Circumventing Fate 58 - Invitation

Around noon the next day, Lei Xing was currently sitting in the Empress dowager's reception hall. She had been here for almost twenty minutes.

The Empress dowager had just been sitting there in her main seat occasionally talking to Song mama, who was beside her and sipping tea.

Lei Xing glanced up at the Empress dowager, who was now leaning on her armrest, with her head resting on a hand, eyes closed. Lei Xing cautiously picked up her cup and took a sip.

{...What is this about now? Am I invisible or something?... Since I came here she hasn't even said one word to me, did she not call me here or are we waiting for something?...}

 "Gently! You are not allowed to manhandle me!" A voice floated in from outside. Lei Xing immediately frowned on hearing the familiar voice and glanced towards the doors.

{...That's what we're waiting for? Shoot! You sure work fast, I haven't even mentally prepared yet T_T)'...}

 Two guards with deep frowns on their faces came in carrying Doctor Lou up by his arms, with his legs kicking the air.

"Hey, I'm talking to you! If you injure me, do you think I will let you go? I will kick you in your dreams! Trample you! How disrespectful!..." Doctor Lou complained as he was brought into the hall.

The guards lightly dropped him on the floor, but because of the way he was flailing his legs, he ended up on his butt, "Hey! Are you trying to break my bones?!"

The guards frowning expressions deepened, they bowed to the Empress dowager and Lei Xing in greeting, and one of them spoke up, "Your majesty, we apologize, but he stubbornly refused to come with us, so we had no choice..." He explained, glaring down at Doctor Lou, who was now sitting on the ground cross-legged with his arms folded, glaring up at the guards as well.

 The guards were greatly annoyed by Doctor Lou during this trip.

They had gone to go find him to invite him to the palace as was directed by the Empress dowager. When they arrived at his shop, they found him sleeping. They tried to wake him up and he told them that the shop was closed.

They then explained that he had the honor of being invited to the palace by the Empress dowager. His response to that was that he was not interested, then he ignored them and went back to sleep.

They tried persuading him, but he still ignored them.

Eventually, they got fed up and hurled him into the carriage despite his protests. When they arrived at the palace, they found him sleeping again in the carriage, and this time he refused to wake up no matter how they shook him.

Therefore, they just carried him again to bring him to the Empress dowager. At one point, he woke up and started protesting, so they went to drop him so he could walk on his own, but he kept flailing his legs and wouldn't stand straight.

After a few tries, they concluded on just carrying him and endured his scolding the entire way here.

"That is fine, you can go out." Song mama said to the guards.

"Yes, leave before I teach you a lesson!" Doctor Lou said, waving a hand dismissively to the guards. The guards bowed and then left the room, exchanging glares with Doctor Lou as they did.

Lei Xing watched the scene unfold wide-eyed. Doctor Lou turned to her and squinted, in response, she immediately lowered her head, looking the other way.

{...I'm sorry!!! T_T)...}

 Doctor Lou then glanced up at the Empress dowager and Song mama, and then glanced off to the side and said, "So, why am I here?"

Song mama frowned, "How dare y-"

"Your reputation precedes you, I have heard that you are quite skilled." The Empress dowager calmly interrupted.

"Yes, yes. I am very skilled." Doctor Lou said, smiling and nodding repeatedly in agreement.

Lei Xing glanced at his smiling face.

{...Well, you're easy to please -_-)'...}

 The Empress dowager then reached for her cup and Song mama quickly refilled it, she took a sip and let out a breath.

Then she began slowly twirling the teacup while fixing her eyes on its content and offhandedly said, "Xing er', told me that you have been successful in treating her, she even went out of the palace just to seek your services. She has spoken very highly of you..."

Lei Xing glanced up at the Empress dowager who was still fixated on her teacup.

{...Hey, don't exaggerate it, I didn't say that much...Please don't drag me into this...Why am I even here? T_T)...}

 Lei Xing then hesitantly glanced at Doctor Lou, to her surprise, she found him smiling and nodding in her direction. Lei Xing blinked and returned a half-smile.

{...Okay, let's say I did say much... This old man is really too simple though...Should I be worried?... Actually, please don't become friends, I don't think it will work out well for me T_T)...}

 "From today, you will be an Imperial doctor in the palace. The servants will guide you to Imperial pharmacy. Once you have proven your skills here, you will be promoted acco-"

"Ahh, no, no, no that won't work for me." Doctor Lou said, shaking his head with a frown. Lei Xing went wide-eyed at the old man's dismissive behavior.

{...Hey, don't talk like that!! This woman is crazy, don't you want your head?!...}

 Lei Xing then glanced up at the Empress dowager, who seemed to have frozen in place. Lei Xing inwardly sighed. She could feel the atmosphere in the room change, trouble was looming.

{...Why am I here again?! T_T)...}

 The Empress dowager slowly dropped her teacup on the table, "So you're declining the position? In that case -" She said finally looking at him, and then her words abruptly stopped.

Doctor Lou smiled, "I am but a simple nomad and cannot live being tied to a place, so I definitely cannot work in the palace. It's too much work." Then he got up off the floor with some difficulty and then stretched out his back, "That being said, I will be leaving now."

Song mama frowned, "How dare you? Do you think you are in a place to reject such grace? Guards!" The two guards who brought him trotted in, "Take him to a cell, maybe after a day or two, he will regain his senses."

