The awning shielded them from the overhead sunlight, while a table full of exquisite delicacies steamed hot. At the stone table, a woman sat with two people standing on her left and right, making even the wind seem gentler as it reached this spot.

Ji Xun looked toward Pei Yunying.

His expression was calm, wearing a slight smile, and his tone of voice was quite natural, yet it made Ji Xun involuntarily frown, suddenly feeling a touch of displeasure in his heart.

He didn’t know why, but he somehow disliked this Commander Pei.

Everyone at the table fell silent. Duan Xiaoyan, quick with her hands, immediately grabbed Pei Yunying and made him sit in the empty seat beside Lu Tong. “Oh my, what’s this talk about minding or not minding? With such a large table, surely we can find a spot, can’t we?”

The young man looked toward Ji Xun and flashed a brilliant smile. “Imperial Physician Ji, why don’t you sit over there—” He pointed to an empty seat that happened to be far from Lu Tong, positioned directly across from her at the round table. “It’s right next to the white braised spring goose, convenient for serving yourself.”

Zhuling: “…”

The white braised spring goose was greasy, quite unsuitable for Ji Xun’s pristine robes.

However, Pei Yunying had already been forcibly seated by Duan Xiaoyan, and this stone table wasn’t particularly large to begin with. They had to add a wooden table beside it to barely accommodate everyone, leaving very limited empty seats.

After a pause, Ji Xun turned around and sat where Duan Xiaoyan had indicated.

Lu Tong breathed a small sigh of relief.

She didn’t know why, but she always felt that whenever Ji Xun and Pei Yunying met, the atmosphere became somewhat strange. Though both conversed normally and behaved appropriately, there was always an underlying sense of tension with swords drawn. The more warmly Pei Yunying smiled, the more courteous Ji Xun’s manner became, and the stronger this feeling grew.

Lu Tong suspected the two had some past grievance.

Lin Danqing cleared her throat lightly, steering the conversation away with a laugh. “Shopkeeper Du, this table of dishes is truly sumptuous. This bowl of lychee kidney braised duck looks nearly as good as what the head chef at Renhe Restaurant makes.”

A’Cheng spoke up quickly: “Imperial Physician Lin is observant! This lychee kidney braised duck was indeed bought by the master from Renhe Restaurant.”

Du Changqing knocked him on the head and scolded, “You talk too much!”

“It was bought from a restaurant?” Zhuling asked in bewilderment. “I thought it was made at home.”

This table of food was truly abundant and beautifully presented. The little medicine apprentice had originally found the medical hall’s courtyard somewhat cramped, but upon seeing the dishes, that bit of disdain immediately vanished. Ji Xun studied medicine and ate very lightly, while the child had a sweet tooth. It was rare to see such a greasy feast, yet who would have thought it was bought from outside.

Miao Liangfang explained: “None of us at the medical hall are particularly skilled at cooking. Fearing we might not host properly and invite mockery, Little Du specially went to Renhe Restaurant to buy wine and food.”

Zhuling wondered: “In that case, why not eat directly at the restaurant?”

The restaurant would have been more spacious too, so his young master wouldn’t have to squeeze next to the greasy white braised goose.

Du Changqing rolled his eyes and said with a forced smile: “We’re all practicing medicine in clinics. The imperial physicians at the Imperial Medical Academy receive salaries and occasionally get gold or pearl strings from nobles. Our situation here is quite different.”

“Those who come to West Street for treatment are all poor people. Not only do they not reward us with silver, sometimes when we’re feeling overly charitable, we even have to pay out of our own pockets.” At this point, he glared at Miao Liangfang, who quickly lowered his head to eat peanuts, pretending not to hear.

“We only earn so little silver, yet prices keep soaring, and this year they’ve added more taxes. To be honest, expanding the medical hall this time has completely emptied my family’s savings, and whether we’ll earn it back in the future is uncertain. Really, rather than opening a shop, it’s more like doing charity work.”

