Chapter 125 Old Friends (Zhao Xue's Helper Has Arrived)
Inside Chengqian Palace, Lu Zhaoxue was leaning against a soft couch covered with a dark fox fur coat. She looked up at Chu Huaiyu, who was bent over his desk reviewing memorials.
Since Lu Zhaoxue became pregnant, Chu Huaiyu has moved all his memorials to Chengqian Palace. Apart from morning court sessions and important military matters, he wishes he could spend every minute and every second with Lu Zhaoxue.
"Your Majesty, I have been thinking of my former lovers lately. I wonder if I could ask Your Majesty for mercy..." Lu Zhaoxue said slowly.
Upon hearing this, Chu Huaiyu raised his head, paused for a moment, then put down his vermilion brush and strode to Lu Zhaoxue's side.
He reached out and tucked a stray hair behind Lu Zhaoxue's ear, saying in a doting tone, "Zhaoxue, please feel free to speak your mind."
"Your Majesty, I wish to bring Granny Liu into the palace." A gentle light appeared in Lu Zhaoxue's eyes.
"When I was young, I was well taken care of by my nanny. Now that I am in the palace, I always think of her being lonely and helpless outside the palace."
After the Lu family was destroyed, all the servants were dismissed. Because of her advanced age, no official would hire Liu Mama. In addition, Liu Mama had no children, so she had to return to the countryside alone.
Chu Huaiyu smiled and nodded upon hearing this: "What's so difficult about that? Tomorrow I will send someone to fetch her to the palace so that she can keep you company."
Lu Zhaoxue pursed her lips and said, "There is one more person that I would like to bring to my side."
She paused, her gaze drifting to the window, as if lost in a distant memory.
"Her name is Meng Xinzhu, and she was my savior when I was a child."
"Oh? Is that so?" Chu Huaiyu became interested and gestured for Lu Zhaoxue to tell him in detail.
"When I was eight years old, I slipped out of the back door to play in the bamboo forest in the suburbs when no one in the mansion was paying attention. I was bitten on the ankle by a poisonous snake."
There was no one around at the time. I was trembling with pain and thought I was going to die. It was Sister Xinzhu who happened to pass by.
She immediately used a small knife she carried to cut open the wound and drain the poison from my wound. She then took out some antidote herbs from her medicine basket, chewed them up, and applied them to my wound. She even carried me for a full three miles before reaching the Lu residence.
Chu Huaiyu frowned slightly upon hearing this and tightened his grip on Lu Zhaoxue's hand: "You must have been terrified back then."
Lu Zhaoxue nodded gently and continued, "Later we became good friends. Her mother was a famous female doctor."
Sister Xinzhu has been learning medicine from her mother since she was little, and her medical skills are no less than those of the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital.
Lu Zhaoxue smiled as she spoke, but a shadow quickly fell over her eyes.
"It's a pity that after Sister Xinzhu passed the imperial examination, she married a merchant. She thought he was a good match, but who knew that man was a heartless man! He took three concubines in less than a year of marriage and often spoke coldly to Sister Xinzhu..."
Lu Zhaoxue's tone suddenly became more serious, with a hint of indignation: "Sister Xinzhu has a strong personality and could not tolerate such grievances, so she immediately proposed a divorce."
But that merchant said that every man in the world has three wives and four concubines, and hypocritically claimed that he loved Sister Xinzhu. His hypocritical face was truly disgusting!
"And the Meng family is also confused. They actually said that women who are abandoned or divorced by their husbands' families lose all face, and they absolutely refused to agree to Sister Xinzhu's divorce."
Lu Zhaoxue sighed, her eyes filled with heartache.
"Your Majesty, I know that the laws of this dynasty are strict. Women cannot establish their own households after divorce. If their maternal family does not take them in, they will truly only have one way out: death."
"Sister Xinzhu had no choice but to suffer in that fiery pit."
Chu Huaiyu's expression darkened upon hearing this, and he patted Lu Zhaoxue's hand: "Zhaoxue, don't worry. As your benefactor, I will never let her suffer any injustice."
Lu Zhaoxue looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with hope: "Your Majesty, I am now pregnant with your child. Although I have palace servants to attend to me, I always feel that I lack a confidant and reliable person."
Sister Xinzhu knows medicine. If we could bring her into the palace, it would firstly relieve her predicament, and secondly, she could help me take care of the child in my womb. That would put my mind at ease.”
She tugged at Chu Huaiyu's sleeve and said earnestly, "After I give birth, I would like to ask Your Majesty to grant me permission to purchase a house and provide me with enough money so that I can establish my own household."
Your Majesty, I also wish to request that you grant Sister Xinzhu the favor of opening a clinic, allowing her to establish herself through her medical skills and no longer have to depend on others.
Seeing the expectation in Lu Zhaoxue's eyes and thinking of the child in her womb, Chu Huaiyu had already agreed in his heart.
He immediately laughed and said, "Is such a small matter worth your trouble? I will issue an edict to send someone to bring Liu Mama and Meng Xinzhu into the palace. As for the favor of opening a medical clinic, I will grant it as well."
"As long as you are happy and give birth to your child safely, I will grant you anything."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhaoxue's face instantly blossomed into a bright smile, and she said softly, "Then thank you very much, Your Majesty. If Sister Xinzhu knew that she could escape this sea of suffering, she would surely be grateful for Your Majesty's great kindness."
The moonlight gradually climbed up the window frame.
Lu Zhaoxue silently recited Meng Xinzhu's name in her heart, hoping that her friend could get out of her suffering soon and that the two could rekindle their childhood friendship.
In just three days, the people sent by Chu Huaiyu brought Liu Mama and Meng Xinzhu into the palace.
Lu Zhaoxue specially arranged for Meng Xinzhu to be placed in a side hall next to her own bedroom, and ordered the palace servants to prepare the finest tea and snacks. She sat in the main hall early in the morning to wait for Meng Xinzhu.
Hearing footsteps coming from outside the palace, Lu Zhaoxue couldn't help but get up and go out to greet them.
Meng Xinzhu was dressed in a plain-colored dress. Although she looked a little tired, her eyes still revealed a clear and resilient spirit.
As soon as she stepped into the palace, she looked up and saw her old friend. Her eyes instantly reddened, and she knelt down to pay her respects: "This commoner, Meng Xinzhu, greets Your Majesty the Empress."
"Sister Xinzhu, please don't be so polite!" Lu Zhaoxue quickly stepped forward to support her, her voice choked with emotion.
"It's been so many years since we last met, there's no need for such formalities between us." Lu Zhaoxue held Meng Xinzhu's hand and looked her up and down. Seeing that she was thin and frail, she thought that she must have suffered a lot over the years, and felt even more sorry for her.
"I'm sorry to have troubled you, sister."
Meng Xinzhu fought back her tears, shook her head, and smiled with relief: "Being able to see my sister again and escape that hellhole, I am already content. Thank you, sister, for giving me a way out."
Seeing the two reunited, Granny Liu couldn't help but wipe away tears from her eyes and stepped forward with a smile, saying:
"Your Majesty, Miss Meng must be tired after her long journey. Why don't we let her rest for a while before we talk?"
Lu Zhaoxue then came to her senses and quickly nodded, "I was confused. Come on, sister, sit down. Granny, you sit down too."
Lu Zhaoxue personally poured them both a cup of hot tea, saying, "This is this year's new tea, please try it."
As they accepted the teacups, a long-lost warmth welled up in their hearts.
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