A pure heart in a jade pot

Chapter 77

Before he could finish speaking, Mo Yan shook her head again: "I don't want it." She had her own calculations: You're kind to me only because you treat me like a younger sister, not what I want. Since that's the case, even if you treat me ten times better, I still won't want it.

Zhan Zhao stood there stunned, wondering what he had done to offend her that made her so distant and formal. Seeing Mo Yan staring straight at him with a hint of bitterness in her eyes, which he had never seen before, he quickly asked with concern, "Have you encountered something difficult? Why don't you tell me about it?"

Hearing this, Mo Yan became even more annoyed, wishing she could shout to vent her frustration. Just as she was about to shake her head, she suddenly remembered what her senior sister had mentioned. With such an important matter at hand, she couldn't care less about her awkwardness and hurriedly nodded, saying urgently, "It's something, something very important! I want to see Prince Ning. Can you help me get into the palace?"

"What is the important matter?"

"I'll tell you after I see Prince Ning. For now, please help me get into the palace, okay?"

Zhan Zhao pondered for a moment and nodded: "Alright, you come with me. Leave the sword behind, but do not bring it into the palace."

Mo Yan hurriedly unfastened the soft sword from her waist, and as she turned around, Zhan Zhao had already put the fur-lined gray squirrel cloak back on her.

"It's cold outside, don't catch a cold," he said gently.

Mo Yan lowered her head, feeling a turmoil of sorrow in her heart, but she couldn't say a word. She could only stand there obediently and let him tie the ribbon for her.

Chapter Eleven

The two rode to the right side gate of Xuande Tower in the palace. Zhan Zhao stepped forward and explained that he wanted to see Prince Ning. The guards at the gate told him that Prince Ning had left the palace in the afternoon, supposedly to stay at the Royal Qingyun Villa in the suburbs for a short while to relax.

"Qingyun Villa?" Mo Yan was taken aback. "Is it far?"

“Thirty li north of the city.” Zhan Zhao thought for a moment. Qingyun Manor was a place where the royal family rested during hunting trips, so it was quite a distance from the capital. Fortunately, the princess had already gone back to rest today, and she was protected by the imperial guards, so she should be fine.

“Come, I’ll go with you.” He mounted his horse and turned it around.

“I can go by myself, Brother Zhan, you are busy with official duties…” Mo Yan wanted to decline.

Zhan Zhao smiled slightly, which made her turn her face away slightly: "It's alright. Although the manor is not as grand as the palace, I'm afraid they won't let you in if I don't accompany you." With that, he urged his horse forward.

Mo Yan had no choice but to mount her horse.

Once outside Fengqiu Gate in the north of the city, the world was a vast expanse of white, sparsely populated. Mo Yan, her heart heavy with unspoken frustration, urged her horse to gallop freely, as if only then could she breathe more easily. Zhan Zhao, thinking she was in a hurry, spurred his horse to follow closely beside her.

Seeing that Mo Yan had remained silent the entire way, completely unlike her usual self, Zhan Zhao glanced at her several times, watching her gaze linger in the unknown distance, her expression one of melancholy and loss. He wondered what had caused her to look like this, but he could never have imagined that it was all because of a single sentence he had uttered earlier.

After traveling for a long time, they finally saw the snow-covered, upturned eaves of Qingyun Villa. Even before they got close, they could faintly hear someone playing the zither inside the villa. The music was low and melancholic. Mo Yan only had a superficial understanding of music. On ordinary days, this music would have been nothing more than a gentle breeze to her ears. But today, for some reason, she slowed down the reins and listened carefully, feeling that the person playing the zither shared her sorrow.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the villa, they asked someone to announce their arrival and waited for quite some time before someone finally came to lead them inside.

The villa was quite large. The guards led them along the path of the music until they passed through the inner hall. Suddenly, a plum grove appeared before them, filled with tiny flowers. When the wind blew, the petals fell in a beautiful display.

Following the winding cobblestone path cleared of snow, you'll see a small pavilion nestled deep within the plum grove, from which the sound of the zither emanates...

The guards stopped and gestured for them to be quiet.

