The Concubine's Daughter Travels Through Time and Space and Takes the Road of Confrontation

A faint fragrance wafted through her nose, and Lu Yun sniffed it gently, feeling that it was familiar, as if she had smelled it somewhere before. Seeing the bracelet on Jiao Ying's wrist, Lu Yun couldn't help but examine it carefully. The style of the bracelet was very similar to the ones in the Central Plains.

Seeing this, Jiao Ying took off her bracelet and handed it over. "This is a new style made in my shop. It's empty inside and can be used to hold some homemade incense pills."

Lu Yun took a look at it through her hand and found it was indeed very exquisite. The faint fragrance just now came from this bracelet.

Jiao Ying put the bracelet back on her wrist with a complicated look in her eyes. "My Lady Princess, you may not believe me. But my intuition tells me that my aunt's illness is not simple."

Lu Yun frowned. "Yingying, think about it carefully. Is there anything else that you find unusual, even if it's just a little bit?"

Upon hearing this, Jiao Ying fell into deep thought until the tea on the table gradually cooled down. She finally spoke, "Speaking of which, there is indeed one thing that I find rather strange, and that is Grandma Luo's attitude. She always looked aggrieved when facing my aunt's errands. Now that my aunt has asked her to take care of her, she seems quite willing. Once I even saw her laughing alone at an empty medicine bowl." Thinking of that scene, Jiao Ying got goosebumps all over her body.

Lu Yun's face was serious. "Did you smell any special scent on her during your recent visits to Luo's house? For example, a scent similar to the one she smelled last time?"

"Not really." Jiao Ying sighed. "The smell is indeed not very pleasant. I later asked Luo Er about it, and he said she only used it a few times. My aunt disliked the pungent smell and didn't allow her to use it again."

This is strange. Lu Yun doesn't understand it now. She can't verify it in a big way based on just a few suspicions.

After sending Jiao Ying away, Cai He opened the box brought by Miss Jiao and placed it in front of her master.

Inside was a pair of exquisite blue lace, hollow gold bracelets with incense balls already placed inside, which smelled very sweet.

The Crown Prince has ordered that the spices sent to the master must be inspected by Mother Dong before they can be used. Mother Dong is not here now.

Lu Yun signaled Caihe to close the lid again, and Caihe secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiao Ying returned home and thought of her aunt's illness. She tossed and turned in bed at night and couldn't sleep. The silver bracelet on the dressing table not far away emitted a silvery-white luster.

The next day, after breakfast, Jiao Ying took Cai Die to a Taoist temple outside the city to get a peace amulet for her aunt. Unexpectedly, they ran into Uncle Zhang, who was dressed as a Taoist priest.

Jiao Ying looked at the stern and imposing man before her, and her anxiety miraculously subsided. She lowered her head and stepped forward to greet him, "Greetings, Uncle Zhang."

Zhang Yun stretched out his arm to pull her up, and led her to the backyard of the Taoist temple in full view of everyone. This was the inner hall of the Taoist temple and was very quiet.

Jiao Ying's face was so red that water was about to drip out. Although Baizhi men and women could act like normal couples after getting engaged, she didn't dare to do so when she thought of Uncle Zhang.

"sit."

Jiao Ying quickly sat down.

Zhang Yun had a smile in his eyes. "Why haven't you come to see me recently?"

Jiao Ying answered honestly, "My aunt has been unwell recently, and the spring plowing has been going smoothly, so I didn't bother Uncle Zhang."

A soft sigh fell beside my ear. "Besides these things, don't you have anything else to tell me, Yingying?"

Jiao Ying covered her cheeks and looked up at the man opposite her. Seeing the expression on his face, she immediately realized that he was joking with her. She glared at him angrily and said, "Uncle Zhang, you weren't like this before!"

Zhang Yun held the ceremony with one hand, and said solemnly, "I am free from my inner thoughts. What you see is my true self."

Jiaoying felt warm and burning in her heart. It turned out that her Uncle Zhang was a Taoist priest who could say pleasant things.

Caidie stood guard at the door, listening to the young lady inside chattering about her future son-in-law, her eyes looking at the mountain scenery in the distance, and she felt that there was indeed no day more pleasant than spring.

At the time of parting, Jiao Ying put the amulet written by Master Zhang in her arms, waved to the master, and went down the mountain happily.

Jiao Ying stayed at Luo's house in the evening.

Jiao Ying sat on a small stool beside the bed, looking at the person lying on the bed. Her cheeks were thin, her face was haggard, and even her thick hair had become much thinner. The woman lay on the pillow with her eyes closed, her breath so weak that it was almost inaudible.

The air in the room was filled with the aroma of incense and a faint smell of blood.

Jiao Ying's expression grew even uglier as Grandmother Luo, still dressed in light clothes, entered the room with her maid, carrying a tray. On the tray sat a palm-sized white jade porcelain bowl, bubbling with steam.

The woman softly called out to her mother-in-law who was sleeping peacefully on the bed, "Mother, it's time to take your medicine."

Mrs. Gui woke up when she heard the noise. Seeing everyone in the room, she smiled at Jiao Ying first and said, "Ying Ying, you and Zhi Zhi go out and sit for a while."

Jiao Ying stood up and followed Luo Er out of the room. When she reached the outer room, she slightly tilted her head and glanced into the room out of the corner of her eye.

Grandma Luo sat on the small stool she'd previously occupied, a bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other, feeding her aunt the medicine soup, spoonful by spoonful, her movements gentle and her demeanor respectful. Her delicate wrist wore only a slightly yellowed silver lace bracelet. Jiao Ying recognized it immediately as a style from her family's shop.

A few months ago, Gong Jinjin would never wear such jewelry. The silver bracelet would turn yellow mostly because it was soaked in water for a long time. It seems that she really took good care of her aunt.

"Cousin Ying?" Luo Er asked softly, "What did you see?"

Jiao Ying shook her head and said, "I see that my cousin's wife cares a lot about my aunt, and I can't help but sigh." She no longer had the demeanor that she had when she looked down upon the second lady of the Dinggong family.

Luo Er was silent for a moment, then spoke softly with a complicated expression, "Cousin Ying, she is indeed extremely respectful to my mother. Ever since she came into our family, she has been the one to wash my mother's feet every night."

Jiao Ying was surprised. "Doesn't my aunt have a maid?"

Luo Er looked at the flowers and trees in the distance. "Mother said no one else could serve her as comfortably as Grandmother, so she asked the maids and servants to stand in a circle and learn from Grandmother." Back and forth, the water was hot, then cold, and it took four or five times before it was over. She used to be afraid of Gong Jinjin, but now she just felt pity for her.

Jiao Ying forced a smile, remembering that if Old Lady Lu hadn't arrived just in time, she might be the one doing all this right now. She changed the subject, "Thank you for the inspiration you gave me a few days ago. This sachet bracelet is selling very well in the shop."

Luo Er rolled up his sleeves and showed his bracelet to his cousin with a smile in his eyes, "I think it's good too. There's always a faint fragrance on your body when you move." It was also a silver filigree bracelet, crystal clear.

Jiao Ying thought of the one she had just seen and couldn't help asking, "I remember I gave you a pair."

Luo Er's eyes flickered slightly. "Cousin Ying, actually, this method was told to me by my sister-in-law. She said that every young lady in the Central Plains has one of these sachet bracelets in the summer, so I gave her the one you gave me."

Jiao Ying understood, so she smiled and said, "Anyway, thank you very much. When the shop has new styles in a few days, I will send you another pair so that you can rotate."