MTL - Denghuaxiao

 Chapter 157 His wooden tower

Pei Yunying did not show up in the end.

The servants sent by Pei Yunshu came back and said that the guards of Pei Mansion said that Pei Yunying went out last night and seemed to be on official business, but he has not returned yet.

Pei Yunshu nodded: "That's it."

The tone was a little regretful.

Lu Zong didn't care. When she came today, she originally wanted to check the pulses of Pei Yunshu and her daughter. After saying a few more words, he went to look at the little pearl in the cradle.

 It is fortunate to say that when Baozhu was born, he had a narrow escape from death, and the situation was dangerous and worrying. However, once this disaster passed, it seemed that he was really in peace. "Children's worry" did not seem to have any impact on the little girl. She gradually grew from frail to strong. Although she was slightly smaller than babies of the same age due to premature birth, her body was healthy and strong.

 As Lu Zhu touched her hand, Baozhu's bright black eyes stared at her unblinkingly, not afraid of life.

Lu Huan and Pei Yunshu talked about the current situation of the orb. Pei Yunshu immediately breathed a sigh of relief. She put her anxious heart back into her stomach for the time being. She clasped her hands together and thanked God for blessing. She said that she must go to Wan'en Temple to donate some incense when she has free time.

Seeing that there was no serious problem with the orb, Lu Zhuo checked Pei Yunshu's pulse again.

 Compared to the orb, Pei Yunshu needs more care.

Pei Yunshu had no choice but to agree to induce labor due to the poison of "child's sorrow". She lost blood and energy during delivery, and her body and mind were both weak. Later, after giving birth to Baozhu, I was worried about Baozhu's health, which was also accompanied by her separation from Prince Wen and moving away from the Prince's Mansion. She probably had too many things to worry about, was overly worried, had insufficient blood and nutrients, and had weak and unreasonable colic. .

Lu Zhen gave her some prescriptions to strengthen the Qi, strengthen the body, nourish the blood and harmonize the blood.

This busy work was over in half a day.

At noon, when it was almost time to eat, Pei Yunshu took Lu Shu to the hall and said with a smile: "There are few people in the family and the food is simple. Doctor Lu, don't dislike it."

 Lu Yan followed her into the hall.

 The hall is brightly lit, with a simple square table and a few wide chairs in the middle. Several maids were placing hot dishes on the table.

Lu Zhen and Pei Yunshu sat down at the table.

Different from Renxin Medical Center, when Lu Zhen went back to Renxin Medical Center, Du Changqing had a table full of fish and meat, even the steamed buns were as big as a human face, for fear of starving people. The food in Pei Mansion is much more exquisite.

 There is golden rice cooked with chrysanthemums and rice, served in a palm-sized celadon bowl, with distinct grains of color. There is tender tofu soup, which is light and rich in flavor. Bamboo shoots, spicy vegetables, frozen three delicacies, kumquat water balls... There are also meat dishes, white fried spring goose and fried chicken are all served on a plate made of grass, decorated with some fresh flowers.

 The portions of each item are small, but the presentation is very beautiful.

Pei Yunshu served Lu Yun a bowl of **** and orange peel soup, and said with a somewhat embarrassed smile: "I don't know how to cook, and neither can the maids brought from the prince's palace. The cooks in this palace were originally cooking in restaurants. Yes, Ah Ying invited me back for me. I don’t know what you like to eat..." Suddenly he remembered something and moved the plate of snacks on the side to Lu Yun: "By the way, Doctor Lu, try this. "

 Pink lotus flowers are placed in porcelain dishes shaped like emerald green lotus leaves. The flowers and leaves stretch out like freshly picked lotuses, always reminding people of the evening breeze by the pool in summer.

 Lu Zhuo was startled.

　　It is a plate of lotus cake.

Pei Yunshu's voice came from her ears: "...Doctor Lu, try it while it's hot. A Ying said you like this."

Lu Zhen paused while holding the chopsticks: "Master Pei?"

Pei Yunshu laughed: "I really don't know what you like to eat. I was worrying about the menu that day, and A Ying happened to come over to look at Baozhu, so I asked him casually."

“I didn’t expect him to know, and I didn’t expect him to actually say it.”

 She looked at Lu Huan: "Doctor Lu really like to eat this?"

 After a moment of silence, Lu Zhu nodded: "Yes."

"That's great. But..." Pei Yunshu was a little strange, "How did he know that Dr. Lu likes lotus cake? Have you told him?"

 Lu Chen remembered that night at Nan Pharmacy, when he ate the basket of lotus cakes that Pei Yunying brought while hiding in that abandoned dusty warehouse.

 Actually, she had forgotten what the basket of snacks tasted like. I was tired and hungry at the time, so I just wanted to fill my stomach and had no intention of tasting it carefully. I vaguely thought it was sweet.

