All right, I was about to get cross, but since it’s just for some food, that’s indeed a trifle.
"You said it’s not some weird stuff they eat, that would be good."
"No, no," Gu Youyou coaxed with rare obsequiousness, chuckling ingratiatingly, "Just some grass, you’ve mentioned before. Although it’s rare, it’s not hard to find for someone of your status and position. This matter... only with your methods can it be obtained, so..."
"You’re looking for Youying Grass?" Yue Rujing interrupted before Gu Youyou could finish.
"Guess that quickly?" Gu Youyou was quite surprised.
Yue Rujing wasn’t the sharpest, and his serious demeanor was so unusual. Some people feigned ignorance well, but he was rarely smart.
"I heard you were researching a cure for cold and heat toxins, and now you’re keeping some strange creatures, so I just made a wild guess. Seeing your reaction, I must be right."
"Yeah, you’re right. Can you get it?"
Yue Rujing rubbed his beardless chin, his expression unusually serious, and after pondering for a moment, said, "How confident are you in this?"
Gu Youyou became earnest as well, adopting her usual attitude when delving into academic research, "There’s no talk of how much confidence to have."
"No confidence?" Yue Rujing said in surprise, "Going to such trouble without surety?"
Gu Youyou cast him a glance, "This is a serious issue. I truly can’t answer you before I’ve made it. It’s either success or failure; when I do things, I never consider how much confidence to have, but rather whether I do them or not."
Yue Rujing felt a bit muddled by her logic, clearly not understanding Gu Youyou’s way of thinking, and said, "Youying Grass is cultivated by Xuanzong, and we Tianzong don’t dabble with such pickled trifles, so..."
"Don’t tell me you can’t get it?" Gu Youyou huffed, "You didn’t say that before. Don’t tell me you were just bragging to deceive me?"
"Why would I brag?" Yue Rujing straightened up, saying, "I only said Youying Grass isn’t easy to get. But if the Princely Heir makes a move, not just Youying Grass, even the Flame Pond Fire Lotus from the palace, I could somehow manage to get for you."
"Really?" Gu Youyou said triumphantly.
"Of course it’s true," Yue Rujing said, arms crossed and visibly smug.
"Good, then get some Fire Lotus as well."
Yue Rujing stumbled, nearly taking a tumble.
"You... you..." his face turning shades of red and white, was quite a sight. He wanted to accuse her of greediness and such, but recalling the grand promise he’d just made, he couldn’t bring himself to speak a word.
"You said you could do it?" Gu Youyou continued to tease him knowingly as he suffered in silence.
"Any problem with that? If you really can’t handle it, don’t put on a brave face. I can ask someone else. After all, Princely Heir Yue, you’re not omnipotent, right? This is Beijing, not Lingnan."
"No, there’s no need." Yue Rujing felt like vomiting blood, "How much do you need?"
"About ten or eight stalks each, the more the better," Gu Youyou said cheerfully, "If it’s not enough, we’ll gather more later. Just do your best."
What a colossal request!
Yue Rujing felt as if he were stricken with some bone-softening disease, unable to stand straight and leaning against the wall.
"What’s wrong? If it’s too much trouble, I’ll ask Zijin."
"Don’t, don’t, don’t call my senior brother." If he called his senior brother, in the end, he’d still have to do it himself. Yue Rujing clenched his teeth, "I’m just out of breath, I’ll be fine after a rest."
"Oh, I’ll prescribe you something, it’ll help whether you’re out of breath or out of energy."