Jingrong nodded slightly.

Mujin smiled warmly, signaling the maid beside her to bring up what had already been prepared.

The maid carefully carried forward a book. “Young master, this is what my mistress prepared today as the stake for the poetry competition. Since you won, this ‘Miscellaneous Southern Records’ is now yours. Please accept it.”

He glanced at it sideways with narrowed eyes and pushed it back with his hand.

“No need. ‘Miscellaneous Southern Records’ is an authentic ancient book. The young lady should keep it herself.”

“This…” The maid was in a difficult position and looked toward her mistress.

Mujin then took the book, saying gently, “Young Master Jing’s verse was absolutely perfect, convincing everyone. I couldn’t match it and truly lost. Today is the Lantern Festival. I set up this poetry platform here and offered this ‘Miscellaneous Southern Records’ as the prize. Young master won, so you must accept it. This is the rule—we mustn’t break it.”

She offered the book!

He didn’t accept!

The several scholars who couldn’t answer the verses earlier then spoke up. “Miss Mujin, since this young master doesn’t want it, why not give it to us?”

“Good books match talented scholars. You gentlemen couldn’t answer my verses—how could I give you the ‘Miscellaneous Southern Records’?”

“Miss Mujin, you’re being partial.”

Everyone laughed together.

Mujin wasn’t embarrassed at all, maintaining her smile throughout.

Jingrong’s face turned cold, and he had no choice but to take the book from her hands.

“Fine, I’ll accept this book.”

Having spoken, he strode away!

Mujin watched that departing figure, a bit of joy on her peach-blossom lips.

Jingrong passed through the crowd, calmly and composed, walking to Ji Yunshu’s table and silently sitting down.

Not looking at anyone, he started drinking as soon as he sat down.

However, that face was simply cold to the extreme.

Ji Yunshu didn’t make a sound either, knowing full well this Prince was angry!

Angry that she had sneaked out.

She lowered her eyes, leaning her body toward Muruo who was gulping down wine.

Who knew—

That fool Wei Yi excitedly asked, “Brother Jingrong, how did you get here?”

“Came out to chase a thief.” He replied coldly.

He took a sip of wine.

“A thief? Where’s the thief? Was something of yours stolen?”

“Mm.”

“What was it?”

“A person.”

Huh?

Wei Yi didn’t understand. His gaze wandered over Jingrong for a while, then he simply turned to ask Ji Yunshu, “Shu’er, do you know?”

Damn it, I don’t know!

She didn’t know how to answer, stealing a glance at that cold Prince.

But her little glance was caught red-handed.

Jingrong curved his lips wickedly, asking coldly, “Having fun?”

Silence for a moment.

She nodded. “Not bad.”

“Sneaking out—quite a nice habit you have there.”

“The Prince likes accepting poetry from young ladies—that’s quite a nice habit too.”

“Jealous?”

“I only eat spicy food, not vinegar.”

“If you ate it, you ate it. No one’s blaming you.”

“I…” She was momentarily speechless, her brow slightly furrowing. She simply changed the subject. “Where’s Brother Lang?”

“Him? I dismembered him.” He raised his right eyebrow, speaking very seriously, then added, “Don’t worry. After I’m done dealing with him, when we get back, you won’t escape either.”

A harsh threat!

The corners of Ji Yunshu’s mouth twitched, and for a long while she couldn’t say a word.

Muruo watched from the side, secretly laughing to himself, muttering, “Originally it’s husband supporting wife, wife depending on husband. But it’s turned around—now it’s husband submitting to wife, wife burdening husband.”

Thump!

Under the table, Jingrong kicked him mercilessly.

He clutched his kicked knee. “Ow!” he cried out.

“Serves you right!” Ji Yunshu glared at him.

“Alright, alright, I can’t afford to offend any of you. Every one of you is an ancestor—even more ancestor-like than that boy Wei Yi.”

With a hint of resentment, he was about to pick up the wine jug on the table.

Who would have thought—

A slender, delicate hand pressed down on the mouth of the wine jug.

Following that wrist upward with his gaze, he met a pair of large, spirited eyes and a small, somewhat childish face.

The woman wore red robes, her hair styled in a non-Central Plains fashion, with small silver ornaments in her hair. She wore many strange objects on her body, most of which were never seen in the Central Plains. When the breeze blew, the string of bells around her neck jingled eerily.

One of her hands pressed on the wine jug’s mouth, while the other hand played with the red silk ribbon at her waist, twirling it.

The upper end of the silk ribbon was embedded with a small skull, while the lower end was tied with a small, yellowed ancient scroll.

Her entire person was very strange!

Clearly she had an aura of strangeness, yet it was swept away by her mischievous behavior and clever eyes.

The woman smiled at the corners of her mouth, unhurriedly lifting the wine jug her palm had been pressing down on. She boldly poured it into her mouth. The sweet wine overflowed from both corners of her mouth, flowing down her chin to her neck, to the clothes on her chest, to the ground!

Muruo looked at her with both disdain and confusion.

“Where did this wild girl come from?”

Bang—

The woman slammed the wine jar heavily on the table.

Without restraint, she wiped her mouth with her sleeve. After the wine had completely gone down her throat, she glared at him. “You’re the wild one. Is this wine yours?”

“Though it’s not mine, who snatches wine from someone else’s hands?” As he spoke, he pointed at the pile of wine jars stacked to the side. “See that? There’s wine all over there. Just go get it yourself.”

“I won’t. This young lady likes to snatch things from other people’s hands.”

“Oh? Then you have a sickness that needs curing.”

“Curing?” The woman sneered disdainfully, bending slightly forward to lean close to him. “Do you have medicine?”

Muruo was famously sharp-tongued—anyone who confronted him would suffer. But this girl’s mouth seemed even sharper than his.

Yet he wasn’t annoyed. He extended his fingers, quickly grasping that girl’s wrist, tapping his fingertips on her pulse point a few times. After a moment, he flung her wrist away.

The woman looked completely baffled.

Muruo then said in all seriousness, “Rapid pulse—this is a sunken pulse. Like a stone thrown into water, it must sink deep. Sunken and forceful indicates cold pain; forceful indicates excess syndrome. Three qian of Qianqiu, one qian of Shuigeng, seven qian of Shanghua Zhuo, decocted over furnace fire for three hours, then add well water to take. One dose per day—that will do.”

The woman twisted her wrist.

She said angrily, “What nonsense are you spouting?”

“Didn’t the young lady just ask me for medicine? I’ve already prescribed it. You just need to go get the herbs accordingly.”

The woman laughed coldly, placing one foot on the stool in a wandering rogue-like manner, saying, “So you’re a charlatan physician, speaking such gibberish. This young lady can’t understand a word.”

Jingrong leisurely picked up the conversation. “A sunken pulse is an internal illness, not external. Qianqiu is the chief of all herbs, able to remove dry heat, while Shuigeng opens the meridians, Shanghua Zhuo calms the heart. Adding sweet, cold well water—hot and cold combined—makes excellent medicine for treating illness.”

“What does that mean?”

“What this young master means is that you have an illness—an internal one. Also commonly known as… rabies.”

Jingrong and Muruo exchanged a smile!

The “shameless” duo unite—invincible under heaven!