He leaned back: “Booking a banquet at Renhe Restaurant costs money for the table as well. Of course, it’s more economical to eat at the medical hall.”

Zhuling looked confused.

Though he was just a small medicine apprentice, he had followed Ji Xun since childhood. Aside from light meals and dull days, he had never suffered any real hardship.

Especially since the Ji family were scholarly officials, this kind of calculating every copper coin eight hundred times over three shops was truly difficult for Zhuling to understand… He secretly glanced at his young master.

Ji Xun lowered his eyes in silence, as if seriously contemplating Du Changqing’s words.

Seeing this, Lin Danqing laughed and said: “You can’t put it that way. Though life on West Street is somewhat impoverished, we don’t worry about food and drink. We should be content with what we have. Besides, the capital is still relatively well off. A few days ago when I returned home, I heard from my father that Jiangnan is suffering from a locust plague. The crops and seedlings have been completely devoured, and people there are already experiencing famine.”

Yin Zheng was shocked: “Jiangnan has a locust plague?”

Everyone was startled. News of the locust plague had first spread from the palace, and West Street hadn’t heard of it yet.

Du Changqing looked at Lu Tong: “Isn’t that your hometown?”

Lu Tong and Yin Zheng were from Jiangnan.

Miao Liangfang frowned. “When locusts block out the sun, crops are destroyed in an instant. Once famine breaks out, a great epidemic will likely follow closely…”

He sighed, his expression somewhat worried.

Hearing the words “great epidemic,” Lu Tong’s eyes flickered slightly.

The atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly became somewhat heavy.

Seeing this, Du Changqing cleared his throat, stood up and said: “We’re having a good celebration feast—why talk about such unhappy things? Today we’ve gathered here to celebrate Renxin Medical Hall’s fiftieth anniversary—”

“If my old father knew from beyond the grave, he’d be gratified. After all, even if he were here himself, he might not have reached forty-nine years.”

This diversion did dispel some of the previous gloom.

The proprietor picked up the wine jar from the table. “I bought sweet wine. Before we start eating, let’s all raise a cup.”

Just as he was about to uncork the wine, Ji Xun, who had been relatively quiet, suddenly spoke: “Drinking harms the body. I brought bamboo extract today, which can be used perfectly.”

Du Changqing, holding the wine jar, made an “ah” sound and looked at Ji Xun with some bewilderment.

Wasn’t drinking at celebration feasts normal? Yet this person insisted that drinking harmed the body.

How mood-killing.

No wonder people outside said he didn’t like socializing with others.

Others probably didn’t like socializing with him either.

With no one else speaking, Lin Danqing naturally picked up the conversation with a laugh: “Bamboo extract… what a lovely name!”

“Imperial Physician Ji is an inner court imperial physician. Usually only palace nobles get him to personally write prescriptions and prepare medicines. The ‘Immortal Jade Skin Balm’ he made before—so many people outside want to buy it but can’t. Since Imperial Physician Ji specially prepared bamboo extract, it must be extraordinary. Being able to taste it today is our good fortune. Isn’t that right?”

Yin Zheng also hurried to smooth things over: “Exactly, exactly! I heard that the medicinal materials at the Imperial Medical Academy are completely different from outside ingredients. This medicinal extract would sell for at least a hundred or eighty taels outside. Today we’re blessed by both Imperial Physician Ji and the proprietor to witness such a fine thing!”

On the table sat a beautiful glazed jar with intricate carved patterns, containing liquid that shimmered blue-green inside the jar like rippling emerald jade. The wooden cork had already been removed, and a faint, refreshing bitter fragrance wafted out—quite cooling and heat-dispelling for summer.

Du Changqing’s eyes gleamed.

To be honest, he didn’t want to drink this stuff. What household celebration feast involved drinking medicine instead of wine?

How inauspicious!

However…

The Imperial Medical Academy’s medicinal materials were precious, and Lin Danqing made a good point—this stuff would be worth quite a lot outside.

Might as well try it.

