Chenning Palace was the palace closest to Zhaoyang Hall.
As evening approached, Little Dongzi came running over twice more.
Once to deliver dinner, and another time to bring a scented balm for her bath, which he said was a new tribute from the south.
Ji Qingwu told him to leave it and said little else, so Little Dongzi could only depart, glancing back every few steps.
Fanghua saw this. When Ji Qingwu was bathing, she used some of the balm on her and spoke highly of it.
Ji Qingwu also praised the balm, noting its fresh, pleasant scent and how it left her skin feeling moisturized and smooth, but she never once mentioned the person who had sent it.
That evening, Ji Qingwu lay on her back dressed in rose-colored inner robes, her long hair spread over the edge of the bed. Lan Zhi held a hand warmer to help dry it.
She listened as Fanghua listed the items that had been entered into the inner treasury that day, and her eyes slowly closed.
