Rebirth of the Demon Queen

Chapter 20 Old friends

Seeing that there was still a hint of worry in his father's smile, Lin Zisu knew that if he didn't explain the matter clearly today, there might be more complications in the future.

At that moment, she ignored Lin Wenjing's wink at her and briefly told Lin Yuanzhi what happened in her previous life.

It's just that this incident is shocking, and everything in her previous life is related to this life. When she told it, she concealed the name of the person, and only said that the person in her memory was the daughter of a prince. She married the prince and became the prince's concubine. After the prince ascended the throne, she

Although she had the title of empress, she was not favored by the emperor and ended up spending her whole life in the cold palace.

Bi sighed and said: "Since ancient times, the palace has been as deep as the sea, and this woman is also a pitiful person."

As he spoke, he remembered something again and said to Lin Zisu: "Zisu, that monk Lingyun was so respectful after meeting you in the morning. Did he also notice something?"

Lin Zisu shook her head and was about to answer when she heard Lin Yuanzhi say in a deep voice: "Master Lingyun didn't explain clearly, so we don't need to make random guesses. This matter is bizarre and weird, and it cannot be explained to outsiders."

As he spoke, he specifically warned Lin Wenjing: "Especially for you, it is related to your sister's life and death. You must not mention this matter in front of others."

Lin Wenjing solemnly agreed. Not long after, people had dinner. In the past, the whole family was talking and laughing during the dinner, but today they tacitly followed the ancient adage that food should not be spoken, and the meal was extremely dull.

Lin Zisu knew that the idea of ​​possession was absurd, and she needed to give her family time to accept it. After eating a few mouthfuls of food, she returned to her yard on the grounds that her health was not yet healed.

That night, the Lin family could not sleep well. Early the next morning, when Lin Zisu greeted Bi Shi, she saw Bi Shi's face covered with thick makeup. Even so, it did not cover the thick dark shadows under her eyes.

Could it be an old acquaintance of her grandfather? Lin Zisu thought for a moment and said, "My surname is Lin. I wonder if the shopkeeper has any advice?"

She identified them one by one according to the description in the book, weighed them according to the prescription, and hurriedly mixed several herbs together, causing the residue to splash everywhere.

I was shocked when I entered the store. There were actually five people crowded into the small store. An old man with gray hair was sitting lazily behind the counter. He was dressed like a doctor and seemed to be the shopkeeper of the store.

Lin Zisu racked her brains and pulled out some childhood fragments from the original memory. Although it was a little blurry, it could be compared with today's situation, so she said softly: "Lin Houpu is the ancestor of the family. I once heard that my grandfather

I mentioned before that although our Lin family practices medicine in the era, he studied under Yuezhou Xue Medical College. In addition to him, there are two juniors."

Speaking of the death of his senior brother and the absence of news from his three junior brothers for many years, Sun Duzhong sighed: "I didn't expect that the school has declined so much. Back then, there were three brothers in one school, but now only the old man is left."

Several people in Tsing Yi looked at Lin Zisu and walked out of the drug store. The other three followed timidly.

In addition to explicit gifts, it was also necessary to prepare a meeting gift for each of the girls of Liang Wanyi's generation, which made Lin Zisu worried.

It's spring, so it's perfect for my daughter's family to give her a sachet as a gift.

Lin Zisu said: "I want to sew a few sachets, and I happened to see a prescription for clearing the heart and calming the mind in a medical book. I have bought other medicines, but now I only need Qingxincao. I wonder if you can have this in your store?"

Taste medicine?"

She saw a secret recipe in her grandfather's notes a few days ago.

The shopkeeper seemed to have thought of something, and his cloudy eyes flashed, and he said: "Girl, the shop does not have the medicine Qingxincao today. If you need it urgently, I will start making it. Come over at this time tomorrow, and I will prepare it for you.

With."

He was secretly enjoying himself when he suddenly remembered something and asked seriously: "Little girl, I forgot to ask you yesterday. Is your surname Lin or Qu?"

Lin Zisu thought about it and found that apart from seeing it in his grandfather's notes, he had indeed never seen any records about Qingxincao in any other medical books.

Before Lin Zisu could agree, the shopkeeper glanced sideways at Lin Zisu and said, "Old man's descendant Eucommia ulmoides, considering your age, you should call me uncle."

Lin Zisu knew that her mother was uneasy, and when she was comforting her, the concierge sent over an invitation. It was Liang Wanyi who invited Lin Zisu to come to Changguo Duke's Mansion in a few days on the pretext of discussing poetry and painting.

She thought that blending spices would be a breeze, but she didn't expect it to be such a complicated process. No wonder the ancients said, "What you see on paper will only make sense, but you will never know that it requires practice."

Lin Zisu told her the recipe in her grandfather's notes, and the shopkeeper taught Lin Zisu step by step how to prepare it. After about a cup of tea, Lin Zisu finally prepared the medicine according to the recipe.

"Qingxincao?"

Sun Duzhong and Lin Zisu talked about their origins.

