Feeling dizzy, Xiao Dong changed into clean clothes and followed Doctor Li to Wutong Garden.
At this moment, all the lanterns in the Wutong Garden were lit. Xiao Hong led them across the covered bridge, but instead of entering the hall, she turned a corner and went to the waterside pavilion not far away.
At the corner of the waterside pavilion, there was a black nanmu wood table. Qin Yuan and Lord Gu sat close together on a chair next to the pavilion, talking about something.
Red lanterns reflected on the water's surface, a beautiful couple whispered to each other, the croaking of frogs by the water and the chirping of crickets in the distance harmonized.
Xiao Dong felt relieved.
It seems that Lord Gu is not angry with his senior sister.
"Master and junior brother are here," Qin Yuan said with a smile as she stood up. She said to Doctor Li, "Master, the Marquis learned that his disciple has become a disciple and said that he also wants to acknowledge his master."
The chrysanthemum-like smile appeared at the corners of Li Langzhong's eyes again.
Xiao Dong's mouth stretched all the way to his ears.
Lord Gu stepped forward and bowed to Physician Li with the courtesy due to a junior, and said with a smile, "Junior Gu Jinghui greets Master."
The young eunuch said, "Should we wait and ask the Fourth Princess to come back?"
Doctor Li then asked, "Did he draft a memorial, or did he mess it up?"
Xiao Dong's face flushed red, and he looked at Gu Jinghui with embarrassment.
The head eunuch hurriedly spoke up: "The Fourth Princess has arrived. She's inside making a fuss about seeing His Majesty, saying she's made a refreshing soup and wants to send it over for His Majesty to try."
The Marquis couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.
The Marquis laughed and said, "No, but he must have been very careful before. What if he accidentally revealed where his big treasury was hidden?"
Da Dong broke free from Li Langzhong's hand and said, "Master, my senior sister is from the same village. You're so poor, but you must be looking at her big treasury."
Li Langzhong said, "Wait for him to change. It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature. We need to be careful about who his son befriends. Otherwise, we'll know when he'll be betrayed. He's just a fool with a stupid face."
Doctor Li laughed and said, "No, no, Qi Xiao's intentions have already been expressed. The matter of becoming a disciple must be publicized to avoid gossip."
The head eunuch hurriedly ran out, and a moment later, the Fourth Princess slowly walked back carrying a food box. Her round face, still bearing traces of childishness, was filled with smiles in her almond-shaped eyes. Before she even approached the dragon table, she said sweetly, "Father, tomorrow I also want to go with my eldest sister to the Marquis of Dingbei's residence to offer my condolences. Please grant my request, considering how hard I worked to prepare this soup."
The young eunuch asked in a drawn-out voice.
The Marquis laughed and said, "He even wants Da Dong to know about this. Did he say that we should watch out for Da Dong's mouth?"
The woman frowned, angrily threw the memorial in her hand to the ground, and scolded, "Those scoundrels, they are good at holding positions but not doing their jobs. They write all sorts of nonsense in the memorials, a bunch of rubbish, which also offend my eyes."
The hall was quiet, except for the occasional crackling sound of moths fluttering against the lampshade.
...
Doctor Li said, "It would be bad if he remembered it."
The Marquis said, "But he forgot that walls have no ears. If he speaks, he has to be careful. If someone overhears him, he will squander his master's retirement savings. What will he do then?"
Da Dong asked, "Senior sister, you let it slip. Did your husband blame you for anything?"
"What's wrong?"
After saying that, he complained to Qi Xiao, "He said that someone like that still wants to enter the Imperial Hospital. I'm afraid even his bone fragments will be swallowed by others."
Li Langzhong glanced at him and made a sound.
Weiyang Palace.
After a long pause, he suddenly laughed and said, "Old Wang, that old fox."
Lord Gu then stood up and said, "Master, junior brother, there are some things to take care of in the inner courtyard, so I am able to stay here with you. Please forgive me."
Before the family members took their seats, Lord Gu said, "Yuan'er should have had a proper apprenticeship banquet, but since there's no smallpox outside the manor, it would be a bit of a sloppy affair. Yuan'er said that her master also wants to make a name for himself, so we'll just have to make do with this."
Doctor Li said, “I am usually very alert. It’s not because I’m old, but because I’ve been following you since I was a child. I have playmates and I keep everything to myself once I’ve confided in someone. There’s no way to change that habit.”
The Marquis smiled as he served the dishes, often teasing Da Dong and talking to him.
Lord Gu nodded and then left in a hurry.
Li Langzhong and Da Dong finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yes," Xiao Dong replied happily.
Doctor Li hurriedly helped him up, saying, "My lord, you mustn't be so polite."
Gu Jinghui reached out and gently stroked Xiao Dong's head, saying, "When you have some free time these days, let Sixteen take you horseback riding."
The Emperor paused for a moment, then said, "The Crown Prince is in good health, and the Eastern Palace currently doesn't have a group of officials to manage things for me, so things are relatively peaceful there. If I were to take that position, could I handle these old foxes?"
Doctor Li said, "You must have a way. We depend on each other for survival. If you tell me where you've put your savings, and I don't have any money to spend, who am I supposed to turn to?"
Upon hearing this, the Marquis suddenly felt a lump in his throat and changed the subject, saying, "Da Dong usually seems quite clever, so why does he always have to shut up?"
His Majesty has spoken.
The Marquis lowered his eyelids, silently sipped his tea, and the doubts in his mind gradually diminished.
The young eunuch looked at the emperor, awaiting his instructions.
Da Dong, with his chubby cheeks puffed out and no trace of grievance in his dark eyes, said, "You'll change, and besides, you said you insisted on going to the Imperial Hospital."
The young eunuch dared to speak up.
Doctor Li quickly covered my mouth and glared at me, saying, "That son of his, I just told him to watch his mouth, and he's done it again."
The Marquis hurriedly said, "It's already a good thing that Da Dong can take over Renhetang. In the Imperial Hospital, you treat people's illnesses, and in Renhetang, you treat people's illnesses in the same way. There's no difference. You'd be more comfortable in the Imperial Hospital. All that scheming and infighting is exhausting."
The emperor closed his eyes and said, "I told you to leave. It's so late, why are you drinking soup?"
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