Chapter 66 The Music Box Shocks the Emperor
The Imperial Palace.
The atmosphere was solemn and respectful.
Inside Kunning Palace.
Although Madam Cheng was the sister-in-law, she still had to kneel and pay homage to her sister, who was the Empress.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects. May Your Majesty be well."
The Empress saw her sister-in-law kneeling below and wanted to help her up, but she had to hold back because the Emperor was sitting behind the screen.
"Madam Cheng, please excuse the formalities. Please take a seat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Madam Cheng rose as instructed and carefully sat down on the embroidered stool brought by the palace servants.
The Empress smiled and asked eagerly, "Did you bring the music box, sister-in-law?"
"Your Majesty the Empress commands, and I will naturally obey."
Madam Cheng quickly responded and took a sandalwood box from the maid behind her.
Mrs. Cheng disliked the original cardboard box that had been used to package the music box, finding it too casual and unworthy of this magical object.
The next day, I had an exquisite sandalwood box made, and with the weight of the music box, it now feels quite heavy in my hands.
The Empress, no longer caring whether the Emperor behind the screen was listening, couldn't contain her curiosity and quickly got down from her seat, walking straight to Madam Cheng, her gaze falling on the sandalwood box:
"I've heard that this thing can sing and dance, is that true?"
Madam Cheng's birthday banquet that night caused a sensation throughout the city, and the beautiful melody, like music from heaven, still echoes in the minds of the guests.
That very evening, it was announced that Madam Cheng had received a magical treasure as a birthday gift, which could both sing and dance!
"Your Majesty, it is indeed so. This was a gift from a friend of Fang'er who lives a secluded life."
Before she came, Cheng Fang specifically instructed her not to reveal that it was a gift from Goddess Jiang, so as to avoid causing her trouble.
Madam Cheng noted it down, only saying that it was a friend of Cheng Fang.
Mrs. Cheng opened the sandalwood box and took out the music box inside.
The Empress gazed at the exquisite ornament, wanting to reach out and touch it, yet fearing she might break it. Eager to try, she said:
"How can I make it sing and dance? Do I need a spell?"
Madam Cheng frequently visited the palace and got along very well with her sister-in-law. They didn't need to beat around the bush when they spoke.
She steadily supported the base of the music box, showing the bottom to the Queen, and pointed to the inconspicuous little black pick on it.
"Your Majesty, please look, the mechanism is here. Just gently flick this switch, and this thing will sing and dance."
As she spoke, Mrs. Cheng gently pushed with her finger.
In an instant, a beautiful and melodious tune came from the box. Then, the disc on the music box began to spin, and the Tang-style maid on it seemed to come to life and began to dance gracefully. The drummer in the middle struck the small drum in his hand in time with the music.
"Good heavens!" The Queen's eyes widened instantly, and she exclaimed softly, staring at the dancing maids above without moving, as if the maids had come to life in her eyes.
The wondrous music echoed throughout the hall.
All the eunuchs and palace maids were completely captivated by it!
Even the emperor behind the screen was so shocked he almost couldn't sit still.
This music should only exist in heaven; how often can it be heard on earth?
During the outbreak of the epidemic, rumors circulated that a goddess surnamed Jiang had given medicine to His Highness the Crown Prince, saving more than a thousand people from the brink of death.
At that time, he did not believe it, thinking that ghosts and gods were only vague and ethereal.
For thousands of years, it has only been passed down orally; has anyone ever actually seen the immortals?
Not long after, Crown Prince Qin Zhao presented his report, which stated that: fortunately, thanks to the gift of a special antipyretic medicine from the Western Regions, as well as various external wound medicines, the epidemic has been brought under control.
At this point, the emperor concluded that the so-called goddess giving medicine was just a rumor spread by the people, but since the situation was developing in a positive direction, he did not intervene.
It was simply to build up the Crown Prince's reputation among the common people.
After the Crown Prince returned to the palace, he did bring back some medicines, but he regarded them as ordinary pills made with fine craftsmanship and ordered the Imperial Hospital to take them to study and imitate them.
