"Lord Feng is indeed magnanimous, treating the Emperor's daughter so warmly even after being jilted by Empress Yue Xian," the Fourth Princess said at a leisurely pace. "If it were me, I certainly wouldn't be able to."
"That's why he can be the State Preceptor, and you cannot be an Emperor's daughter."
The Fourth Princess's expression changed, and she glared fiercely at Xiao Man. After a moment, she regained her composure, a cold smile curving her lips. "Emperor's daughter, make sure you hold onto the chair beneath you. Be careful you don't fall through one day."
"I don't need the Fourth Princess to worry. The chair I sit on is the most stable. If anyone intends to break its legs to make me fall, I will make them fall terribly before I do," Xiao Man said meaningfully. "You are the same as me, aren't you, Fourth Princess?"
The Fourth Princess frowned and remained silent. Xiao Man was known for her flamboyant personality and high-profile actions. She had offended many ministers in court. Even General Jing detested her. General Jing was a great general of the court; when had she ever been publicly reprimanded? Not even the Emperor had ever treated her this way, yet Xiao Man had humiliated her in front of all the city's citizens!
"Emperor's daughter, water can carry a boat, and it can also capsize it. Be very careful when you are on a boat," the Fourth Princess leaned closer to Xiao Man and said with a smile. "By the way, the grand ceremony for selecting a consort that the Empress Mother has prepared for you is also approaching. I wish you here a speedy finding of your intended. However, given your status, I'm sure the Empress Mother would be happy to see you choose more than one."
"Thank you for the reminder, Fourth Princess. I have noted it," Xiao Man replied, her expression unchanged. "By the way, don't forget to send the Ziyang grass to the Emperor's daughter's mansion. Otherwise, I will personally visit and demand more than just Ziyang grass."
At the Emperor's daughter's mansion, Wen Mohan was handling his affairs. The dark guards of the Wen family had been disbanded and gone into hiding, tasked with gathering information. They had been quite successful recently, and the intelligence collected was abundant. He needed to sift through it and extract information useful to Xiao Man, then integrate it.
"Young Master, it's time for your medicine," Wei Feng entered with the medicinal soup.
Wen Mohan coughed twice. "Put it down."
Wei Feng was somewhat helpless. "Young Master, it's been heated three times already. Please drink it first."
Wen Mohan continued to flip through the scrolls before him without looking up, marking the useful parts with a red pen, then copying them down and compiling them into a booklet.
"Young Master, there's no end to the work. Drink your medicine first. If you ruin your health, you won't be able to do anything," Wei Feng persuaded him.
"Wei Feng, you don't understand," Wen Mohan said softly. "In Blue Moon, we have no foundation. We cannot afford to miss even a single piece of useful information. Those people outside are constantly watching the Emperor's daughter's mansion. The moment Man'er shows the slightest weakness, they will pounce and not let go. I am truly worried."
"No matter how worried you are, you must take care of your own health," Wei Feng handed the medicine to Wen Mohan.
Wen Mohan originally intended to have Wei Feng place it aside for him to drink later. Unexpectedly, he knocked over the medicine bowl.
Wei Feng was somewhat helpless. "This subordinate will go and brew another bowl."
Wen Mohan merely nodded and continued to busy himself with his tasks.
When Xiao Man returned, she happened to meet Wei Feng bringing the freshly brewed medicine. Upon seeing her, he showed a look of joy.
"Emperor's daughter, you're back."
Xiao Man glanced at the medicine in Wei Feng's hand. "Is it time for medicine?"
"This is the morning's dose. Young Master has been busy until now and hasn't drunk it. He even knocked it over earlier, so I brewed another one. Emperor's daughter, please persuade the Young Master. When he's sick, he should listen to the doctor and take his medicine obediently. If he continues to neglect his health like this, he will eventually collapse."
Xiao Man took the tray from Wei Feng's hand. "You may go and attend to your duties. I will handle this."
"Thank you, Emperor's daughter," Wei Feng said with delight. With Xiao Man intervening, even if the Young Master had more temper, it would vanish without a trace.
Xiao Man carried the medicine into the room and saw Wen Mohan hunched over his desk, a thin outer robe draped over him, which had already slid halfway off due to his movements.
Xiao Man walked in and placed the medicine on the desk. Wen Mohan, however, did not look up. "Put it aside. I'll drink it after I finish this."
Xiao Man reached out and snatched the brush from Wen Mohan's hand. Wen Mohan immediately looked displeasedly forward. Upon seeing it was Xiao Man, his displeasure turned to joy. "You're back from court."
Xiao Man placed the brush on the inkstone beside him. "Drink your medicine first."
"There's only a little left to finish."
"No matter how important something is, put it aside and drink your medicine first," Xiao Man picked up the medicine bowl and handed it to Wen Mohan, not allowing him to refuse.
Wen Mohan took the medicine bowl, intending to drink it in one gulp to save trouble. However, as soon as it entered his mouth, he immediately spat it out. "It's hot."
Xiao Man couldn't help but laugh as she watched Wen Mohan stick out his tongue from the burn. She took the medicine bowl from his hand, grabbed a soup spoon, and began to stir while blowing on it.
Wen Mohan watched Xiao Man, who had sat down beside him, diligently blowing on the medicine, her demeanor as gentle as flowing water, like a virtuous wife. A flicker of joy arose in his heart.
Xiao Man scooped a spoonful of medicine and fed it to Wen Mohan's lips. Wen Mohan immediately opened his mouth and drank, his eyes gazing at Xiao Man with adoration.
The bowl of medicine was soon emptied. Although his mouth was filled with the bitter taste of the medicine, Wen Mohan felt a sweet sensation in his heart, as if the taste of the medicine itself had become somewhat sweet.
No, his mouth was indeed sweet.
Wen Mohan subconsciously chewed twice, his eyes full of confusion. "Candied fruit?"
Xiao Man spread a packet of candied fruit on the table. "On my way back, I passed a shop selling preserved fruits. I thought you must have a bitter taste in your mouth after drinking medicine these past few days, so I bought a packet of candied fruit. Eat a few each time you drink your medicine, and your mouth won't be bitter anymore."
Wen Mohan immediately picked up a piece and fed it to Xiao Man. "You eat too. It's very sweet."
"It is indeed sweet. I tasted them earlier. This one is the sweetest. This one has a hint of sourness. This one is pickled with licorice, so its flavor is quite unique. Try it."
Wen Mohan patiently listened as Xiao Man described the taste of each piece of candied fruit, then tasted them one by one. Although the flavors were different, to him, they all tasted the same: sweet, a sweetness that reached the depths of his heart.
"Man'er, I released Cen Yu," Wen Mohan said softly.
"If you let him go, then let him go. Capturing him wasn't very useful anyway. Keeping him in prison would also mean supplying him with food, a waste of grain," Xiao Man said indifferently.
"Aren't you angry with me? After all, you went to such lengths to capture him."
"You let him go, so you must have had your reasons," Xiao Man said earnestly. "No matter what those reasons are, I believe you and believe that your decision is the right one."
Wen Mohan reached out and pulled Xiao Man into his embrace. "Thank you, Man'er."
"If you want to thank me, then hurry up and get well," Xiao Man said with a smile. "Although you are a beauty even when you are sick, I prefer you healthy and robust."