People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 209, Hu Meiren, repaying a debt of gratitude, bids farewell outside the city.
Last night's fire was like a raging inferno from hell, completely engulfing Xinzheng.

At the same time that Lady Hu was killed when Liu Yi’s mansion caught fire, Lord Anping and Lord Longquan, who were in the Black Iron Prison, encountered ghost soldiers seeking revenge. After leaving behind confessions of missing military pay, they both hanged themselves.

The two pieces of news quickly spread in Xinzheng, causing great anxiety among the local elites. Some of them were astute enough to see the problems in the two events, but the more they did, the more afraid they became, fearing they would be implicated.

Xu Qing, who was working at the Imperial Medical Academy, arrived at Consort Hu's palace immediately.

In the palace of King Han, in the bedroom of Consort Hu.

After Xu Qing entered Hu Meiren's boudoir, he saw the graceful figure behind the curtain.

"My beauty, the Imperial Physician has arrived," Ruotao said softly from outside the curtain.

"Okay, you can all go out first."

A slightly hoarse and tired voice rang out from behind the curtains. Hu Meiren slowly got up from the bed and looked at Xu Qing outside.

"promise."

Ruotao glanced at Xu Qing secretly, then quickly walked outside to keep watch for the two of them.

As the door to her boudoir closed, Xu Qing no longer concealed anything, put down her medicine box, and quickly walked into the curtained room.

Lifting the curtains, Xu Qing saw the delicate beauty Hu lying on the bed.

Hu Meiren's long, wine-red hair was half-loose over her shoulders, and two pink and white bodice straps passed over her fair shoulders. The bodice, embroidered with blue feathers, could not conceal her ample breasts, which were pushed up in an exaggerated arc.

Her fair waist was half-naked, and two brown ropes stretched out from under her skirt, crossing over her flat stomach.

The white skirt couldn't hide her full, rounded buttocks, and two brown ropes ran across her thighs.

Since those two straps, Xu Qing had seen through everything; he was wearing his favorite T-shirt again.

A pair of long, beautiful legs stretched across the bed, the firm, full thighs sandwiching the white skirt, outlining a mysterious triangle, and delicate little feet painted with pink nail polish.

Her pretty face carried a hint of sadness, and the beauty mark under her eye drooped slightly, adding a touch of alluring melancholy.

Fox Tail's beautiful eyes were slightly red, with tears still lingering in her eyes. Her rosy little mouth opened and closed gently, looking pitifully at Xu Qing, like a wounded little fox.

Xu Qing looked at the pitiful beauty Hu, reached out and pulled her into his arms, gently comforting her.
"Alright, there are no outsiders here, we don't need to continue acting."

Hu Meiren pounced on Xu Qing's lower abdomen, her pretty face gently rubbing against him, and her hands couldn't help but grab Xu Qing's buttocks.

"How did you know I was acting?" Hu Meiren asked softly.

This sorrowful expression of losing a loved one was indeed an act. When she first learned of Madam Hu's murder, she was genuinely terrified and almost burst into tears.

But she believed in Xu Qing, and believed that her man could protect her loved ones.

Although she didn't know why the fire broke out at the Liu residence, she felt it must be Xu Qing's plan, so she burst into tears, pretending to be very sad.

Knowing that Xu Qing was coming to her palace, she changed her clothes in advance, waiting for Xu Qing to come and find her, intending to deceive him, but she did not expect that he would see through her at a glance.

"Just as you trust me, I believe you will trust me too. Besides, what little fox isn't clever?"

Xu Qing released Hu Meiren, sat on the edge of the bed and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Looking at her pitiful little face, he gently stroked the beauty mark at the corner of her eye.

Hearing Xu Qing's words, Hu Meiren's beautiful eyes were moved. She knew that Xu Qing would never let her down.

Hu Meiren turned around, wrapped her arms around Xu Qing's neck, rested her head on his shoulder, a happy smile on her face, and draped her long, beautiful legs over Xu Qing's thighs.

"Then what exactly happened to my sister? The plan you told me didn't include faking her death," Hu Meiren asked softly.

"Do you remember the person I mentioned to you before? The one who could tell Mrs. Hu the truth?"

Xu Qing inhaled the delicate fragrance emanating from Hu Meiren's hair, wrapped one arm around her waist, and placed the other on her smooth, firm thigh, beginning to unleash his unique massage skills.

"Is it because of this person that you're faking your death, sister?" Hu Meiren asked curiously.

“That’s right, you know this person, Li Kai, the Right Sima of the former Han state,” Xu Qing said softly.

He's still alive!?

Hu Meiren stared at Xu Qing in shock, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"That's right, he's still alive, and he's returned to Xinzheng to seek revenge. He even met Madam Hu at the theater," Xu Qing recounted the general events.

