ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 133

On the table sat two bowls of wine, both served in white porcelain bowls. One was light in color, with a faint yellow hue, which was ordinary Shidongchun. The other bowl, however, glowed a deep red, looking rather peculiar. This was the Shidongchun that Xiao Wen had bought.

A wrinkled finger dipped into the red wine, and the old doctor tasted it. His expression changed drastically, and he quickly spat it out, rinsing his mouth with tea before looking at them in shock. “Where did you get this thing?” he asked.

Li Zhizhi showed curiosity and asked, “Doctor, is there something wrong with this wine?”

“Not just wrong!” The old doctor said, his expression serious. “This contains Wushi San!”

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the others changed in unison. Li Zhizhi naturally knew about Wushi San, which was said to have been popular in the previous dynasty and was much sought after by n.o.bles. At that time, it was a trend, and countless people had died from its use. Later, when the Great Yan was established, Emperor Taizu ordered all recipes for Wushi San to be burned and strictly prohibited the people from using this drug, with those who violated this law facing execution. Even so, the ban wasn’t completely effective at first, and it wasn’t until many years later that Wushi San finally vanished from society.

The old doctor looked at Li Zhizhi and Xiao Yan with suspicion and said, “This is a forbidden drug. If the authorities find out, you will be executed. Where did you get it?”

Li Zhizhi exchanged glances with Xiao Yan, who explained to the old doctor, “Someone gifted us this jar of wine.”

“That person is truly harmful!” The old doctor scolded angrily, clearly furious, and urgently advised, “You absolutely cannot drink this! Wushi San may sound grand and marvelous, but it’s all a deception. Long-term use can lead to sickness, and in severe cases, death!”

At this point, the old doctor spoke earnestly, “You two are young and healthy; you don’t need this at all. Even if you want to enhance things in the bedroom, you must be cautious. Using things like deer antler or tiger whip herbs would also be very beneficial without harming your health.”

In an instant, Li Zhizhi’s face flushed deeply, embarra.s.sed to the point of wishing to find a hole to hide in, stammering, “N-no, it’s not… you misunderstand.”

Seeing her like this, the old doctor a.s.sumed she was just shy, and quickly said, “Alright, it’s my misunderstanding.”

Even so, his tone and demeanor didn’t convey this, leaving Li Zhizhi at a loss for how to explain; she felt deeply embarra.s.sed. Finally, she stomped her foot, glared at Xiao Yan, and turned to leave.

Xiao Yan felt awkward as well and was about to follow her when the old doctor stopped him, carefully advising, “From your appearance, you look healthy and robust, not weak or empty. If your wife is dissatisfied, there must be a reason. You should seek proper medical advice; it’s best to address the root cause and not go for these crooked paths, using harmful drugs could damage your foundation and lead to regret.”

As he spoke, he handed Xiao Yan a piece of paper, saying, “This is a recipe pa.s.sed down from my ancestors; it nourishes and strengthens, and many who have used it say it’s effective. You can give it a try.”

Xiao Yan froze for a moment but, for some strange reason, accepted the recipe.

Nearby, Xu Tingfeng looked at his prince with a complicated expression, wanting to say something but hesitating.

…

Not long after, Liu Man learned that someone from the Ning w.a.n.g Mansion had come to retrieve the Shidongchun. Her face changed immediately, and she slapped the shopkeeper hard across the face, furious. “You fool! Are you trying to get me killed?!”

The middle-aged shopkeeper, having been slapped, felt humiliated and a bit displeased. He held his head high and said, “Madam, I’m only following your instructions. The Ning w.a.n.g Mansion sent someone, specifically requesting that Shidongchun. How could I dare to delay?”

Liu Man’s brows furrowed in anger. “Did you not think to ask me? Xiao Wen only took two jars of wine yesterday; even if he drinks it like water, he can’t finish it so quickly! That person said he was from the Ning w.a.n.g Mansion, and you believed him and gave him the wine? You fool, has your brain been eaten by a dog?!”

The shopkeeper was scolded mercilessly and felt resentful. He was just an employee, not Liu Man’s family servant. In the past, she had been a county princess, so he tolerated it, but now she was just a commoner, and yet she still acted like she was in charge.

The shopkeeper, tired of being scolded, shot back, “If every business transaction requires your approval, you might as well sit in the shop yourself. What use do we have for a muddled master like you?!”

Liu Man never expected that he would dare to defy her. She was so angry that her whole body trembled. The shopkeeper knew that he would not be able to keep this job, so he simply gave up and said, “In the past, you were a county princess, the Emperor’s niece. I tolerated seven parts and respected you three parts. Now I don’t want to tolerate any part at all! You can hire whoever you want!”

“Good, good!” Liu Man laughed in anger, pointing to the door, “Get out! Get out right now!”

But the man did not leave. He said, “Please settle my monthly salary first—five hundred taels of silver in total. Otherwise, I’ll spread the word about the five stones powder being sold in your shop.”

Liu Man’s delicate face turned frost-like, and she stared at him, sneering, “Fine, five hundred taels it is. I’ll pay you to buy your mouth.”

Saying this, she took out several bundles of silver for him. The man beamed with joy, quickly accepting it, weighing it in his hands. Liu Man coldly said, “You’ve taken my money, so you’d better remember today’s words and keep your mouth shut.”

