Chapter 2 Consort Nara finally recovered from her illness

Traditional Chinese medicine works even faster than food.

After turning off the stove, Fu Ling filtered out the decocted medicine and poured it into a bowl, then wrapped the dregs in white gauze.

Knowing that the young mistress loved sweets, he pondered for a moment, then took a plate of rice dumpling candies from a sealed jar before leaving the side room.

As a personal maid, Fuling shouldn't have been doing these trivial matters, but she couldn't help but feel more at ease, so it was better for her to keep an eye on the medicinal herbs that were being ingested.

Snowflakes were falling softly from the sky.

Fuling and the palace maid carrying Chinese medicine walked along the corridor. Before entering the room, Fuling carefully instructed, "After entering the main room, first go to the incense burner to dispel the cold, and do not bring the cold air to the mistress."

Now they live in the east side hall of Yanxi Palace, which has three rooms and a side room on each side. The side room on the east side has been used as a small Buddhist shrine, while the side room on the west side is used to store some sundries and stoves. If they want to cook something for themselves, they usually do so in the west side room.

The main room was generally used for entertaining guests and dining, the east room was the living room, and the west room was used as a study, which was also a place for embroidery and reading on weekdays.

Once the chill had mostly subsided, Fuling walked around the floor-to-ceiling flower canopy, lifted the curtain, and entered the inner room. She bowed and said, "The imperial physician said that Your Highness needs to rest and recuperate. He will come to check your pulse every day. You should take a few doses of this medicine now, and once Your Highness is fully recovered, he will prescribe some nourishing and calming medicines."

A few days ago, Yunyun was feeling quite unwell, and this was the first time she had a face-to-face conversation with Fuling.

Compared to the original owner's memories, the Fuling in front of her looked more haggard. She had an oval face, and because of her fair skin, the dark circles under her eyes were particularly noticeable, making her look somewhat tired.

Lingzhi devoted herself to caring for her, while Fuling arranged everything around her during her illness, including inviting the imperial physician, reporting to the Imperial Household Department and Consort Niohuru, and managing all affairs inside and outside the palace, as well as welcoming guests. She was essentially a steward.

We also have to worry about her health condition.

It wasn't easy.

Yunyun has a very high opinion of this type of managerial talent.

She took the Chinese medicine from Fuling's hand, took a small sip, and the bitter taste instantly spread across her tongue. However, she had been drinking Chinese medicine for the past few days and her sense of taste was almost numb.

When she first regained consciousness, she couldn't swallow on her own, so Lingzhi and the others poured the medicine down her throat spoonful by spoonful, and the bitterness was truly unending.

Frowning, she drank the medicine in one gulp. Fuling quickly handed her warm water, saying, "My lady, rinse your mouth."

——

"Your Highness is in good health."

The elderly physician, with his white beard, slowly took Yun Yun's pulse, pondered for a while, and then, under Yun Yun's expectant gaze, succinctly stated the result.

Fu Ling knew the temperament of these imperial physicians. They were cautious in their speech. As long as you consulted an imperial physician, even if you weren't sick, they could still give you a diagnosis of insufficient qi and blood or restlessness, and then prescribe a few doses of calming medicine. In short, consulting an imperial physician meant you were sick, since why would you consult an imperial physician if you weren't sick?

The fact that you say my lady is in good health at this moment means that you are truly well.

Fu Ling almost burst into tears.

These days, not only is Lingzhi afraid, but she is also very anxious, like she has a nest of rabbits in her heart, and she can't sleep at night.

Only the person experiencing it knows the feeling.

Firstly, the young mistress had already fallen ill, and she was the backbone of the palace maids. Even if she was terrified inside, she couldn't show it. She had to remain calm and composed on the surface, reassure the others, and prevent them from panicking.

Secondly, they share both glory and loss; if something were to happen to their mistress, they would not fare well either.

Those who fared better were sent back to the Imperial Household Department and could only do menial jobs like washing clothes. Those who fared worse were sent to the Censorate, and whether they could save their lives was another matter.

Fortunately, the heavens and the Bodhisattva protected you, and you are safe and sound.

Fu Ling silently thanked all the gods and Buddhas in the sky.

And they decided to offer more incense when tending to the small Buddhist shrine.

-

This illness lasted for more than half a month in total.

After the imperial physician announced that she had fully recovered, Lingzhi and Fuling were visibly overjoyed.

But there is still one very important thing to do.

That's canceling the leave.

Upon falling ill, Fuling immediately took the plaque to summon the imperial physician and arranged for a palace maid to request leave from the Imperial Household Department and Consort Niohuru, so as to remove Yunyun's green plaque.

This is not based on the humanitarian idea that you don't need to work just because you're sick.

It should be said.

If you're sick, you should stay away from the Emperor. What if you infect him? Who could bear that responsibility?

In the palace, concealing one's illness would be punished.

Previously, because she was ill, the green plaque was removed, and Consort Niohuru also sent someone to tell her to take good care of herself and to be exempt from paying her respects.

Now that there is no empress in the harem, although Consort Niohuru holds power in the palace, her position is not legitimate and there is no rule that all the concubines in the palace should pay their respects to her.

However, above her were the Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager.

Both women were of Mongolian descent. Compared to the Grand Empress Dowager, who was fluent in Manchu, Mongolian and Chinese, the Empress Dowager could only speak some Mongolian. Therefore, she never liked to talk to the concubines and lived her own quiet life in Shou Kang Palace.

The Empress Dowager preferred tranquility and disliked being disturbed by the concubines. The current rule in the harem was to pay respects every five days. Calculating it up, she had two more days of leisure to enjoy before stepping onto the battlefield of the harem, a battlefield without gunpowder.

