“What’s wrong?”
Before Bai Lu could finish her call, her voice trailed off. Lu Jinxi glanced at her and asked.
Bai Lu quickly composed herself, bowed, and said, “Madam, Dr. Zhang has been summoned and is about to examine the young master. What about you?”
As she spoke, she glanced at the two maids behind Lu Jinxi and the items they were carrying.
“I’m going to the Duke of Ying's Mansion to check on the second young master Luo,” Lu Jinxi replied casually, her eyes sweeping over the elderly man standing in the alleyway.
He was a man in his sixties, dressed in a simple, faded gray robe. His face was gaunt, but his eyes were sharp and lively. He was clean and well-groomed, with a neatly trimmed white beard.
An old medical box hung tightly from his shoulder, as if it were an extension of himself.
This was none other than the renowned “Ghost Hand Zhang” of the capital.
His real name was Zhang Yuanzhi, a descendant of a long line of physicians. Now in his seventies, he had been practicing medicine for nearly forty years, with vast knowledge and expertise in medical theory.
His skills were so exceptional that people said he could “snatch someone from the jaws of the King of Hell,” earning him the nickname “Ghost Hand Zhang.”
In the seventh year of Qing'an, when a plague struck Dean Prefecture, this old man, despite his frail body and the risk of infection, entered the city and spent two months developing a cure.
Thanks to him, the people of Dean were spared from the plague.
For a time, he was revered as a “miracle-working physician” throughout the southern regions.
When the imperial court learned of this, they sent an edict summoning him to the palace to appoint him as the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau.
This was an opportunity many could only dream of!
But to everyone’s surprise, Ghost Hand Zhang tossed the edict back to the eunuch who delivered it, saying, “I’m too old, I can’t be bothered,” and refused the imperial appointment, retreating to his small clinic.
Over the years, countless wealthy and powerful individuals had offered him vast sums of money to treat them, but all were turned away.
Unless it was a life-threatening condition, he wouldn’t lift a finger.
On the other hand, if a commoner came to his clinic with a minor ailment, he would treat them in no time. If they were too poor to pay, he wouldn’t charge them a single coin.
In the capital, at least a third of the population had visited his clinic, Huisheng Hall, for prescriptions or medicine.
Not long ago, when Lu Jinxi’s illness had taken a turn for the worse, they finally sought out Huisheng Hall.
Ghost Hand Zhang made an exception and came to the mansion to treat her, prescribing several bowls of potent medicine that brought her back from the brink of death. He then gave her a prescription for recovery, instructing the servants to follow it carefully.
Within half a month, Lu Jinxi had fully recovered.
It was then that she truly remembered “Ghost Hand Zhang of Huisheng Hall.”
Today, when the two young masters from the General’s Mansion and the Duke of Ying's Mansion got into a fight, and the second young master Luo’s arm was cut and bleeding, regardless of whose fault it was, the General’s Mansion needed to show the right attitude.
So, upon learning that the General’s Mansion hadn’t yet called for a physician, Lu Jinxi had sent Pan Quan to “invite” Ghost Hand Zhang, hoping his presence would help calm the situation at the Duke of Ying's Mansion.
But now…
At this moment, the stubborn and respectable old man stood in the alleyway, glaring at her with his eyebrows raised in anger, his eyes filled with indignation.
Lu Jinxi, recalling the earlier barrage of questions and complaints, could guess why he was upset.
She sighed inwardly, stepped aside, and gestured for the two maids to make way as well. She then addressed the servant woman standing in front of Ghost Hand Zhang, “Don’t just stand there. Dr. Zhang is already here. Quickly take him in to examine the young master. Don’t waste the doctor’s time.”
“…Yes, I’ll do so at once,” the servant woman stammered, surprised that Lu Jinxi, a first-rank lady, would make way for a physician. But she didn’t dare question it and gestured for Dr. Zhang to follow her.
Ghost Hand Zhang frowned, walking past Lu Jinxi with his anger still evident in his eyes.
