Night falls.
The Imperial Study was brightly lit.
Emperor Jing seemed to be concentrating intently, holding an ancient book in his hand as he sat upright at his desk.
In reality, however, he was deep in thought, secretly pondering matters concerning the clouds on his clothes.
The chief eunuch in the palace had just finished reading the latest news about Yi Shangyun on the grasslands that had been sent back to the palace this evening.
His emotions were clearly agitated as he spoke: "I really didn't expect that this woman would be so restless no matter where she goes. She's already struggling to take care of her own health, yet she still has the mind to open a clinic on the grasslands, called something like Cloud Clinic."
She paused, seemingly growing increasingly angry as she thought about it: "She actually gathered all the foolish women from those barbarian lands together, teaching those who wanted to learn medicine without expecting anything in return. Even the least skilled among them were taught to be quite knowledgeable about herbs and medicines..."
The chief eunuch was furious, but he was even more worried: "Because that woman's medical skills are quite superb, her consultation fees are low, and she even provides free medical care to some poor and destitute people, she is very popular on the grassland. It is said that many men also seek her out for diagnosis and treatment. If this continues, the local pharmacies will suffer serious losses, and I'm afraid more than half of them will be forced to close down."
Emperor Jing was completely baffled and asked, "According to the regulations of our dynasty, women are not allowed to obtain a medical license to practice medicine. This has been the case ever since the Northern Lie were defeated and annexed our Western Qin. So how did this Cloud Medical Clinic come about?"
The head eunuch thought for a moment and said, "This old servant has heard that there was a person of extremely mysterious identity who donated over a hundred fine horses to the government office and did his utmost to vouch for them, which is how this order was obtained!"
Emperor Jing seemed unable to believe his ears upon hearing this, and exclaimed in surprise: "You said someone donated over a hundred fine horses to the government office on her behalf?"
The head eunuch nodded firmly.
"But she clearly went to the grasslands alone, so who exactly helped her like this?"
"Could that person also know her identity? Is that why they're being friendly to her, but actually have ulterior motives?"
"no……"
The more Emperor Jing thought about it, the more worried he became. After a moment of deliberation, he immediately ordered, "Quickly send people to investigate this matter thoroughly and find out who is helping her behind the scenes."
Upon receiving the order, the head eunuch hurriedly replied, "Yes, this old servant will arrange for someone to take care of it immediately."
Just as he turned around and was about to leave, Emperor Jing called out to him again: "Wait..."
The head eunuch suddenly turned around and asked, "Does Your Majesty have any further instructions?"
Emperor Jing thought for a moment and said, "To avoid any unforeseen complications, send someone to tell her that there is no need to wait for the six-month period to expire. I order her to return to the palace immediately."
The head eunuch hesitated for a moment, then said, "But Your Majesty, you are the supreme ruler, and you promised her six months. Your word is as good as gold. Are you really going to break your promise to a woman this time? This old servant is afraid that, given her temperament, she will not comply..."
Emperor Jing, however, said with certainty, "I am the Son of Heaven, and she has no choice but to comply! Moreover, she concealed her identity and deceived me first. I have not pursued the matter so far, which is already merciful. How can she blame me for breaking my promise?"
Even after all this, seeing the Grand Eunuch still hesitant, Emperor Jing's eyes were filled with anger.
He paused, then continued, "We still have that medicine girl in our hands. Besides that, don't we have any other bargaining chips? If all else fails, we can always offer some more. Is the pharmacist from the Imperial Pharmacy enough? Or his entire family, or even the Prince of Qin's mansion? Aren't those enough?"
Emperor Jing was absolutely certain that with so many bargaining chips, Yi Shangyun would surrender without resistance and obediently follow his orders: "I refuse to believe that she wouldn't care about any of this."
The head eunuch suddenly understood and respectfully said to him, "Yes, this old servant understands!"
Then he turned and walked away quickly.
Just then, a guard brushed past him.
Upon seeing him emerge, the guards immediately stopped and stepped aside, bowing to him: "Grand Eunuch."
The head eunuch casually hummed in agreement.
He then cautioned him, "The Emperor is in a bad mood right now, so be careful what you say when you go in!"
The guard thanked him, saying, "Thank you for the reminder, Grand Eunuch."
Only after seeing that the chief eunuch had left did the guard continue his hurried steps across the threshold and enter, walking up to Emperor Jing and respectfully bowing, saying, "Your Majesty."
Seeing that he seemed to be in a hurry, Emperor Jing asked as he approached, "What happened?"
The guard cautiously approached Emperor Jing and whispered in his ear.
A moment later.
As soon as the guard stood up again, Emperor Jing glared at him and demanded, "Is this true? Are you sure there's such a rumor in Yong'an Palace?"
The guard nodded.
Suddenly, a thunderous roar of anger echoed throughout the vast hall: "Outrageous!!"
With that, he stood up and walked angrily out of the hall.
As he walked, he said, "Let's go, I want to see for myself who is so bold as to covet the current Empress Dowager."
