Volume 2: Case within a case, the granary of the world Chapter 34: Reel in the mysterious jade again

  In the 21st century, cultivating ginseng is just like cultivating radishes, of course excluding those truly wild mountain ginseng.

  What is commonly seen in stores is usually Yunnan ginseng, which spends the first half of its life on mountains and the second half after being transplanted below. However, in this world, ginseng is still very precious and there isn't yet a technique for large-scale cultivation of ginseng.

  So when Hou Xian was in a hurry, I still worried that there might not be enough ginseng for the people in the palace.

  When I arrived at the pharmacy, the eunuch in charge was busy checking the medicine. He lazily looked me up and down and asked, "Which palace?" He dragged out a long tone that eunuchs often had, and I replied calmly, "The Jingxiang Palace."

  "Essence Fragrance Courtyard!" The eunuch immediately changed his expression, adding a hint of fawning, and carefully examined me again before kneeling down, "Your humble servant greets the master!"

  Everyone in the palace is like a monkey spirit, but in this moment, he has already judged my identity.

  "Never mind, I'll just take some ginseng, let's just go through the normal procedures."

  "Ginseng?" The eunuch stood up, somewhat embarrassed. "Master, this ginseng is a precious medicine, generally not available..." He carefully glanced at me and then fawned, "However, Master is different from other masters, but it's also not good for the humble one to give too much, so please forgive the humble one."

  "Good..." I nodded, and the eunuch began to fill out a form. Under "Reason", he wrote "Supplementing the body". Then he walked towards the inner room. I remained outside.

  But I didn't expect that while waiting, I would run into someone. When he walked in, I was stunned - it was him.

  A white Taoist robe with a faint square grid pattern, long green silk tied down from the roots of the hair with a similarly slender hair band, a silver-blue ribbon tied around the forehead, and a few strands of hair falling in front of the silver-blue ribbon.

  Quickly withdrawing her gaze and lowering her head, it was actually Xuan Mingyu.

  Xuanming Yu lived a simple life, rarely leaving his Tianji Pavilion. It was said that unless necessary, he wouldn't leave his pavilion. After all, this was the imperial palace, where the emperor's wives resided, and apart from the emperor himself, there wasn't another intact man.

  However, Xuanming Yu's identity is different. He is the national teacher, a true person of Taoism, and a representative of Tianji Palace. He is also the national teacher who calculates the country's fortune. Therefore, he is complete and intact. His status in the palace is second only to Xuan Yuan Yifei.

  Before, I had only met Xuan Mingyu two or three times, and that was as the wife of the Protector General. As for what kind of personality he has, I wasn't very clear about it. However, today, I can confirm that he doesn't like interacting with people, because from when he came in to when he passed by my side, he didn't even glance at me once.

  This Xuanming Jade is indeed arrogant. At least it doesn't put me in its eyes.

  When he walked up to the counter of the pharmacy, I looked up and started sizing him up, of course, only his back.

  "Ding----" He struck a small copper bell on the counter.

  "Ah... Master, don't rush me..." The eunuch ran out of the inner room and when he saw that it was Xuanning Yu standing in front of the counter. His face suddenly changed, this change was completely different from the flattering look he had when he saw me, but rather a terrified one. He immediately put down the ginseng in his hand, walked around the counter and knelt down at Xuanning Yu's feet.

  "The little man pays respects to the State Preceptor..."

  It wasn't until now that I finally understood why Xuan Ming Yu was so arrogant, his identity and status gave him every qualification to look down on anyone.

  "Go get some snow lotus." Xuan Ming Yu's gentle voice was laced with a chill, and he seemed like a completely different person from the one I had met as the National Protector's wife. Ah...he wanted to use Feng Qing Ya, so of course he would be gentle with her.

  A few sighs in my heart, I saw ginseng.

  At the time when Xiao Taijian hastily stood up, I stood behind Xuanming Yu to inspect the ginseng, although it was not of the highest quality, but there were more than a dozen.

  The little eunuch walked around the counter, and Xuan Mingyu turned his body along with him. Finally, he saw my existence, but I didn't look at him. All along, my impression of Xuan Mingyu was even worse than that of Chu Yue.

  I saw him holding a ginseng. The little eunuch patted his own forehead and whispered quickly, "Master, that's all there is. Don't be displeased."

  "No, thank you." I smiled faintly, and the little eunuch was taken aback, hastily pulling out a piece of silk cloth: "Master, you're too polite, still saying thank you to us slaves, then please trouble yourself to wrap it up."

  "Good..." I wrapped up the ginseng by myself, pretending that the Xuanming Jade beside me did not exist. Then, I picked up the wrapped ginseng and turned to leave.

  "Hold on!" Suddenly, Xuanming Yu called out to me. I turned around with a smile: "What's the matter, Imperial Tutor?"

  Xuan Ming's jade-like face was expressionless as he looked at me for a while, then asked in a low voice: "Who are you? Why have I never seen you before in our country?"

  I quietly looked at him for a while, and it turned out that he didn't know I was Piao Piao. It's better this way, too lazy to talk to such a person. Turning around and walking away, I raised my hand as I walked: "The national teacher doesn't recognize many people, what's the harm in adding one more?" By the time I finished saying this sentence, I had already walked out of the medicine room. Xuan Ming Yu, although I only found out a little more about you today, but your weakness, I know deeply.

  Among those who study Taoism and practice self-cultivation, many have a problem of being self-righteous. They think they can grasp the truth and look down on others.

