The corridor outside the study in the backyard of the former Prince's Mansion in Yi Prefecture.
Meng Jiuning wore a light blue Dali robe embroidered with peacock patterns, with a white fox fur coat draped over it, and followed Yun Shuyue with light steps.
"Sister Yue'er, please slow down."
She quickened her pace, blocked Yun Shuyue's path, and pulled a small oil paper packet from her wide sleeve, stuffing it into her hand.
"Take a look at this first."
Yun Shuyue held a small bamboo basket in her arms and wore a snowman-shaped fleece hat on her head.
The two furry ears on her hat swayed as she walked.
She stopped, sniffed, and looked down at the paper package.
"What is this? Frosting? Sister Su Yao said I'm not allowed to eat snacks behind her back. If I get caught, I'll lose two hundred coins from my monthly allowance next month."
"Oh dear, it's not for eating!"
Meng Jiuning lowered her voice and glanced around first.
After confirming that Lin Qingdai was not nearby, she leaned close to Yun Shuyue's ear and whispered, "This is the Dali royal family's secret Truth-Telling Powder."
Yun Shuyue's fingers trembled, and she almost threw the paper package away.
"You're going to poison the prince?"
"I must be crazy to have hurt him!"
Meng Jiuning quickly grabbed her hand and glared at her irritably.
"This drug will only lower his guard. Ask him what's on his mind, and he'll tell you the truth."
She pointed to the paper package in her hand.
"It contains calming herbs and calming powder, and its medicinal properties are very mild. You can't taste it even if you put it in ginseng soup. After the effects wear off, you'll sleep for a few hours at most."
Yun Shuyue remained wary.
"What do you want to do? If there's really poison in there, Sister Lin's knife is sharp enough to slice you into jerky and feed you to Wangcai!"
"I guarantee this with the honor of the Dali royal family."
Meng Jiuning held up three fingers, her expression becoming more serious.
"Moreover, this medicine is very mild and has only benefits for the body without any harm."
Think about it, if the prince really had a hidden ailment, and we knew about it in advance, wouldn't we be able to treat it effectively?
Don't forget, I can also heal.
We're doing this for the Prince's own good!
Yun Shuyue bit her lower lip, looked down at the packet of medicine powder, and felt a little hesitant.
The prince has indeed been staying up late in his study lately. Although his complexion looks rosy, sometimes he feels as hot as a furnace.
A few days ago at the pharmacy, she overheard Murong Xue cursing the prince as a "mad bull who's taken the wrong medicine."
If the prince really injures his meridians but stubbornly endures it...
"Then... how about we try just a little bit?"
Yun Shuyue extended her little finger and gestured.
"Yes! Just try a little bit!"
Meng Jiuning beamed and pushed Yun Shuyue's shoulder towards the small kitchen. "I've already had the ginseng soup prepared. It's made with old ginseng from Changbai Mountain; it's very nourishing!"
Fifteen minutes later.
Yun Shuyue carefully walked to the door of the study in the warm pavilion, carrying a carved mahogany tray with a blue and white porcelain stew pot on it.
Meng Jiuning huddled behind a pillar, peeking out half her head, her eyes filled with the excitement of watching a show.
Yun Shuyue took a deep breath, raised her hand and pushed open the door. "Your Highness, I've brought you some hot soup."
Inside the study, the fireplace burned quietly.
Gu Moran was leaning back in the armchair, holding a cinnabar brush in his hand, sketching on the unfolded Jiannan Circuit water conservancy map.
With his current Fourth Rank Peak level and his five senses Hundred Meridians Clear, he had heard the whole thing clearly as soon as the two women whispered their first words in the corridor.
"Enter."
Gu Moran didn't even look up, and drew a heavy circle with the tip of his pen at the location of Bronze Gorge.
Yun Shuyue shuffled in with small steps, gently placed the tray on a corner of the large desk, wiped her hands on her apron, and began to speak haltingly.
"Your Highness, this is a soup made by the small kitchen, made with old ginseng and deer antler, to dispel cold."
You... you should drink it while it's hot.
Gu Moran put down the cinnabar brush, raised his eyelids, and looked at her with a half-smile.
"Old ginseng and deer antler? I remember Shen Ling'er saying just yesterday that I have excessive qi and blood recently and need to drink herbal tea to reduce internal heat. Who told you to stew deer antler?"
Yun Shuyue shrank back, a layer of cold sweat breaking out on her back, her eyes drifting towards the door. "It's... it's Sister Meng who said that it's been windy lately, and the Prince has been working hard..."
"Oh? Princess Meng has this kind of filial piety?"
Gu Moran raised an eyebrow, turned to look at the door, and said loudly.
" Meng Jiuning, now that we're at the door, why are you clinging to the pillar like a gecko? Come in."
Meng Jiuning, standing behind the pillar, stiffened, gave a dry laugh, and could only brace herself and step into the study, bowing respectfully.
"Greetings to Your Highness. Jiuning only wanted to do her part because she sees how hard Your Highness works day and night."
It's rare to find someone with such a kind heart.
Gu Moran reached out and picked up the warm ginseng soup, lifted the porcelain lid, and a rich aroma of ginseng mixed with a very faint sweetness wafted out.
He stirred it gently twice with a white porcelain spoon, then looked up at the two women standing in a row.
Yun Shuyue gripped the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands, her eyes fixed on the tips of her shoes, not daring to even breathe loudly.
Although Meng Jiuning appeared calm, her fingers, which were tucked into her sleeves, unconsciously fiddled with her handkerchief.
"Such fine ginseng soup, it would be too inhumane for me to enjoy it all by myself."
Gu Moran's lips curled into a playful smile as he casually pushed the stew pot forward, stopping it right in front of Meng Jiuning.
" Princess Meng has come from afar, and being a princess in Dali, she has suffered hardship these days in Yi Prefecture, eating simple food and living a frugal life."
This soup is a gift from me; drink it.
Meng Jiuning's smile froze instantly, as if she had been struck by lightning.
"Your Highness... how can this be?"
Her voice trembled, she took half a step back, and waved her hands frantically.
"This is a gift from Sister Yue'er, made with her own hands for the Prince. As a hostage, how dare Jiuning overstep her bounds?"
"Your Highness should drink it. Your health is the most important thing."
"I am in very good health."
Gu Moran leaned back in his chair and tapped his knuckles lightly twice on the table.
Princess Meng, however, doesn't look too well.
He looked up at the bowl of ginseng soup, his tone calm.
"What, you're looking down on the ginseng soup from Prince Yi's Residence?"
"Or is there something added to this soup that I shouldn't know about?"
As he spoke, he stared at Yun Shuyue.
" Yue'er, have I been too good to you lately? If you don't tell the truth, take Tiedan back to your governor's mansion."
As Gu Moran finished speaking, Yun Shuyue's hand holding the teacup froze in mid-air.
The tea lid touched the rim of the cup, making a soft sound.
The next moment, her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the cushion with a thud, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Your Highness, Yue'er is wrong!"
" Sister Meng said this medicine is just to make people tell the truth. Yue'er only wants to know if the Prince has any hidden injuries; she has absolutely no intention of harming him!"