Su Yu 'er had been in so much pain that she couldn't stand up straight. She seethed with anger and frustration but avoided meeting the gaze of Jun Jiuji.
Jun Jiuji had been utterly fearsome when he had wielded his ruthlessness!
This didn't resemble the appearance of a sick child at all!
Ye Yunjiao had already been in excruciating pain, rendering her voiceless. It felt as though she had traversed the gates of hell. Though she hadn't been left crippled, her recovery would undoubtedly take some time.
General Ye had been profoundly disappointed in Ye Yunjiao, but he couldn't simply abandon her. With numerous imperial physicians in attendance, he had no choice but to instruct someone to attend to her.
Madam Ye's heart turned cold. Yunjiao's intentions had become abundantly clear; she couldn't bear to witness Ye Yining's recovery. Her resentment ran deep.
Ye Yining had been right. Rather than allowing Yunjiao to fester in resentment here, it was wiser to send her away from the General's Estate to her real parents.
Following today's incident, Madam Ye had made up her mind. Regardless of the circumstances, she would arrange for Yunjiao's departure.
The poison assessment came to an early conclusion after this incident.
The results were revealed, showing that the set of silver bowls and chopsticks from the Ye family possessed exceptional qualities. They could detect nearly any type of poison, no matter how mild.
This revelation left everyone astounded, but envy also simmered among the onlookers, directed toward the Ye family.
Concerned that these silver utensils might cause trouble, and disliking objects that had been used for poison testing, Madam Ye chose to retain only two silver bowls, two pairs of silver chopsticks, two spoons, two teacups, and carefully packed the rest. She entrusted the judge with delivering them to the palace for the emperor's consideration.
As everyone departed, Ye Yining personally escorted Jun Jiuji to the General's Estate.
Jun Jiuji raised his hand, tenderly ruffling her hair before stepping into the carriage.
"Rest early. If you need anything, come to me directly, alright?"
"Alright." Ye Yining received her instructions with obedience.
In another carriage, the Crown Prince looked at Ye Yining, who stood by the small nine-horse carriage, through the window with a profound gaze.
Ye Yining mustn't marry Jun Jiuji!
He couldn't allow General Ye's forces to become Little Nine's support.
Even though Jun Jiuji had ascended to the throne, he still couldn't be at ease.
Not for any other reason, but for the woman in the Cold Palace.
If he couldn't prevent Jun Jiuji from marrying Ye Yining, then Ye Yining could only meet her end.
...
Late at night.
Everyone in the General's Estate had already drifted into slumber, but Ye Yining remained occupied, dealing with the gifts Jun Jiuji had bestowed upon her.
She dispatched the boxes to the craftsman's room for disassembly, intending to craft a kitchen rack for utensils.
The box of expensive luminous pearls was transformed into two exquisite luminescent cups by her skilled hands.
The two boxes of raw jade were fashioned into various bottles and jars, some filled, others left empty.
Just as she contemplated using the beautiful cloth to create a few sets of clothes for her parents, Ling Gui provided her with a hint.
"Master, the clothing can only be tailored when the embroidery room is available."
Ye Yining felt a twinge of regret.
"Never mind then. Can I store these items in the courtyard?"
"You can only leave them temporarily. Items in the Medicine Spirit Immortal Residence must be sorted. If the courtyard items remain untouched for 24 hours, they will be considered waste and composted automatically."
Ye Yining sighed in amazement at the advanced functionality.
Unable to store the items in the courtyard, she thought of an alternative. "In that case, can I open the pharmacy and store these ginseng and herbs?"
Without waiting for Ling Gui's response, the white fog surrounding the courtyard quickly dissipated to the right. In the blink of an eye, the seal on the pharmacy had been undone.
However, Ye Yining hadn't anticipated that the opened pharmacy would be filled with an array of seals.
The medicine cabinet had been locked.
The pharmacy desk had been locked.
The medicine furnace had been locked.
The medicine table had been locked.
The medicine pool had been locked.
...
Ye Yining suddenly felt as if a crow had flown over her head.
What a scam!
With so many locks, how long would it take to open them all?
When she regained her senses, she decided to open the medicine cabinet again. If she wanted to study medicine, she'd have to start by learning how to identify herbs, and she needed a portable medicine cabinet for that.
