Jiang Shuyue, holding Xue'er, said without looking up, "The things the old lady sends are always of good quality. We'll store them in the storeroom for future needs."
“Miss, this time it’s not medicinal herbs, it’s an ornament, like a red tree. I think it’s quite pretty, so why don’t we put it next to the small couch where you often sit?”
Jiang Shuyue looked up and saw a piece of red coral in the wooden box. Its color was vibrant, its texture delicate—a rare and superior quality.
"This is far too valuable. If I had known it was this, I shouldn't have accepted it."
"No wonder the old lady didn't mention what was inside. It turns out it's such a valuable item. I've never seen anything like it before and thought it was just some kind of ornament."
Qiuju had never seen red coral before, but she had heard that it was a treasure from the sea and was hard to come by.
In the capital, it's rare for even a noble family to produce a string of red coral beads, let alone an entire tree.
The mistress and servant looked at each other in confusion. After thinking for a moment, Qiuju said, "Miss, how about I return it right now?"
"That's not appropriate. I already refused. The old lady's attitude was sincere and firm; she's determined to give this item to me."
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Shuyue said, "I'll put it away for now and find a way to return the favor later."
"It's such a waste to keep such a beautiful ornament in the storeroom. It's so bright red. It would be perfect to place it on the root carving incense table next to the coffee table." Qiuju looked at the empty root carving incense table.
Jiang Shuyue grabbed Xue'er's front paw and shook it, "Are you worried that such a valuable item won't break?"
Qiuju suddenly realized, and she quickly put the lid back on, looking at Xue'er with a wary expression. "I forgot about the culprit. Yesterday it pushed a teacup off the coffee table and smashed it to pieces. I'll get a replacement from the storeroom in a bit."
Watching Qiuju carefully carry the wooden box away, Jiang Shuyue placed Xue'er on her lap with her belly facing up, then buried her face in Xue'er's soft belly and arched her back.
"Meow."
Xue'er meowed softly and stroked Jiang Shuyue's hair with her paw.
Before long, Xue'er made a "gurgling" sound from her throat.
Xue'er's purring sounds are particularly soothing. Sometimes, if Jiang Shuyue only glances at it, it will purr and come over to cuddle and act cute.
The only drawback is that the soft couch and the gauze curtains in the room bear traces of its mischief.
Today, Sui Sui went to Bai Zhou's residence with Su Jin and Su Nan. The residence had been lively for several days, and now that it was quiet, Jiang Shuyue felt uncomfortable.
After putting Xue'er down, he went to the bathroom and then slipped into the space.
The medicinal herbs planted in the space were harvested one after another. Jiang Shuyue frowned as she looked at the mountain of tender corn cobs in the distance.
I've been busy with other things and haven't had a chance to process these tender corn cobs.
There are several kinds of vegetables in the greenhouse, but no corn. She needs to find a reason to sell these corn cobs as soon as possible.
She'll think about it carefully tomorrow, figuring out how to get it onto the market discreetly.
She rolled up her sleeves and began to tidy up the medicinal herbs. She carefully collected the Ganoderma lucidum spore powder with goose feathers and then used the Ganoderma lucidum to prepare several kinds of health-preserving medicines.
After fiddling around for a while, I also prepared some antidote pills.
"Miss."
"Miss, someone from the palace has arrived."
It was Lan'er calling her, her voice urgent, as if she were in a great hurry.
Jiang Shuyue washed her hands by the hot spring, and with a thought, quickly left the space.
He strode out of the restroom.
"Lan'er, I'm here. Did anyone from the palace say what they wanted? Did the Emperor send someone to bring Sui Sui to the palace?"
Jiang Shuyue had already gotten used to it. Sui Sui hadn't been to the palace for several days, so Xiao Jingzhao must have sent someone to fetch him to the palace to study.
Lan'er said anxiously, "No, Miss, quickly pack some medicine. Someone from the Imperial Hospital has arrived. The young man didn't say what it was about, but it seems to be an extremely urgent matter."
"A young man, not a eunuch or the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?" A bad feeling crept into Jiang Shuyue's heart.
Is the Emperor ill?
Impossible. Xiao Jingzhao is as strong as an ox. Spring comes late in the capital, and the temperature changes at the end of the month.
Jiang Shuyue had heard Nangong Zeyue mention that martial arts practitioners generally do not catch colds.
Unless you stand shirtless for a long time in freezing weather, it's hard to get sick.
Thinking of this, Jiang Shuyue's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.
"When Qiuju comes back in a little while, remember to tell her that I have gone to the palace."
Without even changing her clothes, she left a sentence, picked up her medical kit, and walked away.
Lan'er chased after her to the door and called out, "Sister Qiuju is already in the hall."
Jiang Shuyue practically ran all the way to the front hall.
The visitor was Xu An.
Upon seeing Jiang Shuyue, Xu An rushed forward, "Sister Jiang, something terrible has happened! The Emperor..."
Jiang Shuyue's heart was in her throat, her delicate brows furrowed slightly: "Tell me quickly, what's wrong with the Emperor?"
Xu An gestured for her to come closer, "Sister Jiang, please come forward and let me explain slowly."
Qiuju quickly reached out and took the medicine box from Jiang Shuyue's shoulder, then strode after her.
The three of them boarded the carriage, and as soon as they sat down, the guard driving the carriage raised his whip.
With a shout, the horse, in pain, reared up and galloped away.
Caught off guard, Jiang Shuyue and Qiu Ju suddenly leaned backward.
Xu An reacted quickly, grabbing Jiang Shuyue's sleeve. "Sister Jiang, be careful!"
Jiang Shuyue suddenly lost her balance, and her body swayed to one side as Xu An pulled her, thus avoiding hitting the carriage.
Qiuju was carrying a medicine box, and as her center of gravity shifted, she barely bumped into the carriage.
"Does it hurt?" Xu An helped Jiang Shuyue up, and she quickly sat up and asked Qiu Ju.
Qiuju touched her back. "I'm fine, Miss. Please listen to Xu An's account of the Emperor's condition."
The story begins on New Year's Eve.
That night, Xiao Jingzhao personally led a team to conduct a secret investigation throughout the city.
Just as he arrived at a remote inn, the few merchants staying there caught his attention.
During the Lunar New Year, there were quite a few businessmen in Beijing who didn't have time to go home.
There was nothing suspicious about Huang Ce either; his pure Wanling accent was impeccable.
Just as everyone was about to leave, Xiao Jingzhao suddenly grabbed the hand of the person next to him and lifted it up.
The man was startled by his sudden action and quickly withdrew his hand.
Xiao Jingzhao was quick-witted and immediately noticed the calluses on the man's fingers and the base of his thumb, the kind that only someone who had wielded swords for many years would have.
"check!"
At Xiao Jingzhao's command, the assassins in the inn, realizing they had been exposed, stopped pretending and jumped out of the window to escape with their swords.
Xiao Jingzhao led a team of Imperial Guards whose martial arts were quite strong. He and Xiang Song didn't even need to lift a finger; they quickly wiped out the group of assassins posing as merchants.
When Xiao Jingzhao returned to the palace to wash up, he discovered that his fingers felt like they had been pricked by needles.
He thought he had accidentally been pricked by a hard object when he grabbed the man's wrist at the inn.
To his surprise, the next morning, his entire finger was numb.
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