Chapter 4 I am Mingxia, I'm a little flustered, give it to me...

The Imperial Palace, East Courtyard.

The sky outside was overcast when I woke up this morning, and it hasn't cleared up yet at this hour. A cold wind is blowing, making the grass and trees in the garden sway from side to side.

"Do you think Ah Zhu is... real or fake now?"

Seeing that the people around her didn't believe her, Cuiwen, squeezed in the crowd, stamped her feet anxiously, repeatedly saying, "How could it be false?!"

“Granny Yang went there herself, and so many people saw it together. Do you think I would lie to you? If you don’t believe me, ask Yan’er.”

Yan'er, whose arm was being pulled, nodded. "Sister Ruan, what Sister Cui said is true. Even I was shocked at the time."

"......"

"The people from the North Campus have said that they all saw her get it from Mingxia with their own eyes."

"Did Mingxia give it to you?"

Where is Mingxia?

"Mingxia went to the embroidery room early this morning to deliver needlework."

"......"

The swirling gusts of cold wind could not dampen the passion of the palace women in the inner palace.

A large crowd thronged the east courtyard, some with surprise, others with doubt, all talking at once in a lively discussion.

"Look, the bright clouds are coming!!!"

Someone shouted, and the entire east courtyard fell silent instantly as everyone turned their heads in unison—

Facing countless staring eyes, Mingxia stepped into the courtyard with one foot: ...

"Mingxia!"

"Sister Mingxia!"

The moment the person in charge appeared, it was like pouring a bucket of cold water into hot oil, and the already lively atmosphere seemed to explode with a "pop".

The palace servants rushed over excitedly, and Mingxia, still in a daze, was ushered into the courtyard without her noticing.

"Mingxia".

"Mingxia, is the Jade Maiden Cream that Azhu is using the one he got from you?"

"Sister Mingxia, Azhu..."

"Mingxia, what you gave her, wasn't it...?"

A group of excited, anxious, and expectant faces surrounded Mingxia, and everyone was eager to speak, not wanting to be left behind.

Amidst the chattering, a dazed Mingxia managed to catch a few sentences, only those related to Azhu...

After a moment's thought, Mingxia realized—it must be that annoying idiot Azhu who had used Seven Star Leaf Powder and made a fool of himself in public.

Hey, if we were talking about anything else, it would be fine, but as soon as this matter was mentioned, Mingxia immediately perked up. She really wasn't afraid that Azhu would blame her for this.

After all, if a folk remedy were perfect and worked every time, what would it be called a folk remedy?

If such an incredibly effective and precious remedy truly existed, would it be her turn, A-Zhu, to use it?

Furthermore, is this palace some kind of place where reason prevails?

Over the years, there have been quite a few people in the inner palace who have tried to deceive A-Zhu with folk remedies, but A-Zhu has never been seen to go to them and gain any advantage.

Even though Mingxia's appetite was slightly larger than others this time... she still had an older sister who worked in the palace.

Seeing the palace servants around her so "supportive," Mingxia, who had both dealt with the annoying fellow and easily obtained a pile of silver, barely suppressed her smugness. She raised her head, waved her hand, and laughed, "I thought it was something else; it startled me."

"Who does Ah Zhu think she is?"

"In the end, it's nothing serious. It's just about wanting to stand up for everyone."

Mingxia's words caused an immediate silence; everyone exchanged speechless glances.

You said Ah Zhu became like that, was it to vent everyone's anger?

What the hell is he venting his anger on?

Is that some kind of ethereal, magical aura?!

The crowd was already dissatisfied with A-Zhu, and now they also had reservations about Mingxia.

Normally, Mingxia would say eight out of ten bad things about Azhu in front of us, but now, with the palace selection approaching, she's already going to fawn over him.

Now you're putting on an act and saying random things to brush me off.

“Mingxia, if you don’t want to talk about it… there’s no reason for us to force you, but it’s no fun to keep teasing us like this.”

"That's right, that's right. So many of us have been waiting for you here since early morning. How can you try to fool us like this? You're making a fool of yourself."

"Mingxia, you know Azhu has a strong personality. You're still trying to get her to have an advantage. What good will that do you expect?"

"If you can sell it to her, why would you charge us less if you sell it to us?"

"Mingxia, we don't mean to ask for a prescription, just tell us the price..."

Fine, fine, Mingxia was so smug for less than a quarter of an hour before she was overwhelmed by a bunch of inexplicable sarcastic remarks and she couldn't stand it anymore. She had clearly agreed to teach Azhu a lesson together. Yes, Mingxia had accepted money, but it was because none of them wanted to go.

