Chapter 1757 - 1743
These were actually some very discreet matters, things most people didn’t know about, but Feng Luo knew them like the back of her hand.
What she had the most of here was Eight Diagrams gossip; every day little beggars would come over to chat with her about all the strange and curious things they’d seen.
And what she heard the most was that the girls from Yihong House were once again being carried out in sedan chairs by eight bearers, going to such-and-such lord’s residence.
Feng Luo walked a circle around that official, and could faintly still catch a whiff of powder and perfume on him.
With the Assistant Minister of Rites as a cautionary example in front of him, although this official didn’t act quite so arrogant, faced with Feng Luo’s scrutiny there was still a faint hint of contempt and disdain on his face.
But Feng Luo didn’t care about any of this; over the years she had long since grown used to other people’s looks.
She looked him over for quite a while without saying a word, and Prince He Shuo frowned. "This is the Minister of Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs; Feng Luo, have you noticed anything?"
Feng Luo pondered for a moment, then looked at Prince He Shuo with some difficulty and said, "Prince, I’m not sure whether I should say this official’s symptoms or not."
"What do you mean?" Prince He Shuo looked at Feng Luo in puzzlement. "What is there you should or shouldn’t say? Don’t tell me this official actually has some hidden ailment?"
The Minister of Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs, hearing this, hurriedly bent down to bow. "Prince, this humble official has no hidden ailment."
Afraid others would misunderstand, he quickly denied it, then looked at Feng Luo with some displeasure and said, "Miss Feng Luo, whatever you have to say, just say it. I know my own body very well."
There was a hint of reproach in his words.
Feng Luo lightly coughed and rubbed her nose. "Then I’m really going to say it, okay? If I actually say it out loud, that black gauze hat on your head might very well end up not being protected, you know?"
The Minister’s expression stiffened; his gaze clearly dodged to the side. "I don’t understand what you’re talking about! My body is as robust as can be; I haven’t had any illnesses to begin with. Besides, our court doesn’t have any regulation clearly stating that getting sick means you must resign."
His words were a bit lacking in confidence, and in his heart he was guessing whether Feng Luo had seen something. But then, thinking it over, he felt it was just his imagination. He’d been so secretive in doing those lewd things; how could Feng Luo possibly know?
She must be bluffing!
Thinking this, his back straightened again.
Seeing him put it that way, and with the Prince having just spoken as well, Feng Luo felt there was nothing left to worry about.
But before she opened her mouth, she still couldn’t help glancing at Luo Qi, only to see Luo Qi looking at her with a rather confident gaze—no, not confidence, but trust.
Luo Qi believed she could do it.
Feng Luo cleared her throat and then said, "I haven’t taken this official’s pulse, so I don’t know whether there are any other issues inside his body. But just from this official’s complexion and expression, he’s been a bit too indulgent lately."
The Minister’s face flushed red in a whoosh. Enraged out of embarrassment, he glared at Feng Luo and said, "Utter nonsense!"
Feng Luo shrugged. "Whether I’m wronging you or not, won’t you know once you let the Imperial Physician examine you later? Why would I make up a lie that can be seen through at a glance? And I’d be doing it in front of the Prince, in front of so many people—why would I dig a pit for myself to jump into?"
The people present listened to Feng Luo and felt there was some sense in what she said; they all nodded one after another in agreement.
Feng Luo continued, "Besides, I only said you’ve been overindulgent; I never said with whom. What are you so nervous about? Unless you’ve been sneaking around behind your wife’s back?"
She pretended to be surprised and covered her mouth, looking at him with an astonished expression. "Heaven above, our court clearly stipulates that officials are not allowed to visit brothels, and yet you actually... tsk, tsk!"
Prince He Shuo finally understood what Feng Luo’s earlier words meant. His face darkened as he looked at the Minister. "Mr. Li, is what Miss Feng Luo said true?"
The Minister’s heart was in complete panic, though he strove to keep a calm front. "Prince, she’s talking nonsense. How would this humble official dare violate the laws of our court? She’s fabricating accusations and slandering me."
Prince He Shuo turned his head to look at Feng Luo.
Feng Luo casually shrugged. "Whether he’s really been visiting brothels is something you all have to investigate; it has nothing to do with me. I’m mainly here to treat illnesses. But this Mr. Li’s complexion is sallow, and he doesn’t look spirited at all—he really looks like he’s suffering the aftereffects of last night’s debauchery."
She wasn’t wrong in the slightest. Last night the Minister had indeed called a girl from Yihong House to his residence and didn’t let her leave until the latter half of the night.
At this moment a fine layer of sweat had appeared on the Minister’s forehead, and he was thinking hard about what to do next.
If the Prince truly wanted to investigate this matter, he was certain to be caught!
How could he be so unlucky! He’d originally wanted to take this chance to flatter the Prince a little. He knew his own body; he wasn’t sick at all. Yet now Feng Luo had dragged this matter out into the open—what rotten luck!
"We’ll look into this matter later. Miss Feng Luo should continue her diagnosis first."
Now was not the time to pursue it. No matter what the outcome of an investigation might be, in a setting like this, the one whose reputation would ultimately be tarnished was the court itself. He had to put the bigger picture first.
The Minister secretly let out a breath of relief. He raised his hand to wipe away the sweat beading on his forehead, his heart pounding wildly.
Feng Luo curled her lips. She’d originally wanted to make him lose a bit more face, but it had been brushed aside with just a few words—boring.
"Mr. Li, you really ought to reduce your bedroom activities in the future, or your kidneys won’t hold up."
Feng Luo clicked her tongue and then walked over to the third person.
This third person was a bit on the plump side, and combined with his rather short stature, he looked somewhat stubby overall.
For someone like this to have wormed his way into the Privy Council, Feng Luo genuinely doubted what standards the court was using to recruit worthy talents these days.
Unlike the first two officials, he didn’t have a look of disdain on his face; instead, his expression was simply blank.
Feng Luo walked up to him, rubbed her nose, and joked, "My lord, can we not be so serious? Your face is colder and gloomier than your Prince’s."
Standing not far behind her, Prince He Shuo heard this and his face darkened slightly. His thin lips pressed together; he said nothing.
Sensing the shift in Prince He Shuo’s mood, Ru Xue fittingly stepped forward, nestled into his arms, and said softly, "Prince, which Imperial Physician do you plan to have come verify the diagnoses?"
"Prince."
Luo Jiu suddenly stepped forward and said, "I think adding one more person into the competition would make things fairer."
Prince He Shuo was puzzled. "Elder Jiu, what do you mean?"
"If we compare the third person’s diagnosis results with those of Feng Luo and the Imperial Physician, I think it will be more impartial."
Prince He Shuo was still a bit confused.
But Ru Xue understood what Luo Jiu meant. Smiling sweetly, she said, "Since Elder Jiu feels that the results of three people would be the fairest, why not let Mr. Chu do it?"