Chapter 135: Qihuang Hall is targeted
Chapter 135: Qihuang Hall is targeted
As a errand clerk in the errand hall, Hua Changxi had the protection of Eunuch Jia and his three men, but she could not be absent from work for a long time. After returning from Wuzhi Mountain, she went straight back to the Medical Department.
After inspecting the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 4th Bureaus of the Third Department as usual, she went directly to the No. 6 Qihuang Hall to continue refining the elixir.
Her schedule now is to make pills in Qihuang Hall during the day, and practice and train her body in Lingguang Hall at night. Every few days, she will call Zhou Qiuyu and others to Qihuang Hall No. 6 to guide them in making pills.
After Hua Changxi stopped teaching, the chores hall suddenly became quiet.
Many people who followed her fell into deep thought when they saw her action.
In the First Street Medical Bureau building, Director Gu Qiming was flipping through the "Complete Book of General Plants" and "Drug Medicinal Materials Encyclopedia" compiled by Hua Changxi. After reading them, he called Mu Qingying over.
"You have attended Hua Changxi's lectures at the Qihuang Hall several times. Did you notice anything unusual?"
Mu Qingying shook her head: "Hua Changxi always teaches seriously, and the disciples did not notice anything unusual."
Gu Qiming frowned: "According to what you said, Hua Changxi gave lectures in Qihuang Hall because she liked it?"
Mu Qingying nodded: "I do think so. When Hua Changxi was teaching, she was eloquent and radiant, and she shared many details without reservation. I could feel that she really enjoyed the process of teaching medical skills to others."
After listening to this, Gu Qiming looked at the "Complete Book of Plants" and "Diamond Pharmacy" on the table again. The summary of medicinal materials in these two books is so detailed that there are few medical books on the market that can match it, and even the Medical Bureau does not have such a comprehensive list.
There is no other reason, there are too many "new drugs" involved here.
The doctors and pharmacists in Jiujie, whenever they develop a new drug, they will keep it secret and will only share it if someone offers a corresponding value in exchange.
Compared with them, Hua Changxi was truly unreserved.
However, Hua Changxi was just a young lady who had just come of age. How did she understand and accumulate the efficacy of so many 'new drugs'?
Hua Changxi must have inherited some kind of medical skills, that’s for sure!
Moreover, it is very likely that this inheritance was obtained by her from the Qihuang Hall.
Gu Qiming looked at Mu Qingying and asked, "Did you bring the wooden sign with you when you went to listen to Hua Changxi's lecture?"
Mu Qingying nodded: "I have worn it. Master, you said that the wooden plaque is likely to be a token to open the Dan Sheng Temple, so I have been wearing it and have never taken it off. The same is true for Senior Brother Yuan."
Gu Qiming asked again: "Have you noticed any unusual phenomena on the wooden sign?"
Mu Qingying shook her head in shame: "My disciple is stupid, and the wooden sign has not shown any strange phenomena so far."
Gu Qiming sighed: "Tonight, you and your senior brother will go to visit all 18 Qihuang Halls."
Mu Qingying seemed to understand something after hearing this, and asked in surprise: "Eighteen wooden signs, eighteen Qihuang Halls, Master, are you saying that the wooden signs are related to Qihuang Hall?"
Gu Qiming: "Hua Changxi insisted on teaching the servants in Qihuang Hall. This was too strange. Later, I learned that she had a wooden tablet. I went to Qihuang Hall to investigate. As expected, I found that the wooden tablet would flash green light when it approached Qihuang Hall."
Mu Qingying: "But...but every time I go to Qihuang Hall, the wooden sign doesn't react at all?"
Gu Qiming: "The wooden sign of the nine Qihuang Halls in the Miscellaneous Hall did not respond, but the wooden sign of the nine Qihuang Halls in the Apprentice Hall did respond."
Mu Qingying asked quickly: "Then did the master find anything?"
Hearing this question, Gu Qiming was a little depressed: "Except for the green light flashing on the wooden sign, I have no other discoveries."
That's why he kept silent and allowed Hua Changxi to teach openly in the Miscellaneous Hall, just to see if she had discovered the secret of Qihuang Hall.
"You and your senior brother should go to the Qihuang Hall tonight and come back to tell me the results."
"Yes, Master."
Mu Qingying immediately went to find Yuan Tianchou. That night, the two of them went to the Servants' Hall and the Apprentice Hall respectively and visited all the eighteen Qihuang Halls.
