A pure heart in a jade pot

Chapter 78

Mo Yan sensed a glimmer of hope and asked happily, "Then he'll give it to you after he finishes asking?"

"Dream on!"

Ning Jin poured cold water on him without any mercy.

Upon hearing this, Mo Yan became so anxious she almost jumped up and down, asking, "Then how exactly can we get the seven-leaf locust flower out?"

“I’m afraid this matter will not be easy.” Ning Jin shook his head. “Girl, think about it. Even if ordinary people have life-saving medicine at home, who wouldn’t want to keep it for future needs? How could they just take it out to save a complete stranger?”

Mo Yan was silent for a moment, then said with dissatisfaction, "Doesn't His Majesty always say that he loves his people like his own children? If that's the case, how can a father not be anxious when his son is sick?"

Hearing her words, Zhan Zhao couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly. If someone were to take the Emperor's words seriously, they would be contradicting themselves.

Ning Jin laughed and remained noncommittal: "With so many sick sons in the world, how can a father possibly manage? You can only listen to this, don't take it seriously."

"So there's no other way?" Mo Yan asked anxiously.

Ning Jin advised, "Since your senior sister knew about his illness before the wedding, she should have expected this day to come. Lifespan is predetermined, so why force it?"

Mo Yan remained silent, slowly releasing her grip on Zhan Zhao's sleeve. After a long while, she whispered, "I originally thought so too, believing that as long as we could be together, we could be happy every single day. But now I understand that it's incredibly easy for one person to like another, but it's extremely difficult for that person to like you back. Senior Sister and Brother-in-law, it wasn't easy for them to be together, so they should stay together forever. I... I have to help them no matter what."

She spoke these words slowly, her tone involuntarily revealing a sense of sorrow. Not to mention Zhan Zhao and Ning Jin, even Wu Zichu, who was over forty, was stunned for a moment.

Chapter Twelve

A cold wind swept by, blowing some fallen petals into the pavilion. One petal landed right next to Mo Yan's temple. Zhan Zhao looked at her and thought to himself: She is so troubled. I must find a way to help her.

At this moment, Ning Jin thought the same as Zhan Zhao. However, although he was the Prince of Ning, his status was a burden. He had to consider his elder brother’s feelings in every move. If Emperor Renzong became wary of him and suspected him, it would be more harmful than beneficial.

Mo Yan hadn't expected Ning Jin to be in such a predicament. Resting her chin on her elbow, she frowned and muttered to herself, "It seems that His Majesty will only use this medicine when someone he cares about is sick." Her mind raced, and suddenly she thought of something. She looked up and asked, "If Lord Bao were sick, His Majesty would surely be willing to use this flower to save him, wouldn't he?"

Everyone was taken aback.

Zhan Zhao nodded hesitantly, reminding her, "But it's not Lord Bao who's sick right now."

"What's the harm in that?" she said happily. "As long as we poison Lord Bao and make him pretend to be sick, he can take the antidote after it's all over."

No one said a word.

After a long pause, Zhan Zhao slowly said, "Lord Bao is getting old and I'm afraid he can't withstand any more hardship."

“That’s true…” Mo Yan scratched her ear, then looked at Ning Jin with eager eyes, “You are the Emperor’s brother, his own brother!”

Ning Jin felt a chill run down his spine from her gaze: "...I'm still young."

"Your method won't work," Zhan Zhao sighed. "This is a crime of deceiving the emperor."

“That’s right, that’s right.” Ning Jin nodded repeatedly.

Mo Yan rolled her eyes at him and said disdainfully, "You're just afraid of dying."

Ning Jin didn't argue with her and said seriously, "It's not entirely without a solution. There is someone right in front of us. If she is willing to ask for help, my brother probably won't refuse."

Mo Yan asked with delight, "Who?"

Zhan Zhao already understood: "Is Your Highness referring to the Princess of Yu?"

