Dingbei Hou's doctor brother

Chapter 210 Indifference and Determination

Lu Ziqing walked over. Xiao Wu smiled awkwardly when he saw him and said, "Master, you haven't rested yet?"

Lu Ziqing glanced at the doorman and answered irrelevantly, "What are you doing here so late? Is Chengyi in there?"

Xiaowu and Xiaoliu behind him made eye contact and suddenly exclaimed "Oh".

"No, I was just packing up and forgot to turn off the lights when I came out. Sir, why don't you take a rest?"

Lu Ziqing looked at the doorman, half believing and half doubting, then looked away, "It will be a while, go turn off the lights and go to bed."

After he finished speaking, he turned around, walked a few steps thoughtfully, and then stopped. He glanced sideways at the doorman and saw Xiaowu opening the door and going in hurriedly.

Lu Ziqing lowered his eyes and stopped looking, but his expression was slightly hesitant. He went to the kitchen without saying anything, and Xiaoliu also had a share of noodles.

After taking a shower, Xiao Yan lay on the bed with one arm resting his head, holding the little red cloth bag in a daze. At this time, there was a knock on the door.

He opened the door and saw Xiaoliu, "What's up?"

Xiao Liu lifted the tray higher and said with a smile, "Master said that the master has worked hard all day and must be hungry at this late hour, so he cooked noodles and brought them to the master."

Xiao Yan stared at the bowl of noodles in surprise for a moment, and made way for Xiao Liu to enter the house. He looked outside and saw nothing. Xiao Liu then knocked on the door and left.

He sat at the table and looked at the noodles, which still had barbecued pork and eggs on them. He thought of how Lu Ziqing cooked noodles that night and smiled silently.

Compared to the previous period, only tonight did Xiao Yan fall asleep with satisfaction and happiness, and had a sweet dream.

In the dream, Lu Ziqing was sitting under the osmanthus trees in Yuqing Garden, reading a book. He took a small sprig of osmanthus and quietly placed it on the book from behind.

Lu Ziqing turned around and smiled. He was wearing the hairpin with the intertwined branches, without a crown. He looked pure and white against the emerald green, orange and yellow surroundings.

That smile was extremely sweet and gentle, just like the sweet fragrance of osmanthus flowers in the garden, almost melting Xiao Yan's heart.

Lu Ziqing still held the osmanthus flower and asked him, "It's fine, why did you pick it?"

Xiao Yan smiled and leaned over. "It feels unreal, like a dream. I want to pick one and see if it's you."

Lu Ziqing held the osmanthus branch, pursed his lips and smiled, "Can you see it clearly?"

In the dim light, Xiao Yan lay on the bed with his eyes closed. A smile appeared on the corner of his lips, and he whispered, "Ziqing."

It had been drizzling in Jin'an City for two days in a row, and the Empress Dowager's arthritis had stopped hurting her. Emperor Shengzhi finally felt relieved and reviewed memorials in the imperial study. Not long after, he stopped due to fatigue and leaned against the dragon throne to rest.

Gao Jian came over at the right moment, carrying a teacup, and said softly, "Your Majesty is tired. Have some tea to relax. Leave the unfinished documents to me."

Emperor Shengzhi rubbed his temples, sighed deeply, picked up the teacup and took a sip.

"It took a long time for the light rain to fall over the past two days. I'm afraid this summer will be short of rain and may even lead to a drought."

"If the emperor is worried, let the Imperial Observatory make a divination," said Gao Jian.

Emperor Shengzhi put down his teacup and said, "Go ahead and do it."

Gao Jian took the order, walked a few steps, and then turned back. "Your Majesty, a while ago you said you wanted to reward Court Judge Lu. I am a dull servant and I can't figure out what Court Judge Lu likes. Please give your opinion."

Emperor Sheng Zhi leaned on the edge of the table and pondered for a while. Then he picked up a pen and wrote a note. Gao Jian took it and looked at it, and suddenly he understood. When he was about to leave, Emperor Sheng Zhi stopped him and gave him some instructions.

“Select the best and send them away; do not neglect them.”

Lu Ziqing did not go home after finishing his mission. Instead, he took a carriage to visit the homes of several people who were recovering slowly. When he came out, the rain had stopped.

