"This servant is a new pharmacist at the Imperial Pharmacy who just reported for duty today. The princess promised me that if I answered correctly, she would grant me a request," Yi Shangyun said, not forgetting her duties. Dingxiang, who had been terrified, finally came to her senses.
Suddenly, Xuan Yuan Yue stopped and turned around, slowly walking back to Yi Shang Yun and looking at her. "So you're new here. No wonder you don't know the rules. The Imperial Pharmacy is getting bolder and bolder, daring to let these unruly servants serve this princess."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun replied, "This servant is humble, but I hope the princess will point out where I have acted improperly."
Throughout her life, Xuan Yuan Yue had been showered with love and affection, and no one had ever dared to question her like this: "You...you servant are quite shrewd. Speak, what do you wish to ask this princess to grant you?"
After saying this, Xuan Yuan Yue turned around and continued walking into the main hall, seemingly in a very good mood.
"This servant begs Your Highness to gladly consume all the medicine sent from the Imperial Pharmacy, would you please?" Yi Shangyun said, bending down to hand over the exquisitely carved wooden tray containing the bowls of medicine.
"How dare you... How dare you order this princess around? What's your name?" Xuan Yuan Yue turned around abruptly and reprimanded her sternly.
"This servant is Yun'er, a pharmacist in the Imperial Pharmacy. So, does this mean the princess is going back on her word?" Yi Shangyun wasn't afraid at all. She had already seen the princess's kind and gentle nature, not that she was arrogant or domineering. Otherwise, why would she care about the life of a lowly palace maid?
"Yun'er, good... very good, this princess will remember you..." Xuan Yuan Yue said, raising her pointed chin high, but clenching her fist tightly.
After a while, he slowly let go, reached out and picked up the bowl of medicine from Yi Shangyun's hand, and made her drink it down in one gulp. His face showed an extremely bitter expression. Then he threw the bowl heavily onto the plate and walked straight towards the main hall of Fenghua Palace.
Yi Shangyun and Dingxiang hurriedly bowed and respectfully saw Xuan Yuan Yue off.
Dingxiang was repeatedly startled by Yi Shangyun's words and actions, but she was even more delighted that Xuanyuan Yue would never refuse to drink medicine again. She was very satisfied and followed Yi Shangyun back to the Imperial Pharmacy.
Seeing that the two had returned so quickly, the great medicine girl hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Has Princess Yue taken her medicine?"
"The princess has taken all the medicine," Dingxiang replied happily, while Yishangyun smiled gently. After speaking, the two went inside to continue their tasks.
The medicine girl looked on incredulously. The princess had been afraid of the bitter taste of medicine since she was a child. Every time she delivered medicine, she was scolded for a long time before she could leave. She really had no way to deal with this princess.
Today, seeing that it was Yi Shangyun's first day on duty, she probably didn't know about this situation, so they sent her to face this cold shoulder. But... how did those two manage to do that?
She quickly went inside, pulled Dingxiang aside, and questioned her carefully before saying, "Indeed, this girl is not stupid at all."
Yi Shangyun's first day on duty at the Imperial Pharmacy passed just like that. She felt that it wasn't as difficult as she had imagined, and her master wasn't that hard to serve. Moreover, with Dingxiang by her side, she firmly believed that things would get better and better in the future.
The next day, Dingxiang suddenly came to Yishangyun crying and said aggrievedly, "Yun'er, Princess Yue is refusing to take her medicine again. She just agreed yesterday, but she went back on her word today. If she doesn't take her medicine soon, the Emperor and the other masters will blame us, and we'll all be in trouble."
After listening with a frown, Yi Shangyun suddenly stood up, took Dingxiang's hand, and said, "Come on, help me make something to send to Fenghua Palace."
Dingxiang looked puzzled, wondering what kind of shocking thing Yi Shangyun was planning to do this time. She felt that she would get into trouble sooner or later because she followed Yi Shangyun around all day, but she knew very well that Yi Shangyun was the only one in the Imperial Pharmacy who was genuinely good to her and treated her as a friend.
"Your Highness, those two young girls who practiced medicine yesterday are requesting an audience outside the palace," a palace maid reported to Xuan Yuan Yue.
"I won't see them. Let them go back. They'll definitely make me take medicine again. That girl is extremely rude. Does she really think I'll obediently listen to a mere medicine girl like her?" Xuan Yuan Yue said disdainfully, raising an eyebrow.
"Your Highness, she said that if she doesn't see you, she will kneel at the palace gate until the princess agrees to see her," the little palace maid said timidly.
"Damn it, is she threatening me? Then let her kneel down!" The little palace maid was unmoved by what the princess said, and could only get up and prepare to leave in disappointment. Just as the little palace maid turned around and walked to the entrance of the main hall, she heard Xuan Yuan Yue's voice from behind.
"Let them in. This princess wants to see what new tricks she's up to this time." The little palace maid was overjoyed and quickly went out to announce their arrival. You see, Xuan Yuan Yue's cough was getting worse and worse, affecting her sleep, and if this continued, all the servants in Feng Hua Palace would be implicated.
