Chapter 10

"Exactly how did you manage to cure that little black dog of the arsenic poisoning?" Cao Ying's patience was even worse than Zhao Yan had estimated. As soon as they finished dinner, Cao Ying immediately asked Zhao Yan.

"Are you talking to me?" Zhao Yan deliberately fished in his ear, putting on an incredibly astonished expression. In their previous conversations, every time he asked Cao Ying something, she would only answer a few words impatiently. This was the first time Cao Ying had taken the initiative to speak to him, so Zhao Yan naturally wanted to play it up a bit.

"Yes!" Although Cao Ying knew Zhao Yan was being deliberate, she still had to force herself to speak through her anger, because she really wanted to know how Zhao Yan had cured the arsenic poisoning. If she could figure this out, it would definitely surprise her grandfather, who claimed to be the best doctor in the world.

"Hehe, you want to know?" Zhao Yan asked again.

Cao Ying nodded, her face already showing signs of anger. If Zhao Yan continued to play games, she would definitely lose her temper.

"This method of treatment is very complex and can't be explained in just a few words. If you want to know, come to my room tonight, and I'll explain it to you in detail!" Zhao Yan smiled lecherously. Cao Ying always looked at him with disdain, and Zhao Yan was also annoyed. Now that he had this opportunity, he naturally wanted to tease her a bit.

Unfortunately, Zhao Yan forgot that Cao Ying already despised him and had a very strong personality. Hearing his lecherous words, Cao Ying immediately became furious, stood up, and left the dining room. She would rather never know how to treat arsenic poisoning than see Zhao Yan's disgusting smile again.

"Really can't take a joke!" Watching Cao Ying leave, Zhao Yan helplessly rubbed his nose and muttered, "The girls in the Song Dynasty really have unhealthy minds. I just asked her to come to my room to discuss medicine, and who knows what she's thinking?"

In the evening, after Little Bean Sprout helped Zhao Yan wash up and rest, she returned to her room to play with the little black dog. Zhao Yan had no patience for raising dogs but was very good at eating dog meat, so he entrusted the task of raising the dog to Little Bean Sprout. After all, this little girl liked small animals, and having a playmate was a good thing.

While Little Bean Sprout was discussing what to name the little black dog, she suddenly heard someone whisper, "Little Bean Sprout! Little Bean Sprout!" The voice sounded like her good friend, Mi Xue.

Little Bean Sprout put down the little black dog and went over to open the window. Sure enough, it was Mi Xue. She was a bit surprised and asked, "Mi Xue, why are you here?"

"Little Bean Sprout, is the Prince already asleep?" Mi Xue whispered.

"Um!" Little Bean Sprout nodded.

"Quick, come with me, the Princess wants to ask you something!" Mi Xue reached through the window and pulled Little Bean Sprout, who, though surprised, did not resist. She easily jumped over the window, looking very agile. If Zhao Yan had seen this, he would have been shocked, as he never expected the usually timid Little Bean Sprout to have such nimble movements.

Cao Ying's room was not far from Zhao Yan's, connected by a long corridor. When Little Bean Sprout entered the room, she saw Cao Ying sitting in a chair. Seeing Little Bean Sprout, Cao Ying smiled and said, "Little Bean Sprout, how have you been these past few days? Has the Prince been difficult for you?"

Cao Ying would call Little Bean Sprout every few days to ask about Zhao Yan's situation, so Little Bean Sprout was not surprised. She replied, "Fourth Sister, don't worry. The Prince hasn't been difficult for me, and... and I think the Prince doesn't seem to be the kind of person he's rumored to be. These past few days, the Prince has been very kind to me, with no airs at all. Even when I accidentally splashed him with washing water, the Prince didn't mind at all."

"All of that is just an act. Now that I can supervise him, there's no one in the inner quarters who supports Zhao Yan, so he's using these tactics to win you over, even giving you small favors. But as soon as he has the chance, he'll revert to his old ways, and you'll suffer!" Cao Ying didn't believe Zhao Yan had changed. In her view, everything Zhao Yan did was for ulterior motives.

"It's not a small favor. Today, the Prince gave me the soap he uses for washing his face. This soap is really good, much better than the bath beans you use. After using it, my body smells so good!" To the innocent Little Bean Sprout, something as valuable as soap couldn't be a small favor.

"Soap? What kind of soap?" Cao Ying was puzzled. In the past month, she had rarely gone to Zhao Yan's place and had never seen him use soap.

