Chapter 396: Preparations
Chapter 396: Chapter 396: Preparations
"Yes, it’s my fault. For a moment, I completely forgot about this detail," Gu Kaiping admitted.
He wanted to slap himself hard. How could he forget the most basic etiquette? And that woman from the Liu Family had been running around frantically these past few days looking for people; Gu Kaiping wondered if it was for the same reason. She was supposed to be the lady of the inner court. These matters were her responsibility to manage, yet she was so muddle-headed.
After talking with his father for a while, Gu Kaiping returned to his room and vented his anger on Liu Yun, which finally reminded her of the issue.
She felt incredibly wronged. "Ever since we returned, I haven’t had a single capable assistant by my side. The servants in this courtyard don’t know anything when asked, so I have to handle everything single-handedly. Later, I was so busy with our daughter’s wedding. How could I possibly keep track of so much? Besides, I didn’t seek out just anyone. Aside from the Marquis Mansion, I only visited a few ladies I’m good friends with."
In the past, they often gathered together and interacted casually. Since when were there so many rules? She truly couldn’t be blamed for forgetting the visiting card—even her father-in-law and the others hadn’t thought of it either.
"But so what if we had a visiting card? What would we even write on it?" Liu Yun argued. "If we say the Gu Family, there are plenty of people surnamed Gu in the capital. Before, we could write the Vice Minister Gu Mansion, but now it’s just a plain Gu Mansion. Who would know who we are?"
Liu Yun was also venting her own dissatisfaction. An Tong had been married for so long, yet the Third Prince still hadn’t helped her husband regain his official post. Even when she went out, she lacked the confidence to hold her head high.
Gu Kaiping fell silent.
Meanwhile.
After Bai Suihe finished writing down her pharmacological knowledge for the day, along with some common medical sense, she discussed it with Nanny Pang for a long time. It made Nanny Pang give her a big thumbs up; Bai Suihe indeed had some talent in this area and was beginning to form her own judgments. Receiving the praise, Bai Suihe felt slightly embarrassed. She knew her memory had improved significantly, but some of her insights were just common knowledge from the modern era. Anyone who paid attention to the news back then would know a thing or two.
"Madam, the rooms are all prepared," Fuqin said, having been busy setting up the pharmacy for the past two days. "The craftsmen over there are asking if there’s anything that needs adjusting. Would you like to go take a look?"
Bai Suihe and Nanny Pang stood up immediately. Of course, they had to go see it. Previously, they had only been making medicines in an empty room. The conditions were rather crude, and sometimes it was inevitable that the herbs would get mixed up. Preparing a proper pharmacy this time was absolutely necessary. This way, they could neatly categorize the herbs and prevent others from accidentally touching the medicines they produced. Among these were many drugs that Bai Suihe had created without yet formulating their antidotes. Although none were fatal, causing her own people to suffer was definitely not her intention.
Upon seeing the pharmacy’s layout, Bai Suihe didn’t understand the finer details of the construction, but seeing Nanny Pang’s satisfied expression, she knew these craftsmen had some real skill.
After passing the inspection and paying the Silver, Nanny Pang immediately went out to start purchasing medicinal herbs. Ever since Madam learned to make medicines, she hadn’t been seen using them, yet they somehow disappeared to an unknown place. Nanny Pang didn’t ask too many questions; she simply cooperated. Anyway, they were mostly prank drugs, so it didn’t matter if she wanted to make more.
Unfortunately, even after scouring all the apothecaries on the streets, the varieties they gathered couldn’t even fill half of the medicine cabinets in the pharmacy. Many of the herbs they wanted were completely unavailable. Aside from commissioning people to search in other counties and cities, the only other option was to go up the mountains to restock.
Hearing that they needed to go up the mountain to gather herbs, Bai Suihe abandoned her study of the new prescription Nanny Pang had given her. "Nanny, I’ll go with you."
Nanny Pang was capable of protecting herself, but Gu Kaiyuan was still worried about her going up the mountain alone, so he arranged for Lin Hua and Lin Wei to accompany her.
"Madam, we aren’t familiar with the local terrain yet. I’ll go scout it out first, and I promise to take you along next time," Nanny Pang insisted, refusing to relent. Now that it was after Kai Chun, the animals that had been hibernating would all be coming out. It was precisely when they were the most ravenous, and she didn’t dare risk bringing Madam along. Once she had familiarized herself with the nearby peaks and knew which mountains were safe, she would take Madam up for a field trip.
Gu Kaiyuan also didn’t want Bai Suihe to enter the mountains at this moment. "Nanny makes a valid point. It rained a couple of days ago, so the mountain is covered in moss. Without some martial arts foundation, you’d likely slip and fall. Wait until the weather clears up a bit. When the time comes, I’ll personally escort you into the mountains."
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Nanny Pang and the others; it was just that he could never truly be at ease unless he accompanied her himself. He had made an appointment that day to buy some land in the neighboring county, so he suggested, "If you’re feeling bored staying in the mansion, how about you come with me to the neighboring county?"
Bai Suihe wasn’t particularly interested in visiting the neighboring county, but she knew her mountain trip was officially canceled. Just as she was about to refuse...
Gu Xingyang’s voice suddenly echoed in her mind. "Mother, let’s go to the neighboring county. It’ll be fun..."
Bai Suihe tapped the baby’s little nose, wondering if this house could no longer contain her. "What’s so fun about it? We’ll have to sit in a carriage for several hours."
"Our whole family will be together. I want to go see it." Gu Xingyang blinked her big eyes, trying to play on her mother’s soft heart.
Before Bai Suihe could respond, Gu Kaiyuan had already scooped up the baby. "It’s rare for the child to want to go out. Look how happy she is..."
Nanny Pang watched the little miss waving her arms and kicking her legs. She could see that the baby was happy, but she wondered how a baby could so clearly express a desire to go out. The master would say absolutely anything just to coax his wife.
However, Madam seemed to completely fall for it. "Since our little baby wants to go, then as your mother, I must naturally keep you company."
"Perhaps Lin Hua and Lin Wei shouldn’t go up the mountain with me. I’ll definitely be fine on my own," Nanny Pang said. She knew the master’s martial arts skills, and since this trip involved traveling alongside government officers, there shouldn’t be any safety issues. However, if Madam and the little miss were going out, it was best to bring more guards along.
"There’s no need," Bai Suihe replied. "If you don’t have anyone with you, Nanny, I wouldn’t be at ease either. Besides, you’ve forgotten that I’m not someone to be trifled with anymore. If there really are some death-seeking fools who want to stir up trouble, I’d welcome them with open arms."
After all, she was still short of a Medicine Man to test out all those drugs she had concocted. She had worked so hard to make them; it would feel like a huge loss if she didn’t get to use them. So she felt that traveling was actually a great idea. It would be perfect if they ran into those bandits again—she could show off her skills without any psychological burden.
Nanny Pang was utterly speechless. How could Madam be so confident in herself yet lack faith in her? One had to remember that she was the very person who had taught Madam how to make those drugs in the first place. Nevertheless, she didn’t argue further. Instead, she returned to her room and brought back a few more bottles and jars.
The things she had taught Madam previously were all harmless tricks meant for minor punishments. But for true self-defense, she would need these enhanced versions.
"This is a special-grade knockout powder. As long as you keep this antidote in your mouth first, everyone around you will collapse within three seconds."
She then pulled out a white porcelain flask. "And this bottle, you must be very careful with. Do not use it unless absolutely necessary. This is Corpse-Dissolving Powder. Just a tiny capful of this powder can make a person vanish without a trace. This stuff is highly corrosive, so be mindful."