with old and rarely used medicines. As soon as the door was pushed open, it stirred up fine dust. Lu Tong pushed Pei Yunying inside, closed the door behind her, and turned around to find him leaning against the window, surveying the room’s contents. Seeing her close the door, he finally spoke with feigned surprise: “What is Doctor Lu’s intention?”

Lu Tong turned and walked toward him: “Why has Lord Pei come to the Southern Pharmacy?”

“Just passing by.”

“Passing by?”

He looked down at Lu Tong, his tone somewhat strange: “Surely Imperial Physician Lu doesn’t think I came specifically to see you?”

Lu Tong choked, then said, “I’m not that presumptuous.”

Of course, she wouldn’t think Pei Yunying came to see her, but appearing at the Southern Pharmacy late at night inevitably raised questions. This man’s actions were mysterious – Lu Tong hadn’t forgotten how Shen Fengying had led people to search for assassins in the palace late at night. Being new here, she naturally didn’t want to invite trouble.

Pei Yunying gave a slight laugh, leaning against the window as he looked at her: “So, why did you bring me here?”

Lu Tong gathered her thoughts and looked up: “I thought Lord Pei wouldn’t want others to know we’re acquainted, so I specifically avoided others to spare you any trouble.”

Her words were sarcastic, causing Pei Yunying to pause slightly. After pondering for a moment, he uncertainly asked: “From your tone, it sounds like you’re upset I didn’t acknowledge you that day?”

The day Lu Tong entered the Imperial Physicians’ Academy while going to register with the other new physicians, she had encountered a group of Palace Guards, brushing past Pei Yunying. At that time, he had been aloof, too proud to even spare others a glance, coldly passing by her side.

“How could that be?” Lu Tong showed a fake smile, “The palace has many rules, and Lord Pei and I are of different status. This commoner knows her place.”

Lu Qian had once told her she had a natural talent for sarcasm, and now it seemed this gift hadn’t been buried.

Pei Yunying stared at her for a while, as if trying to discern her mood in saying these words. Lu Tong met his gaze frankly.

After a while, he sighed, not pursuing the matter further, and simply said: “So you brought me to this dark room?”

“Correct.”

Pei Yunying clicked his tongue and nodded: “Makes sense.” Then he changed the subject: “However, in the dark, a man and woman alone – those who don’t know might think we’re having a secret affair.”

His dimple flickered in and out of view in the faint lamplight, with a kind of malicious teasing, though his tone was leisurely, half-seriously warning: “If someone were to see this, something would come of nothing.”

Lu Tong was speechless.

Though he was the talented and proud Commander of the Silver Blade Palace, at times like these, his improper manner always made one wonder if the cold, fierce person who had spattered blood on the silk curtains at the Prince’s mansion had been someone else entirely.

He was quite the actor.

Thinking this, Lu Tong’s gaze fell on a bamboo food basket beside him.

The basket was familiar – Lu Tong remembered that when she had made house calls to Pei Yunshu’s residence, Pei Yunshu often had people send snacks to Pei Yunying in baskets of this style, with a pair of red magpies with upturned tails on the handle, both lively and festive.

Now Lu Tong believed Pei Yunying truly was just passing by the Southern Pharmacy – no one planning something important would carry a food basket with them.

Seeming to notice Lu Tong’s gaze, Pei Yunying followed her line of sight and casually asked: “Have you eaten?”

“No.”

He smiled: “Want to try some?” gesturing for Lu Tong to help herself to the basket beside him.

Lu Tong meant to refuse, but her stomach gave a slight tremor. Earlier she had returned empty-handed from the kitchen, having eaten only one medicinal cake from A Xiu all day – tonight she was destined to go hungry.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t handle being hungry.

But…

Being full would certainly be better.

Lu Tong walked over and lifted the basket’s lid.

Pei Yunying raised his eyebrows slightly.

The bamboo basket contained pastries – several delicate lotus pastries on a yellow cloisonné plate with red flowers, each only half the size of a palm, with nothing else besides.

Lu Tong felt somewhat disappointed and maliciously thought that it was quite incongruous for a tall man like Pei Yunying to eat such dainty pastries.

Unaware of her mental criticism, Pei Yunying saw her not moving and asked: “Don’t like them?”

“No,” Lu Tong put a lotus pastry in her mouth.

Pei Yunying was startled, seemingly not expecting her to be so direct. After a pause, he smiled and said: “Aren’t you afraid I’ve poisoned them?”

