"How did you feel about going to court today?"
As soon as Tong Aning returned, she felt that everyone's eyes were on her.
Tong Aning looked at Su Zhouyue, who had asked her the question, and smiled, saying, "It's great, everyone is very kind."
Recalling the times when Tong Aobai and Tong Yibin, some people would get into fights, Tong Aning added, "No one has fought today."
Tong Aobai couldn't help but laugh. Who would dare to fight in front of Tong Aning? Who knows, the fight might attract Tong Aning's attention, and then Tong Aning would talk to Xixi, and then there would be no secrets left.
He almost got into a fight with the Minister of Court of Judicial Review and the Minister of the Court of Ministry of Justice Review today; his eyes were red with anger. But because Tong Aning was present, he forced himself to hold back.
Tong Aning yawned, tears welling in her eyes, and said, "I'm so sleepy... I want to sleep a little longer."
Su Zhouyue said with concern, " Yingtao, help Miss inside to get some rest."
Yingtao helped Tong Aning into the room. When Tong Aning passed in front of the mirror, she paused, then suddenly stopped.
Yingtao asked, "Miss, what's wrong?"
Tong Aning twirled in front of the mirror. "I actually look quite handsome in my official uniform."
Yingtao, standing beside her, laughed at the vain Tong Aning, "He is quite handsome."
Tong Aning was a little happier and sat down on the stool. Yingtao took off the hat from Tong Aning's head, carefully took off Tong Aning's hair bun, and then fetched water for Tong Aning to wash her hands and feet.
By the time she finished doing all that, Tong Aning was quite tired, so she went straight to sleep. Yingtao lowered the bed curtains and quietly slipped out.
Su Zhouyue pulled Yingtao aside and asked, "Asleep?"
"She's asleep, madam."
Su Zhouyue said worriedly, "What am I going to do if I'm always so sleepy?"
Tong Aobai said, " Aning is still young; isn't that the time when she's sleepy?"
Su Zhouyue elbowed Tong Aobai, "You're not worried at all?"
Tong Aobai grasped Su Zhouyue's hand, "How does Madam know I wasn't worried? Yibin and I were in court, fearing that Aning might make a mistake."
"Really?" Su Zhouyue was skeptical. She looked at Tong Aobai and noticed that her husband looked much more haggard. She couldn't help but say softly, "You've worked hard."
Tong Aobai curled his lips into a smile.
Tong Yibin: "..."
He coughed lightly. "Father, shall I go?"
Tong Aobai waved his hand; with his wife in his arms, he had no time to care about Tong Yibin.
Tong Yibin turned and left.
Watching Tong Yibin's retreating figure, Su Zhouyue asked, "What did you send Yibin to do?"
"I'm worried that the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and the Minister of Ministry of Justice might get into a fight in private. I'm sending Yibin to check on them."
Su Zhouyue glanced at Tong Aobai and said, "You're worrying too much."
"Those in positions of power should fulfill their duties. His Majesty treats my Tong family with sincerity, and I naturally must eliminate any potential troubles for His Majesty."
"Yes, yes, you're the best," Su Zhouyue flattered Tong Aobai, then changed the subject, "But they were originally master and disciple, how can a disciple hit his master?"
Tong Aobai said leisurely, "It's all too common for disciples to hit their masters."
*
Tong Siyan brought in some perfume and gently applied it under Tong Aning's eyes.
Tong Aning asked with her eyes closed, "Second sister, what is this? It smells so good!"
Tong Siyan, "This is jasmine balm; it can remove the dark circles under your eyes."
Tong Aning felt a cool, refreshing sensation under her eyes, which felt wonderful. "Are you done?"
"Alright."
Tong Aning opened her eyes, took the perfume from Tong Siyan's hand, examined it carefully, and asked with a bright look, "Is it really that magical?"
Tong Siyan nodded. "Yes."
"It must be very expensive."
Seeing her like this, Tong Siyan couldn't help but feel a little teasing. She said seriously, "It is very expensive."
Tong Aning: "Second sister, how about I pay you?"
"Need not."
Tong Aning insisted, "Yes, yes, I want it. Now that I have a salary, we should keep things clear, even between sisters."
Tong Siyan relented, pointing to the box in Tong Aning's hand, "This box is worth thirty thousand coins."
Tong Aning suddenly felt her hand was burning hot. Her eyes widened. "So expensive?"
Tong Siyan nodded seriously.
Tong Aning had just been about to give Tong Siyan money, grabbed her hand and stammered, "Second sister, I'm short of money right now. Next time, I'll definitely give it to you next time."
Tong Siyan was overjoyed. She playfully touched Tong Aning's cheek. "I was just kidding, it's only three hundred coins."
Tong Aning snorted.
Seeing that Tong Aning was about to ignore her, Tong Siyan took her hand and coaxed her gently, "Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore."
But Tong Aning's angry expression was quite cute, and Tong Siyan thought it was fun to tease Tong Aning occasionally.
Tong Aning promptly gave Tong Siyan three hundred coins.
She asked, "Second sister, did our shop develop this ourselves?"
"I suppose so. I stumbled upon the recipe for the perfume balm in Jiangnan, bought it back at a high price, and then asked a master craftsman to adjust the proportions, which resulted in the perfume balm we have today."
