Days flowed by like water, and Lu Tong did not dwell on the small incident at the medical hall’s entrance. In the blink of an eye, it was the Start of Autumn.
Lu Tong remained busy every day. As autumn arrived, fewer people came to buy “Xianxian,” but more began purchasing “Zhe Gui Ling.”
“Zhe Gui Ling” was a new medicinal tea created by Lu Tong.
Soon, on the first day of the eighth month would be the Liang Dynasty’s autumn imperial examinations. Scholar candidates inevitably felt nervous before the examinations, and some would visit the medical hall to buy eye-brightening and mind-clearing medicinal teas to boost their spirits. Lu Tong seized the opportunity to create a new medicinal tea named “Zhe Gui Ling,” taking its name from the auspicious saying “plucking laurel from the Palace of the Moon.”
Though the new tea’s blend wasn’t as stunning as “Spring Water” and “Xianxian,” scholars still flocked to buy it in large numbers just for its name—at this time every year, the Buddhist hall for academic success at Wan’en Temple was nearly crushed by visitors. When facing important matters, those who believed in omens far outnumbered those who didn’t.
Lu Tong handed two packages of Zhe Gui Ling wrapped in red paper to Yin Zheng: “Deliver these to Wu Youcai’s home at the Fresh Fish Market.”
Wu Youcai from the Fresh Fish Market had failed the examinations repeatedly, taking them time after time. Lu Tong guessed he would participate in this year’s autumn examination too, so she specially reserved several packages for him.
Yin Zheng acknowledged and took the medicinal tea, about to leave when A’cheng rushed to stop her: “Miss Yin Zheng, wait.”
“What is it?”
“It might not be a good time to visit Brother Wu now.”
Lu Tong paused and looked at A’cheng: “Has something happened?”
“You haven’t heard?” The young clerk scratched his head. “Brother Wu’s mother… passed away the night before last.”
…
The night had grown considerably cooler.
After the Start of Autumn, light rain fell frequently. At night, cool breezes would blow, creating a slight chill when touching one’s skin, as if winter had descended overnight.
The courtyard was as quiet as still water. The lantern light under the eaves cast a dim glow, spreading a patch of light on the face of the person in the courtyard.
The young woman sat at the stone table, vigorously grinding something in a silver container. The autumn wind brushed past her hair tips, making her face appear especially gentle and pure in the light.
Yin Zheng sat on a stool, folding silk handkerchiefs while watching Lu Tong grind medicine, lost in thought.
Earlier that day when A’cheng mentioned the news of Scholar Wu’s mother’s death, Yin Zheng thought Lu Tong would go visit Scholar Wu. After all, these days, Lu Tong had been regularly sending nourishing medicinal ingredients to Scholar Wu through Yin Zheng, appearing quite concerned about his mother’s condition.
Though Yin Zheng didn’t understand why Lu Tong showed special consideration for a poor scholar, she could see that Lu Tong genuinely cared about the situation in Scholar Wu’s household. However, until now, Lu Tong hadn’t mentioned visiting Scholar Wu and hadn’t even sent mourning gifts—even Du Changqing had sent two bolts of silk.
This seemed unusual. Perhaps she had other plans?
Lost in such scattered thoughts, Yin Zheng’s movements gradually slowed, not even noticing when a gauze handkerchief fell to the ground.
Lu Tong glanced at her and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Yin Zheng startled back to awareness, hurriedly picking up the fallen handkerchief. The words “Scholar Wu” that had reached her lips were swallowed back. After thinking for a moment, she pointed to a cluster of fireflies under the eaves: “I was just thinking how beautiful the fireflies are in the capital.”
Lu Tong glanced at the eaves where a cluster of green firefly lights flickered dimly in the night.
These were fireflies caught by A’cheng.
The mischievous child had begged Yin Zheng to sew a four-cornered pouch with fine silk thread, with tiny wind chimes attached to each corner. He put all the caught fireflies inside and hung them at the corner of the eaves. At night, it glowed brilliantly, truly capturing the feeling described in the Jin Book about gathering fireflies to read by their light.
Unfortunately, there were no scholars here.
Yin Zheng smiled and asked Lu Tong: “Does your hometown have fireflies too, Miss?”
Lu Tong shook her head.
