Lamp Flower Smile

Thick clouds piled up, a cold wind suddenly rose, and the north wind blew fiercely under the dilapidated city gate.

The young man sat high on the horse, glanced at the crowd, raised his whip, and several tightly tied people rolled "Gululu" in front of the crowd.

He said: "Caught a few thieves, Sunan people?"

Cai Fang hurriedly stepped forward: "Yes, sir. These people killed the government officials last night and stole the medicine and food in the city. Thank you for catching the murderer!"

The other party's eyes passed over him and said: "Handle it yourself." He raised his hand again. Seeing this, the guard beside him got off his horse, dragged out many heavy boxes from behind the carriage, and said to Cai Fang: "My lord is here I met this group of people outside the city and saw that they were acting suspiciously, so I took action to arrest them. These should be the stolen medicines and grains,"

Cai Fang was overjoyed. He walked to the box in a few steps and opened the lid. Seeing that the medicinal materials and grains were intact, he breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the man on the horse again and was extremely grateful.

"My lord is..."

The guard who just spoke held out his waistband and flashed it in front of Cai Fang's eyes. Cai Fang took a closer look with a look of surprise on his face.

The waist badge of the Dianqian Secretary, is this the royal guard of Shengjing?

Why did the royal guards come to Sunan?

Cai Fang's mind turned when he thought of the government officials' remarks previously reported back and forth.

The rebellion in Qishui has not subsided, and the imperial court sent people to suppress the rebellion. At first, they always said it was General Zhenwei, but now he was replaced by someone from the Dianqian Division.

However, Shengjing's affairs are too far away from Sunan, so even asking about them is meaningless.

Li Wenhu on the side couldn't help but wonder: "Why did you come to Sunan, sir?"

Immediately the young man heard the words and said slowly: "Didn't you write a letter asking me to come?"

Li Wenhu was startled.

Cai Fang Nanran said: "This is the official writing a letter asking for Qishui Xiang's help... I'm sorry to bother you, sir."

In fact, he wrote the letter with the thought of treating a dead horse as a live doctor. After all, all the previous requests for help to Qishui fell into the sea without any reply. He never thought that the master of Shengjing would come here.

A round-faced young man came down from the carriage team with a friendly expression. He smiled and said to Cai Fang: "Don't worry, County Magistrate. Your Majesty is aware of the situation in southern Sunan and has specially sent Mr. Pei to come to help." He pointed to the team behind him and said, "We have brought I bought a lot of rice, food, medicine and warm things, which should help.”

"Really? Great!"

Cai Fang looked serious, clasped his fists and bent down to salute, "Your kindness will be unforgettable to the people of southern Jiangsu."

"It doesn't matter."

The medical officers beside him started whispering when they saw the familiar faces. Lu Yan stood in the crowd and looked at the young man on horseback with a complicated mood.

She didn't expect Pei Yunying to come to Sunan.

Chang Jin had previously heard that Pei Yunying went to Qishui. When Lin Danqing told her about this, she also speculated whether he would come to Sunan.

Lu Chen thinks this is very unlikely.

Southern Jiangsu is an epidemic area. Even if he successfully quells the chaos, his top priority should be to return to Beijing first.

Just came here.

She raised her eyes and looked at Pei Yunying.

The young man sat high on the horse, his eyes calmly passing over the people in front of the city gate. He stayed on her for a moment and then looked away, like a stranger.

Lu Zhen also looked away.

Cai Fang's voice came from the side: "Sir, you are tired from traveling and traveling. I will lead people to unload these rice grains first." Then he turned to look at Chang Jin, "Sir Yi Zheng, now that the medicinal materials have been found, can we?" Have you prepared a medicine that can be thrown into a well?"

Chang Jin perked up, recovered from the surprise of meeting an acquaintance, and said: "Yes, business is more important." He called the medical officer behind him: "Stop watching the fun, without further ado, go and see the medicine well first. position."

