Chapter 38

Chapter 38

The Ninth Prince returned to the eastern courtyard, taking out the medicinal herbs from the previous day and scattering them on the windowsills outside.

Prepared herbs naturally release their fragrance. After filling several windowsills, the air carried a faint, lingering scent of herbs, yet Zhou Yunning still felt the aroma wasn't strong enough.

So, he fetched a shallow basket from the western room, filled it with herbs, and placed it on the lid of the water vat. At first glance, it looked as if he were preparing to sun-dry them. In reality, Zhou Yunning intended to use the diffusion of moisture to help the medicinal scent spread more thoroughly. Clearly, this method worked well, as the air soon became rich with the strong fragrance of herbs.

Zhou Yunning was satisfied. In truth, he had set this up merely to mask the faint, lingering smell of traditional medicine drifting from the western courtyard. Before Mu Zhong woke up and before he fully understood the situation, he didn’t want anyone assigned to the palace to know that Mu Zhong was still alive.

Having barely slept the previous night, he was actually very tired. After putting away the items, he hurried back to the western courtyard and, under Gao Zhen's supervision, obediently got some sleep.

Gao Zhen alternated between tending the fire and stepping outside to check the sun's position in the east. Estimating the time and feeling it was about right, he went to wake the Ninth Prince, who seemed not to have slept enough and didn’t stir after being called twice.

Gao Zhen turned and grabbed a ball of cotton, teasing him as one would a cat by brushing it back and forth under the Ninth Prince's nose. Trying not to laugh, he played his mischievous trick. But with a "smack," the offending hand was caught, leaving no room for denial. He had no choice but to shamelessly deny it—

Under the Ninth Prince's gaze, he loosened his clenched hand, and as the cotton ball fell from his palm, he immediately opened his hand wide and exclaimed, "Your Highness, there's nothing in my hand! You can’t wrongly accuse me, you—"

His voice cut off abruptly as he stared at the Ninth Prince in shock, saying in disbelief, "Your Highness, don’t bite, I really—I was wrong, I admit it! Stop biting, it tickles!"

"……"

The Ninth Prince didn’t make a sound. Nor did he stop.

At some point, the room gradually fell silent.

Only the deafening sound of ragged breathing remained, enough to make one’s face flush and heart race.

Gao Zhen realized he was sitting on the Ninth Prince when he felt something pressing against him. Understanding what it was, he startled and leaped up in alarm. "It’s time to return to the eastern courtyard," he blurted out flusteredly before dashing off, forgetting even to wait for the Ninth Prince.

Zhou Yunning closed his eyes in frustration, deeply ashamed of his lack of self-control. He silently recited calming mantras for a good while before composing himself, then hurriedly got up and chased after him. He was somewhat worried that he had frightened Gao Zhen earlier.

However, as soon as he returned to the eastern courtyard, a knocking sound came from the door. Turning on his heel to answer it, he heard Gao Zhen's voice from behind: "Your Highness?!"

Gao Zhen waved at him through the crack in the door.

Seeing his familiar enthusiasm, the Ninth Prince secretly breathed a sigh of relief, hurrying over to ask, "What’s wrong?"

Gao Zhen grabbed his hand, pulling him inside while reminding him, "Change your clothes first."

Their clothes were heavy with the scent of medicine, and Gao Zhen was worried that if the two food attendants asked about it, they wouldn’t have a good explanation.

After hearing him out, the Ninth Prince changed clothes swiftly while praising him, "A Zhen is always so thoughtful."

Gao Zhen gave an "mm" of acknowledgment, his face slightly flushed, clearly pleased by the compliment.

The Ninth Prince changed clothes faster than Gao Zhen and, pulling the door open, stepped outside. The two outside seemed to have grown accustomed to this; they weren’t even knocking as eagerly as before. When the Ninth Prince opened the door, both were standing obediently at the foot of the steps.

Zhou Yunning nodded inwardly, thinking that his previous admonishment about their lack of manners hadn’t been in vain—they had clearly taken it to heart.

"Come in."

The Ninth Prince led the way.

