Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 199 - 1: The First Day of the Twelfth Lunar Month

Hong Sheng is returning to the Capital, and the date for her engagement with him should also be set.

The first day of the twelfth month is the day Susu and Jinyinman Tang are set to pick up the custom-made hair accessories and jewelry. On this same day, the Northwest Soldiers will escort the Sixth Prince of Tartar to the Capital, alongside diplomatic envoys sent by the Tartar tribal leaders for peace talks.

Early in the morning, the main road from the city gate to the Imperial Palace was crowded with onlookers. The citizens of the Capital got up early to witness the live capture of the Sixth Prince of Tartar, preparing countless gifts to welcome him, including rotten eggs, spoiled vegetable leaves, and even a few stones, which wouldn’t be surprising.

After all, there has been a blood feud between Tartar and Great Chu, and since the previous dynasty, there has been constant warfare, mainly due to Tartar’s invasions of Great Chu’s borders, committing arson, looting, and various atrocities.

With Chu Country’s strength, it could easily annihilate Tartar, but successive emperors of Chu Country never seemed to have this idea. They preferred to spend huge military funds on garrisoning many troops at the border. This is one of the questions that Susu couldn’t understand, especially since the founding emperor of Great Chu, a predecessor who crossed through time, loved to launch expeditions. He subjugated Japan, Goryeo, and Ryukyu, which still regard Great Chu as their sovereign state, paying tribute annually with beauties and a plethora of rare treasures.

Susu only went through these thoughts in her mind briefly and then dismissed them. She truly had no great ambitions. Her previous goal was to be a loyal little maid, and now her goal is to be a peaceful small landholder, letting the sky fall and someone taller than herself hold it up first.

This year’s winter is even colder than last year’s. Although it hasn’t snowed yet, the howling cold wind made faces sting painfully. Fortunately, when Grandpa Qiao built the village, he installed heated floors and a heated wall in the main courtyard. Otherwise, burning coal would be a substantial expense. A few days ago, the Old Madam sent Susu some winter supplies, including a hundred pounds of top-quality Red Luo Coal. It’s heard that a twenty-pound basket of Red Luo Coal has risen to ten taels of silver.

Susu also got up early, fearing she’d encounter the team escorting the Sixth Prince of Tartar. The city gates would be under tight security then, missing the entry time, and she’d have to wait outside for at least half an hour. With the cold wind biting down, even with a brazier and hand warmer in the carriage, the accompanying servants couldn’t withstand it.

She could have someone take the contract to Jinyinman Tang to retrieve the jewelry, but she previously arranged to meet Ruan Qiniang and Ruan Shiniang today. Even if knives were falling from the sky, Susu would go, having seen Ruan Shiniang during the full moon celebration of Princess Qingfu, daughter of Princess Ke.

According to Ruan Qiniang, although Ruan Shiniang gave birth to a son, due to someone higher up disliking the Ruan Family, she and her son became invisible at Prince Ke Mansion after the full moon celebration. Fortunately, they had Prince Ke’s covert support.

However, the child, who doesn’t even have a proper name and whom Ruan Shiniang privately called "Big Cat," was severely impacted while in the womb. Although he survived, he remained frail and sickly. Ruan Shiniang pleaded with Prince Ke to breastfeed him personally. For the sake of her child, she took medicine as food, which made Ruan Qiniang cry bitterly, hating Princess Ke and even venting her anger on Prince Ke.

After Susu learned this news, she scoured her past and present memories, eventually recalling a unique incense — Yingchun. "Spring signifies the awakening of all life, yet is cold after warmth; Yingchun takes the dew at dawn on the first day of spring, selecting young buds of Yingchun flowers to mix with mashed Fusang flowers, placing it in a Purple Clay Jar with spring water infused with ginseng, Fuling, and other medicinal herbs, sealing it under a peach tree, retrieving it when the peach blossoms bloom, and drinking it warm!"

Yingchun incense is one of the few internal-use incenses in her memory, a health-preserving fragrance that, upon entering the body, interacts with the blood to produce mystical effects akin to "purifying the meridians." Susu initially thought it to be nonsense, but after the "Mist Dream" incident, she had a sliver of trust in the incredible incense formulas in her head. And now, it’s simply a matter of trying to treat a dead horse as if it were alive; what if it actually works!

But as winter has already set in, making "Yingchun" is naturally impossible. This incense formula is not an ordinary item. Upon seeing it, Susu felt that maybe Aunt Su’s family was no longer around, since possessing a treasure could be a crime. Therefore, Susu must hand it personally to Ruan Shiniang and explain its importance, for she aims to save "Big Cat," but doesn’t want to embroil herself and Ruan Sixth Son.