Nan Shiying repaid Ji Jinmo with a handkerchief, a personal handkerchief.
The man tucked the handkerchief into his chest. Lvan heard the prince calling her from inside, pushed the door open, and walked in. After bowing to the two, she saw Nan Shiying drinking cool tea and quickly walked to Nan Shiying’s side. She picked up the teapot and chided, "Your Highness, how can you drink cool tea in this weather? This servant will brew a fresh pot for you!"
As she spoke, she also took away the teacup in Nan Shiying's hand.
Nan Shiying looked at her empty hand and clicked her tongue. Her hand naturally fell to the table. She reached for the grapes on the table. Bai Zhi saw this and came closer, took the grapes from her hand, and began to peel them with great care.
The more they interacted, the more presumptuous these young girls became. However, neither Nan Shiying nor Ji Jinmo blamed them for this "presumption." Bai Zhi very carefully peeled the grapes, making them crystal clear like dewdrops, and removed the seeds. Her movements were quick, as if she had practiced them in private. Soon, she finished peeling an entire bunch of grapes and placed them before Nan Shiying.
After peeling the grapes, she got up and stepped back.
Lvan, carrying the newly brewed Taiping Monkey King tea, walked in gracefully. Her left hand still held a small food box—she had picked out two cages of freshly made pastries from the small kitchen earlier.
The food and drink were all things the imperial consort liked, without any regard for the prince's taste. However, these servants couldn't be blamed; they were learning from the prince.
When the prince and consort were being intimate, the table would be set with, and the small kitchen would cook and stew, only the consort's favorite foods. The small kitchen in Xinyuan Pavilion was better, as it would also prepare some of the prince's favorite dishes. As for the front courtyard, as long as the consort stayed in the study, everything made was food the consort loved, showing absolutely no consideration for the prince.
During this New Year period, everything seemed to have returned to normal. The streets and alleys were filled with festive pedestrians, with houses decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers. There were vendors selling velvet flowers, kingfisher feathers, and snacks. The stall carts were hung with red cloth, adorned with peace knots. The old man selling sugar paintings had a later start today. In front of his stall, little ones held copper coins, obediently queuing. The vendor selling candied hawthorn behind him took the copper coins and handed a skewer of candied hawthorn to the young customer in front.
The only place that was somewhat bleak was the post station and the surrounding streets.
Even though it was the end of the year, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works were still renovating the post station and residential houses, striving to have the citizens move back into their homes by spring.
On the fifth day of the first lunar month, Nan Shiying took wine and meat to Tongji Pharmacy.
On the New Year's Day, she and Ji Jinmo had gone to the palace for a banquet and then returned to the imperial palace to take the pulse of Zou Yun'er. By the time they got back to the manor, it was almost midnight. She had wanted to keep watch with the Poison Elder, but found that the old man had already gone to Tongji Pharmacy to celebrate the New Year with Gouzi and Yadun. The old man said he had always celebrated that way in previous years, and this year was no different.
Nan Shiying stayed in the manor and kept watch with Ji Jinmo. This was their first Spring Festival together, and her first Spring Festival since arriving in this world. It wasn't until the fifth day that she saw the old man still lingering at Tongji Pharmacy, so Nan Shiying decided to go and find him.
"Rotten wood cannot be carved!"
Before Nan Shiying even entered, she heard the Poison Elder's furious roar, his anger at its peak. Well, Gouzi was definitely the one being scolded.
Gouzi held a medical book, wishing he could cry.
In this world, some people are geniuses, while others are mediocre. Some are good at learning, while others are good at archery and horsemanship. He was just unlucky; he wasn't good at learning or at archery and horsemanship. His mind wasn't sharp, and his muscles weren't well-developed. The only thing he could be proud of was his resistance to poison; no poison could kill him!
He felt that all his skill points might have been invested in resistance. Magic resistance. Logically speaking, he was invincible in this regard. It was just that his strengths were exceptionally long, and his weaknesses were exceptionally short. And his strengths were particularly useless to the old man, which was why the old man thought he was good for nothing and had unreasonable expectations of him—he really didn't understand why the old man insisted on comparing him to the vixen of an imperial consort. With jade in front of him, no matter how much straw rolled, it couldn't be polished into jade!
Gouzi scratched his hair, looking wronged and helpless. When he looked up, he saw Nan Shiying leaning on a tree branch, looking like she was enjoying the show without caring about the magnitude of the event.
Several black lines appeared on Gouzi's forehead. How did this person have the demeanor of an imperial consort!
Even though he knew that Feng Luan and Nan Shiying were the same person, Gouzi, who had seen her in both male and female attire, still couldn't connect the two to this day.
For no other reason, he just felt that Feng Luan was too mischievous!
Sensing Gouzi's gaze drifting to the side, the Poison Elder turned his head and saw Feng Luan jumping down from the tree. The veins in his temples throbbed.
Why did this troublemaker come here!
Nan Shiying jumped through the window into the room, placed the wine pot and meat in her hands on the table, and looked down at the Poison Elder. The old man's gaze towards her was not right. It seemed he had been avoiding her these past few days!
Nan Shiying reached out to grab the Poison Elder's wrist. The old man, in turn, threw a handful of poisonous smoke at her. Nan Shiying waved her hand, her sleeve rolling up the poisonous smoke and flinging it aside. Gouzi suddenly covered his mouth and nose. He only managed to exclaim "Wo" before falling to the ground with a crash.
Are you guys sick, are you sick!!!
Why did you throw poisonous smoke, why did you flick it aside, didn't you two, with your four eyes, see that there was still someone standing here breathing!!!!!
Gouzi wailed silently.
The Poison Elder and Nan Shiying exchanged blows, one wanting a pulse check, the other refusing. Neither paid any attention to Gouzi, who had fallen to the side, his body stiff and paralyzed.
"Take that!"
The Poison Elder grabbed a chair and threw it at Nan Shiying, seizing the opportunity to flash towards the window to escape.
Nan Shiying dodged the incoming chair and raised her silver needle. The Poison Elder suddenly felt a prickling sensation on his back. One of his feet was already on the window frame, his hands gripping the left and right window sills respectively. He turned his head to look back, saw the flashing silver needle, and two cold drops of sweat fell from his forehead.
He cried out, "Ai yo," retracted his foot, released his hands, and turned back into the room.
He bent down to pick up the chair that had fallen to the ground, tidied his clothes, and sat down gracefully. He then looked up at Nan Shiying and greeted her, "Ai yo, apprentice, why are you here? Look at you, you didn't need to bring anything. Come, have a drink with your master."
Nan Shiying slowly put away her silver needle and sat down opposite the Poison Elder with a smile.
Gouzi: "..."
Are the holes under your eyebrows just for breathing? Look at me, look at me! I'm still lying here!!!!
Nan Shiying smiled at the Poison Elder, smiling, still smiling. The hand holding the wine pot was stiff, very stiff. The two remained in a stalemate for nearly a minute before the Poison Elder finally sighed in resignation, rolled up his sleeves, and extended his hand.
"Take it!"