Zhang Chenyue wiped away her tears and said tearfully, “Sister, you must believe me. I truly didn’t intentionally fail to plead for Sister Feng. It’s just that…”
“Enough. Don’t I know what kind of person you are?” Jirong said gently, “The situation arose suddenly then, and it’s understandable that you were frightened. Don’t worry, I’ll persuade her.”
“That’s good then.” Zhang Chenyue’s eyes flashed quietly as she said, “I heard that sister once went to Qingchun Garden. Was it you who persuaded the First Young Master, thus making Second Madam change her mind?”
Jirong replied with a gentle expression, “I was extremely anxious at the time. Remembering that I had met the First Young Master once, I decided to go to Qingchun Garden to try my luck. I didn’t expect the First Young Master to be so amiable and approachable. When he learned that Chunxiu was being deliberately bullied and framed, he agreed to help.”
“The First Young Master is truly kind, and sister has good fortune to have caught the First Young Master’s eye. It’s truly enviable.” Faced with Zhang Chenyue’s words, Jirong smiled and said, “What’s there to envy? If I caught the First Young Master’s eye, doesn’t that mean you all caught his eye too? We three are inseparable after all.”
A flash of wariness and greed passed through Zhang Chenyue’s eyes, then she smiled and said, “Sister speaks absolutely correctly.”
While they were talking, the news also reached Yunyi and the others. Jiang Caiping was the most indignant, pacing continuously in the room. Yunyi sat in her chair, saying rather helplessly, “Caiping, please stop pacing, won’t you? You’re making me dizzy.”
“No!” Jiang Caiping replied huffily, puffing out her cheeks and saying, “I don’t know what Second Madam is thinking. One moment she says to drive Chunxiu from the residence, the next she says to let her stay in the woodshed. How can she keep changing her orders like this?”
“I heard that Jirong went to Qingchun Garden, and afterward someone saw Wang Fu go to Yuxiu Pavilion. It must have been Jirong who persuaded the First Young Master, allowing Chunxiu to stay in the residence.”
Jiang Caiping clenched her small fists and said angrily, “Everyone says the First Young Master is difficult to approach, yet Jirong managed to get close to him. I wonder what kind of magic potion she fed him.” As she spoke, she stamped her foot hatefully, “Feng Chunxiu had already stepped one foot out of the Governor’s residence gates, yet she was dragged back alive. How infuriating!”
Seeing that Yunyi remained silent, she walked to the table and said, “Sister, please say something.”
“Things have come to this point. No matter how unwilling we are, it’s useless. Do you want to go petition Second Madam? Not only won’t she see us, but even if she truly did, you just said that Second Madam’s constant changing of orders damages her authority. Do you think she would change her mind a third time?”
Jiang Caiping slumped defeatedly into her chair, “According to what sister says, we can only let Chunxiu stay in the residence?”
Yunyi’s eyes narrowed slightly as she said calmly, “Rather than focusing solely on Chunxiu, we should think about Jirong. She’s far more capable than Chunxiu—she can even persuade the First Young Master.”
“That’s true.” After thinking for a while, Jiang Caiping suddenly said, “Sister, do you think Jirong might have used some kind of enchanting incense to make the First Young Master obey her commands?”
“Enchanting incense?” Yunyi looked at Jiang Caiping with some amusement and tapped her forehead, saying, “What’s going on in that little head of yours? Enchanting incense of all things—why don’t you just say knockout drugs, five-stone powder, or exotic Western Region medicines?”
Jiang Caiping said dismissively, “Except for the exotic Western Region medicines, sister, those things you mentioned—Jirong might very well have them all.”
Yunyi shook her head, “Jirong is just a weak woman. How could she have such things? You’re really talking nonsense.”
Jiang Caiping stared with wide, surprised eyes, “Sister, have you forgotten that Jirong’s ancestors ran a medical clinic? Right up until her grandfather’s time, the Ji Family medical clinic had quite a reputation. It’s not strange at all that she would have those medicines.”
Yunyi had never heard Meixue mention this before—she must have brought it up privately with Jiang Caiping. Her thoughts raced as she slapped her forehead and said with feigned realization, “Oh yes, yes! Look at me, I even forgot about this.”
Jiang Caiping, being simple-natured, didn’t think much of it. Instead, she became fixated on the so-called “enchanting incense,” speaking of it more and more as if it were real, even muttering about when to search Jirong’s room.
“You can think about it, but absolutely don’t actually do it. Otherwise, if she catches you and reports it to Nanny Yang, even I won’t be able to speak for you.”
Jiang Caiping bit her slender finger, “But what if Jirong really did use enchanting incense to bewitch the First Young Master? She’ll certainly cause more trouble in the future. What will we do then? Unless sister, you can persuade the Second Young Master to stand on our side—then we could at least put up some resistance.”
“Your thinking is quite far-reaching, but how could there be any enchanting incense in this world? It’s all made up by storytellers.”
Jiang Caiping said unconvinced, “If there isn’t any, why would the First Young Master allow her to take medicines from the pharmacy at will? I heard that even precious things like ginseng and lingzhi mushrooms—Jirong took several of each.”
Yunyi frowned, “What did you say? Jirong can freely take medicinal materials from the pharmacy?”
“Yes, I only heard about it accidentally when I went out today. In just these past two weeks, the medicines Jirong has taken are worth at least several dozen taels of silver. Some people say it might already be over a hundred taels. I don’t know what she’s using them for.”
“Two weeks ago…” Yunyi pondered for a moment, then said gravely, “Wasn’t that right after Jirong first went to Qingchun Garden?”
Jiang Caiping nodded, “Yes. Sister, what other explanation besides using enchanting incense could account for the First Young Master’s inexplicable favor toward Jirong?”
Yunyi paid no attention to her words, only lowering her eyebrows in thought. Two weeks ago was around the time when Moping bit Li Jiancheng. Since Jirong understood medicine, when she went to seek an audience with Li Jiancheng then, it was most likely under the pretext of treating his injury to ingratiate herself. However, Li Jiancheng had a perverse and gloomy temperament—he shouldn’t be someone easily pleased. How could he…
“Caiping, besides ginseng and lingzhi mushrooms, what other medicines did Jirong take?”
Jiang Caiping thought for a while, “I think they also mentioned something called chuanshan dragon. Why?”
In the imperial palace’s pharmaceutical storehouse, all the medicines in the world were included, especially those with nourishing and strengthening effects. From childhood to adulthood, she had heard of many and consumed quite a few, but this chuanshan dragon—she had never heard of it. Presumably, this substance’s effects weren’t for nourishment and strengthening, which meant Jirong took the lingzhi and ginseng not for consumption, but most likely for preparing medicine.
Since Li Jiancheng allowed Jirong to freely take any medicinal materials from the pharmacy, the medicine she was preparing should be closely related to Li Jiancheng. Could it be for treating his bite wound?
But… when she encountered Li Shimin two days ago and asked about Li Jiancheng’s leg injury, he said it had improved considerably. Once the new flesh grew older, he could get out of bed. Moreover, with Physician Xu, a renowned doctor, taking care of him, why would Jirong’s medicine preparation still be needed?