Chapter 36 If there is even a single falsehood in Chapter 36, I will spend my whole life...
The farce at Chunhuitang didn't gradually end until it was completely dark. Zhou Qi avoided the crowd and returned home in a disheveled state.
He was covered in filth, had been splashed with swill, and was covered in rotten egg liquid. The first thing he did when he got back was to rush to the kitchen to boil water and wash himself.
Zhou Qi returned home very late today, two hours later than usual. Zhou Changchun was hungry and thirsty and couldn't wait for him to come back. He rolled over and fell to the ground, caught in a dilemma.
Hearing the noise outside the courtyard, Zhou Changchun opened his eyes and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Aqi, what have you been doing!"
"Come help me up!"
"Aqi, did you hear that?!"
Zhou Qi had just poured the boiled water into the bucket of cold water, bent down to scoop a ladleful and splash it on his head, when he heard the howling coming from the main house, and felt a little irritated.
The thought of having to take care of a middle-aged man who was partially paralyzed for the next few decades made him feel hopeless and bleak about the future.
Zhou Changchun howled in the house for a long time, but Zhou Qi didn't respond. He washed his hair and thoroughly cleaned himself of the dirt and stench before changing his clothes and going to the kitchen to cook noodles.
When he brought the noodles to the main house, Zhou Changchun was lying exhausted on the threshold, his dark eyes filled with extremely complex emotions as he looked up at him with difficulty.
Zhou Qi subconsciously avoided her father's gaze, turned sideways and went into the room, placed the noodles on the small table beside the bed, and then returned to the door to lift her father onto the bed.
As the saying goes, "A long illness tests the filial piety of even the most devoted sons," and Zhou Changchun never imagined that this saying would come true for him. He stared intently into Zhou Qi's eyes and said, word by word, "You don't want to take care of me anymore."
"No." Zhou Qi denied it decisively, staring down at the noodles in the bowl, and slowly brought them to her father's mouth. "Something happened at the clinic. Senior Brother Mu asked me to hand over the key."
Zhou Changchun's attention was indeed diverted. He snatched the bowl of noodles and asked seriously, "What's going on?"
"The wrong prescription was written, and someone died."
Zhou Changchun couldn't believe that he could say something like "the doctor killed someone" so calmly. After a long while, he finally remembered to ask, "Who wrote the prescription?"
"Me," Zhou Qi admitted frankly.
Zhou Changchun seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He snatched the chopsticks from Zhou Qi's hand and slammed them to the ground. "Impossible! You've been dealing with medicinal herbs since you were three years old. How could you possibly prescribe the wrong medicine?"
Zhou Qi glanced at the chopsticks on the ground, frowned almost imperceptibly, put down the bowl, picked up the chopsticks, poured a glass of cold water, and went to the door to rinse them.
Seeing that he remained silent, Zhou Changchun continued to press, "Is it Mu Yuan? He wants to take over the clinic for himself. What methods did he use to frame you?"
Zhou Qi shook the water droplets off the chopsticks and avoided answering her father's pressing questions, saying, "I can handle it, so please don't worry about it."
…
The next morning, Yu Mingshu stared at his swollen ankle in distress. He asked Luo Yan to find a long stick to use as a crutch, and he limped a few steps, barely able to walk.
She reluctantly made the decision to ask Yu Dan to pass on a message to the academy requesting two days off.
Later that evening, Luo Yan went to the clinic and brought back an old man with a white beard, who was said to be a master orthopedic surgeon specializing in treating sprains and bruises, surnamed Huang.
The old man's temples were gray, and he walked slowly, but his eyes were clearer and sharper than those of many young people.
Yu Mingshu modified the long stick by wrapping several layers of cloth around both ends, making it easier to use than before. He then walked to the front hall with the simple cane.
Seeing her sit down, Qingque moved another stool over so that she could prop up her sprained foot.
Not far away, the expert surnamed Huang had just stepped through the gate when he looked up and saw a young and beautiful woman. He then hurriedly retreated.
Luo Yan grabbed the old man's arm. "Old Huang, where are you going? My master is waiting for you to go in and see a doctor."
The old man hurriedly broke free from her, his face flushed, and he uttered a few onomatopoeic words incoherently before finally managing to straighten his tongue.
“Young lady! Why didn’t you mention that your mistress was a woman when you came to invite me? As the sage said, men and women should not touch each other, especially since your mistress injured her ankle…”
Luo Yan said discontentedly, "You've already come all this way, how can you leave without even taking a look? Besides, you've already accepted my consultation fee!"