As expected, the moment the lock on the medicine cabinet was removed, the rare herbs in the courtyard automatically sorted themselves into different categories and went into separate space medicine cabinets.
Ye Yining was left in awe, thinking,
"Amazing!"
Using the remaining merit points, she opened the medical consultation table and was pleasantly surprised by its capabilities. The medical consultation desk could actually generate prescriptions based on provided symptoms. When paired with the medicine collection desk, it could complete the entire process of prescribing and dispensing medicine automatically.
It seemed she would need to earn more merit points!
Apart from medicine, she couldn't store anything else in the courtyard, so she reluctantly moved the items out before returning to her room to rest.
The next day, Ye Yining remembered to go shopping and restock the Medicine Spirit Immortal Residence's kitchen, so she woke up early.
As she was about to leave the courtyard, she saw two figures descend from a tree and kneel in her path.
"I am Ye Ze," one of them introduced himself.
"I am Hoshino," the other followed.
They spoke in unison, their auras respectful.
Ye Yining was taken aback.
"You're calling me Princess Consort?"
Ye Ze kept his gaze lowered as he replied,
"You are Princess Consort Ji, acknowledged by Master. Naturally, you are the mistress of our Jun Jiuji Manor. From today onward, we shall serve you."
Ye Yining sighed internally. Jun Jiuji was incredibly efficient; he had sent them so quickly after declaring her as Princess Consort.
She wasn't planning to bring them along at the moment, but she decided to give them two tasks.
"I need various medicinal herbs, discreetly collected, and some high-quality wood and iron, not too much… You both can prepare for that."
"Yes," they responded and promptly left.
Ye Yining wasted no time. She had a bowl of porridge prepared by the Chef Spirit, informed her mother, and then set off alone with her silver notes.
She was going to Cloud Border City with Jun Jiuji, so she intended to stock up on supplies. She purchased rice, glutinous rice, flour, oil, salt, sauces, vinegar, chicken, duck, fish, vegetables, and an array of seasonings. To avoid drawing attention from those in the Medicine Spirit Immortal Residence, she used various excuses and made extra efforts.
As she was almost done shopping, she planned to buy some medicinal herbs at a nearby medicine shop. However, on her way there, she unexpectedly saw Su Yu 'er conducting free consultations with the scholars from the Imperial Academy of Medicine. She stood at the entrance of Ren Pharmacy, across the street.
Seeing this hypocritical woman, Ye Yining felt a surge of anger. Su Yu 'er was a master at pretending, always appearing as a pure white lotus in front of others. Many in the capital praised her beauty and kindness, considering her a living Bodhisattva.
But behind closed doors, she enjoyed trampling on others and frequently boasted about his martial prowess and whip skills, as well as who he had beaten today and who he had instructed yesterday. Consequently, many people disparaged her as a beautiful and morally corrupt woman who whipped people at her whim.
In her previous life, Ye Yining had never been suspicious of Su Yu 'er because she had treated her mother and Ye Yunjiao's illnesses. She had always believed Su Yu 'er to be kind.
However, as she thought about it now, they were conducting volunteer medical services to make money by selling medicine. After all, Benevolence Medicine Square was a collaboration between the Su family, the Hong family, and two other imperial physicians. These people were like a den of snakes and rats; none of them were good.
Hmph! She wouldn't give them any money.
With that thought, she turned around and headed to San Wei Medicine Store across the street.
As she approached the entrance of the medicine shop, she saw a woman crying and pleading with the shopkeeper.
"Shopkeeper, please give me another dose of medicine on credit! My husband is dying. I beg you."
The shopkeeper's eyes were filled with sympathy, but he sounded a bit helpless.
"Mrs. Lu, I've already extended credit for twelve medicines over the past two months. This medicine shop isn't a charity! Your prescription requires a hundred-year-old ginseng, which we don't have. Even if we did, I wouldn't dare to make the decision to give it to you on credit!"
Out of curiosity, Ye Yining glanced at the crumpled prescription in the woman's hand. To her surprise, she understood the prescription and recognized it as one for promoting blood circulation, replenishing Qi, and nourishing the body.
When had she become so knowledgeable about medicine?