Chapter 86: Sneaking Into the Room

Chunxiu’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Sister, you can’t possibly be thinking of making this Yimucao Facial Recipe now, are you?” When Ji Rong nodded, Chunxiu stamped her feet in frustration. “Have you gone mad? Our top priority is to make the tendon-repairing muscle-regenerating powder to present to the Young Master. How can you waste time on this useless beauty recipe?”

Ji Rong sighed deeply. “I’ve tried everything I can think of, but I still can’t replicate the true formula for the tendon-repairing muscle-regenerating powder. There’s no way we can deliver it to the Young Master.”

Chunxiu shook her head frantically. “No, no! We still have more than a day left. Sister, you once said that Grandfather praised your talent in medicine when he was alive. If you put your mind to it, you’ll surely succeed. Don’t give up!” Seeing Ji Rong remain silent, Chunxiu grabbed her hand anxiously. “Sister, think harder! The Young Master isn’t someone we can afford to offend.”

“I know exactly what kind of person the Young Master is,” Ji Rong replied, gently pulling her hand free from Chunxiu’s tight grip. Taking a deep breath, she continued, “Precisely because of that, we need to find another way.”

This time, Chunxiu finally sensed the hidden meaning in her words and asked hesitantly, “What other way?”

“I’ve seen Lady Two. Though she’s still youthful and radiant, her beauty will inevitably fade with time. With Lady Three and Lady Four also in the household, maintaining her youthful appearance must be of utmost importance to her. And this Yimucao Facial Recipe happens to cater perfectly to her desires.”

Thankfully, Chunxiu wasn’t slow-witted. After pondering for a moment, she understood Ji Rong’s intentions and exclaimed with a hint of excitement, “So, if we anger the Young Master, Lady Two will speak on our behalf?”

“Exactly. Lady Two is our fallback plan.” Ji Rong spoke with a tinge of reluctance. Her first choice had always been to win over Li Jiancheng. But with no other options left, she had no choice but to resort to this. She could only hope there might still be a chance to rectify things later.

Hearing this, Chunxiu no longer hesitated. She quickly fetched everything Ji Rong needed. Once the items were ready, Ji Rong took the dried yimucao, ground it into a fine powder, and sifted it carefully. She then added an appropriate amount of flour and water, kneading the mixture into a ball the size of an egg. According to the medical text, the mixture should be sun-dried before proceeding to the next step. However, since it was late at night and sunlight was unavailable, she had no choice but to dry it over a clay stove. After completing this step, she meticulously layered charcoal on the stove, placed the medicinal mixture in the center, and covered it with another layer of charcoal. She fired it with a strong flame for the duration of a meal before switching to a gentle simmer, allowing it to burn until dawn. Once cooled, she ground the finished product into a fine powder and stored it in a porcelain jar.

Watching her complete the process, Chunxiu eagerly asked, “Is that it? Are we done?”

“Almost. Later, we just need to mix it with talcum powder and rouge to create a facial cleanser.” Ji Rong glanced at the sky outside. “I’ll go see Lady Two now. Let’s hope everything goes smoothly.”

“Mm, Sister, be careful.” After Ji Rong left, Chunxiu returned to her chores in the firewood shed. Once they were far enough away, Jiang Caiping closed the half-open window and turned to Yunyi. “Sister, both Ji Rong and Chunxiu have left. Should we go now?”

Ever since suspecting that Ji Rong had used **Incense, Jiang Caiping had been eager to search her room. Unfortunately, Ji Rong had claimed illness for the past few days, staying indoors and skipping dance practice, leaving them no opportunity to act.

Yunyi cracked the window slightly open and observed people passing by outside—all dancers heading to the music hall. She whispered, “Let’s wait until everyone’s gone. By the way, did Ji Rong go to the music hall just now?”

Jiang Caiping shook her head. “That direction doesn’t lead to the music hall. She’s been acting mysteriously lately. The pharmacy staff mentioned that for the past seven or eight days, she’s been taking large quantities of various herbs, almost depleting their stock. They had to spend quite a bit of silver to replenish it.”

Once everyone had left, Yunyi and Jiang Caiping slipped out of their room and quietly entered Ji Rong’s quarters. As soon as they stepped inside, Jiang Caiping was overwhelmed by the strong herbal smell and quickly covered her nose and mouth. After a while, she adjusted to the odor and wrinkled her nose. “How can Ji Rong stay in here all day without minding the stench?”

Yunyi gazed at the table piled high with medical books and said coldly, “Enough talk. Let’s start searching. See if there’s anything useful here.”

“Mm.” Clenching her fists, Jiang Caiping declared, “If I find that **Incense, I’ll make sure Ji Rong pays!”

Yunyi knew in her heart that Ji Rong hadn’t used any **Incense, but it wasn’t the right time to say so. Instead, she instructed, “Besides the **Incense, don’t overlook any other medicines.”

Jiang Caiping agreed and began rummaging through the room. Meanwhile, Yunyi focused on the stack of medical books and handwritten notes on the table. She soon found Ji Rong’s notebook, which meticulously documented her month-long efforts in creating medicines. Unsurprisingly, Yunyi spotted the five characters: “Tendon-Repairing Muscle-Regenerating Powder.”

After searching around, Jiang Caiping admitted with difficulty, “Neither of us knows much about medicine. How can we tell which bottle contains the **Incense?”

“There’s no need to look. There’s no **Incense here.” Handing over the notebook, Yunyi watched as Jiang Caiping flipped through its pages, her eyes widening in surprise. “The Tendon-Repairing Muscle-Regenerating Powder? She actually knows how to make this?”

“The Young Master wasn’t bewitched by **Incense. He wanted the Tendon-Repairing Muscle-Regenerating Powder from her to treat his foot ailment, which is why he’s been accommodating her requests. However, based on the last page of her notes, Ji Rong hasn’t successfully made the powder yet.”

Jiang Caiping hurriedly flipped to the final page and confirmed Yunyi’s words. “That medicine has long been lost. How could she possibly recreate it?”

“If she dared to promise the Young Master, she must have some confidence.” As Yunyi spoke, she carefully replaced the notebook on the table. Just as she was about to search elsewhere, her attention was drawn to an open medical book. After reading its contents and glancing around the room, she suddenly asked, “Caiping, didn’t Ji Rong leave heading east?”

Jiang Caiping thought for a moment and replied, “Yes, that’s correct. But how did you know?”

Yunyi tapped lightly on the medical book with her finger. “Because Yuxiu Pavilion is in that direction.”

Confused, Jiang Caiping picked up the book and skimmed through it. “But the book doesn’t mention Yuxiu Pavilion?”

“The Yimucao Facial Recipe mentions yimucao, flour, and a clay stove. Besides yimucao, the other two items are visible here. This recipe has excellent beauty-enhancing properties. If Ji Rong really succeeded in making it, who do you think she’d use it to please?”

Jiang Caiping thought for a moment and blurted out, “Lady Two.”

“Exactly. My guess is that Ji Rong couldn’t produce the Tendon-Repairing Muscle-Regenerating Powder in time, so she turned to making the Yimucao Facial Recipe to win over Lady Two. That way, even if the Young Master gets angry, she won’t have to worry.”