The old man shakily pulled out a copper coin from his sleeve and tossed it to Luo Yan from two steps away. "I'll return the consultation fee to you. Please find another female doctor, young lady!"
Yu Mingshu had already stood up when the old man hurriedly retreated. He leaned on his cane to the door and caught the copper coin that the old man threw to him.
"Please wait, sir."
The old man stared at her warily. "What do you mean by this, young lady?"
Yu Mingshu retorted loudly, "The sage did say that men and women should not touch each other, which is a matter of propriety. But the sage also said that it is an expedient act to help a drowning sister-in-law. As a doctor, one should have a benevolent heart. What is wrong with violating propriety to treat the injured?"
This statement makes sense, yet it also doesn't. How many people in this world truly practice self-discipline and adhere to propriety? Observing etiquette is often done out of fear of gossip. If she transgresses propriety today and rumors spread, can she confront everyone and argue her point?
The old man gave her a meaningful look, then took three steps back and said with a wry smile, "Although you are injured, you can walk freely and do not seem to be in any danger of death. Please do not make things difficult for this old man."
Yu Mingshu could only lean against the door frame and watch helplessly as the white-haired old man fled in panic.
It's absurd that a top orthopedic surgeon was scared away by a cripple.
Luo Yan stepped forward to help Yu Mingshu, and the master and servant were about to close the door and go back inside when Zhou Qi suddenly came out from the corner and reached out to block the Yu family's gate.
Yu Mingshu was genuinely startled. "Zhou Qi? Where did you come from?"
Zhou Qi explained, "I just came back from Chunhuitang and happened to hear you arguing with Elder Huang."
Yu Mingshu originally wanted to ask him how he knew the old man, but then he thought that since they were in the same profession, it would be strange if he didn't know him.
She said politely but distantly, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you."
Zhou Qi pointed to the cane beside her and said with concern, "Are you injured in the foot? If you don't mind the formalities, I can take a look at it for you."
Yu Mingshu hesitated.
It wasn't that she was avoiding the strict separation of men and women; she was mainly avoiding the Zhou family.
Zhou Qi seemed oblivious to her resistance and stepped directly into the Yu family's gate, taking it upon himself to have Luo Yan help her back into the hall.
After a moment, Yu Mingshu gave in to his enthusiasm, put her left foot on the stool, looked up at the roof beam, her mind free of distractions, and prayed again and again: I hope it's just a sprain and that it doesn't hurt her bones.
She suddenly remembered a senior from the same department who had fallen and torn his ligaments while riding his electric bike from the dormitory to the teaching building. It was only a two-kilometer journey.
That senior was carried to the hospital by several good friends. He spent several hundred yuan on X-rays and several thousand yuan on surgery. He was in a wheelchair for a month after the surgery, and his recovery period after standing up lasted for half a year. Even after he recovered, he dared not do strenuous exercise again...
After a series of random thoughts, Yu Mingshu suddenly felt fortunate that she was able to get up immediately after falling, so she was definitely not as badly injured as that senior.
Zhou Qi did not do anything inappropriate. He simply held her ankle gently, pressed it from side to side, and asked, "Does it hurt like this?" He did this three or five times before putting her down.
Yu Mingshu answered him one by one, then stared at him and asked, "My injury isn't serious, is it?"
"It's not serious. I'll prescribe two ointments to help with the swelling and you'll be fine after a few days of rest." After saying that, Zhou Qi added, "You need to rest to recover. It's best if you don't move around for the next couple of days. Since Fengyang Tower is doing so well, why bother with other businesses?"
Yu Mingshu always claimed that she wore men's clothing to work and earn money, and Zhou Qi naturally did not know that she was actually studying at the academy every day.
Zhou Qi's first two sentences were fine, but the last sentence was unpleasant.
Yu Mingshu said, "Who would complain about having too much money?"
Zhou Qi was speechless. He stared at her for a while, then suddenly changed the subject: "I heard that Fuling often goes to Fengyang Tower. I suppose it's to thank you for introducing her to the Crown Prince."
This is the same question again.
Yu Mingshu spread his hands helplessly and said, "Brother Zhou, I'm so wronged! With my hard work from dawn till dusk to earn money to support my family, where did you get the idea that I could climb up to the Crown Prince?"
Zhou Qi naturally didn't believe her. "Don't misunderstand, I don't resent you. I'm happy for Fuling that she's doing well. I'm just... just a little envious."
Yu Mingshu said: Then go ahead and be envious.
