Listening to the rumbling sounds fading into the distance, Shuiling let out a long sigh of relief.
“Miss, I think that little nun is even more foolish than me, and thick-skinned too. I wouldn’t dare say those words out loud, yet she had the nerve to speak them.”
Mama Wu, Shui Xiang, and Shui Qing all covered their mouths and laughed.
Mama Wu chided, “Shh, keep your voice down. If those people hear you, you’ll be in trouble and will drag our mistress down with you.”
Shuiling said, “I’m not stupid. I only dared say it after they had gone far away.”
Jiang Yixi smiled and said, “That Precious Jewel County Princess is anything but foolish—she’s actually extremely clever. She dares to speak like that because she knows her family will dote on her no matter how mischievous she is.”
Shui Qing added, “Indeed, she’s a county princess, noble and exalted.”
Shuiling continued, “I also noticed something: the nuns serving the county princess are all dark-skinned and ugly. I specifically looked in the mirror—they’re even uglier than me. Was that intentional?”
Her words made Jiang Yixi and the others laugh again.
They remained silent, but they all knew it must have been intentional. Li Zhenbao was not good-looking and was particularly sensitive about it, so she certainly wouldn’t dare hire pretty maids to upset herself.
Half an hour later, one of Li Kai’s attendants returned to Hu Estate to deliver gifts of gratitude. He gave Jiang Yixi two hundred taels in silver notes, presented Wu Bo with a five-tael silver ingot, and gave the other servants each a one-tael silver ingot.
Jiang Yixi thought to herself, I never expected that Prince Yong’s heir would be such a thoughtful and socially adept person. Since she was an unmarried young lady, it would be inappropriate for him, a man, to give her personal items. Gold and silver were the most suitable gifts.
Since these were gifts of gratitude, Jiang Yixi accepted them readily—she happened to be short on money.
Through this encounter, Jiang Yixi grew even fonder of the straightforward and outspoken Precious Jewel County Princess.
Her next step was to wait for the Meng family’s grandfather and grandson to return to Meng Family Village so she could go treat Meng Cimo’s eye condition. As for why she had suddenly acquired the ability to treat eye diseases, she had already prepared an explanation.
She called Mama Wu into the room alone. “Mama, I want to go treat Young Master Meng’s eye condition.”
Mama Wu exclaimed in surprise, “Miss, you’ve only been studying medical texts for a short while. How could you possibly know how to treat illnesses? I’ve heard that even the Imperial Physicians from the Imperial Hospital couldn’t cure Young Master Meng’s eye condition. The old Duke Chengguo is now spending vast sums to seek out famous doctors from across the land.”
Jiang Yixi said, “Mama, you know my temperament better than anyone. How could I act recklessly, especially in such a matter? To be honest with you, Mama, while I was fasting and burning incense for my father at Guanghe Temple, I had an extraordinary encounter there… Every night after Shui Lu fell asleep, I would go next door to learn medicine from him… I didn’t dare tell you earlier because I was afraid you would worry.”
Mama Wu first scolded Shui Lu for a while: “That lazy little wench only knows how to sleep, sleep, and sleep! She doesn’t even notice when her mistress goes out. What if something had happened?” Then she said in disbelief, “In such a short time, Miss, you learned how to treat illnesses?”
Jiang Yixi replied, “Yes, I don’t know why, but during that period my mind was exceptionally clear. I could master anything after learning it just once.”
Mama Wu thought for a moment, then said joyfully, “This old servant understands now—it must be Second Master and Second Mistress watching over Second Miss from heaven, making you grow wiser and wiser. I had been wondering why Second Miss, who used to be indifferent to many things, has now become so enlightened. Before, Second Miss admired and adored Third Young Master Meng just like other young ladies, but later you were able to reject the Meng marriage proposal without hesitation…”Jiang Yixi secretly rejoiced—Mama Wu was indeed the easiest to convince. Feigning a sudden spark of realization, she said, “Yes, I’ve been wondering why I suddenly became so clever. So that’s the reason.”
