Chapter 17
Zhao Congyun said, "The classics say, 'The color of the Resurrection Pill is like cinnabar, and its fragrance is intoxicating, bringing peace of mind and joy to the senses.' Other details are unknown."
He saw Yue Mingming's expression was different: "What's wrong?"
Yue Mingming took a deep breath and took out the porcelain bottle that the hidden merchant had sold her from her arms: "Uh... take a look, could it be this thing..."
Everyone was stunned.
Zhao Congyun looked at her deeply, took the porcelain bottle, and the reddish-brown pill with a strange fragrance fell into his palm. His expression changed several times, and finally he silently handed the pill to Uncle Dong.
Uncle Dong took it solemnly, held it to his nose and smelled it for a while, then gently scraped off a layer of loose powder and put it in his mouth to taste.
"Likely... but I can't really be sure."
He frowned and said, "May I ask, madam, where did you get this?"
Yue Mingming couldn't lie, so he confessed, "I bought it a few days ago with the gold awarded by the emperor!"
"That day... when you falsely accused me of having an affair..."
Zhao Congyun's eyes were deep, and he tried hard to hide his sharpness, but he couldn't hide the suspicion in his tone: "You hurried back home just to get money to buy this?"
"You spent so much money, and you don't even know what this medicine is used for?"
Yue Mingming scratched his head.
How can I explain to Zhao Congyun the fun and craziness of drawing blind boxes...
Seeing that she didn't say anything, Zhao Congyun was silent for a while before saying, "Okay, if you don't want to talk, I won't force you... Describe the merchant clearly and I'll send someone to find him."
“…You won’t find it!”
Yue Mingming was anxious and decided to talk to someone else. "Uncle Sun, I don't know if this medicine is the Rejuvenating Pill. There's about a 50 to 60 percent chance... Are you willing to take a chance?"
Sun Dayong did not disappoint her.
The old man laughed heartily. "The worst that can happen is death. What's the harm in eating it? I'm taking a gamble!"
He changed the subject: "But girl, if this is really the Resurrection Pill, it is a priceless treasure. Are you willing to give it to an old man like me?"
Yue Mingming didn't hesitate at all and said seriously, "Money is just a material possession. How can it be as important as your life, Uncle Sun?!"
She looked up and saw Zhao Congyun's uncertain expression. She tugged at his sleeve and said with a smile, "Besides, the money was paid by the prince. I'm just offering a small gift. The prince is very generous, isn't he?"
Zhao Congyun sighed almost inaudibly, "The old man sacrificed his life for the people. A mere pill of life-returning pill is nothing to worry about. I'm only worried about whether this medicine is genuine..."
Sun Dayong said: "I am willing to accept the loss of the bet!"
Zhao Congyun looked at Sun Cheng hesitantly, and Sun Cheng's dark face also showed determination: "... Let's give it a try!"
Only when you are in danger can you survive.
Compared to a dead end, the glimmer of hope that Yue Mingming brought was already a great hope.
Yue Mingming picked up the pill and blew on it gently, imitating the Monkey King: "Everyone, I declare this is the Resurrection Pill!"
Everyone was amused by her and the heavy atmosphere was relieved.
Looking at that innocent face filled with smile, Zhao Congyun suddenly believed the nonsense.
Because Yue Mingming was the most devout liar he had ever met.
*
Early the next morning, the situation in the court suddenly changed.
The Minister of Justice, with witnesses and evidence, suddenly launched an attack against the series of robberies of relief ships in Jiangzhou.
At this time, the Censorate "received" an anonymous list of corruption names and joined forces with the Ministry of Justice to target the grain transport industry!
The emperor was furious and immediately ordered the Censorate to conduct a thorough investigation. Within one day, more than 20 officials of all ranks were implicated, and everyone in the court was in danger.
On the same day, more than ten grain transport ships were urgently allocated to Jiangzhou and escorted by General Weiyuan himself, in an effort to relieve the urgent needs of the victims in Jiangzhou as soon as possible.
It was five days later that Yue Mingming learned the news.
These days, Zhao Congyun and Uncle Dong are still missing, leaving her alone in the garden, feeling uneasy.
Zhao Congyun learned his lesson this time and issued a death order to the secret guards, not allowing Yue Mingming to leave the Cangyuan Garden. Not to mention getting any information, he didn't even have the chance to see Su Dingrou.
