But no matter how much doubt there was, the Li family could not neglect proper etiquette.
Soon, Li Zhensheng personally went out to welcome the people from the palace in.
The person who came was a nanny from the Empress's side, accompanied by four palace maids, while the rest of the guards remained outside the door.
The old woman carried a food box, while four palace maids each carried a tray covered with red silk.
The old woman greeted the Li family members with a smile and respect, and was then invited to sit down and have tea.
She smiled and said, "Princess, Her Majesty the Empress dined with the Third Princess today. She mentioned that you were not feeling well and that the Third Princess was very concerned about you."
"The Empress is the same. After all, you were raised by the Empress. So, the Empress selected several sets of jewelry for you and had this old servant deliver them."
"If the princess is pleased with what she sees, then the illness is already half cured."
With that, she waved her hand, and the palace maid lifted the red silk on the tray, revealing what was inside.
Four trays, four sets of pure gold jewelry.
The designs aren't particularly exquisite, but they're very affordable; each set probably wouldn't be made without five or six ounces of gold.
Four sets are worth more than twenty taels of gold, which can be exchanged for more than two hundred taels of silver!
This reward wasn't particularly generous, but it was certainly eye-catching and catered to Jia Yin's tastes, showing that it was given with care.
Jiayin beamed with joy and quickly thanked her, "Thank you so much for thinking of me, Your Majesty. I will go to the palace to express my gratitude once I have fully recovered."
The old woman took the opportunity to carefully examine Jiayin. She noticed that Jiayin's face was a little thin and her complexion wasn't very good, but it was about the same as that of an average person.
Once the nanny felt reassured, she smiled and got up, taking a small pot from the food box and covering it with a cotton cloth to keep it warm.
She continued with a smile, "Princess, this is the tonic soup Her Majesty has been drinking recently. Her Majesty consulted the doctors at the Imperial Hospital, and they said it's particularly effective for strengthening the body's foundation, nourishing qi, and replenishing blood."
"Her Majesty instructed someone to prepare a portion for you as well. Please drink it while it's hot."
Jiayin blinked her big eyes, frowned as she looked at the medicine pot, and seemed somewhat unwilling.
"What kind of tonic is this? Is it bitter? I hate taking medicine!"
The old woman quickly said, "It's not bitter, it's not bitter. Princess, you don't know, even the Empress is afraid of bitterness."
"Since Your Majesty can drink it, the taste must be quite good."
After saying that, she took out the medicine pot herself, poured a bowl of brown soup, and handed it to Jiayin.
"Princess, please drink it while it's hot. Her Majesty said that once you've fully recovered, she'll invite you to the palace to admire the chrysanthemums. They're all top-quality; I'm sure you'll enjoy them."
"Really?" Jiayin seemed very interested and asked, "Did the palace gardeners cultivate a phoenix spreading its wings? Can I ask Your Highness for a seedling?"
The old woman glanced at the medicine soup in the bowl and forced a smile, saying, "Princess, this old servant can't make that decision either."
"Why don't you drink this nourishing soup now, and then go to admire the flowers and speak to Her Majesty the Empress yourself? Her Majesty dotes on you so much, she'll definitely plant ten or eight flower seedlings, let alone just one!"
Jiayin nodded happily and was about to pick up the medicine bowl when she heard Li Zhensheng call out, "Wait."
He stepped forward to examine the medicine carefully, and when he looked up, he saw that the nanny's panic had not yet been concealed, which made him feel even more uneasy.
It was already strange that the Empress suddenly came to bestow gifts, but it was even more bizarre that she also brought a pot of brewed medicinal soup!
If you truly wish to bestow something nourishing, you can give tonics, medicinal herbs, or even prescriptions; there's no need to prepare them and send them over.
And Jia Yin had to drink it immediately; he couldn't refuse!
The old woman suppressed her panic and said, "Master, have you studied medicine? Is there something wrong with this tonic soup?"