However, after more than half a month, dozens of top imperial physicians in the Imperial Medical Academy were at a loss as to what to do with the pills and their strange packaging. They were completely unable to analyze the ingredients and manufacturing methods, and wasted several pills that could have brought the dead back to life.
He had a vague feeling that what the Crown Prince brought back was probably not so simple!
A few days ago, Princess Taiping came to him crying and complaining that Cheng Jiaojiao had bought a light-emitting lamp and a black box that could start a fire from a Sister Jiang.
He showed off in front of her all day long, and Princess Taiping was envious. When she returned, she begged her father to get her a set as well.
In Princess Taiping's mind, her father, the emperor, was the ruler of the world and omnipotent. He could easily obtain mere lamps and tinder.
What kind of light can emit light? A black box that can start a fire?
At first, the emperor thought it was just a young girl playing around and didn't take it to heart.
Until that day, when he was inspecting the military camps on the outskirts of Beijing, he saw with his own eyes the Crown Prince's personal guard Jiang Yizheng proudly showing his lantern to a group of soldiers. The thing was not only windproof and rainproof, but the beam of light it emitted could also shine extremely far and brightly, far superior to ordinary lanterns and torches!
Only then did he realize that the so-called spotlight and black tinder were actually like this!
Now, on the tray in front of him are these two items.
That identical black color and that icy-cold feel to the touch, the ability to polish the sheet metal to the point where it's mirror-like—there are probably few in the Great Yu Dynasty who could do that.
Three days ago, there was another rumor that Prince Cheng presented a magical treasure to his mother at her birthday banquet, which could sing and dance and amaze everyone!
I heard it was a gift from a friend surnamed Jiang!
All of this made him feel that this girl surnamed Jiang might not be so simple after all.
Therefore, today, in the name of the Empress, Lady Cheng is summoned to the palace, with the purpose of seeing that celestial treasure that can sing and dance!
The beautiful music still lingers in my ears, proving that what was said to be true!
Could this girl surnamed Jiang be no ordinary person?
The emperor had not felt this excited in a long time.
If there truly are goddesses in this world, wouldn't that be a blessing for the Great Yu Dynasty!
————
Song Qingshan and his wife had just left the Qi residence.
The steward of the Qi family immediately sent someone with the items to the palace at top speed.
Consort Qi in the palace had just given birth to a prince last year and was at the height of her favor.
For some reason, after giving birth to the prince, the once fair-skinned girl's complexion instantly turned sallow, making her look more than ten years older.
After the imperial physician's diagnosis, he only said: "The Empress suffered too much during childbirth and is still recovering."
But even after recovering for more than half a year, his complexion hasn't changed at all.
Although she had a prince by her side, he was still young.
She was still inseparable from the emperor's favor at this moment.
Moreover, the Crown Prince and the First Prince are both about to come of age, and her still-nagging son simply cannot compete with them.
The emperor is in his prime, and I heard that there will be another selection of concubines at the end of the year. Once the new concubines enter the palace, she will probably have no chance at all.
If the new concubine gives birth to a prince or princess, taking away the emperor's favor, the fate of this disgraced concubine is predictable!
Although Master Qi held an official position in the court, it was a sinecure.
The current wealth and prosperity of the Qi family are entirely dependent on Consort Qi.
The whole family has been searching for famous doctors to treat her, but unfortunately, they have tried everything and there has been no improvement in the past six months.
At a banquet, Madam Qi overheard that there was a cloth shop called Song's in the capital that sold rouge, face powder and lip balm that could make people look radiant.
She immediately sent someone to drive there, but the cloth shop owner seemed to be deliberately going against her.
She was gone as soon as she arrived!
There haven't been any for two days in a row!
A mere merchant dares to oppose the Qi family!
Did they intend to sell it at a high price? She was so angry she wanted to burn the shop down!
In the end, it was the owner of Jiyunxuan Restaurant across the street who came over to smooth things over, saying that the restaurant was indeed short of stock and did not intend to neglect its esteemed customers.
She still had to save face for the Ji family, so she patiently waited for this day.
The next morning, Mr. and Mrs. Song, owners of the Song Cloth Shop, personally brought cosmetics and powder to apologize.
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