  Seizing the opportunity, calculating the fate of the country, understanding a bit about the sun, moon and stars, and claiming to be a true person. Humph, if he really can predict things like a god, why would he ask me who I am? With just one calculation with his fingers, he should know that I'm reincarnated.

  Unfortunately, when I was Feng Qingya, he didn't calculate it, now that I'm Piao Piao, he even more didn't expect it, he's just a old cow nose Daoist who practices elixir and watches the stars.

  To deal with this kind of person, you have to be even more cunning. Just like that time when I was the Empress and took a look at him from head to toe, then let out a sigh, and just like that, he was hooked. Ah, Xuanming Jade, Xuanming Jade, in vain did you think yourself clever, yet you fell into my hands. I reckon he'll definitely go ask that eunuch about my identity. Hmph, I'm truly prescient.

  Carrying ginseng, I walked through the streets and alleys again, and knocked on that door guarded by a beggar. The door opened, it was still the old man. I hesitated for a moment and didn't go in, leaving only the ginseng, then turned around and left.

  When the door closed, Long Huang slipped out. I took a glance at it and was about to leave, but it bit my skirt hem instead. I furrowed my brow and sighed: "Why must you keep me? I've done all I can..."

  The dragon emperor bit my hem and looked at me for a while, his blue-green eyes full of reluctance. But what can I do if I stay? I won't be able to practice qigong to heal wounds or acupuncture. However, being in the imperial palace, I can provide them with material help.

  The dragon king seemed to have understood my intention, let go of my skirt, squatted at the door and said "Oh! Oh!" as if saying goodbye.

  I smiled: "When you need it, you know where to find me."

  "Oh!"

  Walking very far, still can hear the Longwang's farewell. It is really a dog that understands human nature.

  After strolling around the street for a while, I bought some erotic books by Qian Mu Xue and then prepared to return to the Hu Guo Fu because Chun Yu Zi Chen didn't know that I had returned to the imperial palace, so he would still come to pick me up on time. Also, I guessed that today I would see the person I had been thinking about day and night.

  I didn't expect to run into Feng Qingya and Xiao Ruo, who were out shopping, before I even returned to the Huo Guo Fu. They had big bags and small bags in their hands, and for the first time, Feng Qingya looked like a woman. When they saw me, they were taken aback: "You..."

  "I'm just out for a stroll," I said with a smile. "At that time, you were walking too fast, and Fei Fei couldn't keep up."

  "Haha... it's all Madame Bao's fault, it's all Madame Bao's fault." Feng Qingya burst out laughing. Her sparkling eyes shone brightly in the sunlight, looking very beautiful.

  Couldn't help but think of Xuanming Jade again, why did he put a treasure in front of him and yet didn't cherish it.

  "What's wrong?" Feng Qingya asked me.

  "Oh, I'm getting a bit tired from wandering around."

  "Really... Alright, we were just about to head back to the Guardian's Manor. Let's go together, I'll have a room prepared for you to rest."

  "No, no, no, just float around and rest in the summer garden for a while, it's too stuffy inside."

  Feng Qingya looked at me for a while, smiling and nodding: "That's right. It's getting hotter every day."

  Everyone started walking back together, I took some things from their hands and chatted while walking.

  "What did you buy?" Feng Qingya's curiosity was piqued by the package in my hand, I coughed twice: "Uh... obscene books..."

  "Obscene... book?" Feng Qingya's face turned red and black, and she also coughed along with me, looking like Xiao Ruo who was laughing.

  "Once... I also had a friend... who liked to read obscene books." Suddenly, words that seemed like a sigh floated out of Feng Qingya's elegant lips, and I turned my head to look at her. Her eyes were filled with loneliness and desolation. "At the time, I ridiculed her and looked down on her. But she said that if you don't read obscene books, you won't know about worldly affairs; if you don't read obscene books, you won't know about love. She revered obscene books as a treasure trove of love, a secret manual for romance."

  "Hmph..." I laughed, she was talking about me. "What she said is not wrong at all, we girls from the 'Hundred Flowers Palace' have to please men, and it's all thanks to these obscene books. Because they record the deepest desires of men, if you understand what they want, can't you just manipulate them in your hands?"

  "Hahaha!" Feng Qingya laughed loudly, but it sounded more like a bitter laugh. "Toying with me in the palm of her hand... Ah, she's done well, unfortunately... I'm not as good as her..."

  "Madam..." Xiao Ruo looked at Feng Qingya with concern, unaware that they had already returned to the entrance of the Guardian Mansion. What made me happy was that Chun Yu Zi Chen was already waiting outside the door and hastily came up to greet me as soon as he saw me.

  "Zi Chen has met with the Protectress of the Country." Out of politeness, Zi Chen first greeted Feng Qingya.

  "Well, come pick up the beauty?"

  "Yes." Chun Yu Zi Chen's response was brief.

  "Floating, see you tomorrow." Feng Qingya smiled at this moment, and this smile made a trace of surprise flash across Chun Yu Zi Chen's eyes.

  "Alright." Feng Qingya started walking towards the Guardian Temple, and Chunyu Zichen was about to come over to take the package from my hand. I quickly hugged it: "No need to bother, I'll do it myself." Chunyu Zichen looked a bit displeased after seeing the obscene book.

  Jumping onto the carriage, I lifted the curtain and was startled to find a handsome young man in floral clothing sitting inside. His eyes were like those of a fox, his lips were rosy, and his shirt was as beautiful as a flower. The air was filled with the scent of vegetables. Who else could it be? It was none other than Chun Yu Shan Shan.