Having made up his mind, Du Changqing set down the sweet wine and instead picked up the jar Ji Xun had brought, laughing: “That’s right, that’s right! Since Imperial Physician Ji went to such trouble to brew this, if we don’t drink it, we’d seem quite ungrateful.”

“Come, come—”

He said: “Everyone raise your wine bowls! Here comes the imperial nectar from our palace!”

His exaggerated manner made Ji Xun uncomfortable with such attention, and his face showed a flash of awkwardness.

The medicine apprentice Zhuling looked despairing.

Du Changqing, oblivious to this, was determined to play the perfect host. He thoughtfully carried the jar around, pouring a bowl for everyone.

A bowl was also placed before Lu Tong.

She looked down at the wine bowl in front of her.

Ji Xun’s “bamboo extract” lived up to its name—rippling blue-green like spring bamboo color. When poured out, its fragrance became much more intense than when contained in the jar. A bitter medicinal aroma filled her nostrils, and she could even identify several of the herbs used.

Lu Tong couldn’t help but frown.

She really didn’t like drinking medicine.

Compared to this, she’d rather drink the peach wine Yin Zheng had bought, sweet and cool after being chilled in the ice bucket.

“Ahem—”

Over there, Du Changqing had already picked up his wine bowl and returned to stand before his seat.

He said: “Thank you all for gracing our medical hall with your presence today. You’re all young talents from the imperial city, bringing glory to our West Street.”

“Without further words,” Du Changqing raised his bowl, “this proprietor drinks first to show respect!”

He tilted his head back and boldly drained it.

Zhuling wanted to speak but hesitated: “Ah…”

“Cough, cough, cough—”

As soon as he finished speaking, Du Changqing clutched his throat and began coughing violently.

Ji Xun held his wine bowl with a hesitant expression: “The medicinal extract is a bit bitter…”

Zhuling covered his face.

His young master’s medicinal extract was truly bitter enough to break one’s heart. Every year at Old Master Ji’s birthday, Ji Xun would present a jar of his homemade medicinal extract, and each time the Ji family members would finish it with pained expressions.

It really was bitter!

He didn’t know where his young master found such extraordinarily bitter medicinal materials.

That Shopkeeper Du had drained it all in one go—one could imagine the taste.

Du Changqing’s face turned completely red, with a bowl of bitter liquid in his mouth that he couldn’t very well spit out, as it was medicinal extract personally made by an inner court imperial physician. Therefore, he could only struggle to swallow it. After finishing the last drop, his face wrinkled up entirely, yet he still forced a composed smile.

“Not bitter at all,” he said with complete seriousness, earnestly addressing everyone: “It’s quite sweet.”

Everyone: “…”

As if anyone believed that.

Having tasted this bitterness himself, Du Changqing was clearly unwilling to be the sole victim and insisted on dragging everyone down with him. He glared sideways: “Why aren’t you drinking? The proprietor has already drunk—do you look down on the proprietor, or are you not giving Imperial Physician Ji face?”

“Everyone pick up your bowls, don’t dawdle!”

Everyone looked troubled.

Ji Xun felt somewhat uncomfortable and thought for a moment before explaining softly: “Good medicine tastes bitter, but though it’s a bit bitter, it benefits the body.”

His earnestness made everyone around who had wanted to decline feel too embarrassed not to drink. Thinking that fortunately this glazed jar wasn’t large—exactly one bowl per person—they’d just treat it as taking tonic medicine and have some candied fruit afterward to remove the bitter taste.

Everyone then voiced their agreement, raising their wine bowls and speaking auspicious words as they lifted the medicinal extract.

This medicine was indeed very bitter.

Some, like Miao Liangfang and Ji Xun, were mature and steady—better to endure short pain than long pain—and drained it in one go. Others, like Zhuling and Duan Xiaoyan, looked deathly pale, retching after each sip as if drinking poison.

Lin Danqing and Yin Zheng fared better, though their noses wrinkled up after drinking, clearly also affected by the bitterness.

