Jun Jiuji finished washing his clothes, turned around, and gently addressed the young girl who seemed lost in thought.
"Wait here for a moment."
With that, he swiftly entered the hot spring and took a brief shower.
Upon his return, Ye Yining noticed that Jun Jiuji had also washed her clothes.
She looked at him with curiosity and confusion.
"Why did you wash your own clothes?"
More importantly, he was Jun Jiuji. Why would he need to wash his own clothes?
Jun Jiuji raised a hand and gently tousled her wet hair.
"I once lived with my mother in the Cold Palace for a while. During that time, I had to wash my own clothes. After I moved to the Imperial Residence, my personal clothes were poisoned a few times. Consequently, I developed the habit of washing my personal clothes myself."
As Ye Yining heard this, she recalled the times when Jun Jiuji had missed New Year's banquets and Mid-Autumn festivals due to supposed sickness and rashes on his skin.
Could he have been poisoned during those occasions?
For some reason, thinking about it now, she felt a twinge of sympathy for him.
Upon returning to her room and sitting in front of her dressing table to comb her hair, she quietly inquired of Ling Gui,
"Can the pharmacy test for poison on clothing?"
"There are many processes involved in testing for poison in the pharmacy. However, for poison on clothing, Master can activate the laundry room, which can automatically clean and test for poison. If there were poison on other items, the poison testing room would need to be utilized."
Ye Yining once again recognized the significance of merit points. She only had 625 left, meaning she'd need to wait a bit longer to activate the laundry room.
Jun Jiuji hung up Ye Yining's clothes and sat quietly by her side, observing her as she combed her hair.
After a while, he naturally took the comb from her hand and deftly fashioned a beautiful Nine Heavens Fairy bun for her. It was the type of hairstyle the palace princesses preferred, but Jun Jiuji believed that no one in the world suited it more than his Ye Yining.
Ye Yining stared at herself in the mirror, utterly astonished. Was there anything the man behind her didn't know?
Jun Jiuji gazed at her expression and explained,
"I learned this just for you. Do you like it?"
Ye Yining blushed and nodded.
"I like it."
His skill was far superior to her own.
"As long as you like it. Get ready; we'll depart for Cloud Border City in fifteen minutes."
"Yes."
Ye Yining obediently agreed, even though she had nothing to prepare. But observing Jun Jiuji meticulously readying everything for her, from carriage cushions to drinking water for her journey, she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Did he need to prepare so much?
She glanced around and had an idea. She tossed a copper pot onto the table into the Medicine Spirit Immortal Residence and requested the craftsman room to create two small, exquisite copper pots. However, the initial design felt too complex and impractical to carry around.
So, she made some alterations, transforming them into more elegant, small gourd shapes with lids. She adorned them with intricate patterns and auspicious cloud motifs. To distinguish between them, she carved "one" on one gourd and "nine" on the other. Afterward, she lingered in her room, brewing spirit laurel tea in the two gourds, before mysteriously entering the carriage.
Jun Jiuji didn't mind Ye Ye Yining's dawdling. As long as she remained by his side, he had all the patience in the world for her.
Once he confirmed that everything necessary was aboard, he ordered the carriage to set off.
As they left the capital, Ye Yining tugged on Jun Jiji's sleeve.
"Here's a gift for you."
She unveiled the cloth she'd used to conceal her identity and took out a small, carefully crafted water bottle, offering it to him.
Jun Jiuji knew that Ye Yining had been hiding something, but he hadn't expected her to prepare a gift for him.
As he gazed at the exquisite copper gourd in her hand, a smile appeared in his eyes, particularly when he saw the words inscribed on it. His mood improved even more.
He accepted the gourd and looked deeply into her eyes. His voice was soft and tender.
"Do you have one for yourself?"
"Yes, I do."
Ye Yining nodded and retrieved a small gourd that resembled his.
Jun Jiuji's gaze shifted, and he took the gourd from her hand with a smile.
"I want this one. 'Jiu' is exactly what I want."
Ye Yining held the gourd with the word "Jiu" on it, and her fair face immediately turned crimson.
Jun Jiuji, in high spirits, immediately took a sip of the Spirit Osmanthus Tea from the gourd. In that instant, he felt a long-lost sense of comfort and satisfaction.
The tea was delightful, but what made it even more precious was that it was a gift from Ye Yining.
He had been waiting for her to realize her feelings.
Waiting for her to grow closer to him.
This was the first time he had received a gift from her, and he cherished it deeply.
Overflowing with joy, he couldn't help but embrace Ye Yining's soft, slender waist and settle her onto his lap.
"Ye Yining, how about we get married after we return from Cloud Border City?"
Jun Jiuji's sudden proposal left Ye Yining stunned.
She stammered,
"But I... I haven't reached adulthood yet!"
"It's fine. We can abstain from consummating our marriage at first."
Jun Jiuji had thought it through. To avoid complications, it was better to marry Ye Yining as soon as possible.
Ye Yining, however, was taken aback and flustered.
"Can you not be in such a hurry? I... I was born on the first day of January, and I'll come of age after the New Year. I want to spend the New Year with my parents this year. Is that okay? At most... At most, we can get married on the second day of the lunar month!"
Jun Jiuji smiled but didn't respond.
Although he had mentioned marrying Ye Yining upon their return from Cloud Border City, the actual wedding would require preparation, including finding the Imperial Astronomical Supervisor to calculate an auspicious date. Therefore, the wedding would take place at the end of the year. He was willing to wait a little longer.
However, since it was Ye Yining's request, he intended to seize the opportunity for some advantages.
He lifted her chin, looking at her meaningfully.
"If Ye Yining is willing to kiss me, I'll agree to postpone the wedding to the second day of January."
This time, Ye Yining didn't hesitate. She completely forgot about her embarrassment and shyness, promptly kissing him on the cheek.
Jun Jiuji wasn't satisfied with just a cheek kiss. As Ye Yining was about to pull away, he captured her lips in a kiss, making it clear what kind of kiss he desired.
Meanwhile, in another location, Su Yu 'er helped Ye Yunjiao, who hadn't fully recovered from her injuries, into the carriage as they prepared to depart for Cloud Border City.
Madam Ye, who stood at the rear, watched Yunjiao with mixed emotions. Despite her illness, she insisted on going to Cloud Border City. Did she despise them so much? Was she in such a hurry to leave the General's Mansion?
They had showered her with affection since she was young, giving her everything that Ye Yining had. She thought she had never mistreated Yunjiao. In fact, most of the time, they had let Ye Yining yield to Yunjiao.
When had this child gone astray?
"Mother, I'm leaving. Sister Su will take good care of me. You can go back!"
Ye Yunjiao waved her hand impatiently, eager to distance herself from Madam Ye.
Madam Ye sighed and handed her two hundred taels of silver.
"Take this with you!"
Ye Yunjiao responded coolly.
She didn't care about this paltry sum of two hundred taels of silver. She knew that when Ye Yining left, this woman had given her a substantial amount of silver. It had to be at least several hundred thousand if not several million!
Such blatant favoritism was truly revolting.
However, she wouldn't reject the silver. After letting a servant girl accept it on her behalf, she departed without looking back.