He Shurong and Little Chen hurried to follow, but as soon as they stepped through the main gate and hadn’t gone far, they caught sight of Gao Zhen at the northern room’s doorway, one foot inside and one foot out, adjusting his collar. That exquisitely beautiful face, renowned throughout the imperial harem, still held a lingering smile at the corners of his eyes and brows, radiating charm.

Both of them stared in stunned silence.

Little Chen wanted to say something but quickly held back, aware that he shouldn’t act inappropriately in front of the Ninth Prince. Yet he couldn’t help inwardly complaining about how capable this Ninth Prince was—for who knew how many days in a row, he actually managed to keep this consort from getting out of bed? He didn’t know whether to praise his potency or simply marvel at this consort...

Little Chen’s gaze fell on Gao Zhen’s stomach, thinking to himself that if he still wasn’t pregnant, it would defy all logic.

He Shurong was thinking along similar lines. As he looked at Gao Zhen from a distance, his expression was equally complex.

However, having just obtained a precious medicinal formula from the Ninth Prince the day before, he merely frowned at the sight of Gao Zhen. After all, if it were him, he might have acted even more recklessly than the Ninth Prince.

Little Chen arranged the meal, and Gao Zhen and the Ninth Prince immediately began eating.

He Shurong watched their noticeably rapid eating pace with a furrowed brow. Several times he wanted to speak up and advise against it, but each time he caught the Ninth Prince’s warning glance, he stopped himself.

Little Chen, of course, also noticed that the two were eating especially quickly today. Not knowing the reason, he thought he’d ask. After all, when he returned, Zhao Pu would surely ask all sorts of questions, and always making up lies to put him off wouldn’t work—he had to mix truth with falsehood to properly fool him.

So, Little Chen said with a smile, "Your Highness, why is your appetite so good today?"

The Ninth Prince: "Mm."

Little Chen: ?

He waited for him to continue, but the Ninth Prince only lifted his eyelids to glance at him before falling silent.

Little Chen: "……"

How could someone be so brazenly dismissive?!

Fuming inwardly, his eyes darted around in anger, and this time, he happened to notice the many additional herbs on the windowsills and water vat. Surprised, he hurriedly asked, "Your Highness, why are there medicinal herbs in your cold palace?"

"If even medicinal food can be delivered, why shouldn’t there be medicinal herbs?" the Ninth Prince said matter-of-factly.

"This—" Little Chen was stumped. Although the words sounded reasonable, was there really a connection?

He Shurong was much quicker to understand than Little Chen. He immediately understood that the Ninth Prince’s words were aimed at him. Hurriedly, he said, "Little Chen, don’t take offense. I was the one who brought the herbs. At this stage, His Highness is particularly suited to medicinal incense therapy—it can achieve twice the effect for half the effort. Surely you’ve heard of it, Little Chen?"

Little Chen, of course, had never heard of it, but He Shurong’s words put him on the spot, making him feel that admitting his ignorance would be embarrassing. So, he coughed and said, "Oh, I see." Feeling that wasn’t enough, he added flatteringly, "With Imperial Physician He overseeing it, I’m sure the effects of the medicinal incense will be excellent."

"Little Chen, you flatter me."

As the two exchanged compliments, the Ninth Prince and Gao Zhen had already finished their meal. The entire process took less than half a quarter-hour.

Seeing this, Little Chen smiled and praised Imperial Physician He: "It seems the imperial physician’s skill in preparing medicinal food is truly unmatched." As he spoke, he cleared the table, and He Shurong chatted with him until he left, even escorting him to the door.

The Ninth Prince, seeing the two depart laughing and chatting, prepared to close the main gate, never expecting that He Shurong would only see Little Chen to the door before turning back.

The Ninth Prince frowned slightly, but He Shurong didn’t notice. He was still thinking of sharing some information he had specifically inquired about with the Ninth Prince. After all, having obtained two rare medicinal formulas from the Ninth Prince in succession, no matter how much he had looked down on the Ninth Prince before, he now had to reevaluate this prince.

As far as He Shurong knew, no prince in the Great Zhou dynasty had ever produced two rare-level formulas at once. In contrast, the Ninth Prince not only provided them but did so with such ease, as if these formulas meant nothing to him. He Shurong couldn’t gauge how many more formulas the Ninth Prince might have, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to get closer to him.

