The Emperor, with more men than women, made me his mistress.

The two of them dressed and came to the outer room. Just as they sat down at the dining table to have their meal, the steward Liancheng, who usually did not enter the inner courtyard but only moved around in the outer courtyard, came in carrying a dark red carved tray with a white porcelain stew pot on it.

Meeting the questioning gazes of Yue Li and Jin Chenyuan, the steward, with a kind smile on his face, first bowed to the two of them, saying, "This old servant greets Your Highness and Your Highness's wife."

Then she placed the white porcelain stew pot on the tray she was carrying in the place closest to Jin Chenyuan.

"What is this?" Yue Li looked at the dishes already laid out on the round table, then at the white porcelain stew pot, and asked in confusion.

Then, Butler Lian raised his hand and opened the lid of the stew pot. Instantly, a strong aroma wafted out of the stew pot, but this aroma was mixed with a faint medicinal smell.

The steward then smiled and said, "Yesterday evening, the Empress Dowager sent someone to tell this old servant that she wanted this old servant to watch the kitchen and cook more nourishing medicinal dishes for the prince. She also bestowed some medicinal herbs and other good things upon him."

After saying that, Steward Lian picked up the small white jade bowl next to him, scooped a bowl of soup from the stew pot, and handed it to Jin Chenyuan. Ignoring his darkened face, he still smiled kindly and said, "So today this old servant had the kitchen start stewing it. It took a full two hours. Your Highness, you can't let down the Empress Dowager's good intentions."

Yue Li: ……

Why did my mood suddenly brighten up?

Seeing Jin Chenyuan staring intently at the medicinal food in the small white jade bowl, as if he were trying to make a flower bloom from it, she couldn't help but smile, though she tried her best to restrain herself and not let it show.

That's right! If we need to supplement, let's all supplement together!

Perhaps sensing Yue Li's burning gaze, Jin Chenyuan glanced at her with his dark eyes.

Seeing this, Yue Li quickly straightened her expression and put on a blank face, only looking at him with her big eyes. However, if the smile in her eyes could be hidden a little deeper, it would be even more convincing.

"Your Highness, please drink up. After you finish, this old servant can take the stew pot back with me when I go back later." Seeing that his master was unmoved, the steward urged him.

Clearly, even the butler was making a point of watching Jin Chenyuan finish all the medicinal food.

Jin Chenyuan picked up the medicinal meal, glanced at Steward Lian, and said, "This is a one-time exception; there will be no next time."

The housekeeper nodded with a smile, but whether or not he would actually do it was another matter entirely.

After all, the Empress Dowager sent quite a few good things and medicinal herbs to nourish the body this time, so we should make sure that these things have the desired effect.

After Jin Chenyuan finished a bowl of medicinal food, the butler immediately refilled his bowl.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jin Chenyuan saw Yue Li's shoulders trembling and her lips twitching uncontrollably. A meaningful glint flashed in the depths of his eyes.

Clearly, Yue Li had forgotten at this point that the effects of these medicinal meals on whom he was ultimately drinking were unknown.

There wasn't much medicinal food in the stew pot; it was about three small white jade bowls.

The soup served in the small white jade bowl could be finished by Yue Li in three or four sips, let alone by Jin Chenyuan.

After finishing the medicinal meal, Jin Chenyuan placed the small white jade bowl aside and waved to indicate that Steward Lian could leave.

Seeing this, the steward bowed to the two of them again before leaving.

Jin Chenyuan, however, acted as if nothing had happened. He reached out and took a clean small bowl, ladled a bowl of white fungus soup for Yue Li, and placed it in front of her.

"Eat quickly, or it won't taste good if it gets cold." Saying this, he picked up his chopsticks and put some Longjing shrimp on Yue Li's plate before starting to eat his own.

Seeing this, Yue Li stopped smiling and started eating her food, but her mood was a thousand times better than before.

After finishing their meal and leaving the table, the two sat on a soft couch, and Yue Li said, "Let's go to the estate in the outskirts of the capital today."

Upon hearing Yue Li's words, Jin Chenyuan understood her intention. He thought that there was indeed nothing going on in the capital recently, and even if something did happen, it wouldn't take much time to rush back.

He was also very curious about how one cultivates spiritual power.

"Okay, then have the people below pack our things, we'll be leaving in a bit."

While Yue Li was still sleeping at noon today, he went to the palace library to check out some books and records on this subject.

It can be said that the results were minimal. He even had people find and look through books from 500 years ago, but there was not a single record of this matter.

Jin Chenyuan felt that he might need to find some older books to read.

However, the longer the time period, the more dynasties it spans. Not every dynasty would carefully preserve the books of previous dynasties, and it is unknown how many books from even earlier periods still exist.

"How long will we be staying this time?" Jin Chenyuan asked.

Knowing the approximate time would allow him to instruct his subordinates to prepare the necessary supplies.

"The longer the better. If there's nothing in Kyoto that requires me to come back, I'll probably stay at the estate indefinitely."

She didn't want to waste a single moment until she found a new essence liquid.

After saying that, she thought of Jin Chenyuan's identity and realized that it might not be appropriate for him to stay at the manor in the suburbs of the capital for a long time, so she added, "If there is anything in the capital that requires your attention, you can come back by yourself."

Jin Chenyuan: ...

This shows how dedicated one is to spiritual cultivation!

Although the manor was well-maintained because he often stayed there, it was still not as comfortable as the royal palace.

Unexpectedly, Yue Li, a person who enjoys comfort, gave up her comfortable place and preferred to live in the manor because of spiritual cultivation.

Jin Chenyuan narrowed his eyes, picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip. The wisps of tea smoke obscured his thoughtful eyes.

It seems there are benefits to spiritual cultivation that he's unaware of!

While Jin Chenyuan went to instruct Feng Chuan and the others on what they needed at the estate, Yue Li had Hao Yun summoned.

"Your Highness, is there anything you wish to instruct me to do?" Hao Yun, who had been summoned, stood before Yue Li, bowed, and then asked.

"Yes, that's right. Today I'm going to the estate in the outskirts of the capital with your prince. Could you go to the Duke of Yi's residence and see if Shao Qi is there? If he's not, then forget it. If he is, ask him if he wants to come with us to the estate?"

After all, she had already taken the Marrow Cleansing Pill. If she could go to the manor with them this time, she could teach them together, saving her the trouble of teaching them again later.

Haoyun was taken aback when he heard the order, then nodded and replied, "Yes, I will go right away."

"Okay, go ahead, and come back quickly."

Watching Haoyun stride out of Chenxi Courtyard, Yue Li then went to Jin Chenyuan's side and listened as he gave her instructions on what needed to be done.

Yue Li's announcement that she was going to stay at the manor came as a surprise. Since they would be staying there for an extended period, they would need to bring a lot of things, so they couldn't set off immediately.

They were busy like this until the end of the 11 PM, when they had almost finished packing all the necessary items and had already loaded three carriages.

At this moment, Feng Chuan arrived at the pavilion where Yue Li and Jin Chenyuan were sitting and chatting, and reported, "Your Highness, Your Highness, everything is packed. Shall we depart now?"

PS:

One more chapter, follow along! (?＞?＜?)