Yi Shangyun and Dingxiang entered the main hall and bowed. Dingxiang, who had just been sternly reprimanded by the princess, did not dare to raise her head, fearing that the princess would become angry again upon seeing her.
"I have said that I will not take this extremely bitter medicine, so don't waste your time," Xuan Yuan Yue said without even glancing at the two of them.
"Your Highness, I'm not here today to deliver medicine, but to present you with a dessert that I created myself." Yi Shangyun said, gesturing for a maid to bring it to the princess.
A young palace maid approached Xuan Yuan Yue carrying a plate of golden-yellow pastries shaped like lilies and dotted with pine nuts. The pastries looked incredibly tempting, appealing to both the eyes and the palate.
Seeing the look of great delight and longing on Xuan Yuan Yue's face, Yi Shang Yun continued, "Your Highness, I have named this pastry Pine Nut Lily Pastry. It is fragrant, crispy, and delicious, and it is especially nourishing for the skin. Your Highness may wish to try it."
Upon hearing this, the palace maid bowed her head, raised the piece high, and respectfully handed it to Xuan Yuan Yue. Xuan Yuan Yue reached out, picked up a piece, took a bite, and chewed it repeatedly.
After a long while, he nodded with a hint of satisfaction and said, "Not bad."
"Since the princess likes it, would the princess be willing to eat two pieces every day?" Yi Shangyun asked anxiously.
"Mmm," Xuan Yuan Yue responded softly, clearly indicating that she was willing to eat the snack.
She was unaware that pine nut and lily bulb pastry had the effects of nourishing yin and moistening the lungs, calming the mind and strengthening the body, which would greatly benefit her cough. Moreover, Yi Shangyun had ground all the herbs that Xuan Yuan Yue had eaten into fine powder and mixed them into the pastry. After three to five days, Xuan Yuan Yue would definitely be fully recovered.
Dingxiang and the little palace maid already knew the wonder of this dessert, but they were afraid that the precious princess would smell the herbs and discover something was amiss. Now that they saw that the princess hadn't noticed anything, they were very impressed by Yi Shangyun's skill, which was indeed extraordinary, as she could so perfectly cover up the strong herbal smell. They admired and appreciated her even more.
Sure enough, after eating the pine nut and lily pastry mixed with herbal powder for exactly five days, Xuan Yuan Yue's cough was greatly cured. Only then did Xuan Yuan Yue come to her senses, "That brat, she actually dared to plot against me."
She then summoned the palace maid who had persuaded her to eat snacks that day and scolded her, "Hurry up and tell this princess the truth of the matter."
The young palace maid dared not conceal anything and told the whole truth.
"Go and bring that girl to me," Xuan Yuan Yue ordered, raising her chin in disbelief.
Yi Shangyun was brought back to Fenghua Palace and reported, "Princess, you are of noble birth. If anything happens to you, the first to lose their heads will be the servants of Fenghua Palace. Although our lives are worthless, we still have parents who gave us life and love us. If you don't kill Bo Ren, he will die because of you. May I ask if the princess is willing to accept this?"
Although Xuanyuan Yue was spoiled, she was kind-hearted. She wanted to argue, but she had no words to say. This girl looked thin and small, but she was so witty, intelligent and bold.
From childhood, everyone in the palace had always been obedient and respectful to her, afraid of offending her. But this girl was not afraid of her at all, and immediately said, "Don't you want to offend this princess and lose your life?"
Yi Shangyun knelt down and bowed her head, replying, "Death is inevitable for everyone, and it is not surprising. Besides... the princess would not want my life."
"Why not?" Xuan Yuan Yue's tone was somewhat disdainful, but more so, it was full of surprise.
“Because the princess is kind by nature, she even investigates the death of a lowly palace maid to prevent her from dying in vain. Therefore, this servant knows that the princess will not take a life without a reason.” Yi Shangyun’s words were firm and resolute. Xuan Yuan Yue was secretly delighted and unconsciously stretched out a jade hand to cover up a soft laugh caused by her joy.
She then quickly snorted and said, "How dare you speak ill of me, the princess! Today I'm going to teach you a lesson, you ignorant brat, and show you what it means to uphold the imperial authority without question."
As Xuan Yuan Yue spoke, she hurriedly thought of how to punish this audacious girl. Suddenly, she thought of a plan. Xuan Yuan Yue said, "This princess will punish you by making you serve this princess at a certain place tomorrow."
Yi Shangyun asked urgently, "Where does the princess want to take me?"
“You’ll know when you get there. What, are you afraid to go?” Xuan Yuan Yue teased Yi Shang Yun.
“Your Highness, I am a pharmacist in the Imperial Pharmacy and am not allowed to leave the Imperial Pharmacy at will,” Yi Shangyun explained.
"Go, send a message to the Imperial Pharmacy, saying that this princess wants Yi Shangyun to personally serve her for a few days," Xuan Yuan Yue said to the maid beside her, chuckling to herself.
Just now she said this maid was bold, but now she's so scared she wants to beg for mercy. "Spare you? It's not that easy. You're the one who provoked this princess."
On the way back to the Imperial Pharmacy, Yi Shangyun kept wondering where Xuan Yuan Yue wanted to take her.
......
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