Too high to reach

Chapter 305 Like a Dream, Like Reality
The water in the pool was very hot when you first went in.

Mo Yi's toes tentatively moved downwards little by little.

Mother Wu smiled, picked up the fragrant dew next to her, and poured the whole bottle into the pool.

A strong floral fragrance rose with the mist.

After hissing and groaning for a while, Mo Yi finally put her legs in and sat down.

The water reached her neck, and she let out a long, soft "ah." It felt indescribably comfortable.

He turned and asked, "Is the bathing place for the princes like this too?"

"It's much bigger than here. There are also many men bathing there. Isn't it comfortable? Not only is it bigger over there, but it also offers a variety of services! Shaving, manicures, pedicures. Back massages... they can even set bones. There's also a small pool with medicine prepared by Granny Zhao. For a soldier like the Prince, injuries and chills are common occurrences. Soaking in the medicine is especially good for his health!"

"Are their houses individual rooms, or are they all in one place?"

“There are individual pools, and there are also large ones, so you can soak together…” After saying that, Wu’s mother chuckled, “Men aren’t as shy as women. They can chat while soaking, and they can also play chess or something. It’s so lively.”

Mo Yi was delighted to hear this. "When autumn comes, the mountains will be covered in red leaves..." She thought to herself, "I must bring my father here! Let him enjoy it too... Humph, that brat Mo Bao, at such a young age, he's living a life more comfortable than his father."

Who exactly is Liu Nian?
He suddenly realized that the calligraphy might have been deliberately placed by the prince in his life.

If he were just Lord Liu's son, why would the prince give him so much face?

And... Mo Yi rolled his eyes. Just now, the way the prince spoke to him... how to describe it? Close? Not at all like a stranger?

Right, that is it.

It's not like this with Xiangxiang and Shaoge'er... Who is it?
"Your Highness, you shouldn't soak in this hot water for more than fifteen minutes at a time. Too long and you'll feel dizzy. You've soaked for a while now, that's about enough. Let me help you up. Change into a robe, have some tea and fruit. Rest for a bit..."

"Okay." Mo Yi stood up.

Mrs. Wu reached out and carefully supported her, saying, "Slow down, be careful of the steps."

When Mo Yi came up, she felt that her arms and legs were all red.

Madam Wu whispered, "Actually... if Your Highness doesn't mind, I can remove the old skin from your body and apply bees twice. After washing, you'll be smooth and tender... There's a poem that goes something like that... 'The hot spring water is smooth and washes away the creamy skin'... That's how Yang Guifei was made."

“Mother Wu is quite talented in writing!” Mo Yi laughed.

"That's all he knows..." Mrs. Wu smiled.

"I'm really not used to what you're saying." Exposing her arms and legs in front of strangers has reached her limit.

"Then wait until you get used to it... That's how it is with the prince and the others."

A prince who is smooth, tender, and fragrant?
Mo Yi couldn't imagine...

After coming up, she changed into a long robe in the small hut next door. When she came out, Mother Wu wrapped her hair with a cloth.

I sat there and drank a cup of warm tea. On the small table were fresh peaches and watermelon, all peeled, seeded, cut into pieces, and neatly arranged.

He ate a plate of fruit with a small fork, and was still sweating profusely.

I felt completely refreshed, inside and out, and once again marveled at what true extravagance and debauchery really meant.

That's it...

"Your Highness, shall I give you a massage to relieve the discomfort?"

Mo Yi stood up, and Mama Wu made her lie down on the small bed. "Your Highness, I'm going to start massaging you. Just tell me how much pressure you want."

"Okay," Mo Yi replied.

Mrs. Wu first massaged her from top to bottom. Mo Yi felt a surge of happiness and wanted to sigh again…

"You must be tired from your journey. You don't look like you've had a good rest. If you can sleep, please relax and get some rest."

Then, it started from the neck...

Mo Yi was so comfortable that she wanted to moan.

These past few days, though she didn't realize it, her nerves had been on edge the whole time. Now, she finally relaxed.

After a while, her breathing became heavier, and she really felt sleepy...

In a daze... I seemed to see a woman.

Her face was as beautiful as a lotus blossom, and her smile was enchanting. She loved wearing light-colored clothes, and her hands were as white as scallions.

Judging from his appearance, he bears a striking resemblance to Zhou Jiu.

Her expression was even sweeter, and her eyes even more innocent.

A hint of pride always played at the corners of her mouth; she was clearly pampered and spoiled from a young age.

With slender fingers, a casual pluck of the strings evokes the image of a beautiful landscape finding its soulmate.

When admiring the moon and flowers, every word that comes out is a beautiful verse.

She should have had a life where she was cherished and pampered by her husband, without any flaws...

However, her husband, though handsome, brave and noble, just couldn't get along with her.
...Even when she changed her crescent-shaped eyebrows to small mountain-shaped eyebrows, he couldn't tell at all!

