At night, a breeze arose in the small courtyard. The medicine shop’s main gate was already closed, and the lanterns in the courtyard had been lit. Yinzheng had asked Du Changqing for several old lanterns, which she had wiped clean with a cloth and hung under the eaves at the four corners of the small courtyard. As darkness fell, a layer of yellow light spilled across the bluestone ground.

The moonlight was like silver, making the small courtyard as bright as snow. In the center of the courtyard, before the stone table, a lamp was burning.

Lu Tong sat at the stone table, unhurriedly grinding medicine. The container was a silver jar, its surface carved with intricate treasure and vine patterns. The pestle was also made of silver, and when it struck the jar, it made clear, crisp sounds in the night.

Yinzheng came out from the room, holding several newly made silk flowers in her hand. She reached toward Lu Tong’s temple to try them: “Miss, I’ve made some new silk flowers for you to try. The blue velvet flower from last time was stained with blood and couldn’t be cleaned. I’ve made these two in new styles, I guarantee they’ll look good.”

Lu Tong’s gaze fell on the flowers in her hand, and she was momentarily stunned.

She wasn’t skilled at dressing up, having spent years living in the mountains where she rarely saw anyone. Occasionally during festivals, Yun Niang would suddenly feel inspired and go down the mountain to buy some clothes, and when those clothes no longer fit, she would wait for the next new set.

The last time Yun Niang bought her new clothes was a year ago, and shortly after that, Yun Niang died.

She only had a few pieces of clothing herself, let alone any accessories. However, Yinzheng was skilled with her hands and would often select matching handkerchiefs to make silk and velvet flowers for her to wear with her dresses.

Lu Tong continued grinding medicine without pause, only saying, “I don’t need these.”

“How can you not need them?” Yinzheng continued arranging them, saying, “At your age, this is the time to dress up. If you dress too plainly, wouldn’t it be a waste of that face? These silk flowers only need a few coins’ worth of handkerchiefs to make, but they can add so much color for Miss.”

“Miss must trust my skills.” Yinzheng withdrew the silk flowers from Lu Tong’s temple, carefully adjusting the needlework, “Back in the tower, I may not have been good at other things, but I was an expert at dressing up and hairdressing. When Master Du gives out the monthly wages, Miss should buy a few feet of light gauze. In a few months, it will be summer, and you’ll need to make two light summer shirts.”

Lu Tong smiled softly.

As Yinzheng spoke, she remembered something else and looked at the young lady seriously grinding medicine in the moonlight: “I heard from Tailor Ge next door that Xinglin Hall reopened today. Manager Bai personally apologized to the common folk who bought medicine, compensated them with extra silver, and promised never to sell Chunyang Sheng again. Those people, having received the silver, stopped making trouble. It seems this matter will gradually settle down.”

Lu Tong said, “Money makes the ghost turn the millstone. Bai Shouyi chose to avoid disaster by spending money—he’s a clever person.”

Yinzheng looked at Lu Tong’s expression, somewhat worried: “But having suffered this loss, won’t they hold a grudge against us?”

Lu Tong didn’t look up, forcefully grinding the herbs in the jar: “What if they do hold a grudge? Since I want to make a name for myself, I can’t avoid offending my peers. Renxin Medical Hall isn’t outstanding—if we want to stand out, we can only climb up by stepping on other medical halls’ reputations.”

“That’s true.” Yinzheng sighed but quickly smiled again: “Anyway, Xinglin Hall will have to stay quiet for quite a while now, and our medical hall has gained some reputation. At least no one else can make Miss’s prescriptions, and now Master Du practically wants to worship you—your position as a resident physician is quite secure.”

Lu Tong smiled: “Yes.”

Now that she was a proper resident physician and Renxin Medical Hall had gradually gained some foundation, it was time to consider the matter of the Ke family.

The Ke family…

Thinking of the Ke family, Lu Tong’s gaze darkened slightly.

Speaking of which, the Ke family should have received news of “Wang Yingying” by now.

…

In the Ke mansion in Sheng Jing, Old Madam Ke had just finished a box of sweet candied fruits.

Honey cakes, sugared dairy treats, and preserved fruits were arranged in a small red wooden box about the size of a palm, divided into compartments, each with its flavor.

Old Madam Ke, having reached an advanced age, was most fond of sweet, soft foods and ate many sweets daily. The doctor had advised against eating too many sweets, saying she shouldn’t indulge, and the Ke family’s eldest son constantly tried to persuade her, but unfortunately, Old Madam Ke wouldn’t listen and remain as addicted to sweets as ever.

Old Madam Ke sat in a rosewood chair carved with phoenix patterns, her eyes slightly closed. Granny Li was behind her, massaging her shoulders while making casual conversation.

“Old Madam, at noon your servant heard from Biqing in the eldest son’s quarters that the eldest daughter-in-law had another argument with the eldest son about money.”

Old Madam Ke frowned, opened her eyes, and her expression sank as she cursed: “This Madam Qin, relying on her official father, acts like a tyrant in the household. She keeps such tight control over a man’s money. A few days ago, I gave Xing’er some extra silver, and when she saw it, not only did she take it away, but she also stood before me making oblique accusations, clearly putting on a show for me.”

Granny Li smiled: “The eldest daughter-in-law comes from a high background, so she’s bound to be somewhat proud.”

“What pride? She simply has no manners and doesn’t understand respect!” Old Madam Ke grew more displeased, “To tell the truth, she’s not as good as the previous one. Though she had no backing and had a troublesome fox-like charm, she was easy to handle and served people well. Not like this one—we haven’t married a daughter-in-law, we’ve married a Buddha!”

Granny Li didn’t dare respond, and Old Madam Ke sighed first: “The other day, people we sent to Chang Wu County to gather information returned saying that the Lu family indeed had relatives in Southern Su, including some sister called Wang Yingying. Eight or nine years ago, she even stayed at the Lu family for a while.”

Granny Li thought for a moment: “It must have been that Miss Wang who came to the mansion last time.”

“You’re right, probably came to ask for money.” Old Madam Ke took a sip of tea to wash away the sweetness in her mouth, “It’s a pity, if Madam Lu were still here, we might have been able to spare her some silver. Now that Madam Qin runs the household, she’s so tight with money she won’t spare a single coin, and if she heard about the previous one’s matter, she’d probably cause another scene. We’ll have to let it be.”

Granny Li smiled: “Old Madam has a Buddha’s heart.”

Old Madam Ke waved her hand: “It’s not that I have a Buddha’s heart, I just fear creating additional troubles. Now the weather is gradually warming up, and after June or July, there’s the Grand Tutor’s mansion’s birthday celebration, and our Ke family must send porcelain again. Xing’er is usually careless and lazy, and now our Ke family relies on the Grand Tutor’s mansion for survival. We absolutely cannot be careless, otherwise, if we follow Lu’s example and cause trouble…”

She stopped here suddenly as if thinking of something, and a flash of fear passed through her eyes.

Granny Li didn’t dare speak either, standing quietly behind her.

After quite a while, Old Madam Ke waved her hand and sighed: “Well, go tell Wanfu’s family that I want to eat plum blossom cakes these days, tell her to go to the Official Lane Flower Market early to get plum blossoms.”

Granny Li quickly responded: “Yes.”