Chapter 544: Chapter 192 Stealing Others’ Beauty_3

"Indeed."

Cui Min’s chin lifted slightly, and the gaze that fell upon her darkened in an instant, "Then tell me, what exactly is the ailment that Young Master Qi suffers from?"

"The prescription written in the main section of the Spring Examination for the treatment of madness and epilepsy is naturally intended for those with such conditions, so Young Master Qi must be..."

Before she could finish, Lin Danqing, with quick eyes and hands, covered her mouth, his gaze filled with sudden horror.

She must not speak!

Behind Fengle Building, in Rouge Lane, rumors of Qi Yutai’s delirious speech had spread, but the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion had never acknowledged this, only claiming that Qi Yutai was startled by a fire, and in a moment of shock lost his senses.

Even in Shengjing City, where every commoner might whisper these things in private, who would dare to openly speak of the Grand Preceptor’s son going mad within the Imperial City?

Even the Third Prince’s subordinates, when discussing the matter, had to consider the occasion, especially now that Qi Yutai had recovered—such topics were even more taboo!

Lu Tong struggled free from Lin Danqing’s grasp, as he subtly shook his head at her.

She fell silent for a moment.

The medical officials in the courtyard seemed to also understand that Lu Tong’s words were forbidden, and for a while, no one spoke. Near the end of summer, the scorching sun became increasingly cruel, causing a thin layer of sweat to form on everyone’s foreheads, and those in the shade under the eaves appeared even more somber.

"Doctor Lu."

After a long while, Cui Min spoke.

With hands clasped behind his back, his robe fluttering in the wind, he lifted his eyelids to glance at Lu Tong.

"I will ask you once more, what illness does Young Master Qi suffer from?"

Lu Tong was silent for a moment, her expression gradually turning sour.

He then spread his sleeves, "First, the prescription you mentioned for the Spring Examination treats mania and nonsense speech by clearing evil blood from the heart orifice and expelling wind-epileptic phlegm confusion."

"The illness suffered by Young Master Qi was caused by smoke inhalation during a fire, resulting in angina and insomnia. With his qi depleted and blood stasis, when I treated him, I mostly used herbs for soothing the liver and relieving depression, promoting qi, and raising yang, which have nothing to do with the mad epilepsy that you mentioned."

Lu Tong: "You..."

"Secondly, medical officers at the Medical Officer Institute are not allowed to casually view prescriptions issued by the Imperial Apothecary. As a medical officer, your action of secretly looking at them constitutes a violation of the institute’s regulations, and you should be held accountable."

Lu Tong: "Not to discuss whether or not a subordinate has violated the rules, the overlap of the prescription and medicine list, how should the Envoy explain this?"

Cui Min said calmly, "Bai Ji, Black Sesame, Dan Zhu Ye, Huang Bai, Cypress Fruit, Blood Arrester... are all commonly used medicinal herbs. There are other herbs on the medicine list too, and Doctor Lu, you specifically pointed out only these few, which is somewhat biased."

"Moreover," he shifted his stance, "on that day, I only asked Doctor Lu about the Spring Examination prescription because the prescription had been damaged, and also because Doctor Lu hastily wrote a new prescription when treating a patient. Being cautious in practicing medicine and creating prescriptions is done for the sake of the Medical Officer Institute. As for the prescription you mentioned... I did not hear of it that day."

Lu Tong’s gaze turned icy.

The other medical officers watching her suddenly saw her in a new light.

The conversation between Lu Tong and Cui Min about the prescription had taken place without any witnesses. However, one was an Envoy of the Medical Officer Institute, renowned for his medical expertise and integrity; the other, a young and impulsive new medical officer who had never even entered the Imperial Medical Bureau and studied medicine on her own—people tended to side with the former.

Cao Huai showed his disdain and suddenly spoke out, "Doctor Lu is really desperate for recognition, trying to slander the Envoy with mere speculation. Look at who the Envoy is—he wrote the ’Cui Family Medical Treatise.’ His medical knowledge far exceeds yours."

"For you to repeatedly claim theft is also far too arrogant!"

A commoner female doctor, having devised a few prescriptions, now thinks herself unmatched in medical skill, talking about groundless things. Is she so desperate for advancement that she wields a nonsensical medicine list to accuse someone of stealing recipes, oblivious to the fact that all recipes in the world are composed of common herbs? If heads were counted, would not all qualify as prescriptions?

Absolutely preposterous.

Lu Tong stood in the courtyard, flames of anger burning in her eyes, left alone to face accusations, and for once appeared somewhat disheveled.

Seizing the opportunity, Cao Huai spoke, "Envoy, Doctor Lu first viewed the Imperial Apothecary’s medicine list without authorization, for which she is primarily at fault; then she made slanderous allegations against you, a secondary offense. How can such a dishonorable person be allowed to remain in the Medical Officer Institute and tarnish its reputation? I urge the Envoy to enforce strict discipline as a warning to others—"

Lin Danqing: "No! Envoy, Doctor Lu was just anxious at the time." She tugged at Lu Tong’s sleeve and whispered, "Quickly apologize."

Lu Tong remained silent, her face cold and unwilling to speak.

Cui Min, standing tall above the others, looked down at the woman before him, who stood beneath the glaring sun without a tree for cover. Her face slightly reddened, whether from anger or sunburn, she stared back at him with a gaze filled with deep-seated hatred, her knuckles white as she clenched the medicine list.

She was still too young, too impatient.

He thought this indifferently as he straightened his back, which had been somewhat bent from recent busyness, and spoke unhurriedly.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read