Chapter 24 Exorcising Mugwort Soup: Yinreng was indeed stimulated. ...
Yinreng was indeed provoked. Lately, he'd been confined to the main hall and study, and even when she was occasionally summoned to serve him, her aura was frighteningly low. As the master of Xian'an Palace, his bad mood cast a shadow over the entire palace. This made one wonder if Xian'an Palace had recently encountered some kind of misfortune, as everything seemed to be going wrong.
Cheng Qianyue felt the same way; she thought both she and Yinreng needed to get rid of the bad luck. As for how to do it, well, take a bath with pomelo leaves!
However, pomelos are a fruit available only in autumn and winter. Now that summer is approaching, pomelos are out of season, and the palace doesn't have any. She asked Ruoyun, "Then what does the palace have? Oranges, lemons?"
Ruoyun was confused by what she said and thought she was going to soak that thing in water, so she laughed and said, "Is Princess going to make tea? Why don't you have someone send over a pot of tangerine peel, red bean and lotus seed soup?"
Cheng Qianyue said, "I'm not going to brew tea, I'm going to get rid of bad luck. I think I heard that bathing in water with pomelo peel can get rid of bad luck, but unfortunately pomelos are not in season."
So it was to get rid of bad luck. Ruoyun took it to heart and said seriously, "Your Highness is right. We have indeed encountered some villains this year, and we must get rid of the bad luck properly." She thought for a moment and said, "The Dragon Boat Festival is coming soon. The kitchen must have prepared a lot of mugwort. I will ask them for some, boil it in water, and mix it for Your Highness to take a bath."
Mugwort is said to have the power to ward off evil spirits? Cheng Qianyue thought for a moment and said, "Perfect, let's hang some under the eaves too."
Ruoyun quickly agreed and stepped out of the west wing, just in time to bump into Lin Quan'an, who was carrying tea from the tea room next door. Upon seeing her, Lin Quan'an asked, "Where are you going, sister?"
Ruoyun said she needed to go to the kitchen to get some mugwort leaves. Lin Quan'an immediately said, "Don't trouble yourself with such a small matter, sister. I'll go and make the trip myself. Sister, go in and serve tea to the princess."
Ruoyun glanced at him sideways. Rumors had circulated in the kitchen that Lin Quan'an refused to go outside to fetch meals, and that he would send lowly eunuchs to the kitchen every mealtime. She suspected this boy was involved in the rumors, but hadn't inquired further. She said, "What? You wouldn't leave Xian'an Palace before, but now you're not afraid?"
Lin Quan'an chuckled. Actually, he had already heard that those gossiping people outside had been dealt with, and he just wanted to go out and see if things had calmed down. His smile made him look a little sly, and he pleaded, "Look at what you're saying, sister. I was scared out of my wits a few days ago, but I've regained my courage now."
Eunuchs have sharper eyes and ears than palace maids, so Ruoyun didn't argue with him and just said, "Alright, go ahead."
Lin Quan'an agreed and left Xian'an Palace. He entered the Prince's Kitchen again, and as expected, most of the people inside were unfamiliar faces. Even the former head cook was nowhere to be seen. Even the few familiar faces didn't look at him with mocking or gossipy eyes. Lin Quan'an felt a pang of emotion, but also a sense of relief that he had survived another ordeal, and couldn't help but straighten his back and hold his head high.
A bunch of despicable scoundrels, do they even deserve to laugh at their Xian'an Palace? Bah!
The newly arrived head cook, surnamed He, was incredibly hospitable, addressing Lin Quan'an as "brother" this and "brother" that. Upon hearing that Lin Quan'an wanted mugwort, he immediately ordered someone to open the storeroom and gave him a large bunch tied with red thread. Lin Quan'an tried to reward him with money, but Eunuch He refused to accept it, instead putting his arm around Lin Quan'an's shoulder and seeing him off.
Watching Lin Quan'an's departing figure, Eunuch He couldn't help but shake his head. Tsk, that previous head of the Prince's kitchen had really lost his mind. Even though the Second Prince had lost his position as Crown Prince, he was still the Emperor's son! How dare he make such exorbitant demands of the Second Prince's princess? How dare he listen to the rumors and pretend he didn't hear them? What a fool!
Lin Quan'an carried the mugwort back and briefly told Cheng Qianyue about the situation in the kitchen. "Most of the kitchen staff have been replaced. Although I haven't inquired in detail, I imagine that those who were gossiping about it didn't have a good ending. I think the matter from last time is probably over."
Cheng Qianyue's focus was on the group of people in the palace who had met with bad ends. Whether it was a reminder to herself or to Ruoyun and the others, she lowered her eyes and said, "The rules in the palace are strict. You can't spread the nonsense and filth of the masters."
Lin Quan'an and Ruoyun, who were standing to the side, both said "Yes".
Cheng Qianyue took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. She asked Lin Quan'an to go to the tea room to get mugwort to boil water, and asked Ruoyun to prepare bathing supplies. She then got up to invite Yinreng to come and take a bath.
Normally, she would never approach Yinreng if he didn't come. But after the last incident, she felt her feelings for him had deepened. There's a saying, "The three greatest bonds in life are: studying together, fighting together, and sharing the spoils." She was now someone who had "fought together" with Yinreng, so even though she knew he was unhappy, she was still willing to take the initiative to see him.
Yinreng was practicing calligraphy in his study at that moment. After Chen Hetong announced his arrival, Cheng Qianyue entered and saw him standing behind his desk, his brush moving swiftly and gracefully.
"Master," Cheng Qianyue said softly as she walked to his side.
Yinreng stopped what he was doing, and after a long while asked, "What's wrong?"
