The late spring sunlight filters through the carved window lattice, casting its glow on the Eight Immortals table in the hall, reflecting the pale green in the Biluochun tea inside the green porcelain teapot.

Chun Nuan welcomes her eldest sister Chunyu and niece Panpan at the mansion entrance.

"Second Aunt."

"Panpan has grown so big; she’s already a young lady."

"Second Aunt, I’m still little."

Who wants to grow up anyway? Growing up isn’t fun at all.

Every time I enter the palace, Mother and Imperial Brother and Sister-in-law always test my lessons.

Offering them delicious treats, only to get tested on lessons, is truly unsettling.

In the past, entering the palace meant Mother bringing delicious food, but now everything has changed.

Indeed, as you grow up, many things will change.

"Panpan, I need to chat with Second Aunt. Would you like to play in the garden?"

Chunyu purposely wants to send Panpan away.

"Second Aunt, I heard Uncle built a Hundred Herbs Garden for you. Can Panpan play there?"

"Of course, you can." Chun Nuan turns and instructs Bai Mei: "Keep an eye on the young lady, watch out for bugs and bees, and don’t let her get stung."

"Yes, my lady, please."​

"Mother, Second Aunt, Panpan is going to the Hundred Herbs Garden."

Watching the little girl follow Bai Mei and several maidservants out, Chun Nuan sighs with emotion: "Time really flies."

"Yes, it does."​

Every time Chunyu looks at her daughter, she recalls the time she was kicked out by the Wu family only a month after giving birth.

"Eldest Sister, it was hard for you back then."

"It was hard, but I prevailed, didn’t I?"

Back then, it was truly hardship!

At that time, there was no one to rely on.

She forged a path with her flesh and blood.

"Yes, Eldest Sister, you are the most formidable."

"If it wasn’t for Grandfather’s legacy, no matter how capable, it would have been useless."

If the Empress Dowager and Empress hadn’t intervened to protect her back then, she would have been destroyed by families with vested interests in the Wu family.

She has always remembered this kindness.

"Those who love will be loved in return, fortune will come to those who give."

Grandfather was wronged, and the family suffered this ordeal because of the Royal Family. In the end, Eldest Sister still has to thank the Royal Family, which is extremely ironic.

It’s the rule that when a monarch asks a minister to die, the minister has no choice but to die.

"Speaking of which, over these years, I managed to hold on thanks to you."

Back then, the Rouge Snow and other cosmetics and creams from Nuannuan that were unparalleled in the Capital led to Huanyan Pavilion’s meteoric rise, becoming famous in the Capital.

Throughout these years, the profits have always been substantial.

The maid arranged osmanthus cakes on the table and withdrew.

Chunyu takes a red cloth package out of the gold-painted box she carries, placing it gently in front of her.

"Second Sister, this is the dividend from Huanyan Pavilion over the years. I’ve been keeping it for you, now that you’re back in the Capital, keep it safe."

"Eldest Sister, there’s no need. You’ve been painstakingly supporting in the Capital over these years. Before the Xiao family returned, you bought estates and servants, spending not little. Keep this."

"Nuannuan, you must take it. Huanyan Pavilion wouldn’t have grown strong without you. If not, I would have to shut Huanyan Pavilion down."

"Eldest Sister..."

"Take it. Even brothers settle accounts clearly, our sisterly bond should also be just."

Chun Nuan has no choice but to accept the red cloth package.

The red cloth package is heavy. Touching the soft interior along the edge, it seems substantial, so she tries to push it back.

"Eldest Sister, you’re giving too much."

Chunyu presses her hand, her eyes full of warmth.

"If it weren’t for you back then, life for Panpan and me wouldn’t have been so comfortable. With your support, we’ve waited for spring’s bloom. From now on, let’s continue as sisters, making our lives ever better."

"No need to decline; this is rightfully yours. Look how flourishing Huanyan Pavilion is now; the newly launched ’Rouge Snow’ and ’Furong Cream’ sold out quickly," she takes a bite of osmanthus cake and continues, "You’ve constantly sought new rouge formulas, profits keep rising, this is all deserved."​

Chun Nuan listens, her lips involuntarily tilting upward.

"That sounds great; manage well, best to become an enduring business."

"That’s exactly what I think. With profits from Huanyan Pavilion, I’m still considering doing something more..."

As she speaks, there’re light, hurried steps heard outside the courtyard gate, followed by Panpan’s lively call: "Second Aunt! I’ve come!"

The little girl wears a water-green jacket, with two pigtails, clutching an old thread-bound book; she quickly runs to Chun Nuan’s side, smiling with upturned face: "Second Aunt, I want to pull the grasses in your Hundred Herbs Garden."

"Panpan, you can look, but how can you pull them?"

Chunyu laughs in exasperation: "This child is so fond of moving her hands. She always has a knack for collecting all kinds of flowers and plants, then builds a pharmacy in her yard, saying she’s going to make medicine, just like you were when you were little."

"Really?" Chunyu looks at her niece and strokes her head: "Panpan, do you like pharmacology?"

"Yes." Panpan says: "Panpan wants to learn from Second Aunt."

"Studying medicine is quite tough."

"Panpan likes it."

"Which medicinal herbs can you recognize?"

"Many, if you don’t believe me, Second Aunt can test me."

She must be tested, indeed.

Thus she takes Panpan to the Hundred Herbs Garden.

"What’s this?" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Panpan shyly scratches her head: "Second Aunt, this is Scutellaria, it can clear heat and dry dampness. I’ve planted a few in the yard too."​

Chun Nuan hesitates, pulling Panpan’s hand: "You recognize Scutellaria?"​

"Of course!" Panpan nods, counts on her fingers, "Scutellaria leaves are lanceolate and the roots are yellow; boiling it in water can cure coughs. Also, mint, boiling it in summer can relieve heat; I’ve even made it for Grandma."

She explains thoroughly, her eyes filled with certainty.​

Chunyu is also somewhat surprised: "Panpan, who taught you all this?"​

"I’ve learned from reading books myself!" Panpan replies: "There’re many books in Imperial Brother’s Book Collection Pavilion, some with herb illustrations; I go to the Imperial Garden to compare, and ask the Imperial Physician if I don’t recognize them."

Chun Nuan... Panpan not only studies medicine but also started with royal collections, herbs gathered in the Imperial Garden, even her teacher is the Imperial Physician.

Watching her niece fluently discuss herbal knowledge, Chun Nuan suddenly feels a bit unsettled: Chun An has studied medicine the longest in the family, yet when it comes to these herbs, even he may not be as clear as Panpan.

She touches Panpan’s forehead, asking gently: "Panpan, is there anything you haven’t told Second Aunt? For instance, does anyone teach you in dreams?"​

Panpan blinks and tilts her head, thinking: "Sometimes in dreams, I see a white-bearded old grandfather who points at herbs, telling me names and uses. I remember it all when I wake up."​

Hearing this, Chunyu’s expression changes slightly, gripping Chun Nuan’s hand and speaking quietly: "Second Sister, don’t you think Panpan is different? Although our family’s descendants study medicine, no one at such a young age knows as much as Panpan, nor can accurately mention herbal uses.