Chapter 68: The Rabbit Corpse

Chapter 68: The Rabbit Corpse

Days passed as smoothly as flowing water, and the minor incident at the Medical Center's entrance did not linger in Lu Tong's mind.

Before long, it was the beginning of autumn.

Lu Tong remained busy every day. As autumn arrived, fewer people came to buy "Qianqian," but more began purchasing "Zheguiling."

"Zheguiling" was a new medicinal tea that Lu Tong had recently formulated.

In less than a month, the Liang Dynasty's autumn examinations would begin. Confucian scholars often felt anxious before their exams and sought out medicinal teas to clear their minds and boost their spirits. Lu Tong took this opportunity to create a new tea called "Zheguiling," named after the auspicious phrase "chán gōng zhé guì."

Though the new tea was not as impressive as "Chunshuisheng" or "Qianqian," many scholars still flocked to purchase it due to its name. At this time each year, the prayer hall at Wan En Temple was packed with students seeking blessings for their studies. When faced with such important events, those who believed in good omens far outnumbered those who did not.

Lu Tong handed two packets of red paper-wrapped Zheguiling to Yin Zheng. "Deliver this to Wu Youcai's home in the Fresh Fish Market."

Wu Youcai from the Fresh Fish Market had failed his exams repeatedly but continued to try. Lu Tong guessed he would participate in this year's autumn examinations and had reserved a few packets for him.

Yin Zheng agreed, took the tea, and was about to leave when Ah Cheng stopped her. "Miss Yin Zheng, wait a moment."

"What is it?"

"It might not be the right time to see Brother Wu now."

Lu Tong paused and looked at Ah Cheng. "Is something wrong?"

"Don't you know?" the young apprentice scratched his head. "Brother Wu's mother... she passed away the night before last."

...

The nights were much cooler now.

After the start of autumn, there were frequent light rains, and cool breezes blew through the night, creating a chill that seemed to descend overnight.

The courtyard was quiet like still water, and the lanterns hanging under the eaves cast a hazy glow over the faces of those in the courtyard.

A young girl sat at a stone table, pounding the contents of a silver jar with great effort. The autumn wind brushed against her hair, making her face appear even softer and clearer.

Yin Zheng sat on a stool, folding silk handkerchiefs while watching Lu Tong prepare medicine.

When Ah Cheng mentioned the news of Wu Xiucai's mother's passing earlier that day, Yin Zheng thought Lu Tong would visit Wu Xiucai. After all, Lu Tong had been sending him nourishing herbs regularly through Yin Zheng, showing genuine concern for his mother's condition.

Although Yin Zheng didn't understand why Lu Tong treated a poor scholar so kindly, she could see that Lu Tong genuinely cared about Wu Xiucai's family situation. Yet, until now, Lu Tong hadn't mentioned visiting Wu Xiucai or even sending condolences—Du Changqing had already sent two bolts of silk.

That wasn't right; perhaps she had other plans?

Lost in these thoughts, Yin Zheng's movements slowed, and she didn't notice when the handkerchief fell to the ground.

Lu Tong glanced at her and asked, "What's the matter?"

Yin Zheng snapped back to reality, quickly picking up the fallen handkerchief. She swallowed the words "Wu Xiucai" and instead pointed to a cluster of fireflies under the eaves. "I was just thinking how beautiful the fireflies are in the Imperial City."

Lu Tong glanced at the eaves where a cluster of green fireflies flickered in the night.

These fireflies were caught by Ah Cheng.

The child had asked Yin Zheng to sew a small pouch with fine silk thread, adorned with tiny bells at each corner. He placed the captured fireflies inside and hung the pouch under the eaves. At night, they glowed brilliantly, reminiscent of the description in the "Jin Shu" of gathering fireflies to illuminate one's reading during summer nights.

Unfortunately, there were no scholars here.

Yin Zheng smiled and asked Lu Tong, "Do you have fireflies in your hometown?"

Lu Tong shook her head.

Changwu County was poor and remote; she only saw fireflies in books as a child.

