Dingbei Hou's doctor brother

Chapter 218 Imperially Granted Picture

There was a crisscross of people on Yamen Street. Lu Ziqing walked into the street and saw a man coming towards him. He walked over cautiously, bowed and greeted him.

"Lord Yan."

Yan Mengjiang said casually without much expression, "President Lu is very busy with official duties, running around in and out of the palace."

"It's just my duty. I'm not as good as Lord Yan." Lu Ziqing said politely.

Yan Mengjiang looked at his expression and asked, "Is Judge Lu feeling unwell? The Imperial Hospital works hard every day, so he should get more rest."

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Yan. I'm fine." Lu Ziqing bowed slightly. "I have things to do and can't stay for long. I'll take my leave now."

Yan Mengjiang nodded slightly, looked back at the gloomy figure, smiled, and turned towards the palace gate.

Gao Jian was guarding outside the Qianqing Palace. He went over to greet him, and Gao Jian said, "Prince Wu is inside right now. Lord Yan, please wait a moment."

Yan Mengjiang nodded with a smile, "Prince Wu often visits the emperor. He is truly filial."

"Filial piety is the most important virtue." Gao Jian smiled. "Although the Prince of Wu rarely attends court, he is very considerate to the Emperor. However, the Emperor is also kind to his sons, so the princes naturally know how to be considerate and grateful."

Yan Mengjiang's eyes moved, and he smiled naturally.

"Eunuch Gao is absolutely right. Whether as a subject, a friend, or an ally, gratitude must never be forgotten. I often teach my son to remember the mentors and friends in life and to express gratitude whenever he has the time."

Gao Jian nodded, holding his whisk, and smiled, "Master Yan is truly a good teacher. However, good teachers and helpful friends are rare and precious in life, and we must be wary of those who secretly obstruct us. Don't you agree, Master Yan?"

Yan Mengjiang narrowed his eyes slightly, pondering for a moment, then suddenly looked up at him, "Eunuch Gao, I'm learning from your words."

Gao Jian smiled calmly, "Master Yan, you are too polite."

As he was speaking, Chen Yun came out, said hello to Yan Mengjiang and left. Yan Mengjiang stepped over the threshold and kowtowed to Emperor Shengzhi.

There was a scroll of paintings on the imperial desk. Emperor Shengzhi looked at it without responding. After a while, he asked, "Lord Yan, you should be fifty this year, right?"

Yan Mengjiang was slightly startled when he heard this, and turned his eyes away, "Your Majesty is right, this year is exactly when I turn fifty."

Emperor Shengzhi stared at the scroll and nodded silently, saying, "Time flies. Lord Yan has assisted me for over twenty years without me noticing. You have been dedicated and devoted over these years."

Yan Mengjiang was worried. "Assisting the Emperor is the duty of us ministers. The Emperor works hard all day long, and I am really nothing. I just hope that the Daning Kingdom will be forever stable and that the Emperor and the Empress Dowager will be in good health."

"Minister Yan said it well." Emperor Shengzhi finally looked up at him, a smile appeared on the corner of his lips, and he put away the scroll.

"This year, Mr. Yan Aiqing turns fifty, which is just right. This painting in my hand is an authentic work by Wang Wei. I will give it to you now as a gift."

Yan Mengjiang accepted the scroll with awe and thanked the emperor for his grace.

At dusk, Yan Qian returned to the house and did not see Yan Mengjiang, so he went straight to the study. Seeing Yan Mengjiang pacing around the room with his hands behind his back in deep thought, he went in and closed the door.

"What is Dad thinking?"

Yan Mengjiang didn't stop and said, "Look at the painting on the table. What does it mean?"

"Painting? What painting?"

Yan Qian went over and picked it up and opened it. It was a picture of an old man sitting in a bamboo forest fishing. He looked at it carefully.

"This is Wang Wei's painting of a gentle breeze. Dad, where did you get it?"