Chang Wu County was poor and remote. In her childhood, she had only seen fireflies in books.
However, Luomei Peak had many fireflies.
Perhaps because it was high in the mountains with cool air, after the first period of Greater Heat, grass would decay into fireflies, and the entire mountaintop would be filled with green light.
When she searched for executed criminals’ corpses for Yun Niang to test medicines in the graveyard, she often saw large clusters of ethereal cold light in the wild grass, like ghost fires flickering.
At that time, she hadn’t felt any sense of poetry or romance, only finding it eerie, wishing she could close her eyes and quickly escape.
Unexpectedly, now looking at the firefly pouch hanging under the eaves, she felt as if it were from another lifetime.
Yin Zheng finished folding the last silk handkerchief but didn’t get up. Instead, she rested her chin on her hand and watched Lu Tong grind medicine. Lu Tong’s small pestle falling on the silver container made clear “ding ding dang dang” sounds, particularly distinct in the quiet night.
Lu Tong had two medicine containers, using the wooden one more often and the silver one less frequently. Today she was using the silver container, which was covered in intricate patterns. When moonlight fell upon it, silver light flickered, creating a magnificent treasured glow.
Lu Tong dropped the final strike, leaving the pestle in the container. Yin Zheng knew she had finished.
Lu Tong picked up the container and stood, but didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she wandered around the courtyard once, her gaze finally falling on a waist-high bamboo basket in the corner.
She walked over, opened the bamboo basket, and pulled out a white rabbit with black rings around its eyes.
The rabbits were bought by Du Changqing some days ago. He said he saw a young lady selling rabbits at the butcher shop in the Official Alley. The young lady looked refined and had a pitiful background. Du Changqing’s compassion was aroused, so he bought the entire basket of rabbits.
After buying them, no one knew how to handle these rabbits. Yin Zheng and Xiangcao didn’t know how to cook rabbit meat, so they simply kept them in the courtyard. Xia Rongrong and Xiangcao would come to feed these rabbits daily.
Lu Tong lowered her eyes to stare at the rabbit in her hands. She held the rabbit by its ears as its legs kicked randomly in the air. After looking at it for a moment, she took both the rabbit and the medicine container to the kitchen.
Usually, Lu Tong made medicine in the courtyard. When she used the kitchen to make medicine, she never allowed Yin Zheng to follow. Yin Zheng rubbed her knees, stacked the newly sewn handkerchiefs together, and went inside to put them in the box.
The night had deepened, and outside was very quiet. The autumn night wind fell on the windows, making them creak slightly. The entire Sheng Capital was shrouded in inky darkness.
In the kitchen, Lu Tong held the rabbit, lowering her eyes, lost in thought.
The silver container sat beside the cutting board, and the medicinal herbs inside the ground to a pulp, forming a black mass that slowly dripped down the container walls, leaving mysterious streaks that seemed oddly sinister.
Lu Tong looked at the rabbit for a while, then suddenly reached into the container, scooped out a large handful of the black sticky liquid, and stuffed it into the rabbit’s mouth.
The rabbit, having its mouth suddenly stuffed with strange black matter, began struggling violently. Lu Tong firmly held its ears until the black sticky liquid was mostly chewed up. When she released it, the rabbit escaped from her hands, and upon touching the ground and gaining freedom, immediately began running around the kitchen.
She quietly watched the rabbit.
One-quarter hour, two-quarter hours, three-quarter hours.
The rabbit’s sniffing movements gradually slowed down. It no longer continued running forward, swaying as if drunk. Then its body tilted to one side, half-lying on the ground. It seemed to try hard to get up, its four legs kicking with effort, but gradually stopped moving.
A black trace slowly seeped from the corner of the rabbit’s mouth, its wide blood-red eyes particularly horrifying.
Dead.
This rabbit, which had been jumping around vigorously just moments ago, was dead.
The night was desolate, the small kitchen dimly lit by dying light. A woman and a dead rabbit, quietly staring at each other, created a scene both miserable and eerily beautiful.
Just then, a sudden cry came from behind: “Ah—”
Lu Tong’s gaze suddenly turned cold as she whirled around. At the kitchen door stood Xia Rongrong holding a lamp, staring at her with alarm.
