The snow in Shengjing stopped at the fifth watch.

The night passed, and the city was covered with white.

I don't know what happened in the palace last night, early in the morning, the whole city was under martial law, and there were city guards patrolling around the front and back of West Street.

Hu Yuanwai ordered the little guy in the house to come to the Renxin Medical Center to give Lu Tong a message, saying that the quota for the spring examination of the Taiyi Bureau had been entrusted to someone to do it, and he was thinking of accommodation, and the news would come back in a few days, so Lu Tong was asked to wait patiently.

Lu Tong wrapped a few pairs of medicinal tea to nourish his body and asked the little servant to take it back to Hu Yuanwai, Ah Cheng saw it and asked questions: "Doctor Lu, have you really made up your mind to go to the Hanlin Medical Hospital?" ”

The young man's eyes were full of reluctance, and before Lu Tong could speak, Yinzheng first rubbed Ah Cheng's head and said with relief: "People go to high places." ”

Ah Cheng lowered his head and said sullenly: "When you leave, there are only two people left in the medical hall, me and the owner." ”

Lu Tong and Yin Zheng have been in Renxin Medical Center for more than half a year, don't say that it is Ah Cheng and Du Changqing, everyone on West Street has long been accustomed to her existence. If you really want to leave suddenly, it feels cold when you think about it.

Yinzheng looked at the door and diverted the conversation: "However, when will the owner come to the medical center?" ”

Since he learned that Lu Tong was going to participate in the spring exam, Du Changqing never came to the hospital again, and only sent Ah Cheng to guard the store. The people could not even see his shadow.

Ah Cheng glanced at Lu Tong, who was opening the medical certificate, and explained in a low voice: "The owner is very angry, he didn't stop scolding until midnight yesterday, and he shouldn't be here in the next few days." ”

Yin Zheng was stunned, pursed his lips, and whispered: "The temperament is quite big." ”

……

Yazhai Bookstore is located in a dark alley at the end of Mingqi Road on West Street.

The bookstore is not as elegant as its name, and it looks like a canteen at a glance. There are no calligraphy and painting decorations around, a large pile of books are randomly piled on the ground in front of the door of the house, and the owner of the bookstore, Luo Dazui, wears a big jacket and sits at the door with his legs crossed to gnaw duck bones.

It's early in the morning, and it's still early. Yazhai bookstore has not yet opened, Luo Dazui sits at the door of the bookstore, with a charcoal fire at his feet, gnawing on braised duck bones while skewering roasted sweet potatoes with iron chisels.

The iron chisels were skewered roughly, and the firewood was stuffed on, and the smell of burnt burnt smoke came out of the depths of the alley.

"Bah, baba ”

Luo raised his eyelids with a big mouth, and saw a young man in a cherry-colored jacket and robe covering his nose and walking over, like a bright and swollen yellow bird in the snow, he paused, and greeted him enthusiastically: "Shopkeeper Du——"

The person who came was Du Changqing.

Du Changqing walked to Yazhai Bookstore, glanced at the sweet potatoes that were blackened by the charcoal fire, and asked, "Where is the roasted cow dung?" ”

Luo glanced at him with a big mouth: "What, do you want to eat?" ”

"It's better to keep it for yourself." Du Changqing waved his hand, raised his feet and walked into the bookstore, "There is a charcoal pot in the bookstore, and you are not afraid of lighting yourself on fire." ”

Luo Dazui turned his head, and saw Du Changqing cautiously stepping over the books piled up under his feet, standing in the middle of the bookstore, so he put down the iron chisel in his hand, stood up and walked with him, and said: "Be careful, don't step on it for me." ”

Du Changqing said "uh-huh" twice, turned around the bookstore twice, turned around and asked Luo Dazui: "Where do you put this medical book?" ”

Luo frowned, and glanced at him suspiciously: "You want to buy books?" ”

How many years has Yazhai bookstore been open on West Street, Du Changqing has never set foot here except for being brought over by Mr. Du to buy a few calligraphy books when he was a child, in his words, the smell of paper mold here is too big, and people are dizzy when they come in. So much so that Luo Dazui never gave him a good look.

Du Changqing didn't notice the unhappiness of the master of the study, touched his chin and said, "Isn't there a spring test for the Tai Medical Bureau next year?" Do you have any medical pharmacology books that spring exam students bought to review in this bookstore, and I'll take them out. ”

There are many vendors doing business on West Street, and there are few elegant customers like Hu Yuanwai, and the reason why Luo Dazui's bookstore has been able to survive until now is mostly because of those candidates who have paid tribute.

Those candidates always had to buy some examination papers and books prepared for the tribute, and later, the Yazhai bookstore did not put more poems and rhetoric, and put more bibliographies to prepare for the tribute.

Du Changqing also came here to try his luck.

After gnawing on the duck bone, Luo looked him up and down with a big mouth: "Really the sun is coming out in the west, when are you going to study hard?" ”

Du Changqing said angrily: "When did I say I was going to watch it?" My friend look! ”

"Do you still have such motivated friends?"

Du Changqing said angrily: "Is there any?" ”

Luo Dazui wiped the duck fat on his hand and pointed to the bookstore: "It's all there." ”

Du Changqing approached the bookshelf that Luo Dazui pointed to.

This bookshelf is not large, surprisingly small compared to the bibliography of the strategy, and it is not even in a row.

Du Changqing picked up one, the medical book looked old, as if it hadn't been read for a long time, and it was piled up with a thin layer of ash.

Blowing the ash on the cover, Du Changqing asked, "Why is this the case?" ”

Luo shrugged his shoulders: "A lot of medical books in the city are stored in the library of the Taiyi Bureau, and there are not many outflows." That's enough. ”

In the Liang Dynasty, in addition to those students of the Taiyi Bureau, there were special gentlemen who taught medical science, and most of the folk doctors relied on generations of old doctors to teach the experience in person, which is also the reason why most of the doctors with excellent medical skills among the civilians today are gray-haired and elderly.

