As soon as Lu Tianjiao rushed back to his room, he frantically rummaged through a large, antique-style rosewood bookshelf with carved flowers and birds in the corner of the study, right next to the window.
After a long while, she looked overjoyed and took a thick copy of the *Classic of Poetry* from the bookshelf piled high with books and scriptures. She turned to the page with the poem "Shu Li," her gaze lingering on it for a long time. A trace of sorrow crept onto her face, and she murmured intently, "Those who know me say I am worried; those who do not know me ask what I seek. Oh, vast heaven, who is this person?"
Then, she slowly unfolded a piece of paper that was tucked inside this page.
It turned out that the note contained a prescription, which his father, Lu Xian, had come up with on his own to prevent and treat his many chronic ailments such as headaches, dizziness, tinnitus, and fatigue. It seemed to be quite effective.
So, Lu Tianjiao thoughtfully asked him for a copy as well, and Lu Xian personally copied it down and gave it to her, saying that she would take it out in her spare time to think about it and see if she could improve it even better than her father's recipe.
Having found the prescription, she carefully tucked it into her sleeve and put the Book of Poetry back in its place before rushing out the door and heading towards the back of the Qin Prince's mansion, to a secluded courtyard called "Xinglin Pavilion."
Upon arriving at the gate of the Prince's Mansion's backyard, before seeing any other figures, one could see that the area in front of Xinglin Pavilion was filled with mulberry trees, eucommia trees, apricot trees, peach trees, jujube trees, and so on, giving one the illusion that this was not the Prince's Mansion's pharmacy, but a back garden.
However, the clever Lu Tianjiao knew in his heart that these trees were all medicinal trees. They had stood here through wind and rain for decades, yet they were still well cared for by the extremely dedicated Physician Le, and were lush, orderly, and in excellent condition.
From afar, she could already smell the faint, refreshing scent of herbs emanating from the courtyard.
He hurriedly took two steps forward and stood at the archway of Xinglin Pavilion. He immediately saw a doctor in his forties with a short beard, dressed in white, standing in front of a platform in the center of the courtyard. He rolled up his sleeves and skillfully turned over various herbs drying in bamboo trays.
The vacant corners around the yard are filled with various ornamental and practical medicinal herbs, such as forsythia, honeysuckle, houttuynia cordata, glehnia littoralis, mint, isatis root, salvia miltiorrhiza, ophiopogon japonicus, agastache rugosa, codonopsis pilosula, perilla frutescens, and atractylodes macrocephala...
Looking at all this familiar place, it was as if time had turned back eight years, when the Dowager Consort was still alive. She would often ask her father, Lu Xian, to visit the Prince's Mansion, using the excuse of missing the Dowager Consort. She was as familiar with this place as if it were her own home.
However, ever since the Dowager Empress passed away, she has had no excuse to come here again...
After a moment of sorrowful silence, Lu Tianjiao suddenly called out softly, with a look of overwhelming joy, "Imperial Physician Le" to the back of the white-clad physician.
The doctor in white slowly turned around upon hearing the voice, and asked with a puzzled look, "Young lady, may I ask who you are...?"
"Imperial Physician Yue, I am Lu Xian's daughter from Xi Qin Academy, Tianjiao. When I was little, I often came to Xinglin Pavilion to play with you. I even mistook the forsythia in your yard for winter jasmine. Does Imperial Physician Yue not remember me or recognize me?" As Lu Tianjiao spoke, she entered the room and came to the side of the doctor in white, taking his arm with great affection.
"Each flower of the winter jasmine has 6 petals, while the forsythia only has 4."
"A thousand steps of forsythia remain untouched by dust, its fragrance too alluring to paint delicate eyebrows in spring; with devout heart, I only pray to the immortals, to heal the wandering soul with lofty aspirations."
After Lu Tianjiao's repeated prompting, the white-robed doctor was finally taken aback by the woman he hadn't seen for many years who had suddenly appeared before him, and said, "You...you are really Brother Lu's daughter, Tianjiao?"
Lu Tianjiao smiled and nodded vigorously at him.
The doctor in white hurriedly said, "Why have you come? You haven't visited me in so long. How is your father? Come in, come in and have a seat."
The two chatted, not entirely happily about their long-awaited reunion, as they strolled into the pharmacy.
"Imperial Physician Yue, Tianjiao has been invited by Princess Qin to stay at your residence for a few days. Today, I've come to trouble you to help Tianjiao prepare a few doses of herbal medicine according to this prescription." As Lu Tianjiao spoke, she took out the prescription from her sleeve and handed it to the doctor in white.
The doctor in white took it, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "What is this...?"
Lu Tianjiao frowned, explaining with a worried expression, "Oh, just now I saw an old nanny serving His Highness at Lin Yuexuan's place. She seemed unwell. After thinking about it carefully, I realized she must be the strict Zhang nanny who served the Dowager Consort back then. Seeing that her symptoms seemed similar to my father's, I thought the prescription my father used might help her. Now, His Highness is unconscious and completely dependent on Zhang nanny's meticulous care. What if she falls ill herself?"
The doctor in white carefully examined the prescription in his hand, then sighed and stroked his short beard helplessly, saying, "I know a little about Granny Zhang's condition. I've repeatedly told her to come for acupuncture regularly, because if things continue like this, something terrible will definitely happen. But she just can't let go of her worries. For His Highness's sake, she's been personally managing the servants in this mansion. She can't stay idle, and she's unwilling to rest. She's spent her whole life in the Prince's mansion, and her temper is always so stubborn and persistent. There's nothing we can do about it."