Lu Zhen came to his senses and replied warmly: "Xu mentioned it to Mr. Pei before when we were at the Prince's Mansion."

 After all, at that time, she and Pei Yunying also spent some time together in Prince Wenjun's Mansion.

Pei Yunshu nodded, looked at Lu Yan, and said in a profound tone: "It seems that Dr. Lu is very familiar with our A Ying."

The next moment, she came closer, with a sly look in her eyes: "But, it's been so long, why haven't you seen your fiancé?"

 Lu Huan: “…”

She silently picked up a piece of lotus pastry and decided to avoid the question she didn't know how to answer by staying silent.

This meal was very difficult to eat.

Pei Yunshu didn't know what was going on, but she suddenly became extremely interested in her "fiancé" who had never met her face before, and made insinuations about him.

 This person was originally made up by her, so she could only deal with it vaguely. Lu Zhuo's head ached slightly after eating this meal.

 After finishing the meal, Baozhu had fallen asleep. Children of this age spend most of the day eating and sleeping, except for short periods of play.

Lu Yunjian There was still some time when Pei Yunshu mentioned during the meal that her waist was always sore because she hugged the orbs too much recently. Lu Yan checked it out and found out that she had strained her kidneys, damaged her meridians due to movement of her meridians, and was invaded by wind and cold, which caused the blood and energy to fight, so she suffered from low back pain. Then he asked her to go into the room, lie prone on the bed, and massage and relax her waist, hips, and lower limbs. Later, a number of acupoints such as Yaoyangguan, Sanjiaoshu, Shenshu, Dachangshu, Zhinbian, Huantiao... were acupunctured using the method of purging first and tonifying later.

After this task was completed, Pei Yunshu's back pain was relieved a lot. Lu Zhu prescribed some more decoctions and asked Fangzi.

　　While I was busy, I didn't realize that time was passing by. At this time, the sun was gradually setting in the west, and dusk was coming again. The setting sun illuminated the yard outside with a warm red color. Baozhu also woke up from his sleep, babbling and went to find the wet nurse.

The lights were lit in the room, and Pei Yunshu felt cold. She went in and changed into a thicker silk brocade dress. When she came out, she saw Lu Zhuo with his back turned to someone, standing in front of the hanging painting in the hall, looking at it seriously.

Pei Yunshu walked over, looked at the painting on the wall, and asked, "Does it look good?"

Lu Zhen nodded: "It looks good."

 Actually, she doesn’t understand calligraphy and painting.

When I was young, I only heard my father say that the ancients said that the most difficult thing is to draw people, followed by landscapes, dogs and horses, and their towers and pavilions. She only had a partial understanding of what "there are eight frames in a painting" and what "the meaning is conveyed by the gods".

She has never been able to calm down and appreciate the artistic conception of these landscapes. Isn’t it just Zhang Huaer?

Therefore, whenever I see Lu Qian and Lu Rou speaking clearly and eloquently, I always feel extremely impatient.

 But later on, after staying alone in Luomei Peak for a long time, my temperament was gradually softened, and I had a lot of free time, and gradually I was able to taste a few things.

Lu Zong stared at the paintings on the wall.

The silk is even and the ink color is clear. There is a painting of a girl wearing a light-colored dress leaning against the window to paint. There are flowers under the window and butterflies flying. In the painting, the girl lowers her eyebrows and wipes her tears, full of unspeakable thoughts, and the brushstrokes are extremely vivid and lifelike. It really has the meaning of "still like seeing two flowers flying in pairs. Wiping the rouge with tears for no reason, causing the wings to hang down."

 “This is what my mother did.”

Pei Yunshu's voice came from beside him.

Lu Zhen was a little surprised.

Mrs. Xian Zhaoning?

Her impression of Duke Zhaoning's wife only stayed in the picture of the woman who was finally abandoned by her husband in the hands of the rebels in the words of Du Changqing and Jin Xianrong. She never wanted to get a glimpse of a completely different side in this painting.

Pei Yunshu looked at the silk painting and was stunned for a long time before saying: "My mother loves painting very much."

“When Aying and I were children, when my mother was still alive, every New Year, she would draw a picture of the whole family and put it at home.”

"Later she passed away, and all the paintings in the mansion were buried with her. I secretly hid one painting. When Mr. Jiang came in, the painting could not be hung at home. When I entered Prince Wenjun's mansion, I was afraid that the servants would not take good care of it and damage the scroll. But now that I have opened a new residence, I can hang it here openly without fear of others gossiping."

Lu Zong said softly: "Madam, your painting is very good."

Pei Yunshu gathered her clothes and said, "Actually, A Ying is also very good at painting."

 “Master Pei?”

