Within two days, Zhao Zhiping had witnessed Ye Ningxin’s resolute and cold demeanor toward her own parents, yet for some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this Princess Consort wasn’t a bad person.
She must have her own difficulties! he thought.
As previously agreed, Ye Ningxin was to change Zhao Zhiping’s dressing.
However, given the propriety between men and women, it was inconvenient, so she had mixed her own medicinal solution with the wound ointment bought from the pharmacy early on and gave it to Zhao Zhiping.
When she handed him the medicine bottle, he assumed it was just ordinary wound ointment.
“Princess Consort, I already have this, so there’s no need to trouble you to buy it for me…”
“It’s different!” Ye Ningxin wasn’t in the mood to talk much. She shoved the medicine into Zhao Zhiping’s hand, instructed him to use this ointment when he changed his dressing later, and then bid farewell and returned home.
Back home, Ye Ningxin still felt gloomy and didn’t pull the Prince aside to chat as she usually did.
The Prince seemed to have guessed her thoughts and, unusually, took the initiative to ask, “How did the court hearing go today?”
Ye Ningxin answered absentmindedly, “Ye Dacheng was ordered to pay five taels of silver in compensation and receive twenty lashes.”
The Prince asked, “Are you satisfied with this outcome?”
Ye Ningxin replied insincerely, “Yes, very satisfied!”
“Oh?” the Prince teased. “Yesterday, it seemed like you wanted to throw him in prison!”
“You really are…” Ye Ningxin knew he was doing it on purpose.
“So, you’re not feeling well inside, are you?” the Prince suddenly switched to a serious tone.
“Huh?” Ye Ningxin hadn’t expected the ice-cold face to show understanding for once.
“Everyone says it’s hard for an honest official to settle family disputes because, no matter the issue, once it involves emotions between relatives, it can’t be measured by laws or rules,” the Prince continued.
“This principle applies equally to both the royal family and commoners.”
For some reason, Ye Ningxin felt that the Prince’s tone carried a hint of melancholy as he spoke, as if he shared a similar plight.
“And before, you obeyed your father in everything, but now you’ve suddenly taken such a harsh stance. Don’t you think the change is a bit too drastic?”
Ye Ningxin was startled, feeling as though the Prince had noticed something.
“But he’s blind, and even if he could see, my appearance hasn’t changed at all. What could he possibly notice? I’ll just stubbornly deny it!” Ye Ningxin shook her head, comforting herself.
To dispel that unease, Ye Ningxin quickly changed the subject. “Then why did you come here? Was it because of conflicts among relatives?”
“Heh!” the Prince chuckled softly. “I thought you wouldn’t ask this question.”
Ye Ningxin asked, “Why wouldn’t I ask?”
The Prince replied, “Because from the day you arrived, you never cared to ask about my affairs.”
“That’s because that foolish girl only had eyes for her cousin!” Ye Ningxin thought to herself, feeling a bit sorry for the Prince.
“Do you want to know about my affairs now?” the Prince asked.
Ye Ningxin said, “Yes!”
The Prince replied, “But I don’t want to tell you.”
Ye Ningxin: “…”
Suit yourself!
The melancholic atmosphere seemed to dissipate on its own, leaving only Ye Ningxin fuming.
Not wanting to face the source of her anger any longer, she decided to head to the back mountain for a good soak in the hot springs.
The Prince tactfully reminded her, “There might be wild beasts in this remote wilderness!”
Ye Ningxin replied, “There aren’t any!”
The Prince persisted, “But perhaps there could be people!”
Ye Ningxin retorted, “In such a desolate place, where would people come from? Even if there were, why can you bathe here but I can’t?”
Forget it, there was no reasoning with her.
The Prince stopped trying to dissuade her. He had already arranged a signal with Gu Si last time—when he played a specific tune on his flute, it meant the Princess Consort was going up the mountain to bathe, and Gu Si was to keep watch at the foot of the mountain.
Although this mountain truly had few visitors, the Prince’s orders had to be followed. Upon hearing the flute, Gu Si dropped the bird he had just hunted and immediately rushed to the foot of the mountain.
