Miss Truth
Chapter 451 - 293: Plotting Change_2

Chapter 451: Chapter 293: Plotting Change_2

Performing rituals on a boat isn’t quite auspicious; seafarers had many such superstitions. Under the faint light of a fire, the manager, Wu, noticed the droplets condensing on Ge Lan’s eyelashes, his tone became much gentler, "Traveling can be inconvenient, once we arrive, Miss can prepare the offerings and sincerely apologize to the deceased."

Ge Lan had never intended to treat this as a formal ritual, so upon hearing Manager Wu’s words, she slightly nodded her head in agreement and gratefully glanced at him, then bent down to tidy up the items on the deck.

She used the name of the ritual mainly to clearly remind the Gao family that she targeted Ran Shiba for the vengeance of her parents’ deaths and held no grudge against Ran Yan, thus shifting the Gao family’s focus away from Ran Yan to help her safely get through the engagement crisis. Secondly, it was to fabricate an alibi for herself; the ash accumulated in the basin was enough to prove that her ritual had been going on for quite a while. Should anyone suspect her, she still had other plans.

Ge Lan didn’t believe the Gao family dared to dredge up the past hatred, but if they did, it would play right into her hands.

Winter in Jiangnan had passed, and Ge Lan arrived, bringing with her the cold of the North, facing the Gao and Ran families, she was prepared to go down together with them.

Only Ran Yan was the one she didn’t wish to hurt... thus, she acted with measured steps.

...

Morning fog had risen in Chang’an, the snow from earlier days had almost all melted, leaving a thin layer of frost on the withered branches by the roadside, sparkling under the morning light.

The sound of the morning drums began successively, and the gate of the square opened wide.

Ran Yan had finished her lunch and went to Jingshan Square to visit the patient with respiratory illness. Before the year’s end, she had been looking for various patients with respiratory illnesses with Liu Qingsong, treating them for free to accumulate clinical experience.

The carriage had just left the gate of Anshan Square when a lavish carriage brushed past it and headed inside Anshan Square. Ran Yan was sleeping inside the carriage and was totally unaware.

When they reached the gate of Jingshan Square, the carriage pulled over to the side of the road to wait for Liu Qingsong. Honestly, since the "snow tackling incident" during the new year, Ran Yan was enormously reluctant to meet Liu Qingsong, but after seriously considering all the pros and cons, she temporarily set aside her personal feelings.

Wan Lu stretched her neck and waited for about the time it took to drink two cups of tea before she finally saw a tall, thin person riding a donkey slowly coming their way. Only after a long wait did she see the person’s face. Wan Lu then leaned back before calling out to Ran Yan, "Wife, Wife, Doctor Liu has arrived."

Ran Yan opened her eyes, grasping a sulfur stone in her hands for warmth, and got out of the carriage with Wan Lu’s help.

The sun was shining brightly, yet the temperature was even lower than on the snowy days. With each breath, wisps of mist escaped from her lips. Just awake, Ran Yan felt a bit cold, shivered slightly, clutched the sulfur stone in her hand tightly, and squinted at the donkey ahead, moving even slower than a person walking, and the "bamboo pole" seated on it.

"Lady Seventeen has been waiting for a long time!" Seeing Ran Yan’s unfriendly demeanor, Liu Qingsong immediately put on a smile and explained, "I’m now living at Sang Chen’s place, and his family is so poor that the house is practically empty. Even this broken donkey he claims was provided by the Imperial College as a means of transport."

Ran Yan’s expression grew even darker, "If you’ve taken his donkey, what is he supposed to do?"

"He would be late even if he were riding the donkey, so with or without it, it’s the same," Liu Qingsong dismounted from the donkey.

In the Tang Dynasty, riding horses had gradually become common, where people of all statuses, nobility or not, as long as they could afford a horse, were allowed to ride. Government offices would provide horses for officials, and scholars at the Imperial College were also supposed to be provided with horses. Ran Yan had taken time to understand many regulations, so upon hearing Liu Qingsong, she thought the Imperial College people were bullying that scholar, "Aren’t they supposed to provide horses, why did they give him a donkey instead?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Qingsong clearly understood the implied meaning in Ran Yan’s words and pretended to wipe sweat from his forehead, "Sang Suiyuan is the doctor directly appointed by the Emperor, who would dare to trouble him? He was initially given a horse, but Mr. Sang said that riding was too dangerous and he didn’t know how, so he stubbornly insisted that the government office exchange it for a donkey."

Ran Yan twitched the corner of her eye, her voice even, "I shouldn’t have asked."

Just as she turned to board the cart, Liu Qingsong stopped her, "We are not going into Jingshan Square today." He then leaned closer to Ran Yan and lowered his voice, "I heard yesterday that Princess Jinyang is not feeling well again. The Emperor has rounded up a bunch of Imperial Physicians, demanding they come up with an effective prescription... Spring is prone to hastening her condition, our opportunity to act is upon us."

"Isn’t it too soon? We’ve only treated four patients and we’ve just begun to see some effects. Isn’t this approach too frivolous?" Ran Yan always maintained a rigorous attitude whether it was in conducting autopsies or practicing medicine.

Liu Qingsong waved his hand dismissively, "Please don’t start talking about the duties of a doctor..." He looked around to ensure no one was nearby before whispering, "Can our small efforts twist the course of history? Princess Jinyang is foretold to die in the twenty-first year of the era of Zhenguan, and it’s currently only the twelfth year. We aren’t incompetent doctors; it’s impossible for us to cause her death before the twenty-first year. If we are to establish a foundation, we must seize these years."

Wherever one was, truly making a difference wasn’t something that could be achieved in just a couple of years. Ran Yan deeply agreed and at the same time began to see Liu Qingsong in a new light. Although his methods were not reliable, he was certainly not foolish.

"Get in the cart," Ran Yan commanded.

Both boarded the carriage, and once Ran Yan was settled, she continued, "Your point isn’t without merit, but we face significant difficulties in implementing it; first, the Imperial Palace is not your backyard to come and go as you please, we would need a valid way in even if volunteering ourselves; secondly, the Emperor still hasn’t lost hope in his physicians, and the princess’s condition isn’t considered dire. Us stepping forward prematurely might not yield optimistic results."

Ran Yan saw Liu Qingsong’s lewd smile and immediately said, "I’m not going to beg Xiao Yuezhi."

It wasn’t that Ran Yan was stubbornly concerned about face, but in the royal court, where officers each had their own responsibilities, it wasn’t appropriate to intercede without a crisis that warranted collective brainstorming. Xiao Song, being the Assistant Minister of Ministry of Justice, also shouldn’t meddle unless necessary, as it would only invite unnecessary criticism. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to cast your recommendation ticket or monthly ticket at Qidian (qidian.com) to support me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)