The New Official Takes Office

Dawn broke the next day.

Qing Dai returned to the Snow Listening Tower, carrying a brand-new set of official robes.

"Master Lu, it is time to change. You must report for duty at the Spirit Pivot Institute shortly."

Lu Changfeng was already up and washed, practicing the "Muscle and Bone Tempering Chapter."

-"Men know only to sit motionless and still their thoughts as a means of cultivating virtue, unaware that those of higher attainment unite meditation and wisdom, cultivating both essence and application, finding stillness in motion and serenity amid disturbance."

Lu Changfeng had practiced late into the night, familiarizing himself with the various techniques of the Nine Yin Manual until its overarching principles of internal cultivation, the Great Demon-Subduing Fist, the Heart-Destroying Palm, the Soul-Shifting Great Method, and its other martial arts had become instinctive.

His first day in office was unlikely to be smooth sailing. The more means he had to protect himself, the better.

He took the official robes and lowered his head to examine them.

It was a pale blue-green robe with a round collar and narrow sleeves, the standard attire for a Tang civil official of the lower Subordinate Eighth Rank. The fabric was ordinary, but the stitching was fine and close. A black leather belt with hanging straps accompanied it, giving the outfit a neat, crisp appearance.

He stepped behind the screen to change.

A moment later, when he emerged again, Qing Dai's gaze involuntarily lingered.

The robes fit him well, their pale blue-green hue setting off a figure as straight and tall as a pine. Far from leaving him weary, a night of practice had made his presence even more composed and restrained. His movements seemed to carry a distinctive rhythm, his features shone with heroic vigor, and his clear eyes were sharp as swords in the morning light.

-Solemn as the wind beneath the pines, lofty and gently flowing.

A line from A New Account of Tales of the World inexplicably surfaced in Qing Dai's mind.

She quickly lowered her eyes, hiding the fleeting gleam within them. She remained as cool and respectful as ever, though her fingertips trembled slightly inside her sleeves without her noticing. Her voice was steady as usual. "Master Lu, it is nearly time."

"Please show me the way. Sorry for the trouble."

Lu Changfeng nodded, oblivious to the maid's momentary lapse in composure.

He drew a deep breath, feeling the true qi circulating within him, and looked toward the door. Spirit Pivot Institute-let us see whether today brings wind or rain.

With Qing Dai leading the way, Lu Changfeng passed through several courtyards and arrived before a separate compound. A plaque bearing the words "Spirit Pivot Institute" hung above the entrance, its calligraphy bold and powerful.

A faint medicinal fragrance drifted from within, accompanied by the occasional sounds of herbs being pounded and people moving about. Everything appeared orderly.

This was the medical hub of the Princess's Residence. It was responsible not only for the health of everyone in the household, but also for providing medical care to the princess's inner circle.

As the newly appointed Director of Medicine, Lu Changfeng was not merely the sea-calming pillar of its medical practice, but also its highest administrator. He had to oversee the medicine stores, assign personnel, and report directly to Princess Taiping on the health of every member of her household.

He took a deep breath and entered the courtyard.

The subordinate officials, who had already received word, were waiting before the main hall.

At their head, Medical Superintendent Shen Jingwan stepped forward, her face expressionless and her voice perfectly even. "Shen Jingwan, Medical Superintendent of the Spirit Pivot Institute, welcomes Director Lu on behalf of everyone here."

She stepped aside to introduce those behind her:

"This is Assistant Physician Cui Mingxuan, from a collateral branch of the Cui Clan of Boling. He specializes in Classical Formulae."

Cui Mingxuan cupped his hands and bowed, elegant in manner but unable to conceal his arrogance. "My talents are meager and my learning shallow. I hope Director Lu will offer me ample guidance in the days ahead." There was little sincerity in his tone.

"This is Medicine Steward Zhou Wenqian, who maintains the detailed records of our medicine stores."

Zhou Wenqian gave a proper bow. "I shall fulfill my duties diligently and follow Director Lu's arrangements." Her eyes remained lowered, her expression cautious.

"This is Senior Physician Qian Weiyu, who specializes in treating women."

Smiling broadly, Qian Weiyu bowed almost to the floor. "I have long heard that Master Lu's medical skills verge on the divine. Even illnesses that leave the Imperial Medical Bureau helpless yield to your miraculous touch. It is truly our good fortune to have you presiding over the Spirit Pivot Institute!" His enthusiasm overflowed, but he seemed excessively slick.

Behind them, more than a dozen acupuncture apprentices, medicine boys, and servants bowed in orderly formation.

Lu Changfeng swept his gaze over them, taking in every expression.

Some were appraising him, some were doubtful, and others openly displayed contempt and hostility.

Until one had faced a task, one could not know its difficulty.

Never mind that the previous Director of Medicine had been beheaded yesterday, or that even the imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Bureau had been helpless against Xue Chongyin's illness. If an eighteen-year-old outsider like Lu Changfeng could cure it, none of those present would think it could be all that difficult.

They merely thought they had never been given the chance.