After all, he was well aware of his past disrespect toward the Ninth Prince and knew that redeeming himself would require effort. Yet, thinking of those formulas, He Shurong felt he could endure anything.

He asked for nothing else, only hoping that if the Ninth Prince had more formulas, he would be the next to receive one. He had even considered that, while this prince was still confined to the cold palace, he might apply himself more and perhaps secure exclusive access to those formulas in the future.

If he could really achieve that, he’d probably laugh in his dreams.

Now that the Ninth Prince had entrusted him with the task of collecting information, He Shurong intended to take it seriously.

So, yesterday, He Shurong specifically spent some silver to visit the Breeze Teahouse and ask around. He had planned to share all the information he gathered with the Ninth Prince today to cultivate rapport, but before he could even open his mouth, he heard the Ninth Prince say, "You may leave as well. There’s no need for a pulse reading today."

He Shurong: Huh?!

Caught off guard, he let out an "eh," wanting to say something, but the Ninth Prince had already led Gao Zhen back into the room, leaving behind only two coldly shut doors.

"......"

His outstretched hand slowly dropped, and the speech he'd rehearsed all night went unused. He wasn't happy about it, glaring at the two doors as if wishing he could burn two holes through them with his eyes.

He even silently blamed Gao Zhen in his heart: Why be so damn good-looking? Like a foxy temptress, always getting the Ninth Prince into bed, not even leaving a chance for others to speak—is that even reasonable?!

Frustrated as he was, for the sake of that medicinal formula, he didn’t dare to lose his temper. He could only glare at the doors a few more times before reluctantly slinking away.

As soon as he left, Gao Zhen and the Ninth Prince immediately locked the courtyard gate and headed to the west courtyard. They tacitly avoided mentioning that awkward morning incident, acting as if nothing had happened.

Although they hadn’t been away for long, the fire under the pot had noticeably weakened. Fortunately, they had plenty of charcoal, or else it truly wouldn’t have lasted.

Sitting by the fire, Gao Zhen urged the Ninth Prince, "Your Highness, maybe get some rest? If you keep pushing yourself like this, your body won’t be able to handle it."

"Alright." The Ninth Prince agreed right away. As soon as Gao Zhen spoke, he obediently went to the north room and lay down. However, he stared at the ceiling for a long time, his mind elsewhere.

Gao Zhen never went to the north room and had no idea when the Ninth Prince finally fell asleep.

The firelight reflected on Gao Zhen’s face, giving his skin a rosy glow. He hugged his knees, resting his chin on them, tilting his head as he stared blankly at the flames. The morning's embarrassment still lingered; to be honest, at first, Gao Zhen really thought it was a bone. Only later did he realize bones couldn’t be that warm and figure out what he had actually sat on, making him panic and bolt.

*Crackle. Pop.*

The firewood emitted faint crackling sounds.

Gao Zhen slowly hugged himself.

The Ninth Prince... he’s really well-endowed.

Gao Zhen buried his face completely in his arms, thinking shyly.

...

As twilight fell, the pill refining was finally complete.

Gao Zhen received the system reward—a jade-green bottle. He poured the pills into a small dish; there were ten in total. The system said to take one pill daily with water. Gao Zhen eagerly took one Great Yang-Restoring Pill and rushed to the west room to feed it to Mu Zhong. The remaining nine pills were placed in a small white dish, passing them off as specially selected high-quality ones.

After finishing this, Gao Zhen replaced the charcoal under the chicken coop.

While working, he recalled the feeling when giving Mu Zhong the medicine earlier; he felt strongly that Mu Zhong had something to say.

The Ninth Prince slept until nightfall.

When he opened his eyes and noticed a faint glow in the east room, he quickly threw on his outer robe and went over. Pushing the door open, he saw several dishes of cooled pills on the table. A log still smoldered in the stove, and warm food was kept in the pot.

Clearly, all of this was done by Gao Zhen. A sudden warmth filled the Ninth Prince’s heart.

"A Zhen?" He sat down beside Gao Zhen and called his name softly.