However, there were plenty of fireflies on Luomei Peak.

Perhaps because of the high altitude and cool climate, once the heat of summer subsided, decaying grass turned into fireflies, illuminating the entire mountain with green light.

While searching for dead prisoners for Yun Niang's trial drug in the cemetery, Lu Tong often saw clusters of eerie cold light amidst the tall grass, resembling ghostly flames.

At that time, she didn't find it poetic or romantic; she only felt it was strange and wanted to close her eyes and flee.

She never expected that seeing the firefly pouch hanging under the eaves now would evoke a sense of being in another world.

Yin Zheng finished folding the last handkerchief and, without getting up, propped her chin on her hand to watch Lu Tong pound medicine. The sound of Lu Tong's small pestle hitting the silver jar echoed clearly in the silent night.

Lu Tong had two medicine jars, using the wooden one more often and the silver one less frequently. Today, she used the silver jar, which was intricately engraved. Under the moonlight, it shimmered with a brilliant luster.

After the final strike, Lu Tong left the pestle in the jar. Yin Zheng knew she was done.

Lu Tong stood up with the jar but didn't immediately leave. Instead, she walked around the courtyard, her gaze eventually settling on a half-person-tall bamboo basket in the corner.

She approached the basket, opened it, and lifted out a white rabbit with black eye circles.

Du Changqing had bought the rabbits a few days ago, saying he saw a girl selling them at a butcher shop in Guanxiang. The girl was delicate and pitiful, so Du Changqing bought all the rabbits out of sympathy.

After bringing them home, they didn't know what to do with the rabbits. Neither Yin Zheng nor Xiang Cao knew how to cook rabbit meat, so they kept them in the courtyard. Xia Rongrong and Xiang Cao came every day to feed them.

Lu Tong looked down at the rabbit in her hands. Its ears were held up, and its legs kicked aimlessly in the air. She then took the rabbit and the medicine jar to the kitchen.

Usually, Lu Tong prepared medicine in the courtyard, but when she used the kitchen, she didn't allow Yin Zheng to follow. Yin Zheng rubbed her knee, stacked the freshly sewn handkerchiefs together, and went inside to put them in a box.

As the night deepened, the outside grew quiet. The autumn breeze rattled the windows slightly, enveloping all of Shengjing in darkness.

In the kitchen, Lu Tong held the rabbit, her eyes lowered, lost in thought.

The silver medicine jar sat beside the cutting board, the pounded herbs inside forming a dark mass that slowly dripped down the sides, leaving behind a series of dirty streaks, creating an inexplicably eerie scene.

Lu Tong looked at the rabbit for a moment, then suddenly reached into the jar and pulled out a large handful of black, sticky liquid, stuffing it into the rabbit's mouth.

The rabbit's mouth was suddenly filled with a large mass of unknown filth, causing it to struggle violently. Lu Tong held tightly onto the rabbit's ears until the black goo had been chewed up. Then she released her grip, and the rabbit escaped from her hands, running around the kitchen as soon as it touched the ground.

She quietly watched the rabbit.

One moment, two moments, three moments.

The rabbit's movements gradually slowed down as it sniffed around, no longer running forward. It swayed as if drunk, then suddenly fell sideways, half-lying on the ground. It seemed to be trying to get up, its legs struggling, but eventually stopped moving.

A trace of black ooze slowly seeped from the rabbit's mouth, and its wide-open blood-red eyes were particularly horrifying.

It was dead.

This rabbit, which had just been lively and jumping, was now dead.

The night was bleak, and the small kitchen was dimly lit by a flickering lamp. A woman and a dead rabbit, silently facing each other, creating a melancholic and eerie scene.

At that moment, a sudden cry came from behind: "Ah—"

Lu Tong's gaze turned cold as she abruptly turned around. At the kitchen door stood Xia Rongrong, holding a lantern, looking at her in shock.

