Chapter 295: White Snake Bai Xiaoqi
The Empress Dowager tilted her head and looked at Princess Zhaohua beside her, “Look, look, these two little ones together are like a golden boy and a jade girl, so pleasing to the eye.”
Princess Zhaohua couldn’t help but nod in agreement.
Several young juniors chatted with the Empress Dowager for a while.
But the Empress Dowager was old, so in the end, she let them play on their own, and she needed to rest.
Yin Yuanli then took Qin Wanwan’s hand and left.
Princess Zhaohua: “Wait for me, I’m going to the Imperial Garden too.”
Yin Yuanli: “We are not going to the Imperial Garden.”
“Then where are you going?”
Yin Yuanli: “The National Teacher’s Palace.”
Princess Zhaohua immediately retracted her feet, “Heh heh, then you go, I won’t.”
Qin Wanwan looked over curiously.
Logically, it shouldn’t be like this. Her Imperial Advisor Daddy was so good-looking; Princess Zhaohua should have liked him very much.
On the way to the National Teacher’s Palace, Yin Yuanli explained to her why Princess Zhaohua was afraid.
“Imperial Father told me that Princess Zhaohua was naughty when she was little. One night, she ran off to play, leaving her attendants behind, and ended up getting lost and arriving at the National Teacher’s Palace. There, she was so terrified by a large white snake that she cried non-stop, and ever since then, she’s had a psychological shadow from the National Teacher’s Palace.”
Qin Wanwan nodded in understanding.
Few girls were as unafraid of snakes as she was.
“That snake was raised by the National Teacher, so even though Aunt Zhaohua was scared, nothing came of it. Aunt Zhaohua knew this and became even more afraid to step foot there.”
Qin Wanwan asked curiously, “Then why didn’t I see any snakes when I came last time?”
“It was hibernating then.”
Keke started to gossip about the National Teacher again: “Other people’s national teachers would raise cranes if they raised anything, or beautiful and elegant koi fish in ponds. But for your father, he raises big turtles in the pond and big snakes in his palace.”
Qin Wanwan retorted, “That’s the wishing turtle, and it gave me such beautiful pearls last time. The big snake is also very good-looking. There’s even a snake in the Chinese zodiac. The one Daddy is raising is a white snake, it’s an auspicious omen.”
At this point, they had already reached the doorway of the National Teacher’s Palace.
Qin Wanwan and Yin Yuanli immediately saw a large snake coiled up like a snail shell on the pebble-paved ground in the courtyard, basking in the sun. Its scales were pure white like jade, and it had a delicate and good-looking appearance.
“Wow… it really is a very big snake, and it’s so beautiful!”
Indeed, Qin Wanwan actually found a snake to be beautiful.
The scales on the large white snake were not arranged smoothly like those of ordinary snakes. The scales extending from its head were a type of thorny scale, like tiny leaves that were upturned, as if carved from jade.
This made its scales look exceptionally different from other snakes.
Its head was relatively short and slightly rounded, with the corners of its mouth turned upwards, like natural smiling lips, and they even had a slight pinkish hue.
In the sunlight, its scales seemed to absorb the light, glowing with a spectrum of colors.
The large white snake slightly lifted its head upon noticing the people. Its exceptionally beautiful golden vertical pupils stared at them.
It was estimated that this snake was about ten meters long when stretched out, and its body was thicker than an adult man’s arm.
“It’s a bit bigger than my Xiao Hei.”
Such a large snake, even if it was good-looking, still had a strong sense of pressure when faced directly.
No wonder Princess Zhaohua was afraid.
In fact, it wasn’t just Princess Zhaohua who was afraid; the entire Imperial Palace was afraid.
This was also why, despite the National Teacher being famous throughout the land, no one dared to disturb his peaceful cultivation.
So many people in the Imperial Palace wanted to catch a glimpse of the National Teacher’s demeanor, but they didn’t dare to come!
“Brother Yuanli, does it have a name?”
