Chapter 40: Jade Rabbit strikes back and cuts off the firewood

"Miss Alice, what's this?" Looking at the lady who was led in by the servant, Countess Finsbury lightly held the teacup with three fingers and took a sip of tea.

"Mrs. Finsbury, please forgive my sudden visit today." Alice calmly sat down on the sofa opposite her. "I want to ask you about a gentleman."

"Who is it that Miss Alice has treated so well?" the Countess asked with some interest.

"Duke." The young lady casually revealed the man's identity.

"Ahem," Mrs. Finsbury choked on her tea. It took her a while to recover before she finally asked, "Miss, do you know that you are asking a countess for information about a duke?"

"Of course." She also picked up the tea that the servant had just brought over and took a sip slowly.

"Is there any reason why we have to do this?" The Countess was still puzzled.

Alice briefly recounted what had happened in the afternoon. There was no need to hide anything, as there were many onlookers and the news would surely spread throughout London quickly.

"Do you suspect that the Duke is involved in this matter?" asked the Countess.

"It's not suspicion, I have definite information," Alice said slowly, "I just don't know why he did it."

Mrs. Finsbury pondered for a moment and said, "I think I understand the reason behind this. Miss Alice, do you know who controls the wig business in London, or even in the whole of Britain?"

Alice understood immediately and said in a declarative tone, "You mean the Duke has a monopoly on the wig business in Britain, and the hair rejuvenation cream is blocking his way to wealth."

The lady opposite didn't say anything, just nodded.

"Are you..." Alice was interrupted by Mrs. Finsbury before she could finish the rest of her words.

"Miss, I've already told you that he's a Duke, and we're only Earls," the lady, who had already put down her teacup, emphasized. After a moment's hesitation, she finished her words. "More importantly, he's the one on the throne, an indispensable chess piece."

"When the Crown Prince of Wales meets him, he appears to be friendly even if they're secretly fighting." Since he's already said it, he doesn't mind revealing a few more subtle details, just to see how much this clever young lady can comprehend. "As for the situation of His Majesty on the throne, everyone knows it. No one dares to provoke a king's final madness. The king's majesty cannot be violated."

Alice pondered for a moment before finally coming to an answer. After all, she had been a princess in India for a year, and had learned a thing or two about the ways of the emperor.

"Then I'd like to ask Madam to introduce me to His Majesty at the palace." Alice pushed the sugar cube dish aside and said with a smile, "No matter how important a chess piece is, it's worthless if its master no longer needs it."

The Earl of Finsbury was indeed quite influential in Parliament, and having recently, with the help of Alice's Charity Hall Pharmacy, they had also gained control of the votes of several important industrial cities, giving them a say in the King's affairs. The date for the palace visit was scheduled for three days later.

Alice and Lady Finsbury were led into Buckingham Palace by their attendants. The furnishings in the palace did not pursue extreme luxury, but exquisiteness and luxury could still be seen everywhere.

After paying their respects to King George III, they sat down on velvet-covered chairs in the reception room.

"Miss Alice, I'm aware of your situation. After all, you're a very famous figure in London and even across the country lately, and I've heard of you before." George III's tone seemed friendly, but his authority was evident even without anger, and his words and deeds exuded the air of a king. "The Earl of Finsbury said you offered to completely cure my illness?"

At this point, he changed the subject, his tone becoming more authoritative. "My lady, the whole country now knows that the royal physician has declared me cured. Why should we do this any more?"

"Your Majesty, the growth of a plant depends entirely on its roots. Even if there are beautiful flowers and leaves on the ground, but the root system is not diseased, there will be hidden dangers sooner or later." Alice accepted the king's pressure and answered calmly.

What a joke! She has often seen the rulers of heaven such as the Queen Mother of the West and the Jade Emperor. How could she be intimidated by a mere mortal emperor?

However, Mrs. Finsbury couldn't help but glance over, her expression slightly unstable.

"What do you mean?" Seeing that a country lady was so calm, George III put away his outward authority and sat upright to ask.

"Your Majesty, have you still been seeing shadows from time to time lately?" Alice asked.

George III waved his hand and called the attendants: "You accompany the Countess of Finsbury to the reception room downstairs to sit for a while."

After the servants closed the door of the hall again, the king, who was in a superior position, straightened his expression, looked at the lady in front of him who looked ladylike and dignified, and said, "Okay, my lady, you may speak now."

Alice smiled, unconcerned, and continued, "Your Majesty, you should still see shadows, but you know they are fake. This is a sign that the problem has not been cured." No, looking at the king's face, it was clear that the situation was not optimistic. He couldn't tell the difference most of the time, or at least he remained skeptical, unable to help but want to believe it. But he couldn't say that.

"Miss, you should know that some words..." George III did not finish his words. In his opinion, the lady in front of him should understand what he meant.

"Of course, but as a member of your land, I earnestly hope that you will be in good health and continue to rule the glory of Britain." She had to have some nice words. She had no problem coming up with them, having, after all, coaxed the father of India into obeying her in everything, and could always achieve her goals with the words most beloved by Mrs. Bennett, the earthly mother.

The no longer young king looked at Alice for a long time, and finally said, "Then, as Miss Alice said, how can we eliminate the hidden danger?"

She easily lifted the large wooden box beside her. "Your Majesty, I have prepared some medicine that might be needed. Please allow me to prepare it alone in the palace kitchen."

"Even the palace attendants cannot provide assistance?" George III asked doubtfully with a bad expression.

Ellie was not intimidated at all. "Since you've read all about my journey from Longbourn to London, you should know that some merchants have tried to imitate me in selling oriental medicines. Even if it was just a seemingly simple Chinese herbal tea, they couldn't imitate it."