Cheng Qianyue replied, "I have ordered someone to prepare mugwort soup. Would you like to take a bath?" Yinreng was taken aback and turned his head to look at her. Cheng Qianyue then blurted out, "Mugwort wards off evil spirits. I was thinking that there have been many things going on lately, so let's take a bath in mugwort soup to get rid of bad luck."
Yinreng involuntarily let out a breath. To get rid of bad luck, that's fine. He put down his pen, looked at her, and smiled slightly: "Since you're so meticulous, I'll listen to you."
The two arrived at the west wing, where the mugwort soup had already been prepared. The tea stove was small, so it could only boil a little mugwort water; hot water still had to be carried from outside. However, everything was ready now, and the bath tubs inside were filled with a bright green medicinal soup, giving the room a strong smell of Chinese medicine.
Cheng Qianyue first tested the temperature with her hand, finding it slightly warmer than she felt, and then personally helped Yinreng undress. Yinreng didn't shy away, stripping naked and sitting in the warm bathtub. He then couldn't help but sigh, looking around and asking her, "Why is there only one tub? Aren't you going to soak?"
Cheng Qianyue replied, "No rush, you wash first, and then I'll wash."
Yinreng laughed, as if her wanting him to take a bath first was a very considerate thing to do. But the truth was that she only had one tea stove and one teapot, and could only boil one pot of mugwort soup at a time.
Cheng Qianyue took a handkerchief and wiped his back. She wanted to say some comforting and intimate words to him. She raised her head and told the people behind the curtain to go out. While dutifully acting as a bath attendant, she brought up the topic and asked, "What has Master been doing these past few days? I haven't seen you come over."
Yinreng had clearly misunderstood. He thought she was worried about losing favor, so he smiled and said to her, "I've been wanting some peace and quiet these past few days, but I feel neglected?"
Cheng Qianyue was speechless. What was all this about? She blurted out, "I know you're unhappy, but why would I think that?"
The words were too blunt, leaving Yinreng speechless. He couldn't very well say that he was unhappy because the Emperor hadn't taken him with him when he left the palace. But then he thought, quite a few people in Xian'an Palace probably noticed too, but only she dared to say it so openly to his face. Surprisingly, he didn't feel angry; instead, it was as if he had suddenly gained someone he could confide in.
Cheng Qianyue couldn't see his face from behind, but she knew she was right. Seeing that Yinreng was silent, she assumed he was sad and comforted him, saying, "I think this is a good thing."
Yinreng hummed in response.
Cheng Qianyue whispered in his ear, "I heard that most of the staff in the kitchen have been replaced, and now that the Emperor has gone to Changchun Garden, I'm wondering if the previous events have come to an end. Besides, I think the Emperor is such an important person. Once the Emperor leaves, everyone's attention will be diverted, and then no one will notice the rumors circulating in the Forbidden City. So, not taking you along is for our own good. Our Xian'an Palace can't afford to be in the eye of the storm any longer."
The more she spoke, the more she felt it made sense, and she proudly raised her head and said, "Your Majesty, you don't need to be unhappy. The fact that the Emperor doesn't take you with him just shows that he cares about you."
Yinreng slowly turned his head to look at her. Cheng Qianyue felt that his gaze was a bit off. It didn't seem to have that amazing feeling of "Wow, what you said makes so much sense," but rather it was as indifferent as an adult looking at a child's innocent words.
"Did you come up with this yourself?" he asked.
Cheng Qianyue nodded with particular pride, "I thought about it all day." To comfort him, she really racked her brains to set the tone for this matter, and even had a vague feeling that things would turn out this way.
Yinreng reached out and touched her face, whispering, "As the saying goes, true wisdom often appears as foolishness; perhaps that's what you are like."
Cheng Qianyue misheard, only catching the word "wisdom". She tilted her head and said, "Does Master also think I'm right? I also think I'm very smart."
Yinreng couldn't help but burst into laughter. His laughter seemed to circulate the air in the room.
In fact, as early as when the rumors of the Emperor's journey to Changchun Garden were first spread in the Qianqing Palace, Yinreng had already guessed the meaning behind it. Although he knew it was for his own good, he still felt downcast. He thought of things from years past, of how his residence as Crown Prince, the West Garden, was only a road away from Changchun Garden, but now he could only listen to the news of the Emperor's departure from Xian'an Palace, with other princes accompanying him. However, now that someone was with him, explaining things to him like a child, he wasn't so disappointed.
Yinreng got up after soaking for a while, and Cheng Qianyue quickly took a towel to wipe him down, saying with each wipe, "All the bad luck is gone!"
Yinreng liked seeing her like this, as if a mugwort bath would truly bring him smooth sailing. He wanted to hug her tightly as he watched her chattering, and he did just that, but he quickly let go of Cheng Qianyue, leaving behind the words, "Have someone change the water, you should soak in it too." Then he went behind the screen to get dressed.
Cheng Qianyue suddenly felt her face getting hot and unconsciously patted her cheeks. Ah, why did I just feel such a warm feeling?
After Yinreng finished dressing, the mugwort bath in the room was also changed. Cheng Qianyue didn't want to undress in front of Yinreng, so she asked him to go out and sunbathe before taking off her clothes and soaking in the bath herself.
After her bath, she went outside to dry her hair and sat side by side with Yinreng under the covered walkway. As she dried her hair, she suddenly asked, "What did Your Highness praise me for earlier?" She pondered his reaction and felt increasingly that something was amiss.
"Great wisdom appears as foolishness," Yinreng said.
Huh? Cheng Qianyue was stunned. Was this a compliment? Wasn't this implying that she was stupid?
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