Chapter 283 His Gift

Behind the West Courtyard, there was a Fragrance Pavilion, surrounded by falling petals and lush grass, creating a very beautiful scene.

Ji Yuntang had been enjoying a leisurely moment with her eyes closed, lying sideways on the daybed in the Fragrance Pavilion, letting Luo Junhe paint a portrait of her resting in the woods.

Unexpectedly, the sound of Xie Liuzheng's voice suddenly reached her ears. She instinctively opened her eyes and sat up on the daybed.

The tip of Luo Junhe's brush came to a stop. He looked at the half-finished portrait of a beautiful woman, where only the clothing, shoes, and hair accessories had yet to be colored.

His deep, almond-shaped eyes were warm. He said gently to Ji Yuntang, “The painting can wait until another day. It seems Heir Xie has urgent business with you. You should go and check on him!”

“Alright, I'll go then.” Ji Yuntang nodded in agreement and quickly left.

Luo Junhe watched her retreating figure. After confirming that Ji Yuntang had gone far, he silently put away the painting in his hands.

He reached under the wheelchair and pulled out an unassuming black cloth bag, which held the half-carved rosewood bracelet he had been working on.

He would meticulously polish each bead, ensuring there were no flaws or splinters, and finally thread it with a jade Ruyi pendant meant to keep the wearer safe before it could be considered complete.

However, he usually had to polish the beads only when Ji Yuntang wasn’t around.

These days, Ji Yuntang stayed at the Prince Ye Manor, and Luo Junhe couldn’t find a free moment, so the progress on the polishing had slowed considerably.

His eyes deepened as he looked at the rosewood material in his hands, a gentle smile curled on his thin red lips.

This was something he had asked Wang Sheng to secretly buy for him. No one else knew about it except the two of them.

Rosewood nurtures the person, symbolizing lifelong good health.

It may not be the finest wood, but it was Luo Junhe’s expression of love for Ji Yuntang.

He wanted to give it to her as a gift on New Year’s Eve.

He wondered if Ji Yuntang would like it.

Thinking that there was still half a month until New Year’s Eve, Luo Junhe couldn’t help but start looking forward to it.

Ji Yuntang arrived at the front of the West Courtyard and saw Xie Liuzheng pacing anxiously in the yard.

As he was anxious, Ji Baiyi, the dog, was anxious along with him. The two of them looked like they were putting on a comedy duo.

As soon as Ji Yuntang appeared, Xie Liuzheng’s eyes lit up. He reached out to grab her arm.

But as soon as his hand extended, something suddenly occurred to him, and he slowly withdrew it.

“Sister Yuntang, something has happened to Mother. Come with me quickly!”

Ji Yuntang was startled and hurriedly asked, “What happened to Mother?”

Xie Liuzheng said, “This morning, Consort Li sent her senior palace maid to deliver a message to Mother, inviting her into the palace for tea and to reminisce. Mother went along with it.”

“But it’s been two or three hours since she left, and she still hasn’t returned. I’m really worried. I’m afraid that Consort Li knows Mother has adopted you as her daughter and might want to harm Mother.”

“In any case, you have the token given by Princess Jiu. First, come with me into the palace.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Yuntang’s expression turned serious.

If it had been anyone else who summoned Madam Cai to the palace, it might not have been a concern.

But Consort Li, was a different matter!

This woman had always been treacherous and a master of disguise. Inviting Madam Cai into the palace was definitely not just for tea and small talk. There was likely some other hidden motive.

Thinking of this, Ji Yuntang didn’t even have time to get ready. She directly called out to Chen Hu to quickly ready the carriage.

But Xie Liuzheng said, “No need to ready a carriage. My carriage is waiting outside. Just come with me.”

Ji Yuntang nodded. Initially, she had thought about preparing a separate carriage because Xie Liuzheng couldn't touch women.

Since he said his carriage was ready, she would go along with it.

The two hurried out of the Prince Ye Manor. Fortunately, Xie Liuzheng’s carriage was large enough to easily accommodate ten people.

Ji Yuntang felt at ease as she sat inside.

Along the way, Xie Liuzheng kept urging Meng Fan, “Faster, faster.”

Meng Fan drove the carriage at top speed, cutting down the usual thirty-minute trip to the palace to just a quarter of an hour.

At the palace gate, the number of imperial guards was easily more than double the usual. They held silver spears, their expressions serious, as if searching for someone.

Ji Yuntang and Xie Liuzheng jumped out of the carriage one after the other. Before they could even approach the entrance, they were stopped by an imperial guard.

“By order of the Emperor! Today, the palace is a restricted area for apprehending a fugitive. No one is allowed to enter or leave. You'd better turn back now!”

Upon hearing this, Xie Liuzheng’s unease deepened. He suspected that Madam Cai hadn't left the palace yet because of this fugitive.

He wondered what kind of fugitive could make Emperor Jingyang so alarmed as to station so many imperial guards at the palace gate.

This only made Xie Liuzheng more determined to get into the palace.

He roared, “How dare you! Open your eyes wide, you dogs! Do you dare to stop the Princess of Ye and this heir?”

Not only was the imperial guard unafraid, but his tone was also insolent.

“This is the Emperor’s command. I am merely following orders. Please, Princess and Heir, do not interfere with our work.”

Ji Yuntang sneered, “What if I insist on entering the palace today?”

The imperial guard still blocked their way.

Ji Yuntang directly pulled out the token given by Luo Qingge and thrust it in front of his face, her voice filled with authority.

“The Ninth Princess has ordered me to enter the palace to perform acupuncture on the Seventeenth Prince. If his treatment is delayed, do you think you can keep your head on your shoulders?”

The imperial guard immediately panicked. They exchanged glances, unsure if Ji Yuntang was telling the truth, but they knew that if they stopped her and the Seventeenth Prince’s treatment was indeed delayed, they would all die.

With that thought, the imperial guard relented.

“The Princess of Ye may enter. No one else is allowed.”

This was also specifically ordered by Emperor Jingyang—to stop the Heir from learning that they were arresting Madam Cai.

Ji Yuntang sneered, “He is my assistant. If he doesn’t enter, I cannot perform acupuncture on the Seventeenth Prince. It's up to you.”

Xie Liuzheng quickly added, “That's right. I, the Heir, am the Princess of Ye's assistant. Make way now!”

The imperial guards were spooked; how had they never heard that Heir Xie also knew medicine?

But now was clearly not the time to dwell on this, because Ji Yuntang had already started forcing her way in!

Having lost her patience, she directly grabbed a handful of bone-softening powder from her storage space and tossed it towards the guards' faces.

The group immediately went limp and collapsed to the ground, unable to even speak.

Ji Yuntang glanced at them mockingly. "So noisy. Now it's quiet."

With that, she entered the palace with Xie Liuzheng.

The two of them made a beeline for Consort Li's Weiyang Palace.

But only after arriving did they learn that Consort Li was not in Weiyang Palace; she had gone to Emperor Jingyang's Hall of State Affairs together with Luo Qianxue.

The fugitive the imperial guards were after was none other than the person they were looking for—Madam Cai.

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