After Transmigrating as the White Lotus Crown Princess - Chapter 11

Mu Jinyu’s face changed from pale to green, and finally to a dark, iron-clad grimace in a short span of time.

The sequence of events was not hard to guess. The Empress would naturally never harm Mu Jinyu; although she had lacked the energy to care for him much during his growing years, he was still her only flesh and blood. From the Empress’s gaze and words, Mu Jinyu could feel her genuine concern.

Most likely, the Empress knew he was severely injured and specifically went before the Emperor to beg for this medicine. If the Emperor had bestowed the medicine directly upon Mu Jinyu, given his cautious nature, he likely wouldn’t have used it immediately. But once it passed through the Empress’s hands, his guard dropped.

Mu Jinyu took the medicine bottle from Ning Huan’s hand. He also sniffed the scent of the medicine but couldn’t detect anything wrong.

Ning Huan shook his head: “You don’t understand medicine. If you call an experienced and trustworthy imperial physician over, he will know the moment he smells it.”

Mu Jinyu did not summon a physician; he knew Ning Huan had no reason to lie about this. Furthermore, his injuries were exactly as Ning Huan described—they appeared to heal, only to fester again later. This cycle had repeated until he was reduced to a mere skeleton of a man.

His expression was icy, and his eyes were dark and predatory, like a violent, bloodthirsty beast in the jungle.

The medicine bottle in his hand shattered instantly. White porcelain shards pierced his flesh, and the scent of medicinal herbs filled the room.

Ning Huan watched the carpet become soiled and made a mental note of the debt Mu Jinyu owed him. However, since the two of them needed to have a proper divorce, he couldn’t let Mu Jinyu harbor murderous intent toward him again. Thus, Ning Huan did not bring up the ruined carpet to spoil the mood.

At this stage, Mu Jinyu’s schemes were not yet deep, nor had he undergone enough painful trials. His city walls were shallow, and his thoughts actually spilled out quite clearly. Ning Huan felt that this version of Mu Jinyu seemed more real—or perhaps, in a way, more simple.

In the later stages of the original story, Mu Jinyu seemed to become a bloodthirsty monster, dominated by power and status while using that power to enslave the world, losing all sense of humanity.

Ning Huan took a handkerchief from his sleeve and spoke to A-Xi, who looked so frightened his soul was about to fly away: “Go get some golden sore medicine powder.”

A-Xi froze for a moment: “Yes, this servant will go right away.”

The medicine was brought. Ning Huan sprinkled it on the wound to stop the bleeding, then removed the porcelain shards one by one. He applied another layer of medicinal powder and wrapped the hand with the handkerchief.

“The Crown Prince’s temperament is far too violent,” Ning Huan said, shaking his head. “I told you just now that the medicine is toxic; you shouldn’t have crushed it so easily.”

He leaned in slightly closer. Only then did Mu Jinyu notice that Ning Huan’s shoulders seemed a bit broader than a typical woman’s—not narrow and sloping, but forming a very straight line. His face, however, was tiny; Mu Jinyu felt it might not even be as large as his own palm.

Furthermore, as the primary consort of the Crown Prince, Ning Huan actually wore no makeup. His face was bare, and only up close could one see there were no traces of cosmetic powder. The texture of his skin was like white jade—cold and delicate.

Ning Huan said: “Why are you looking at me? Your Highness should look at your wound.”

Mu Jinyu was used to bleeding. His mind was often clouded, and it wasn’t as if he hadn’t self-harmed before, so he didn’t fear pain. Usually, he’d just throw on some medicine and wrap it up before going about his business. Now that his hand had been tied with a neat knot, he felt a bit unaccustomed. He didn’t know what kind of face to show Ning Huan; he wanted to leave, but mealtime was approaching.

The food at Ning Huan’s place was excellent, far better than the meals he shared with a group of ministers in the palace this morning.

Today’s lunch was exceptionally lavish. Mu Jinyu guessed that Ning Huan knew he would come over to eat. Once again, the dishes were served in exquisite small plates, containing only small portions that could be finished in a few bites.