 The two guards nodded and grabbed Doctor Lou's arms again and lifted him up causing him to glare at them while struggling, "Stop touching me like that! If you break my bones, I wi-"

"STOP!!" The Empress Dowager suddenly shouted, and everyone froze and turned to her. She seemed to be taking shallow breaths and was staring wide-eyed at the guards and Doctor Lou, "Let him go!"

The guards quickly complied and put him down, and stepped back. Doctor Lou looked up at the Empress dowager curiously with a raised eyebrow.

Lei Xing also turned to look at the Empress dowager, who was looking as if she had just seen a ghost. Her complexion looked pale, and it looked like there were beads of sweat on her forehead.

{...What is happening now? Does she want to end him by herself? Old man, you should have just taken the job! Now we're both screwed, I know she is definitely not going to let me off! T_T)...}

 The Empress dowager just stared at Doctor Lou. After a long while, finally said through gritted teeth, "Why are you here?"

Doctor Lou blinked, looked left and right, and pointed to himself, "Me?... You sent for me."

Song mama quietly asked the Empress dowager, "Your majesty, are you alright?"

The Empress dowager didn't respond to her, instead held onto her head and groaned. It seemed like she was in pain, then she quietly said, "Get out."

 Song mama quickly knelt beside her, "Your majesty, are you okay? Summon an Imperial doctor, quick!" Song mama ordered, and a maid in the back dashed out of the hall in response.

Doctor Lou smiled and approached, "Ah, I can help...Let me-"

"Don't come near me!" The Empress dowager suddenly roared, pushing Song mama away. Then she grabbed the items on the table and started throwing them forward, "Get out! All of you get lost! Don't come near me!..." She continued to shout.

Song mama approached her again, "Your majesty, please calm dow-"

"Am I talking to myself?!" The Empress dowager asked in irritation, "Are you deaf? I said GET OUT!!! Now!!! GET OUT! GET OUT!! GET OUT!!..." She continued to scream repeatedly while clutching her head and doubling over in pain.

At this point, the servants in the room had all panicked and quickly ran out, even the guards were gone.

Lei Xing also got up. If she was unclear about whether she was included in the get out list at first, now she was very clear...time to leave.

 Lei Xing quickly made her way towards the doors, then she turned and saw Doctor Lou still standing there watching the screaming Empress dowager and persistent Song mama, who kept trying to calm her down.

{...Oy, do you think this is a theatre show? -_-)...}

 Lei Xing swiftly changed directions, grabbed Doctor Lou, and pulled him out of the room with her. As they got outside, a few Imperial doctors came running in with the servants tailing behind.

The Empress dowager's palace was in an uproar, with servants running from place to place, it was quite a chaotic scene.

As they walked away from the scene, no one was paying them any attention. They could still hear the Empress dowager's screams piercing through the air, it seemed to have gotten worse. Now she was no longer saying anything and was letting out blood-curdling screams.

When they reached outside the building and were away from the chaos, Lei Xing whispered, "What did you do?"

Doctor Lou frowned at her, "What can I do?"

Lei Xing knit her brows in disbelief, "That." She simply said, nodding to the building behind them where the Empress dowager's screams were originating from.

 Doctor Lou snorted, "How can I possibly do that?" He asked in a condescending tone.

Lei Xing looked at him suspiciously.

{...Well, most people would ask 'How can you possibly make a magic ring?' but yet here we are so -_-)...}

 Doctor Lou looked at her suspicious expression and squinted at her, "I really didn't do anything..."

Lei Xing knit her brows.

{...If he didn't do anything...then what is this? PTSD?...}

 Lei Xing then narrowed her eyes at him, "Have you done anything...questionable in the past?"

{...You really can't tell from looks, you never know...}

 Doctor Lou glared at her and replied with indignation, "No, of course not!"

Lei Xing scoffed, "So what is this?"

{...But then again, it's not like you would tell me if you did -_-)'...}

 Doctor Lou frowned and mumbled, "How should I know?" Then he picked up his pace towards the entrance.

By this time, they had already reached the entrance, and could no longer continue the conversation so Lei Xing let it go...for now.

As they came out of the Empress dowager's palace, Xiao Ruo ran up to Lei Xing, "Your highness, are you okay? Is everything alright?" They started hearing the screams, then saw the Imperial doctors come running in, they were worried that something bad had happened inside but could not go charging in.

Lei Xing nodded to her, "I'm fine." She turned back to see Doctor Lou had kept walking on his own.

She sighed and said to Ah Jin, "Please direct him out of the palace." Ah Jin bowed and quickly went to catch up to the strutting old man.

Lei Xing looked at Doctor Lou's quickly disappearing figure for a bit and then glanced back at the Empress dowager's palace where the Empress dowager's screams were still ringing.

Then she turned to return to her palace while dreading the trouble that would result from this.

{...This is definitely going to be troublesome...We broke the dowager T_T)...No! I didn't do anything, I didn't even say a word, all I did was sit there...He broke the dowager. That's right! Absolutely nothing to do with me! Nothing to worry about at all...ha, even I am not convinced T_T)... Old man, I don't know what you did, but I suggest you skip town...Maybe take me with you too, can you do that? (ಡωಡ„)...}

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