Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Shen Ningning Like a Chubby White Porcelain Fish Bowl

Shen Ningning remained silent, not rushing to agree.

She simply looked at him with her beautiful, liquid eyes.

The shopkeeper nervously said, "My brother serves as the chief physician in the Imperial Medical Bureau and he's encountered a difficult problem."

"Recently, a noble in the palace fell ill, and there is an urgent need for a particular medicinal herb."

"The Emperor has ordered a search for it throughout the empire, but either the quality is poor or the herbs are discolored and cracked. I know you are exceptionally capable, young miss. Do you have access to the herb 'aconite'?"

Shen Ningning blinked her long eyelashes.

She first asked, "How much silver are you willing to offer?"

The shopkeeper was momentarily taken aback, then smiled, "Naturally, it will be at market price. I wouldn't shortchange the young miss, especially since it's a direct supply to the palace. If the Emperor inquires, the young miss will be a great contributor."

Shen Ningning shook her head, "Is being a great contributor valuable? I only want real silver."

Knowing the child's astuteness, the shopkeeper quickly offered, "The market price is one hundred taels per jin. I'll personally add an extra ten taels for the young miss. How does that sound?"

The little girl's pretty eyes twinkled.

She nodded lightly, "Write down the word 'aconite', and wait here. I'll go home and check."

The pharmacy owner was overjoyed.

He hurriedly took out his handkerchief and wrote down the characters for 'aconite'.

Shen Ningning then grabbed the handkerchief and rode back home on the Black Wolf King.

Entering her space, the little girl searched for the character.

Finally, she found the corresponding character and pulled out the drawer.

Inside were neatly arranged aconites with soil still attached.

The upper ends bore purple flowers, and the roots wrapped in soil were dotted with dewdrops.

Shen Ningning quickly took them out.

The drawer seemed to extend endlessly, as if it had no end.

Thus, she didn’t have to worry about running out of medicinal herbs.

She took a bunch of aconites, light and not heavy on the scale, but estimated to be about five or six jins.

The little girl, with the bundle on her back, exited the space.

Returning to the foot of Wolf Mountain with the Black Wolf King, the pharmacy owner was still standing there.

He was under the scorching sun, his face sunburned red.

Upon seeing Shen Ningning, he immediately greeted her with a smile, showing no signs of impatience.

"Here," the little girl handed over the bundle.

The shopkeeper opened it to find, indeed, fresh aconite!

Still covered in soil, as if just dug up.

He couldn’t help but look around Wolf Mountain.

Truly a treasure land!

The shopkeeper happily said, "Young miss, once I weigh them at the pharmacy, I’ll bring the silver to you."

It was almost the first day of the month, and Shen Ningning was due to attend school.

She might not be around for a couple of days.

She waved her small hand, "No need, just leave the silver in your shop. I will come to the city to find you."

"Alright, alright!" The shopkeeper agreed repeatedly, then bowed and took his leave.

He hastened straight back to his pharmacy, Huichuntang.

The aconite weighed about six jins.

The pharmacy owner immediately boarded his carriage again with the bundle.

This was his first opportunity to enter the palace.

According to his brother, the Crown Prince's chronic illness required regular doses of this particular herb.

The Emperor was currently worried about not being able to find suitable medicinal herbs.

If he could get his brother to recommend him, it would be his chance to gain favor in front of the Emperor!

With this in mind, the shopkeeper hurried off eagerly.

Not long after his carriage departed, a low-key yet luxurious carriage slowly stopped at the street corner.

Inside the carriage,

Crown Prince Mo Lingwei was dressed in an ice-blue cross-collared robe adorned with cloud and auspicious patterns on the sleeves.

His silver crown accentuated the cold and sharp look in his eyes beneath his sword-like eyebrows.

Chen Shaobei, sitting opposite him, said, "Huichuntang is the last pharmacy in the city."

"If we still can't find that shopkeeper, it means the young lady, Shen, did not seek a physician from the city."

"Your Highness, perhaps you could recall more details about the physician? Did he have a beard? How old was he?"

He had been accompanying the Crown Prince around the city for the whole day.

All because Mo Lingwei remembered that Shen Ningning had brought a physician from the city to treat Aunt Qin and himself.

He vaguely remembered Shen Ningning addressing him as 'Shopkeeper Grandpa'.

Moreover, when leaving, the little girl had made an agreement with the physician to accompany her to the city to buy and sell medicinal herbs another day.

Therefore, Mo Lingwei was certain that the shopkeeper must know Shen Ningning's whereabouts.