Xu Qing recounted the general events and his plan, while his hands were also busy. His left hand stroked Hu Meiren's smooth, beautiful legs, and his right hand grasped the blue feather, gently kneading it.

A touch of deep red spread from Hu Meiren's fair skin across her chest, gradually climbing up her charming and pretty face. Her rosy lips parted slightly, and her eyes seemed somewhat unfocused.

"I see. So, Mr. Xu, where do you plan to send my sister and brother-in-law?"

Hu Meiren bit her lip lightly as Xu Qing's hand gently flicked the thin rope on her thigh, causing her to gasp softly.

“Taiyi Mountain is teeming with Ji Wuye’s spies throughout Korea. The safest option is to send them out of Korea. And among all the countries, the only one I feel truly at ease with is Taiyi Mountain, where the Taoists reside,” Xu Qing said.

"Mount Taiyi!? Will the Taoists protect my sister and brother-in-law?"

Hu Meiren leaned limply against Xu Qing's shoulder, her breathing shallow as she asked.

Her beautiful legs were taut, her delicate little feet slightly bent, clutching the corner of the blanket, like two little rabbits with their heads down.

The slightly hardened blue feathers arched up in a small arc—another pebble!

"Actually, I haven't told you yet that I am a disciple of the Taoist Tianzong sect. I will arrange for the Mo family to escort them to Mount Taiyi. With my letter, the Tianzong sect will protect them."

Feeling the warmth of the beautiful woman in his arms, Xu Qing revealed the secret in his heart.

"Are you from the Taoist Heavenly Sect?"

Hu Meiren's slightly narrowed eyes widened instantly, her beautiful eyes filled with shock, she wondered if she had misheard.

"That's right, this is my secret, remember to keep it a secret for me."

Xu Qing leaned closer to Hu Meiren's small face and said with a smile.

Looking at Xu Qing's handsome face, Hu Meiren thought that if Xu Qing was a member of the Daoist Heavenly Sect, then all the puzzling things that had happened to him could be explained.

"I will keep your secret."

Hu Meiren felt both joy at Xu Qing revealing his identity to her and, more than anything, inferiority.

She originally thought Xu Qing was just a royal physician, and because of his status, she couldn't stay by his side, but she was already satisfied with being able to please him from time to time.

However, Xu Qing instantly went from a minor official in the imperial court to a disciple of the Hundred Schools of Thought, and a disciple with considerable influence at that. Xu Qing's status was instantly beyond what she, a favored concubine in the harem, could ever attain.

Xu Qing noticed the hint of inferiority in Hu Meiren's eyes, gently flicked her forehead, and said in a slightly annoyed tone.
"What are you thinking? Even if I were the head of the Heavenly Sect, you would still be my beauty, the one who will accompany me for the rest of my life."

Hu Meiren looked up at Xu Qing, and seeing the sincerity in his gaze, just like when they first met, she felt her heart melt, her eyes filled with emotion. "Xu Lang~"

Hu Meiren embraced Xu Qing and offered her red lips, wanting to express her emotion through this action.

Xu Qing accepted Hu Meiren's initiative, and the two kissed and pressed their lips together tightly.

Hu Meiren twisted her body, pushed Xu Qing onto the bed, propped herself up on her weak legs, and looked at the man in front of her with seductive eyes.

"Xu Lang, you've been working hard lately, so I'll repay you on behalf of my sister."

Hu Meiren bit her pink lips, pulled the hairpin off Xu Qing's head, put her own hair up in a bun, slid her legs down, and slowly lowered her head.

Looking at Hu Meiren, who was once again launching a verbal attack against him, Xu Qing's face flashed with a hint of enjoyment.

I practiced swordsmanship all night last night, so why not enjoy it today?
Besides, he couldn't really be said to be enjoying himself; he was just sparring with Hu Meiren in swordsmanship and discussing the principles of Yin and Yang interaction. He was clearly learning!

Ruotao stood in the corridor outside the door, vigilantly observing her surroundings, afraid that someone might approach the bedroom and overhear something.

Hearing the unbearable sounds around her, Ruotao's face instantly turned red, and her little hands under her sleeves gripped the hem of her clothes tightly.

"My beauty, it's still daytime, can't you be a little quieter?"

Ruotao blushed and muttered softly. She suddenly looked up and looked around. Only after finding that no one else was there did she breathe a sigh of relief.

As Hu Meiren's personal maid, even though she wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground, she could only continue to keep watch.

"As a personal maid, the beauty is everything to me. I should stand guard until the very end for the beauty and the imperial physician!"

Ruotao quickly adjusted her mindset, took a deep breath, and continued to observe her surroundings, dutifully fulfilling her duties as a maid.

If Xu Qing knew her thoughts, he would definitely be deeply moved, and then ask Ruo Tao to open a class and properly impart her experience.