Pei Yunying was even more composed than the others. He reached for his wine bowl and drank it unhurriedly.

Calm and collected, as if he’d just drunk a bowl of clear water.

Lu Tong looked down at the wine bowl in front of her.

The bowl contained a large serving of bamboo liquid that looked quite refreshing at first glance, but the bitter aroma emanating from it was truly unbearable, instinctively making one want to avoid it.

Everyone else had already swallowed their bitter medicine, leaving only her dawdling until last. Lu Tong took a deep breath and was about to pick up the bowl in front of her—

A hand reached over from the side.

Lu Tong looked up.

Pei Yunying took the wine bowl from her hands and lowered his head to pour the medicinal extract into his own empty bowl.

He then picked up the peach wine Yin Zheng had bought and refilled her bowl, saying casually as if it were nothing: “Drink this instead.”

He performed this action with complete naturalness. Lu Tong’s hand trembled, and when she looked up again, she met everyone’s varied gazes.

Lin Danqing had already been on the verge of tears from the bitterness and choked on a mouthful of medicinal extract upon seeing this, immediately breaking into coughs.

Even though Lu Tong hadn’t touched the medicinal extract in that cup, and even though Pei Yunying’s action seemed merely casual, still…

Wasn’t this perhaps a bit too intimate?

Especially since Lu Tong was usually so cold and aloof.

For a moment, everyone didn’t know whether to be surprised that the Commander of the Palace Guard would actually voluntarily consume someone else’s leftover extract, or that the usually distant Imperial Physician Lu had, for once, not strongly refused.

Noticing everyone’s gazes, Pei Yunying looked up.

The young man’s handsome face bore a smile that made him seem less intimidating than when wearing official robes, appearing as bright and approachable as the boy next door. He made a “tsk” sound, seeming somewhat puzzled by everyone’s reaction, and innocently asked: “Why are you all looking at me like that?”

“Didn’t you say it was very precious? It would be wasteful to pour it out.”

He looked toward Ji Xun, his lips curving slightly.

“I drank an extra cup of medicinal extract—Imperial Physician Ji doesn’t mind, does he?”

Ji Xun pressed his lips together.

This was originally not a big deal, but somehow he felt a surge of irritation in his heart, finding the warm smile on the person before him somewhat glaring at this moment.

Duan Xiaoyan secretly clenched her fist in approval, while Du Changqing’s face grew long with displeasure.

A wind had risen outside at some point, making the awning erected in the courtyard flutter loudly. Yin Zheng smiled and called out: “Everyone, don’t just sit there! Let’s start eating quickly—the food won’t taste good when it gets cold. Miss Yin and Shopkeeper Du planned this menu half a month ago. It may not be as refined as imperial city cuisine, but please don’t disdain it, young masters and ladies.”

“We don’t disdain it at all,” Duan Xiaoyan happily picked up her chopsticks. “It’s much more varied than the monotonous food in the imperial city!”

The atmosphere gradually became lively again.

Yin Zheng and Lin Danqing were naturally social, excellent at livening the mood. Combined with Duan Xiaoyan’s chatter and Du Changqing’s occasional sarcastic commentary, the initial awkwardness among everyone largely dissipated.

As they talked, the conversation gradually turned to Lu Tong’s suspension from the Imperial Medical Academy.

Du Changqing said indignantly: “I say, our West Street finally produced an imperial physician, and after less than half a year in the academy, she’s sent home? Just for taking an extra look at a prescription—what’s the big deal? The people in the imperial city make mountains out of molehills. Can looking at a prescription make you ascend to heaven?”

Hearing this, Ji Xun looked at Lu Tong with surprise.

It seemed Lu Tong hadn’t told Du Changqing the real reason for her suspension.

“People in the imperial city are all like that, lacking vision,” Lin Danqing shook her head. She didn’t have a good tolerance for alcohol, and after drinking a little peach wine, her cheeks flushed pink, making her bolder in speech than before.

