Chapter 1443: Chapter 1421 Postponed (Extra Chapter for reader "vivi含笑" as a reward)
Back at the residence, the group leaned over the stone table and stared at the box. Manbao said, "Could it be like in the books, there’s a trap inside, and when opened, it shoots out darts, and then people die?"
Daji thought the same and didn’t dare let Manbao hold it.
Mr. Zhuang frowned and found a long stick, "Everyone move back a bit, let’s open it with this."
Everyone stepped back.
Keke: ...
Unfortunately, the main system had just come to check if its host had discovered any new stones, so it remained silent.
Mr. Zhuang poked at the box but didn’t open it. Daji took the stick, gave it a light flip, the box popped open, nothing happened, it was very calm.
They found it strange, quietly stepped forward on tiptoe to look, and saw a bloody dagger lying calmly inside the box.
Manbao was stunned, stepped forward to look at the bloody dagger in the box, and uncertainly looked at Daji, "Is this human blood?"
Daji took the dagger with a serious expression, smelled it under his nose, and nodded to Manbao, "Human blood."
Mr. Zhuang’s face darkened, "This is a threat against you."
Xiang Mingxue frowned, "The Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress have all bestowed rewards on you, who would dare be so audacious?"
Mr. Zhuang turned to ask Manbao, "Did anything happen in the past few days?"
The dagger was exposed in front of Mr. Zhuang, so Manbao could only rub her nose, and said evasively, "Someone threw a bag of pig heart, liver, and kidneys into my cart to scare me."
At the side, Sanya said, "Then Auntie stewed and ate them all."
Everyone: ...
Zhou Lixue and Zhou Ligu were originally angry, but hearing Sanya say this, they both turned to look at the dagger in Daji’s hand and asked, "This knife looks very sharp, is it expensive?"
Daji: "...Not cheap."
Zhou Lixue angrily said, "Alright, we’ll clean it up, sell it, and make money!"
Manbao nodded, "Good idea, but before that, I have to show it to a few people."
She handed the box up; Daji put the dagger back into the box.
Manbao closed it and said angrily, "Do they really think I’m made of mud? I’m going to take the dagger and enter the palace. I need to show it to the Crown Prince first, then the Emperor, and finally show it to Senior Brother Tang. I want to see who is so wicked, who dares to threaten the Crown Prince, no, threatens the Emperor. Is the matter of abolishing the Crown Prince something us little people decide?"
She said, "They only pick the soft ones to bully, such people, even if they become heir apparent, can’t accomplish big things."
"Have the guts to send a knife to the Emperor, tell the Emperor, if you don’t abolish the Crown Prince, don’t establish me as Crown Prince, I’ll kill you."
The coward who has no guts.
Manbao’s heart was leaping, constantly telling herself, you’re not a coward, you’re very brave, so send the knife to the Emperor!
Manbao put the box into the medicine chest.
Mr. Zhuang had a headache, advised, "It’s okay to show it to the Crown Prince, also to Lord Tang, but don’t go looking for the Emperor, understand?"
Manbao pursed her lips, "Why?"
Mr. Zhuang didn’t explain but asked instead, "What do you think?"
Alright, she couldn’t withstand the Emperor’s wrath.
Unhappy, Manbao changed clothes, the palace guards arrived on time to pick her up, Daji thought about it, got up to personally drive the cart to send her into the palace.
The carriage sent by the palace followed behind, the guards protected on both sides of the cart.
The guards had also become familiar with Manbao during this time. Seeing her with a small face looking unhappy, one of them smiled and asked, "Doctor Zhou Junior, weren’t you supposed to have attended a Hundred Days feast today? Why do you look so upset, were you bullied?"
Manbao glanced at him and asked, "How do you know I went to a Hundred Days feast?"
"Heh heh, I heard it from my mother, heard that the Li Family invited you to a banquet, just too bad I’m on duty today, otherwise I could have had an accidental encounter with Doctor Zhou Junior at Li Residence."
Seeing his round face, and looking like he’s only about 17 or 18 years old, Manbao replied, "I’m engaged."
Round-faced guard: ...
The guards beside were stunned for a moment and then couldn’t help but laugh, almost falling off their horses.
One of them still on horseback reached out to pat the round-faced guard, telling him to accept the unexpected blow.
The round-faced guard brushed off his hand, laughing helplessly and said to Manbao, "Doctor Zhou Junior, that’s not what I meant..."
Manbao squeezed out a smile, "That’s good, we can be friends."
Daji then curiously looked at Manbao and asked, "Miss Man, apart from the young master, does anyone else like you?"
Manbao hummed twice, "Of course."
But she didn’t say who, and Daji didn’t ask, but the guards beside were curious and asked, "Doctor Zhou Junior, are you engaged to the Bai family’s young gentleman?"
Manbao nodded.
The guards laughed and said, "It’s fitting, you two have faced life and death together."
The new generation of palace guards are mostly selected from the children of nobles and influential families. They had a deep impression of Bai Shan and Zhou Man’s courage in the palace, and as a group of passionate young people, they both sympathized with them and appreciated them, so their impression was very good.
In the palace, people regard Zhou Man as a doctor, while they saw her more as a heroine avenging her parents.
Initially assigned to escort her, they could maintain their stern demeanor, but as their ages were close, they gradually became familiar, and more at ease.
After being teased like this, Manbao’s mood improved a lot. By the time she reached the palace gate, her expression had returned to normal.
She lifted the medicine chest and got out of the cart, saying to Daji, "You go home first, I estimate I’ll be inside until evening, and they can send me back then."
Daji smiled and said, "I have nothing to do if I go back, so I’ll stay here and wait for Miss Man."
He lowered his voice and said, "Miss Man, you must listen to Mr. Zhuang’s advice."
Manbao said, unhappy, "I know, don’t worry, I really won’t go looking for the Emperor."
Manbao stopped mentioning asking him to go back, picked up the medicine chest, and turned to enter the palace.
The inspector saw the box in the medicine chest but didn’t open it to look, thinking it was some kind of medicinal herb, and let her pass easily.
Manbao who had prepared a speech: ...
She silently picked up the medicine chest and entered, the attendants of the Eastern Palace were already waiting, seeing her come they smiled and welcomed her, accompanying her to the Eastern Palace.
This was the new treatment she received after the cart overturned, every time she entered the palace someone would accompany her to the Eastern Palace, afraid she might encounter an accident in the palace.
Manbao carried the medicine chest into the Eastern Palace, thought for a moment, and decided not to mention this matter first, but instead gave the Crown Prince acupuncture, waiting for him to wake up before speaking.
She felt she was a considerate doctor, even though she was itching with urgency now, she knew that if she spoke now, the Crown Prince would definitely get angry, and the effect of the acupuncture wouldn’t be as good, maybe he’d get so angry that he’d go to argue with the Emperor, and wouldn’t be able to get the acupuncture done.
After inserting the needles, Manbao saw the Crown Princess beside seemed to have something to say but stopped, so she looked at her curiously.
The Crown Princess lowered her head to see her husband, saw he had closed his eyes and fallen asleep, then reached out to pull Manbao aside, whispering, "Doctor Zhou Junior, my period this month still hasn’t come."
Manbao calculated with her fingers, eyes brightened, "It’s already seven days late."