Pei Yunshu smiled: "A Ying's painting was taught by my mother personally, and the teachers at the academy also praised it..." After a pause, she said: "But after his mother passed away, he stopped painting."

At this point, the tone is a little sad.

 Lu Zong was silent.

It seems that the Pei Yunshu siblings and Mrs. Xian Zhaoning have a very good relationship.

Just as he was talking, Fangzi walked into the hall from outside: "Madam, the prince is back."

Pei Yunying is back.

Lu Zong followed Fangzi's gaze and looked over.

The last glow of sunset on the horizon has dispersed, the flowers are bright and the moon is dark, the courtyard wind lanterns are lighting up one after another, and a tall figure passes through the courtyard and gradually walks forward. Pei Yunying wore a vermilion brocade dress with a pattern of sheep and birds, and his handsome face looked a bit solemn in the dark.

As we got closer, as the lights gradually brightened, the chill slowly faded away. The young man's eyes were as gentle as the gentle wind, and he was playing with a trickle of spring water.

Pei Yunshu smiled at him and said, "I just told you that you are back. Today is not a day off for rest. Why did you come back so late? You didn't even catch up with dinner."

Pei Yunying replied nonchalantly: "I have official business." He glanced at Lu Zhu again and slightly curved his lips: "Doctor Lu is here too."

The tone is a little distant.

 Lu Zhu said nothing.

 He smiled again: "What did you say about me just now?" He bent down to tease Baozhu, who was held in the nurse's arms.

Baozhu grabbed his finger and tried to stuff it into his mouth, but Pei Yunying stopped him.

Pei Yunshu said: "It's nothing. You came back just in time. Doctor Lu is going back to West Street later. It's dangerous for the girl's family to walk alone at night. Now that you're back, I'll see you off." "No need." Lu Huo said. .

As soon as the words came out, Pei Yunshu and Pei Yunying looked at her at the same time.

Lu Zhen looked calm: "I have something to say to Mr. Pei."

Pei Yunshu was stunned for a moment.

Pei Yunying turned his head sideways, his dark eyes staring at her quietly.

After a while, he straightened up, let go of Tiao Baozhu's hand, and said to Lu Huo: "Go to the study first and wait for me."

 “I’ll change my clothes and come right away.”

 Lu Xu: "Okay."

Fangzi took Lu Zhuo to Pei Yunying's study, and Pei Yunying also went back to change clothes. Only Pei Yunshu and the maid were left standing in the hall.

Pei Yunshu took a few steps back and sat down on the chair. Suddenly she remembered something and asked the grandmother beside her: "A Ying just said that Doctor Lu should go to the study to wait for him?"

Mammy said yes.

"strangeness…"

Pei Yunshu blinked in confusion.

Pi Yunying never liked people entering his house. Even Pei Yunshu rarely entered his study, just because it contained some official documents from the court, for fear of causing trouble.

Look at Lu Zhen and his younger brother, who are more than polite and aloof, but not close enough to be close friends. But Pei Yunying actually let Lu Zhen go to his house like this, and even entered the study that no one else could enter?

 Let’s not mention the plate of lotus cakes, could it be that between the two of them...

Is there anything else she doesn't know about?

 …

Pei Yunshu was thinking in her heart, Lu Zhuo didn't know at this moment.

Pei Yunying's house is right next to Pei Yunshu's house. There is only a wall between them, so you can't walk a few steps.

It's just that this mansion looks much more deserted than Pei Yunshu's house.

Perhaps it’s because there is no lively crying baby in Pei Yunying’s house, or maybe it’s because the mansion is sparsely populated and overly decorated, even looking a bit cold. When people walk in, they feel a layer of quietness and silence.

Fangzi led Lu Shun through the steps and porch, walked around the small courtyard, and stopped in front of Pei Yunying's study: "Miss Lu, please come in, the prince will be here soon."

 After saying this, she bowed her head and left.

Lu Zong pushed the door open and walked in.

 This study is very simple.

There is a desk by the window, and there is a desk in the east of the room, with a book lamp, a smoker, an inkstone, and pen and ink on it. There is an antique shelf near the desk, which displays some antique utensils and a narcissus bonsai.

This house is simple and casual. Compared with the extreme luxury of Qi Yutai's Li Mansion, it is too simple. It was completely different from Pei Yunying's usually gorgeous skin, with a chill in her cheeks.

Lu Zhen walked a few steps into the room and saw a very small round table placed in the deepest part of the room, with a pile of things stacked high on it. He couldn't help but take a closer look -

 It was originally a small tower.

They are all made of wood and cut into finger-sized balls. They are not square, but they are also round. Each ball is built from bottom to top to form a small tower. It is towering and quite spectacular at first glance. If you don't get close, it will still be difficult to see. I thought it was a deliberately made bonsai.

