Chapter 8

She was respectful in attitude but her tone was stiff; the meaning was clear—don't disturb.

Mu Yuanzhi had indeed never come here to pay respects before, because the Grand Empress Dowager basically sees no one else.

Now her sudden visit is indeed strange.

Mu Yuanzhi let out a soft sigh and spoke slowly: "To be frank, I had a dream last night in which my great‑grandmother coughed day and night and could not sleep; waking up, I grew more and more worried, so I wanted to send her a bottle of the Clear Cough Salve I personally prepared to moisten the lungs and nourish yin."

"The princess means well, but it's just a dream; the Grand Empress Dowager isn't coughing, and she has already retired for her noon rest, so please come another day to pay respects." The old granny standing before Mu Yuanzhi remained unmoved.

Mu Yuanzhi didn't insist; the future is long, she will surely find a way to see the Grand Empress Dowager, so she smiled and nodded: "That's fine, I'm relieved, but I'd still like to trouble you, granny, to take this bottle of Clear Cough Salve to my great‑grandmother, just in case."

This time the old granny finally didn't refuse, reaching out to take it: "I, your servant, understand; I will certainly convey this to the princess."

She clutched the bottle of ointment, and only after Mu Yuanzhi left did she return to the Great Moon Palace to report what had just happened to the Grand Empress Dowager.

After the Grand Empress Dowager finished tapping the wooden fish, the attendant hurried forward to help her up: "Everyone says Princess Yuanzhi is skilled in both medicine and poison; this bottle of Clear Cough Salve must be excellent."

The Grand Empress Dowager glanced at the medicine bottle in the old granny's hand and snorted: "What good medicines don't we have in the Imperial Medical Institute? She's just looking for an excuse to come and curry favor with this old woman."

The attendant pressed her lips together and dared not speak further.

The old granny nodded in deep agreement: "That privileged one in Changle Palace must be feeling threatened by the real princess's return, which is why she suddenly thought of coming to see you, Grand Empress Dowager."

"Don't you know, granny? Princess Yuanzhi no longer lives in Changle Palace; she now resides in Weiyang Palace." The attendant helped the Grand Empress Dowager sit down.

The Grand Empress Dowager asked, not very interested: "When did another Weiyang Palace appear in the palace? Has the emperor launched another massive construction project?"

When Changle Palace was being built earlier, she already disliked it—it was so extravagant that the common people would only see it as wasting labor and wealth.

The attendant answered truthfully: "No, Grand Empress Dowager, this is an old palace, the only vacant hall left within the palace gates."

Upon hearing this, the Grand Empress Dowager's expression shifted, her eyes deep and distant, as if recalling something far away.

Seeing the Grand Empress Dowager's expression turn unpleasant, the old granny glared at the attendant for her cluelessness and careless talk, which needlessly reminded the master of past unpleasantness.

The attendant, unaware of what she had said wrong, quickly lowered her head and shut her mouth tightly.

After a long while, the Grand Empress Dowager finally came to and told the old granny: "Bring the medicine bottle."

The old maid didn't expect the Grand Empress Dowager to say that, she froze for a moment before handing over the small white bottle in her hand.

The Grand Empress Dowager opened the medicine bottle, gave it a sniff, and actually showed a hint of a smile: "This cough-relieving ointment is indeed good; keep it."

The old maid nodded, the Grand Empress Dowager paused, then said: "Recently there are many affairs in the palace; go see what's lively."

The Grand Empress Dowager actually cares about the outside world's turmoil? The old maid froze again before saying: "I'll go right away, your servant."

In the Imperial Household Department, the steward came in, saw others busy packing the daily-use items from the storeroom, and asked: "Which palace are these being sent to?"

"Brother Li, these are being sent to Weiyang Palace; Miss Hongdou has urged us several times already."

"Don't rush, do you know? The Grand Empress Dowager's personal attendant has been inquiring everywhere about Princess Mu Yuanzhi's affairs; it seems she learned that she injured the little princess! Who knows what changes might arise in Weiyang Palace."

"Ah? This… but, aren't you afraid His Majesty will blame us if we keep delaying the delivery?"

"Times are different now; the little princess is His Majesty's beloved, and even the Grand Empress Dowager, who usually stays out of worldly affairs, has come out to support her. If we aren't sharp, getting caught in the fallout would be no small matter!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, then moved the remaining daily-use items from the various palaces back into the storeroom.

Hongdou heard their conversation without even going inside, and angrily returned to Weiyang Palace.

"Princess, they're bullying people too much! Let's go report to His Majesty?" These past two days have really opened her eyes—who would dare bully someone like this?!

After taking the cold-clearing medicinal decoction, Mu Yuanzhi didn't even furrow her brows; she was accustomed to the bitterness of the medicine and the hardships of life.

With only one brazier of charcoal, she wrapped herself in extra layers of quilts, wore old clothes, ate the leftover vegetables sent from the Imperial Kitchen, and went to the Back Mountain to hunt rabbits and dogs—everything depended on human effort.

"Father Emperor doesn't have time to see me now." Mu Yuanzhi, after painstakingly piecing together a set of soft armor, was about to head to the nearby Back Mountain to hunt, saying, "I'm going to the Back Mountain alone; you don't need to come along."

Hongdou swallowed all the words she wanted to say, then muttered, "Here."

It had been a long time since she went hunting, and Mu Yuanzhi was actually looking forward to it, but as soon as she left Weiyang Palace and saw a tall figure standing under the willow shade, her smile vanished instantly.

"Little sister Zhi." Pei Shangyan stepped out from the shadows, sunlight falling on his and Xichunfeng's faces.

"Crown Prince." Mu Yuanzhi called out perfunctorily.

"How come you're dressed like that?" Pei Shangyan furrowed his brows.

"I'm going to the Back Mountain to hunt." Mu Yuanzhi said, turning to leave.

Pei Shangyan stepped forward to block her path: "Why the sudden urge to go hunting? It's getting dark; go tomorrow instead."

If she didn't go hunting herself, she'd have to become a vegetarian nun! Of course she couldn't be bothered to say that.

"If you want to go, then go."

Finally hearing the perfunctoriness in Mu Yuanzhi's words, Pei Shangyan couldn't help but grow somewhat angry: "Yuanzhi! I thought that after being punished in the Eternal Lane you'd learn a bit of sense, yet you're still as willful and reckless as before—can't you learn a little from your little sister and be more obedient?!"

It's the same old rhetoric again.

Mu Yuanzhi could recite it by heart.

Since Pei Yunxi returned, she could only hear from her brothers' mouths the belittling comparisons.

For a long time, she even dared not perform the simplest greetings and rites without caution, fearing mistakes, and didn't dare raise her voice when speaking, afraid her brothers would reprimand her.

Looking back now, it's really laughable—even if she kowtowed to them every day, they'd still not be satisfied, simply because she wasn't the little sister they favored; her very existence seemed wrong.

"The Crown Prince's reprimand is utterly correct; my little sister is indeed talented, and I, a mediocre person, cannot be compared with her."

Pei Shangyan's expression went blank for a moment.

"Little sister Zhi, what are you saying?"

Pei Shangyan examined Mu Yuanzhi anew, as if seeing her for the first time, scrutinizing her inch by inch.