Chapter 17: Reap what you sow.
Jiang Fushi spent two pleasant days at the mansion.
Using the excuse that she wanted to begin studying medicine, she naturally closed her doors to visitors and secluded herself in the inner courtyard. With Rongrong by her side to assist her in identifying medicinal herbs and developing new prescriptions, she was quite at ease.
Unexpectedly, early this morning, the chief eunuch Lin, who was in charge of the Empress's affairs, arrived, followed by a number of palace servants carrying brocade boxes, making quite a grand procession.
"Her Majesty the Empress's decree: Princess Yuhe, Her Majesty has learned that you were recently frightened and have always been in poor health. She has specially bestowed these nourishing medicinal herbs and calming spices upon you, hoping that you will take good care of yourself and recover soon, so as to comfort Her Majesty's heart."
Jiang Fushi led all the servants in the mansion to kneel down respectfully, heads bowed, listening to the instructions, but alarm bells were ringing in her heart, and she was full of doubts.
What is the Empress up to?
Yuyao was tormented by the "seven-day itch" and could not eat or sleep. Logically, the Empress should be upset and very distressed for her daughter.
Furthermore, Cao Zhang should have already reported her to the Empress.
At this moment, she was nothing more than a thorn in the side of the Empress.
Why would they suddenly be so kind as to bestow this reward?
Jiang Fushi was full of doubts, but she accepted the reward without showing any emotion and fell into deep thought.
The two little maids, Zisu and Qingdai, were very excited, constantly looking through the precious medicinal herbs and spices, their faces beaming with joy.
"Your Highness, Her Majesty the Empress has finally shown concern for you! These are all excellent things!"
Yes, yes.
Jiang Fushi understood their thoughts.
Over the years, the Empress's coldness towards her has been obvious to all; when has she ever been so generously rewarded? The two maids are happy for her.
Rongrong followed them forward to investigate.
After carefully smelling it, his expression suddenly changed drastically, and he knelt down directly in front of her.
"Your Highness, Rongrong has something important to report. Please dismiss all other attendants!"
Seeing her solemn expression, Jiang Fushi waved to the palace servants standing on either side.
"What's wrong?"
With the palace doors closed and only Zisu and Qingdai remaining beside her, Rongrong finally raised her head and said urgently and firmly, "Your Highness, these spices and herbs sent by Her Majesty the Empress must not be used or burned!"
“Just now, I examined them one by one and noticed that these medicinal herbs and spices all had a faint pungent smell of ‘skin-corroding grass,’ which means they must have been carefully processed.”
"Prolonged inhalation or ingestion of these substances will definitely harm the body, causing lethargy and gradual loss of health."
Jiang Fushi got up from her chair, walked to the pile of rewards, picked up a ginseng root, examined it closely, and smelled it.
Judging from the color of these medicinal herbs alone, it was impossible to tell what they were, and as for the smell, she detected a normal ginseng aroma.
Skin-corroding grass is an extremely insidious poisonous herb. It is harmless when taken orally, but if it is crushed into a very fine powder and used to soak or fumigate other items, it will produce a slow-acting toxicity that erodes the skin and damages vital energy.
The herbs or spices it comes into contact with will all carry this subtle, almost imperceptible poison, which is impossible to detect with the naked eye.
After a moment's thought, Jiang Fushi instructed, "Qingdai, go to the pharmacy and buy some ground pepper for me, away from others. If anyone asks, just say you went to buy rouge and face powder."
"yes."
After Qingdai left to carry out her orders, Jiang Fushi instructed Zisu to boil a pot of water in advance, so that once the medicinal herbs arrived, the ground pepper could be cut into pieces and put into the pot.
Half an hour later, Qingdai brought the ground dandelion back. Jiang Fushi carefully chopped the medicinal herbs with scissors and sprinkled them into the boiling water.