Qin Wanwan was not afraid at all and even wanted to reach out and touch the large snake.
Yin Yuanli: “Its name is Bai Xiaoqi.”
“Why is it called that?”
“Because the National Teacher said it was only seven inches long when he found it.”
The two little children chatted fearlessly in front of the large snake.
Bai Xiaoqi was speechless and nudged them with its tail.
Yin Yuanli said seriously, “Sorry Bai Xiaoqi, I didn’t bring you any food today.”
Bai Xiaoqi wagged its tail to show it didn’t mind.
Then, a pair of golden vertical pupils stared at Qin Wanwan, and the snake’s head circled the small child once.
“Hiss…”
‘Who are you?’
Qin Wanwan replied in a childish voice, “Hello Bai Xiaoqi, my name is Qin Wanwan. You are so beautiful.”
Bai Xiaoqi was very happy to be complimented.
“My family also has a big snake. It’s also very good-looking, but it’s black. I’ll introduce you when there’s a chance in the future.”
“Hiss~”
Qin Wanwan chatted with Bai Xiaoqi for a while and then carefully touched its beautiful scales.
Bai Xiaoqi also liked her very much and gave her a gift.
Its snake shed skin, a super large piece.
It was white, thin as a cicada’s wing in hand, with snake scale imprints. Unlike the fragile shed skin of other snakes, this shed skin was quite resilient and a complete piece, looking like an artwork.
Yin Yuanli said, “Keep it safe. Be careful not to let the people from the Imperial Hospital find out, or the threshold of your house will be trampled flat.”
Snake shed skin itself is a medicinal herb, and a snake shed skin as large as Bai Xiaoqi’s is even rarer in the world.
When he was five years old, Bai Xiaoqi also gave him a piece of shed skin. Of course, it wasn’t as big as Qin Wanwan’s, but it was also very rare.
The Head of the Imperial Hospital saw that shed skin and asked for a portion of it.
Yin Yuanli gave him some. After the Head of the Imperial Hospital took it back, he felt it was a pity to use it as medicine and used the shed skin to soak medicinal wine.
As a result, the medicinal wine had astonishingly good effects in treating gout, rheumatism, and convulsions.
It even helped a person who had a stroke and was half-paralyzed to recover.
After the effectiveness spread, the Imperial Physicians from the Imperial Hospital found various excuses to see him for a while, directly or indirectly mentioning that they also wanted some of Bai Xiaoqi’s shed skin.
Keke giggled, “I know something you don’t know. Not only the imperial physicians, but many ministers also wanted the snake shed skin back then. But since they couldn’t see you usually, they went to your Imperial Father and asked him indirectly if he had any of Bai Xiaoqi’s shed skin.”
This really hit a sore spot for your Imperial Father. Because he didn’t have any, and after the medicinal effects spread, he secretly went to Bai Xiaoqi to ask for shed skin, but Bai Xiaoqi didn’t give it to him and he was even scared by Bai Xiaoqi, hahaha…”
Yin Yuanli: Must not laugh, that’s Imperial Father!
But seeing Qin Wanwan smiling happily, a smile also appeared in his eyes.
“Is Bai Xiaoqi very dangerous?”
Thinking of something, Qin Wanwan furrowed her brows.
If even the shed skin had such astonishing effects, then what about Bai Xiaoqi itself?
Yin Yuanli: “Indeed, some people wanted Bai Xiaoqi, but it is raised in the Imperial Palace by the National Teacher. Even if they wanted it, they wouldn’t dare.”
“There have been thieves who tried to steal it, but Bai Xiaoqi is not to be trifled with. It directly strangled the thief.”
Qin Wanwan stroked Bai Xiaoqi’s head, “Thank you for the gift. I’ll bring you a gift next time I come. I don’t have anything on me now.”
“Where is my Daddy?”
Yin Yuanli: “I’ll take you to ask.”
There were few people in the National Teacher’s Palace, but there were attendants.
Yin Yuanli took her to see two people in Daoist robes inside the palace.