The man was eagerly biting the silver, unable to contain his joy, and repeatedly said, “Yes, yes, you can rest a.s.sured, I will definitely—”

“Bang—”

With a loud noise, the man’s voice suddenly stopped. He widened his eyes in disbelief, staring at Liu Man. Several streams of blood flowed down from his forehead. He pointed at Liu Man, as if wanting to say something, but not a word came out. His body swayed, and he fell backward heavily, crashing down, the white silver scattered everywhere, making a m.u.f.fled sound like falling rain.

Liu Man threw down the weight and looked expressionlessly at the man on the ground, saying, “Thank you for helping me get rid of my troubles.”

After speaking, she called for someone to come in. It was still the blue-clad steward, who was startled and said somewhat nervously, “My lady, what are you—”

“Dispose of him,” Liu Man wiped her hands with a handkerchief and looked up, “Immediately send someone to the tavern to hide all the Stone Frozen Spring mixed with five stones powder.”

“No,” she suddenly changed her mind, “Don’t keep any of that wine. Pour it all into the well, not a drop should be left.”

After that, Liu Man took out a box from a hidden compartment in the bookshelf, inside which were two porcelain bottles. She only took out one, put the rest back, and instructed, “Prepare horses and carriages. I want to visit the Ning w.a.n.g Mansion.”

Just an hour later, many people gathered in front of the new Feng Wine Shop in the East Market, discussing, “What happened at this shop? Why are so many officials suddenly here?”

Another person said, “It’s said that the wine they sold had a problem and made people sick, and they reported it to catch the shopkeeper.”

“How could that be? I just bought a pot of Huadiao wine here yesterday.”

“Me too, could there really be a problem?”

“Quick, go back and throw it away.”

Xu Tingfeng and an officer came out of the wine shop, stopping in front of the trembling shop a.s.sistant. The officer asked, “Where’s your shopkeeper?”

The a.s.sistant was so scared he was about to wet his pants, trembling as he replied, “I—I don’t know, sir. The shopkeeper left before you came and just told me to watch the shop; I don’t know where he went.”

Xu Tingfeng frowned, said nothing, and returned to a horse-drawn carriage, quietly reporting, “My lady, there’s nothing wrong with the Stone Frozen Spring in the shop, but I found some wine stains at the wellhead in the back courtyard, and the smell of wine is quite strong.”

“The wine has already been poured out,” Li Zhizhi glanced at Xiao Yan, her brows slightly furrowed, and said, “Liu Man probably guessed that we were keeping an eye on her.”

Xiao Yan gently rubbed the sandalwood beads around his wrist, looking thoughtful. After a moment, he said, “No matter, the monk can run, but the temple can’t be avoided. Since she is the owner of the wine shop, whether or not we find the five stones powder in this shop, she will have to go to the government office for an investigation. What happens next will be out of her hands.”

Li Zhizhi rested her cheek on her hand, casting a sidelong glance at him, her eyes shimmering softly like water. “This is unsubstantiated; it probably doesn’t conform to the rules, right? The Crown Prince is currently serving in the Ministry of Justice. Are you not afraid of being impeached?”

Xiao Yan’s heart skipped a beat at her gaze. He coughed lightly, about to say something when the carriage suddenly lurched, causing the entire vehicle to shake violently. Li Zhizhi, caught off guard, let out a startled cry and fell backward. Xiao Yan was alarmed and instinctively reached out to catch her, but instead, he b.u.mped his head against the carriage wall with a dull thud, drawing in a sharp breath as he suppressed the urge to cry out in pain.

By the time Li Zhizhi regained her senses, she found herself leaning against Xiao Yan’s chest, staring at the snow-white fabric of his clothing. She quickly scrambled up and looked down, asking, “Are you alright?”

As soon as the words left her lips, she met his familiar phoenix-like eyes. Perhaps it was due to some pain; Xiao Yan’s sword-like brows furrowed slightly, as if enduring it, and a hint of redness appeared in his eyes, reminiscent of the cinnabar blurred by water during her painting, moist and vibrant.

She loved that color the most, often using it to paint plum blossoms in various styles. The Consort often teased her for being infatuated with them.

Li Zhizhi was surprised to find that the deep and light reds she usually mixed were nowhere near as striking as the hint of red in Xiao Yan’s eyes at that moment. She stared at him in a daze, as if entranced, and suddenly reached out, gently touching his thin eyelids with her fingertips, then moving to his dark eyelashes.

Xiao Yan froze at her actions, feeling the soft touch as if waiting for a b.u.t.terfly to alight. He even instinctively held his breath, fearing to scare it away.

“Crown Prince brother,” Li Zhizhi suddenly asked him, “have you ever cried?”

Xiao Yan: ?

“Of course,” he replied, looking up at the young girl in confusion. “Why do you ask that?”

Li Zhizhi appeared somewhat excited, saying, “Could you cry for me?”

She truly adored that faint redness and perhaps loved how this usually cold and proud gaze could show such warmth.

With a serious expression, Li Zhizhi said, “Crown Prince brother, I think you’d look quite good when you cry.”

Xiao Yan: …

Suddenly, he exerted force, flipping Li Zhizhi back down, looking down at her from above. The faint red in his gaze had yet to fade as he slightly narrowed his eyes and asked softly, “I look good when I cry? How good?”

“Is it the kind of good that you like?”

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