She looked the king straight in the eye and said, "What is truly valuable is not the recipe, but me."

The king opened his dim old eyes, but he was defeated and said, "Then you will be allowed to use the royal doctor's pharmacy in the palace. They will not be here when you are here."

George III had been insane for a long time. The palace pharmacy was fully equipped with instruments and medicinal materials, and even a small amount of Chinese medicinal materials could be seen, but the variety was limited and not suitable for the treatment.

Alice stayed alone in the room, guards and servants standing guard outside the closed doors and windows. She gently stroked the small mole at the corner of her eye, and with a flick of her wrist, her eyes changing color, she grasped the jade pestle in her palm.

She placed Chinese medicinal herbs such as peach kernel, bupleurum root, cyperus rotundus, pinellia tuber, polygala root, and oyster shell[1] in a clean basin, pounded them with a jade pestle to make a magical liquid, and then made three pills.

The freshly made pills still have a strong aroma of Chinese medicine.

When the pills were presented to George III, he first ordered the palace attendant who was responsible for testing medicines to take one. After confirming that there was no problem, he took it and swallowed it with water.

The effects of the medicine wouldn't be noticeable with just one or two pills. The King and the Queen, who had rushed over after hearing the news, wanted Alice to stay in the palace and cure him before leaving. Alice had anticipated this and didn't refuse, saying, "I don't have enough herbs to complete the treatment. I need more."

As he spoke, he handed over the prescription he had just written.

"I will have people prepare more medicinal herbs. Viscount Thomas and the troubles and people he caused will all be dealt with at the same time. I will also have someone inform you of the whereabouts of your family." The king showed his sincerity at the right time.

Alice understood, smiled and bowed, then went with her servant to her residence for the time being.

Aside from a few restricted areas, she was free to roam the palace freely outside of her daily medicine preparations. To ensure her peace of mind and to ensure the King's proper treatment, the Queen instructed the palace attendants to provide excellent care and comfort. The attendants were all handsome men and beautiful women, including some of the most striking young children of the nobility. This delighted her, and she didn't mind staying longer. After all, good food is never too late, and I trust that gentleman has the self-consciousness to prepare it well.

Meanwhile, the royal physician would enter the pharmacy every day after Alice had used it, preparing her own prescriptions and pills. He also sought out several patients with similar symptoms to the king and prepared their own medicines for them. While the patients' symptoms improved somewhat, it was clearly not as effective as Alice's pills. Upon receiving this conclusion, George III finally came to believe the young woman's offer.

More than a month later, the queen's cries of joy were heard from the palace bedroom.

George III summoned Alice again, and he no longer looked as anxious and nervous as he had been when they first met.

"Miss Alice, I haven't seen any phantoms or heard any auditory hallucinations in a week." He asked the doctor for final confirmation. "Does this completely eliminate the hidden danger?"

"Congratulations, Your Majesty." Alice gave the affirmative response the patient wanted.

"That's great!" The first to cheer was his wife who had been with him since childhood. She had already been happy for a while after hearing the news in the morning, and now she was completely relieved.

King George III also smiled. "My lady, you have done a great service. What reward would you like to ask of me?"

"Your Majesty, you should know that before I came to the palace to meet you, the Oriental Alice Pharmacy was slandered by others. It was the Duke's doing." Alice said this and saw that the king did not look angry or surprised, so she understood that this matter could be accomplished.

Sure enough, George III said gently: "It is indeed his fault."

As for how to do it, he refused to say, only saying: "I will give Miss Alice a satisfactory result, a result worthy of this great achievement."

The Queen chimed in, "Your Majesty, the Duke deserves to be punished for his wrongdoing. How can this be considered a reward for Miss Alice? He should be given something more."

As she spoke, she asked her servant to fetch her treasured ruby ​​jewelry and gave it to Alice, saying, "My lady, I am not as rich as your majesty, who owns an entire country, but please accept this gift."

Alice naturally would not refuse the medical fees she deserved.

"The Queen is quite right, Miss Alice. Is there anything else you would like to receive as a reward?" George III followed his wife's lead and added, "It is my duty to restore the reputation of your pharmacy. You don't need to ask for it specifically."

"Then please, Your Majesty, remove the military service restriction on the male heirs to our Longbourn estate." Alice smiled. She could already imagine how delighted the whole family would be. Mrs. Bennett's high notes might just blow the roof off their house.

The trip to the palace was a complete success, and there were even unexpected benefits. Alice went home in a luxurious carriage that the queen had given her.

The carriage stopped at the door of the mansion and she pushed open the door and got out.

"Alyssa!" Jane and Elizabeth, who had received the news in advance, were waiting at the door with their sisters. Even Uncle Gardner and Auntie came over.

"Is this the palace carriage?" Lydia was the first to notice the exquisitely decorated carriage and the coachman in uniform.

The coachman answered her, "Yes, miss. I am here to bring Miss Alice back on the Queen's orders." Then he said goodbye to Alice and handed the carriage to the servants at home.

"Oh! The palace! Alyssa, is the palace fun? Isn't it particularly magnificent?" The mansion was filled with Lydia and Catherine's curious questions, and Mary joined the discussion from time to time.

On the balcony next door, a blond young man quietly listened to the lively conversation coming from nearby, finally feeling at ease. His deep blue eyes looked at the wicker rabbit on the headboard, and a very faint smile appeared on his face.

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The author has something to say: Rabbit: This rabbit is not to be messed with!

[1] Refer to the Dian Kuang Meng Xing Tang in the Medical Correction.