Lin Zisu was a little embarrassed, but Sun Duzhong said again: "Even if the Lin family is now rewarded by the emperor, they can't forget their roots! That bastard Lin Yuanzhi only thinks about being an official! Even if this is the case, the old man won't go.

Taking advantage of you, you come to help the old man for a few days every month, and these medicines today will be given to you as a face-to-face gift."

Since the founding of Dayan, the "Dayan Huidian" has clearly stipulated that "all soldiers, civilians, doctors, craftsmen, Yin and Yang households of all kinds are allowed to copy their records from the original newspaper, and are not allowed to engage in chaos." Those who joined the army were compiled

When entering a military household, those who cook salt will be classified as kitchen households, and doctors will be classified as medical households. The various households are inherited from father to son, and will last forever from generation to generation and cannot be changed.

Suhe, Xinyi, Green Clove, Patchouli and Guixiang are all very common medicinal materials. Lin Zisu can easily buy it without spending much money, but no one has heard of the medicinal herb Qingxincao in the secret recipe. So I asked.

The statements from three or four pharmacies were surprisingly consistent.

It turns out that Sun Duzhong's master, Xue Yike, had three apprentices in total. The eldest apprentice was Lin Houpu, who was Lin Zisu's grandfather, the second apprentice was Sun Duzhong, and the third apprentice was Qu Huangbai.

At noon the next day, Lin Zisu took the maid to the pharmacy again.

Hearing Lin Zisu introduce herself to her family, the shopkeeper slapped his thigh, jumped up and said: "Based on your recipe, the old man should have thought of it. The only one who can use Qingxincao like this is my senior brother! Hehe, I really got it all.

Without further ado, little girl, how do you and Lin Houpu call you?"

Knowing that he could prepare such wonderful spices with his own hands, even though the shopkeeper had been practicing medicine for half his life, he beamed with joy and even hummed a ditty despite Lin Zisu standing by.

From denying it at the beginning to saying it so simply now, Lin Zisu couldn't figure out what the shopkeeper was thinking.

When going between various mansions, it is natural to have enough superficial etiquette. Fortunately, when Beppu came to congratulate him a few days ago, he sent many gifts to the Lin mansion, so it was not difficult to choose a few suitable gifts.

The two exchanged some polite words, and the shopkeeper impatiently pointed to the medicines already prepared on the counter and said, "The medicines are all ready. You can give them to me on the spot according to the prescriptions."

The three of them had been practicing together for several years. Lin Houpu and Sun Duzhong were admitted to Taiyuan Hospital one after another. Since Xue Yike never married, the responsibility of inheriting the master's mantle fell on his third apprentice Qu Huangbai.

This drugstore is weird. There are several assistants and apprentices in other pharmacies, but the shopkeeper is the only one in this store, and he looks a little confused. However, this is also a drugstore at the doorstep. Lin Zisu is not worried about what the other person is doing.

tricks.

The girls usually gave each other some small jewelry or handmade embroidery. Given the status of the Duke of Changguo, ordinary jewelry and accessories were naturally looked down upon, and Lin Zisu's female beauty was really hard to describe.

Later, Lin Houpu was promoted to the director of Taiyuan Hospital and returned to his hometown to visit his relatives who died of the plague. Sun Duzhong, without the care of his senior brother, was repeatedly ostracized in Taiyuan Hospital. Frustrated, he quit his job at Taiyuan Hospital and went into hiding.

A small pharmacy like this was opened in the capital.

The drugstore was still empty. The shopkeeper had obviously been waiting for her to come to the door. When he saw her entering the drugstore, he smiled and said: "Little girl, the old man has been waiting for a long time and thought you didn't dare to come."

The four people standing in front of the counter were all dressed in green. The leader was still talking, but when Lin Zisu came in, he shut up and stopped talking.

The four of them seemed not to have heard anything. The shopkeeper waited for the four of them to walk away. The lazy smile on his face disappeared instantly. He stared at Lin Zisu with a wary face and asked: "Where did the girl hear the name Qingxincao?"

of?"

The shopkeeper glanced at Lin Zisu and took in her expression. He was still grinding spices in an orderly manner under his hands, and pretended to say casually: "Such a simple thing should not be done by an old man. It's just that business has not been good recently.

I just fired the guy, so I have no choice but to do it."

Dongcheng, where Kang Pingbo's Mansion is located, is where small businessmen and hawkers gather. After leaving Erli Alley in front of the mansion, there are several drug stores on Guanghui Street and Huifeng Street not far away.

The shopkeeper shouted from behind: "Little brother, go back and talk to your manager. I know he has always been a Bodhisattva and wants to take care of my business. But there are rules everywhere, and he can't do it."

The patient secretly sent me the patient number. If the higher-ups knew about it, would I still open this store?"

However, what the shopkeeper said was conclusive, but there was some suspicion that he was trying to hide it.

Lin Zisu stared at the shopkeeper with interest, his eyes shining brightly.

Qu Huangbai originally inherited his master's medical practice in order to surpass his two senior brothers. Unexpectedly, he passed the imperial examination four times and was eliminated. Seeing his senior brothers promoted all the way, he could only live in Yuezhou.

