CH 29

Zhaowei stared at the porcelain stove in front of her, her eyebrows tightening, “Even if the tantalizing herb is good and precious. I still can’t get used to the smell. I just think the aroma is too strong. I ask the boss lady to extinguish the herbal incense. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be a pity to trash this fine herb?”

Liu Ningxue followed Liu Zhaoqu to the north and south in her early years and had seen all kinds of people. The woman in front of her was brought by King Cheng personally. The clothing was made from an exquisite cloud brocade; a very valuable garment. Not to mention the hairpin in her bun with the top studded with pigeon blood the size of a dragon’s eye. How could ordinary people attain such rare items? It wasn’t impossible to say that she was a relative of the Imperial who grew up in an affluent countryside.

Thinking of this, Liu Ningxue felt indignant in her heart, but she did not show it on her face.

With the herbal spoon in her hand, she carefully picked out the herbs on the crystal sand and placed them in a porcelain dish on the side before she doused the burning herbal incense.

Even though the herb was no longer smoked, because the tantalizing herb was too special, the dominating scent did not dissipate for a long time. Zhaowei sat in front of the herbal case, feeling even dizzier, and could not wait to immediately leave the room and dispel the smell on her body.

Jing Zhaoqi and Zhaowei were cousins and had grown up together since childhood. Although the relationship was not extremely deep, it was not bad. Now that Zhaowei was pregnant with her sixth child and had divorced Liu Henian, he felt distressed, so he took her out for a stroll.

“When you mentioned herbs earlier, I thought you had changed your mind and planned to buy and bring them back home to make some for yourself. But after arriving at the Herbal Pavilion, you could not stand the fragrance of the tantalizing herb. It’s best not to touch the herbs in the future then.” Jing Zhaoqi held a herbal stick in his hand, gently stroking its intricate and delicate pattern.

Liu Ningxue did not speak. She lowered her head to carefully clean up the herbal case before raising her gaze and said, “Madam mentioned the Zhou family’s Herbal Store. I have been there once before, just opposite the Herbal Pavilion. There are few precious herbs; most are ordinary flowers and wood, blended and sold. The aroma is long and distinct and of top quality.”

As the saying goes, peers were enemies. Zhaowei originally thought Liu Ningxue would try her best to discredit the Zhou family’s Herbal Store to raise the image of the Herbal Pavilion but did not expect that she would give praise instead. It was really unexpected.

“It’s a pity that Mr. Zhou is old and the disciple he took in is not very talented. There is no one to carry on this craft.” As she spoke, she sighed, a trace of gloom flowing on her delicate face.

Jing Zhaoqi had other thoughts besides admiration for Liu Ningxue. Seeing that she loved blending herbs so much and did not want such craft to be lost, his heart rose with pity, and he could not help but say, “Ningxue, you have been immersed in herbal blending for many years. You are more skillful than those ordinary masters.”

Zhaowei glanced at Liu Ningxue and found herself shaking her head slightly. A bitter smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

“Earlier, I approached Mr. Zhou and mentioned the matter of apprenticeship after paying homage. But unfortunately, his daughter had misunderstood me and prevented it from the side, and Mr. Zhou pushed the matter away.”

Zhaowei’s eyes flashed. She sent someone to check and knew that there was only one young lady in the Zhou family’s herbal store, and it was Zhou Qing.

She could not help but frown and said, “I have seen the Zhou family’s daughter. Her herbal blending skills are not bad at all, and it can even be said that she has inherited all of her father’s intrinsic skills. The boss lady mentioned apprenticeship. Is it because she is coveting other people’s unique secret techniques?”

The woman’s white skin suddenly turned red. Liu Ningxue was both guilty and angry. Her phoenix eyes clouded with mist, and her lips trembled as she showed an aggrieved look at the Cheng County King in front of her.

Jing Zhaoqi’s face became stern, and could not help but defend her, “Zhaowei, Ningxue’s character is pure. She only wants to learn herbal recipes from famous teachers. There is nothing wrong with that. How can you think of her like that?”

Seeing that her cousin was so protective of an outsider, Zhaowei felt exhausted in her heart. She carefully supported her back and walked straight out.

“Cousin, I’ll go outside for a stroll. Let’s go back to our respective houses later.” After saying that, she stepped over the threshold, and her figure quickly disappeared.

Thick eyelashes trembled twice. Liu Ningxue was a little uneasy inside and asked, “Your Highness, the lady who called you cousin, is she the County Princess?”

Jing Zhaoqi nodded slightly; his handsome face was apologetic, “Zhaowei has just divorced her husband. There is a repressed anger in her heart, that is why she is like that. You must not take what she did personally.”

Liu Ningxue looked indifferent, put the crystal sand back into the plate, and said coldly, “She was born with a silver spoon, and Ningxue is just a small merchant. Why would I dare get angry?”

Seeing her being so brave, Jing Zhaoqi’s face was tense, wanting to take her into his arms and soothe her.

Before he could say anything, Liu Ningxue already got up, “Your Majesty, it’s not appropriate for a man and a woman to be alone in the same room, so you should go back first.”

After living for more than 20 years, it was the first time someone ordered Jing Zhaoqi to leave. He could not help but shake his head, but his eyes became hotter and hotter when he gazed at the woman.

——

Because of the harm inflicted by Wang Lu, the Zhou family was anxious and treated Zhou Qing as a fragile porcelain vase, keeping an eye on her all the time to avoid accidents.

Faced with the cautious attitude of her parents and brother, Zhou Qing could not cry or laugh, and it took a lot of words to calm them down.

She previously promised the Commander that she would go to the Xie Manor every three days. At the moment, the Xuande furnace was still in his hands, and she would not go back on her word no matter what.

Recalling the man’s bottomless eyes, Zhou Qing bit her lower lip, thinking about how to keep her distance from him. A married woman having too much contact with men outside was not good for her or Xie Chong.

Before she could think of a solution, Yu Fu’s voice sounded through the door panel, “Miss, that guard named Xie Yi is here again. He asked you to go over and blend herbs for the nobleman.” When he said this, he couldn’t help but scratch his head; his heart was full of confusion.

It was said that the master has been blending herbs for many years. His craftsmanship was certainly more skilled than the lady, but the Lord named the lady to go over. It was really strange.

Zhou Qing was stunned. The blood in her jade, white, small face suddenly faded, and her heart was in a state of panic. The last time Xie Yi came over and invited her, it was already late into the night, and Xie Chong’s mood was not quite right. Today, she was afraid that there was something wrong again.

With neat movements, she placed the blood-soaked tranquilizing herb in the fragrant poppy along with the herbal cake and ash, packing it all up.

From the inside, the door of the room was pushed open. Zhou Qing was wearing a moon-white dress. The skin was comparable to the most delicate warm jade, nails like shellfish, and lips like flower buds. She was incomparably beautiful.

Seeing the lady’s appearance, Yu Fu suddenly came up with a thought: Could it be that the Commander was drunk? Otherwise, why name her?

Zhou Qing didn’t notice his sudden blue and white face. She clutched the wooden box tightly. Her footsteps hurried as she went outside, directly to the Xie family’s carriage.

At this moment, Zhaowei – with a few maidservants – had just walked to the front door of the Herbal Store, and before she could say anything, the person was already far away.