Li Wenhu took Chang Jin and several medical officers to see the location of the well where the medicine packages were dropped. The rest of the medical officers, except those who were on duty, went back to pick medicine packages and prepare the incense. Cai Fang first led people to settle the group of carriages and horses coming from Qishui.

Lu Zhen, Lin Danqing and his entourage returned to the medical officers' quarters and continued the unfinished incense to avoid the plague.

Large and small medicinal herbs and spices were piled all over the floor. Lin Danqing pounded the herbs in the jar and said suspiciously: "How come Pei Dianshuai suddenly came to Qishui? Shouldn't he return to Beijing to resume his life?" He sneaked closer to her, "It can't be because You?"

"How is that possible?" Lu Yan said calmly, "I already said it was His Majesty who gave the order."

"Yes." Lin Danqing nodded, and then remembered that now that the new emperor had ascended the throne, there were some changes in Shengjing, and whether these changes would affect the Lin family, he sighed worriedly.

The two worked for a while. Lin Danqing took the prepared batch of anti-pesticide incense and went outside to distribute it to the medical officers. Lu Zhuo sat alone in the yard sorting the medicinal materials. After sorting for a while, a "Medical Officer Lu" suddenly came from behind.

Lu Zhuo made a move.

Looking back, Duan Xiaoyan's bright smiling face was right in front of him.

"I just saw you at the city gate," the young man sat down on the stone bench opposite her. "It was just that there were so many people at that time that it was hard to say hello to you. The carriages and horses were all settled, so I deliberately came to see you first. you."

Lu Yan looked at him, and Duan Xiaoyan took the initiative to explain: "Brother Yun Ying is with Prime Minister Cai County. The thieves who stole medicine and food yesterday have not been dealt with yet, so we are very busy today."

Lu Chen lowered his head and continued his movements: "I didn't ask him."

Duan Xiaoyan touched his nose.

Lu Zhu picked two bunches of medicinal herbs, put the clean herbs into the bamboo basket, paused for a moment, and asked: "Why did you suddenly come to Sunan if you weren't making trouble in Qishui?"

Duan Xiaoyan was startled.

There was no one in the yard, and the medical officers had gone to the front to avoid the smell of plague.

"You should know everything about Shengjing?"

"I've heard a lot about it."

"Your Highness... The Emperor sent Brother Yunying to Qishui to quell the rebellion. The Qishui soldiers have been rioting for too long. Our people quickly captured their leader and should have gone back. However, we later learned that there was a shortage of supplies in Southern Jiangsu, including medicine and food. There might be a snowstorm this year, famine, snowstorm and plague. We were afraid that Southern Jiangsu would not survive. Brother Yunying asked His Majesty for permission to bring people to help Southern Jiangsu with the epidemic, and His Majesty approved it."

Lu Tong paused.

He actually took the initiative to bring it up.

"Deputy Envoy Xiao will take the rest of the troops back to Beijing to report first. Brother Yunying and I will help, but Southern Jiangsu is worse than I thought." Duan Xiaoyan glanced at the gray sky in the distance. "On the way here, we also encountered bandits who stole your food and grass. We dealt with them. I wonder if there are others."

I am not afraid of thieves stealing, but I am afraid of thieves thinking about it. In the past, there were not enough people and they were not their opponents. Now that the soldiers are here, it is just right to eliminate these bastards, which is also a big worry for Southern Jiangsu.

Seeing Lu Tong silent, Duan Xiaoyan blinked: "How about you, Doctor Lu, how are you these days?"

"Not bad." Lu Tong reminded, "The doctors will give you face towels soaked in medicine juice, remember to wear them all the time to avoid infection."

"That's not what I'm asking," Duan Xiaoyan leaned closer and whispered, "Are you going to reconcile with Brother Yunying?"

The young man scratched his head, looking distressed, "Although I don't know what happened to you, I always feel something is wrong. Deputy Envoy Xiao said you had a quarrel, why?"

"What did he do to make you angry?"

