Dingbei Hou's doctor brother

Gou Dongxi frowned slightly when he heard this.

"I understand what you all said, but it's difficult to handle when it comes to the Empress of the Harem actively requesting treatment."

Doctor Sun continued, "This is the palace rule. Even the Empress of the Harem cannot ask for a consultation casually. If that's the case, then what's the point of arranging palace duties?"

As he was speaking, Lin Yi walked in from outside with a prescription and handed it to Gou Dongxi.

"What are you all gathered here to discuss?"

"Let's discuss our jobs." Doctor Wang said casually.

"What's wrong?" Lin Yi looked at them with a smile, "Who wants to take away your jobs?"

"Doctor Lin, haven't you felt anything lately?" Doctor Shen said, "The Empresses in the Palaces no longer need us. They are all looking for Lu Ziqing."

"That's all?" Lin Yi chuckled. "What's the big deal? Ziqing is young and promising, so he naturally has the trust of the ladies. Besides, wouldn't it be better for everyone to have some free time? For example, during the autumn hunt, when the crown prince was injured and specifically asked for Ziqing, Chi Musheng and I could enjoy some free time without any worries."

It was almost halfway through lunchtime when Lu Ziqing came out of the archives room to eat. There were not many people in the cafeteria.

The food today was good. The eight-treasure glutinous rice chicken was soft, sticky and fragrant, the crystal shrimps were sweet and crispy, and the steamed fish fillets were also extremely delicious.

Lu Ziqing took two mouthfuls of rice, glanced at the people at the next table, and whispered to Chi Musheng beside him.

"During the autumn hunt, I noticed that the Emperor was short of energy, fatigued, listless, and nauseous. His complexion also seemed somewhat dark and sallow. What symptoms did you diagnose him with?"

"Piman, it's been many years." Chi Musheng picked up a shrimp and put it in his mouth to chew, "The emperor has always been treated by the master."

"Many years?" Lu Ziqing asked suspiciously, "Even if the traditional Chinese medicine formula for treating Piman is slow to take effect, a year is enough. How could it take several years to heal?"

He handed the soup spoon to Chi Musheng and said, "It's just that the emperor is busy with state affairs all day long, and he has a lot of things to do. He has trouble sleeping and eating, and it's common for him to be weak. It's natural that this will take a long time."

The people eating there gradually left. Chi Musheng finished his soup, wiped his mouth, and then his voice became louder.

"It seems to be more serious now than before. I heard from the master that the emperor sometimes feels nauseous and wants to vomit, has a poor appetite, and always feels weak."

He sighed, "Because of this, Master is worried every day, and I am worried too. Although the Emperor hasn't openly blamed Master, we all understand that if a royal physician can't even heal the Emperor, what good will he have in the end?"

Perhaps, this is the sadness of being an official in the court.

Although it seems to be a glorious life on the surface, in fact, you have no control over your own situation. Every day, accompanying the king is like walking with a tiger, trembling with fear and treading on thin ice.

In the court and power struggles, a careless word or a small action may lead to fatal disaster.

In order to protect their status, property and lives, they have to carefully guess the emperor's intentions and cater to the powerful and go against their own consciences. It is helpless and sad.

Lu Ziqing shook his head secretly and said with emotion: "We are human, not gods. We can only do our best. If we can only get to that point, it will be God's will that we die."

Chi Musheng listened, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he spoke with great interest.

"Hey, I just heard from my master that you are Xi Yuanshi's apprentice. I can't believe it. No wonder you are so methodical in practicing medicine and prescribing medicine, and are proficient in so many disciplines."

"I also heard from Master that Dean Xi is young and promising, and his medical skills are extraordinary. There are also many books written by him in the library, and we read them regularly."

When his master was suddenly mentioned, Lu Ziqing felt inexplicably sad for a moment, and the vegetables he was holding in his mouth stopped.

Seeing his expression, Chi Musheng felt a hint of embarrassment on his face.

