Chapter 308 After Dying, I Woke Up In Ancient Times With My Pharmacy 7.0
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lu Xuilan allowed the pot of water to heat for a while before filling another jade cup with hot water. Next, she took out another tea satchet from the large packet and dissolved its contents in the hot water.
The aroma of the freshly made tea spread over to the physician's side and his nose twitched. He craned his neck. "If the young miss doesn't mind me asking, what is that? I can detect some hints of medicinal herbs but the scent isn't bitter. Instead it is so rich and soothing."
Hearing this, the Matriarch's eyes sparkled and she looked at the jade cup Lu Xuilan was bringing over eagerly. As soon as she accepted the cup, she lifted her chin at the physician, "It's just some tea that my granddaughter had brought back for me from a wandering master." And then she shrugged haughtily. "You know how they are..."
The physician raised a brow. Wandering masters were known to tour different parts of the world, picking up essential and unique things along the way. For the young miss to have met one. "Ah, the young miss must have been blessed by the deity of luck."
Lu Xuilan gave the physician a reserved smile and the Matriarch titled her chin in satisfaction. The more she looked, the more pleasing Lu Xuilan seemed in her eyes. This was how a daughter of a noble family should be!
With that thought, the Matriarch took a good sip of the tea.
Again, everyone watched with bated breaths for several seconds until the Matriarch sighed in satisfaction. Next, she glared at the servant girl who had tasted the lukewarm tea before taking steady sips of the tea until it was completly finished.
Although she'd had some better tasting teas from unique parts of the country, this tea was extremely special because with each sip she took, the more relaxed she felt. She gave Lu Xuilan a smile before turning to the physician. "Physician Fu, come and check my pulse!"
Physician Fu eyed the packets on the table before walking over to the Matriarch and checking her pulse with the aid of a handkerchief.
The very next second, both of his eyebrows raised in surprise. He was in charge of monitoring the Matriarch's health and was also responsible for prescribing her medicine so he knew the state of her health like the back of his palm.
The older Matriarch Lu got, the higher her blood pressure became from constantly worrying about the household and whatnot so he had to prescribe several soothing concoctions every week but now...
Although her high blood pressure was not completely gone, it had reduced to a fairly reasonable degree in just a matter of minutes!
Seeing the shellshocked look on the physician, the Matriarch's smile froze and a warm feeling spread in Bai Yun's heart. She sneered.
"If it's that bad then throw that thing away and quickly give mother some good medicine!" She turned to Lu Xuilan. "I can't believe you would place your stubbornness over mother's health!"
Physician Fu's focus finally returned and he looked at Bai Yun in confusion. "Who says it is bad?" To the surprise of everyone, he turned to Lu Xuilan with an ingratiating smile. "Young miss, do you have more of this tea? Whatever the price, I'll pay!"
What other confirmation was needed after that? The Matriarch looked to Mama Gu, who swiftly moved over to the table to grab the two large packets of tea and hand over to her mistress.
On the other hand, Lu Xuilan shook her head at the physician in regret. "I'm sorry but I already gave all of it to grandmother."
Hearing this, the Matriarch became even happier, Lu Xuilan had gotten something so precious and yet she had given it all to her. Who wouldn't like such a filial granddaughter? To the anger of every other child in the hall, she said, "Xuilan come. Come sit at this old lady's side."
Once Lu Xuilan took the spot by the Matriarch, the Matriarch forgot about everyone else and directly opened the packets to count how many satchets of tea were inside.
As soon as she finished counting, she eyed Lu Yunyue and Lu Zhenzhen in dissatisfaction. There were only ten sachets in one packet and those two had caused her to waste an entire satchet on a lowly servant with their thoughtless words!
At one end of the hall, the last Concubine, Tan Hong, watched the show in interest as she exchanged smiles with her two sons. Ever since Fang Lan lost her position as main wife and Bai Yun had taken over, the hope that she could one day be the main wife too had sprang up in her heart.
She might have been the last concubine to enter the Lu household but she'd been the first to give birth. Not just that, she'd given birth to two sons before any other woman in the harem gave birth!
It always annoyed her that Fang Lan had been married into the Lu household grandly and had only given birth to a daughter yet, she had held the seat of main wife for years.
When Fang Lan was sent away, she'd tried her best to coax the Prime minister but Bai Yun had been a step ahead of her and had showered the Matriarch with expensive gifts and jewelry!
Unlike Fang Lan and Bai Yun, she did not come from a prominent family so she could not afford to give the Matriach any gifts so she couldn't get the position of main wife on the end.
Till this day, that loss angered her to her bones and she disliked the Matriarch very much. The only reason she held on was because she thoroughly believed that her three sons were going to bring her glory in the Lu household.
Her first son, Lu Chao, was already studying to become an official and would be taking the Imperial examination soon. Once he succeeded, he could enter court just like the Prime minister and no one would ignore her in the Lu household again!
As for her other two sons... She looked at the young boys seated at the front. Her second, Lu Yi, was also on the path to become a scholar and her last son, Lu Aiguo, wanted to enter the army.
Once her three sons started raking in achievements, she wouldn't even have to lift a finger and the Prime minister himself would come running to make her the official wife!
A dreamy look appeared on Tan Hong's face as she thought of all this.
At the other end of the hall, Lu Yunyue took in the Matriarch's dissatisfaction and her eyes reddened. Why was her grandmother so greedy?
She and her mother supplied the old woman with beautiful things everyday and, yet, some random things from Lu Xuilan had managed to completely blind the old woman.
How useless.
Although she was very unhappy, Lu Yunyue swallowed her anger and put on a smile. "It appears I had misunderstood Second sister." She turned to Lu Xuilan. "Forgive this sister for not knowing any better."