After returning to her palace, the Empress settled Lu Tianjiao in.
At this moment, he finally sat down in his own palace.
She instructed one of her maids, "You must keep a close eye on Lu Tianjiao for me. Make sure she doesn't cause any more trouble in the palace!"
"yes!"
After receiving the order, the maidservant slowly withdrew.
At that moment, another maid, who was specifically responsible for serving tea, came in and offered the tea to her with both hands: "Your Highness, please have some tea."
Because of her conversation with Lu Tianjiao on the way back, the Empress was inevitably feeling angry and irritable.
Without even looking closely, he took the bowl of tea that was held high above his head, took a small sip, and seemed somewhat surprised by what he tasted. He said, "The aroma and flavor of this tea are quite unique, like something I'm tasting for the first time..."
The maidservant serving the tea quickly explained, "This is goji berry tea. It's made by boiling cold water, then adding red dates and goji berries and boiling them together. After that, rock sugar is added and boiled until dissolved. This is a recipe that Princess Yue taught me in her letter during the height of summer, saying that it must be brewed for Her Majesty the Empress to drink frequently."
The Empress instantly forgot all the troubles Lu Tianjiao had caused her and asked in surprise, "What did you say? This is Yue'er..."
The maid serving the tea nodded and said, "Although the princess is far away, she always thinks of Your Majesty! The princess said that this tea has the effect of nourishing the skin and can make the facial skin delicate and smooth. Goji berries also have the effects of nourishing the liver and kidneys and improving eyesight. Long-term consumption can delay aging, prevent premature graying of hair, and is most suitable for drinking in the dry climate of late autumn."
Upon hearing this, the Empress immediately fell into deep longing for Xuan Yuan Yue.
"Yue'er..."
"My poor son..."
"I don't know when I'll be able to see her again in this lifetime!"
"This child has always only reported good news to me and never bad news, so I have no idea how she is doing?"
Upon realizing this, the Empress's eyes immediately filled with tears, which she quietly wiped away.
The maid serving tea nearby was at a loss for words to offer comfort.
After a while, the Empress calmed down a bit.
Then she asked the maid, "You are in charge of my meals. Have you found out why I suddenly had a severe stomachache on the way back to the palace with Lu Tianjiao after having dinner with the Emperor and Lu Xian's family that day?"
The maid serving tea thought for a moment and said, "I have carefully checked everyone. Apart from Your Highness, everyone else who dined with you that day is perfectly fine. So, there shouldn't be any problem with the meal. Your Highness, why don't you think carefully again about whether you ate anything else that was particularly unusual that day..."
"Something special..." Upon hearing this, the Empress carefully recalled the events of that day once more.
After a while, she suddenly remembered something and said, "That day, before the meal, Lu Tianjiao gave me some chestnuts and insisted that I try them. She said that she had personally picked them from Xiqin Academy and that they were a seasonal specialty from the south of the city. I was touched and tried some."
The maid serving tea listened, pondered for a moment, and stammered, "Could it be because of this chestnut...?"
Seeing that he seemed to be talking to himself, the Empress quickly pressed him for an answer: "What do you think is the reason? Is there something wrong with those water chestnuts?"
The maid serving tea snapped out of her reverie and introduced, "Water chestnuts, also known as 'peanuts of the water,' have a sweet taste. As the saying goes, 'Ripe ones are sweet and neutral, while fresh ones are sweet and cool.' They do indeed have the effect of strengthening the spleen and replenishing qi, soothing the stomach and nourishing the five internal organs."
After a pause, he instantly understood everything.
Then she continued, "Right now, it is the season for chestnuts to ripen in the south of the city, and they are indeed very delicious. But Your Majesty may not know that eating chestnuts with pork will cause severe abdominal pain."
Upon hearing this, the Empress suddenly realized what was going on, and gritted her teeth, saying, "It really is her. At such a young age, she already has such a deep mind."
She slammed her hand heavily on the table beside her and shouted angrily, "How dare you poison me!"
The maid serving tea was also extremely incredulous: "I never imagined that Miss Lu's character could be so different from Dean Lu and Young Master Lu's?"
The Empress clenched her fist tightly and said, "On her first visit to the palace, she was able to plan everything so meticulously. Before the meal, she urged me to eat chestnuts, and during the meal, she frequently served me dishes with meat. Later, on the way back to the palace, she secretly went to the Imperial Garden to meet the Empress Dowager while I was away. I imagine her meeting with the Empress Dowager must be related to the bestowed marriage."
The Empress was extremely surprised: "She actually managed to manipulate both me and the Empress Dowager so easily. This Lu Tianjiao is indeed not simple!"
He was pondering this to himself.
Another maid rushed in, saying, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"
Upon hearing this, the Empress first dismissed the tea-serving maid, then instructed her, "Alright, you may leave now! Remember, this matter must not be publicized. I want to see just how capable she really is."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"This servant takes her leave!"
The maid who served the tea withdrew.
The Empress then asked, "Why are you in such a panic? What happened?"
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