Chapter 431: Very beautiful (2/2)

Urk… Zhao mama wanted to cry, but she had no tears. Of course no one saw you stealing it, esteemed wangfei. It was me and Chu Xifeng who did all the work! Once again, Zhao mama enlightened to another truth, and that was: never talk back to esteemed wangfei. She’d abuse you to death every time.

Her speechlessness was extremely refreshing to Han Yunxi, whose eyes danced with secret laughter. She hugged Long Feiye’s clothes to her chest and ran up the stairs. She was going to hide both this and her makeshift hair ribbon at the bottom of her drawers for safekeeping!

The next morning found the mood at Long Feiye’s quarters calm and tranquil. Whether or not he discovered his robes were missing, no one knew. After all, who could read the heart of His Highness Duke of Qin?

A few days later, Chu Xifeng arrived with a meter-tall box slung across his shoulders. “Esteemed wangfei, His Highness gave you this as a gift. Guess what it might be!”

Han Yunxi examined it for a long time before saying doubtfully, “Medicinal ingredients?” But the box is so big. Just how much ingredients would be needed to fill it up?

Chu Xifeng shook his head, so Han Yunxi next guessed, “Clothes?”

Chu Xifeng was still shaking his head, so Zhao mama piped up with, “Medical texts?”

Again, Chu Xifeng shook his head. An impatient Zhao mama demanded, “You little rascal, still keeping esteemed wangfei in suspense?”

“Esteemed wangfei, these things are really heavy. Your subordinate doesn’t know what’s inside, either,” Chu Xifeng said helplessly. He’d exerted quite some effort to lug the thing back from the Hidden Pavilion. Now Han Yunxi was even more curious. She quickly opened the box, but its contents left the three of them all thoroughly dumbfounded.

Here was a giant box full of…jewelry.

The box was a meter tall! But the insides were stuff full of ornaments. There were all types of styles and patterns made with every kind of material, impossible to keep count. In Han Yunxi’s words, they were as numerous as the stars in the sky and absolutely priceless!

Zhao mama could help but speak the truth, “Esteemed wangfei, His Highness isn’t expressing his passion with this present. He just doesn’t know how to give women gifts!” Nobody gifted people things like this, especially when it came to jewelry. This was more wholesale than a wholesaler!

Zhao mama was right. Long Feiye really had no idea. Han Yunxi only looked at the whole box with a foolish grin. Although she didn’t particularly like jewelry or wore it often, she was still touched by the gesture. She decided that she’d learn how to dress herself up from now on and make herself even more beautiful!

“Where is His Highness?” Han Yunxi asked.

“At the Hidden Pavilion, discussing things with General Baili,” Chu Xifeng said hastily. Under normal circumstances, Chu Xifeng would just say he didn’t know, but he took care to note the details this time. Unfortunately, Han Yunxi was too lost in her pleasant surprise to notice the irregularity.

Chu Xifeng quickly dismissed himself after that. He was in a rush to accompany His Highness Duke of Qin to Pill Fiend Valley! Although the 15th had yet to arrive, His Highness wanted to get there ahead of time. Since esteemed wangfei had gotten knowledge of the deadline with Pill Fiend on the fifteenth during her last trip to save Baili Mingxiang, His Highness was going to tie up some loose ends. If the Duke of Qin was determined to hide the truth of certain matters, he’d conceal it all until the end!

—

With such a large box of jewelry to organize, Han Yunxi finally lost her boredom. Even though she had so many different types and kinds, each and every piece was an exquisite work. With Zhao mama and Su Xiaoyu helping her out, it still took them three days to organize a small portion of the whole.

“Esteemed wangfei, His Highness must like you a lot,” Su Xiaoyu said.

“That’s obvious,” Zhao mama rolled her eyes at her.

Han Yunxi didn’t speak. As she organized the jewelry, she silently mused over how to temper them in various poisons and conceal needles within their depths. She didn’t know martial arts, so she had to think up more ways to defend herself against her enemies.

“Esteemed wangfei, there’s simply too much. If we put them all away in jewelry boxes, how many boxes will that take?” Zhao mama asked helplessly.

Han Yunxi thought it over before getting Zhao mama to custom-order a medicine cabinet. She was going to store these jewelry away just like her medicinal ingredients, each in its own little compartment.

“What is esteemed wangfei planning to do?” Su Xiaoyu asked in bewilderment.

“Esteemed wangfei, storing them like that…isn’t appropriate, is it?” Zhao mama didn’t understand either.

Han Yunxi would never tell them that she was planning to convert the jewelry into poisonous weapons in plain sight on her person. If too many people knew about hidden weapons, they wouldn’t be ‘hidden’ anymore.

“What’s with all the superfluous words? Hurry and go!” With Han Yunxi urging them on, Zhao mama and Su Xiaoyu had no more excuses to delay. The medicine cabinet was completed a day later and moved into the study. Han Yunxi didn’t allow Zhao mama and Su Xiaoyu to help her, but marked each of the tiny drawers with characters only she understood. Then she divided up her jewelry and began to put them away.

It was a huge, time-consuming project, and Han Yunxi found herself desperately in need of a helper. Although she trusted both Zhao mama and Su Xiaoyu, neither of them knew anything about poisons. Nor did she have the energy to teach them from scratch. Although there was no rush to put away all the jewelry, this wasn’t some overnight job. Han Yunxi preferred to finish things quickly when she could. As it turned out, she got just what she wanted. When Han Yunxi got so busy that she couldn’t even eat or sleep, Baili Mingxiang arrived at the estate with her luggage.

Because Han Yunxi had made arrangements ahead of time, Steward Luo simply showed her to the Leisurely Cloud Pavilion. Han Yunxi had forgotten all about her. When she emerged from her study, she saw Baili Mingxiang standing in the courtyard, dressed in plain servant clothes and with her hair tied up simply. Her hands were crossed in front of her body. She looked much recovered, and her face looked cleanly washed of any traces of powder. Her entire person looked more steady and unobtrusive, her manner and bearing far eclipsing any of the servant girls by Empress Dowager Li’s side!