“Not afraid,” Lu Tong said: “I’m immune to all poisons.”

She was truly quite hungry. Originally her appetite hadn’t been particularly good, but back at Renxin Medical Center, Yinzheng and Du Changqing would always feed her fresh fruits when she was on duty. After a long time, she had almost forgotten what it felt like to be hungry.

Pei Yunshu had probably considered Pei Yunying’s taste – the pastries weren’t very sweet, making them seem bland to Lu Tong.

She ate calmly, as if only to fill her stomach, not caring about the taste of the food, showing no emotion. Pei Yunying watched for a while, then as if unable to bear it, said: “Careful not to choke – want some water?”

“No need.”

The people at the Southern Pharmacy clearing out the kitchen’s leftover food was meant to make things difficult. If they disturbed others now it would only invite trouble – better to make do here.

Thinking this, memories suddenly surfaced of nights spent secretly roasting sweet potatoes in the kitchen with Lu Rou and Lu Qian, hidden from their parents.

How similar to now.

Her movements unconsciously slowed, until Pei Yunying’s voice reached her ears: “Your hairpin…”

Lu Tong started, instinctively reaching up to touch the silver Rose of Sharon hairpin in her hair.

That silver Rose of Sharon hairpin – her sister’s hairpin – she wore it in her hair. From the day she entered the palace, she had pinned it in her hair, constantly reminding herself what she needed to do, and why she had come.

Pei Yunying leaned against the window, seemingly asking casually: “Was the hairpin your sister’s?”

Lu Tong said: “Yes.”

He nodded: “No wonder you were willing to spend so much to redeem it back then.”

At that time at Luhe Street’s Luyuan Pawnshop, she had conspicuously accepted many old pieces of jewelry, but it was just for this Rose of Sharon hairpin.

Pei Yunying’s gaze fell on her hair, and he said: “It suits you.”

Suits me?

The pastry suddenly became difficult to swallow. Lu Tong lowered her hand, and after a moment of silence spoke: “Does Lord Pei know that the Rose of Sharon is a lowly flower?”

Pei Yunying was startled.

Her hair had become somewhat disheveled, and her robes after a day’s work could hardly be called neat, but this somewhat bedraggled state did nothing to diminish her beautiful face. If anything, the silver flower hairpin’s slight tilt made her seem even more like a flower beaten down by wind and rain – her beauty sickly, her glamour faded.

But her voice was quite cold.

“This flower blooms at dawn and falls at dusk, glorious for but a moment. It only grows along hedges and wild banks. The gardens and groves of wealthy homes would never deign to plant such a flower.”

People often say the Rose of Sharon is the lowliest of flowers. Perhaps in the eyes of those noble guests and wealthy families, her sister, herself, and even the Lu family were like this lowly flower – existing for just a day, living or dying, never noticed by others, fading into obscurity.

Pei Yunying looked at her, seeming to want to say something, but in the end said nothing.

Lu Tong lowered her head and continued eating the unfinished pastry as if she hadn’t taken her previous words to heart.

After finishing all the pastries, she put the empty plate back in the basket, covered it, and said to Pei Yunying: “Thank you for the snacks, Lord Pei.”

He leaned against the window, smiling at her: “I didn’t come here to bring you food.”

Lu Tong thought for a moment, took out the purse Yinzheng had given her, poured out some silver pieces, considered for a moment, and picked out the smallest piece to hand to Pei Yunying.

Pei Yunying looked at the silver piece for a while, his gaze moving from the silver to her face, and sighed: “Imperial Physician Lu is being a bit too stingy.”

“I just entered the palace and need silver for many things. I’ll make it up to Lord Pei when I receive my salary,” Lu Tong replied seriously.

Hearing this, his smile faded somewhat: “You think you can return to the Imperial Physicians’ Academy?”

“Of course.”

Pei Yunying fell silent, moonlight streaming through the window onto his face, his black eyes quietly observing her, like misty clouds, impossible to read.

Like indifference to this commonplace situation, as if pitying her predetermined fate.

After a while, he asked: “Haven’t you made any plans for the future?”

The future?

Lu Tong was startled, then almost laughed.

Perhaps Lord Pei had felt compassion for her again at this moment, and so kindly reminded her not to be too presumptuous in seeking revenge. But from the moment she entered the palace, she had never thought of turning back.

Lu Tong looked up, meeting Pei Yunying’s eyes: “No.”

