In the end, the two of them did nothing more than hold hands for a while longer and exchange a few sweet words before ending their late-night tryst under Xie Zhaofan’s frustrated gaze.
“Whatever.”
Xie Zhaofan curled her lip and burrowed back into her quilt.
“Elementary schoolers dating... what a joke.”
Early the next morning, she turned her attention back to the Prime Minister’s residence’s pharmacy.
Using the excuse of brewing a medicated soup for her mother, she successfully slipped into the pharmacy. Holding onto a final sliver of hope, she meticulously examined every medicinal ingredient inside.
As it turned out, the system remained completely unresponsive from beginning to end.
Xie Zhaofan was instantly disappointed. It seemed that ordinary medicinal materials truly couldn't pique the system’s interest.
She flicked her hands in frustration and turned to leave decisively, leaving the storehouse manager behind with a face full of confusion.
Didn’t the Second Young Miss say she was going to brew medicated soup for the Madam?
How could she just walk in, take a look around, and leave without picking up even a single herb?
By now, the servants in the residence had already grown accustomed to the Second Young Miss’s various bizarre behaviors. One by one, they adhered to the principle of asking as little as possible and minding their own business, fearing they might accidentally provoke this master whose temperament was becoming increasingly eccentric.
Once out of the pharmacy, Xie Zhaofan couldn’t help but complain in her heart.
As the residence of the current Prime Minister, they didn't even have a single decent spirit medicine. This system was really setting her up for failure.
Since she couldn't find anything in the residence, she had to find a way to get something from outside.
The problem was that she was currently poor.
As the Second Young Miss of the Prime Minister’s residence, she naturally lacked nothing in terms of daily necessities, food, and housing. However, the amount of silver she could actually use at her own discretion was not much. Counting the pocket money her brother and mother had recently given her, it amounted to only a little over one hundred taels.
What could one hundred taels buy? Was it enough to buy a Century-Old Spiritual Ginseng?
Forget the whole ginseng; she probably couldn't even afford a decent piece of its root.
Xie Zhaofan felt an increasing headache the more she thought about it. She couldn't help but complain about the cold system in her mind from head to toe.
“Are you doing this on purpose, system? You gave me such a huge cheat, but you won't give me any channels to obtain attribute points. Are you trying to make me starve to death while sitting on a mountain of treasure?”
However, no matter how much she grumbled, the system in her mind remained as quiet as if it didn't exist.
No explanation, no hints, and certainly no response.
Xie Zhaofan ground her teeth in anger but had no way to deal with it.
“Fine, keep being cold then! See if I care!”
In the end, she could only curl her lip in resignation. “Sooner or later, I’ll figure you out, you dog system.”
With that, she left the pharmacy with light steps and began to ponder another more realistic problem.
Since the Prime Minister’s residence didn't have any, the capital was so large that it was impossible for there to be none anywhere.
She didn't believe that with her status as the Second Young Miss and the system’s automatic search function, she wouldn't be able to find a few treasures that could be converted into attribute points.
Xie Zhaofan was a woman of action. Since she had decided to look for things that could trigger the system outside, she naturally wouldn't just sit in her room and wait.
She immediately went to Madam Shen’s courtyard. After entering, she didn't beat around the bush and directly stated that she had been feeling very bored lately and wanted to go out to clear her head and buy some trinkets she liked on the streets.
Madam Shen’s first reaction was naturally to refuse.
They had just encountered assassins at Gangen Temple a few days ago, and the capital region wasn't exactly peaceful. Allowing her daughter to go out alone at this time made her feel somewhat uneasy.
But as the words reached her lips, she suddenly thought of Prince Qin.
Now that Prince Qin was clearly targeting Jinyi, he currently had nothing to do with Zhaozhao.
Besides, this child had been under Xie Chongshan’s Confinement for so long, cooped up in her courtyard every day doing nothing but eating, sleeping, or tinkering with strange things. She probably was indeed stifled.
At this thought, Madam Shen’s heart softened.
“Fine, if you want to go for a stroll, then go. However, you must bring enough people. Don’t run around, and especially don’t sneak out on your own like you did at the temple last time.”
“I know, Mother!”
Xie Zhaofan’s eyes crinkled into crescents as soon as she heard it was possible.
Madam Shen saw her expression and knew she had been played by her daughter. She could only shake her head helplessly and called for the residence manager, instructing them to arrange several estate guards and servants to accompany her. She also specifically had someone bring some silver notes to give to Xie Zhaofan.
“Take these. Buy whatever you like; don’t be stingy with the spending.”
“Thank you, Mother!”
Xie Zhaofan accepted them without ceremony, her heart instantly swelling with joy.
It truly was more comfortable being a young miss from a wealthy family.
Back on Blue Star, she had to work hard for a whole month, and before her salary could even get warm, she had to pay rent, credit cards, and daily necessities. Occasionally wanting a good meal required considering whether she would have to eat dirt by the end of the month.
Now, all she had to do was act cute, and her mother would actively give her money to spend. This feeling was simply too wonderful.
Xie Zhaofan happily went back to change her clothes. Putting on a veiled hat with light gauze, she took her maids and guards and left the Prime Minister’s residence.
Her first goal for today was very clear: she headed straight for several reputable time-honored pharmacies in the capital.
When the Second Young Miss of the Prime Minister’s residence personally visited, naturally, no one dared to be negligent.
Upon hearing the news, the shopkeepers of the pharmacies almost all came out in person to welcome her, their faces covered in smiles for fear of any poor service.
“Second Young Miss, take a look at these. They are all top-grade medicinal herbs recently received by our shop.”
“And these wild ginseng roots; their age is all twenty to thirty years or more, making them rare treasures.”
“If the young miss has any other needs, just say the word. Our shop will certainly do our best to find them for you.”
The shopkeepers introduced their wares enthusiastically, but Xie Zhaofan only picked them up for a casual look before putting them back.
Ten years, twenty years, thirty years...
None of them elicited any reaction. Forget adding attribute points; there wasn't even a single hint from the system.
The expectation in Xie Zhaofan’s heart gradually sank.
In the end, she only picked out a few unique ingredients for medicated soup and bought some fresh ingredients so as not to have made the trip for nothing.
Saying she wanted to brew medicated soup for Madam Shen wasn't just a random excuse. It was a secret recipe she had learned from an old classmate back on Blue Star who was a nutritionist for traditional Chinese medicine.
She wasn't sure about the medicinal benefits, but the taste was quite good. The mixture of those medicinal herbs with fresh ingredients had a unique flavor, and she estimated there weren't many formulas of this type in this era.
“Is the Second Young Miss looking for herbs of an even older age?”
One of the shopkeepers, seeing her lack of interest, couldn't help but inquire carefully.
“Mm, do you have anything over a hundred years old?”
The shopkeeper’s expression instantly became somewhat subtle.
“Over a hundred years?”
He shook his head with a bitter smile.
“Miss, such things cannot be bought just because one has money. Truly century-old spiritual medicine has always been something one encounters by luck and cannot be sought. If someone accidentally obtains one, they usually can't wait to keep it as a treasure for themselves. Why would they ever put it up for sale?”
Another shopkeeper nodded in agreement.
“Forget a Century-Old Spiritual Ginseng; even old herbs over fifty years of age are uncommon. If one truly appears, I’m afraid it would have been reserved by high officials or noble families before it could even be sent to the shop.”
Rate on N.U.