After the two left the apprentice hall, Zhu Qinghuan walked out from a dark corner and looked at the two people walking away with a serious expression.
It seems that they have also discovered the connection between Qihuangguan and the wooden sign.
Zhu Qinghuan stood outside the No. 10 Qihuang Clinic, frowning as he watched the green light flash by on the wooden sign in his hand.
What is the connection between the wooden sign and Qihuang Hall?
What did Hua Changxi discover?
Zhu Qinghuan showed a look of frustration. She discovered the connection between the wooden plaque and Qihuangguan on the first day after she got it, but after investigating for so long, she still couldn't find out the secret between the two.
Knowing that Hua Changxi was giving lectures in the Qihuang Hall, she even followed along to learn. She secretly gathered a group of apprentices from the apprentice hall and helped them with their daily courses in the Qihuang Hall.
She tried all nine Qihuang Halls in the Apprentice Hall, but unfortunately, apart from the flash of green light, the wooden sign had no other reaction.
Zhu Qinghuan put away the wooden sign and looked again in the direction where Mu Qingying and Yuan Tianchou left. Now the director and others have also discovered the connection between the wooden sign and Qihuang Hall. Let's see what they can find.
First Street, Medical Bureau Building, Director’s Office.
Gu Qiming saw the two apprentices coming back and asked, "How is it going? What did you find?"
Yuan Tianchou: "The nine Qihuang Hall wooden signs in the Apprentice Hall all responded, but the nine Qihuang Hall wooden signs in the Miscellaneous Hall did not respond."
Gu Qiming looked at the two of them: "What do you think this means?"
Yuan Tianchou and Mu Qingying looked at each other and shook their heads at the same time.
Gu Qiming looked at the wooden sign in his hand and asked, "Do you think the wooden sign could be the key to Qihuang Hall?"
Upon hearing this, Yuan Tianchou immediately said, "But when the wooden sign passes through the Ninth Street, a green light will also flash."
It was because of the strange phenomenon that would occur when the wooden sign passed through Jiu Street that they concentrated all their energy on Jiu Street and did not think about the row of dilapidated Qihuang Halls behind the Apprentice Hall and the Miscellaneous Hall.
Gu Qiming fell silent. To be honest, he also thought that the wooden sign was related to Jiu Street at the beginning, but now, he is more and more inclined to believe that the wooden sign is related to Qihuang Hall.
"Isn't Hua Changxi no longer attending classes at the Qihuang Hall? You two should go."
Mu Qingying and Yuan Tianchou exclaimed "Ah" at the same time.
Gu Qiming: "He has been to both the Qihuang Hall in the Miscellaneous Hall and the Apprentice Hall. I don't believe that Hua Changxi would take classes in the Qihuang Hall for no reason."
Mu Qingying hesitated for a moment: "Master, Hua Changxi actually hinted to me, Zhu Qinghuan, and Shen Qianfan before that we should go and teach."
After hearing this, Gu Qiming asked: "Is there such a thing?"
Mu Qingying nodded.
Gu Qiming immediately made the decision: "You guys get ready. You will go to Qihuang Hall for classes in two days. If the classes can really make the wooden plaque react, I will go too."
After hearing this, Yuan Tianchou seemed to be hesitant to speak.
Gu Qiming saw it and said: "If you have something to say, just say it."
Yuan Tianchou: "If my junior sister and I go to class, the noise might be a bit loud. By then, people from the Ninth Street Pharmacy, the Disciple Hall, and the Apprentice Hall will probably all be there, and the servants won't be able to hear it."
Gu Qiming: ".There is nothing we can do about it."
Mu Qingying said, "It's okay if the servants don't listen."
Hearing this, Yuan Tianchou looked over in surprise: "I thought Junior Sister would be more interested in teaching the servants."
Mu Qingying looked at him: "Many servants have listened to Hua Changxi's lectures. If they come to listen to us, they will find that we are not as good as Hua Changxi."
Yuan Tianchou wanted to argue, but he had also carefully read the Complete Book of Ordinary Plants and the Classic of Medicinal Materials, and he really couldn't explain it more thoroughly than Hua Changxi. Gu Qiming also couldn't tolerate his apprentice not being as good as Hua Changxi, so he said directly: "Hua Changxi teaches ordinary plants, and you two teach spiritual plants."
After hearing this, Yuan Tianchou's eyes lit up and he immediately gained confidence.