“When Prince Ning plays the zither, he does not like to be disturbed,” he said.

Despite her initial disapproval, Mo Yan stopped as instructed and leaned against a tree about five or six zhang away from the pavilion. Zhan Zhao stood beside her.

From here, one can already see the scene inside the pavilion. The person playing the zither is naturally Ning Jin, with Wu Zichu waiting beside him. Steam rises from the small stove on the table, filling the air with the aroma of wine. On any other day, Mo Yan would surely marvel at how the royals know how to enjoy life, but at this moment, she has no such thoughts. Her gaze, peering through the gaps in the plum tree branches, falls on Ning Jin, and she listens intently to the zither.

Zhan Zhao also quietly admired the scene. He inadvertently caught a glimpse of Mo Yan staring intently at Ning Jin. He paused for a moment, lowered his eyes slightly, and then awkwardly looked away.

After the song ended, the guards led them forward.

Ning Jin looked up and was taken aback when he saw Mo Yan. The guard hadn't mentioned Mo Yan when he reported earlier, only saying that Zhan Zhao was requesting an audience. He hadn't expected Mo Yan to come with Zhan Zhao.

"I hid here, yet you all managed to track me down from so far away." He sighed deeply, waved for them to sit down, and said helplessly, "Speak, what is it?"

“My brother-in-law is sick, very sick, and I’m afraid he won’t make it through the winter,” Mo Yan said to him, frowning.

Ning Jin had assumed the two men were there on official business, but Mo Yan's words surprised him. He asked, "Why are you looking for me instead of a doctor?"

"I've consulted an excellent doctor, and that's what they said."

Ning Jin leaned closer to her and said with amusement, "Don't tell me you want me to perform a ritual for you?"

Mo Yan glared at him, but with the important matter at hand, she couldn't afford to joke with him: "The doctor said that the seven-leaf locust flower could save his life, but this thing is only available in the palace."

“Seven-leaf locust flower?” Ning Jin frowned and thought carefully. “I have some impression of it. It seems to be a tribute from Dali. It is said to be a rare flower that is rarely seen in a hundred years and has the effect of curing serious and incurable diseases.”

"Yes, yes, do you have a way to get it?"

Ning Jin remained silent, slowly poured himself a cup of wine, and played with it in his hand, watching the water shimmer in the cup.

Mo Yan, not understanding what he meant, asked anxiously from the side, "What? Is it difficult to handle?"

"How come you suddenly have a brother-in-law?" Ning Jin asked her in return.

"My senior sister just got married last month."

Ning Jin nodded: "Oh... your husband is about to die right after you got married. Your senior sister is really having a run of bad luck."

Seeing that he was deliberately rambling on, Mo Yan's words were tinged with anger, but she still explained, "My brother-in-law had this disease before we got married."

“Then why did your senior sister marry him? Isn’t that just waiting to become a widow?” Ning Jin shook his head repeatedly, then turned to look at Wu Zichu. “Zichu, you agree, right?”

Mo Yan stood up abruptly, now truly enraged: "If you don't want to help, fine! But why curse my senior sister?"

Zhan Zhao quickly stood up to stop her. He should have reprimanded her for being rude in front of Prince Ning, but he noticed that her eyes were slightly red. He could only sigh inwardly, thinking that the sisters were very close and it was understandable that she was anxious. He had known that Nangong Ruoxu was seriously ill when he was in Suzhou, but he did not know that she needed the seven-leaf locust flower to cure her.

"Your Highness, when Zhan Zhao was investigating the case in Suzhou, she was fortunate to receive assistance from her brother-in-law, Nangong Ruoxu. In fact, this man has also rendered meritorious service to the court," Zhan Zhao said to Ning Jin, pulling Mo Yan along.

Seeing that Zhan Zhao spoke up for her, Mo Yan gave him a grateful glance and unconsciously tugged at his sleeve.

"Girl, sit down." Ning Jinyi saw the tears in her eyes and his heart softened. He smiled but didn't laugh, "You think asking for help is an easy thing? If I were to ask my royal brother, do you think he would give me something so precious without asking any questions?"