Lu Jinxi, however, stood humbly by the side, bowing slightly, “Thank you for your trouble.”
“Hmph,” the old man snorted rudely, shooting her a glare. He flicked his sleeve and muttered, “The world is going to the dogs,” before striding into the courtyard.
“Madam, this…” Bai Lu, watching from behind, was stunned. “Isn’t this too disrespectful? Will he hold a grudge against our mansion?”
“What grudge?” Lu Jinxi chuckled as she walked ahead, her eyes sparkling with wisdom. She pulled Bai Lu along to the Duke of Ying's Mansion.
“Think about who he is. If he hadn’t been willing to come, how could we have possibly ‘invited’ him?”
Bai Lu’s mind finally clicked.
Ghost Hand Zhang feared nothing, not even the imperial edict. Could Pan Quan really have forced him to come?
She furrowed her brow, puzzled. “But if that’s the case, why did he agree to come?”
“You’d have to ask him that,” Lu Jinxi said with a knowing smile, not delving deeper into the topic. She then instructed, “When we return, remember to work with Qing Que to arrange for some common medicinal herbs to be prepared in sufficient quantities. I’ll send them to Huisheng Hall as a token of gratitude.”
Common medicinal herbs?
Why not send gold or silver instead?
Bai Lu almost asked but stopped herself, realizing she had already asked too many questions. She swallowed her words and nodded.
By now, the snow had started to melt, and the weather had grown even colder.
Along the garden path, the snow-covered new greenery made the budding tips of the branches look like jade, shimmering with a delicate beauty.
Lu Jinxi glanced toward the Duke of Ying's Mansion and asked, “When you went to intercept them earlier, did you find out what’s happening at the Duke’s mansion?”
“I did,” Bai Lu nodded, but her expression turned bitter. “The Duke of Ying already knows about the incident. He just returned from court and was planning to summon a royal physician, but when he heard we had invited Dr. Zhang, he dropped the idea.”
“As for Lady Ye’s attitude, we still don’t know.”
“All we know is that after examining the second young master Luo, Dr. Zhang not only treated the wound on his arm but also diagnosed him with a cold constitution. He scolded the servants for not taking proper care of him and prescribed some medicine.”
Lu Jinxi was momentarily surprised but then smiled.
“That’s just like Ghost Hand Zhang. He can’t stand to see anyone unwell. Even if you only came for a stomachache, he’d insist on treating your cough as well.”
Bai Lu covered her mouth and laughed. “Exactly.”
When Lu Jinxi was being treated, it had been the same.
The Duke’s mansion probably never expected that hiring a renowned physician would result in a scolding and an unexpected diagnosis for the second young master.
The Duke of Ying's Mansion, home to the Luo family, was a hereditary marquisate that had been passed down for four generations.
The current Duke of Ying, Luo Zhengmao, had inherited the title during the reign of the previous emperor. Now in his later years, he and his wife had gradually handed over the management of the household to their eldest son, Luo Xian, who had been granted the title of heir.
The household affairs were now in the hands of Lady Ye, Luo Xian’s wife.
When Lu Jinxi arrived for her visit, Lady Ye was seated in the room, her delicate brows furrowed as she looked at her younger son, Luo Dingfang, who sat before her with his head bowed.
Luo Dingfang was seven years old, two years older than the troublemaker next door, Xue Chi.
Growing up in a complex household, he had seen and understood much, thanks to the constant guidance of Luo Xian and Lady Ye. But the more he knew, the quieter he became.
Recently, after attending the Guangyin Academy, he had started to show signs of becoming more lively and outgoing.
So, when Lady Ye heard that Luo Dingfang had befriended Xue Chi, she decided to turn a blind eye and let it be.
After all, as the second son, he bore less responsibility for inheriting the family legacy.
Lady Ye hoped her younger son could be happier and more carefree, unlike his older brother, who had grown into a reserved and serious young man.
But she never expected things to take such a turn.
The General's Mansion had no luck in extracting the reason for the fight from Xue Chi, and the same was true for Lady Ye.