Usually, at this time, Xia Rongrong would already be asleep—Xia Rongrong cherished her appearance and firmly believed that early sleep could make a woman radiant, always going to bed before the hour of Hai. But now it was past the hour of Zi.

Lu Tong frowned. "What are you doing here?"

Xia Rongrong, seemingly frightened, her face pale, replied instinctively, "Xiang Cao fell, so I came to the kitchen to get some water." She quickly glanced at the rabbit on the ground, not daring to look closely, and asked Lu Tong tremulously, "This rabbit..."

"This rabbit accidentally ate poisonous herbs, so it died."

"Is... is that so?" Xia Rongrong said, her gaze quickly sweeping over Lu Tong's hand. Lu Tong's left hand, stained black from the herbs in the silver jar earlier.

Lu Tong looked at her. "Didn't you come for water?"

"Oh... yes," Xia Rongrong hurriedly responded, remembering what she needed to do, and quickly fetched a basin of water. When the basin was full, Xia Rongrong carried it out, her hands shaking so much that she almost spilled the water as she passed by Lu Tong.

Lu Tong watched her leave with the basin of water until she entered her room in the courtyard, closing the door, and the light inside went out, plunging the outside back into darkness.

She remained silent for a moment, then got up and walked to the dead rabbit, picking it up.

...

"That was terrifying; you wouldn't believe what I just saw!"

As soon as she entered the room, Xia Rongrong threw the basin aside and collapsed to the ground, her legs weak.

Xiang Cao was startled and, ignoring the scrape on her knee from the fall, quickly helped Xia Rongrong sit on the bed. "What happened?"

Xia Rongrong's face was pale, her eyes filled with fear. "I just saw Doctor Lu in the kitchen. She... she..." Xia Rongrong grabbed Xiang Cao's hand. "She poisoned a rabbit!"

Xiang Cao was stunned.

"It's true!" Xia Rongrong, fearing the maid wouldn't believe her, spoke more urgently, recounting everything she had seen. "When I went in, the poison on her hands hadn't been washed off yet. She was standing in front of the dead rabbit, staring at the corpse like a monster."

Xiang Cao was also shocked by her description but maintained a sliver of rationality. "Perhaps Doctor Lu was just testing some medicine?"

"Impossible! What kind of medicine could kill someone? Besides, you didn't see how she looked at me..."

Xia Rongrong recalled the moment when she accidentally startled Lu Tong. Unlike her usual gentle demeanor, Lu Tong's eyes were hidden in the shadows of the lamp, cold and emotionless, as if she was looking at a corpse.

She shivered involuntarily.

"We can't stay here anymore!" Xia Rongrong jumped up, hastily gathering her clothes. "We need to pack our things and leave."

"Miss," Xiang Cao held her back. "Calm down. If we leave now, what about Young Master Wenyou?"

Du Changqing?

Xia Rongrong suddenly remembered her cousin. She murmured, "Right, my cousin doesn't know. We need to tell him about this."

Xiang Cao said, "Currently, the Renxin Medical Clinic relies heavily on the medicinal tea made by Doctor Lu. According to Ah Cheng, Doctor Lu and Young Master share the profits equally. These days, I've noticed that Young Master trusts Doctor Lu greatly. Even if you tell him, he might not believe you. Even if he does, he might not kick Doctor Lu out."

Doctor Lu is the cash cow of the Renxin Medical Clinic. Who would want to drive away their cash cow?

Hearing this, Xia Rongrong was at a loss. "What should we do?"

She usually had no strong opinions. This trip to Shengjing was to enter the Du family, but she miscalculated Du Changqing's current wealth. Moreover, Du Changqing didn't seem interested in her, leaving her in an uncertain position. Now faced with this situation, Xia Rongrong didn't know what to do.

"Miss, why don't we ask Bai Shouyi from Xinglin Hall?" Xiang Cao suggested suddenly.

Xia Rongrong was taken aback. Bai Shouyi?

Come to think of it, a few days ago, Wenyou, who worked for Bai Shouyi, had visited her once.