Soaking in the hot spring truly helped soothe one’s mood. After a while, all unhappiness was left behind.
As the duration of taking medicine grew longer, the secretion of black impurities from her body actually decreased. Perhaps the accumulated toxins had already been expelled, allowing her body to enter a positive cycle.
This time, Ye Ningxin shortened her bath slightly, wanting to search nearby for any valuable medicinal herbs.
This area seemed to have been rarely visited before, as Ye Ningxin soon found two ginseng plants. Their bright red berries crowned the tops, and judging by the leaves, one of them was over a hundred years old.
Could she really be this lucky? Ye Ningxin could hardly believe it!
Digging up ginseng required extra care, as its extensive root system could easily be damaged, directly affecting its value.
This time, Ye Ningxin dug until dusk before finally succeeding.
Perhaps due to the pristine mountains and clear waters here, the ginseng was exceptionally large. The hundred-year-old ginseng was almost as thick as a person’s forearm—though not Ye Ningxin’s forearm, of course.
Such a treasure, she had no intention of selling. She knew that in her era, hundred-year-old ginseng was exceedingly rare. Such a precious medicinal herb was best kept for her own use.
However, without opening the Medical Space, there was simply no way to store it.
Just as she was thinking this, the Spatial Dimension, which had been dormant for a long time, made its appearance.
There was no urgent situation this time, so it seemed to have come specifically to receive the treasure.
Ye Ningxin was at a loss for words.
After cleaning the ginseng, she placed it in the vacuum storage space, ensuring it would remain preserved and retain its medicinal properties.
Seizing the opportunity, Ye Ningxin checked the analysis results of Gu Haoyuan’s blood sample from last time, which had already been completed.
The analysis results matched Ye Ningxin’s judgment—it was poisoning.
The report also provided details on the composition of the poison.
When setting the data, Ye Ningxin had instructed the instrument to directly analyze plants containing toxic components. Several well-known plants were listed, including Gelsemium elegans, Aconitum, and Datura…
It seemed quite complex!
However, the report did not specify a clear method for detoxification. It only offered a few suggestions. In the laboratory, two medicines were deemed safe for use, both containing nourishing and detoxifying components suitable for long-term consumption.
Whether the toxins could be completely eliminated would require further testing after medication.
Although not entirely satisfactory, this result at least provided a starting point. As for when to begin administering the medicine to the Prince, Ye Ningxin hadn’t decided yet. She thought it best to observe and understand the situation a little longer.
After finishing all this, Ye Ningxin stumbled down the mountain holding the large ginseng, only to run into the Prince halfway.
“Your Highness!” Ye Ningxin greeted him cheerfully. Upon hearing this, Gu Haoyuan frowned: “This woman, clearly unharmed and sounding quite happy, doesn’t she know she should have come down the mountain earlier?”
Unaware of the Prince’s expression, Ye Ningxin proudly presented the ginseng to him as if offering a treasure: “Your Highness, look what I dug up!”
When the Prince realized what he was holding, his face instantly darkened.
“Isn’t this the ginseng that Master Cui painstakingly transplanted from the deep mountains and old forests? It was actually dug… dug up?”
The Prince felt he had been too careless. He thought that with no outsiders on the mountain, the transplanted medicinal herbs would be safe. Who could have imagined that while outsiders could be kept out, those within the household could not.
Ye Ningxin remained completely oblivious to the Prince’s stiffness and continued to animatedly recount how she had miraculously found the ginseng and overcome countless difficulties to dig it up. However, she was careful not to mention that she had actually dug up two.
Finally, she patted the Prince on the shoulder: “Tomorrow I’ll go to Qian Medical Hall to sell the ginseng! I think it’s worth at least a hundred taels!”
“Hmph!” The Prince sneered inwardly: “If Master Cui finds out you dug up his precious ginseng, he’ll probably chop off your hands! I wonder if a hundred taels would be enough to buy them back!”
Thinking of that eccentric old man, the Prince’s mood worsened even more.
The Prince was suffering inwardly, but he couldn’t say a word. He could only console himself: “Thank goodness, thank goodness. It seems she only found this small ginseng. As long as the larger one remains, it should be enough. The old man might spare her life.”