It turned out that the room with the open window, through which a jade vase containing a few sprigs of winter plum blossoms was seen by Yu Niang, was the place of temporary rest that the young master Tuoba had mentioned.
Upon entering the room upstairs, Yu Niang realized that the layout of this room was different from the other rooms in Wan Jiao Pavilion.
Tuoba Ze's room faced south and consisted of five rooms of varying sizes. It had everything one could need, including living quarters, a study, and a heated pavilion; it was truly spacious, and the decorations were solemn and grand, unlike the usual style of Wanjiao Pavilion.
As soon as Yu Niang entered, Tuoba Ze led her to a warm tea room and had her sit down at the tea table. He then thoughtfully handed her a warm hand warmer, saying, "It's very cold outside, Miss. Please warm yourself up quickly so you don't catch a cold."
"Thank you, young master," Yu Niang said, taking the hand warmer from Tuoba Ze and holding it in her arms to keep warm.
Then, Tuoba Ze walked to the other side of the tea table and sat down. He began to brew tea using a set of white porcelain tea utensils.
Yu Niang looked up and saw a large ebony tea rack that rose to the roof next to the tea table, filled with a dazzling array of tea caddies. She asked, "Does the young master enjoy tea?"
Tuoba Ze glanced at Yu Niang, then lowered his head to continue his work. He then said to her with a smile, "What is tea? It is like a person amidst plants and trees, plants and trees like poetry, beauties like woven fabric; tea grows in beautiful mountains and waters, gathering the essence of heaven and earth; tea is also the gentleman among waters, the highest good is like water, nourishing things silently, a gentleman loves tea, tranquility leads to far-reaching goals; everything is empty, a thousand cups and ten thousand bowls turn to emptiness, life is like tea, emptiness and existence, picking up and putting down, coming and going as one pleases."
As he spoke, he performed a series of skillful and elegant movements: warming the teaware, adding tea leaves, rinsing the tea, pouring water, warming the cups, pouring the tea, and serving the tea. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the process.
He quickly presented Yu Niang with a cup of rose black tea, its petals and tea leaves unfurling and floating in the water, exuding a rich rose fragrance. He said, "This is the finest rose black tea in the world, made from the finest black tea of the South, blended with the finest roses produced there. Its taste is mellow and smooth. This tea benefits the lungs and spleen, and nourishes the liver and gallbladder, making it especially suitable for women to enjoy for beauty and health during the cold winter months. Rose petals paired with a woman create a unique and delightful combination. Would you like to try some, Miss?"
Yu Niang reached out and gladly took the tea, only bringing it close to her nose for a light sniff before saying, "Indeed, it's excellent. I've long heard that the Northern Lie Kingdom is a nomadic people who have a deep love for tea, with everyone being a tea enthusiast. Seeing it today, I can confirm it's true. Young master, you seem to know so much about tea; could you perhaps be a tea merchant?"
Upon hearing this, Tuoba Ze paused abruptly, then said with a smile, "Miss is not only exceptionally beautiful, but also incredibly intelligent; you guessed it right away."
Yu Niang then smiled and took a sip of tea. She seemed hesitant, but finally couldn't help but ask, "Since you are a merchant from the Northern Lie Kingdom, you must frequently travel within its borders. Could you perhaps help Yu Niang inquire about someone?"
Tuoba Ze's eyes widened in surprise as he asked, "May I ask who this young lady wants me to help her find out about?"
Yu Niang seemed to have some reservations, but she was really too anxious because she hadn't made any progress in Wan Jiao Pavilion for a long time. Even if this was just a slim chance, she was unwilling to miss it.
In fact, she had long known that the madam was deliberately delaying her day by day, and today she had met this merchant from the Northern Lie Kingdom, Tuoba Ze, who seemed to have extensive connections. Perhaps it was possible to ask him to find out news about her husband.
Regardless, she was determined to take the risk this time; she couldn't just sit and wait to die any longer. Heaven knew what they wanted her to do here. So, gritting her teeth, she said, "To be honest, the person Yu Niang asked you to inquire about is none other than Yu Niang's husband."
Tuoba Ze was taken aback. It turned out that this beautiful woman was already married. He then said, "So you are already a married woman, Miss. May I ask your husband's name? And why do you need me to help you find out? Although I have some connections in the tea world and have done business in various places, I am ultimately a person from the Northern Lie Kingdom, and I don't actually know many people from the Western Qin."
Yu Niang frowned and carefully explained, "My husband's name is Zhao Ping'an. To be honest, he went missing during the battle between Western Qin and Northern Lie. Everyone told me he might be dead, but I don't believe it. I believe he's still alive. I think perhaps he was just captured and taken prisoner, so I can only search for him within Northern Lie. That's why I'm asking for your help, young master, hoping you can inquire about him. Perhaps this is my only chance... If you can find my husband, I'm willing to serve you like a slave and never break my promise."
Yu Niang became more and more excited as she spoke, and she was filled with hope for Tuoba Ze in front of her. Tuoba Ze listened attentively and thought about it.
Just then, his personal bodyguard rushed in, as if he had some urgent situation to report.
Upon seeing this, Tuoba Ze said to Yu Niang, "I promise you, if I find news of Zhao Ping'an of Xi Qin in Bei Lie, I will bring him here to reunite with you, Miss. Please wait here in peace."
Upon seeing the visitor and hearing Tuoba Ze's reply, Yu Niang hurriedly rose and said, "In that case, Yu Niang thanks you in advance, young master. Since you have other matters to attend to, Yu Niang will not disturb you any longer today and will return to her room now."