Lu Tong leaned over and picked up the bamboo basket full of medicinal materials. He didn't answer his question, but only said: "There are ready-made plague-preventing medicine bags in the wooden barrel at the door. You can take them to them according to the number of people." After speaking, he carried the bamboo basket and went out without saying anything more to him.

Duan Xiaoyan sat in the yard, stunned for a while, looked at her back and touched his chin, and said to himself: "Why do I feel weird."

...

This day was spent in busyness.

In the next few days, the tasks of the medical officers increased sharply.

Chang Jin confirmed the wells where the medicine bags were placed, and immediately ordered the medical officers to speed up the preparation of the medicine bags. Because Pei Yunying and his party brought new medicine grains, the medicinal materials were more abundant, and Cai Fang added a few more wells. Each well required a lot of medicine bags, and they had to add more from time to time. The medical officers were often busy until midnight, and there were often medical officers who were so tired that they fell asleep on the spot in the plague station and the dormitory.

Lu Tong and Lin Danqing were among them.

The weather in southern Jiangsu was getting colder day by day. Lu Tong took a nap, and when he woke up, a line of white was faintly visible in the sky.

The winter in southern Jiangsu is always foggy, like accumulated haze piled up above people's heads. Lu Tong sat up, Lin Danqing was leaning over the desk, with half of the unfinished medicine bag in front of him. Several medical officers were sleeping in the room, halfway through the prescription, and fell asleep because they were extremely sleepy.

The lamp oil has burned out.

She got up lightly, pulled up the half-torn mattress on Lin Danqing, and went out.

Just as she walked into the yard, a little wet and cold air fell on her nose. Lu Tong looked up, and in the sky, the flying snow was dancing like poplar flowers.

Lu Tong was startled.

I don’t know when it snowed in southern Jiangsu last night.

“You’re awake.” Someone’s voice came from behind.

She turned her head and saw Ji Xun sitting in the corner under the eaves, fiddling with a charcoal basin in front of him.

The charcoal basin was burning herbs such as Atractylodes lancea to prevent plague and strengthen health. On weekdays, medical officers always connected the burning medicine basins at any time to drive away plague.

“Doctor Ji got up very early.” She looked at Ji Xun.

Ji Xun was wearing a gray-green cotton robe distributed by the Medical Officers’ Institute. His clothes were wrinkled and a little messy. He no longer looked like the elegant young man in Shengjing in the past. I remember Zhu Ling said before that Ji Xun’s clothes had to be changed every day.

When we arrived in southern Jiangsu to help with the epidemic, we didn't care so much about everything.

"I can't sleep."

Ji Xun put down the branch that was stirring the brazier, stood up, looked at the snow dancing in the yard, and spoke softly.

"These days, fewer people have been infected, but we haven't found a cure, and the patients in the plague center are still dying. If this goes on, it will only delay time, and sooner or later they will be buried in the execution ground behind the temple."

Lu Tong was silent.

"I used to be proud of my outstanding medical skills, and I was arrogant in the Imperial Medical Bureau. Now, only after going deep into this place, I know that everything I have learned is just a drop in the ocean. Medicine is ever-changing, and it is difficult to treat patients. Seeing the pain of patients and being unable to help, I feel ashamed to be a doctor."

Lu Tong glanced at him.

The young medical officer's eyebrows and eyes were no longer as arrogant as before, and he showed a bit of fatigue.

It was the first time she saw Ji Xun so lost.

"Doctor Ji," Lu Tong said after a silence, "We are doctors, not Bodhisattvas. We can only try our best to save lives. It is not your fault that the epidemic is difficult to treat. Instead of blaming yourself, you should try your best to study it."

"I believe there must be a way."

Ji Xun looked at Lu Tong.

During her days in Southern Jiangsu, she shuttled between the plague station to distribute medicine soup, discussed ways to save the epidemic with Chang Jin, and made medicine bags at night until midnight.

She always looked indifferent, and her tone seemed a little inhumane, but she did not fall behind in what she should do. She seemed to always have a firm confidence. No matter what happened, no matter how bad the situation was, after a short silence, she would immediately find a way to solve the next problem, and never linger on irrelevant things.