It was not until the evening of that day that the long-lost smell of smoke came from the small kitchen. Yue Mingming came over following the smell and ran into Uncle Dong who had just returned home.
Uncle Dong was beaming with joy. Seeing his expression, Yue Mingming asked anxiously, "Is there good news? Tell me quickly!"
Uncle Dong briefly explained the situation and finally whispered, "I just received a message from Sun Cheng a quarter of an hour ago... The grain transport ship has arrived safely in Jiangzhou, and the victims are saved!"
Yue Mingming breathed a sigh of relief: "Great! Did Sun Cheng return safely too?"
Uncle Dong nodded: "The prince arranged for him to leave with the grain ship. With our people looking after him on the way, he should be safe."
"...How's Uncle Sun doing?"
"The interrogation isn't over yet, so I'm afraid he'll have to stay in jail for a while... Once the case is concluded, we'll send the drugs in and stage a fake death."
Yue Mingming also understood that there was no need to be impatient about this matter. Things were progressing unusually smoothly. It seemed that Zhao Congyun's planning over the past few days had not been in vain.
"Is your prince happy this time?"
Every time I see Zhao Congyun, he is either cold or angry. I really can’t imagine what he looks like when he is happy.
Uncle Dong actually thought seriously for a moment and said with emotion: "Indeed, I haven't seen him this happy in many years!"
Yue Mingming thought to himself, "Is his mood good enough... to the point where he wouldn't get angry even if I made some unreasonable requests?"
Uncle Dong exposed her: "What are you planning, my lady?"
"It's a very bold idea! If it were any other time, he might be so angry that he would kill or set fire to something!" Yue Mingming answered seriously.
Uncle Dong laughed and said, "This is a rare opportunity. Why don't you give it a try, my lady?"
Yue Mingming was surprised: "I thought you would stop me..."
Uncle Dong looked at her meaningfully and said, "Go ahead and provoke him, my lady. If you need any help, please let me know."
Yue Mingming asked quietly, "Is there any wine here?"
Uncle Dong raised his eyebrows: "...My lady, you don't know that the prince doesn't like to drink..."
"I didn't drink it for him, I drank it!" Yue Mingming confessed weakly: "Wine makes cowards brave...Uncle Dong, you know..."
*
Yue Mingming, carrying a red lacquer lunch box, knocked on the door of Zhao Congyun's study.
Inside the room, an incense burner curled with the soothing aroma of pine and wood. Zhao Congyun, dressed in a light blue shirt, sat at his desk, holding a brush, lightly dipping it into the ink well and slowly dropping it onto the rice paper.
Hearing the footsteps, he raised his eyelids slightly to take a look, but he wrote very steadily, without pausing for a moment.
"...Did I disturb you?" Yue Mingming came up politely.
"No problem."
Zhao Congyun added a few more wisps of clouds and mist to the scroll, then put down his brush and asked, "What's going on?"
Before Yue Mingming could say anything, he was attracted by his painting - it was a picture of a stream at night, with towering green cliffs, gurgling streams, rising clouds and mist, and startled birds.
The artistic conception is extremely beautiful, but...
"This painting seems to be missing half?" Yue Mingming asked curiously.
All the images only occupy half of the picture, and the remaining half is a blank space that cannot be ignored.
Zhao Congyun said calmly, "It's not finished yet."
"What do we want to add here?" Yue Mingming asked, pointing behind the mountain.
Zhao Congyun didn't answer, but glanced at the food box in her hand and asked: "When did you get the job of delivering food?"
Yue Mingming forced a smile on his face, but he couldn't help but complain in his heart - how could this person look happy at all? There was no difference from usual at all!
She opened the lunch box, which contained four side dishes and a bowl of porridge. This was Zhao Congyun's usual dinner.
He took out another pot of wine and a cup of soup, and said with a smile, "There's a happy event today, so we'll have an extra meal!"
"Where does your joy come from?" Zhao Congyun snorted, but took the lead and sat down.
Yue Mingming pulled out a stool and sat down next to him casually: "Uncle Dong told me everything... so much good news, isn't it worth celebrating?"
"The mastermind has not yet been apprehended. It is too early to rejoice."
Zhao Congyun paused and then warned, "You should be more cautious recently. Your father's situation... I always feel that it's not going so smoothly as usual."
Yue Mingming nodded vigorously: "Got it!"
You were right tonight!
Yue Mingming's mind was full of calculations - her only task tonight was to make him happy and get him to sign the divorce agreement with Su Dingrou, then she would be done!