Princess Yu'an had always been close to her, and so she got to know the princess's older brother, His Highness the Crown Prince. She believed that the Crown Prince of the world should be like the one before her: exceptionally talented in literature and elegant in demeanor. He could command the nation in front of others, yet speak tenderly and protectively to his younger sister.

When she was angered by the prince, she wondered: why didn't she marry someone like this: someone who could understand her with just a glance or a tone of voice and follow her quickly?

There's a void in my heart that I want to fill, but the prince won't give me the chance.

But unexpectedly, on that nightmarish afternoon... the dreamlike scene left her filled with dread.

Finally, more than ten days later, the nightmare came true.

It turns out that the gentle and refined immortal was actually a demon.

She herself failed to distinguish between humans and ghosts, becoming mired in the mire, causing her husband to be humiliated and her daughter to be disgraced.

She withered quickly, losing all her vitality.

"Your Highness, you need to eat something. You gave birth to a princess, so you know how exhausting that is. If this continues, you won't be able to take it."

“You don’t need to worry about anything else.” Mo Yi seemed to hear that thin, hoarse voice. “You just need to do one thing: if things don’t go well… pour oil on the bed and set it on fire. Whatever you do, don’t let anyone find out about my affairs.”

"Your Majesty, no, that won't happen."

"Ah Fang, I'm so sorry to the Prince... Only now do I understand that the Prince has a tragic past, surrounded by wolves. How could he have the heart to care about spring flowers and autumn moons? He's been injured and exhausted while seeking revenge, so how could he possibly notice what kind of eyebrows I've drawn?"
I am not good enough for him.

"Death is death, but this matter must not be exposed. If it is, the Prince will be humiliated and forever stigmatized. Xiangxiang will never be able to hold her head high again. Therefore, you must promise me..."

"Your Majesty, please don't say that."

Promise me! Otherwise, I'll haunt you even as a ghost!

"Your Majesty, it is..."

Mo Yi gave a soft hum...

"Your Majesty?" Mama Wu thought she was going to say something, but Mo Yi didn't say anything more.

Mother Wu continued kneading.

Mo Yi saw that the girl who had spoken earlier was carefully tending to the medicine on the charcoal stove.

After cooking, she placed a cloth on top and poured the strong medicinal soup into a bowl...

Then, pour the dregs of the medicine onto a piece of cloth, wrap it up, and set it aside.

Just then, someone came in from outside...

"The kitchen staff has prepared some pear soup and sent over two bowls. Let Your Highness have some. You should have some too; look, your lips are all blistered."

"Thank you, sister. Just leave it there."

"Would you like to drink a bowl while it's hot? I'll keep an eye on your medicine for you."

"No need, it's already cooked."

"Oh...wait, is Her Majesty calling?"

"Huh?" Afang went outside and listened intently.

So, she didn't see the new maid quickly pour something into the bowl of boiled medicine...

"Huh?!" Mo Yi groaned nervously, her whole body convulsing slightly.

"Your Majesty?!" Mother Wu patted her. "Your Majesty..."

Mo Yi opened her eyes, her heart pounding, her gaze somewhat unfocused, unsure whether she had just witnessed it or was dreaming...

"Your Highness, you've been lying down for too long and you're pressing on your skin. How about this, turn over and sleep a little longer. I'll massage the soles of your feet for you."

"What time is it..." Mo Yi asked, still very sleepy.

"You only slept for a little while, it's still early. The prince and the others are soaking in the water!"

Mo Yi turned over and lay flat on her back. Wu's mother placed a small pillow under her neck and a sheet over her stomach.

He sat down at Mo Yi's feet and started massaging her.

With her feet being pinched, Mo Yi felt a little uneasy. Her thoughts returned to the dream she had just had. Whether it was a dream or not, it made sense: the poison added by the other maid caused Princess Zhou to die directly... the abortion drug didn't even have a chance to work.

Who administered the drugs?

"Mama Wu, when Princess Zhou came, were her meals delivered by people from the estate, or did her maids fetch them from the kitchen?"

Mrs. Wu is a kind-hearted person. "If it's a proper meal, the kitchen will prepare it and deliver it. Or we can help deliver it when we're free. But if it's a snack or soup, it's likely that someone from Princess Zhou's entourage ordered it to be made, and in that case, it's usually someone she brought with her who takes it."

"Then, for example, pear soup or something?"

"Ah? Your Highness, you also know about pear soup? I remember it. It was a maidservant of Princess Zhou who specially asked the kitchen to steam it. That maidservant took it away. She took two bowls, but before she could use them, Princess Zhou... The pear soup was left untouched. When Granny Zhao came, she even had someone check it!"

"What's that girl's name?"

"Called A... Afang? No, no, the one who serves Her Majesty personally is called Afang, that's the one called Aling..."