"Affectation!"
Nan Shiying defined Zou Yun'er's illness.
However, such a heartache was difficult to cure unless she was told the truth of the matter. This was something Ji Hong had to handle; she was helpless.
"Your Highness, you should still pay attention to resting and not overthink things," Nan Shiying went through the motions and advised, "Your humble subject and Lord Zou were close friends. If Lord Zou has a spirit in heaven, he would not wish for Your Highness to be so grief-stricken."
"Your Highness, allow me to say something presumptuous. Since Lord Zou is no longer here, Your Highness should still collect yourself and pay a visit to the Zou family."
Zou Yun'er stared blankly at Feng Luan.
This person whom she had previously wished to kill was now treating her so well, and his kindness towards her was due to the good karma established by her father.
Thinking of her father, Zou Yun'er's eyes welled up with tears again.
Putting aside other matters, Zou Yun'er was truly a filial daughter.
Nan Shiying felt that although the Zou siblings were not particularly intelligent, their filial piety towards their family and parents was rare and precious.
At this moment, the situation of the Zou family might be difficult on the surface, but in secret, both the Emperor and the Prince would provide them with extra care. As long as the siblings did not do anything outrageous that angered heaven and man, the Zou family would never collapse.
After leaving Lilan Palace, Nan Shiying returned to the Prince's mansion.
Finally, she had a few days of peace, entering a life of a pampered idler at home, eating when she was full and sleeping when she woke up.
She couldn't help but sigh, this was what life should be like!!
However, good times did not last long. As the Spring Festival approached, the mansion became busy again with purchases, decorations, and arrangements. The maidservant from the Consort's side had come a few days ago, saying that Qin Yurou's illness had worsened and had reached the point of harming others. She pleaded for Nan Shiying's pity and to find a doctor for Qin Yurou.
A doctor, wasn't there one readily available!
Nan Shiying put on Feng Luan's skin and went to see Qin Yurou.
Her hair was messy as if she hadn't combed it for days, and the scars on her face, due to the long delay, were hypertrophic, like a large centipede, becoming even more distorted with her agitated emotions.
She no longer looked like her original self. In her current state, it would be better if she were dead.
Nan Shiying did not sympathize with her but merely sighed casually. After all, her current predicament was her own doing. From the beginning, she had been used as a pawn by Wei Rulan and Bai Xinxin. She was not intelligent enough, and her heart was particularly malicious. Nan Shiying decided to give her a dignified end.
After she left, Qin Yurou died.
She died peacefully.
When Ji Jinmo heard about it, he merely said he knew. However, out of respect for Qin Qiancheng, he still gave Qin Yurou a grand funeral, preserving her dignity.
As a side consort, Qin Yurou could not be buried in the imperial mausoleum and could only be buried in the ancestral mausoleum on Jiulong Mountain. Only if Ji Jinmo was willing to give her face in his afterlife could she be buried with him in the imperial mausoleum.
The coffin was only kept in the Prince's mansion for three days before being sent to Jiulong Mountain, not even waiting for the seventh day.
It was said that Qin Yushan had cried herself unconscious several times. If it weren't for Qin Qiancheng's restraint, she would have stormed into the Prince's mansion with a knife to kill Nan Shiying.
Of course, these were all rumors, and whether they were true or not didn't matter much.
Lord Zou's coffin, however, was kept for a full seven days. During the funeral procession, Zou Yun'er, still ill, rushed from the palace and cried herself unconscious again, being carried back.
Zou Yunming, however, made Nan Shiying look at him with new eyes.
After Lord Zou's death, he had managed to hold the entire Zou mansion together. During the funeral, everything was arranged in an orderly manner, showing no sign that he had previously been an unlearned prodigal son.
Days passed one by one, and Nan Shiying's life trajectory was basically a three-point routine.
Prince's mansion, Imperial Palace, Tongji Pharmacy!
Before the Spring Festival, the envoys from Dali had not yet arrived, but another group of people had reached Linyuan first.
...
"Senior Brother, when are we going to find that impostor who is falsely claiming to be from our Yaowang Valley and swindling people?"
The speaker was a young girl of only thirteen or fourteen. She had her hair styled in two little pigtails, her face was round and chubby, and when she smiled, there were two dimples at the corners of her mouth. She looked like a large version of a New Year's picture doll. The New Year's picture doll excitedly looked at the novelties on the street while indignantly asking, as if ready to pounce on the thief the moment her Senior Brother gave the order.
The thief, of course, was referring to Nan Shiying!
"Yuanyuan, do not be impatient. Before you have seen Feng Luan, do not make such hasty judgments." The young man in the lead wore a dark blue robe. The fabric of the robe was of an unidentifiable quality, but it was likely not cheap.
He frowned slightly, displeased with the New Year's picture doll's remarks. Although he was reprimanding her, because the New Year's picture doll was too cute, he did not use a harsh tone.
The New Year's picture doll wrinkled her nose and complained in dissatisfaction, "Senior Brother, don't call me by my nickname. I'm already grown up, and I'm not round anymore!!"
The Senior Brother nodded seriously and earnestly, "I understand, Yuanyuan."