However, after hearing Chen Shaobei's words,

Mo Lingwei frowned, his gaze deep and impenetrable.

"He was around fifty or sixty years old, as for a beard..." he trailed off.

Because that day, he was feverish and struggled to get up to find Shen Ningning, and then was exposed to the harsh sun.

He hadn't paid much attention to the physician's specific appearance.

Seeing this, Chen Shaobei understood.

He lifted the curtain and signaled to the guard, "Bring the owner of Huichuntang here for His Highness to recognize."

The guard immediately entered the pharmacy.

Shortly after, the guard returned, reporting, "The owner of Huichuntang is not there. The shop assistants said he left on urgent business, but they don’t know where he went or when he will return."

Impatience flickered in Mo Lingwei's usually aloof eyes.

Chen Shaobei slowly asked, "Your Highness, shall we issue an imperial decree for the officials to search for the shopkeeper?"

A shadow passed through the deep darkness of Mo Lingwei's eyes.

He coldly stated there was no need.

"Instruct the carriage to head to Lan Yuan," Mo Lingwei ordered.

The guards immediately cleared the way, turning the carriage around.

Whenever he was in a bad mood, he preferred to sit alone in Lan Yuan.

Along the way, Mo Lingwei's slender hand was clenched into a fist.

"The capital is vast, but how have I still received no news of her after searching for two days?" he muttered, teeth gritted in displeasure.

Chen Shaobei fell silent for a moment before asking, "Your Highness, do you wish to find her to repay the debt of gratitude?"

Mo Lingwei paused, taken aback.

He didn't know why he was so determined to find Shen Ningning.

Ever since learning she had tried to find him and that she had moved away from the wolf den, Mo Lingwei felt like he was trapped in emotional turmoil.

He just wanted to see her.

However, when the words reached his lips, Mo Lingwei casually said, "Just a casual search, it's best if she's still alive."

Chen Shaobei, who had grown up as his playmate, merely gave a disbelieving, perfunctory smile at his words.

As the carriage headed towards Lan Yuan, rounding a corner,

Mo Lingwei glanced out casually and suddenly spotted a chubby figure crouching under the corner of the wall.

He suddenly sat upright, "Shen Ningning?"

The carriage came to an abrupt stop.

Mo Lingwei and Chen Shaobei moved closer to look.

It turned out to be a white ceramic round, chubby koi fishbowl belonging to a wealthy family, basking in the sun.

Recently filled with water, it was clean and clear.

Due to the bright colors of the ceramic painting and the sunlight shining on it, it appeared particularly glaring from a distance, causing the confusion.

Mo Lingwei's face darkened like the bottom of a pot.

Chen Shaobei, suppressing his laughter, maintained a calm tone, "At least now we know her height. When we go back, we can instruct the guards to look for someone of that stature."

Just then, a young boy dressed like a servant came out from the back door.

"What are you looking at!" Jiang Zhi, seeing the two of them suspiciously circling the fishbowl, immediately ran over.

Mo Lingwei, not wanting to deal with trivial matters and feeling embarrassed about his earlier mistake, lost his patience and walked away briskly.

Chen Shaobei glanced at Jiang Zhi, noting her wary expression.

He casually remarked, "We were admiring the beauty of the fishbowl, hence the extra attention. There's no need for concern, brother."

Jiang Zhi frowned, "I hope so, otherwise, I'd think you were here to steal the water!"

To fill up the fishbowl, the master of the house had spent twenty taels to buy two barrels of clean water.

If someone were to steal the water, the master would be furious!

Jiang Zhi had finally found a job as a handyman where she could have enough to eat and didn't want to lose it just like that.

Chen Shaobei looked at her and asked, "Do my companion and I, dressed as we are, look like people in need of water?"

Jiang Zhi didn't want to argue with him, muttering, "Who knows? People in the capital can be very deceitful!"

After speaking, she called the servants of the mansion, and four of them hurriedly carried the fishbowl back inside.

Jiang Zhi also slammed the door shut with a 'bang'.

Chen Shaobei, a young prodigy in military affairs, had never faced such disdain!

He clenched his fist tightly in irritation.

Mo Lingwei's cold voice came from behind, "Shaobei, let's go."

Only then did Chen Shaobei let it go.

He thought it best not to encounter such a prickly person again.

Shen Ningning in the future: "I heard you once mistook me for a white porcelain fishbowl. Am I really that chubby and white?"

Mo Lingwei seriously nodded: "Chubby, cute, and round."

"Everyone, don't forget to vote today! Oh, and I heard the chapter check-in badge has changed, let's see if it's true!"