The medicinal herbs floated and sank in the pot, and the clear water gradually turned a yellowish-brown. Then, she added the ginseng slices bestowed by the Empress, and in a short while, the boiling water in the pot quickly turned into a turbid blue-green color.
This is precisely the color reaction that occurs when *Ulva scoparia* (a type of edible plant) is poisoned.
When its sap comes into contact with the herb *Gnaphalium affine*, it will change color; this is the only way to identify it.
The answer is obvious.
Jiang Fushi said to the three of them with a serious expression, "This matter must be kept secret. Just pretend you don't know anything about it."
The three of them nodded quickly.
After a long silence, Rongrong couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, what should we do now?"
This is a gift from the Empress, and it cannot be easily discarded; otherwise, it would be a grave offense of disrespect, giving others ammunition against us.
But you can't actually take it.
After thinking for a long time, Jiang Fushi's eyes lit up.
"Does the kitchen in the manor have donkey hide or yellow wine?"
Qingdai: "Your Highness, we do not have this item in the manor. We will need to purchase it at the market."
"Alright." Jiang Fushi then instructed, "Go to the East Market tomorrow and purchase a batch of donkey hides and yellow wine for me."
Qingdai and Zisu exchanged a glance, puzzled as to why the princess suddenly wanted these things, but they did not ask further and respectfully replied, "Yes, Your Highness."
The next day, a cleaned black donkey hide was delivered to the small kitchen.
Jiang Fushi ordered the cook to remove the hair from the donkey skin, blanch it, cut it into pieces, and put it into a copper pot to simmer.
From dawn till dusk, she personally oversaw the process, filtering the clear adhesive solution through gauze again and again.
As the moon rises above the willow branches, the courtyard is quiet, save for the soft bubbling of the pot and the occasional evening breeze.
The dim candlelight illuminated Jiang Fushi's focused profile as she gently stirred the contents of the pot with a copper spoon. Rongrong, though drowsy, kept her awake and kept her company.
Zhan Xiao landed silently outside the courtyard. Through the half-open window, he quietly watched the princess's busy face, his gaze deep, without uttering a word.
All day long, the princess was busy running back and forth between the small kitchen and the main hall. She personally oversaw the cooking and filtered the medicine, and didn't even have a proper dinner.
Although it is unknown what he is busy with, it should be related to the Empress's favor.
What is the purpose of expending so much effort?
After nearly ten days of hard work, the pieces of donkey-hide gelatin cake were finally neatly arranged in an exquisite food box, their color glossy and their aroma enticing.
Jiang Fushi carefully prepared the food box and then submitted a memorial to the palace to pay her respects.
After receiving the Empress's permission, she made a special effort to dress up and put on a proper yet understated palace dress before riding in a carriage into the palace.
The Empress sat regally on her phoenix throne, her expression indifferent. She looked Jiang Fushi up and down, noticing that her face was paler than usual and that there was a faint bluish-gray tinge under her eyes. She felt a surge of pleasure.
It must be those 'tonics' that worked.
She concealed her triumphant expression and said calmly, "I heard from Granny Sun that you have a filial offering to present to me?"
"Yes, Mother."
"The tonics that Your Majesty recently bestowed upon me are extremely precious. I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty's kindness and, after much thought, I dare not enjoy them all by myself. Therefore, I have personally prepared these gifts into donkey-hide gelatin cakes and have come to offer them to Your Majesty for your enjoyment."
"At the same time, I have also prepared some, which I would like to distribute to the ladies of the palace, so that they may all enjoy the Empress's kindness."
Upon hearing this, the Empress's face darkened, and her fingers tightened suddenly as she gripped the teacup.
Granny Sun's eyelids twitched, and she knew something was wrong.
Giving it to other concubines? That would be outrageous!
If the imperial physicians discover the problem and trace it back to the ingredients of the reward, how could Fengyi Palace escape responsibility?
Although she was filled with shock and anger, the Empress had to force a smile and almost grit her teeth as she praised, "Heh... Yuhe is really... becoming more and more sensible. I appreciate this filial piety."