Gao Zhen, who had been dozing at the table, lifted his head upon hearing his voice. He rubbed his eyes as he answered and said, "Your Highness, wait a moment, I’ll get the food for you."

"Stay put, I’ll get it."

Gao Zhen felt a weight on his shoulder as the Ninth Prince had already walked over to the stove. While lifting the pot lid, the Ninth Prince asked, "Are those the refined pills on the table?"

"Yes, I picked out the better quality ones. The rest are kept in reserve."

"How do you tell the difference?" the Ninth Prince asked.

"The rounder, more lustrous, fragrant, and smoother ones are better." Gao Zhen pushed the pre-prepared dish toward the Ninth Prince. "I selected ten. I’ve already given him one, nine remain. Your Highness, please keep them."

"Alright."

The Ninth Prince found two bamboo containers from the wooden table against the north wall, stored the pills separately, and then ate with Gao Zhen.

Today’s meal was prepared by Gao Zhen—simple, village feast standard, not as exquisite as imperial cuisine, but quite tasty. After a few bites, the Ninth Prince couldn’t help but praise, "I didn’t expect A Zhen’s cooking to be so good too."

"Does Your Highness like it?"

"Yes."

"Then please eat more." As Gao Zhen spoke, he piled the Ninth Prince’s bowl high with food.

Surprisingly, the Ninth Prince ate it all without a word.

However, he kept watching Gao Zhen while eating, as if Gao Zhen himself was a side dish.

The tense days passed quickly.

At noon on the third day, while the Ninth Prince was napping, Mu Zhong woke up.

When he opened his eyes, Gao Zhen had just finished giving him his medicine and was quietly packing the needles, head slightly bowed. Gao Zhen was wearing the water-blue robe the Ninth Prince had gifted him—a garment Mu Zhong had personally arranged years ago. Recognizing it, Mu Zhong mistook Gao Zhen for the Ninth Prince, and tears immediately streamed down his face.

"Is it... Young Master?" Mu Zhong called out hoarsely, his voice dry and cracked, ignoring the pain as he begged, "Ninth Prince, is it you?"

"Ah!" Startled, Gao Zhen quickly replied, "Just a moment, I’ll call His Highness!"

In the north room, Zhou Yunning, hearing Gao Zhen’s hurried footsteps, had already sat up.

Gao Zhen pushed the door open to find the Ninth Prince already slipping on his shoes. "Your Highness, he’s awake. He’s asking for you," Gao Zhen said, slightly breathless from running.

"Mm." Zhou Yunning stood up, slipped an arm around Gao Zhen’s shoulder, and walked out together. "Let’s go see him."

The west room door opened and closed; when it opened again, the midday sunlight burst in like a sword piercing darkness, falling directly on Mu Zhong’s face.

It was blindingly bright.

Mu Zhong instinctively tried to shield his eyes, but he lacked even that little strength. He could only bear the harsh light silently.

Then, he saw someone approaching against the light. The figure was tall, large-framed, and extremely thin—reminiscent of the late emperor. As the person drew nearer, Mu Zhong saw the scars covering half his face, jagged and disfiguring. He froze for a moment before tears welled up again. This time, he knew it was truly the Ninth Prince.

"Mu Zhong pays respects to Your Highness." He struggled to rise but was held down gently by the Ninth Prince.

"You’re severely injured. Skip the formalities; this is the cold palace." After speaking, the Ninth Prince turned, pulled Gao Zhen closer, and said to Mu Zhong, "This is Gao Zhen. He was the first to find you in distress, and he administered acupuncture and prepared medicine for you. You should thank him."

"Thank you, Young Master Gao, for saving my life." Mu Zhong spoke emotionally, tears streaming again, clearly overwhelmed.

Gao Zhen hurriedly replied, "Please, don't mention it. Please focus on resting and avoid agitation. You need peace and quiet to heal."

"Thank you, young master." Unable to move, Mu Zhong nodded gratefully on the straw mat in acknowledgment.

Gao Zhen quickly smiled reassuringly and said a few words of comfort.

The Ninth Prince asked Mu Zhong, "What happened? How did you end up so severely injured?"