“That’s right.” Ning Jin nodded. “Zhao Yu has been favored by the Emperor since childhood. If she asks for this item, the Emperor will not suspect her or be wary of her. In addition, the Emperor feels guilty towards her for sending her to marry the Liao Kingdom. I think… if she asks, she might not dare to say it, but she is at least 80% sure.”

“That princess…” Mo Yan sighed repeatedly, regretting, “If I had known this would happen, I would have returned the purse to her back then and left her with a good impression… I’m just afraid she won’t help me with this favor.”

"Although Zhao Yu is a bit willful, she is simple-minded and extremely kind-hearted. We just need to think of a good way to move her and make her sympathize with your brother-in-law so that she will be willing to lend a helping hand."

Mo Yan hesitated and asked, "You mean, it's not okay to tell her directly?"

Now it was Ning Jin's turn to roll her eyes at her: "There are plenty of sick people in the world who are about to die, why should she only save your brother-in-law?"

“Yes, then what should we do?” Mo Yan wasn’t annoyed at all, and continued to ask.

Ning Jin reached for the wine pot on the small stove, and said slowly, "This matter... needs further consideration."

"Hurry up and make a decision, there's no time to waste." Mo Yan was impatient. She reached out and took the wine pot for him, filled it up in one go, and simply brought it to his lips: "Drink up, drink up, and then we'll make a decision!"

Just before Ning Jin was about to choke, Wu Zichu was about to make a move when Zhan Zhao pulled Mo Yan back to sit down.

"What's the rush..."

Ning Jin slowly wiped the wine stains from his lips with a handkerchief, then lazily looked up at the pavilion. It was almost dusk, and a light mist was spreading silently through the plum grove. The plum blossoms in the distance were half-hidden in the thin mist, appearing and disappearing, giving it a somewhat fairyland feel. Suddenly, he let out a long sigh.

Mo Yan wanted to say something, but Zhan Zhao stopped her with a look. She was so anxious that she pinched and twisted her hands under the table, which added some bruises.

"Your Highness, it's getting late. Why don't we go inside for dinner?" Wu Zichu said respectfully from the side.

Ning Jin thought for a moment before reluctantly getting up, as if eating was some kind of torture for him. As he was about to leave the pavilion, he saw that Mo Yan and Zhan Zhao, though they had stood up, were still standing in place. He raised an eyebrow and said, "What, you don't like the food I'm eating? Do I have to beg you?" With that, he walked out.

With something on her mind, Mo Yan couldn't eat. She was about to decline when she heard Wu Zichu lean down slightly and say very softly and quickly, "Today is His Highness's birthday."

"ah?!"

Zhan Zhao and Mo Yan were both slightly taken aback. They exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat guilty. They hadn't expected that today was Ning Jin's birthday, and they had come empty-handed, not only without bringing any birthday gifts but also without offering a single word of congratulations. It was truly extremely impolite.

Mo Yan glanced tentatively at Zhan Zhao and whispered, "Should we have dinner with him?"

"That goes without saying."

Before Zhan Zhao could answer, Wu Zichu had already spoken, shooing the two of them out of the pavilion and following Ning Jin into the inner hall. Although Ning Jin was of noble birth, his mother had passed away early, and his brothers were all members of the royal family. While they were close, there was always an unspoken layer of suspicion between them. Although it was his birthday, Emperor Renzong had only bestowed some gifts. Seeing him all alone in this secluded mountain villa, how could Wu Zichu not know the bitterness in his heart? Coincidentally, Zhan Zhao and Mo Yan bumped into them. Mo Yan was eccentric, and he only hoped that she would engage in some lighthearted banter and ease Ning Jin's mind.

The food and wine were arranged in the warm pavilion. A four-foot-tall, openwork bronze incense burner with nine dragons soaring through the clouds emitted a faint fragrance, which mingled with the aroma of the wine and food. Mo Yan frowned as soon as she entered and said, "Why is the finest sandalwood incense being burned here? It's such a waste of nature's resources."