“Lord Pei,” she said, “a lowly flower that blooms at dawn and falls at dusk has no future to speak of.”

…

After that night’s encounter with Pei Yunying at the Southern Pharmacy entrance, Lu Tong didn’t see him again.

The imperial city was certainly not as vast as the outside world, but it wasn’t impossible for two people of different status to never meet in a lifetime.

After several days of picking Hong Fang Xu, these herbs needed to be separately cleaned and prepared for delivery to the Imperial Pharmacy, and this heavy task naturally fell to Lu Tong and He Xiu again.

He Xiu led Lu Tong to the storage courtyard to organize the herbs. Large piles of Hong Fang Xu were stacked in a corner of the courtyard, covered with coarse cloth to prevent the flowers from flying about, yet the air was still filled with Hong Fang Xu’s distinctive fragrance.

A Xiu handed Lu Tong a stool, then sat down herself before a silver basin filled with Hong Fang Xu. They needed to pick through them one by one, removing broken branches and keeping only the flowers and intact stems and leaves.

This was no easy task – the poisonous fragrance alone was enough to make one dizzy. In the past few days of picking flowers in the Hong Fang Garden, the red spots on He Xiu’s face had already multiplied.

Lu Tong glanced at He Xiu, who was rubbing her eyes. Even wearing a face covering, the fragrance of Hong Fang Xu still made her dizzy when she got close.

Lu Tong moved the silver basin from in front of her to herself, saying “I’ll do it.”

He Xiu started, quickly grabbing the basin back: “How can that be? You’ve already helped me so much!”

These past few days, Lu Tong had done most of the Hong Fang Xu picking almost single-handedly. She wasn’t affected by the fragrance and didn’t develop red spots on her face, making her quick at harvesting. He Xiu was very grateful.

“I’m also receiving a salary, I can’t do anything,” He Xiu smiled awkwardly, “Speaking of which, in a few days it will be time to receive our wages. Once I get paid, I can make some new spring clothes for my younger brothers and sisters. Children grow so fast, last year’s clothes were probably too small.”

Lu Tong lowered her head to pick through the flower branches: “You have younger siblings? How old are they?”

“One is seven, one is nine.” Speaking of her siblings, He Xiu’s smile became much more genuine, “My family’s circumstances are ordinary. When I entered the Imperial Physicians’ Academy, my parents had to pull many strings. Although the Southern Pharmacy isn’t as good as other places, the monthly salary is still paid on time. It’s just that medical officers from the Southern Pharmacy can’t leave the imperial city – I haven’t seen my family in three years…” Her voice dropped again.

Lu Tong said nothing.

After a pause, He Xiu quickly smiled again: “But Doctor Lu, you work so fast. Usually, when I clean these flower branches, one basin takes half a day, but you pick through them in less than half an incense stick’s time. I think when we send them to the Imperial Pharmacy, there should be enough for this year’s Yi Meng Dan.”

Lu Tong’s heart stirred: “Yi Meng Dan?”

“It’s a pill made by the Imperial Pharmacy, specifically for treating difficulty sleeping,” He Xiu said: “Noble Consort Rou from Danyang Hall always has trouble sleeping in spring. The Imperial Physicians’ Academy prescribed many formulas without success, but then someone at the Imperial Pharmacy came up with a formula using Hong Fang Xu to make Yi Meng Dan, and only then did Noble Consort Rou’s condition improve.”

“Since then, every March, the Imperial Pharmacy needs fresh Hong Fang Xu from the Southern Pharmacy to make medicine. But Hong Fang Xu is poisonous, and making medicine isn’t easy – like what we picked these past few days, in the end, there will only be a few bottles of pills.”

“This year because of Medical Officer Lu, we’ve collected much more Hong Fang Xu than in previous years. The Imperial Pharmacy should be satisfied this time and won’t complain about insufficient materials.”

When He Xiu finished speaking, she noticed Lu Tong’s strange expression and couldn’t help asking: “What’s wrong?”

Lu Tong pondered for a moment: “Is this batch of Hong Fang Xu from the palace only used for Yi Meng Dan?”

He Xiu nodded: “Yes, Hong Fang Xu is poisonous after all, very few medicines can use it. Back then, just to make this medicine, the Imperial Pharmacy people spent a year perfecting the formula.”

Lu Tong lowered her head to look at the flower branches in her hand.

The bright red branches had been picked, some floating petals scattered on the ground like a layer of blood-colored velvet. The intoxicating fragrance wafted from the branches to her nose.

