Marrying the Crown Prince

Zhou Zhou turned around and saw that under the warm sunlight, he stood tall and straight, wearing a plain, wide-sleeved robe with dark blue vine patterns, his hair tied up high with a ribbon, his face as white as jade, his eyes as bright as stars, and a dark green palace sash tied around his waist, which made his waist look even more slender.

With such a handsome man before her, Zhou Zhou, still a young woman unmarried, felt a slight blush, but her expression remained calm. "Brother Lin?"

Lin Yaozhi handed the travelogue to Zhou Zhou and replied warmly and politely, "Sister Zhou Zhou, it's been a long time."

"Thank you, Brother Yaozhi." Zhou Zhou accepted the book politely. "May I ask which book Brother Yaozhi is looking for at the bookstore?"

"I wanted to find a book that records difficult and complicated diseases, but such books are either unique copies, collected by large families and not seen by ordinary people; or they are family secret recipes, completely unknown to others." Lin Yaozhi frowned slightly, as if he was sad.

His family has several books passed down from their ancestors. To be precise, every doctor in the Lin family records some of the illnesses they handle from the beginning of their medical practice. Of course, they don't record everything, but rather some rare and difficult cases, for future generations to use.

There was absolutely nothing Zhou Zhou could do to help with this, so she could only sincerely wish him well, "You'll find it, don't worry."

Hearing Zhou Zhou's heartfelt wishes, Lin Yaozhi's brows relaxed. "Thank you for your kind words, little sister."

After saying that, he looked down at the books in Zhou Zhou's hands, "Does Sister Zhou Zhou like to read miscellaneous books? I have a few miscellaneous books in my hand, written by an unknown author from the Northern Region, which have not been widely circulated. I suppose the bookshelves in the capital have not included them."

In short, I have a few books you haven't read yet, would you like them?

Books about the Northern Regions must contain records about sheep flower ointment!

Zhou Zhou's eyes lit up, and he nodded and shook his head. "It's not that I like reading miscellaneous notes, but I want to look up information about the Northern Region."

"Oh?" Lin Yaozhi lowered his eyes, a slight glint in them. "I grew up in the Northern Region and am very familiar with it. I wonder what Zhou Zhou is interested in?"

The fact that such a backward and impoverished place could attract the interest of powerful and influential families in the capital piqued Lin Yaozhi's curiosity.

Zhou Zhou's eyes lit up again—asking directly was faster than looking it up in a book, especially since she had the book almost ten days ago and now just looking at it made her dizzy.

"Thank you, Brother Yaozhi."

This "thank you" was more sincere than any before, as if I were taking my heart out, washing it clean, and presenting it to Lin Yaozhi.

Since they had decided to have a heart-to-heart talk, it was no longer appropriate to stand here. Zhou Zhou pulled Lin Yaozhi to the teahouse and asked for a private room.

"Brother Yaozhi, have you ever heard of Yanghua ointment?" Zhou Zhou poured Lin Yaozhi a cup of tea and gestured for him to try it.

“I’ve heard of it,” Lin Yaozhi nodded. He was more than just familiar with it; he knew it inside and out. “But is there a problem?”

“There is a plum blossom ointment in the palace that has the same effects as the sheep flower ointment,” Zhou Zhou said, gently tapping the tea lid and brushing away the foam in the teacup. “It is also more delicate and moisturizing, and has a faint floral fragrance.”

Lin Yaozhi's mind reacted very quickly, "Does Sister Zhou Zhou mean that the plum blossom ointment in the palace is an improved version of sheep flower ointment?"

“There is such a guess, but,” Zhou Zhou raised his head, looked steadily at Lin Yaozhi, and finished his sentence, “we have not yet obtained any evidence.”

Lin Yaozhi said thoughtfully, "If Sister Zhou Zhou has that legendary plum blossom ointment, could I borrow it to take a look?"

“I have one in my household.” Zhou Zhou didn’t mind giving it away, but it had to be something of value, not just given away for free. “I wonder what Brother Yaozhi wants this for?”

"To be honest," Lin Yaozhi scratched his head shyly, "the sheep flower ointment that Sister Zhou Zhou investigated is a recipe passed down in my family."

"Pass on?" Zhou Zhou keenly grasped the key point.

“The northern region is bitterly cold and dry in winter, and the people suffer from severe cracks in their feet, making them miserable every winter.”

"Our ancestors were compassionate and could not bear to see the people suffer. After researching methods for a long time, they finally discovered that using the cheapest local mutton fat and medicinal herbs to make a plaster could alleviate the condition."

"Seeing that the medicine was effective, our ancestors made the recipe public and even personally taught the people how to make the medicinal paste."

I made it public because I couldn't do that much myself and didn't make money from it. But after I made it public, I found that not many people knew how to do it, and some vendors were using it to make money and seek personal gain. So I started teaching them step by step.

At first, most people found it troublesome and were too lazy to make it; later, some people tasted the benefits and it began to spread; now, more than a hundred years later, Yanghua ointment has become an essential winter product for every household in the northern region.

Upon hearing Lin Yaozhi's words, Zhou Zhou decisively summoned Jufang, saying, "Go back and bring me the plum blossom ointment that Consort Xian gave me."

After saying that, Zhou Zhou raised her smiling face, "Brother Yaozhi, to tell you the truth, I own a cosmetics shop. Now everything is ready, except for this plum blossom ointment."

"If I can help my sister, that would be wonderful," Lin Yaozhi readily agreed.

Jufang returned quickly, and presented Lin Yaozhi with an exquisite silver box engraved with plum blossom patterns.

This box is only half the size of a palm. The exquisite patterns were carved by the craftsman over three whole days. There are buds about to bloom, as well as flowers just beginning to open. Even colorful falling flowers and drifting snow are painted on it.

Lin Yaozhi once again marveled at the prosperity of Kyoto, and then slowly opened the lid.

A delicate fragrance of plum blossoms wafted over. He closed his eyes, took a deep sniff, then opened them again, a slight smile playing on his lips, and muttered to himself with a triumphant air, "So that's how it is."

It turns out that this method can be used to remove the muttony smell, and then add floral dew to enhance the fragrance. Sure enough, people in the capital are all wealthy, and even the imperial physicians have nothing to do.

Seeing his confident demeanor, Zhou Zhou smiled slightly and asked, "Brother Yaozhi, have you figured out what reputation you have?"

"Mm." Lin Yaozhi nodded.

Then Zhou Zhou sent someone to bring pen and ink, and Lin Yaozhi, without hesitation, wrote down the prescription.

Zhou Zhou received the prescription and thanked him profusely, wishing he could give him several hundred taels of silver to show his sincerity.

This was the first time someone had forced money into his hands, and Lin Yao hurriedly placed the items in front of Zhou Zhou, saying, "Sister Zhou Zhou, there's no need to be so polite. The recipe for this sheep flower ointment is known to everyone in the Northern Region."

"How can these be the same?" Zhou Zhou frowned in confusion.

A beautiful woman is stunning even when she frowns, but Lin Yaozhi is even more afraid of a girl crying.

Therefore, Lin Yaozhi became even more uneasy. "Sister Zhou, please don't mind. We are relatives, and it is only right that we look after each other."

"Relatives?" Zhou Zhou tilted his head, puzzled.