Chapter 7: Obtaining the Ice Crystal

After saying this, she left with the group of servants behind her, leaving only Nanny Zhang, the wet nurse of the Eldest Branch’s Heir’s wife, and Wenlan, the head maid by the Heir’s wife’s side, in the room.

Yun Yi said, "Well? Do the two of you have something else to say? I am a bit tired, so if you have something to say, speak quickly. You both know that my health cannot handle much exertion."

Nanny Zhang stepped forward and replied, "This old servant is truly deserving of death. Since the Third Miss has not yet recovered, I will keep it brief. The Heir’s wife is concerned about the Third Miss’s health and sent me to pay a visit.

A few days ago, the palace bestowed many trinkets upon us. The Heir’s wife personally selected a few items for me to bring to the Third Miss to play with, so as to help relieve your boredom." After speaking, she gestured for the young maid outside the door to enter.

Yun Yi raised her eyes to look at the tray held by the maid approaching her. On it sat two hair accessories, which were indeed exquisite. Beside them lay an object that looked somewhat like crystal. Out of curiosity, she reached out and picked it up to examine it.

Judging by its hardness, the object seemed like a diamond, but it lacked that level of brilliance. It wasn't as warm and moist as jade, feeling cold to the touch instead. However, with Yun Yi’s discerning eye, she could tell it was definitely not an ordinary stone, though she could not identify the material.

Nanny Zhang explained, "These items were specially chosen by the Heir’s wife for the Third Miss. The hairpin and the dangling hair ornament were bestowed by the nobles in the palace. As for this trinket, it is a rare treasure. I heard it was a tribute from the Dongjun Kingdom, and there were only six pieces in total.

It is called 'Ice Crystal.' Our manor only received this one piece, and it has been given to the Third Miss. I don't know how envious the other young ladies in the manor will be. This just goes to show how much the Heir’s wife keeps the Third Miss in her heart.

She was thinking that the Third Miss has recently... well, she just wants the Third Miss to set your mind at ease and recover quickly, so that the Marquis and the Old Madam can rest easy."

Yun Yi clearly saw the guilty expression on Nanny Zhang’s face. It was likely that this item was not a good object at all; the other sisters must have looked down on it, which is why it was sent to her.

And Yun Yi had guessed correctly. When items were bestowed by the palace, they were first offered to the Marquis’s Old Madam, the Heir’s wife, and the legitimate sons and daughters of each branch to pick from before the concubine-born children could have their turn.

However, with the Second Branch currently lacking a mistress, there was no one to stand up for the Third Miss. Although the Old Madam still held some affection for her, she was advanced in age and lacked the energy, making it impossible for her to look after her at all times.

As it happened, the palace items had been bestowed days ago. The legitimate sons and daughters of every branch had already made their selections, and even the favored concubines and their children had taken their pick. The Third Miss of the Second Branch was the only legitimate-born child left out.

If the Heir’s wife from Qingfeng Courtyard hadn't sent Nanny Zhang over to deliver these words, it is likely that even these scraps wouldn't have reached her. Furthermore, regarding that Ice Crystal of unknown material, if no one had pointed out its uniqueness, the young masters and misses, who were accustomed to seeing fine things, would never have looked twice at it.

Moreover, as soon as this object entered the Marquis’s manor, the Heir’s wife had heard from the Heir himself that this item only existed in the Dongjun Kingdom. It was said to be formed over a thousand years within the Baili Snow Spirit Mountains. The item was good, but it was not something an ordinary person could use.

The envoys of the Dongjun Kingdom had stated that the object was of a 'yin' nature and unsuitable to be worn as an accessory; long-term contact by ordinary people would affect their fertility. It was said that only those with a special constitution could handle it.

Legend had it that apart from those with special constitutions, only Ice Crystals blessed by those with spiritual energy on the Snow Spirit Mountains of the Dongjun Kingdom could be worn by mortals to keep them warm in winter and cool in summer, while also nourishing the body.

It was a pity that for over a hundred years, no immortals imbued with spiritual energy had been seen descending from the Snow Spirit Mountains. To this day, there were fewer than a hundred Ice Crystals in the world that had been purified by spiritual energy.