Chapter 2634 - 2567: Setting Out

However, Manbao had little self-awareness in this regard. She believed her drawing was still alright. At a rough glance, the person still resembled the original.

Manbao placed the two drawings side by side for comparison. As she looked at them, the bright smile on her face slowly faded, "Why does it feel like I drew it a bit fatter?"

Bai Shan couldn’t help but say, "That’s more than just a bit fatter."

Manbao slapped her palm down, "As long as the facial features haven’t changed, can’t you tell it’s the same person?"

Bai Shan, lacking the courage to disagree, smiled flatteringly, "I can tell, I can tell, it’s quite representative."

The next day, Bai Shan quietly made another copy. The one Manbao drew was hidden away in his drawer.

Zhou Wulang and Daji took the portrait without saying much, agreeing to pass it on. Tang He, however, couldn’t resist asking, "Who is this person?"

Bai Shan pondered briefly before smiling, "An old acquaintance."

Tang He raised an eyebrow, "An acquaintance whose name might even be fake?"

Bai Shan laughed, "An unfriendly acquaintance, sorry to trouble you, senior brother."

Only then did Tang He accept the portrait, nodding, "I will have my men keep an eye out."

Bai Shan immediately stood up to express his thanks.

After Bai Shan left, Tang He began to ponder, then summoned a subordinate and handed over the portrait, "Copy this and send it to Chang’an County and Wannian County, have them keep an eye out, but don’t make a fuss of it."

"Yes," the subordinate paused for a moment before asking, "Lord, who is this person?"

Tang He smiled and said, "An unfriendly acquaintance."

The subordinate understood, and promptly made arrangements.

Currently, the magistrate of Chang’an County is County Magistrate Guo. When Bai Shan and Tang He went to Qizhou, he managed to secure this position. He was quite pleased that he wasn’t sent elsewhere as a clerk or a marshal.

He received the drawing sent from above, gave it a quick glance, and casually handed it to a subordinate, "Have a look into this, it’s from Lord Tang."

These tasks without deadlines aren’t urgent. The leading constables took note of the person’s appearance, which should suffice, and would keep an eye out during patrols.

If the person is in the capital, they might be found in two or three months. If not, it might be years before there’s any progress.

So, County Magistrate Guo didn’t pay much attention to it either.

Today, most of the officials in the capital are busy. Bai Shan and the others needed to leave the capital early for Yongzhou. Manbao, after seeing off Imperial Doctor Zheng, returned to the Imperial Hospital, as she would be joining the imperial procession the next day.

The empress, Mingda, and Princess Changyu would also accompany the emperor to Yongzhou for the summer retreat...

Manbao had calculated, and aside from the crown prince’s family, nearly half of the imperial family would be traveling, with one half of the officials attending while the other half stayed behind, both sides needing to alternate.

Due to the busyness, Manbao didn’t have the time to see Bai Shan off. In fact, she didn’t need to, as they would meet again the next day.

Manbao packed her medical kit and told the pregnant Liu Sanniang, "Once we leave, the Imperial Hospital will be more at ease. The weather is really hot now. As I’ve discussed with Director Xiao, you can just report to the Taiyi Bureau daily. There’s no need to go into the palace."

The path from the palace gate to the Imperial Hospital is long and inconvenient.

However, reaching the Taiyi Bureau can be done directly by carriage.

Liu Sanniang nodded, stroked her belly, and asked, "Master, if I give birth..."

Manbao waved her hand and said, "I’m discussing it with Director Xiao. In the future, there will only be more female doctors in our Taiyi Bureau, not only at the Imperial Hospital but also in local medical bureaus. Therefore, some rules need to be established. I’m proposing that after July, you can rest and return when the child is six months old. But Director Xiao hasn’t agreed yet, we’re still discussing it."

Liu Sanniang sighed in relief. She was reluctant to give up on her career at the Imperial Hospital, but the court’s delay in establishing a system made her uneasy.

Manbao stroked her belly happily, "Take good care of yourself, your baby’s position is correct. Be sure to exercise daily."

Liu Sanniang nodded.

"Your due date is about the same as Lijun’s, so you’ll need to pay attention to her as well. Yongzhou isn’t too far from the capital. Documents from our Imperial Hospital in Yongzhou arrive daily. If you two are feeling unwell, have someone tell me. I’ll find a way to take leave and come back, or you can consult Imperial Doctor Liu and Doctor Tao."

Manbao gave her detailed instructions.

Liu Sanniang noted everything down.

When the emperor travels, especially on such a large scale, the imperial guards clear the streets ahead of time.

From the imperial city to the city gates, there were guards stationed all along the route.

On both sides, many commoners came out to join in the excitement.

It’s a rare chance to see the emperor, so everyone wanted to catch a glimpse and see what he looked like.

The emperor sat in a dragon carriage with six horses beside him. Thin gauze hung around the carriage to block the sun, yet allowed the breeze to pass through, much better than being in a stuffy carriage.

The emperor lifted the curtain and waved to the crowd with a smile. The people on both sides were thrilled, immediately kneeling to greet the emperor and wish him a long and healthy life.

Manbao, dressed in her official robes, rode a horse with the accompanying ministers. She quietly raised her head to check the position of the sun, feeling a bit worried. At this speed, wouldn’t they reach outside the city at around巳时?

In summer, the巳时 sun is already very scorching, and by lunchtime...

Manbao raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead and sighed. She wondered if these older officials might suffer from heatstroke. In any case, she felt like she was going to.

The Deputy Minister of Revenue glanced at Zhou Man. They were of the same rank, thus riding alongside each other, while the third-grade dignitaries were up front.

As the commotion died down, the Deputy Minister of Revenue asked, "Lord Zhou, why do you sigh?"

Manbao replied, "For the passionate and radiant sun in the sky."

Deputy Minister of Revenue:...

Yao Ge squeezed his way through the crowd, nearly losing his balance. Thankfully, his two grandsons supported him on both sides, preventing him from falling. As the emperor’s carriage passed, they followed the crowd in standing up, just in time to see the procession of nobles on horseback passing right in front of them.

Though Zhou Man’s official robe was the same as everyone else’s, with a round collar and wide sleeves, and even her official hat was no different, she was a woman with fair skin and a slender waist, sitting upright on her horse, looking solemn, standing out among the fourth-grade officials, all aged thirty and above.

Many people noticed her immediately.

The Yao family did too. Yao Dalang couldn’t help but say, "That must be Imperial Doctor Zhou, whom the teahouse has been talking about these past days. Why is she wearing dark crimson official robes?"

Yao Erlang said, "Brother, you didn’t go to the teahouse yesterday. The storyteller mentioned that she was conferred the title of a county mistress and promoted to a fourth-grade compiler at the Chongwen Pavilion."

Yao Dalang was taken aback, "A compiler... The highest rank for that is fourth-grade, right?"

"Yes, many people are saying that if she gets another promotion, unless she leaves the Chongwen Pavilion, she can only get an honorary title or directly become the pavilion master."

Yao Dalang: "How is that possible? The current Chongwen Pavilion master is Libationer Kong, and without Kong’s level of scholarship, how can one convince the populace?"

Yao Ge withdrew his gaze from Zhou Man and admonished his two grandsons, "Silence, do not speak rashly of court officials."

Beside them, Yao Chen was also deeply impacted, "Father, is that Uncle Zhuang’s senior apprentice?"

"Yes," Yao Ge replied indifferently, "his judgment has always been quite good."