"Then," Tong Aning gently moved closer to Tong Siyan's embrace, Tong Siyan hugged her back, Tong Aning asked, "Does our family's shop now have many things that other shops don't have?"
"Yes."
"My second sister is truly amazing."
Tong Aning praised her with a smile, Tong Siyan softly, then suddenly remembered something and said, "But it's not like it has everything."
How so?
Seeing that Tong Aning was interested, Tong Siyan, "These past two days, an old man with a mask came to the shop and asked if we had anything that could prolong life."
Tong Aning exclaimed in surprise, "Such a thing is true?"
"Yes."
"If that really existed, wouldn't it be an elixir of immortality?"
"Yes."
People are really obsessed with the elixir of immortality.
"You two, stop lounging inside and come out for dinner."
Tong Siyan and Tong Aning responded loudly, got out of bed, and left the room.
During the meal, Tong Yibin said, "The two didn't actually fight, but they argued heatedly and parted on bad terms."
Tong Aning: "Who is it? Who is it?"
Tong Yibin placed some fish on Tong Aning's plate. "The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and the Minister of Ministry of Justice."
[The Minister of Ministry of Justice... isn't that my elder brother's direct superior?]
Tong Aning's only memory of Lin Yu was the scene of him suddenly kneeling down in front of her.
[A very strange person.]
Tong Aning took a bite of the fish that Tong Yibin had given her and was surprised to find that the fish bones had already been removed.
Tong Aning looked at Tong Yibin, "Brother, don't worry, if Lord Lin makes things difficult for you tomorrow, I will definitely stand up for you."
Su Zhouyue: "Your older brother doesn't need your protection at all..."
Before Su Zhouyue could finish speaking, Tong Aobai grin, " Aning, protect Daddy too."
Su Zhouyue: "..."
Tong Aning declared with boundless confidence, "Leave it to me."
*
On her second visit to court, Tong Aning was still extremely sleepy, and she suspected she was hallucinating, otherwise how could she have seen a giant panda in the court?
Tong Aning rubbed her eyes.
[Ah, not a giant panda, it's Lord Lin.]
Lin Yu: "..."
If it weren't for Tong Aning's heartfelt words, the court officials would never have discovered that Lin Yu had turned into a giant panda.
They all cast curious glances at Lin Yu.
Lin Yu kept a cold face; those with lower ranks than him dared not ask any more questions.
But...
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Zeng Xingchang, deliberately brought up a sore spot, asking, " Lord Lin, what's wrong with you?"
Lin Yu cupped his hands in greeting, forcing a smile, and said, "It's alright."
[Who could have imagined that Lord Lin would sneak into Lord Zeng's courtyard in the dead of night? And who could have imagined that Lord Zeng anticipated Lord Lin's arrival and had already laid an ambush... Experience truly matters.]
The court officials had no idea of such a secret; this was no master-disciple relationship, but clearly that of sworn enemies.
Lin Yu: "..."
He couldn't very well kneel down and beg this young lady Tong Aning supernatural powers; he should have just asked for leave.
The emperor was taken aback when he saw Lin Yu's appearance, and asked with concern, " Lord Lin, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing, I just tripped and fell in my own yard."
The emperor did not investigate further, but simply told him to be careful next time.
Lin Yu nodded.
The Emperor said, "I have heard of a heinous crime today. In broad daylight, in my capital, murders have occurred repeatedly, and the perpetrators are still at large."
The emperor glanced at Cen Yu, his expression full of displeasure.
Cen Yu knelt down in fear and trepidation, "It was my fault."
"This man is extremely vicious and ruthless; there's no guarantee he won't kill again," the emperor said in a deep voice. " Lord Cen, I'm only giving you three days."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will do my utmost."
Cen Yu stood up and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Although he had promised the emperor, he was not confident and was inwardly groaning. This case was too thorny, and even Xue Lin had no clue.
[ Lord Cen is so unlucky; the murderer is right here in the imperial court. How are we supposed to catch him?]
Was the murderer an official appointed by the imperial court?
Those who heard this heartfelt message were filled with horror.
Cen Yu wanted to ask Tong Aning for a few more questions, but it would be too conspicuous, so he held back for the time being.
As for the emperor, he frowned deeply, wondering who dared to be so presumptuous.
Zeng Xingchang stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty need not worry, this old minister has a treasure to present to Your Majesty."
"What treasure?"
Zeng Xingchang took out a porcelain bottle, which was then taken by Eunuch Wang and presented to the emperor.
The emperor held the porcelain bottle in his hands, examining it. The bottle looked ordinary, and its contents were unremarkable, containing only some common pills. The emperor asked, "What is this?"
Zeng Xingchang said, "This is the elixir of immortality."
The entire court gasped in surprise.
The emperor, who was always accompanied by Daoist priests, turned the porcelain bottle and said calmly, "Even those around me have not been able to concoct the elixir of immortality, yet you have found it?"
Zeng Xingchang lowered his eyes, remaining neither arrogant nor impatient, and said, "I only obtained this treasure by chance."
[Put it down! Put it down! This is evidence in the murder case... This Lord Zeng is terrifying! He seems like a kind old man, but he's actually a ruthless killer.]
emperor. "...?"
He suddenly felt that the porcelain vase was a little too hot to handle.