Mu Jinyu picked up his chopsticks to grab a dumpling. He didn’t know what the filling was, but the skin was incredibly thin—as translucent as a cicada’s wing—making the filling inside almost visible. An exotic fragrance wafted toward him. The center of the plate was slightly recessed to hold a small amount of dipping sauce.

Ning Huan suddenly blocked his chopsticks.

Mu Jinyu was puzzled: “There are four dumplings here. Two for you, two for me.”

Ning Huan said: “The filling inside is winter bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms. Both are ‘trigger’ foods; your body cannot eat them yet.”

Mu Jinyu suddenly remembered that this made sense. He then tried to serve himself some soup. It was a clever sheep lung broth, often made in the palace; he wondered if Ning Huan’s version would taste better.

Ning Huan spoke again: “You can’t eat mutton either.”

In the era Ning Huan was in, mutton was scarce. Because most land was used for crops and most pastures were for raising horses for the army, mutton was mostly obtained through trade with foreign tribes. Therefore, the price of mutton was extremely high, and only nobles and wealthy merchants could afford it.

While beef was banned, the number of farm oxen far exceeded the number of sheep, and the ban was frequently ignored by the common people. Of course, nobles didn’t eat beef, and it was a forbidden dish in the Ning family as well. Thus, there was no beef—Mu Jinyu’s favorite on Ning Huan’s table.

The chefs in Ning Huan’s household knew secret recipes to cook mutton until it was exceptionally fresh and delicious without a trace of gaminess, satisfying their hard-to-please masters. Since Ning Huan’s arrival, his daily meals followed the previous customs.

There were two mutton dishes on the table, and Mu Jinyu couldn’t eat either of them. Ning Huan pushed a plate of stir-fried Napa cabbage toward Mu Jinyu: “Your Highness should eat this. Have two extra bowls of rice.”

Mu Jinyu had originally lost his appetite, but out of pique at Ning Huan, he ate two bowls of rice anyway. However, the cabbage was indeed delicious better than the meat Mu Jinyu usually ate.

The items Die Qing was sent to buy were soon delivered.

Ning Huan had the servants clean an empty room and arrange it according to his requirements. Later, Ning Huan inspected the herbs, weighing five of Angelica Dahurica , five of Ligusticum, as well as Angelica Sinensis, Frankincense, and Dragon Bone. He had Die Qing grind the herbs nearby while he decocted others himself.

Mu Jinyu was nowhere to be seen all afternoon. Ning Huan surmised he had gone into the palace to seek confirmation from the Empress. Thinking back to when he saw the Empress, Ning Huan felt that although she was alive, her pupils were unfocused and she lacked strength. She looked sickly and listless; he feared Mu Jinyu wouldn’t be able to get much of a solution from her.

Ning Huan’s guess was correct. When Mu Jinyu arrived before the Fengyi Palace, the Empress’s senior maid, Lian Xin, said with a troubled face: “Your Highness, it is noon. Her Majesty is resting. Please return tomorrow.”

Mu Jinyu stood coldly before the hall, his posture as upright as a pine or cypress. Just by standing there, he exerted a powerful sense of intimidation over everyone in the Fengyi Palace.

“I will wait for Mother to wake.”

Lian Xin had no choice but to say awkwardly: “It is freezing outside. Please come inside to wait, Your Highness. This servant will serve you tea.”

The Empress’s palace was filled with incense. Aside from the fragrance drifting from the censer, there was a faint, looming sour scent mixed within.

He waited for an hour before the Empress was helped out from the inner chambers. She was fully dressed and didn’t look like she had just woken up. Mu Jinyu performed a salute: “Mother.”

The Empress nodded weakly, a small smile appearing on her face: “A-Yu, you’ve come to pay respects.”

Mu Jinyu said: “I have come to inform Mother of something. The golden sore medicine Mother obtained from Father was tampered with. Father is not the Father of years past. Mother needs to be cautious in the palace.”