Yan Mengjiang asked, "What do you think this picture means?"

"This painting is said to be based on a painting by Li Feng from the Tang Dynasty. Li Feng was an honest official throughout his life, but in his later years he was suspected by villains. Disillusioned, he retired to the mountains. Dad, who is this painting?"

Yan Mengjiang finally stopped and looked at him. "This is a gift from the Emperor today, as a gift for my fiftieth birthday."

"Your Majesty?" Yan Qian was a little skeptical. "Why would Your Majesty give Dad this painting?"

He looked at the painting and pondered, "The Emperor gave this painting for no reason. Could it be that someone in the court has leaked some information to the Emperor, so he is using this painting to warn Dad to be honest and upright?"

"The Emperor has always been a soft-hearted person," Yan Mengjiang said. "Now, he's actually given me this painting, which shows that this matter is serious. And he's even taken it to heart. The key is here. What could have made the Emperor believe this so completely?"

Yan Qian lowered his eyes in thought, "Father, could it be because of the Huaichang deficit case? Someone secretly impeached the emperor? And it's not just Huaichang. Ever since the crown prince went down to collect the debt himself, everyone in the court has been ready to make a move. Is that why the emperor..."

He watched Yan Mengjiang begin to pace thoughtfully again and said, "Father, this man has managed to change the Emperor's attitude. I'm afraid this won't end well."

"Using Huaichang as a loophole..." Yan Mengjiang pondered, "The only solution now is to block this place first, and then send a secret letter to Wang Su, asking him to quickly find a way to fill the gap. Qi Xiuming will handle it himself."

"Filling the deficit? That's not a small sum." Yan Qian said, "And time is so tight, will Wang Su make it in time?"

"Too late?" Yan Mengjiang snorted, "Then the head will fall off."

The Lu residence was bustling with activity, lanterns lit. Su Chengyi and Wu Ji were returning from a banquet. Passing by the kitchen, they saw Xiaoliu emerging from inside. He asked, "Is my second brother back?"

"I came back early." Xiaoliu sighed, "I came back early in the afternoon and fell asleep right after I came back. I haven't woken up yet. I don't know what's wrong with me these days? I'm always listless."

Su Chengyi was suspicious. "Second brother has lost a lot of weight. I thought it was because the Imperial Hospital was too busy. Has he been like this lately?"

Xiaoliu hummed, "I always feel sleepy, and sometimes I even get a headache. I asked him, and he always said he was tired. But I rarely saw him like this before."

Wu Ji was worried, "Brother Lu must be sick. He never likes to trouble others."

Su Chengyi rushed to the main courtyard. The door was dark and closed. He knocked on the door and called softly.

"Brother, are you awake? Brother?"

No one answered, so Wu Ji called out again, "Brother Lu, it's time to get up and eat, Brother Lu? Brother Lu?"

After calling out for a long time, no one answered. Wu Ji said in panic, "Could it be that Brother Lu is..."

"Shut up your crow mouth." Su Chengyi patted him, "Second brother might have fallen asleep and didn't hear it."

He continued to knock on the door. Soon, the light in the room finally came on. Su Chengyi and the others relaxed. The next moment, the door opened. Lu Ziqing, with his hair loose and his face and lips pale, stood at the door and asked.

"what happened?"

Su Chengyi said, "How long have you slept, second brother? It's time to get up and eat."

"Yes, sir, you came back this afternoon and it's already past midnight, and you haven't eaten yet." Xiao Liu said, "Eat first and then go to sleep."

Lu Ziqing was a little suspicious. "It's already past midnight? Have I slept that long?"

"Yes," Xiaoliu said, "You came home yesterday and went to bed without even having dinner. You also went to the government office this morning without eating. If you don't eat tonight, your stomach will be starving. I'll go get some porridge."

Lu Ziqing nodded his head, put on his clothes and went to the study. Su Chengyi and Wu Ji went to take a bath, and when Xiaoliu brought the porridge, no one was there.