He Xiu was startled and quickly snatched the Hong Fang Xu from Lu Tong’s hands, saying anxiously: “Although Medical Officer Lu isn’t affected by the flower’s fragrance, you shouldn’t get too close – it’s still poison after all.”

Lu Tong let her take the branches, saying nothing for a moment, only turning her head to look into the courtyard where large piles of crimson branches were stacked in the corner, their mere sight dazzlingly beautiful.

She looked for a while, then spoke: “A Xiu.”

“What is it, Medical Officer Lu?”

“Leave it to me.”

Lu Tong lowered her head and picked up a flower branch.

“I’ll organize these flowers.”

…

After March, spring rain began to fall.

The peach tree at the entrance of the Imperial Pharmacy was beaten down by rain overnight, its flowers scattered everywhere on the ground.

A few steps directly opposite the peach tree, Medical Director Shi Changpu stood on the steps, directing workers to store the Hong Fang Xu sent from the Imperial Physicians’ Academy in the warehouse.

Two young workers lost their grip, and a small bundle of Hong Fang Xu rolled off the cart, startling Shi Changpu who hurriedly covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve, scolding: “Careful, this thing is poisonous!”

The workers quickly wrapped the scattered Hong Fang Xu on the ground with coarse cloth and hurried into the warehouse.

Shi Changpu looked back, vigorously waving his hand in front of his face several times until he could no longer smell the flower’s fragrance, only then lowering his hand with relief.

The Hong Fang Xu was medicinal material sent from the Southern Pharmacy.

The Imperial Pharmacy belonged to the Internal Service Department, responsible for verifying secret formulas and preparing medicinal compounds for the Emperor and palace needs. Some of the materials used in processing medicines came from the Southern Pharmacy’s herb garden.

Hong Fang Xu was one of these.

Though the flower’s name suggested beauty and charm, it was highly poisonous – merely smelling it could cause contamination. However, Noble Consort Rou’s Yi Meng Dan for treating insomnia required Hong Fang Xu as its main ingredient. So no matter how much they dreaded it, every March after the new year, the Imperial Pharmacy had to dutifully accept this batch of Hong Fang Xu from the Southern Pharmacy and risk processing it into pills.

This was certainly not a pleasant task.

When Hong Fang Xu grew in the garden, its medicinal properties were strongest, gradually weakening after being picked. Each bottle of Yi Meng Dan required many Hong Fang Xu flowers, and Noble Consort Rou was arrogant and demanding, always dissatisfied with their Yi Meng Dan. In the end, it was they at the Imperial Pharmacy who suffered the hardship and scolding.

Shi Changpu sighed, and as he turned around, the two workers who had been transporting Hong Fang Xu emerged from the warehouse.

“Medical Director need not worry,” seeing his furrowed brows, the young worker thought he was concerned about insufficient materials and eagerly tried to please him: “This year’s Hong Fang Xu delivery is more than last year’s, filling up the small warehouse – there’s enough material for Yi Meng Dan.”

“Oh?” Shi Changpu was surprised, “That much?”

Because Hong Fang Xu was so poisonous, it was difficult to harvest, and those who picked it usually suffered greatly from the flower’s poison. The Southern Pharmacy had only a few people, and no one was willing to risk their life to pick poisonous flowers. Thus, although the amount of Hong Fang Xu delivered each time was small, Shi Changpu turned a blind eye.

After all, Noble Consort Rou only had trouble sleeping for a few nights, but the medical workers picking Hong Fang Xu were losing their good health!

They were all servants – why make things difficult for each other?

This was what Shi Changpu thought, but he hadn’t expected this year’s Hong Fang Xu delivery to suddenly increase.

The other worker scratched his head and said: “I heard the Imperial Physicians’ Academy got someone new who went to the Southern Pharmacy. Maybe with the additional help picking flowers, that’s why there’s more medicine.”

“A new person?”

Shi Changpu was stunned, then felt somewhat rueful. Of all the places the new medical officer could go, they went to the Southern Pharmacy and even picked Hong Fang Xu… Who knows who they offended, but they’ll be trapped there for life with no way out.

This was the worst part of being a servant – one’s life and death were controlled by those above, with no say in the matter.

He walked slowly toward the warehouse with his hands behind his back, sighing: “Go make the medicine. Let’s hope Noble Consort will be satisfied with this year’s Yi Meng Dan.”