Jiang Mingyue nodded with enthusiasm. She pulled out a pouch from her pocket and put the contents on her palm. Soon, there were small purple flowers on her hands.
"They look like those bellflowers I have in my garden."
"Except that it's not the usual bellflower. This one is called the moon bellflower. They only bloom during full moon once a year," Mingyue explained and pointed to the almost translucent anther. "It's anther is what make the moon bell different than the ordinary bellflower. It glows during a full moon. Unfortunately, besides the Nanshan tribe, not many know how to harvest the flowers correctly."
The princess glanced towards her. "Don't you know how?"
Mingyue shook her head. "Even if I know how, I wouldn't dare to harvest it with my current knowledge. I heard that if you didn't harvest the flower correctly, there's the possibility that the flower would turn into poison."
The princess heaved a sigh. She would forbid her cousin from doing something dangerous, but Jiang Mingyue entered the woods and trespassed the Nanshan tribe settlement to search for the herbs her sake.
Three years ago, the Princess fell into the pond and caught a high fever. If she had not ingested the medicine prepared by the Royal Infirmary, there was no way that they could find out that someone poisoned her!
The strong medication had reacted against the poison and forced the Princess into a coma. Even the people from the Royal Infirmary could not do anything about it.
In the end, the Emperor had summoned the retired Han Zhengting to enter the palace.
Han Zhengting is the father of the Empress and also the grandfather of both Jiang Mingyue and Princess Lingchen. He was a famous and capable physician in Royal Infirmary and had served the Royal family for two generations. His knowledge of medicine gave him the title of Divine Doctor of Da Cheng.
With Han Zhengting's skills, they found out that for a few years, the Princess has been forced to ingest a small dose of poison through her daily supplement soup.
It was a slow acting poison.
It was hard to detect the poison as she was given a small dose every day. But if she continues to take the poison for a few more years, she will lose her life.
In the end, the Emperor commanded for Han Zhengting to tell the others that the poison was neutralized. Except for a few trusted people, no one knows that the Princess was still unwell. Then, the Emperor commanded to change all the servants around the Princess.
With their Han Zhengting's treatment, they managed to turn the poison dormant. But, without the right herbs, they weren't able to remove the poison. When the days are too cold, the poison will react. When Princess Lingchen gets too tired, she will have to bear the pain.
To avoid the others from finding out the secret, Han Zhengting suggested Jiang Mingyue look after the Princess. She was trained personally by him. He was the one who taught her about medicines, and he had passed down his skills to her.
Because of this, Mingyue's skill could be said to match the head of the Royal Infirmary. If she were a man, she would definitely be as famous as their great grandpa. Because of her skills and status, the Emperor trusted her to look after the Princess.
"I will send the herbs to great grandpa. We only need one more herbs to concoct the medicine for you." Mingyue smiled at her. "You will get well soon."
The Princess nodded. Seeing the girl's positive attitude made her believe that one day she will be cured of this poison in her body. She covered her mouth with her sleeve and coughed.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Mingyue asked.
Princess Lingchen waved a hand. "I'm fine. Don't worry too much."
Mingyue frowned at her answer. "I trust that Ying Yi has been looking after your health when I was away."