medicinal fragrance

Three days after returning home, the bowl of medicine was indeed not delivered again.

Yan Shu knew perfectly well that it wasn't that the Cui family had given up, but rather that Ling Yuan had stopped them. This quiet protection was like a breath of white air in winter—faint, yet undeniably real.

She didn't thank him. Sometimes, saying it out loud makes things less beautiful.

She began to manage the palace more meticulously. It wasn't a gesture of goodwill, but an instinct; if you're going to live, you have to live comfortably. She removed the overly sweet incense and replaced it with a light, natural scent of herbs; she put away the overly extravagant decorations in the room, leaving only a potted green ivy that she had personally trimmed on the empty table.

When Ling Yuan stepped in one day, he paused for a moment. He didn't say anything, but he stayed at Lingxiao Pavilion for a quarter of an hour longer than usual that evening.

He was observing her. She could sense it.

That gaze was no longer a mere scrutiny, but contained something else, like...inquiry.

That's fine. She has nothing to hide. At least, not now.

That afternoon, as she was passing the time with a miscellaneous book, Chuntao led in an unfamiliar old woman.

"Your Highness, this is Granny Jiang from the Prince's residence, who is in charge of the medicine storehouse," Chun Tao reported.

Granny Jiang bowed respectfully and said, "This old servant has heard that Your Highness suffers from abdominal pain, so I have found a mild prescription and prepared some herbal tea. If Your Highness does not mind, you may drink it daily, which may provide some relief."

Yan Shu's heart skipped a beat.

She took the packaged medicine, unfolded it with her fingertips, examined it closely, and sniffed it gently. The herbs were ordinary, but the combination was exquisite; it was indeed a formula for warming the meridians and dispelling cold, exactly what she was looking for in terms of her symptoms.

This is not the Cui family's medicine.

Was it Ling Yuan's instruction? Or was it the old woman's own idea?

She looked up at Granny Jiang and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Granny. This prescription... is excellent."

Granny Jiang kept her head down: "Your Highness is too kind. The Prince has instructed that all matters in the manor should be handled with Your Highness's health in mind."

In short, he distanced himself from the situation and also pointed out the source.

Yan Shu's fingers tightened slightly as he held the medicine packet. He had not only stopped the poison but also provided a good remedy.

"Please thank Your Highness for me," she said softly.

After Granny Jiang left, Yan Shu stared at the packet of medicine for a long time without touching it.

That night, when Lingyuan arrived, she was holding a freshly brewed herbal tea and sipping it slowly.

The medicine tasted bitter, but she drank it earnestly.

He walked to her side, his gaze falling on the medicine bowl in her hand.

"How does it taste?" he suddenly asked.

Yan Shu looked up and met his eyes. Under the lamplight, his face seemed a little softer.

"It was bitter," she answered truthfully, then paused and added, "but my heart was warm."

This statement carried a hint of probing.

Ling Yuan looked at her silently, and after a long while, he responded with a very faint "Mm".

He didn't say anything more and turned to go to the study.

Yan Shu lowered her head, looked at the dark brown medicine in the bowl, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

The effects of the herbal tea gradually became apparent. When her next period came, although the pain had not completely disappeared, it was within her tolerance range.

Her improved health gave her more energy.

She began to delve deeper into the Prince's residence. She no longer just listened, but observed, asked questions, and took notes.

She discovered that the Wang family's accounts were clear, and the people they employed were well-managed. Lingyuan managed the household like an army, with clear and organized procedures. This saved her a lot of effort, but it also made it harder for her to find opportunities to intervene.

Until that day, when she was looking through the purchase list, she noticed one item—a large amount of old rice was purchased from the villa in the suburbs of Beijing every month, far exceeding the needs of the villa's servants.

She pointed to the item and asked the steward in charge, "What's the purpose of this old rice?"

The steward's eyes flickered for a moment before he respectfully replied, "Your Highness, it's for feeding the livestock on the estate."

"Oh?" Yan Shu asked calmly. "What kind of livestock needs so much old rice?"

The steward's forehead was beaded with sweat: "It's...it's some pigs and sheep..."

"Is that so?" Yan Shu put down the list and looked at him calmly. "I just read the report from the villa a few days ago. The villa has not raised meat livestock on a large scale this year."

The steward knelt down with a thud: "Your Highness, please understand! It...it was a mistake on my part! It...it was intended to help the farmers!"

"Using old rice to help the peasants?" Yan Shu's voice was slightly cold. "Does the Prince know about this?"

The steward turned ashen-faced and kept kowtowing.

Yan Shu didn't press further, only saying calmly, "This expense is hereby discontinued. I will not pursue the past. You may leave."

The manager scrambled back.

Chun Tao was a little worried: "Your Highness, won't this offend someone..."

Yan Shu looked out the window: "In this mansion, if you don't offend anyone, you'll just be waiting to be taken advantage of."

She handled the situation swiftly, but the news spread like wildfire.

When Lingyuan returned in the evening, he brought up the matter on his own initiative.

"Have you stopped buying old rice?" he asked, his tone unreadable.

"Yes," Yan Shu readily admitted. "With unclear accounts and ambiguous purposes, shouldn't it be stopped?"

Ling Yuan looked at her: "Do you know that the steward was recommended by Consort De in the palace?"

Yun Shu showed no fear: "Does Your Highness mean that Consort De's people can embezzle the Prince's funds?"

Ling Yuan was silent for a moment, then suddenly chuckled very softly. The smile was faint and fleeting, yet it genuinely dazzled Yan Shu's eyes.

“Well done,” he said.

Three words, light as a feather, yet weighing a ton.

He accepted her.

It's not because she is my Yan Shu, not because she is a princess, but because she did the right thing.