In the end, Jiu’er got her wish and managed to bring back a packet of pastries.

However, the quantity was such that it could either go to Qiaomu and Xiao Yingtao together, or feed Mu Mu alone.

The Ninth Imperial Uncle had truly been impossibly stingy this time. With so many pastries still remaining, he had genuinely refused to give her more.

When the grand gates of the Imperial Academy came into view in the distance, Feng Jiu’er gathered her thoughts and looked up at the man seated upon the reclining couch.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, could you have the carriage stop here? I can make my own way inside.”

Why look up, one might ask? Naturally because his seat upon the reclining couch placed him in an elevated position above her — and as for her? She had been arranged to sit on the floor, right between his two legs.

Like a little companion playing in the dirt beside him, though the carriage floor was covered with a thick, soft carpet, it still felt rather as though she were sitting on the ground.

Helpless and disregarded! The great one sat upon the soft couch while she was left with only the floor. What a weary heart.

Seeing that the Ninth Imperial Uncle showed no sign of moving, and watching as the academy drew steadily closer, Jiu’er suddenly leaned forward and rested against his legs, blinking up at him with a slightly pitiful look.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, if you personally escort me there and those young ladies see us, they will all be out for my blood.”

“Whoever dares come for you, this Prince will show no mercy.” Zhan Qingcheng said indifferently.

“No, that’s not it!” What was all this about killing, wielding death at the drop of a hat — utterly devoid of nuance. She continued, “What I mean is, they will shun me.”

“Why?”

Feng Jiu’er truly wanted to roll her eyes. Why? Did he even need to ask?

“Everyone admires you so deeply. If they see me with you, of course they will all take a dislike to me.”

“Nonsense.” He never associated with young ladies — where was there any admiration to speak of? “This Prince’s heart holds only you.”

This Prince’s heart… holds only you…

Oh dear, her head was beginning to ache again. She truly must not let herself be swept away — the moment she lost herself, trouble would follow.

But her heart could simply not bear it — how could he say something so heavy with meaning to her?

Her head was genuinely uncomfortable. She must not think of it, she must not think of it.

“But, but — Ninth Imperial Uncle, I still want to go in on my own. Please.”

Jiu’er tugged at his robe: “Please, please — let me have a quiet life at the academy. Ninth Imperial Uncle, won’t you?”

He remained unmoved. Jiu’er bit her lip, thought for a moment, then suddenly pressed herself closer against him: “Ninth Imperial Uncle, I like you best of all.”

…

Watching the carriage gradually depart until only a silhouette remained, Feng Jiu’er finally let out a long, hearty breath.

My goodness. Such a grown man, and he still needed to be coaxed with sweet words!

Was it not women who were said to be creatures of the ear? Why did she now feel that men were the ones who enjoyed kind words even more?

A single “I like you best,” and he had immediately relented.

Feng Jiu’er felt she had found a way to manage the Ninth Imperial Uncle. She was in very good spirits.

She turned and walked into the academy. She had been intending to find Qiaomu and Xiao Yingtao with the pastries, but before she could make it back to Mingyue Courtyard, she ran straight into Nanmen Xu, who had come specifically looking for her.

“What’s happened to you? You’ve gone all dark and thin — did you take a trip to Africa?” Feng Jiu’er stared at his face and blinked.

Nanmen Xu did not understand what this young woman was saying, but he was not bothered by it.

He produced several silver banknotes and pressed them into Feng Jiu’er’s arms: “These are the banknotes from selling the snow lotus. Keep them safe.”

“This much money?” Feng Jiu’er took the banknotes and looked them over — far more than she had estimated.

“I went to dozens of pharmacies, compared prices across all of them, and only made a move once I had a solid grasp of the going rate.”

The medicinal herb trade runs very deep. The first few shops had offered prices lower than the last, each one undercutting the other.

Later, Nanmen Xu changed his approach — he went to a new shop and quoted a price one tenth above what the previous shop had offered, and to his surprise, this shop agreed.

But Nanmen Xu was not one to make things easy. He went to the next shop and raised the last shop’s price by another two tenths.

And so it went. When the last shop finally refused to raise the price any further, he sold to that shop at the price they had agreed upon.

After hearing his account, Feng Jiu’er could only admire him deeply. She had not imagined that a grown man would be willing, just to earn her a bit more money, to do something like that.

Most people would find it difficult to back out of a deal after agreeing on a price — yet Nanmen Xu’s back-and-forth had, just as expected, driven the price far higher than she had imagined.

“You’re truly remarkable!” These banknotes were at least double what Feng Jiu’er had budgeted.

She herself had no clear sense of medicinal herb prices in this era. Standard herb prices were one thing, but the prices of rare, specialty herbs were truly difficult to gauge.

Only the experienced proprietors who had been running pharmacies for many years could really get a handle on it. Most people would struggle, since each individual herb commanded a different value.

Take snow lotus, for example: a snow lotus of many years’ age would naturally fetch far more than a younger one, but by how much depended on just how many years.

Not everyone could easily discern the precise age of a snow lotus, and of course, even seasoned professionals could only estimate.

In short — in short, Nanmen Xu had given Feng Jiu’er a wonderful surprise!

“Is this what got you into the state you’re in now?” Jiu’er looked him over again — indeed, he was darker and thinner.

The academy’s training had been ongoing throughout, and he could only carry out these errands during the breaks between sessions. By all appearances, he had truly covered a great deal of ground and expended considerable energy.

“Into what state?” Nanmen Xu glanced at himself and saw nothing the matter.

Men, most likely, simply paid no attention to these things. And besides, though he had grown a shade darker, it had not diminished his appearance in the slightest.

If anything, this version of him was more rugged and dashing than the pale young man he had been at the start.

All right — Jiu’er decided she felt better about it. He had genuinely become better looking, so there was no need for a guilty conscience.

“I’ll give you three tenths of the profit as a share. Would that be agreeable?” She drew out several of the banknotes.

But Nanmen Xu’s expression darkened immediately, and he shot her a glare: “Is that why I did this — for your money?”

The two of them would be husband and wife in the future — why would he have his eye on her money? Though he still held no romantic feelings for her, since they were destined to be husband and wife, he ought to treat her well.

What money — what was there to speak of?

“All right, I know you’re a man of integrity. But the share of profits has to be given.”

Feng Jiu’er placed the banknotes in his hand. Nanmen Xu’s expression grew even more sullen: “Why give them to me?”

“I’m not giving them to you — why the temper? I’m only asking you to keep them safe for me.”

Feng Jiu’er nearly rolled her eyes at him. Who on earth got angry at the sight of money?

“I’m genuinely not suited to keeping track of things. I… well — accidents seem to happen to me with unusual frequency. Money on my person tends to disappear at any moment. Keep it safe for me, please.”

The so-called accidents she referred to were, naturally, the incidents of assassination attempts and abductions that seemed to befall her at any time. It truly was not safe to keep valuables on her person.

“By the way, have you found a location for me yet?”