The Empress’s smile gradually froze: “What did you say?”

Although the Empress was criticized by many in private, she came from a prominent family with a good background. Years ago, in order to win her heart, the Emperor had specifically granted noble titles to her brothers. Now, the Empress lived her days in a void, but she was not without a brain. If she were brainless, she wouldn’t have been able to use her illness to restrain the Emperor for so many years and bring so many benefits to herself and those around her.

However, she had been plagued by nightmares recently and felt she didn’t have long to live. Her only concern was her son; Mu Jinyu was the pillar that kept her going.

“So it was Ning Huan who discovered it?” the Empress spoke after hearing Mu Jinyu’s account. “He is different from what I imagined. I originally thought ‘she’ was frivolous and jealous. From the moment your Father arranged this marriage for you, I was filled with anxiety.”

The Empress had previously thought that the Crown Prince’s marriage shouldn’t be handled so simply. She wanted a noble daughter from a prominent family to form an alliance, someone whose father or brothers held status at court, or for Mu Jinyu to marry his cousin.

But Mu Jinyu was “unproductive,” and her own words before the Emperor carried less and less weight. She only wanted to drown her sorrows every day to numb herself, so in the end, she didn’t stop it and allowed Mu Jinyu to marry Ning Huan.

At the mention of Ning Huan, Mu Jinyu’s mood became complicated. At noon, Ning Huan had only given him a plate of cabbage. Not even a rabbit could finish a meal with just a few leaves. He wondered what would be served for dinner.

The Empress now felt a bit of interest and wanted to stroll through the Imperial Garden; Mu Jinyu accompanied her. He also noticed that there were indeed many newcomers in the palace. Groups of two or three came to pay respects to the Empress in the garden, all looking to be fifteen or sixteen years old. The Emperor was currently in his prime, and the number of people in the harem grew every year. Mu Jinyu had no interest in beauty; he only felt the Emperor was too greedy and would eventually die at the hands of these people.

Upon his return, Mu Jinyu went back to Lixue Hall. He was waiting for dinner, only to be told that there was no dinner today because Ning Huan had no appetite.

A faint medicinal fragrance filled the courtyard. Mu Jinyu saw Ning Huan sitting by the window, holding a mortar in his lap and a pestle in his hand. He was grinding medicine while looking down at something. Moving closer, he discovered Ning Huan was reading a pharmacopeia.

Last night, Ning Huan had said he would flip through medical books to find a prescription to treat him—it turned out he was serious.

Ning Huan looked up: “The Crown Prince is back? It just so happens I have prepared a medicinal bath; you should soak tonight. It’s my first time making this, so I don’t know how effective it will be.”

If it worked, Ning Huan mused about opening a pharmacy. He felt his current life was still too meager; opening more shops was always a good thing.

Mu Jinyu let out a cold snort: “I should believe you?”

Ning Huan knew Mu Jinyu was suspicious: “If you don’t want it, then forget it. I’ll go soak in it myself later.”

Mu Jinyu originally thought Ning Huan would beg him to soak, but he didn’t expect Ning Huan’s personality to be so proud. Mu Jinyu was also not afraid of death—the number of times he had harmed himself was already high enough that he didn’t care if Ning Huan harbored ill intentions. If Ning Huan were unfaithful, Mu Jinyu would drag him down with him before he died.

“Did I say I didn’t want it?”

He saw that Ning Huan was grinding something pale yellow in the mortar: “What is this?”

Ning Huan said: “Frankincense, for making medicine.”

Mu Jinyu also smelled a very faint herbal fragrance on Ning Huan’s body. Ning Huan looked naturally noble; his chin was always slightly tilted, and his eyes looked at people with indifference. Mu Jinyu was certain that if “she” were a man, “she” would definitely be a particularly proud and cold young master.

Thinking of this, Mu Jinyu’s mood became complex, and his train of thought stopped: Why did he think Ning Huan was a man? Just because Ning Huan’s chest was particularly flat?