"You flatter me, Your Majesty. How could I dare to question Her Majesty's kindness?" Li Zhensheng shook his head, but still said with a smile, "It's just that this tonic soup has been carried all the way here and it's probably all cold now, so its medicinal effects must have been diminished."
"Why not bestow the prescription upon her, and we can brew it at home and then have the princess take it?"
The old woman quickly said, "To be honest, sir, this tonic prescription is a closely guarded secret of the imperial physicians' family and they refuse to share it with outsiders."
"Her Majesty the Empress sent the medicine to the Princess because she thought it was effective."
After saying that, she looked around at the Li family and added with a smile, "Does the eldest master not trust Her Majesty the Empress?"
Li Zhensheng's expression softened slightly as he replied, "I wouldn't dare. I was just asking a few more questions."
"After all, the princess is still young. Before the Marquis went on the northern expedition, he gave us a long instruction to take good care of the princess. He said that if anyone tried to harm her, he would not let them get away with it when he returned."
The old woman's hand trembled slightly, but she still pushed the medicine bowl forward.
"Princess, please drink the tonic soup quickly, this old servant is in a hurry to go back and report!"
Jiayin seemed oblivious to the veiled meaning in Jiayin's words. She frowned, picked up the medicine bowl, covered her mouth with her sleeve, and drank it all in one gulp.
Finally, she put down the bowl, smacked her lips twice, and said with some disdain, "This tonic soup isn't bitter, but it's a bit fishy."
The old woman finally breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "There's probably fish maw in it. It's not only good for your health, but it can also beautify your skin. Once the princess gets used to it, she won't find it fishy anymore."
After saying this, she put away the medicine bowl and pot, then got up to take her leave.
The Li family members all got up and saw them to the door.
Needless to say, there were one nanny and four palace maids, and the Li family also sent out five purses containing hard-earned money.
Once only his family was left in the room, Li Zhensheng immediately asked, "Fu Niu'er, do you feel unwell anywhere? Should we invite Doctor Zhang over?"
Jiayin smiled and waved her hand, asking, "Uncle, how did you know this tonic soup had been tampered with?"
"What do you mean by tampering with things?" Before Li Zhensheng could speak, Old Lady Li rushed forward and grabbed her granddaughter's hand, her face turning pale with fright.
Tao Hongying, Zhao Yuru, and others also gathered around, looking worried.
Jiayin quickly said, "Grandma, don't worry, there's no poison in the soup, and I didn't drink it."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but still kept a close eye on her, afraid that she might collapse at any moment.
After finally calming her family down, Jiayin said, "I smelled seaweed in the tonic soup just now, and after tasting a little, it was indeed quite good."
"This seaweed is not poisonous and will not kill people, but if you drink it, there will be no effect at first, but after two days you will vomit and have diarrhea, and you will be sick for at least five or six days."
"In this way, even if a doctor is called to take the pulse, the doctor will assume that the patient has caught a cold or eaten the wrong food, which is why there is a problem."
"Fortunately, treating vomiting and diarrhea isn't too difficult, and it certainly won't endanger your life, it's just a bit of suffering."
Old Mrs. Li was furious. "Our family hasn't offended the Empress recently, so why would she send you tonic soup and make you suffer?"
Tao Hongying also scolded, "Even if she's the Empress, she can't harm someone else's child like this! Luckily you didn't drink it, otherwise what if you really vomited and had diarrhea!"
Li Zhensheng gestured for everyone to calm down and asked Jiayin, "Fu Niu'er, what do you think about this?"
Jiayin was also puzzled and said, "If my family has really offended the Empress, or if the Empress dislikes me and wants to kill me, then she should poison me, and she shouldn't send it here so openly."
"So, the Empress's real purpose should be to make me a little sick. Even if it is discovered, I will not be in mortal danger, and neither our family nor even the Emperor will do anything to her."
"I just don't know why she made me sick for a few days."
"Could it be that she's planning something these next few days, and I might become an obstacle, so she wants to temporarily 'bring me down'?"
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