Bai Yun was also angry but she went on to back her daughter with, "Mother, I received some beautiful cloud brocade from my father this morning and had thought of sending some over to you."
The Matriarch's eyes sparkled. Today was a good day wasn't it? She already got wonderful treasures and now she was getting one of the most expensive materials in Xiangshan! Her gaze softened when she looked at Lu Yunyue.
She couldn't stay mad at the girl. Afterall, Lu Yunyue was a beauty who was destined for greatness. "Come, Yunyue. Come and sit at this old lady's other side."
Lu Zhenzhen wanted to die. She neither had unique treasures like Lu Xuilan or a prominent maternal family like Lu Yunyue.
Unlike them, her mother had been a maid in the Lu household before catching the eyes of the Prime minister so they had nothing to their name. In fact, her mother did not even have any bethrodal gifts.
Aside from the monthly allocations from the Lu household, she was dirt poor so how could she impress the Matriarch?!
Angrily, Lu Zhenzhen lowered her head as the Matriarch turned to her with the full force of her blame.
At that moment, Prime minister Lu finally returned from morning court. With an absentminded look, he walked into the grand hall in his mother's courtyard, only to run into his wife, concubines and children.
Lu Yunyue's eyes sparkled and she climbed down from the dais with a flair. "Father!"
Lu Qian watched his beautiful official daughter walk up to him. He thought back to the words of the Taoist priest and a smile bloomed on his face. When she got close enough, he patted her head. "Ah'Yue, how are you?"
Lu Yunyue showed a spoilt smile. "Ah' Yue is fine, thank you father."
Behind her, Lu Xuilan looked away in disinterest whilst Lu Zhenzhen's grit her teeth. No matter where, the competition from her two older sisters were too strong. Lu Yunyue was the first born female, did she feel no shame acting like that before their father?
Even as she thought that, Lu Zhenzhen's eyes turned hopeful when the prime minister glanced in her direction... only for Lu Qian's eyes to immediately move past her to look at the other people in the hall.
She felt the urge to smash something. Preferably Lu Yunyue's pretty face!
Bai Yun and Lu Peng also came forward to greet Lu Qian and after them, the others offered their greetings one after the other.
When it got to Shi Meifen's turn, Lu Qian's gaze turned complicated. He thought back to the description of General He's so called dream that he'd heard a while ago and he felt very unsettled in his heart.
He still remembered the Taosit priest's words about that unlucky child and he also remembered instructing Shi Meifen to never let the child show his face anywhere outside of his courtyard.
Ever since then, he hadn't laid eyes on the child and had no idea what he looked like now. The only reason he had remembered him from General He's description was because of the unique traits he was born with.
Lu Qian suddenly cleared his throat. "Meifen. That child... Is he still alive?"
As soon as he asked this, everyone quietened down. They were all aware of Shi Meifen's child who had suddenly fallen sick two years after birth. In fact, that was the only reason every other woman in the harem completely ignored her.
The concubine had neither Lu Qian's favour nor a healthy child to fall back on so of what use was placing her in their sights?
Shi Meifen smiled softly when she heard this. It's been so long since the prime minister showed any concern for Lu Wenduo's state so she said sadly, "He is as he's always been. Constantly skipping in and out of consciousness."
Lu Qian frowned and smacked his teeth impatiently. "I don't mean him. I mean the second one."
Now every single woman and child -besides the Matriarch-had their eyes wide open and their brows furrowed in confusion.
Up on the dais, Lu Xuilan was also confused. She'd thoroughly gone through the former Lu Xuilan's memory and she was very sure that Shi Meifen had just one child so what was this?
Bai Yun stepped forward in alarm. "What child is this? Where did another child suddenly come from?"
Shi Meifen was too stunned to speak. She could still remember kneeling outside the Matriarch's courtyard under the rain, just moments after giving birth as she pleaded for her son's life.
The others weren't aware of this because they'd been told by Lu Qian and the Matriarch that the child had been a stillborn.
Why was the prime minister suddenly asking of Jingye? She was both wary and excited. Wary because she had no idea if the Taoist priest had said something else and excited because of the possibility that it had been discovered that her Jingye wasn't a cursed child.
"What child is this?!" Bai asked again, louder this time.
Lu Qian eyed her in annoyance before turning back to Shi Meifen. "Bring him over. I have a question for him."
Shi Meifen hesitated before slowly nodding her head and leaving the hall.
On the dais, the Matriarch's expression wasn't too good. What was Lu Qian doing letting Shi Meifen bring that cursed child to her courtyard? She wanted to speak up but when she took in the absentminded look on her son's face, she decided to keep quiet and see what this was about.
Around the hall, the children and concubines eyed each other. What type of enemy was the most dangerous? The one who was hidden in the dark and, apparently, this particular one had hidden for so many years!
Moments later, She Meifen stepped into the hall and a second later, another figure walked in with lowered eyes.
No one knew where it came from but a loud gasp was heard.
Standing next to Lu Qian, Lu Yunyue shakily clenched her hands into fists. She was said to be the most beautiful in the Capital so... what was this?
The young boy who stepped in was dressed in white robes with black cloud designs lining the helm and had the bearing of a monk.
He was young so his youthful face had yet beginning to develop it's edges and were roundish instead combined with lashes that extended for days, sword like brows, pale lips pressed into a thin line and very pale skin from staying indoors for too long.
His silvery white hair cascaded down his back like a heavenly waterfall. All in all, his features were simply tailored to perfection.
At that moment, he finally lifted his eyes and another gasp was heard. The young man's looks made a person feel good and uncomfortable at the same time because...
What was with that eye colour?!
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