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One second to remember [Brushstroke Pavilion] [Free of charge, read the wonderful novel!]

Shen Ninghua followed Fang Xue into Ning Kun Palace. Waves of clear fragrance wafted in the air, causing one's mind to abruptly loosen.

"Congee Hua greets Imperial Mother."

"Hurry and rise. "Fang Xue, sit."

"Thank you, Imperial Mother."

Waiting for Shen Ninghua to sit down, Zhao Huoying slowly spoke, "Ninghua, I left too early yesterday. Fortunately, those officials were not stupid, otherwise, Imperial Mother would have been wrong."

Shen Ninghua smiled and said, "Mother, you're overthinking it. It's nothing serious."

He looked at the smoke rising from the censer and said, "Ninghua, I heard that you're skilled in medicine and are also good at making incense. For the past few days, I've always felt that my mental state is very poor, that dealing with palace matters during the day has always made me feel that my mental state is lacking, and that sleeping at night is always difficult. I heard that you've concocted some sleeping spices for Tranquil Water, send some over here for my mother as well."

"Imperial Mother, although I have some medical skills, I'm not good at making incense. Previously, I was just unable to fulfill Princess An Jing's request, so I worked on it a little. Compared to the other perfume masters in the palace, I'm thousands of miles away."

Shen Ninghua nodded slightly, "Ninghua doesn't dare." At the same time, in my princess' mansion, there are some newly planted plum blossoms. I will make some of them into spices and send some to mother one day. "

Zhao Hui Ying nodded in satisfaction: "Alright, then Queen Mother will wait."

The empress gave her a meal before she left with the empress.

Walking out of the palace, Shen Ninghua spotted Chu Junyi waiting by the side of the carriage.

"No problem." Shen Ninghua's voice sounded a little unnatural.

"What's wrong? It feels like you have something on your mind. Did the empress make things difficult for you?"

"No," Shen Ninghua shook her head. "Her attitude was very good, and she even explained what happened yesterday, but I keep having the feeling that things shouldn't be like this. There's also the matter of the spices, why would she ask me to send her spices for no reason?"

Chu Junyi raised an eyebrow. "The empress wants some spice from you?"

"Yes."

"You drag it out for a while. I'll have someone pay attention to the movement of the harem in the next few days to see who else the empress is in contact with."

"Mm. Alright."

Three days later, Shen Ninghua looked at the letter in her hand, unable to find a single clue. "The empress's actions weren't abnormal, and her people didn't move at all. I originally thought that it was a trick of Wu Chen, but now it doesn't seem like it."

Chu Junyi sat down next to her and put her finger over her eyes. "Alright, stop looking. The empress has always been a secretive person, and we have limited manpower within the palace. There are many things we can't rush to do."

Shen Ninghua blinked a few times. She could feel the warmth coming from his palms and the tension in his heart eased up by a lot. "Yeah, I understand."

"Miss." Hong Ling quickly walked in. "You asked me to send someone to keep an eye on Fang Xue."

Shen Ninghua was startled, "What movements?"

"This servant found out that she had contacted the Deputy Chief of Internal Affairs, but was unable to find out the exact details. However, this servant discovered that the Deputy Chief of Internal Affairs had a niece who was previously assigned to the Princess's Mansion. Her name is Sang Qi." Shen Ninghua's eyes suddenly flickered. "Sang Zhi?" Earlier on, I asked you and Bi Zhu to choose a trustworthy person to cultivate. Did you pick out this mulberry branch? "

"Because this servant sees her eyes to be too clever, and because she has pretended to pass by the Prince Consort's side three times in the past few days to confirm that her thoughts are not pure, I sent her off far away and thought of an excuse to return her to the Internal Affairs Division. Miss, do you have any plans?"

"Have someone keep an eye on this mulberry branch and don't disturb her. If she wants to come to my courtyard, arrange for her to stay in the front yard to look after the flower beds."

"Yes, miss."

Chu Junyi continued, "Calm down, don't think too much. I'll help you out in the next few days, so if the empress sends more people to urge the spices, you can send them over. If the empress sends more people to urge the spices, then you can send them over.

This is also a method, but I don't think the empress will use such an obviously unflattering method. It's best to be more careful during these few days. You should also be more careful when you're in the imperial court.

"En, don't worry. I will pay attention."

He moved Sang Zhi to the front yard, but she didn't make any other moves other than 'just in time' to appear around Chu Junyi. It made Hong Ling want to pull her tail all day. She didn't dare to relax.

On the other hand, after Shen Ninghua sent the spices up, the empress did not take the opportunity to create trouble. Instead, she used spices every day as a source of praise, and many people in the imperial court immediately knew that Princess Zhao Hua was greatly loved by the empress.

Shen Ninghua, on the other hand, did not seem happy at all. On the contrary, he felt that the matter was becoming increasingly suspicious.