Unable to get a response, Zhou Qi gritted her teeth and decided to take the plunge. Her face flushed, she said, "Ming Shu, could you put in a good word for me with that young master He and introduce me to him?"
Yu Mingshu then realized that this was his plan.
“Brother Zhou, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, I really didn’t interfere with Fuling’s job. If you don’t believe me, I can swear.”
Zhou Qi didn't say anything more, but Yu Mingshu could see the distrust in his eyes.
So she pointed to the sky and said firmly, "I, Yu Mingshu, swear to the heavens that I absolutely did not participate in planning or assisting Zhou Fuling to enter the Eastern Palace. If there is even a single falsehood in this, I will never be able to get married in this lifetime."
Zhou Qi exclaimed in shock, "How could it be like this... I misunderstood. You should take good care of yourself and recover from your injury."
…
On the first day of Yu Mingshu's absence, Yu Dan was invited to Zhishan Hall for tea, a rare occasion for him.
Having not experienced this situation for two months, Yu Dan felt unfamiliar and embarrassed by it. He picked at his nails with his hands hidden in his sleeves, staring at the ground with his eyes fixed on the ground, quietly waiting for his teacher's reprimand.
Yuan Yi stared at him expressionlessly, while Yang Congen, sitting opposite him, held a booklet and examined it carefully. The booklet in his hand was not some random booklet, but "The Study Master's Notes," which was personally bound by Yu Mingshu.
After a while, Yang Congen put down his notebook and calmly asked, "Where did you find this book? The binding is quite novel, unlike what you'd expect from a street-side bookstore."
Yu Dan spoke frankly: "These are notes that my elder sister compiled herself, and she also bound them herself."
Yang Congen praised, "Indeed, this booklet is well-organized and balanced in its content, demonstrating the author's broad and solid knowledge."
Yuan Yi interjected, "This doesn't look like Yu Mingshu's handwriting."
Yu Dan's expression was somewhat strange, and he didn't know how to explain. The notebook he was using was a copy made by his elder sister; the original was in He Zheng's possession.
The matter was actually not complicated. The two notebooks looked exactly the same. He and He Erlang lived close by. Once, He Zheng took the notebook to the front desk to discuss a problem with his older sister. When he left, he took the wrong notebook. By the time he realized it, two days had passed.
Whether He Zheng didn't notice or didn't care, he didn't ask him to exchange them afterward. He thought that the two notebooks were no different except for the handwriting, and the handwriting of the replica was even better than his sister's, so he just used them as is until now.
Under the slightly suspicious gazes of his two teachers, Yu Dan could only manage to utter, "After my sister finished writing it, she had someone make a copy."
It was unclear what was so funny about that statement, but Yuan Yi chuckled softly after hearing it.
Yang Congen picked up a thin bamboo strip from under the book and asked, "What's with this bamboo strip tucked in the book?"
Yu Dan said, "My sister said this is called a bookmark. You can put it in a book as a mark so you can quickly find the content you want to read next time."
Yang Congen seemed to be deep in thought, turning the booklet and bookmark over and over again, thinking that the person who came up with this binding method was truly a genius. A thin booklet could contain the contents of several scrolls, and when flipping through it, there was no need to unfold the entire scroll, and it also saved more space when stacked...
The advantages of this type of binding are obvious, and it should be promoted nationwide.
Seeing his mentor remain silent, Yuan Yi took over the conversation and admonished him: "Although you are not reading idle books in class, I must remind you that no matter whose notes they are, they cannot replace the original texts. There are no shortcuts in reading."
"Yes, yes, yes, I will remember your teachings, sir." Yu Dan readily admitted his mistake and apologized.
That sounds so familiar; he's said it all the time.
Yuan Yi rubbed his temples and said, "Go back now."
Yu Dan took a step back, but did not leave Zhishan Hall. He looked up at the notebook in Yang Congen's hand and asked timidly, "Master Yang, can this notebook... still be returned to the student?"
Yang Congen said, "I'll borrow it for two days to study, and I'll return it to you in two days."
Since it was just a loan and not a confiscation, Yu Dan felt relieved and his steps were much lighter when he left Zhishan Hall.
Only Yang Congen and his student Yuan Yi remained in the room. After pondering for a moment, Yang Congen suddenly rolled up his notebook into his sleeve, stood up and said to Yuan Yi, "I have to go to the palace for some business. I may not be able to get back to the academy by the afternoon. Please take good care of everything at the academy."
Yuan Yi paused for a moment before replying, "Okay, don't worry, teacher."
