The next day, Yao Yuanzheng and two imperial physicians came to check the pulse of the Prince of Dai and confirmed that he was in good health. Then they took Yingbao back to the imperial pharmacy and took out the herbs for her to prepare.
During this medication dispensing, Dr. Yao strongly requested to watch.
Yingbao followed him and directed several medicine boys to grind and boil the medicine.
When it is almost cooked, quietly pour a little Wudingzhi into it, stir it into a thick paste, put it in a container and let it cool, then roll them into pills and wrap them in wax paper.
On the other side, a medicine boy was making wax shells, also known as hanging wax skins.
First, heat the wax in a pot to melt it. When the wax oil drops to warm temperature, use a wooden ball fixed on an iron stand to dip into the wax in the pot, then take out the wooden ball and put it in cold water to solidify.
Dip in wax and cool several times until the wax skin reaches a certain thickness.
Then use a knife to cut most of the wax skin on the wooden ball, take out the wooden ball, put the pill wrapped in wax paper into the wax shell, hang wax to seal it, and iron the wax stem.
Finally, heat the ox horn seal, dip it in red mud, and stamp the name of the medicine on the sealed area.
Yingbao was very interested in the tools for making wax shells, so she asked Yuanzheng for a set to take away.
If I want to make pills to sell in the future, I must wrap each pill in a shell and stamp it with my own seal, which will be more elegant.
Yao Yuanzheng was not stingy and readily agreed to give her a set of tools for making wax leather, and also gave her several handwritten books on palace medicinal food.
Yingbao returned the favor by giving him a small bottle of pills she made herself.
The content of Wudingzhi in these pills is much higher than that in the pills made on the spot.
After returning from the Imperial Pharmacy, Yingbao discovered that Xiao Chengjun no longer lived in the original place, but moved to next door to her, one room away from her.
Chang Xiu brought the hedgehog back from the orchard and returned it to Ying Bao. "I followed your instructions and usually tied the hedgehog in the grass over there where no one saw it."
"Thank you, Sister Chang Xiu." Yingbao took the hedgehog, put it on the ground, and took out a few melon seeds for it to eat.
These melon seeds were given by the pharmacist in the Imperial Pharmacy. He said they were brine-fried and then fried, and they were very salty and fragrant.
Yingbao thought the melon seeds were too salty and didn't dare to eat too much, so she used them to feed the hedgehog.
The hedgehog didn't mind and ate them one by one.
In the evening, Chang Xiu went to the imperial kitchen to get food, while Ying Bao sneaked out of the compartment and came to Xiao Chengjun's room.
Xiao Chengjun should be in Qilin Palace to accompany King Dai at this moment, so there is no one in the room.
Yingbao threw a handful of melon seeds under the bed, then threw in a piece of rock honey, and then pushed the little hedgehog in.
Then he ran back to his room and sat on the Arhat couch, waiting for Chang Xiu to come back with the food box.
After dinner and washing up, Yingbao let Chang Xiu sleep on the inside of the bed, and she slept on the outside of the bed, closing her eyes and listening to the noise outside.
Xiao Chengjun had just returned from having dinner at the King of Dai's place. He asked the eunuchs to check him inside and out before he lay down to rest.
He was really scared that day. When it was late at night and everyone was asleep, he heard someone coughing. He sent people to look for it but found nothing.
After that, he asked the eunuchs to stand guard outside every night, otherwise he dared not close his eyes.
This went on for several days, and the eunuchs began to complain. They would stay away from him whenever they saw him, for fear that they would be sent to keep watch again.
Fortunately, no unusual noises were heard these days, and Xiao Chengjun gradually felt relieved. He no longer needed to have anyone guarding the door all night, but the lights had to be on in the house.
Xiao Chengjun lay down and read a book for a while, then fell asleep in a daze.
Seeing that he was fast asleep, the palace maids blew out several lamps, leaving only two on, and then went to the outer room to rest.
In the middle of the night, Xiao Chengjun was suddenly awakened by a few coughs.
He frowned and listened carefully. What he heard was terrible. The coughing sound was not coming from outside, but from under his bed.
Xiao Chengjun screamed in fear, jumped up from the bed, and ran out of the house barefoot, shouting loudly: "Someone come! Someone come!"
Two eunuchs came running over with lanterns in their hands and asked hurriedly, "Mr. Xiao, what happened again?"
“There’s a ghost in there... Go and check it out quickly..." Xiao Chengjun was so scared that his teeth were chattering and his whole body was shaking like a sieve.
The two eunuchs looked at each other and didn't dare to go in.
"How about, Mr. Xiao, you go to Qilin Palace first, and we'll find a few people to take a look." said a eunuch.
Xiao Chengjun nodded without hesitation and ran to the Qilin Hall supported by a eunuch.
The other eunuch did not dare to stay either, and was about to go back with the lantern in his hand, when he saw a little head popping out from the compartment next to him, which scared him.
"Oh, little doctor, you scared me to death." The eunuch saw that it was Yingbao and patted his chest: "You should go back to your room quickly. Xiao Langjun said that his room is haunted again."
Yingbao blinked and asked, "Why is it always haunted? Did he come into contact with someone recently, so it's like this?"
The eunuchs hushed him immediately: "Young Doctor, don't talk nonsense. Recently, Young Master Xiao has been with the King of Dai."
"The King of Dai is the son of a phoenix and a dragon. He is in great health now. It is the time when his Yang energy is at its peak. It is good enough that Xiao Chengjun does not bring him trouble."
Ying Bao persuaded him earnestly: "Think about it again, who else has Xiao Chengjun been in contact with recently?"
The eunuch thought for a moment, slapped his forehead, and said mysteriously, "I know. Mr. Xiao has been with that new maid recently. I even saw him taking that little maid to the orchard to pick lychees."
Yingbao nodded: "That's right. Oh, go and ask someone to take a look."
The eunuch nodded to Yingbao and quickly ran to the front to call for help.
Ying Bao turned to Chang Xiu who had already gotten up and said, "Sister Chang, you stay here and I'll go to Xiao Chengjun's room to take a look."
Chang Xiu said with a worried look on his face: "What are you doing there, little doctor? It's scary. Otherwise, I will accompany you."
"No, no, I don't believe in ghosts. It must be that Xiao Chengjun has a brain problem. He is suspicious all day long. Maybe he has become insane."
Ying Bao said as she ran to Xiao Chengjun's room: "Sister Chang, please wait here. I want to go see if there is a ghost in there."
Chang Xiu wanted to go with them, but she was even more afraid of ghosts, so she kept turning around in circles.
Yingbao ran into the house and saw that the lights were still on.
It seems that Xiao Chengjun was frightened before, and now he even sleeps with a light on.
Yingbao quickly crawled under the bed, grabbed the rope on the hedgehog's leg, and pulled it out.
He ran out with the hedgehog in his hand and said to Chang Xiu, "There is no ghost in his room. Let's go back."
Chang Xiu followed Yingbao back to the compartment, sat on the couch and watched the little kid give water to the hedgehog.
Yingbao muttered, "Why are you running around so late at night? What if someone catches you and thinks you're a ghost?"
The hedgehog drank the water and curled up quietly.
Chang Xiu couldn't help but ask, "Yingbao, is it this hedgehog that scared Xiao Langjun?"
"Shh..." Ying Bao gestured to keep quiet: "Sister Chang, please don't say that. If Xiao Chengjun blames us, we will all be in trouble."
Chang Xiu nodded repeatedly: "I won't talk nonsense."
Yingbao was satisfied, so she covered the hedgehog basket with a piece of cloth and climbed back into bed to sleep.