“I ranked first in every Imperial Medical Bureau examination,” she pointed at Lu Tong, “Sister Lu ranked first on the spring examination honor roll. With our abilities, the Imperial Medical Academy should be world-renowned, and our salaries should be at least ten times what they are now to be worthy.”

“So little money—are they dismissing beggars?”

“Daily attendance, daily scolding, even novel writers know there’s the danger of being buried alive. Worse than cattle and horses, absolutely worse than cattle and horses!”

Zhuling quietly protested: “But you can’t say world-renowned—where does that put my young master?”

Lin Danqing paused.

That was indeed true.

She thought for a moment: “Your young master has family support. Can Sister Lu and I, who are self-made, compare? Besides, among female imperial physicians at least, wouldn’t it be fair to call us the twin beauties of the medical field?”

The Imperial Medical Bureau had quotas for students—fewer women, more men. And because practicing medicine meant showing one’s face in public, families of better standing were unwilling to let their daughters endure such hardship. With fewer people studying, even fewer became imperial physicians.

“That’s right, that’s right,” Du Changqing flattered them. “I think the first female Academy Director of the Great Liang will most likely be chosen from between you two.”

Lin Danqing was pleased: “I’ll take that as a good omen.”

Miao Liangfang smiled cheerfully: “Little Lu and Imperial Physician Lin are indeed gifted with talent. However, speaking of female doctors, I know of an even better one.”

“In my decades of practicing medicine, I’ve seen many cases, but that young lady’s talent was so high and her medical skills so wonderful that it was truly rare in my lifetime.” He stroked his beard and looked at Ji Xun: “Even this Imperial Physician Ji would probably bow in defeat upon meeting her.”

Ji Xun was stunned.

When Miao Liangfang left the Imperial Medical Academy years ago, Ji Xun was still young, and since he didn’t like socializing with people, he didn’t remember Miao Liangfang’s name. He only saw that he was an elderly, lame civilian doctor hired by Renxin Medical Hall.

Lin Danqing was surprised: “There’s such a person? How is it I’ve never heard of her? Is she from the capital?”

“Yes.”

Zhuling looked at Ji Xun and asked: “Young master, have you heard of her?”

Ji Xun shook his head.

Not only Ji Xun, but Duan Xiaoyan and Du Changqing also looked puzzled.

Miao Liangfang sighed: “No wonder you haven’t heard of her—that was twenty years ago, after all.”

“Twenty years ago…”

His tone grew distant: “Twenty years ago, some of you were still nursing babies who couldn’t remember anything, and some hadn’t even been born yet…”

Given Lu Tong and Lin Danqing’s ages, they indeed hadn’t been born twenty years ago.

“Back then, I was still young and spirited—it was my first year in the capital. I was working as an assistant at a medicine shop in the capital.”

“One day, a mother came to the shop carrying a child, saying her three-year-old daughter had eaten poisonous grass by mistake and urgently brought her for treatment.”

“It was already evening, and there was only one resident doctor in the shop. When I looked at that little girl—eyes rolled back, foaming at the mouth, body rigid, breathing out more than breathing in.”

“The doctor said it was too late. The child’s mother held her daughter, pleading and crying at the shop entrance. We all felt heartbroken watching, thinking the little girl surely wouldn’t survive the night.”

“But then came an unexpected turn—a carriage happened to pass by on the street, and a young lady wearing a veil stepped down from it to help the mother and child.”

Lin Danqing listened with fascination: “She saved the little girl?”

“She saved her.”

Miao Liangfang seemed lost in thought for a while, as if immersed in that critical moment from years past. After a moment, he slowly continued: “I later learned that she was a young lady from the household of Imperial Physician Mo, an inner court imperial physician in the capital…”

“…Mo Ruyun.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Tong’s eyelashes trembled.

Her wine bowl slipped in her grip, and a few drops of sweet wine splashed onto the back of her hand, gradually spreading into a stinging chill.

She looked up, her face suddenly pale.