Jun Mohan couldn't understand how someone like Ming Jiuxiao, who was neither man nor woman, could be so popular.
Not only was his consort not repulsed by Ming Jiuxiao, but his father-in-law, brother-in-law, and even the servants in his estate enjoyed talking to that androgynous person.
Jun Mohan couldn't figure out what charm that androgynous person possessed to make so many people like him.
In Jun Mohan's mind, Ming Jiuxiao was fixed as someone wearing a unisex, bright red robe, with shoulder-length, choppy hair, and a voice that was sickeningly sweet. To him, there was no charm at all.
Jun Mohan couldn't understand.
Half an hour later, the night grew darker, and the Cold King couple and Ming Jiuxiao were already enjoying hot pot.
Coincidentally, Yan Yu and Lu Liruo also returned from their errands outside, so Leng Ruoli called them to join them for hot pot.
"Yan Yu, how is the preparation for the hot pot restaurant going?" Leng Ruoli asked Yan Yu, her clear, beautiful apricot eyes blinking.
"Consort, the stools, bowls, chopsticks, and the dual-chamber hot pot are almost ready. We just haven't recruited enough staff yet," Yan Yu replied truthfully.
"No rush, we'll take our time," Leng Ruoli comforted her.
Yan Yu nodded after hearing this.
However, Lu Liruo, who was beside Yan Yu, sat there distractedly eating.
"Liruo, what's been going on with you these past two days? You seem unhappy?" Leng Ruoli asked Lu Liruo.
"Sister Consort, do you know when my grandfather will return?"
As Lu Liruo said this, tears welled up in her large eyes, and her heart ached, but she held back from crying out loud.
"This... I'm not too sure either."
Leng Ruoli didn't know how to answer her.
However, at this moment, the Chu siblings, who had gone out with Old Man Lu, returned.
"Your Highness, Consort, we're back!"
Chu Miaoling and Chu Mingxuan called out upon seeing the Cold King couple.
"They've returned at a very opportune time. Please, have a seat. We're having hot pot tonight."
After Leng Ruoli spoke, she beckoned the two to sit down and asked Xing'er and Ling'er to get them bowls and chopsticks.
"How did you handle things?" Leng Ruoli asked them caringly.
"Consort, Senior Lu and I first returned to Ghost Valley and dealt with those people there. Then, we brought Jun Nansheng to the graves of Senior Lu's daughter and disciple for a live sacrifice. Senior Lu and I practiced the suturing technique you taught me on Jun Nansheng. Every time we cut him, we'd stitch him up. We really enjoyed it, and in the end, that beast Jun Nansheng was played to death by the two of us," Chu Mingxuan said excitedly.
"Well done! Jun Nansheng probably never dreamed that this would be his end."
Leng Ruoli let out a cold laugh, her tone exceptionally crisp.
Then, Chu Miaoling took out a letter written by Old Man Lu to Lu Liruo from her sleeve and handed it to Lu Liruo.
"Liruo, this is a letter your grandfather wrote to you."
Upon hearing this, Lu Liruo looked at the letter Chu Miaoling was handing her and didn't dare to take it with her hands.
Later, Chu Miaoling directly put the letter into Lu Liruo's hands.
"Liruo, actually, Grandpa Lu has always known that what you've longed for most since childhood is to study medicine. This time, he asked me to tell you that he has agreed to you studying medicine. What Grandpa Lu hopes to see most now is that one day when he returns to the capital and sees you, your medical skills will have improved. He will personally test you then."
Chu Miaoling conveyed Old Man Lu's instructions before he left, word for word, to Lu Liruo.
Lu Liruo's eyes instantly became blurred with tears after hearing Chu Miaoling's words. In no time, her tears poured out like a breached flood.
"Sister Miaoling, did my grandfather say when he would come down the mountain to see me?" Lu Liruo asked while opening the envelope.
"This, Grandpa Lu didn't tell us clearly. He should tell you in the letter," Chu Miaoling guessed.
As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Liruo hurriedly took out the letter her grandfather had written to her and read it word for word.
In fact, Lu Liruo was able to recognize characters thanks to her grandfather teaching her. Although she didn't recognize many characters, it was enough for her to understand a letter.
When she finished reading the letter, her tears flowed even more torrentially.
Although her grandfather wasn't her biological grandfather, they had depended on each other for so many years. The sudden decision to be apart for such a long time made her truly reluctant to part.
"Alright, Miss Liruo, your grandfather dotes on you so much. He must be very reluctant to leave you as well. Once he finishes his matters, he'll surely come to the capital to find you soon. Let's start with the hot pot," Ming Jiuxiao, who had been a bystander at the table, said in a rare moment of comfort to Lu Liruo. Although he wasn't entirely sure what had happened to these people after he left the capital, seeing Lu Liruo's tearful state, he opened his mouth to console her.
"Yes, let's eat immediately!" Leng Ruoli and Yan Yu chimed in.
Following that, everyone picked up their chopsticks to have hot pot.
...
After dinner, the Cold King couple took a stroll in the Cold King's estate's garden to aid digestion.
As they had just arrived at the pavilion in the center of the artificial lake and sat for a while, the estate's butler rushed over.
"Your Highness, Consort, Prince Qing has entered the estate with several people carrying large wooden boxes," the butler said, looking bewildered.
"Prince Qing brought people carrying large wooden boxes to our estate?"
Leng Ruoli didn't believe her ears upon hearing this.
"Yes, Consort! And after he came in, he told this old servant that he wanted to see the Consort," the butler replied truthfully.
"Then Jun Mohan, you accompany me to take a look." After saying that, they headed towards the reception hall.
At this moment, in the reception hall of the Cold King's estate, Prince Qing, whom they hadn't seen in days, had lost a significant amount of weight due to the ailment in his private parts.
He had two large dark circles under his eyes, his face was sallow and emaciated, and even the bones in his face were prominent. His hair was messy, but his lower body was swollen and plump.
When the Cold King couple entered the reception hall, without a close look, they wouldn't have recognized the person sitting in the hall, wearing a dark blue robe with four claws and golden auspicious clouds embroidered on the collar and sleeves, as Prince Qing.
"Second Imperial Sister-in-law, do you still have the ointment I bought before?"
This was the first time Prince Qing had addressed Leng Ruoli as Second Imperial Sister-in-law. The reason was undoubtedly to win the favor of the Cold King couple, but unfortunately, the Cold King couple was not swayed by this.
"Your Highness Prince Qing, I do have a tube of that ointment, but you will still need to purchase it with money."
Leng Ruoli conned Prince Qing.
In reality, she had plenty of anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, and anti-itch ointments in her spatial storage, but this Prince Qing was not worth using her medicine on.