The streets were bustling with people. He was thinking about changing his prescription and walked alone for a while. His eyelids twitched from time to time and felt uncomfortable. It didn't feel like long before he met someone he didn't like.

Lu Lanzhi put away her umbrella and was heading upstairs to the side. When she saw Lu Ziqing, she came over with a reserved look on her face.

"Still busy?"

Lu Ziqing didn't want to react at first, but Xiao Yan's words "Don't lose your manners" inexplicably flashed through his mind, so he nodded expressionlessly.

"Senior Qing is polite."

Lu Lanzhi's face was slightly stiff, and her heart ached. She calmed herself down and forced a smile.

"It's been a while since we last met. You've lost some weight. The Imperial Hospital is very busy, so please take care of your health."

"Thank you for your concern, Senior." Lu Ziqing said, "I still have to go to the patient's home, so I won't chat with Senior Qing any more. Goodbye."

"Nanxing." Lu Lanzhi called him, but she didn't dare to approach him rashly. She chose to approach him cautiously. "After all this time, you still won't say a word to me?"

Lu Ziqing didn't turn around again. "Senior, you're joking. Haven't I been talking to you the whole time? It's just that I have something else to do."

"You know that's not what I meant." Lu Lanzhi said, "If you were willing to forgive me, you wouldn't be so cold."

Lu Ziqing said, "Senior, you are too kind. We are just acquaintances, so forgiveness is not an issue."

He resolutely set out to leave, and Lu Lanzhi anxiously called him again.

"Nanxing, what do you want me to do to forgive you? I really..."

She hesitated and simply walked up to Lu Ziqing and looked at him, "Mother just wants to tell you that your status is also noble, not lowly."

Lu Ziqing's eyes moved, and he spoke calmly yet with a hint of struggle, "How noble can a child born of a prostitute be?"

He turned his head again to look at the tall Changlefang building in front of him, then turned back to look at Lu Lanzhi.

"Senior, you are so familiar with places like this. I won't delay your fun. Goodbye."

Lu Ziqing left indifferently and resolutely. Lu Lanzhi's tears fell with heartache. For a moment, the blood rushed to her head and she staggered half a step.

She clutched her clothes, bitter tears flowing between her clenched lips and teeth, and she explained with a choked sob.

"No, Mom is not, and neither are you, Nanxing, you really are not."

The crowds of people were crisscrossing, and Lu Lanzhi stood there for an unknown amount of time. She wiped away her tears, looked at Changlefang, and walked in.

It was almost dark when Lu Ziqing returned to Chongbeifang. As he walked on the street leading to his house, his eyelids were still twitching. He had been feeling uneasy for no reason today.

He rubbed his eyelids and knocked on the door. Before he went in, he saw Xiaoliu standing at the door with an embarrassed look on his face.

"The master is back."

"What's wrong?" Lu Ziqing walked in. "Why do you look like that?"

Xiao Liu closed the door and said, "Nothing, the young master hasn't come back yet in the afternoon, and the palace has sent a reward, gold, silver and jade. Let's go and take a look."

Lu Ziqing passed through the second gate and went to the main hall. "The Marquis bought a lot of things before, but I don't need them. You and Xiaowu can pick out one or two that you like. The rest will be recorded and stored in the book."

When he entered the main room, he saw a table full of food already set, and Xiaowu came in from outside, smiling, carrying the dishes.

"Master is back. Today's meal is all delicious. Go change your clothes and eat."

Lu Ziqing washed his hands in a copper basin, glanced at the dishes on the table, and asked, "Why is there such a rich feast today when it's not a festival? Is there some happy event?"

Xiao Wu put down the tofu soup and said with a smile, "It's of course a happy occasion for you to receive the emperor's reward, huh... Hurry up, huh, I'll go call Wu Ji and Cheng Yi, Prince Su is here too."

Lu Ziqing was busy outside all day. When he came back and saw that everyone was happy, he was in a good mood. Xiaoliu took the handkerchief he used to wipe his hands and watched him go out to the inner courtyard.

However, less than half a cup of tea later, Lu Ziqing came back with a look of panic and fear, and his clothes were not even put on.