After all, there is no harm without comparison. Not only was Lady Mingzhu's maid not as considerate and responsible as Ruotao, but she even dared to provoke him.

Half an hour later, Xu Qing walked out of the bedroom feeling refreshed.

When Ruotao saw Xu Qing come out, she quickly stepped forward and whispered a reminder.

"Imperial Physician, your collar and jaw."

Xu Qing reached up and touched her chin, glanced at her collar, and then looked at her fingers, which were stained with pink, clearly Hu Meiren's rouge.

"Thank you for reminding me. My lady was feeling a little unwell earlier, but I helped her recover. You can go in and take care of her now."

Xu Qing took out the handkerchief that Hu Meiren had given him and wiped all the rouge off his chin and collar.

Looking at Xu Qing, who was talking about recuperating, Ruotao couldn't help but complain in her heart.

"Where has your medical ethics gone? Where has your sincere devotion to doctors gone? To describe this as helping patients is truly blind to outsiders."

But on the surface, Ruotao maintained her smile and said in a low voice.

"I will take good care of the beauty, Imperial Physician, you don't need to worry."

"Ah."

Xu Qing was very satisfied with Ruo Tao's attitude and took out a few gold ingots from the medicine box and put them in her hand.

"Take it. When you reach the right age, you'll have to leave the palace to get married. How can you marry a good man without a dowry?"

This era is not the magical era of Xu Qing's previous life. There is no such thing as exchanging 388,000 for two quilts. The "Zhou Li·Di Guan·Mei Shi" has relevant records. The marriage of men and women is a major ethical matter, and betrothal gifts and dowries are all provided.

However, there was no particular requirement that the gifts must be gold or silver, or even strict requirements on the quantity and value. The total amount of the betrothal gifts or dowry should not exceed the value of five bolts of black silk.

As for those who simply give money to marry off their daughters, they are buying them to be used as concubines.

"Thank you, Imperial Physician." Ruotao accepted the gold coins without any hesitation.

She endured such a great crime to keep watch for the two men, so it was only right that she accepted the money; it was what she deserved.

Xu Qing put the handkerchief away again, picked up the medicine box, and headed towards the Imperial Hospital. He still had to go back and figure out how to balance the accounts. Recently, the Imperial Hospital's deficit had been getting bigger and bigger. The medicine storehouse, which was originally full of herbs, was now almost half empty.

After Xu Qing left, Ruo Tao entered the bedroom.

Hu Meiren lay on the bed with her eyes slightly closed. The rosy blush on her pretty face had not yet faded. Her rosy lips opened and closed gently as she breathed. Her delicate body lay limply on the bed, and one of her beautiful legs was still wearing flesh-colored stockings with holes in them.

"My beauty," Ruotao whispered.

"Hmm~ You tidy up a bit, let me rest." Hu Meiren's lips moved slightly, her voice sounding extremely tired.

"promise."

Ruotao gathered up the pink high-heeled boots and tattered stockings from the bed and began to tiptoe around cleaning up the mess.

After finishing his official duties for the day, Xu Qing left the Imperial Hospital on time and encountered Han Fei as he was leaving the palace.

"Ninth Young Master," Xu Qing greeted Han Fei with a bow.

"Brother Xu, please don't be so polite. Just call me Han Fei or Brother Han," Han Fei said with a smile.

"Are you waiting for me?" Xu Qing asked.

“That’s right. Yesterday I said I’d treat Brother Xu to a show to repay your generous gift, but unfortunately the lead actor had an accident, so I’ve changed it to another great show. I’m especially inviting Brother Xu to come along,” Han Fei said with a smile.

Xu Qing looked at Han Fei and understood that he was referring to the trip to the General's Mansion to set a trap for Ji Wuye.

"I have other things to do tonight, so let's skip this big show," Xu Qing said, shaking his head.

That evening, he would take Nongyu to see Li Kai and Madam Hu off, and he would not get involved in Han Fei's affairs.

"That's a real pity, Brother Xu may miss a good show. But I'm hosting a banquet outside the city tonight, Brother Xu, please remember to come," Han Fei invited again.

Xu Qing had long been considered one of his own. Tonight was the moment when he would reclaim the military pay and officially step into the Korean court. He felt that he had to let his confidant Xu Qing witness it.

“Okay, I’ll go after I finish my business,” Xu Qing nodded and said.

The Mo family's stronghold is just outside the city. Zi Nu will also have to attend Han Fei's banquet, so it's not appropriate for him to bring Nong Yu along. It wouldn't hurt for him to go and take a look.

"Then I will await Brother Xu's arrival." Han Fei cupped his hands in greeting to Xu Qing.

"it is good."

After returning the greeting, Xu Qing continued walking towards the outside of the Han King's Palace.

(End of this chapter)