Usually, at this time, Xia Rongrong would have been asleep—she treasured her appearance and firmly believed that early sleep made women radiant, always going to bed before the hour of Hai. But now it was already past the hour of Zi(23:00 – 00:00).
Lu Tong frowned: “What are you doing here?”
Xia Rongrong seemed frightened, her face pale, and instinctively answered, “Xiangcao fell, I came to the kitchen to get some water.” She quickly glanced at the rabbit on the ground, hurriedly averting her gaze as if afraid to look closely, and asked Lu Tong in a trembling voice, “This rabbit…”
“This rabbit accidentally ate some poisonous herbs, so it died.”
“Is… is that so?” Xia Rongrong said, her gaze quickly sweeping over Lu Tong’s hands—her left hand was stained black from the herbs in the silver container.
Lu Tong looked at her: “Weren’t you looking for water?”
“Oh… yes.” Xia Rongrong hurriedly responded, finally remembering what she had come to do. She quickly scooped water into a basin. When it was full, she carried it out, passing by Lu Tong’s side with severely trembling hands, almost spilling the water.
Lu Tong coldly watched her leave with the basin until she entered her room in the courtyard. The lamplight behind the door crack was closed off, and outside fell back into darkness.
She stood silent for a moment, then walked to the dead rabbit’s side and picked it up.
…
“It’s too terrifying, you don’t know what I just saw!”
As soon as she entered the room, Xia Rongrong threw the water basin aside and collapsed to the ground, her legs giving way.
Xiangcao was startled and, ignoring the scrape on her knee from her recent fall, quickly got up to help Xia Rongrong sit on the bed: “What happened?”
Xia Rongrong, face pale and eyes full of fear, said, “I just saw Doctor Lu in the kitchen. She… she…” Xia Rongrong grabbed Xiangcao’s hand, “She poisoned a rabbit to death!”
Xiangcao was stunned.
“It’s true!” Afraid the maid wouldn’t believe her, Xia Rongrong spoke more urgently, revealing everything she had just witnessed. “When I went in, the poison was still unwashed from her hands, and she was standing in front of that dead rabbit, staring at the corpse, like a monster.”
Xiangcao was also frightened by her description but still maintained some rationality. “Perhaps Doctor Lu was just testing medicine?”
“Impossible! What kind of medicine could poison someone to death? Besides, you didn’t see how she looked at me…”
Xia Rongrong recalled how Lu Tong had turned to look at her when she accidentally disturbed her. Unlike her usual gentle composure, the woman was hidden in the shadows of the lamplight, her eyes cold and detached, looking at her as if viewing a corpse, without any emotion.
She suddenly shuddered.
“No, we can’t stay here!” Xia Rongrong suddenly stood up, hurriedly wanting to pack her clothes. “Let’s quickly pack our belongings and leave.”
“Miss,” Xiangcao held her back, “Please calm down. If we leave now, what about Young Master Du?”
Du Changqing?
Xia Rongrong suddenly remembered her cousin and mumbled, “Right, cousin doesn’t know yet, we must tell him about this.”
Xiangcao said, “Currently, the medical hall’s profits come entirely from Doctor Lu’s medicinal teas. I heard from A’cheng that Doctor Lu and Young Master Du split the profits equally. These days living in the medical hall, this servant has seen that Young Master Du trusts Doctor Lu completely. Even if you tell him, Young Master Du might not believe it. Even if he does believe it, he might not drive Doctor Lu away.”
Lu Tong was the money tree of Renxin Medical Hall—who would be willing to drive away their money tree?
Upon hearing this, Xia Rongrong became completely at a loss: “Then what should we do?”
She usually didn’t have many opinions of her own. She came to the capital this time just hoping to marry into the Du family, not knowing she had miscalculated Du Changqing’s current wealth. Moreover, Du Changqing didn’t seem to have that intention toward her, leaving things in an awkward state. Now encountering this situation, Xia Rongrong didn’t know what to do.
“Miss, why not ask Manager Bai from Xinglin Hall?” Xiangcao suddenly spoke up beside her.
Xia Rongrong paused. Bai Shouyi?
Come to think of it, a few days ago, Wen You, who worked for Bai Shouyi, had come to see her once.
