Chapter 85: The Yimucao Facial Recipe

“Besides recruiting ordinary soldiers, you must also focus on winning over talented individuals. As the saying goes, gaining a thousand soldiers is not as valuable as gaining one capable general. However, these exceptional people often have difficult temperaments, so you’ll need to exercise patience.”

“Father, rest assured. I will prioritize the bigger picture.” After nodding, Li Yuan added, “Do you remember Liu Hongji?”

Li Jiancheng frowned. “Do you mean the son of the Hezhou Prefect?” When Li Yuan nodded, he continued, “I heard that to avoid being conscripted for the Goguryeo campaign, he deliberately slaughtered a plow ox and was arrested. After his release, no one knows where he went.”

“After leaving prison, he became a fugitive, surviving by stealing horses. There are rumors that he has settled in Hedong. This man enjoys associating with wandering knights and has close ties with many in the martial world. When you reach Hedong, seek him out and see if you can bring him and his followers over to our side.”

After agreeing to these instructions, Li Jiancheng discussed departure plans with Li Yuan. Initially, he wanted to leave immediately, but Li Yuan believed that if Wang Wei and Gao Yajun arrived and didn’t see Jiancheng, they might grow suspicious. Therefore, he instructed Jiancheng to wait until after their visit before departing. A few more days wouldn’t make much difference.

While Li Jiancheng busied himself preparing for the upcoming journey, Ji Rong secluded herself in her room, tirelessly experimenting with medicinal powders. She knew Jiancheng’s temperament well—once he set his mind on something, there was no going back. If she failed to produce the tendon-repairing muscle-regenerating powder, he would surely punish her severely. Thus, over the past two days, she had claimed illness to avoid practicing at the music hall and devoted all her energy to perfecting the formula.

She had followed the notes left by her grandfather and combined them with the half-recipe her father had known, testing and refining endlessly. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, the resulting powder fell short of the original in both scent and color.

For two days, her mind raced, trying to pinpoint the issue without success. Frustrated, she scoured piles of medical texts, hoping to uncover the missing link.

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Late at night, Chunxiu entered the room filled with the smell of herbs, rubbing her frostbitten hands together. Shivering, she complained, “This cursed weather is trying to freeze us to death! I can barely stand it anymore.”

Since being reassigned to the firewood shed, her comfortable life had ended. Every day, she either chopped wood, carried water, or washed rice. Washing rice was her least favorite task—it was bearable when the weather was mild, but now, with each passing day colder than the last, her hands would lose feeling after every session. And even then, they wouldn’t let her rest, pushing her to chop more wood. By the end of each day, her body ached so much she could barely stand upright. To make matters worse, her hands were covered in painful frostbite blisters.

Chunxiu warmed her frozen hands over a candle flame for a while before sitting down at the table. Looking at Ji Rong, who was deeply engrossed in medical books, she asked nervously, “Sister, haven’t you figured out the correct tendon-repairing muscle-regenerating powder yet? The first day of the month is only two days away.”

Already frustrated, Ji Rong snapped the book shut upon hearing this. Irritated, she exclaimed, “I’ve tried every possible ingredient I could find, but I still can’t replicate what Grandfather made!”

Chunxiu wrung her hands helplessly. “What should we do? If you can’t deliver the powder by the first day, the Young Master will surely blame us.”

Ji Rong massaged her throbbing temples without speaking. Since yesterday morning, she hadn’t closed her eyes, poring over countless medical texts. But the more she read, the less confident she felt—the tendon-repairing muscle-regenerating powder was far more complex than she had anticipated.

After waiting a moment in silence, Chunxiu pressed again, “Sister, think of something quickly! We’re running out of time!”

“Can’t you see I’m already thinking of something?” Ji Rong snapped, dumping the remaining medical books onto the table. “Help me look through them and find anything related to medicinal powders or formulas.”

At this, Chunxiu’s face fell. After a long day of labor, her body ached, and the thought of sifting through dry, tedious medical texts was unbearable. She tried to excuse herself, saying, “Sister, though I can read, I don’t know anything about medicine. I wouldn’t understand the symptoms or prescriptions listed here.”

Ji Rong applied a damp cloth to her swollen, aching eyes and replied coldly, “You don’t need to understand. Just find any mentions of medicinal powders and show them to me.”

Chunxiu hesitated, then offered sweetly, “Why don’t you keep looking while I check the kitchen for snacks? I’ll prepare some late-night food for you.” Before she could leave, Ji Rong removed the damp cloth from her eyes and said icily, “If you want to be thrown out of the governor’s residence, go ahead and shirk your duties.”

Chunxiu stopped awkwardly, forcing a smile. “Sister, you misunderstand. I’m not trying to avoid work—I just don’t want to mess up your efforts.” Under Ji Rong’s silent, piercing gaze, Chunxiu wilted and reluctantly returned to the table. Picking up a medical text, she mumbled, “Fine, I’ll look… Don’t be angry, Sister.”

“Look carefully. Don’t miss a single detail.” With that, Ji Rong pinched the bridge of her nose and refocused on the book in front of her.

The two sat under the dim lamplight, flipping through the ancient texts. After only a short while, Chunxiu yawned uncontrollably. Scolded earlier, she forced herself to stay alert, leafing through the yellowed pages. She came across several recipes for medicinal powders, but Ji Rong dismissed them all as useless. After finishing one book, Chunxiu muttered, “Master Ji was really something. If he’d written down the full recipe, we wouldn’t have to waste time blindly searching like this.”

As she opened another book, Chunxiu yawned again and glanced at Ji Rong, who was jotting something down on paper. “Sister, what about this ‘Yimucao Facial Recipe’? Could it be useful?”

Without looking up, Ji Rong replied, “That’s a beauty remedy. Its ingredients and preparation method differ entirely from the tendon-repairing muscle-regenerating powder.”

“Oh.” Chunxiu sounded disappointed but couldn’t help asking curiously, “Is this Yimucao Facial Recipe really as miraculous as the book claims? Have you ever tried it?”

“The Yimucao Facial Recipe is complicated to prepare and serves only cosmetic purposes—it’s useless for healing. That’s why Grandfather never made it. Besides, while yimucao isn’t expensive, the recipe calls for top-quality rouge, which costs several silver taels. Ordinary families can’t afford such luxuries.”

“That’s true,” Chunxiu agreed, about to turn the page when Ji Rong suddenly pressed her hand down. Surprised, Chunxiu asked, “Sister, what are you doing?”

Without a word, Ji Rong took the book and studied it closely. After a moment, a faint smile broke through her weary expression. “I’ve found a solution.”

Chunxiu froze, then exclaimed joyfully, “Sister, have you discovered the problem with the tendon-repairing muscle-regenerating powder?”

“No.” Before Chunxiu could fully process her words, Ji Rong urged urgently, “Go to the pharmacy immediately and ask for whole yimucao plants harvested on the Dragon Boat Festival. They must be completely free of soil. Then go to the kitchen and fetch some flour. Oh, and bring back a clay stove!”