She offended people by standing up for them, and now they're jealous that she accepted money?

Pooh!

Why didn't you do this sooner?

There's no reason for the silver that ends up in her hands to benefit anyone else!

Mingxia, her face flushed, clenched her fists, glared with bloodshot eyes, and said angrily, "So, now you want to throw all sorts of dirty, stinking, and filthy things at me?!"

"Yes, I accepted A-Zhu's money, but it was what I deserved!"

Mingxia, huffing and puffing, raised her head and retorted with a sarcastic retort, ignoring everything else.

"Ha, you still have the nerve to ask me for the recipe? What are you all pretending for? Do you think I'm the only one collecting that Seven Star Leaf powder?"

When the person who had collected Seven Star Leaf Powder mentioned teaching Ah Zhu a lesson, their face darkened when they saw Mingxia biting so recklessly.

But Mingxia's unexpected reaction clearly made many others realize that something was wrong.

Green Plum, who had been silent until now, frowned and asked, "Mingxia, you said you gave Azhu the powder of seven-star leaves?"

Mingxia, still furious, looked at the palace servants around her and sneered, "What are you still pretending for?"

“Sister Mingxia.” Hongzhu, who was closer, bit her lip. “It’s not that we don’t believe you, it’s just that Azhu is completely different now.”

"Yes, Mingxia, I also went to the East Courtyard today. As soon as I went in, I saw Azhu and I was stunned."

What else can it become?

Mingxia had experienced the painful and itchy stinging sensation of Seven Star Leaf Powder before. She snorted, "Since it's a folk remedy, a folk remedy, and A-Zhu is willing to try it herself, what does it have to do with me if she gets swollen like a mumps?"

Sigh, so all that talk was just nonsense.

Cuiwen shook her head repeatedly after realizing what was happening. "No, Mingxia, Azhu doesn't feel any pain or itching, there's no swelling or bloating. On the contrary... her skin is as white as snow, and she's as beautiful as if she stepped out of a painting."

? ? ?

Seeing that Mingxia's face was full of doubt and seemed genuine, Lanyue sighed softly and took over the conversation, "What Cuiwen said is all true, otherwise we wouldn't have all come to ask you."

Mingxia: "......"

"Do you think we're all in the mood to tease you so early in the morning?"

Lan Yue tugged at her arm, and Sui Zhu pouted, "A-Zhu is in the North Courtyard. If you don't believe me, go see for yourself."

From the moment she entered the courtyard, things took many twists and turns. Mingxia, whose head was filled with all sorts of random and confusing things, pursed her lips tightly and, without saying a word, suddenly turned and ran towards the north courtyard.

The group looked at each other—

Mingxia realized that she really didn't want to help Azhu, and Azhu's "great transformation" was quite a spectacle... Seeing Mingxia heading straight for the North Courtyard, many people followed her.

*

"Whoosh—"

The sky had been overcast for a long time, and finally, rain began to fall, accompanied by a long-blowing wind.

The cool raindrops pelted Mingxia but couldn't stop her. Having learned etiquette over the years, no matter how urgent her situation, Mingxia didn't dare to run after leaving the East Courtyard. She hurried towards the North Courtyard.

The East Courtyard is so lively today, and the North Courtyard is obviously not quiet either. However, Ah Zhu's temper... to put it bluntly, is really annoying. There are quite a few people who have quarreled with her in the past and made enemies.

They were all teenage girls, and none of them had yet developed the ability to be "hard-boned" or "iron-faced." There weren't many who would readily fawn over someone.

Many people watched Ah Zhu from a distance, but few actually approached her. Instead, most of them lingered around Ah Zhu's roommates.

A-Zhu, dressed in the same green as the willow branches, stood under the tree, head held high, pretending to admire the magnolia.

In the past, Ah Zhu was relentlessly mocked for her shortcomings, and was even given such an unpleasant nickname.

Now that she had finally obtained the "miracle cure" to turn her life around, even though she had been in excruciating pain before, Ah Zhu forced herself to get up, raise her head, and start showing off.

Instead of getting a spring breeze, she was met with a sudden downpour after posing for so long. Speechless, Ah Zhu looked up and cursed the heavens for a while before going inside.

Just as he was about to enter the house, he heard a hurried voice: "A-Zhu!"

Frowning, Ah Zhu, casually flicking away the raindrops, subconsciously turned her head—

In an instant, time seemed to stretch out.