Mu Qingying had an indifferent expression. Hua Changxi could improve the quality of her elixir-making skills with just some pointers from her. Her research on spiritual plants must be very deep.
The news that Mu Qingying and Yuan Tianchou were going to give lectures at the Qihuang Hall spread throughout the Medical Department the next day.
When Hua Changxi heard this, her first reaction was that someone was coming to seize her territory, but when she thought that the Buddhist beads had fallen into the hands of the ghost from Niutou Mountain and the wooden sign was no longer in her hands, she became discouraged.
The Medical Department is now under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, and the director has absolute control over it. He wants Mu Qingying and Yuan Tianchou to take classes at the Qihuang Hall, and she, a servant, has no power to object.
It is possible to stop it by force, but that would be tantamount to going against the entire court.
Hua Changxi felt a headache when she thought about the many troubles that might be caused by going against the imperial court. She practiced hard for freedom, not to get herself into trouble.
Using force to stop it is not the best option!
Hua Changxi was very upset, but soon she calmed down.
Anyway, she had already taken over the nine Qihuang Halls in the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall. She was not using them now, so they were just empty. Even if Mu Qingying and Yuan Tianchou went in to give lectures, they could not take away these nine Qihuang Halls.
Thinking of this, Hua Changxi calmed down again. Now she just had to stay at the No. 6 Qihuang Hall and make pills. As for the rest, let them do whatever they want.
"Mu Qingying and Yuan Tianchou are going to teach at Qihuang Hall?"
After hearing the news, Gu Jinfan looked at the "Complete Book of Plants" and "Diamond Pharmacy" and fell into deep thought.
Soon, she got up and went to find Director Gu Qiming, saying that she also wanted to teach at the Qihuang Hall.
Gu Qiming could never see through Gu Jinfan. When she wanted to give a lecture, he did not make it difficult for her and agreed directly. Anyway, for him, if more people joined, they might be able to quickly uncover the secret of Qihuang Hall.
After Gu Jinfan came out of the Medical Department building, the monks from Duke Xin's Mansion came to his door.
Seeing the person coming, Gu Jinfan's eyes flashed and he walked over quickly: "Uncle Chen, what's the matter?"
Uncle Chen whispered, "Seventh Lady, Jingzhao Prefecture Governor Cao Jun has been missing for almost a month. Jingzhao Prefecture has no clues at all. I'm afraid he is gone."
Hearing this, Gu Jinfan's heart was shaken: "Are you sure he saw the note I asked you to give to Cao Jun?"
Uncle Chen nodded: "Sure, our people also found that Cao Jun sent people to investigate Hua Changxi."
After hearing this, Gu Jinfan took a deep breath. It was Hua Changxi. It must be Hua Changxi who killed Cao Jun.
Cao Jun is a cultivator in the middle stage of the Jindan period. If Hua Changxi can kill him, her cultivation level will only be higher than hers.
Gu Jinfan really didn't expect that Hua Changxi's cultivation level would be so high.
Even if the "Suzaku Divine Art" is the best fire-based cultivation technique in the Four Spirit Realms, Hua Changxi has only had the technique for about two years. How come her cultivation level has improved so quickly?
"Uncle Chen, don't keep an eye on Hua Changxi from now on."
Uncle Chen looked at Gu Jinfan in confusion: "Didn't Lady Seven say before that she wanted to know everything about Hua Changxi?"
Gu Jinfan: "I misjudged some things before. Uncle Chen, call back the people who were sent to keep an eye on Hua Changxi. If she finds you, I'm afraid I won't be able to save you in time."
Hearing this, Uncle Chen was shocked, surprised that Gu Jinfan was afraid of Hua Changxi: "Okay, I will take the people back." He paused.
"Song Weimin, the magistrate of Nanxiang County, is Cao Jun's junior fellow apprentice. After Prince Fu's people took over Nanxiang County, he was suspended from his post and stayed at home. He has been busy looking for Cao Jun during this period."
"Song Weimin?"
When Gu Jinfan heard this name, his expression changed.
In his previous life, it was this person who exposed Cao Jun's many evil deeds of massacring villagers and sacrificing young boys and girls. Because many things involved King Shou, he finally died tragically in the Heavenly Prison.
Uncle Chen: "Seventh Lady knows this person?"
Gu Jinfan nodded: "I heard that he is an official who gets things done."