"Here, this is it!" Little Bean Sprout took out the soap box from her chest, opened it, and handed it to Cao Ying. This naive girl was worried that others might use her soap, so she carried it with her all day.

Cao Ying was not as careless as Little Bean Sprout, and her knowledge far exceeded hers. When Little Bean Sprout handed her the soap, Cao Ying first noticed the soap box, not the soap itself.

The soap box was brought by Zhao Yan when he traveled through time. It was a semi-transparent plastic box. When Cao Ying carefully examined it, she found that the box was neither gold nor jade, and the material was hard yet soft, similar to some animal cartilage but different. This greatly surprised Cao Ying, as she had never seen such a material before.

"Little Bean Sprout, what is this box made of? Did Zhao Yan give it to you too?" Cao Ying asked again, her face serious.

"Yes, the box and the soap came together. I don't know what it's made of, but it's just a soap box. However, it looks very thin but is very sturdy. This afternoon, I accidentally dropped it on the ground, but it didn't break," Little Bean Sprout answered, her big eyes blinking. Her mind never held overly complex questions.

Cao Ying and Little Bean Sprout grew up together, and she knew this careless girl wouldn't pay attention to such details. She didn't ask about the box anymore and picked up the soap, asking, "How do you use this soap? Is it really better than bath beans?"

"Um, definitely better than bath beans!" Little Bean Sprout said, asking Mi Xue to bring a basin of water. She then taught Cao Ying how to use the soap. There wasn't much to teach, but Little Bean Sprout wanted to wash again because she loved the lingering scent on her hands after using the soap.

Cao Ying washed her hands, dried them, and then gently smelled them. Indeed, they smelled very good, and her hands were exceptionally clean. Even the ink stains from today's accounting were washed away, and her skin felt smooth and comfortable.

"Fourth Sister, the water left after using this soap is also very useful. Today, the Prince used my washing water to save the little black dog." Little Bean Sprout, while smelling her hands, boasted about the soap's effectiveness to Cao Ying.

"What? This soap can actually neutralize arsenic poisoning?" Cao Ying was again shocked. She had called Little Bean Sprout tonight mainly to ask how Zhao Yan had saved the little black dog. She never expected it to be so simple, that the soap could neutralize the poison.

Thinking about this, Cao Ying took the soap again and examined it carefully. But she soon shook her head and said, "No, this soap has a fragrance but no medicinal smell. How could such a thing neutralize arsenic poisoning? Little Bean Sprout, tell me in detail how Zhao Yan saved the little black dog today!"

"Okay!" Little Bean Sprout obediently agreed and then recounted in detail how Zhao Yan had treated the little dog. However, she still firmly believed that the little black dog had survived because of her washing water. After the dog woke up, it was closest to her, showing its gratitude for saving its life.

Cao Ying smiled faintly at Little Bean Sprout's innocent words. She already knew what method Zhao Yan had used. It was similar to inducing vomiting after poisoning, but vomiting is usually done when the poisoned person is conscious, and it's difficult to induce vomiting in animals. Moreover, the little black dog had been poisoned for a long time and was already semi-comatose, so Cao Ying thought it was a lost cause. However, Zhao Yan had inserted a tube into the dog's stomach and used something she didn't know to inject and then extract the soapy water repeatedly, washing out the toxins. Once the stomach was clean, the dog naturally recovered.

But then Cao Ying was stunned again. In her view, Zhao Yan was just a dissolute and uneducated playboy. How could such a person know such sophisticated medical techniques? This seemed unreasonable, but it had actually happened, making Cao Ying suddenly feel a sense of absurdity, as if she couldn't see through Zhao Yan.

Seeing Cao Ying lost in thought with her soap, Little Bean Sprout couldn't help but worry that Cao Ying might take her soap. She mustered the courage to say softly, "Fourth Sister, this soap was given to me by the Prince. If you want it, ask the Prince to give you one. He can make as much as he wants."

"Oh? Zhao Yan said he can make this soap?" Cao Ying immediately came out of her thoughts and asked.

"Yes, the Prince told me himself. He also promised to give me more in the future so that I always have soap to use!" Little Bean Sprout said happily. She was an easily satisfied girl, and a good meal or a piece of soap was enough to make her happy for days.

Hearing Little Bean Sprout's confirmation, Cao Ying fell into deep thought again. After a while, she muttered to herself, "How can a dissolute and uneducated playboy suddenly know so much? Is this still the same Zhao Yan?"