"Very well, then I will not disturb Your Majesty's rest any longer. I will now go and deliver the remaining donkey-hide gelatin cakes to the ladies of the palace."
The Empress quickly called out to her, "Wait!"
She gave Granny Sun a wink, and Granny Sun immediately stepped forward, a smile plastered on her face, and blocked Jiang Fushi's path.
“Princess Yuhe, Her Majesty means that your filial piety is truly rare, and Her Majesty is very pleased. However…”
"The constitutions of the various ladies in the palace are all different. Some are too weak to tolerate tonics, while others have many dietary restrictions. If your good intentions are not appreciated by any of the ladies, it would be a disservice to His Highness's filial piety."
"In my opinion, it would be best to leave these donkey-hide gelatin cakes in the Phoenix Palace for the time being, and let Your Highness decide how to distribute them."
Jiang Fushi glanced at the Empress, then at the nanny, looking conflicted.
The Empress said at the right moment, "What Granny Sun said is right. You are weak and have been frightened recently. You don't need to worry about these trivial matters. Go back to your residence and rest first."
Jiang Fushi curtsied and said, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your consideration. I will now return to my residence to rest."
Turning around to face the sunlight streaming in from outside the palace gates, Jiang Fushi finally showed a relaxed smile after leaving the main hall of Fengyi Palace.
The Empress's expression just now was so rich. If I had known, I would have prepared another portion and sent it to Yaoguang Palace, saying: "In appreciation of our sisterly affection, I am offering this nourishing gift, wishing my elder sister a speedy recovery."
As Jiang Fushi was walking through the Imperial Garden, she saw the head maid of Yaoguang Palace leading two younger maids past in the distance. She called out to her, "Please wait. I heard that Your Highness was unwell some time ago. I wonder if you are feeling much better now?"
The head maid, though surprised to see Princess Yuhe, replied respectfully, "Thank you for your concern, Princess Yuyao is much better now. She still has some itchy marks on her body and is feeling down, so she doesn't want to see anyone."
Jiang Fushi feigned concern: "Then I will not disturb you. Please tell my elder sister to take good care of herself."
The head palace maid respectfully replied, "This servant will certainly convey your message."
It was a truly pleasant and refreshing day. Jiang Fushi happily rode out of the palace in her carriage. As soon as the carriage stopped at the back gate of the princess's residence, Cao San, who had been waiting there, quickly came to greet her.
These days, she would give Cao San a packet of medicine powder every three days, asking him to add it to Cao Zhang's tea when the opportunity arose.
Based on the efficacy of the medication, Cao Zhang should have already started experiencing initial symptoms.
Jiang Fushi asked, "Has Cao Zhang been feeling unwell lately?"
"Yes." Cao San replied in a low voice, "Recently, Cao Zhang has been experiencing alternating chills and fever, and occasionally he also suffers from qi deficiency. We called the prefectural physician to examine him, who said it was due to excessive indulgence and physical weakness. He only prescribed some warming and tonifying remedies and did not suspect anything."
oh……
She had never made that connection to excessive indulgence; she had previously thought it would be misdiagnosed as a cold or a digestive disorder.
"As Cao Zhang's personal attendant, you should be very familiar with his daily life. Tell me, what are his plans for the future?"
Cao San pondered for a moment: "Your Highness, Cao Zhang has always enjoyed lingering at Xiefang Pavilion. His former favorite, Miss Yan Hong, was banished after offending him, and now he is infatuated with the new Miss Tao Hua."
"I heard that Peach Blossom Girl's dressing ceremony is in three days. Cao Zhang declared that he was determined to win her over and would definitely go to Xiefang Pavilion in person."
Jiang Fushi smiled gently.
That's perfect.
The best opportunity to ruin Cao Zhang's reputation was, of course, to do so in public.
She casually gave Cao San a silver ingot and instructed him, "Use this powder when he's drunk and his guard is at its lowest."
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