Dingbei Hou's doctor brother

Chapter 203 Looking for traces

In the small street behind the yamen, Yan Qian followed Yan Mengjiang and whispered.

"Dad, I planned everything this time, but I never expected Lu Ziqing to have this trick up his sleeve. He let such a great opportunity slip away."

Yan Mengjiang stopped under the locust tree with his hands behind his back, rubbing his ring on his fingertips and pondering for a while, he looked into the void.

"This is something we don't understand. We neglected it. Even if he wins this round, it won't matter. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. There's no one I, Yan Mengjiang, can't get rid of. As long as we can find something to hold against Lu Ziqing, we can also drag Xiao Yan into the water. I don't believe there is anyone in this world who is flawless."

Yan Qian sighed, "Now the Jinyiwei and Xiao Yan are both in charge of arresting people. I'm afraid that Taoist Qiu won't be able to hide for much longer."

"Don't worry, this huge capital city can't hide someone, right?" Yan Mengjiang said.

"As long as he doesn't wander around the streets, let them find him. Have someone keep a close eye on him and don't let him out. If that doesn't work, find a chance to kill him."

Zhang Tong returned to the house after his errand. The housekeeper was preparing dinner. He took off his official hat and handed it to the maid. Lu Lanzhi came out from the inner courtyard to greet him.

As soon as Zhang Tong saw her, he said, "Lanzhi, there's another disturbance in the court today. It's about your son."

"What?" Lu Lanzhi looked nervous. "What happened to him?"

The maid brought a copper basin, and Zhang Tong washed his hands. He said, "The censor accused him of using sorcery to harm the people and murder court officials. But don't worry, it's settled now. Your son is quite capable."

Lu Lanzhi breathed a sigh of relief when she heard this. "He's just an imperial physician from the Imperial Hospital. Logically, he shouldn't have any vested interests with those ministers. How could anyone accuse him?"

Zhang Tong wiped his hands and looked at Lu Lanzhi. "The reason is still because of the matter of Lord Fang. Lord Fang is old, and those people under him have been eyeing the position of Prime Minister for a long time."

"A while ago, there was an endless quarrel over the dwindling national treasury, and Lord Fang fell ill because of it. His condition was strange and lasted for half a month, and he almost passed away. The Imperial Hospital was helpless, but your son cured him right away. How could they not retaliate? However, your son's medical skills are indeed miraculous."

Lu Lanzhi looked worried. "The court is full of intrigues and deceptions, it's not a good place. I hope he can stay away from disputes and live a free life with the medical skills his master taught him. He doesn't want to be like his grandfather, who was caught up in the vortex of right and wrong and ended up with his family destroyed."

Zhang Tong looked at her back and sighed, "I've been trying to think of a way to overturn your father's case over the years, but I've been so busy. I've even mentioned it to the Emperor before."

"Unless there is solid evidence and a suitable opportunity to present a report, the Yan Party will obstruct us. Not only will we not be able to overturn the verdict, but we will also be charged with treason. This matter requires careful consideration."

Hearing this, Lu Lanzhi turned around and looked at him, "Siyuan, I don't know how to thank you. I didn't expect you to set up a tablet for my father, worship him every year, and keep thinking about overturning my case. I really..."

Her eyes were red as she spoke, and Zhang Tong patted her shoulder, "There's no need to thank me between you and me. I've always been willing to do anything for you."

The more Lu Lanzhi felt guilty, the more she realized that she and Zhang Tong had loved each other back then. If Yan Mengjiang hadn't gotten in the way, they would have been husband and wife long ago.

Time flies, and after going through hardships, all that is left is for them to look at each other and sigh with regret.

Lu Lanzhi apologized and said, "It's me who failed you. If I had believed you back then, we wouldn't be like this."

"That's all in the past. We were simply alienated by a treacherous person." Zhang Tong consoled her, and himself. "At this point, all we can do is figure out the next move."

At night in Chongcuixuan, it was already Chou time when Lu Ziqing finished his homework. Just as he was about to stand up, he remembered that there was something he had not done.

He closed his eyes again, his eyebrows moving as if he was searching for something. He vaguely saw a room surrounded by stone walls. The candlelight was bright. A one-eyed man was half lying on a couch against the wall, drinking and eating meat. The stone walls were airtight and he could not see the direction.

He used his mental power to try to see clearly, but for some reason the scene slowly turned to a dim courtyard.

There were a lot of people and green plants in the yard. Someone was carrying wood, and the worker on the beam didn't hold the beam firmly, so the beam fell and hit someone. All the workers panicked and surrounded him.

Lu Ziqing opened his eyes and muttered to himself, "Strange, why do I see that? Where is that?"

He tried a few more times, but found that he could no longer see the stone wall. Whether it was due to his subconscious or something else, all he could see was the dim courtyard.

The more I tried to search for the one-eyed man, the more upset I became because I couldn't see him. After struggling for a while, I felt a little tired.

Lu Ziqing wanted to tell Xiao Yan the result, so he walked to the main courtyard and saw that the door was closed and the lights were off.

It’s already past midnight, why haven’t you come back yet?

He paced in the yard while thinking, and seemed to realize that Xiao Yan had been leaving home early and returning late recently. He also heard Xiaowu and Xiaoliu mention that sometimes Xiao Yan did not return home at all at night, and military affairs were busier than before.

He wanted to help Xiao Yan and the others relieve some of their burden regarding the one-eyed demon, but in the end he was unable to do so.

With all sorts of messy thoughts in his mind, Lu Ziqing sighed inwardly and unknowingly wandered around the yard until almost the hour of Yin.

He glanced at Xiao Yan's door, turned around and left the yard, but before he left, he saw Xiao Yan coming back exhausted.

"Why did you come back just now, Lord?"

"Why haven't you rested yet?"

The two of them responded almost simultaneously, and Xiao Yan said, "Military affairs are not yet completed. What are you doing here now?"

Lu Ziqing said "Oh", "I originally wanted to come over to tell the Marquis about the one-eyed monster, but when I found out you were not here, I waited for a while."

Xiao Yan listened and went into the house, saying casually: "No need to wait for me so late, it's the same if you tell me tomorrow, do you see?"

When they reached the light, Lu Ziqing saw that Xiao Yan was covered in dust, with mud stuck on his clothes and boots. He didn't look like someone who came back clean from military duty as usual. Instead, he looked like a laborer working on a construction project.

He followed into the house thoughtfully and said, "I couldn't see the direction. I just saw him eating and drinking in an airtight stone room."

Xiao Yan was taking off his dirty clothes in the inner room. Although there was some distance between them, Lu Ziqing still caught a glimpse of a bruise on his shoulder.

He came out from the inner room and said, "It doesn't matter if I can't see you. As long as your suspicion is cleared, that's enough. As long as the man is still in the city, there's no fear of not being caught. You go and rest, I'll go take a shower."

When Xiao Yan was about to go out, Lu Ziqing still felt that he should show some concern for him.

He asked softly, "Did the Marquis get beaten?"

"Huh?" Xiao Yan was puzzled by the question. "No, what's wrong? Do I look like I'm going to be beaten?"

"Then how did you get that big bruise on your shoulder?" Lu Ziqing asked.

Xiao Yan looked at him and suddenly smiled, "Are you concerned about me?"

Lu Ziqing said, "The Marquis is injured. As a doctor, I should naturally care about you. After you bathe, come to my room and I will apply medicine for you."

When Xiao Yan finished his shower and walked into Chongcuixuan, Lu Ziqing had already fallen asleep on the table, with a few strands of hair hanging down on her cheeks and neck.