CH 14

The Xuande Furnace was indeed a rare treasure in the world. Zhou Qing loved to blend herbs but couldn’t not let go of such an excellent tool. But she and her father were as clear as a mirror and knew that the Xuande Furnace was far less important than her family. Even if once sent out and could never be retrieved, it was better than continuing to leave this charming thing in the Zhou Family.

The four walls of the herbal room were thicker than elsewhere. Father Zhou took down a landscape painting, opened the hidden compartment at the back, took out the palm-sized Xuande Furnace with immense care, and put it on the table.

It was the first time Zhou Qing saw the Xuande Furnace, the hidden, delicate scriptures colored the furnace body exquisitely. No wonder others would say that this furnace was like a baby’s skin. Even if stained with mud, a little wipe would restore it to its pristine appearance.

She couldn’t help but reach out her hand and gently rubbed the lid of the stove, and a strong reluctance rose in her heart. With this kind of herbal tool, the entire Great Zhou Dynasty may not have many left. Its value was self-evident. If not to avoid the tragedy of her previous life, Zhou Qing – no matter how – wouldn’t give the Xuande Furnace to Xie Chong.

Father Zhou took out a piece of light brown brocade, carefully wrapped the herbal tool, and put it in the wooden box. His cloudy eyes were slightly red, the corners of his mouth tightly pursed, and the hands, which held the wooden box, were trembling. Zhou Qing had never seen her father so obsessed with foreign objects, and she somewhat regretted her decision.

“Father, how about–”

She didn’t get to finish her words when she was interrupted by Father Zhou waving his hand, “Although the Xuande Furnace is good, because of Liu Zhaoqu’s watchful eyes, if it remains at home, we are bound to have a tragic life. Rather than this, why not hand over this hot potato, or put an end to his thoughts.”

Receiving the “hot potato”, Zhou Qing’s arm sank as she secretly sighed, and did not say more before she went out. When she passed the storefront, Yu Fu curiously said, “Miss, what are you holding in your hand?”

Noticing Wang Lu’s prying eyes, Zhou Qing sneered secretly and said with a self-effacing face, “Father just mixed some herbs and asked me to send them to Uncle Zhao’s house.” As soon as he heard that it had nothing to do with the Xuande Furnace, the man standing behind the counter lowered his head again. Apparently, these trivial matters could not attract his attention.

After leaving the door, Zhou Qing slowly walked down the main street. To be honest, she didn’t have much confidence in handing over the Xuande Furnace to Xie Chong. The reason why she made this choice was that she once saw a royal list in her previous life – if someone could cure the commander from the marrow deficiency disease, the reward was worth one hundred taels.

Zhou Qing wasn’t proficient in the art of medicine, but she made a tranquilizing incense from the herbs which had the effect of calming the mind and Qi. After smelling that scent, the mind would be greatly soothed. So this was a gamble, she was betting that her blood would benefit Xie Chong.

Before leaving the house, she also brought a special An Shen herb. Although there was no herbal spoon and herbal clip with the Xuande Furnace, the rest weren’t so important.

Before walking to the Xie residence, straight across the street stood a man and woman. The woman wore a light green dress. Although the material wasn’t luxurious, it looked very plain. With that slightly cold beautiful face, she was the owner of the herbal Pavilion, Liu Ningxue.

Liu Ningxue was standing next to a striking man; his face looked handsome. He wore expensive clothes and had a hint of arrogance on his eyebrows, obviously from an extraordinary origin.

In the previous life, the Zhou family fell into ruin mainly because of Liu Zhaoqu’s calculations. But in the final analysis, the surname Liu had also planned for his daughter. For this culprit, how could Zhou Qing not hate? The man’s perception was extremely keen and his gaze followed her eyes.

As the King of the County, Jing Zhaoqi was not inferior in literary and martial arts skills. He appreciated Liu Ningxue, who was proficient in herbs and did not mind her status as a merchant. He had even helped her secretly several times. At this moment, noticing that someone was spying on Miss Liu, he slightly wrinkled his brows and asked in a low voice, “That woman in front, does Ningxue know her?”

There weren’t a few people coming and going on the main street, but even if Jing Zhaoqi hadn’t named her, Liu Ningxue also noticed Zhou Qing at first glance. There was no other reason other than Zhou Qing’s appearance was too eye-catching. Her skin was white and lustrous, comparable to the finest amethyst jade. And her face was like a new flower bud on a branch, slightly translucent with exquisite features, black hair and snow skin, vermilion lips and teeth. Even without powder, she was still different from the others.

She shook her head slightly and said softly, “Ningxue does not recognize this girl. If His Highness the County King has other thoughts, there is no need to use me as a raft.”

Jing Zhaoqi laughed aloud. His attitude was arrogant and reckless, but he couldn’t help but argue, “Wouldn’t Ningxue know what this King has in mind? Although that woman is gorgeous, she is very vulgar. How can she be compared to you?”

With these words, the coldness on Liu Ningxue’s face faded slightly, but she did not open her mouth.

While they were talking, Zhou Qing had gone far away. Her hands, which held the wooden box, were seeping a layer of fine sweat, incomparably sticky, almost unable to carry the precious Xuande Furnace. Fortunately, having lived for two lifetimes, she was calmer than ordinary people, which slowly made her regain her composure.

In her previous life, after the destruction of the Zhou family, she was washing clothes outside to support herself and Zheng’er. She overheard that the owner of the herbal pavilion became the side concubine of the County King, the man who was so handsome and emanated a martial vibe. It was nine times out of ten that he was the noble and incomparable Cheng County King.

Shaking her head, Zhou Qing no longer thought about those irrelevant people. The crucial thing right now was how to face Xie Chong. That person was in charge of the Northern Zhenfu Division, and the means of imposing punishment would be horribly brutal. If he did not believe her, it would do her no good.

In the middle of her thoughts, she had already walked to the threshold of the Xie household. Unlike other mansions, the concierge here was a retired Jin Yi guard. Sharp eyes were glaring at Zhou Qing. He sternly said, “This is not a place for you to come. Leave quickly!”

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Qing gritted her teeth and said, “Please inform him that I have an object to offer to the commander.”

Many people in the court wanted to befriend Xie Chong, but he had the name of an evil spirit and wouldn’t act half-heartedly. Sometimes he would accept the gift with a smile. Occasionally, he would directly send people to the Imperial prison. This kind of thing happened more often, so there were no bold people who would rush to the Xie residence to send gifts.

Knowing the woman’s intention in front of him, the concierge couldn’t help but be a little surprised, “You wait a moment. I’ll go and report it right away.” Zhou Qing stood under the scorching sun and waited for about two teas before the concierge came close and said in a jarring voice, “The Lord is letting you in.”

It was clearly the hottest time of the year, but the scorching daylight sprinkled on the body of Zhou Qing, clearing the bone-chilling coldness that was left from the previous incident.

The position of the commander of the Jin Yi Guards was immeasurably special. Although not a relative of the emperor, deep in the heart of the people it was a sacred position. He has the right to execute first. Even if Liu Ningxue became the County King’s concubine in the future, she also couldn’t take away the Xuande Furnace from Xie Chong. Dealing with such people was like walking on thin ice, with a little carelessness, you would fall into an abyss as deep as ten thousand feet.

Author Note: Xie Chong’s disease is probably equivalent to neurasthenia, maybe because of the pressure of being in charge of the Northern Zhenfu Division ~