Qu Huangbai was angry that he had gone missing under the guise of a traveling doctor.

The mother and daughter decided to divide the work. Bi Shi asked several servants to sew the sachets, while Lin Zisu was responsible for going to the drug store to select medicinal materials.

As Sun Duzhong spoke, he looked at Lin Zisu with disgust and said: "Back then, my senior brother was so good at medicine that no one in the Imperial Hospital was dissatisfied. I don't know how he taught me. Lin Yuanzhi was just a brainless boy.

, you look like a very clever little girl. As a descendant of the Lin family, you are not proficient in medicine. If you spread it, it will be a joke! "

The shopkeeper shook his head and sighed: "What a pity! What a pity! You girl can tell the story of Qingxincao, and I thought you also knew some medical skills. Who knows that you are a layman, and you have wasted so many medicines in vain. You don't even think about cutting them into sections, grinding them.

Yes, that’s it, tell me the prescription and I will prepare it for you.”

Bi said to Lin Zisu solemnly: "Sister, Miss Liang from Duke Chang's Mansion sincerely invites you. We can't be short of etiquette. We must prepare some gifts."

A light fragrance spreads from under the shopkeeper's hand. This fragrance is lighter than the fragrance of ordinary spices, much less strong, and a little softer. It makes people feel very good after smelling it.

After the mother and daughter deliberated for a long time, Lin Zisu came up with an idea.

Lin Zisu didn't want to stay any longer, so she didn't have time to look at the people in the store and asked straight to the point: "Shopkeeper, do you have Qingxincao here?"

The shopkeeper praised: "This recipe is really unique. Hey, why didn't I expect that Qingxincao has such wonderful effects?"

Changguo Gongfu is the queen's natal family, and the second young lady of Changguo Gongfu invites her to discuss poetry, which is not only a recognition of Lin Zisu's talent, but also a symbol of status.

Lin Zisu asked all the pharmacies and medical clinics on Liangdao Street, not only the young clerks, but also several elderly doctors, but they all didn't know what Qingxincao was.

The shopkeeper narrowed his eyes, as if thinking about it, then waved his hand and said, "No! The shop doesn't have this medicine!"

Lin Zisu saw that this drugstore was extremely shabby, and it was hidden in such a remote corner. I was afraid that no one would pay attention to it all day long.

Seeing that she had reached the end of Huifeng Street again, there was still no place to find herbaceous grass. She felt discouraged and looked up to see a small shop in the corner of an alley not far away.

This store didn't even have a signboard, it just hung an apricot-yellow sign in front of the door with a big word "medicine" written on it.

While the shopkeeper was talking, he saw the medicinal materials in Feicui's hand, sniffed them vigorously, and murmured: "Suhe, Xinyi, Luding, Huoxiang, Guixiang, you girl may not have lied to me, but this Luding

What's the use in this recipe?"

The book says, "Mix storax, magnolia, green clove, patchouli, incense, and cinnabar are mixed and ground. After drying, the fragrance will linger around the room and last for a long time. Its fragrance can repel insects and ants, calm the spirit, and calm the mind."

It is the material used to make sachets.

She didn't have any hope and went into the pharmacy with the intention of going home after asking.

The shopkeeper saw through Lin Zisu's doubts and said: "It's not that I can't trust you. This Qingxincao is an unusual medicinal material. If you use it to commit crimes, wouldn't the old man be implicated by you? I can sell the medicine to you, but

You have to ration this spice to me on the spot for a look."

After saying that, he thought of another thing and said cautiously: "The Qingxincao is hard to come by, so you should take your time and use it."

"No, no! The old man has read medical books all his life. There is no record of Qingxincao in the book, and there is definitely no recipe for sewing a sachet."

Sun Duzhong said solemnly: "Yes, your grandfather Lin Houpu and I are brothers from the same school. He is my senior brother."

Since the death of her grandfather, although Lin Zisu has memorized Chinese medicine books by heart, she has not been able to learn even the most basic medicine recognition, identification, and preparation due to lack of guidance. At this time, the six herbs were placed in front of her, which was really a bit confusing.

Big head.

Bi was so happy that she forgot about the matter of possession.

"Since the old gentleman has business, let's... let's take our leave now and come back to see you another day."

The store was already small, and with these few people standing there, Lin Zisu and Feicui entered the door, and the room was suddenly filled with people.

During the conversation today, Lin Zisu really didn't expect that the shopkeeper with a friendly face was actually his great-uncle, and he was right at the door of his house. It was really an unexpected surprise.

Hearing that Sun Duzhong wanted to teach him his medical skills, Lin Zisu agreed with a smile.

She returned home with the prepared spices, made the sachet, and told her father about Eucommia ulmoides that night.

I thought Lin Yuanzhi would be happy, but after listening to Lin Zisu's narration, Lin Yuanzhi said solemnly: "Sister, although this Sun Duzhong is an elder in name, he has no contact with my family since your grandfather passed away.

Just think of him as someone you met by chance and don't take it to heart."

(End of chapter)