After all, the government was corrupt, and officials who occupied positions without doing any work or passed themselves off as competent were everywhere. Princess Anle's Residence openly listed its prices: three hundred thousand coins could buy an official post. Perhaps the men who had died were just such frauds? Their deaths proved nothing.

Lu Changfeng understood what they were thinking and sneered inwardly. He was just about to speak when, as though everything had been arranged in advance, trouble came hard on the heels of his arrival.

"Something terrible has happened! Superintendent Shen! Physicians!"

A clerk came running in a panic. Paying no heed to the new Director of Medicine, he reported straight to Shen Jingwan, his face full of helplessness and anxiety. "Military Registrar Lord Yao has... has had another attack! He is in the duty room with a splitting headache and cannot stop vomiting. He can barely stay on his feet!"

At these words, many of the medical officials in the hall adopted subtle expressions that seemed to say, "Here it comes," their gazes drifting toward Lu Changfeng.

Assistant Physician Cui Mingxuan stepped forward and cupped his hands toward Lu Changfeng. His tone held a measure of helplessness, but a trace of eagerness to watch the spectacle lurked in his eyes. "Director Lu, you see... Military Advisor Yao serves as the household's military registrar, overseeing construction projects. Her Highness relies on him. This persistent headache has troubled him for over a month. Whenever he becomes tired or unsettled, it strikes, leaving the world spinning around him and making him vomit incessantly! We have tried a great many prescriptions to calm the spirit, dispel wind, and unblock the channels, as well as every manner of acupuncture and massage. They only treat the symptoms, never the root. We truly are... at our wits' end."

His words seemed to describe the illness, but he placed heavy emphasis on its being "universally acknowledged as difficult" and on how "every treatment had failed," tossing this hot potato straight into Lu Changfeng's hands.

Medicine Steward Zhou Wenqian added at just the right moment, looking troubled, "Lord Yao holds a significant position. If his condition continues without relief, it may... may interfere with official business. Should Her Highness ask about it, we would have no way to account for ourselves."

She shifted the pressure toward the possibility of the princess holding them accountable.

Senior Physician Qian Weiyu played peacemaker at the side, though his words were even more barbed. "Director Lu's medical skills verge on the divine. Even the eldest young master's strange illness yielded to his touch. Surely a minor complaint like Military Advisor Yao's will vanish as soon as the medicine arrives! This will be a fine opportunity for us to broaden our horizons and learn from you!"

All at once, every ounce of pressure converged on Lu Changfeng.

Qing Dai's brows drew together slightly. She could see that these people meant him no good.

This was no secret conspiracy to frame him, but an open stratagem-they were testing him with a patient whose illness the entire Spirit Pivot Institute admitted it could not cure, and whose connections made him difficult to handle.

Only by curing him could Lu Changfeng truly establish his authority. If he failed, his earlier success in saving Xue Chongyin would be branded a "fluke," and he would find it impossible to take even a single step within the Spirit Pivot Institute!

Medical Superintendent Shen Jingwan, who had remained silent throughout, now raised her eyes, still as an ancient well, and quietly watched Lu Changfeng, waiting for his decision.

Looking at the anticipation and gloating in their eyes, Lu Changfeng understood perfectly.

He had to pass this first test-and he had to pass it brilliantly.

His expression did not change. He merely said calmly, "Lead the way."

The group immediately hurried to the duty room where Military Advisor Yao was resting.

The moment they stepped through the door, they heard agonized groans.

An official approaching middle age, dressed in green official robes, was slumped on a folding chair. His face was as white as paper, and both hands clutched his head tightly. The severe vertigo left him unable to sit upright. A puddle of freshly vomited filth lay on the floor, giving off a sour, rancid smell.

"Useless! Every last one of you is useless!"

Hearing their footsteps, Yao Yuansheng forced himself to lift his head. Veins bulged on his forehead, and pain made his eyes wild. "Over a month! How much bitter medicine have I swallowed? How many needles have you stuck in me? Why am I still suffering worse than death?! What use does Her Highness have for medical officials like you?"

His gaze swept over the familiar faces of Cui Mingxuan and the others, stoking his anger further. Then it abruptly fixed on the unfamiliar Lu Changfeng. Seeing how young he was, he turned his fury on him as well. "Where did this brat come from? Am I not dying quickly enough for you, so you have brought some child still smelling of milk to fob me off?!"

Cui Mingxuan and the others looked embarrassed, with a trace of concealed delight. One after another, they lowered their heads without speaking, leaving the stage entirely to Lu Changfeng.

Lu Changfeng was unmoved by the abuse-he had grown accustomed to hearing it in his previous life. He had seen far too many people switch from arrogance to deference; he found it merely laughable.

He stepped forward and calmly observed Yao Yuansheng's symptoms: he held his head in a fixed position, afraid to turn it, and suffered severe rotational vertigo accompanied by vomiting. The familiar clinical presentation immediately led him to a diagnosis.

This was otolithiasis!

[Noble Patient Medical Codex activated.]

[Target: Yao Yuansheng. Identity: Military Registrar of Princess Taiping's Residence (upper Principal Seventh Rank). Overall value: one star]

[Condition: Otolithiasis (acute phase)]

[Success reward: Scenting Beauty.]

[Failure penalty: none.]