Raindrops clung to Mingxia's hair and fell down, but Mingxia, soaked by the rain, was completely unaware. At this moment, she could neither hear any other sounds nor see anyone else, only staring straight at the person in front of her through the rain curtain—the misty spring rain had dyed a cluster of new green.

They weren't lying, Ah Zhu really, really changed... like what, like what?

Like clouds covered in snow, and the mountain moon shining brightly.

For a moment, Mingxia stood motionless, staring blankly at the person without saying a word.

When A-Zhu saw that it was her "benefactor," her expression changed instantly. She ran over in the rain with a big smile, calling out affectionately, "Sister Mingxia."

As soon as A-Zhu moved, the picturesque scene shattered. Moreover, her fawning expression and the ethereal beauty she exuded, like a slender, aloof beauty on a magnolia tree, instantly dissipated the dreamlike illusion.

Mingxia, whose expression was somewhat blank, trembled slightly.

"A-Zhu, you..."

As she dragged Mingxia into the house, Azhu didn't notice Mingxia's expression. As soon as she entered, she hurriedly took a cotton towel and wiped the rain off Mingxia's face and body.

Previously, Azhu had complained that Mingxia was raising prices arbitrarily and had been grumbling and cursing. Now, Azhu just wanted to slap himself a few times—who was the one who said it was expensive?

Those who say it's expensive should reflect on themselves and ask, "Where is it expensive?"

That's totally worth it!

"Good sister."

"Thank you for your trouble, Sister."

While diligently wiping the raindrops from Mingxia's face, Azhu sincerely apologized.

“Good sister, I was short-sighted before, I was petty, I didn’t recognize the value of a gem… All the mistakes were my fault, please don’t hold it against me.”

After diligently wiping the rain off Mingxia's body and sincerely apologizing, Azhu hurriedly poured her a cup of hot tea.

"Sister, forgive me for asking, but is your prescription only needed once, or is it necessary to...?"

The remedy was indeed effective, but recalling the excruciating, skin-peeling pain of that intense itching, Ah Zhu stammered, still shaken. "It still takes several times?"

Clearly, the way A-Zhu and Ming-Xia acted only strengthened others' belief in the effectiveness of the miracle drug—given A-Zhu's character over the years, she would never have acted so attentively if Ming-Xia's prescription hadn't actually worked.

Mingxia, on the other hand, stared at a face so beautiful it was almost dizzying, a fawning smile playing on its lips as it moved before her eyes...

Unconsciously, Mingxia shoved the tea into her mouth. Her mind was a mess, and she couldn't hear what Azhu was saying at all. She just nodded casually with "uh-huh" and "ah-ah".

"Great, great! It only needs to be used once!" Seeing Mingxia nod, Azhu was almost crying with joy.

Almost bursting into tears of joy, A-Zhu refilled Mingxia's cup with tea. As she handed the teacup over, A-Zhu turned her head to look around, only to find the room empty.

She looked puzzled. "Hey, where is everyone?"

Wasn't the room just full of people?

Mingxia, taking the tea, subconsciously said, "They're going to..."

broken!

Mingxia suddenly realized—how many Seven Star Leaves could there be in the palace? With so many people in the Inner Palace, who would have enough of that little bit of herbal powder?

Even the seven-star leaves only appear in late spring and early summer, and they will wither in a few days. To make matters worse, it has rained now, and the rainwater will wash them away... Mingxia, whose teacup had been taken by someone else, threw down her teacup with a gloomy face, got up abruptly, and ran outside in a hurry.

"Sister Mingxia."

"Sister Mingxia, where are you going?" A bewildered Azhu chased after her. "Take your oil-paper umbrella, it's raining outside..."

rain?

They didn't even care about cutting someone!

Amidst the continuous spring rain, only A-Zhu stood under the eaves, looking somewhat bewildered at the other figures who braved the rain to go outside.

Rainwater seeped into her collar, making Ah Zhu shiver.

At this moment, she couldn't care less about anything else and hurriedly ran into the house to wipe the rain off herself—looking at Ah Zhu jumping around and acting particularly spirited, she was actually not that healthy. She had been ridiculed by others in the palace many times before for having "the body of a young lady but the fate of a maid."

The night's ordeal was truly agonizing, and instead of resting and recovering, Ah Zhu insisted on getting up and showing off.

A-Zhu was much more obedient this time. She changed her clothes, wrapped herself in a quilt and lay back on the couch, closing her eyes and praying to God to protect her. The time for the palace selection was coming soon, and she hoped that she would not catch a cold at this critical moment.

A note from the author:

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Thank you for your support, my little cuties! Hehehe. [Let me see...]