"Oh, it was during a night shift a while ago. We were talking about acupuncture. My master asked me to discuss it with you. He said you were good at acupuncture, and then he mentioned this casually. He didn't mean to..."

"Lord Chi misunderstood. I just suddenly heard the word 'Master' and thought of him." Lu Ziqing had a slight smile on his face.

Chi Musheng nodded and asked, "Why do you seem a little down? Did something happen?"

Lu Ziqing lowered his eyes, remained silent for a while, put down his bowl and chopsticks, and said, "My master is dead."

"Ah? This..." Chi Musheng was even more embarrassed. "Sorry, I don't know you..."

"It's okay, you didn't know either." Lu Ziqing said, "I also learned about this news not long ago."

"Not long?" Chi Musheng asked, "Does that mean you and your master weren't together? Excuse me, how did he die?"

Lu Ziqing nodded and said "hmm".

"I came to the capital to look for him. I didn't find him, but I learned of his death from a thief. Someone in the palace wanted to buy my master's life. As for who was behind this, the thief didn't know either, and he has been imprisoned."

As he spoke, he took out a jade pendant from his bosom and said, "This is the jade pendant that the thief was wearing when he was chasing my master five years ago."

Chi Musheng took it and looked at it. "This kind of item is rare. It is indeed only found in the palace. It looks like something used by the empress in the harem."

He handed the jade pendant back to Lu Ziqing, "It's a pity that I don't have a deep understanding of these things, so I can't help you even if I want to."

"I know it's not easy to find that person in this huge Forbidden City with just a piece of jade." Lu Ziqing looked at the jade pendant tightly and said, "I couldn't wait before, but now I can."

Chi Musheng sighed and gently patted Lu Ziqing's arm.

"If you can use me in any way, please let me know. One more thing, I heard from Master that your master's death was suspicious. I don't know whether it was a blessing or a curse. Before we understand the whole story, don't let anyone else know about your relationship with Xi Yuanshi, so as to avoid trouble."

"Hey--"

As they were talking, there was a sudden roar from behind, which made the two of them tremble unconsciously. When they turned around, they saw Lin Yi's smiling face.

"Are you eating? I'm starving." He asked as he went to get his food, "Who are you calling trouble?"

"Are you going to die? You suddenly yelled." Chi Musheng watched Lin Yi take a mouthful of rice with his mouth, walk over and sit down, and he scolded; "Where are the etiquettes?"

Lin Yi ate his food in big mouthfuls, not even looking at the two of them, and said, "If I see you, I'll be gone."

In a short while, he finished his second bowl, his mouth full, and looked up at Lu Ziqing.

"Help me look at the recipe later."

Lu Ziqing was about to speak, but Chi Musheng spoke first.

"Do you, Doctor Lin, need someone to give you a prescription? Ouch, my chin hit my instep and it hurts so much."

"What's the big deal?" Lin Yi rolled his eyes. "It's normal for doctors to discuss illnesses and research prescriptions with each other. It's not unusual to be surprised. Besides... uh!"

"You're going to choke to death, shut up immediately," said Chi Musheng.

Lin Yi's food was choked on his throat. He pounded his chest twice, quickly gulped down a mouthful of soup, squinted his eyes, and finally swallowed it. He breathed a sigh of relief and looked sideways at the person who was gloating over his misfortune.

"It's not what you want. I'm alive."

Chi Musheng pointed at him and said to Lu Ziqing, "Ziqing, let me tell you, this is a bad guy, you need to stay away from him."

Lu Ziqing smiled suddenly, only to see Lin Yi pointing back at him.

"This person just can't stand seeing me doing well. Does he always say bad things about me in front of you?"

"If saying bad things about you can make you, a vixen, show yourself, I'll beat drums and gongs and say it every day." Chi Musheng retorted.

Lin Yi immediately took out a copper coin from his sleeve and slapped it on the table.

"This is the money for the gong. If it's not enough, you can pay for it yourself. I'm poor."