Chapter 711: A Pot from the Sky

In the afternoon, Li Ji had someone summon Feihua Zhenren.

It had been a long time since they had last met, and Feihua Zhenren looked much thinner.

He wore a loose-fitting Daoist robe, his cheeks were gaunt, and his white beard fluttered. He had the air of a celestial being, which at a glance suggested the food at his Daoist Temple was not very good.

When Feihua Zhenren saw Hua Manman, he couldn’t suppress his shock.

It took him a long moment to come to his senses before he stammered.

“Y-You… you’re back in your original body again?”

Hua Manman wanted to say that this wasn’t her very first body, but the story was too complicated to explain in a short time, so she just answered vaguely.

“Yes, I’m back.”

Feihua Zhenren couldn’t help but press, “What about your previous body, then?”

Hua Manman deliberately replied in a mysterious tone.

“Take a guess.”

Feihua Zhenren was speechless.

‘Her tone is just like the Regent King’s,’ he thought.

‘They’re both equally punchable.’

Feihua Zhenren retorted irritably, “You guess whether I’ll guess or not.”

Hua Manman burst out laughing.

Li Ji asked Feihua Zhenren to check Manman’s physical condition.

Although Manman seemed perfectly normal now, Li Ji was still worried. Her body had lain in an ice coffin for so many years; he had no idea if there were any lingering side effects.

Feihua Zhenren first took Hua Manman’s pulse, then asked about her recent diet and daily routine, quickly reaching a conclusion.

“The Princess Consort has a severe internal cold imbalance. It’s manageable now while the weather is warm, but she will suffer when it turns cold.”

Seeing Li Ji’s brows furrowed in worry, he softened his voice to reassure him.

“But there’s no need to be overly concerned. The Princess Consort is still young and has a good constitution. She just needs a period of careful recuperation, and she will gradually get better.”

Hearing this, Li Ji’s expression relaxed considerably.

Feihua Zhenren picked up a brush and, with a few strokes, wrote out a prescription. “Take this for five days. After that, I will check on her again and adjust the formula as needed.”

Li Ji took the prescription and examined it closely. It was filled with herbs to boost qi, enrich the blood, and regulate the spleen and stomach. The properties of the medicine were relatively mild, making it indeed very suitable for Manman’s current condition.

He handed the prescription to Gao Shan and ordered someone to have it filled.

Feihua Zhenren mentioned some precautions.

“She must keep warm in her daily life and eat fewer cold-natured foods—it would be best to avoid them altogether. With the Princess Consort’s current constitution, she absolutely must not be exposed to cold. You should know which foods are considered cold-natured, right? If not, I can make you a list.”

Li Ji said that would be much appreciated.

Feihua Zhenren picked up his brush again and, with another flurry of strokes, wrote down all the cold-natured foods he could remember.

He filled three large sheets of paper.

Hua Manman couldn’t help but ask, “If I can’t eat all of these things, what will be left for me to eat?”

Li Ji took the papers and committed their entire contents to memory.

Then he handed the three sheets to Si Yun and Qing Huan, telling them to memorize the list as well and to make sure Manman didn’t eat anything she shouldn’t.

Li Ji said to Manman,

“Once you’ve recovered, you can eat whatever you want. For now, you’ll just have to put up with it for a while.”

Hua Manman let out a long sigh.

After the consultation, Li Ji personally escorted Feihua Zhenren out.

As they walked, Li Ji said, “The mansion is still in disarray, so it’s not convenient to host guests. Once the Prince Mansion is back in order, I will have someone bring you over for a short stay.”

Feihua Zhenren gave him a strange look.

“The Prince seems different from before.”

Li Ji calmly retorted, “How so?”

Feihua Zhenren stroked his beard, a wide grin on his face.

“You never used to proactively explain yourself to anyone. You just did whatever you wanted.”

Li Ji said flatly, “I still do whatever I want.”

Feihua Zhenren just smiled.

He said nothing, but he knew. ‘The Regent King of the past didn’t give a damn about anyone, acting entirely on his own whims.’

‘The Regent King of today, while still doing as he pleases, now considers the feelings of those around him.’

Li Ji said, “Regarding Manman’s sudden return, I need a public explanation. I’ll have to trouble you to help with this matter, Zhenren.”

He then repeated the explanation he had given others, stating that Manman’s resurrection was all thanks to Feihua Zhenren’s divine foresight.

Feihua Zhenren never expected to be blamed for something out of the blue. His eyes widened as he spoke.

“How can you push this onto me? I am just an ordinary Daoist. How could I have such great abilities?!”

Li Ji smiled faintly. “The last time I died from poison, it was also through your hands, Zhenren, that I was brought back to life. Many people know about that incident. If it can happen once, it can happen twice. Another resurrection is no big deal.”

Feihua Zhenren said irritably, “Do you think resurrection is like cabbage sold on the street? That it can just appear whenever you want it to? It’s not as easy as you make it sound! Besides, your ‘resurrection’ back then was all an act you directed yourself. I was just playing along with your performance.”

Li Ji seized the opportunity. “Then I’ll have to trouble you to play along one more time, Zhenren. On Manman’s behalf, I thank you.”

After speaking, he actually bowed to Feihua Zhenren with his hands clasped.

This terrified Feihua Zhenren.

He hastily took a step to the side, dodging the Regent King’s bow.

“With your status, how can you bow to me? I am unworthy of such an honor!”

Then he scratched his hair and sighed in frustration and helplessness.

“All right, all right, I’ll help! I’ve eaten so much of the Princess Consort’s delicious food in the past. Consider this me returning the favor.”

Li Ji straightened up, a smile playing on his lips. “Thank you, Zhenren.”

Feihua Zhenren’s eyes darted, and he immediately added,

“There were too many people just now, so there was something I couldn’t say. The Princess Consort’s constitution is extremely weak right now. You must exercise restraint in your marital affairs. You absolutely cannot overindulge.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he was pleased to see the smile vanish from Li Ji’s face.

Feihua Zhenren gloated inwardly.

‘That’s what you get for pinning the blame on me. This is karma!’

Li Ji stared at him, his gaze dark.

Feihua Zhenren suddenly felt the danger of having his little scheme seen through.

He cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject.

“There is one other thing to note. With the Princess Consort’s current constitution, I’m afraid it will be very difficult for her to get pregnant again. Even if she were to conceive by some chance, it would be very difficult to carry the baby to term.”

In this era, it was believed that having many children brought great fortune. This was especially true for a man of Li Ji’s status, who would naturally want more children.

Feihua Zhenren said all this simply to give Li Ji an early warning.

If Li Ji still wanted to have more children, he would have to take concubines, but that would surely be a blow to Manman.

Having watched the young couple go through so many trials and tribulations, Feihua Zhenren naturally didn’t want them to grow estranged over the matter of children.

Just as Feihua Zhenren was wondering how to persuade Li Ji to be more open-minded about it, he heard Li Ji’s calm reply.

“That’s great.”

Feihua Zhenren froze, not understanding.

Li Ji said, “One Gou Dan is already enough of a headache for me.”

Seeing his undisguised disdain, Feihua Zhenren was struck speechless for a moment, then burst into laughter.