Due to the incident with the spring water, Xinglin Hall had a grudge against the Renxin Medical Clinic, something Xia Rongrong had heard from Ah Cheng. Bai Shouyi suffered a significant loss and blamed Lu Tong for it.

However, despite his efforts, Bai Shouyi couldn't find any fault with Lu Tong. So he sent Wenyou to talk to Xia Rongrong, proposing a "cooperation."

Wenyou stood in front of Xia Rongrong and said, "Young Miss Xia, our boss said that if you don't want Doctor Lu to stay at the medical clinic, and our boss wants to expel Doctor Lu from the Imperial City, why don't we cooperate and achieve our goals together?"

Xia Rongrong frowned. "Cooperate?"

Bai Shouyi's plan was simple: have Xia Rongrong tamper with the herbs Lu Tong prepared daily.

Xia Rongrong immediately rejected this idea.

If Lu Tong's medicine had problems, it would harm the Renxin Medical Clinic and affect Du Changqing. Moreover, Xia Rongrong observed that Lu Tong handled all the preparation and sorting of new medicines herself, and her servant Yin Zheng was highly alert, making it impossible to interfere.

But Wenyou persisted, slipping a banknote into Xia Rongrong's hand. "Young Miss Xia, you don't need to answer now. When you decide, send someone to our shop to inform the boss."

Xia Rongrong pocketed the silver and, though initially uneasy, gradually forgot about the matter over time. She did not expect it to be brought up by Xiang Cao today.

She looked at Xiang Cao hesitantly. "Is this right?"

Lu Tong was, after all, part of Renxin Medical Clinic. Telling outsiders about the clinic's affairs seemed unkind.

Xiang Cao sighed. "Miss, what you saw today was unexpected, but it doesn't prove that Doctor Lu is making harmful poisons. Young Master Changqing listens to everything Doctor Lu says and will certainly side with her. If you speak up, you'll only alarm Doctor Lu and strain your relationship with Young Master Changqing."

"But Mr. Bai is different. Doctor Lu embarrassed Xinglin Hall before, so Mr. Bai harbors resentment toward her. If there's anything amiss with Doctor Lu, Mr. Bai won't let it go. Besides—"

"Besides, didn't you take fifty taels from Mr. Bai? You owe him, and if he comes to collect, Young Master Changqing will be furious."

Thinking of the fifty taels, Xia Rongrong blushed.

The silver had long been spent on hairpins and jewelry. If Bai Shouyi came to demand repayment, she wouldn't know how to handle it.

Seeing her waver, Xiang Cao lowered her head, hiding a smile.

Xiang Cao had served as Xia Rongrong's personal maid for many years. This time, Xia Rongrong's parents had specifically instructed her to ensure the marriage between Xia Rongrong and Du Changqing.

Although Du Changqing's wealth wasn't what it used to be, he still owned shops and residences in Shengjing, which made him a better match than many others. The marriage was feasible.

However, during their stay at the Medical Center, Xiang Cao had observed clearly that Du Changqing showed no special interest in Xia Rongrong. Instead, he seemed quite close to Doctor Lu.

Xiang Cao had come here to facilitate the marriage with Du Changqing. If she failed, both Xia Rongrong and her parents would be disappointed. She suspected that Lu Tong and Du Changqing had a secret affair, even though she lacked evidence. Lu Tong behaved like the lady of the house, with Ah Cheng and Du Changqing deferring to her.

Xiang Cao wanted to drive Lu Tong out of the Medical Center but couldn't find a way until Xia Rongrong stumbled upon the scene in the kitchen tonight.

This was an opportunity sent by heaven.

Ignoring her scraped leg, Xiang Cao jumped out of bed and fetched paper and ink for Xia Rongrong.

"Miss, why hesitate? Only Mr. Bai can help now. Write to him quickly; if there's any issue, we can address it in time."

The dim light in the room reflected off the spilled water on the floor. Xia Rongrong stared at the puddle for a long moment, bit her lip, and finally stood up, determined.

"I understand."

"I'll write it."