Chapter 593 Entering the Palace
Not long after arriving in the capital, Jiang Nuanzhi constantly missed Ping'er. That boy, he never even sent her a few more letters. It left Jiang Nuanzhi feeling empty inside lately.
She paused for a moment, thought for a moment, and then wrote:
"My dear Ping'er, have you missed your mother?"
Have you been eating well lately? Without my amazing cooking skills, have you lost weight?
Don't put too much pressure on yourself. No matter how you do on the exam, the most important thing is to come to Beijing and reunite with your mother.
By the way, everything is fine in the capital, don't worry.
Your younger siblings are all well-behaved, but without you at home, my heart always feels empty.
By the way, your father is much better now. He's even settled into a large house; there's enough room for another twenty or so people. The old man is better too; he's still keeping the dogs out at the gate to scare away passersby—he's in great spirits. And also, your mother has only been in the capital for two days, and you probably don't know, but she's already started attending court.”
With swift, flowing strokes, Jiang Nuanzhi wrote a full seven or eight pages before finally putting down her pen, still feeling unsatisfied.
She told him everything from the political situation at court and how she cleverly fought against Xiao Yuanshan's evil forces, to the food in the capital, the current situation of everyone in her family, and even the situation of Dahei, Xiaoli, and Da Niu.
She looked at it carefully again and solemnly signed "Mother Jiang Nuanzhi" at the bottom. She sealed the envelope with sealing wax and put it together with a small box that she had just sorted out. Inside the box were the daily medicine that Jiang Nuanzhi had prepared for Ping'er, as well as the tonic pills that she had tricked from the old steward. She gave them to Linchun and asked her to help send them out.
Jiang Nuanzhi then breathed a sigh of relief and began to flip through the book. The situation regarding Uncle Zhong and the others was indeed somewhat different from what he had imagined.
When she saw something puzzling, she didn't hold back and directly pulled over the old man who was leisurely leaning back in his chair, drinking tea and eating snacks.
"Please take a look at me quickly, sir."
The old butler standing nearby stared wide-eyed. How could the young master disturb his master's peace and quiet like this? Did he have a death wish?
However, the old man only protested a little at first, and then directly asked him to move a chair over and sit in front of her to watch together.
"So, in principle, as long as I can find and remove the Gu worms buried in the flesh and blood, I can eliminate the poison controlling them?" Jiang Nuanzhi's eyes lit up.
The old man's lips twitched: "It's not that easy. These Gu are buried in the heart. If you use a sword, the person will probably die before you even take them out. Besides, who knows how many Gu he, Xiao Yuanshan, has planted? What are the characteristics of these Gu? Different methods of raising Gu will naturally result in different abilities of the Gu worms."
"Okay, okay," Jiang Nuanzhi replied perfunctorily, then yawned. "It's almost midnight, you should go to sleep now. Take good care of yourself."
"Don't stay out too late. Oh, by the way, I won't be at the residence tomorrow. If you need anything, have someone fetch me from the Imperial Preceptor's residence."
"Okay, I understand." Jiang Nuan was taken aback, but considering that the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion was the old man's place, it was normal for him to go back. So she nodded with a smile: "Don't forget to bring me back some more pills."
The old man's lips twitched, and he immediately stared intently at the old butler beside him, lowering his voice: "How did she know!"
The old butler touched his nose and gave her several more. If the master knew, he would immediately force a smile that was more like a grimace.
"Come here with me," the old man gritted his teeth and led the old butler away.
Jiang Nuanzhi didn't notice the old man and the other man at all; she was simply carefully organizing her notes. Then, she cautiously got up to check on the oranges she had been cultivating. When she opened the box, she couldn't help but take a deep breath for a moment.
"It's done!"
The orange was covered in a beautiful bluish-gray mold. She had carefully collected it in a small bottle, and Jiang Nuanzhi almost cried. It was too late today; she was thinking of extracting penicillin tomorrow.
After finishing her work, she stretched and walked back to the warm and cozy hall.
My gaze instinctively found the figure standing not far from the study door.
Li Rong stood alone by the window, arms crossed, gazing at the pitch-black night outside. The candlelight illuminated the deep contours of his profile, revealing an inescapable melancholy and heaviness between his brows, his back a solitary yet resolute figure.
Jiang Nuanzhi's heart tightened slightly. She walked over quietly and stood beside him.
Li Rong seemed to realize something, then turned around with a smile: "Anuan, you must be hungry after being busy for so long? Want something to eat?"
As he spoke, he handed over the meat bun in his hand.
The next second, as if he had been stunned for a moment, he said, "It seems to be cold. Wait a minute, I'll heat it up right away."
Jiang Nuanzhi, however, took his wrist, moved the plate from his hand and placed it by the window. She smoothed his furrowed brow, let out a long sigh, and spoke casually, as if discussing tomorrow's weather:
"Arong, shall we go to the palace tomorrow?"
The next morning, Jiang Nuanzhi woke up naturally before her biological clock struck, which was quite rare.
She turned her head and found that the spot next to her was already empty, but the blankets seemed to still retain the cool scent and warmth of that person.
A familiar yet unfamiliar fragrance of plum blossoms wafted over. Turning my head, I saw a small, slender-necked white porcelain vase that had been placed beside the bed sometime earlier. Inside the vase were a few sprigs of plum blossoms just beginning to bloom.
Clearly, this is Li Rong's usual style.
As long as he was lucid, he could always smell the fragrance of flowers. Winter had passed, and it was unknown where he had found them.
Now, life at home seems to have truly taken a completely different turn. In the courtyard, stewards and servants sweep and dust, and as winter approaches, people are carefully preparing breakfast and nourishing soup. Dongcang is coaxing Baozhu to get dressed and wash up.
Many of the trivial matters that she used to have to do herself are now being handled by others and arranged properly.
Standing in the courtyard, Jiang Nuanzhi looked at the long-lost, even somewhat "luxurious," orderly scene and felt a moment of bewilderment. Who was it that said it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance? Actually, it takes time to get used to it. At least, it took Jiang Nuanzhi fifteen minutes to get used to it.
As expected, many hands make light work. A quarter of an hour later, Jiang Nuanzhi had finished her breakfast and washing up. She and Lin Chun boarded a carriage and joined the bustling crowd of officials going to court in the early morning.
There were still a few red plum blossoms on the carriage. Jiang Nuanzhi stared at them intently, still a little dazed and not quite back to her senses: "Where's A Rong?"
"Madam, have you forgotten?" Lin Chun said with a smile, "The general went to the palace to meet the emperor earlier and said that you should sleep in a little longer today and not worry."
Jiang Nuanzhi was taken aback.
She vaguely recalled yesterday, feeling somewhat lost. Didn't she and Arong have a long talk last night?
Then I fell asleep.
Forehead.
"That guy, really. He didn't even say he'd wait for me. Why did he go so early?"
Just as Jiang Nuanzhi was wondering what was going on, she heard a shrill voice as soon as she entered the room.
"Oh, Dr. Jiang, you've arrived! Please get in the sedan chair."
Before dawn, Jiang Nuanzhi was startled when she saw Eunuch Li's pale face suddenly approaching. She almost threw the pastries in her hand at his face, but she managed to hold back.
What are you doing here?
"This servant is waiting for you on orders, Physician Jiang. Please get in the sedan chair. His Majesty and the General are waiting for you in the Hall of Supreme Harmony." Eunuch Li smiled so brightly, his face full of flattery, that he seemed like a completely different person from yesterday.
(End of this chapter)
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