Mama Wu grew even more convinced of her own reasoning and immediately turned solemn, clasping her hands together as she chanted, “Amitabha, may the Bodhisattva protect us, may all deities and star lords watch over us, may the spirits of the master and mistress in heaven bless us…”
Jiang Yixi added, “However, my late-night medical studies must remain known only to our small circle. Under no circumstances should this be spread.”
As long as these words didn’t reach Shui Lu’s ears, the deception wouldn’t be exposed.
Mama Wu readily agreed, “Of course, spreading this would harm the young lady’s reputation.”
Rain began to fall that night. Jiang Yixi felt unusually at ease—she had finally made Li Zhenbao’s acquaintance, and their interaction had gone rather well. Though her status was humble and she couldn’t prevent that incident from occurring, she needed to find a way to keep Old Duke Meng away from it. She had also found an excuse for her medical knowledge, and Mama Wu had believed it so readily.
In the following days, Jiang Yixi continued visiting Zhaoming Nunnery to burn incense, leaving immediately after without seeking out Li Zhenbao.
On the eighteenth, she encountered Suwei. Dressed in plain clothing with her beautiful hair tucked under a monk’s cap, she wasn’t particularly ugly—just rather dark-skinned with a somewhat large nose, yet she was the most delicate-looking among the servants.
Suwei approached two steps and said with a smile, “Second Miss Jiang, Sister Jieshi asked me to inform you that Abbot Cangji has approved her visit to your residence on the twenty-fourth.” Lowering her voice, she added, “Sister Jieshi also requested that you prepare two types of pastries containing milk and eggs, a steamed egg custard drizzled with sesame oil, a stir-fried leek with eggs, and garlic sprouts with dried tofu. If your family’s cook could make some egg and garlic sprout dishes she hasn’t tried before, that would be even better.”
After speaking, Suwei unconsciously blushed, feeling embarrassed by her master’s presumptuousness.
Jiang Yixi hesitated before saying, “I don’t mind preparing those dishes, but does the heir apparent know about this?”
What if Li Zhenbao was doing this without informing her family and the nunnery?
Understanding Jiang Yixi’s concern, Suwei smiled and replied, “Our heir apparent has returned to the capital. He’ll be back in a few days and will accompany Sister Jieshi to your estate that day.”
Jiang Yixi nodded in agreement. She felt somewhat puzzled—Li Kai had mentioned that Prince Yong would send a chef to attend to Li Zhenbao. Could her family’s cooking really surpass that of the royal mansion’s chefs? Why would she specifically come to their home for such simple dishes?
She did know several milk and egg pastry recipes, all learned from “Gourmet Heights” in her previous life. She hadn’t dared eat them herself—Old Doctor Shen had been the one to consume them. But she hesitated to reveal these skills before Li Zhenbao.
Returning to the estate, she sketched some molds for Wu Bo to construct. She considered altering the shapes, changing the names, and slightly modifying the recipes—surely Li Zhenbao wouldn’t recognize them.
On the afternoon of the nineteenth, Jiang Xun arrived again with Granny Qin.
They stayed overnight and didn’t depart until after playing for most of the following day.
On the morning of the twenty-second, Jiang Yixi traveled by donkey cart to the Meng Family in Linfeng Town with Mama Wu and Shuiling, bringing four gift boxes of pastries. She had heard yesterday afternoon that the Meng family’s grandmother and grandson had returned to their estate.
Wu Yougui drove the cart south along narrow, bumpy country paths where the donkey moved barely faster than walking pace, arriving after two ke.
Meng Family Village was far more imposing than Hu Estate, with long whitewashed walls encircling countless houses, green trees, and vibrant flowers. A small river meandered past not far away.
The road outside the village was wide and smooth, leading directly to the main highway.
The mule cart passed through the vermilion main gate and stopped before a side entrance. Several people alighted, and Wu Yougui knocked the door open, presenting a name card.