However, her staying home doesn't mean no one is coming to see her.

Although there were many concubines in the palace, there were also quite a few empty palaces.

Currently, Yanxi Palace is home to two concubines: Yunyun and Consort Nara.

The titles and ranks of the imperial concubines in the palace are currently somewhat confused. Only Consort Niohuru and Consort Tong are called Consort or Empress, while the other concubines, whether they are junior consorts or princesses, are called concubines.

The imperial harem was strictly hierarchical. If one's rank was not high enough, it was common for several concubines to squeeze into one courtyard. It is said that even the palace maids in the inner quarters of the Qianqing Palace sometimes had two women sharing a room. Their treatment was no different from that of palace maids, and they even had an extra job.

Yunyun was promoted from a minor official, so she could naturally enjoy a hall all to herself. She couldn't reach the main hall of Yanxi Palace, but she could still enjoy the side hall.

Consort Nara has a son, and thanks to the Imperial Household Department's arrangements, although she lives in the rear palace, she is now the only concubine residing there, so she can be considered to be living alone.

There were only two concubines in Yanxi Palace, and both of them had children. Concubine Nara would often come over to chat about gossip, and in this way, they developed a somewhat superficial sisterly relationship.

"You're finally feeling better. I've been feeling really stifled these past few days because no one has talked to me."

Consort Nara was a fiery and impulsive person. Before she even entered the room, Yunyun heard her intimate complaints.

After exchanging greetings, Yunyun carefully examined her future 'colleague'.

She was a graceful beauty with a smooth, oval face and exceptionally beautiful eyes and eyebrows, like willow leaves swaying in the spring breeze, reminiscent of the charm of Jiangnan.

Although her quiet demeanor was ruined the moment she opened her mouth.

Consort Nara sat on the heated kang without any airs, and the palace maid beside her handed the brocade she had brought to Lingzhi.

"This was a gift from Consort Niohuru at the beginning of the year. As you know, I don't like these colors, but they suit you perfectly. I heard that the Imperial Household Department has acquired some new styles from Jiangnan. You should send them to the embroiderers and have them make a nice outfit for you. It will be bright and beautiful."

It seemed that she had been holding it in for a long time, as Consort Nara spoke in rapid succession, a string of words popping out of her mouth.

"Although the Emperor exempted the imperial examination this time and only allowed the Imperial Household Department to hold a small selection, I have heard rumors in the palace that the harem will definitely be filled through this selection. Everyone is eager to participate. You should also dress up and not let others look down on you."

Generally speaking, the grand election held every three years is a formal selection of imperial concubines, while the smaller selection held once a year is for selecting palace maids.

However, quite a few palace maids also rose to become imperial concubines.

For example, she and Consort Nara were both bondservant of the Imperial Household Department. They first became palace maids and later became imperial concubines after serving the emperor.

The Emperor has few children, and the number of princes still alive can be counted on one hand.

Although a crown prince has already been appointed, people nowadays believe that having many children brings many blessings, and one can never have too many children.

Yunyun did not refuse. After thanking Lingzhi, she asked her to put away the brocade and said with a smile, "I will send it to the embroiderer another day. It will be perfect for making a single-layered robe."

She treated the concubines in the harem as colleagues, with Consort Niohuru as the management team and the Empress Dowager and Grand Empress Dowager as directors.

It's good for colleagues to exchange pleasantries to maintain good relationships in the workplace.

——

Before dawn, Fuling estimated the time and awakened the Ganoderma lucidum.

As a first-class palace maid, she didn't have to squeeze into a large dormitory; instead, she lived with Lingzhi in a small room in the east wing.

The room was simply furnished with a double bed, a tall mahogany wardrobe with two drawers, and a simple dressing table.

After lighting the candle, Fuling washed her face with cold water and fully woke up.

Noises also came from the other rooms. They needed to change and wash up before the young mistress got up. The eunuchs cleared the snow outside, while the maids prepared hot water and washing utensils for the young mistress.

As Fuling braided her hair into a long braid and put it up in front of the mirror, she asked, "Last night, my lady said she wanted to eat egg dumplings and eight-treasure porridge this morning. Have you made the arrangements?"

Generally, breakfast is eaten after paying respects to one's superiors and returning to their respective palaces.

However, they would not go to pay their respects on an empty stomach, since walking from their residence to Cining Palace was quite strenuous.

The kitchen would also prepare a variety of meals in the morning.

It mainly serves congee and pastries, with a wide variety of options, as well as various side dishes.

"Don't worry, Sister Fuling. I told Xiao Fuzi last night before I went to sleep. He's quick on his feet and is from the same hometown as Xiao Dezi in the kitchen. He knows what the young mistress likes."

Eunuchs follow the palace around. Currently, Yunyun has the highest rank in Yanxi Palace. Unlike palace maids, eunuchs cannot serve you personally. The young eunuchs who want to stand out are racking their brains.

Only Xiao Fuzi, being quick-witted and the adopted son of the chief eunuch, got the opportunity to serve the meal.

Lingzhi bent down and folded the bedding. Seeing that Fuling hadn't applied anything, she took a jar of balm from the small cabinet next to her.

"Try this one. It's windy outside today, don't let your face get chapped."

He hesitated upon seeing the Poria cocos.

Lingzhi scooped out a spoonful and smeared it on the back of Fuling's hand. "Don't worry, this has no fragrance. I've tried it."

When serving their masters, palace maids were not allowed to wear makeup or have any scent. Most of the time, they wore straight blue or brown robes and went about their business without makeup. They only had a few opportunities to dress up.

The two tidied themselves up, exchanged places with the palace maid on night watch, and began to wake their mistress.