As the name of Shen Ninghua's filial piety spread, the spices she brewed became hot to the touch. There were even many madams from aristocratic families who came to her door hoping to obtain some of the spices she brewed. However, due to her high status, she didn't want to send him off, and very few people could force her to make a move.

That day, Shen Ninghua had just woken up from her nap when Shen Xuanlin hastily ran in, "Big Sis, Big Sis, are you awake?"

"My head is sweating from running in a hurry. Aren't you afraid of catching a cold? Bai Yu, go and cook a bowl of ginger soup for me."

"Yes, miss."

Shen Ninghua raised his eyes. "Suspicious?"

"Yes, it's that mulberry branch in elder sister's courtyard. She purposely walked to my side today and said that the fireworks were pretty and that someone was selling fireworks not far from the princess' mansion."

Shen Ninghua's heart skipped a beat. A light flashed in her mind, so fast that no one could catch her. She whispered, "It's almost the new year. Someone selling fireworks is normal, what's there to be suspicious about?"

Shen Xuanlin was a little anxious, "I don't know either, but I felt that mulberry twigs weren't normal, so I wanted to buy some fireworks. However, thinking about that servant's words, I didn't dare to release them, afraid that I might fall into a trap and bring big sister trouble."

Shen Ninghua smiled lightly, lifting her hand to rub his head and said, "You did the right thing. If you are unsure of something and you have doubts, then don't take risks unless you are completely confident." "Yes, Big Sis." Shen Xuanlin obediently nodded his head, "However, I feel that there's something wrong with that mulberry branch. Big Sis, you should be wary of him."

Shen Ninghua smiled and said, "Alright, I will pay attention."

After sending off Shen Xuanlin, Shen Ninghua's mind raced as he thought about what had happened recently. Still, he felt a mess of emotions, "Bai Yu, is there anyone who came to ask for spices today?"

"Since no one has come, I'm sure they know that Miss no longer wishes to make spices." Ever since the young mistress stopped sending out spices, the spices she made had become even more expensive. Some even went so far as to beg the empress.

Shen Ninghua rubbed her forehead, got up and straightened her clothes before heading out to look at the plum trees.

"Miss, Madam Su came."

"Aunt?" Shen Ninghua turned her head and saw the Su Clan, who was dressed in a honey colored long skirt, walk over, "Aunt, you're welcome. It's been a long time since you've come to my place."

When they saw Shen Ninghua's ruddy complexion and the smile in her eyes, they knew that she was having a good life. They were finally able to relax and say, "I was also annoyed to the point that I couldn't do anything about it. That's why I came here to hide."

"Who bothered Aunt?"

"It's still not you. The spices you make are hard to come by, so naturally someone would think of me as an aunt." Su Shi smiled, her tone not showing the slightest bit of concern. "Don't say it, Ninghua, your garden is really quite good, especially this Plum Garden. It's a good place to enjoy the plum blossoms. "In my opinion, you shouldn't keep your mouth shut and thank your guests. Why don't you organize a plum feast and let everyone see for themselves how difficult it is for you to make spices? So they won't have that much time to think about it."

"Appreciation of the Plum Blossom Meet?" That's a good idea. "

Su Shi smiled, "The little girl beside me was the one who reminded me. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have thought that I would be able to enjoy the Plum Blossom Meet."

When Shen Ninghua heard this, she paused for a moment before raising her eyes abruptly. "Was it the little girl beside Aunt who suggested it?"

"En, that's right, it's a blessing. This little girl is very clever, and really likes people …" As Su Shi said this, he suddenly realized that something was wrong and immediately stopped talking.

"Xiao Hua, do you feel that this Plum Blossom Meet is inappropriate?"

"To be honest, aunty, I felt something amiss when the empress asked me for spices, and things got even more out of hand later on. It's just some ordinary spice used to calm spirits, what kind of miraculous effect could it have? How could it be worth everyone chasing after it?" "I didn't understand it before, but now that I think about it, it should be someone pushing it from behind."

"Someone is pushing us from behind? But what's the point of having a Plum Blossom Meet? "

Shen Ninghua frowned, "For the time being, I haven't thought it through. However, if someone plans it out, they will definitely leave behind clues. We'll just wait and see."

"Mm, okay. Do you still want to hold the Plum Blossom Meet? "

"Yes, why not?" A cold glint flashed across Shen Ninghua's eyes. They could block the incoming enemy with their bare hands. Who was the one who lost?

After waiting silently for two days, just as everyone was getting more and more anxious, news finally arrived from the Princess' residence that Shen Ninghua wanted to hold a plum feast and publicize the method of making spices.

When the news came out, the entire capital was in an uproar. Everyone was waiting for the arrival of the Plum Blossom Meet. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and they could not afford to miss it.

The Princess' palace was still quiet, but in the darkness, there were already undercurrents moving about slowly. That night, Hong Ling brought the results of her investigation to Shen Ninghua. Reading the contents written, Shen Ninghua was so angry that his entire body trembled, and he slammed his teacup down!

"Bam!"