He used to think that Lu Tong was very special, and now, he seemed to know her better.

Ji Xun's heart moved slightly.

"I'm going to deliver medicine to the plague center." Lu Tong asked, "Doctor Ji, are you going?"

Ji Xun thought for a moment and nodded, "Let's go together."

Lu Tong then carried the medical box and went out with Ji Xun.

Just as he walked to the door, Ji Xun suddenly remembered something, glanced at Lu Huan, and said, "I'll go back to get something. Wait for me at the door."

Lu Zhuo nodded, watched him turn around and enter the yard, then turned around and opened the door.

"Creak-" a sound.

The door to the dormitory was pushed open, and Lu Yan was about to walk out when his footsteps suddenly stopped.

The cold sun was biting and snow was falling, and someone was passing by the door.

Pei Yunying was walking in the direction of the camp with a few guards. When he heard the movement, he turned his head and looked this way.

He was standing in the sky full of wind, wearing a dark cloak, looking over with his beautiful, dark eyes, the meaning of which was unclear.

Before Lu Yan could speak, he suddenly felt warm and put a furry cloak on his shoulders. Ji Xun walked up to her and said, "It's snowing today. You're wearing too little."

After finishing speaking, he seemed to have seen other people at the door. Ji Xun paused, gathered his clothes and saluted: "Prince Pei, Commander-in-Chief."

Pei Yunying glanced at the two of them, his expression was indifferent, showing no emotion or anger, and he left with his guards without saying anything.

Ji Xun frowned and looked at Lu Chen: "He..."

Lu Chen lowered his eyebrows and said, "Let's go."

…

It was very lively outside the temple.

Heavy snow today.

"The Collection of the Seventy-Two Hours of the Moon Order" says, "At this point, the snow is in full bloom."

Southern Jiangsu is located in the south. Except for the mountains in winter, it rarely snows in the city. The last time it snowed heavily was the severe cold six years ago.

Unexpectedly, on this winter day just after the locust plague and famine, and when the plague was prevalent, heavy snow suddenly came.

The door of the temple was half open, and a charcoal basin was lit inside. Pei Yunying's people brought heating supplies, and the temple door was renovated. The inside of the temple was much warmer than when Chang Jin and his party first arrived.

When Lu Zhu arrived at the hospital, Cuicui ran towards her.

The little girl wore a brand-new light pink cotton skirt today. Perhaps because of the medicine she has been taking these days, she is no longer hungry, and her complexion looks much better.

Lu Yan asked: "Where did this new clothes come from?"

There is a shortage of supplies in southern Jiangsu, so beautiful little girls’ clothes are rare.

"This is a gift from Mr. Pei. Mr. Pei's subordinate, Brother Duan, distributed new warm cotton clothes to everyone in Fusuo. He found a beautiful skirt among them. Knowing that I was in Fusuo, he specially kept it for me."

Cuicui pointed outside.

Lu Chen turned around.

Outside the temple, Pei Yunying was talking to Chang Jin. Beside him, several guards were unloading supplies on the horses.

These days, Pei Yunying's arrival has helped a lot.

The county government's medicine and food were stolen, and Pei Yunying captured the bandits, causing a serious problem in southern Jiangsu. The food and herbs he brought from Qishui also greatly alleviated the problems of the medical hospital. At least for now, the medicines poured into the wells every day are enough, and when making the incense and medicine bags to avoid plague, there is no need to worry about the medicinal materials. lack of.

"Everyone is very grateful to Mr. Pei," Cuicui whispered in Lu Zhuo's ear: "Every time he comes to Fushuo, he brings us good things, and when he talks to others, he doesn't look like those who came from Shengjing before. "The senior officials dislike us." Cuicui smiled sheepishly, "My father told me that if I want a husband in the future, I must find someone as handsome, good-tempered, and powerful as Mr. Pei."

Lu Chen couldn't help but be amused by her.