She pushed the soup bowl in front of him and offered it as a gift, "Try this small hanging pear soup. I started making it this afternoon. I wanted to drink it myself, but now I'm giving it to you. Isn't that very considerate?"
Zhao Congyun glanced at her, sensing something strange about her smile tonight. He frowned slightly, "I've never heard of anyone celebrating by drinking soup... We have wine ready, why aren't you drinking it?"
He lifted the lid of the pot and took a sniff. "Osmanthus wine...it's quite suitable for the occasion. But it's a pity that the time is too short. I'm afraid this wine won't be very good."
Yue Mingming smiled and said, "You don't like drinking, this wine is for me! We don't need to talk about those rules. We are not outside, you don't have to pretend!"
"..." Zhao Congyun looked up in shock, and met a pair of bright eyes. He was defeated and poured himself a glass of wine. "I just don't like drinking with people outside. It doesn't matter here."
He pushed the pear soup back: "You are not well yet, don't drink."
"Okay, okay!" Yue Mingming answered in a very servile manner.
She thought that it would be better if he drank, and it would be best if he got drunk and became obedient to her... She was not sure she could handle the sober Zhao Congyun.
The two of them ate in silence for a while.
Zhao Congyun adheres to the habit of "not talking while eating and not talking while sleeping", but Yue Mingming is like a monkey with its butt on fire. Mingming is extremely anxious, but has to endure it and pretend to be "I'm fine, I'm okay".
After she glanced at him for the eight hundredth time, hesitating to speak, Zhao Congyun finally put down his bowl and said, "Just say what you want to say."
"It's nothing, actually..."
Yue Mingming was still choosing his words carefully, but Zhao Congyun asked directly, "What about the princess?"
Yue Mingming: “…You know!”
Zhao Congyun: "Besides Sun Dayong in prison, the only person who worries you right now is Su Dingrou. Are you going to plead for her?"
Is divorce considered a form of plea?
Yue Mingming said truthfully: "...and General Shen, can you 'release' them both?"
She emphasized the word "let go", as if expecting Zhao Congyun to have an epiphany on his own.
"I 'let him go,'" Zhao Congyun said, imitating her tone. "I found a reason and had someone remove Shen Zongwu from his post in the patrol camp. I sent him to Jiangzhou to provide disaster relief."
"How does this not count as 'releasing'?"
...Yue Mingming had never seen a fox spirit before, so now her eyes were opened! This person clearly knew everything and had calculated everything accurately, yet he was still pretending to be her!
She suppressed her anger, her voice rising unconsciously: "How could you do this? Nothing happened between them at that time! It was just a past relationship. Who doesn't have a past?"
Zhao Congyun narrowed his eyes. "...Do you and Li Si also have a similar 'past'?"
Yue Mingming admired his ability to find fault, and said bluntly, "Don't you have any, Your Highness? No way!"
"I didn't." Zhao Congyun drank the glass of wine and answered indifferently.
No one would believe you!
Yue Mingming was angry, but don't think she didn't know. The gossip system said that his first love happened when he was fifteen, and his current girlfriend is Jiang Huan from Yaoyue Tower...
Your girlfriend and wife have saved up a lot of money, and you are still pretending to be a pure love warrior? You scumbag, don't be too outrageous!
Yue Mingming tried hard to suppress his sarcasm, but his expression did not look good.
Zhao Congyun glanced at her, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly continued, "That Chen guy is crazy. He insisted on running to the capital. Now they can openly meet in the mansion, and they will cause an even bigger mess in the future!"
Yue Mingming opened his mouth to defend himself, but Zhao Congyun said in a deep voice, "Don't interrupt! They're risking their lives, and you're so afraid of death, don't you understand? We're not the only ones in this mansion. You can take the blame once, but do you expect a second time?"
Yue Mingming obediently shut his mouth, pondering his words, and gradually understood: "Did you transfer him away on purpose?"
"...isn't it revenge?"
"Is there any difference?" Zhao Congyun asked.
"Of course there is a difference! If you explain the reason clearly, we won't misunderstand you!"
“…I don’t like to explain.”
"Then why are you explaining it now?" Yue Mingming said with a sly smile.
Zhao Congyun's slender fingers tightly grasped the wine glass and he stared at her. At this moment, his eyes seemed to be filled with starlight, becoming radiant and yet bottomless.
"Why...you really don't know?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
