Chapter 1302: Chapter 1280: Giving You Away
Manbao glanced around, seeing no one paying attention, then whispered quietly, “Are other royals like His Majesty and the Crown Prince?”
Nanny Shang: …
From her silence, Manbao gleaned something. With a faint sigh, she nodded in understanding.
Nanny Shang grew even more silent upon seeing this.
Nanny Shang arranged a carriage to take Manbao back to Changqing Alley. Upon reaching home, she saw the flower gifted to her. The flowerpot was rather attractive, and the leaves looked oddly familiar.
While hesitating, Keke chimed in, “Yes, it’s the chrysanthemum you sold to the Prince of Yizhou before Mid-Autumn.”
Manbao: …
Manbao carried the flower to Bai Shan’s doorway, then unpacked the fox fur and examined it, deciding to find a shop to make a fox fur coat later.
Bai Shan and Bai Erlang came home just in time for dinner, shouting, “Starving!” as they entered the yard. Manbao poured warm water for the two, and they drank it in one gulp. Then, rubbing their stomachs, they asked, “Is dinner ready yet?”
Manbao asked, “Did the Imperial Academy skimp on your lunch?”
“It’s cold, and hunger comes quicker,” Bai Shan explained. “Especially since we used our brains today. Tomorrow, we should take some snacks to class.”
He took two books and a stack of paper from his book basket, showing them to Manbao. “We found many books today, though there’s not much recorded about the Imperial Hospital at the academy. The information is fragmented and scattered, so we’ll likely need several more days to search. How did your talk with the Empress go today?”
Manbao replied, “I already turned her down. She agreed to let Ms. Doctor Liu stay by my side for now to learn.”
She flipped through the papers in her hands and, to her delight, remarked, “You’ve found quite a bit, and even included the sources.”
Bai Erlang wandered over to Mr. Zhuang’s desk, swiping a piece of pastry and munching on it. “Of course. It wasn’t just us. Yin Huo, Senior Brother Feng, Senior Brother Yi, and Ji Hao helped too.”
Manbao tilted her head to look at Bai Shan.
Bai Shan explained, “I only asked Yin Huo for help. But when we met Senior Brother Feng and Senior Brother Yi in the Book Collection Tower, they lent a hand to look as well.”
As for Ji Hao, Bai Shan didn’t know why he tagged along; he wasn’t even fond of reading.
Manbao didn’t pay much attention to Ji Hao. Concentrating, she reviewed the handwritten information. Before finishing one sheet, the kitchen brought out dinner, and everyone had to eat first.
Bai Shan rolled up his sleeves to wash his hands. Passing by his room, he paused, looked down at the flowerpot placed squarely in front of his door, hesitated briefly, then bent down to carry it to the study before washing his hands.
When he returned, he couldn’t help but ask Manbao, “Did you put that flowerpot at my door?”
Manbao nodded.
“Why leave it outside? What if it freezes to death?”
Manbao assured, “It won’t. It’s tough.”
“That’s a chrysanthemum, right? Even in the dead of winter, its leaves are so lush and green.”
Manbao nodded solemnly, “Correct. A mutated chrysanthemum.”
Bai Erlang asked, “Isn’t that priceless? Why give it to him?”
Manbao raised her eyes and asked, “You want one? If someone sends me another, I’ll gift you one next.”
Turning to Bai Shan, she said, “You jinxed it, so the first pot goes to you.”
Bai Erlang was full of questions, but Bai Shan had already pieced it together—the flower was originally a mutated chrysanthemum Manbao had sold.
He: …
Mr. Zhuang also caught on. Shaking his head with a smile, he remarked, “This is karma. Heaven is fair after all.”
Manbao pouted but chose not to argue, instead resentfully devouring a big bowl of rice.
Bai Erlang understood, barely stifling his laughter.
Bai Shan found it all amusing. After dinner, he crouched in the study, staring at the chrysanthemum pot for a long time, then muttered thoughtfully, “Other chrysanthemums usually bloom no later than early winter. How is it that its leaves remain so vibrant in the depths of winter?”
Manbao, sitting at her book desk reviewing the gathered materials, responded offhandedly, “It’s a mutation, cold-resistant.”
Bai Shan remarked, “If we prune it and cultivate it, could we enjoy chrysanthemums during winter in the future?”
“Don’t bother. Its genetics are unstable. After blooming once, it’ll mutate unpredictably on its next bloom; rumor has it the results are ugly.”
Having heard the term “genes” from Manbao more than once, Bai Shan understood its meaning. He suggested, “Then why not try grafting it and see if it produces other varieties of flowers?”
He continued, “If successful, we could have many flowers for enjoyment in winter.”
Manbao flipped another page, dismissing the idea, “Then go ahead. Best if you find edible flowers to graft. Winter’s lacking in leafy green vegetables. The stored ones in cellars grow tiresome. See if you can graft and cultivate crops instead.”
Pausing, Manbao looked at the chrysanthemum leaves on the ground and pondered, “If winter greens could grow like these chrysanthemum leaves, we’d never have to worry about lacking vegetables.”
Bai Shan also studied the chrysanthemum pot before him intently. “Did the palace initially grow it in a greenhouse or outdoors?”
Manbao: “Oh dear, I forgot to ask.”
Given Keke’s perception of the chrysanthemum as unremarkable, she hadn’t given it much thought.
Upon hearing this, Bai Shan decided to move the flowerpot outdoors, placing it in a spot shielded from wind and snow to conduct an experiment.
Xiang Ming, about to close the ventilated window, happened to see this and couldn’t help but shake his head.
Xiang Chao, not daring to let Xiang Ming stand for long, hurried to help him shut the window. Watching, he exclaimed, “Why place such a valuable chrysanthemum outside to endure the cold?”
Xiang Ming replied, “This is precisely where we fall short compared to them.”
Xiang Chao didn’t understand, but Xiang Ming chose not to explain further. He supported Xiang Chao back to bed to continue rehabilitation exercises.
Xiang Ming could now manage a few steps, but they remained unstable, and he dared not push himself too hard, opting to recover gradually.
After securing the flowerpot, Bai Shan returned to the study, joining Manbao in organizing the materials and discussing plans and concepts for the Imperial Hospital.
Bai Erlang sat at his desk, lighting a candle to write his biography—he hadn’t had time earlier, pressed into unpaid work by Bai Shan.
Mr. Zhuang was also in the study, occasionally answering Bai Shan and Manbao’s questions, such as how the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue function or how to report the addition of students to the Imperial Hospital.
Noticing their proposals growing increasingly expansive, Mr. Zhuang eventually intervened. By the end, their plans resembled founding a medical academy rather than an institution for female doctors.
Ultimately still kids, their perception shaped by everyday life consisting of school, they viewed every governmental organization as akin to their own academic institution.
Shaking his head with a light laugh, he interrupted their endless questions, saying, “By your standards, it’d look just like opening a school. There’s already an example for that—the Imperial Academy.”
Bai Shan’s eyes lit up. “Do you think the court would agree, Sir?”