Tuoba Ze also smiled and rose to see her off, saying, "Alright, then take care, Miss, and await my good news."
Yu Niang smiled and nodded as she withdrew, and the guards also bowed to her.
At this moment, a guard stepped forward to report, "Your Highness, we have just received news that the attempt to poison the Crown Prince of Western Qin and spread smallpox to the Western Qin palace... has failed."
Upon hearing this, Tuoba Ze's eyebrows shot up immediately, his face contorted with rage. "What? How could this be? Smallpox poison... What exactly happened? Tell me everything in detail at once!"
The guard then reported the news he had received to Tuoba Ze in its entirety.
"Yi Shangyun? Who is that?" Tuoba Ze asked curiously after hearing this.
"I heard she's the daughter of a pharmacist in the Imperial Pharmacy of the Western Qin Kingdom. She's ugly and a good-for-nothing, and was even jilted by the young master of the Western Qin Academy. Almost everyone in the Western Qin Kingdom knows about her. Later, to atone for her father's dereliction of duty, she was punished by the Western Qin Emperor and forced to enter the palace as a lowly pharmacist in the Imperial Pharmacy. But today she was suddenly released from the palace ahead of schedule. I inquired and found out that the Western Qin Emperor bestowed her upon the Princess of Qin's residence to be her personal physician," the guard hurriedly reported.
"Qin Prince's Mansion? Qin Princess? Western Qin Academy?... Interesting, so interesting, it's getting more and more interesting..." Tuoba Ze suddenly said inexplicably, with an inscrutable expression on his face.
Half a day later, the guard suddenly asked, "Your Highness, what shall we do next...?"
Tuoba Ze seemed to only then wake up from his wishful thinking and asked the guards, "I have completely taken control of the beauty here. What about the ice beauty I asked you to prepare?"
"Your Highness, the Second Prince has consistently refused to cooperate. Our men have had a very difficult time finding the Ice Beauty, but heaven rewards the diligent, and we have finally found her in an extremely cold place near the Northern Lie Tai Ming. She will be sent to Wan Jiao Pavilion in the next two days," the guard replied with great relief.
"The moment Ice Beauty arrives at Wanjiao Pavilion, arrange the operation immediately. I, the prince, refuse to believe that there is such a highly skilled poison doctor in the Western Qin Kingdom. ...Yi Shangyun? I, the prince, really want to see who she is, that she is so capable of curing this exquisite smallpox poison that I had carefully prepared," Tuoba Ze said with great interest, seemingly talking to himself.
"Your Highness, what about the Crown Prince of Western Qin?" the guard asked again.
Tuoba Ze exhaled a deep breath, then chuckled and said, "Hmph, no rush. Let's spare his life and see how long he can struggle. Western Qin... I, the prince, am determined to have it. I'll leave him for now. When the time is right, I'll enter the Western Qin palace, take that dog emperor's life, and then let him send that dog emperor on his way. After that, I'll slowly deal with this brat. Since they want to play, I don't mind playing with them for a while."
However, the guard seemed quite worried and asked, "Your Highness, does the Western Qin Kingdom still have a War God, the King of Qin?"
"King Qin? I have already set up a wonderful and intricate chess game for this renowned war god of the Xuanyuan royal family, who is famous throughout the entire Lingkong Continent. I am just waiting for him to come and enter the game. There is no need to worry." Tuoba Ze said with great confidence, his eyes deep and full of unfathomable fear.
In the Western Qin Imperial Palace, Yi Shangyun dragged her heavy steps and slowly moved forward before finally stepping into the gate of the Imperial Pharmacy, arriving at the corner in this vast palace that she felt most familiar with and most comfortable with.
As soon as Dingxiang saw her come in, she excitedly dropped the handful of herbs she was holding and rushed over to support her arm. Seeing her unsteady steps and the difficulty she was having, Dingxiang felt a lump in her throat and tears welled up in her eyes. With a mixture of surprise and heartache, she asked, "Yun'er, your leg... it's gotten worse."
Yi Shangyun smiled at her and said, "It's alright, don't worry, you'll be fine after some rest."
As she spoke, she took out her embroidered handkerchief and reached out to wipe away the tears on Dingxiang's cheeks.
"Yun'er, you're finally back! I missed you so much, I was so worried about you, I couldn't eat or sleep properly every day. You must never do anything like that again, what if something happened to you... how would I manage to live alone in this Imperial Pharmacy?" Dingxiang quickly helped Yun sit down and excitedly complained and cried to her.
After taking her seat, Ran Yiyun forced a smile and said meaningfully to her, "Dingxiang, meeting you in this desolate and helpless Imperial Pharmacy is the greatest blessing of my life. I am ugly and clumsy, yet you have always been by my side, never abandoning me. When I encountered danger, you ran around seeking help for me; when I was sick, you were there to take the most meticulous care of me; especially when my leg... was injured, you managed all the affairs of the Imperial Pharmacy for me perfectly. Dingxiang, I am truly moved and grateful."
After saying that, Yi Shangyun reached out and took Dingxiang's hand.
Dingxiang frowned slightly upon hearing this and hurriedly said, "Yun'er, please don't say that. Haven't I been all alone in this palace all these years, living a life of servility and being at everyone's beck and call? I also thank God that I was able to meet you, my brave, kind, and intelligent friend, in the Imperial Pharmacy during my lifetime... Yes... friend... Yun'er, we will always be friends, always together and taking care of each other, right?"
After Dingxiang finished speaking, she looked at her with hopeful anticipation, eagerly awaiting a definite answer from Yi Shangyun. Just then, the voice of her father-in-law came from outside the door...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com