Ever since Luo Dingfang had been brought back, he hadn’t uttered a single word.
At first, Lady Ye had been furious, feeling that the General's Mansion had gone too far, and that the child they had raised was utterly ill-mannered to have caused such harm.
But soon, she reconsidered.
She knew her own son well.
Luo Dingfang, though quiet by nature, was usually filial and respectful. Whenever his parents asked him something, he would answer honestly and dutifully. It was rare for him to remain stubbornly silent like this.
What mattered most was that she could see a hint of guilt in her son’s eyes.
It was hard to say who was truly at fault in this matter.
However, Lady Ye had a vague premonition, which was why she hadn’t gone to the General's Mansion.
She didn’t know whether she should go to apologize or to demand an explanation.
“I’ve never interfered with your affairs at the academy. But now that things have escalated so much, even your grandfather has found out. He’ll surely ask about it later. If you’re at fault, you’d better confess now. Don’t wait until they come knocking at our door—I won’t be able to shield you then…”
Lady Ye spoke sternly, her words deliberate as she fixed her gaze on Luo Dingfang.
Luo Dingfang, dressed in a newly changed brocade robe, looked somewhat slender and delicate, a trait inherited from both his father and mother.
At Lady Ye’s questioning, he trembled slightly and bit his lip.
After a long while, he finally mustered the courage to lift his head.
But just at that moment, hurried footsteps came from outside.
A maid arrived at the door and announced, “Madam, Madam Lu from the neighboring General's Mansion has arrived. She’s brought some medicinal herbs to visit the young master and is waiting outside the courtyard.”
“What?”
She’s here?
Lady Ye was momentarily taken aback. She rose from her seat, abandoning her interrogation of Luo Dingfang, and quickly instructed, “Hurry and invite her in.”
“Yes.”
The maid immediately retreated to welcome Lu Jinxi at the courtyard gate.
Meanwhile, Lady Ye stood still, suddenly recalling all the stories she had heard about Madam Lu, the lady in charge of the General's Mansion.
Back when she was still a young maiden, how she had envied the glamour of the three great beauties of the capital!
Especially Lu Jinxi, whose temperament was rather ordinary, not particularly outstanding, yet she had been incredibly fortunate to marry Xue Kuang and soon became a first-rank titled lady of the court.
For a time, countless people in the capital couldn’t help but feel jealous.
In the seventh year of Qing'an, Yumen was reclaimed.
When Xue Kuang led his troops back to the capital, passing through Chang’an Street, she and Luo Xian had been among the crowd watching.
That general, clad in gleaming armor, rode atop a majestic black steed. Though covered in the dust of travel, his aura of iron and steel, of unyielding spirit, remained undiminished.
He came through the city gates at the end of the street, followed by battle-hardened soldiers.
Each of their faces bore the weariness of prolonged warfare, and many were even injured. Yet, upon seeing the citizens lining the streets to welcome them, they couldn’t help but smile—bright and triumphant.
Even Xue Kuang, his brows once sharpened by the frost of the northern frontier, softened, the coldness melting away into something gentler.
Lady Ye still remembered that day. The people had brought out their finest wines, offering them to these heroes who had brought them peace.
But Xue Kuang didn’t touch a single drop.
He sat alone on his horse, watching alongside the others as these once-mighty warriors returned to their ordinary lives.
No one knew what he was thinking.
That day, Chang’an Street remained lively for a long time, and many wept openly.
Even after the returning army had left, as dusk settled over the imperial city, the crowd lingered, unwilling to disperse…
That scene remained vivid in Lady Ye’s memory, as clear as if it had happened yesterday.
With a deep sigh, knowing that Lu Jinxi was about to arrive, Lady Ye turned back, her expression serious, and addressed Luo Dingfang: “Madam Lu from next door is coming. If you’re not at fault, I won’t press you. But if you are, take this chance to apologize properly…”
After all, she was all that remained.
Xue Kuang had once fought for the nation, for the world. She was his widow—who could bear to trouble or mistreat her?