Experience builds over time.

Ordinary doctors do not have the medical theories carefully summarized by the gentlemen of the Taiyi Bureau, and it is all up to the master and himself to slowly explore. A good medical book is very precious and difficult to circulate in the market.

The few medical theories on the bookshelf of Yazhai Bookstore are actually just some basic medical theories, which are not very subtle.

Du Changqing frowned and looked at it for a long time, and finally had no choice but to take down all the few medical books left on the bookshelf, and slapped them on the table: "How much silver?" ”

Luo glanced at it: "Give two taels." ”

"Two taels?" Du Changqing jumped three feet high: "Why don't you go and grab it!" ”

"Don't buy it if it's too expensive." Luo picked up the book with a big mouth, and slowly played it back one by one on the bookcase, "How can there be a bargain for the things of the readers?" ”

Seeing this, Du Changqing took back the other party's Chinese medicine certificate, took out a broken silver from his arms and threw it on the table, scolding: "Who said I won't buy it?" Just a few broken books sell for two taels, you have a dark heart, no, you have to send this young master to nod your head! ”

Luo's face was disdainful.

Du Changqing grinds hard foam.

In the end, he couldn't bear Du Changqing's business in front and back in the bookstore, and in desperation, Luo Dazui got up and walked into the house, rummaging through the miscellaneous books piled up in the corner, and found a stack of unkempt volumes.

Du Changqing was suspicious: "What is this?" ”

"Aren't you going to take a hit?" Luo Dazui pressed the volume into Du Changqing's arms, and together with Fang Cai's medical certificate, he pushed Du Changqing out of the door, "This is the 'Shengjing Taiyi Medical Bureau's Spring Examination Past Year Paper Questions'." With this, you are bound to take the top spot in this year's spring exam! ”

"Really?" Du Changqing didn't believe it, "Who wrote it?" Are you fooling Master Ben? ”

The snow outside the door was deep, and Luo Dazui stood in front of the bookstore, squeezing his eyebrows at him and smiling: "Yes." ”

Then, with a "bang", the door shut.

Du Changqing: "...... Bad luck! ”

……

Shengjing's snow accumulated half a foot on West Street, and he had to block the carriages of passers-by. In the mansion of a wealthy family, it has become the icing on the cake.

In the Taishi Mansion, the plum branches at the rockery are covered with deep snow, and the flower branches can't withstand the accumulated heavy snow, and they fall into the pond under their bodies, and the koi fish in the pond move, and the long tail crosses a little light in the ripples.

An old man stood in the pavilion and looked up.

Shengjing is boundless after the snow, and to the east is the direction of the imperial city. The vermilion wall showed a bright shadow under the gray clouds, and was soon covered by a deeper silver white.

The old man hung his head and coughed lowly.

Last night, an assassin broke into the palace gate at night and wanted to assassinate the East Palace, but let the assassin escape under the nose of the guards. Taishi Qi Qing took a leave of absence a few days ago due to the cold, and he was able to avoid this turmoil.

The housekeeper stepped forward himself, put on his robe for Master Qi, and said with his hands down: "Master, there is news in the palace that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was frightened last night and was bedridden. ”

"Your Majesty acted alone in the end, but now he is naturally afraid of it." The old man retracted his gaze and sighed: "What an eventful season." ”

The housekeeper said: "The slave has been explained according to the master's instructions, and the young master and the young lady should not be allowed to leave the house in the next few days." ”

Qi Taishi nodded: "The city is not peaceful, be careful." ”

Xu is mention of Qi Yutai, the housekeeper remembered something, paused, the housekeeper looked at the person in front of him, and said in a low voice: "There is one more thing, master, the matter of the good woman of the Ke family who asked someone to inquire about it before, I have eyebrows." ”

As soon as these words came out, Qi Qing's immobile figure moved slightly.

"How?" For a long time, he asked.

The housekeeper bent his waist lower and replied gently: "The good woman of the Ke family is named Lu Rou, she is not a native of Shengjing, and her family lives in Changwu County. The inquirer replied that Lu Rou's father and mother had passed away, and his younger brother Lu Qian was thrown into a dungeon and sentenced to death for stealing people's property and insulting his parents when he entered Beijing a year ago.

"In addition, the Lu family has not had any other relatives move around over the years."

"Oh? Are they all dead? ”

"Yes, but sir, the little one still heard something......"

Qi Qing looked stunned.

"Changwu County had an epidemic eight years ago, and almost no good people in the whole county escaped, but the Lu family didn't know what good luck they had taken, and the family of four was still alive and well."

The housekeeper said: "This matter is strange, the Lu family is poor, and there are very few survivors in the entire Changwu County, but no one in the Lu family is lost." However, the epidemic in Changwu County was fierce back then, and the living died, and the people who knew about the Lu family in the past were no longer there, and according to the newly moved county neighbors, they couldn't hear any problems. ”

The people who knew the Lu family's past were all dead, so naturally they couldn't come up with useful news.

There was a long silence.

Qi Qing pondered for a moment: "The Lu family has no other relatives?" ”

The housekeeper shook his head and looked at Master Qi again: "Master is suspicious......

"The Lu family is dead, if someone wants to use the Lu family to make a knife, they must find the living relatives of the Lu family. Besides......"

Qi Qing said lightly: "In ancient times, there was a filial son who avenged his father, if the descendants of the Lu family are still alive, they will not give up." ”

He turned around, his silver hair blending with the long snow behind him.

"Perhaps, there are fish that slip through the net." He said.