Chapter 294 The world changed in an instant.
The next morning, as dawn broke, Li Yuanzhao had already gotten up to prepare for court.
Huang Mian also woke up and was kneeling in front of the bed, carefully helping Li Yuanzhao get dressed.
His movements were gentle and respectful, showing no arrogance despite the Emperor's indulgence and favor last night.
After tying the last ribbon, Li Yuanzhao looked at his downcast eyes, reached out and touched the top of his head, his tone unusually gentle: "I'm leaving now, I'll come see you again tonight."
Huang Mian was overjoyed, but dared not show the slightest discomposure on his face. He quickly kowtowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty. Your Majesty is concerned with state affairs and need not worry about your servant. Your servant will wait quietly in Hanshui Pavilion."
Li Yuanzhao smiled upon hearing this, said nothing more, and turned to leave in a grand procession with his palace servants.
As soon as the Emperor's carriage left the palace gates of Hanshui Pavilion, the palace servants inside all knelt down, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, on receiving the Emperor's grace!"
Huang Mian smiled, "There will be rewards for everyone!"
The palace servants cheered and thanked them again before happily getting up to get back to work.
Just then, a young eunuch rushed in, "Master, the Imperial Medical Bureau has sent medicine again."
Huang Mian then suppressed her smile and said, "Send it."
Unexpectedly, when the others came in, they discovered that the person who had come to deliver the medicine was none other than Xiao Lingdang, the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau.
Huang Mian was somewhat surprised and quickly stood up, saying politely, "Why has Director Lin come in person?"
Xiao Lingdang bowed respectfully, saying, "His Majesty specifically instructed that Minister Huang, having just received the Emperor's favor, needs to be well cared for. This humble official dares not neglect this duty."
Huang Mian said, "How could I trouble you to come all this way? I can just have a servant bring it over. Please have a seat."
Little Bell sat down and said, "No trouble at all."
The physician behind him quickly stepped forward and handed him the medicine bottle.
Huang Mian took the familiar celadon medicine bottle, poured out the contents, and saw that they were indeed the same brown pills.
He has been taking this medicine since he entered the palace, and has now been taking it for more than half a month.
Seeing Xiaolingdang watching him take the medicine, he suddenly felt a surge of curiosity and wanted to find out more: "Director Lin, what exactly are the effects of this medicine? I asked the doctor who delivered the medicine before, and he only said that it strengthens the body."
Xiao Lingdang said naturally, "It is indeed a health-strengthening pill. His Majesty has been busy with affairs since ascending the throne, but he still cares about the health of the women in the harem. He specially ordered me to prepare this pill, which contains ginseng, angelica and other nourishing herbs. Long-term use can invigorate qi and blood, and strengthen the body's foundation."
Huang Mian pressed further, "Is this medicine unique to me, or does everyone in the harem have it?"
Little Bell smiled slightly, "Of course everyone has it, even Her Majesty the Empress takes it."
Huang Mian was relieved and took the warm water handed to her by the palace servant. She then put the pill in her mouth and drank it all in one gulp.
Seeing that he had taken the medicine, Xiao Lingdang got up to take her leave: "Since you have taken the medicine, I will take my leave. I still have to go to another palace to deliver medicine, so I dare not delay."
"Director Lin, please take care." Huang Mian nodded politely, then gave a wink to the attendant beside him.
The attendant immediately understood, took out a heavy purse from his sleeve, quickly followed, and quietly slipped it to Xiao Lingdang's entourage.
The subordinate accepted the gift without hesitation and left Hanshui Pavilion with Xiaolingdang.
Before long, the Emperor and Empress's rewards arrived one after another.
From brocade from Jiangnan to imported glass cups, from imperial stationery to rare jade artifacts, they were all delivered to Hanshui Pavilion like flowing water.
Before noon, the news that "the Emperor abandoned Wang Yanzhi last night and stayed at the residence of Huang Shiqing in Hanshui Pavilion" spread throughout the entire palace.
Upon hearing this news, the young men of each palace had different thoughts.
Some people gathered together and secretly mocked Wang Yanzhi: "Look at his aloof appearance, wasn't he rejected by His Majesty on the spot? Sure enough, a substitute is just a substitute, not as good as someone who knows how to serve others."
Some people were filled with envy, saying, "Huang Shiqing received such an overwhelming favor after just one night. If it were me, I would probably be laughing in my dreams."
In the month or so that followed, the Emperor visited the inner palace more frequently.
As newly appointed nobles received their favors one after another, the imperial palace gradually came to life.
Among them, Huang Shiqing was the most favored. Not only was he frequently summoned to the emperor's residence, but he also received generous rewards. For a time, his popularity was almost comparable to that of Chen Guishi in Ningxiang Palace.
In addition, two of General Fu's sons and a beauty from Goryeo were also quite favored.
These two men were on good terms with Huang Shiqing and often went to the Empress's palace together to pay their respects.
Although there were often some frictions between him and Consort Chen, the Empress always mediated, so the matter never really escalated to the Emperor's attention.
Everyone's lives were peaceful and lively.
As for Wang Yanzhi, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that he had lost the emperor's favor.
After that night, the Emperor never set foot in Qiushui Residence again.
Those in the palace are adept at reading people's expressions and are skilled at tailoring their service to their clients. Seeing that this courtier seemed to be disliked by the emperor, they became less attentive to him.
Life naturally became much more difficult.
He had no intention of vying for favor, and although these days were difficult, he was not too distressed.
However, the rumors circulating about that Chen Jinshi eventually reached his ears.
When he reads by the window, he often can't help but ponder: Did a man like the Emperor, who is so cold and decisive, ever love someone deeply?
In the previous dynasty, the marriage alliance between the Su and Liu families had aroused envy among the powerful families in the capital.
Moreover, many young men from wealthy families were not selected in this talent show.
These powerful families then turned their attention to the new batch of female officials in the imperial court.
First is Su Qingci, who has been promoted to Minister of Justice.
She was both talented and beautiful, and was the first female Minister. Who wouldn't hope to marry into the Su family and become the head of the household?
Matchmakers practically wore out the door, from the son of a duke to royalty... the list goes on and on.
To everyone's surprise, Su Qingci politely declined all offers, saying only, "With no new policies in place, how can I establish a home?"
With no other option, everyone turned their attention to General Ru and the newly appointed female scholars.
Thanks to the matchmakers' efforts, all the marriages of female officials in the court were arranged.
As a result, Zhou Hongying, a widow who used to slaughter pigs, also became a hot commodity, marrying six vice ministers in one go, which became a hot topic of discussion in the capital.
I heard that her former father-in-law was so angry when he heard the news that he died.
For a time, it became common for women to marry men in the capital.
This trend gradually spread among the general public as well.
The world has changed in an instant.
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