After a long silence, the doctor in white seemed to have figured out the answer and suddenly spoke, "Honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, hawthorn, kelp, kelp, mung beans, lotus leaves, Job's tears, corn silk, radish seeds, water chestnuts, poria cocos, salvia miltiorrhiza, and notoginseng. Boil eight bowls of water down to two bowls. Take one bowl each morning and evening, or drink it frequently as tea... I've never seen this prescription before. The medicinal properties seem correct, but I haven't verified them. I'm afraid it might be..."
Lu Tianjiao quickly dispelled his concerns, saying, "Oh, Physician Le, please rest assured. This prescription was specially formulated by my father for his own condition. He has been taking it at home for more than half a year now, and the effect is excellent. In the past, if my brother did something outrageous outside and came home, he would be dizzy before Father even finished scolding him. But now, even if he chased him across half the academy with the family law, it wouldn't be a problem! Besides, this prescription is only used to prevent and stop the lesions from spreading further, so it's harmless."
Upon hearing this, the doctor in white suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. No wonder the handwriting and the method of administration on this prescription seemed familiar to me. It turns out it was written by Brother Lu himself. Then it's alright, it's alright. I'll go and get the medicine for you right away. Please wait a moment."
"Thank you for your trouble!" Lu Tianjiao bowed and thanked him.
When they were halfway through preparing the medicine, a man's urgent cry for help suddenly came from outside the door: "Imperial Physician Yue, Imperial Physician Yue..."
"Wait a moment, I'll be right back after I go out and take a look." Upon hearing this, the doctor in white hurriedly said this and rushed out.
Watching his departing figure, Lu Tianjiao also stood up and glanced at the medicine she had grabbed, but suddenly her gaze fixed on a spot on the medicine cabinet beside her, muttering "Datura" under her breath.
So she slowly stepped forward, gently opened the medicine box, and carefully, like a thief, pinched out a handful of herbs, clutching them tightly in her hand. Then, she pretended to be nonchalant and returned to her original position.
A moment later, the doctor in white, wiping his sweat and panting, ran back to the pharmacy to quickly fill out and pack the medicine. Looking at the medicine packet, he said with a happy expression, "Alright, I hope Brother Lu's prescription will also work on that stubborn old woman, allowing her to continue to frolic and swagger around in this royal mansion."
"Then, Tianjiao thanks Uncle Le!" Lu Tianjiao stood up again, bowed, and thanked him.
"Uncle Le? Yes, yes, hello uncle, hello uncle, uncle is so kind, so kind. You should go and give the medicine to that old hag. But she's fierce, you little girl, be careful!" the doctor in white kindly advised.
Upon returning, Lu Tianjiao personally prepared the medicine and stored it in a porcelain jar, meticulously preparing everything.
Suddenly, she looked up and saw that two maids had come up into the hall and were preparing her lunch for herself.
To save time, she had to stop Zhang Mama before she could deliver the medicine to Xuanyuan Han again. So, she had no choice but to sit down alone again and quickly take a small amount.
Before leaving, she didn't forget to pack two packets of the delicate pastries that Mei Xiyuan usually made for her, which were sitting on the table:
Select plump black sesame seeds, grind them into powder, add high-quality water chestnut flour, mix well, and steam to make a nutritious, smooth sesame cake that can improve skin and promote hair health.
There is also the Imperial Five-Nut Cake, made with almonds, peach kernels, olive kernels, sesame seeds, and melon seeds. It has a thin crust, a generous filling, a delicious taste, and an irresistible aroma.
She put everything into a shiny black wooden food box, and was about to leave when, as if she had forgotten something, she hurriedly walked into the inner room.
"A woman dresses up for the one who appreciates her." It turns out that she went to her room to change into a pink dress that she liked the most, which was also the only color that her brother Han had ever praised for her when they were children.
After changing his clothes, Lu Tianjiao sat in front of a mirror and examined himself for a long time before finally getting up and walking out with satisfaction. He picked up the food box and stepped out the door with extremely light steps.
Following Ling'er's instructions that morning, the clever Lu Tianjiao quickly arrived at the archway at the far end of the backyard, as Ling'er had mentioned.
Standing on the archway, she could clearly see everything in the courtyard.
The courtyard wasn't very big. Lu Tianjiao hadn't expected that there would be such a courtyard in the Qin Prince's mansion, which looked just like a farmhouse.
She was unaware that this was merely the Qin Prince's mansion's way of showing special care to the grandmother and granddaughter, allowing them to retain some of the simple pleasures of rural life that ordinary people used to have, so they wouldn't be too lonely or bored.
The north and east sides of the courtyard are lined with rows of single-story houses, with a uniform layout and uniform blue bricks and white tiles, which look old but still have a grand atmosphere.
The western part of the courtyard is mostly enclosed by a small fence, resembling a small garden and vegetable garden.
At this moment, Granny Zhang was sitting with an elderly woman of similar age in the northwest corner of the courtyard, at a stone table under a tall pomegranate tree in the open space between a house and a small garden. While sewing some clothes that looked like those of a prince's guards, she was chatting amiably with her.
She stood silently to one side, peering inside and scrutinizing the room for a long time before finally putting on a smile and softly calling out, "Granny Zhang."
Upon hearing the sound, Granny Zhang abruptly looked up at the doorway and was immediately stunned by the person who had entered...
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