…
Outside the Taiji Palace, a woman adorned with gold hairpins and brocade craned her neck to peer into the hall. Her maid carried a carved food box. The two women exchanged glances from time to time, their affection gradually shifting from calm and composure to anxiety and unease.
The eunuch Yao Qingxi jogged out of the palace and, under the scorching sun, said to the woman with a forced smile, "Your Highness, it's not that His Majesty doesn't want to see you, but he's simply too busy with state affairs to come. Please go back; be careful not to get too hot in the heat."
The palace maid said indignantly, "The Empress and the Crown Prince are clearly in the palace, but the eunuchs insist that His Majesty is busy with state affairs. Do they think our Consort Zhaorong is easy to fool?"
Yao Qingxi could only manage a bitter smile on his face, while cursing inwardly: You only see the Empress and the Crown Prince, but you don't see that Minister Li and the Heir Apparent of Anyuan are also there?
After Wei Zhaorong and the other palace maids finished speaking, they pretended to stop her, took the food box and handed it to Yao Qingxi. In the instant she reached out, a purse appeared between her fingers, and judging from the way the purse swayed as it hung down, it was quite heavy.
"It's fine if His Majesty refuses to see me, but this white fungus and lotus seed soup was stewed and chilled this morning. The last ten days of summer are dry and hot, and this dish is the best for relieving heat and moisturizing the lungs. Please trouble Eunuch Yao to take it to me."
Yao Qingxi did not reach out to accept it, ignoring Consort Wei's overtures and showing reluctance, saying, "His Majesty is surely aware of Consort Wei's intentions. However, His Majesty has just enjoyed the Fengyang iced tea that His Highness the Crown Prince brought from outside the palace, I'm afraid..."
Without needing to say the whole thing, Consort Wei understood that he was politely declining.
Consort Wei's expression was not good. She handed the food box back to the palace maid in a slightly rough manner. When she turned to leave, she walked hurriedly and almost bumped into Yang Congen, who was coming from the other side.
Yang Congen was getting old, and it was difficult for him to climb the steps in front of Taiji Palace. After stepping onto the last step, he stopped to rest, glanced back at the woman who was leaving in a hurry, and then went up to greet Yao Qingxi.
Yao Qingxi's expression changed instantly, and he smiled broadly. This time, he only went for a short while before coming out to invite Yang Congen into the main hall.
Upon hearing that a foreign official had arrived, the Empress took her leave and went around the embroidered screen to leave through the back door.
Upon seeing the visitor, Emperor Fengle put down his cup and sighed, "What a rare guest!" He gestured for Yao Qingxi to stop Yang Congen, who was about to kneel, and then asked, "Teacher, what brings you to the palace today?"
Yang Congen didn't beat around the bush and stated his purpose directly. As he spoke, he took out the "Study Notes" he had received from Yu Dan from his sleeve and handed it to Yao Qingxi, who then presented it to the emperor.
After Yang Congen finished speaking, a booklet of moderate thickness fell into the emperor's hands.
Emperor Fengle ran his fingertips over the cover of the notebook, his gaze sweeping strangely over He Ting and Li Qinian before finally settling on Yang Congen. "Who do you think bound this notebook?"
Yang Congen said, "He is Yu Mingshu, a student of the Wuzi Hall of Chang'an Academy and a descendant of the late Imperial Censor Yu Zhui."
It's unusual to introduce the children of officials by saying "the son of such-and-such family," but to use the term "descendants" to describe Yu Zhui's children is quite novel.
Emperor Fengle's attention was not on this. His brow furrowed slightly as he raised the booklet and said, "Yu Zhui was of low rank and has been dead for many years. He shouldn't have had tribute paper. But the cover of this booklet looks like the stiff yellow paper used for imperial tribute."
The processing of stiff yellow paper is complex, making it a valuable item. While ordinary bookstores may sell it, they are mostly counterfeit or inferior products.
The imperial tribute paper was glossy and tough, and could prevent insects and moisture. The difference between it and the inferior product was not obvious, but it could still be distinguished by careful observation.
Yang Congen had been focused on the binding and hadn't noticed the cover paper. When he heard the emperor's question, he paused for a moment, then glanced hesitantly at the heir of the Marquis of Anyuan.
The Yu siblings were close to He Zheng, so if it was any wonder how the imperial tribute paper ended up in Yu Mingshu's hands, he couldn't think of any other possibility besides He Zheng acting as a go-between.
He Ting noticed Yang Congen's gaze and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
He remembered that two months ago, He Zheng had rummaged through the warehouse.
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