"Then what good things did he bring to you today?" Lu Yan asked.

"It's snowing heavily today." Cuicui opened her eyes wide. "In the past, when there was heavy snow, we had to take supplements, and every household had to make bacon. This year's plague in southern Jiangsu is no better than in previous years. I heard from Brother Duan that Mr. Pei brought dried meat. , Ask someone to cook some broth for us today to welcome the New Year."

The little girl said, swallowing, with a trace of desire in her eyes.

For the people in southern Jiangsu who have been hungry for a long time, being able to take a sip of broth is undoubtedly the happiest thing.

Lu Zhen glanced outside again.

Pei Yunying was talking to people outside. He seemed to be aware of this line of sight and looked over.

Lu Zhuo quickly glanced over.

When he does something seriously, he always considers it carefully. It has always been easy to please people.

"It's time to change the medicine bag." Ji Xun walked to her side to remind her.

The anti-pesticide sachet loses its efficacy after a few days, and must be replaced with clean herbs. When Lu Yun and Ji Xun went to change the herbs for the patients, the medical officers came in.

Also coming in were Chang Jin and Pei Yunying.

The guards moved the boiling iron pot into the temple, and the temple immediately became lively. The alluring aroma immediately filled the room, and the patients cheered.

"Slow down, everyone has it." Chang Jin raised his hand and asked the patients to line up one by one to receive it. Everyone received a bowl of broth.

The originally deserted place gradually became noisy, with charcoal pots and hot soup. It was originally as quiet as a pool of stagnant water. Now there is hope, and smiles are no longer a rare thing.

Pei Yunying was about to leave, but was kept by Chang Jin. Chang Jin smiled and said: "The palace commander has worked a lot these days. Let's finish the soup before leaving."

There is not a lot of dried meat in the broth, but a lot of anti-plague medicinal herbs are added to it. Drinking it is also quite effective in avoiding plague.

Pei Yunying paused, took the soup bowl, and sat back.

Chang Jin took another big spoonful and said, "Medical Officer Lu, you also have a bowl."

Before Lu Chen got up, Ji Xun had already walked over, picked up the bowl of soup for Lu Chen, handed it to her, and sat down next to her.

Pei Yunying's eyes fell on Lu Zhu for a moment, and then Chang Jin called him away.

In the crowded temple, separated from the crowd, he was on the other side, and she was on this side. It was obviously small, but it seemed as far away as a chasm in the sky.

Lu Zhuo looked outside the temple,

Outside the door was a blanket of wind and snow, and further away in the direction of the execution ground was a silvery white sky.

Ji Xun's voice came from beside him.

"The old farmer got a good fortune when he occupied the field. One night, the north wind and snow covered the house. The house is about to collapse. Don't be sad. The new wheat on the top of the ridge is covered with mud..."

As he spoke, his expression gradually became silent.

The Imperial Medical Bureau teaches medical theory, and the Medical Officers' Office reads medical records. However, only when you go deep into the most difficult places can you know how difficult people's lives are. Only at this moment can the young man who lives in a pearl tower and jade pavilion know the true meaning of a doctor.

The way of medicine is endless, and benevolence is the foundation.

The plague center is very lively. The patients and the medical officers are discussing the plan to remove the clay Buddha statue in front of the altar. Since the medical officers came, the patients' illness has been delayed a lot. However, the number of people joining the plague center has been increasing, and the already narrow temple has become more crowded. If the clay Buddha statue is removed, at least a section of space can be freed up.

The situation is getting better now. For the living, the medical officers are more useful, and this clay Buddha statue is not so popular.

Cuicui ran to the altar, intending to compare the size of the Bodhisattva. Her wooden bed was very close to the altar. If the statue was removed, there would be a gap between her father's and her own wooden bed.

She bent down and crawled in.

There was a lot of noise all around, and Lu Tong lowered his head to drink the herbal soup in his hand. In the midst of this conversation, suddenly, the little girl's voice rang out in surprise:

"Hey, why is there a debt note on this wall?"