Yuan Yuan was still asleep when Chi Ying collapsed.
The Cold Palace was poorly stocked, and medicine was especially precious. Each year, Liuyue could only receive medicine once, which consisted of inferior ginseng rootlets, codonopsis, bupleurum, and the like...
Liu Yue asked Jiang Xian for help to help Chi Ying onto the soft couch covered with a thin old quilt.
It just so happens that it's time to pick up the medicine once a year.
Liu Yue fed Chi Ying some hot water, asked Jiang Xian to look after Chi Ying and Yuan Yuan, and then cleaned herself up and went to guard the entrance of the Cold Palace.
The weather is getting colder and colder.
In October, there were already faint signs that it would snow.
Liuyue pulled her old skirt tighter, which had become too short, and huddled in the corner.
After a click of the lock being opened, the heavy wooden door was pushed open from the outside.
With a "thump," a bulging burlap sack was thrown in.
Liu Yue was overjoyed and quickly got up to pick up the bag.
Inside the bag were about five pounds of brown rice, a small, fatty piece of cured meat, and a few wilted vegetable leaves.
The bag labeled "medicine" was small and empty.
Liu Yue took out the medicine bag, glanced at it, and immediately looked at the little eunuch at the door: "Eunuch, where is this year's medicine?"
Why... are they all dried ginger slices?
The young eunuch glanced at her sideways and said sarcastically, "Aren't dried ginger slices medicine?"
Liu Yue didn't understand the little eunuch's tone. She simply picked up the bag, walked to the door, opened it, and handed it to the little eunuch, saying earnestly, "Sir, these dried ginger slices can't be used as medicine or cure any illness."
The little eunuch wanted to sneer: "Princess, I'm just a messenger. Whatever the higher-ups issue, I'll deliver. I know nothing else."
"If the princess wants something, she should just go ask the Empress herself."
Liu Yue frowned.
As a princess confined to the cold palace, she hadn't seen her father, the emperor, for almost ten years. How could she dare to ask the empress for something?
Liu Yue looked at the young eunuch with a hint of hope: "Sir, why don't you go and ask him again for me?"
The little eunuch chuckled sarcastically, "Princess, I advise you to save your breath."
As a princess confined to the cold palace, no matter how much you struggle, this is all you can do for the rest of your life. You should stop looking for trouble and creating problems for yourself.
Although you are illiterate, you don't seem stupid.
Why are there no other medicines available this year? Use your brain and think about it carefully.
Liuyue: "..."
She glanced blankly at the little eunuch, then looked down at the medicine bag in her hand.
Her face turned pale, and she whispered, "I understand, it's Fourth Brother..."
Jiang Chi deliberately threw A Yuan into this desolate, cold palace, presumably with the intention of killing A Yuan.
In that case, how could anyone be allowed to send medicine to the Cold Palace?
Liu Yue gave a wry smile and said to the young eunuch, "Thank you for making this trip, sir. You've had a hard time."
As he spoke, he handed over a piece of silver that he had saved up for a long time.
The young eunuch weighed the loose silver in his hand and said casually, "This servant has a fellow villager who seems to be leaving the palace on business tomorrow morning and returning in the afternoon."
Alas, my life is miserable; I have to go and fix the dog hole in the palace next door…
Leaving the palace?
A dog hole?
Liu Yue immediately understood the little eunuch's implication.
She hoisted the sack onto her shoulder and said to the young eunuch, "Please wait here for me a moment, sir. I'll be right back!"
The young eunuch grunted in response.
Liuyue hurriedly ran to a persimmon tree in the yard.
The persimmons on the tree swayed in the autumn wind, like strings of red lanterns.
The ground was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves, and some rotten persimmons that had been pecked by birds were scattered all over the ground.
Liu Yue took off her shoes, struggled to climb up the persimmon tree, stopped at a branch, raised her hand, and reached into the tree hole.
She took out a ten-tael silver ingot and a piece of broken silver.
After climbing down the tree, Liuyue put on her shoes and hurriedly ran towards the entrance of the Cold Palace.
Upon seeing her, the young eunuch's expression darkened: "Princess, you've been gone for far too long, causing me to miss so many things..."
"Here, take this!" Liu Yue handed over a piece of silver, her eyes bright and dark. "Can you do me a favor?"
The young eunuch took the silver and his face lit up with joy: "Princess, let me make this clear first, I dare not take on any difficult tasks."
“It’s not difficult!” Liu Yue leaned closer to the little eunuch: “Tomorrow, bring me back some meat and some medicine for my injuries!”
Let's do it secretly, without letting Fourth Brother know!
"This..." The little eunuch looked somewhat troubled.
Liu Yue spread her hands: "If you don't want to, then give me back the money."
The little eunuch immediately hid the silver in his hand behind his back.
Liu Yue immediately smiled: "Could you buy me some more rice and flour? Buy more, and if you have any sweet potatoes or anything like that, buy some for me too."
The rest of the silver is yours to divide among you.
The little eunuch sighed: "Princess, this servant earned money that could cost you your life. Please remember the good I did for you."
"What's your name?" Liuyue asked.
The young eunuch replied, "Little Gold."
Little Gold?
No wonder he's so greedy.
Liu Yue nodded: "Little Jinzi, if Ah Xian and I ever get out of the Cold Palace in the future, we will definitely thank you properly!"
Did he come out of the Cold Palace?
Xiao Jinzi gripped the silver in his hand, glanced at the peeling paint on the door, and didn't believe it; he even scoffed a little.
These two in the Cold Palace have long been forgotten.
Think of something?
Disaster!
Little Gold opened his hands, palms facing up: "Princess, this servant has been out for too long, it's time to go back."
Liu Yue nodded and placed a silver ingot in Xiao Jinzi's palm.
After receiving the silver, Xiao Jinzi said to Liu Yue, "I will deliver the items tomorrow at dusk. Princess, please remember not to let His Highness the Fourth Prince know!"
"Yes!" Liuyue nodded emphatically, "I've got it!"
The palace gates closed, and Xiao Jinzi hid the silver and ran away.
Liu Yue breathed a sigh of relief and hurried back to the back hall.
Upon seeing her, Jiang Xian asked, "Sister, did you receive your things?"
Fearing that Jiang Xian would be disappointed, Liu Yue comforted him, "Today, only some things were sent over. Tomorrow, someone else will send us more good things."
Ah Xian, you stay here and stay with Ah Yuan and this young master. I'll go cook for you, okay?
"Okay!" Jiang Xian looked at Liu Yue innocently and asked, "Did you get the meat, sister? Can we eat meat today?"
Thinking of that small, fatty piece of meat, Liu Yue's eyes flickered, but she still smiled and said, "If there's meat, I'll go cook for Ah Xian right away!"
Ah Xian, be a good boy, just call for your older sister if you need anything, okay?
"Okay, sure!" Jiang Xian replied obediently.
Liu Yue smiled, glanced at the bed, and turned to walk out.
Jiang Xian sat on the edge of the bed, glancing at Yuan Yuan and then at Chi Ying. After looking at them for a while, he found it boring and simply got up and left the palace.
As soon as the palace doors closed, Chi Ying opened her eyes on the couch.
He coughed a few times, turned over and got up, and staggered to the bedside, half-lying down and half-kneeling.
Dry, cool hands covered Yuan Yuan's forehead.
After probing for a moment, he lowered his voice and said, "I'll wait for you for three days. If you don't wake up after three days, I'll take you away by force."
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