Xinglin Hall had developed friction with Renxin Medical Hall due to the previous Spring Water incident, which Xia Rongrong had heard about from A’cheng. Bai Shouyi had suffered a great loss but blamed it all on Lu Tong.
However, after all this time, Bai Shouyi hadn’t found any leverage against Lu Tong, so he sent Wen You to find Xia Rongrong, hoping to “cooperate” with her.
Wen You stood before Xia Rongrong and said, “Miss Xia, my manager says that since you don’t want Doctor Lu to stay at the medical hall, and my manager also wants to drive Doctor Lu out of the capital, why not cooperate? Each gets what they want.”
Xia Rongrong frowned: “Cooperate?”
Bai Shouyi’s cooperation method was simple—have Xia Rongrong tamper with the medicinal ingredients Lu Tong used daily.
This was immediately rejected by Xia Rongrong.
If something went wrong with Lu Tong’s medicine, it would damage Renxin Medical Hall, and Du Changqing would suffer as well. Moreover, Xia Rongrong could see clearly that Lu Tong never let others handle the processing of medicinal ingredients and the preparation of new medicines. Her maid Yin Zheng seemed particularly alert—there was simply no opportunity to interfere.
But Wen You wouldn’t give up. He stuffed a banknote into Xia Rongrong’s hand, saying, “Miss Xia doesn’t need to answer now. When you’ve thought it through, just send someone to our shop to tell the manager.”
Xia Rongrong took the money, feeling somewhat uneasy at first, but as days passed, she gradually forgot about it. She didn’t expect Xiangcao to bring it up today.
She looked at Xiangcao hesitantly: “Is this okay?”
After all, Lu Tong was part of Renxin Medical Hall. Telling outsiders about the medical hall’s affairs seemed somewhat disloyal.
Xiangcao sighed, “Miss, although what you saw today was unexpected, it still can’t prove that Doctor Lu was making poison to harm people. Young Master Du follows Doctor Lu’s every word and will stand on her side. If you speak up, you’ll only alert Doctor Lu and damage your relationship with Young Master Du.”
“But Manager Bai is different. Doctor Lu previously humiliated Xinglin Hall, and Manager Bai harbors resentment toward her. If Doctor Lu is doing something wrong, Manager Bai definitely won’t let her off. Besides—”
“Besides, didn’t you take fifty taels of silver from Manager Bai before? When you take someone’s money, you’re obligated to them. If they come to collect, Young Master Du will be angry.”
Thinking of those fifty taels of silver, Xia Rongrong’s face reddened.
She had already spent all the money on hairpins and jewelry. If Bai Shouyi came to collect, she truly wouldn’t know how to handle it.
Seeing her wavering, Xiangcao quietly lowered her head, hiding a smile at the corner of her lips.
Xiangcao had been Xia Rongrong’s maid for many years. When they came to the capital this time, Xia Rongrong’s parents specifically instructed that they must secure the marriage between Xia Rongrong and Du Changqing.
Although Du Changqing’s wealth couldn’t compare to before, he still had shops and residences in the capital, which was better than many others. This marriage was feasible.
However, after staying at the medical hall these days, Xiangcao could see clearly that Du Changqing had no special feelings for Xia Rongrong, but was particularly close to Doctor Lu.
Xiangcao had come specifically to help secure the marriage with Du Changqing. If this failed, not only would Xia Rongrong be disappointed, but they would also have difficulty facing her parents. She suspected Lu Tong and Du Changqing had private feelings, though there was no evidence. But in the medical hall, Lu Tong subtly carried herself like the mistress of the house, with both A’cheng and Du Changqing following her lead.
Xiangcao wanted to drive Lu Tong out of the medical hall but couldn’t find a way. Who would have thought that tonight Xia Rongrong would witness that scene in the kitchen?
This was an opportunity sent by heaven.
Xiangcao ignored the scrape on her leg and quickly got up from the bed to fetch paper and brush for Xia Rongrong.
“Miss, what are you still hesitating about? Right now, only Manager Bai can help. Quickly write to Manager Bai. If there is a problem, we can save the situation in time.”
The room’s lamplight was weak, reflecting off the spilled water on the ground. Xia Rongrong stared at the water stains for a long time, bit her lip, and finally stood up as if having made up her mind.
“I understand.”
“I’ll write it.”