Lu Zhuo saw that the top piece of wood had been tilted by the wind or something, and half of it was hanging outside the spire. It was teetering on the edge of the tower, as if it was about to collapse in the next moment. After thinking about it, he stretched out his hand and wanted to Push the piece of wood on the top of the tower inwards -

"do not move."

 “Crash!”

There was a sudden loud noise.

The young man’s voice to stop him sounded almost at the same time as the loud noise of the wooden tower collapsing.

The tall wooden tower burst instantly, like a waterfall that had been frozen for a whole winter was relieved, and suddenly rushed down, and flowed all over the ground.

 Lu Zhu suddenly turned around.

Pei Yunying stood at the door, his eyes passing by the wooden tower that collapsed instantly, and he said expressionlessly: "Did you do it on purpose?"

 Lu Huan: “…”

 She really didn’t mean it this time.

Lu Zong pursed his lips and said, "Sorry, I'll help you make another one."

"Need not."

Pei Yunying bent down, picked up a piece of wood that rolled to the edge of his boots, walked to the table and put it down.

Lu Zhen looked at him, wondering if it was an illusion or Pei Yunying was in a bad mood. She always felt that this person was particularly distant today, as if he was deliberately keeping a distance.

However, Lu Zhen was not interested in knowing how Pei Yunying was feeling or why he was like this. Including why he piled up such a wooden tower in the study. It looked mysterious, but there was no secret volume hidden in it.

 Not even a gold brick.



Pei Yunying noticed her gaze and smiled. He didn't care about the mess on the floor. He just sat down in front of the desk and asked Lu Yun, "What does Doctor Lu want from me?"

Lu Zong was silent, then sat down opposite him and said nothing for a while.

 He raised his eyebrows: "Is it so difficult to say it?"

 It’s actually not difficult to say.

 It's just that now she really has no conditions to make a deal with Pei Yunying.

Lu Huan said: "Master Pei's ears and eyes are all over the sky. Master Pei knows all the secrets that the Imperial City Secretary of Shengjing cannot find."

"what you mean?"

Lu Zhuo leaned forward and stared into his eyes: "Grand Master Qi Qing loves birds very much, but five years ago, Grand Master's Mansion stopped raising birds. Does Mr. Pei know what happened to the Qi family five years ago? Qi Yutai did What?"

 She asked: "Why does he hate thrush?"

 The room suddenly became quiet.

There is the sound of night wind blowing in the flower window in the distance, making the silent night so quiet that you can hear the drop of a pin.

Lu Zhen's eyes crossed the table and fell on the pieces of wood scattered on the ground.

Qi Yutai's mother suffered from epilepsy, and Qi Yutai may have suffered from epilepsy when he was a child. Therefore, the Taishi Mansion used the soothing Lingxi Incense to nourish Qi Yutai for many years, and never even used other incense pills.

 Everything seems to be very stable.

But five years ago, the Taishi Mansion secretly summoned Cui Min to the mansion for medical treatment, but the vaguely written medical record revealed something different.

Those prescriptions and medicinal materials to stabilize his mind seemed to indicate that Qi Yutai was suffering from illness.

 But what was the reason for his illness?

If it was just the time to get sick, why did Qi Yutai hate birds so much, especially blackbirds?

 Thrush…

Just like when Lu Zhu watched helplessly as Yun Niang was poisoned and lost the dark clouds, from then on, whenever he saw the black dog cubs, he would feel cold all over and tremble uncontrollably. Qi Yutai must also hate seeing Huamei for some reason.

She wanted to prepare an elusive poison for Qi Yutai, so she needed to know who the most important one was.

However, the Qi family is so powerful that the secrets about Qi Yutai are always buried, and not even a trace can be found. Lin Danqing doesn't know why Qi Yutai hates Thrush, Miao Liangfang doesn't know, Mr. Cao in Happy Building doesn't know...

 But Pei Yunying may know.

If you want to know the truth, you can only ask the person in front of you.

Withdrawing his thoughts, Lu Zhuo looked to the opposite side.

The young man has changed out of the scarlet brocade clothes he wore when he returned home, and is only wearing a frost-colored snow-white robe. The robe is wide and gives off a bit of coolness under the light.

 At the end of the year, the yin and yang rush to short scenes, the sky is frosty and snowy, and the sky is cold. The cold tone of Bai Ling also added a layer of sharpness to his handsome eyebrows. Under the dim light, it was completely different from usual coldness.

Pei Yunying looked at Lu Yan with calm eyes.

The dim lights danced in his dark pupils, and Lu Zhen's shadow was also faintly reflected in his dark pupils.

 After a moment, he lowered his eyelashes: "I know."

 Lu Zhen was delighted.

“But Doctor Lu,” he said, his tone sharp and sharp: “Why should I tell you?”

 (End of this chapter)