Uncle Chen: "He is indeed a good official. When he left Nanxiang County, many people came to see him off spontaneously. I thought he could be directly appointed to the position based on his achievements. However, the Ministry of Personnel told him to go home and wait for notification."
Gu Jinfan sneered, "He won't be able to wait for a vacancy. Now all parties are desperately trying to place their own people everywhere, led by the royal family. Unless Song Weimin surrenders to some powerful person, otherwise, he will die at home without a day of restart."
Uncle Chen looked worried: "If this continues, I'm afraid there will be chaos."
Gu Jinfan looked at him and said, "The chaos has already started. Aren't there many villages and towns whose ancestral lands have been seized and disappeared inexplicably?"
Uncle Chen stopped talking.
Gu Jinfan was silent for a while and then said, "The chaos will eventually pass, and everything will be fine. It will definitely be fine."
On the tenth day of July, Mu Qingying, Yuan Tianchou and Gu Jinfan began teaching at the Qihuang Hall.
All three were celebrities in the Medical Department. Their lectures immediately attracted widespread attention. On the first day of their class, the Qihuang Hall behind the Service Hall was packed with people.
At the entrance of Qihuang Clinic No. 6, Hua Changxi looked at Qihuang Clinic No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 which were surrounded by crowds of people, and was somewhat silent.
"Mu Qingying and Yuan Tianchou are the director's favorite disciples, and Gu Jinfan is also from a famous family. It is natural that they are popular. Hua Changxi, don't be jealous."
Hearing the teasing laughter coming from behind him, Hua Changxi glanced indifferently at the Seventh Prince Chu Junhao and Duan Yuyan who were walking together.
Chu Junhao walked up to Hua Changxi and said with a smile, "Yuyan likes to joke around, Manager Hua, please don't bother with her."
Hua Changxi looked at him: "But I do care about it, what should I do?"
Hearing this, Chu Junhao's face flashed with astonishment, then he laughed and turned to look at Duan Yuyan: "Manager Hua at least taught us a lesson, Yuyan, you were presumptuous just now, apologize."
Duan Yuyan felt somewhat unhappy. She admitted that Hua Changxi’s lectures were indeed good, but she was just a servant. How could it be worth an apology from a young lady from a Duke’s Mansion like her?
But seeing the warning in Chu Junhao's eyes, Duan Yuyan spoke reluctantly: "Manager Hua, I was rude just now."
Hua Changxi smiled faintly: "I am a petty person and cannot take jokes. The Seventh Prince and Miss Duan should not bother with me."
Duan Yuyan wanted to roll her eyes. Normally, others always accommodated them, but now Hua Changxi was trying to make them accommodate her. Did she really think that she could ignore the differences in status just because she knew a little medical skills?
Chu Junhao was not surprised to see her directly reveal her identity. He smiled and said, "I have read the Complete Book of Common Plants and the Classic of Medicinal Materials. They are very detailed. I heard that Manager Hua occasionally teaches people how to make pills at the No. 6 Qihuang Hall. I wonder if Yuyan and I can go along and listen in?"
Hua Changxi looked at Chu Junhao. If she refused a prince who was so courteous, it would seem like she was being rude. She immediately said with a smile, "My lectures before were like a big pot of rice. Instructing people to make alchemy is like cooking for their own little ones."
"It's a special meal, of course not everyone can eat it. What are the Seventh Prince and Miss Duan going to give out in exchange?"
Hearing this, Duan Yuyan was stunned. This was the first time she saw someone so blatantly ask the prince for benefits.
Chu Junhao smiled and said, "What does Manager Hua need? As long as you tell me what I can give, I'm willing to give it to you."
Hua Changxi snorted inwardly and threw the question back: "It depends on how much the Seventh Prince wants to take my alchemy class. By the way, I am a cultivator, so I don't need to worry about mundane things."
Chu Junhao took a deep look at Hua Changxi, and with a flick of his wrist, a set of green dress appeared in his hand: "Manager Hua is extremely beautiful, this set of robes that can change size freely and are impervious to water and fire is perfect for you."
When Duan Yuyan saw the robes, her eyes flashed. She glanced at Hua Changxi and gave a meaningful smile.
Hua Changxi was indeed in need of a robe, and she noticed Duan Yuyan's expression, but she was not afraid of the Seventh Prince's manipulation, so she took the robe directly and said, "I will send someone to notify Master Chu and Miss Duan when I teach the alchemy class at Qihuang Hall No. 6 in the future."