The following day, the emperor sent an eunuch to the residence of the Marquis of Zhongyong to invite Xiao Qingyin.
Upon hearing that the treatment was for Consort Li, Xiao Qingyin immediately refused.
"I'm sorry, please tell His Majesty that I am not skilled in treating pregnant women, so I will not make this trip."
The eunuch reported back truthfully.
Although the emperor was already reluctant to ask Xiao Qingyin to see Consort Li, he was still furious upon hearing this reply.
"I invited her, and even if she can't cure it, she should at least have examined it. But she didn't even come. She's really arrogant!"
Consort Li said pitifully from the side, "Your Majesty, please don't blame her. If you have to blame someone, blame your own incompetence. I have no skills and people look down on me."
"She doesn't look down on you, she clearly looks down on me."
The emperor was furious, but there was nothing he could do.
Xiao Qingyin refused to enter the palace, and he couldn't very well have someone kidnap her—unless he intended to break ties with Yi Shuihan.
But if he just let it go like that, he would feel really frustrated.
Just then, Consort Li said, "Your Majesty, I heard that the Empress Dowager is looking for a suitable match for her grandniece. Marquis Zhongyong is not yet married and is also an important minister of Your Majesty. I think it would be better to match them up."
Should the Empress Dowager's niece be betrothed to Yun Zhao?
At first, the emperor thought it was a pipe dream, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized it was a good idea.
He tolerated Yi Shuihan and Xiao Qingyin, partly because the two of them occupied Nandan, but more so because Xiao Qingyin alone was entangled with two of his generals.
Fu Junshi was irreplaceable in Liaodong, and it would be difficult to find a suitable commander for the Southeast Navy besides Yun Zhao.
Because of Yun Shen, he used to have very close ties with the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion.
But Yun Zhao had no connection with him whatsoever.
If the Empress Dowager's niece were married to Yun Zhao, the two families would be related.
His wife was naturally closer than his cousin, so even if he dealt with Xiao Qingyin in the future, he didn't have to worry about Yun Zhao turning against him.
He then laughed and said, "You've come up with a good idea. I'll go and discuss it with the Empress Dowager right away."
Consort Li smiled modestly: "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty."
The emperor drank two cups of tea with her, then went to Cixi Palace to see the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager had no objection to this.
"Later, I will summon Lady Han to the palace. If the Marquis of Zhongyong has not yet made a promise to anyone, I will arrange a marriage between him and Qian'er."
The Emperor nodded: "Thank you for your trouble, Mother."
Xiao Qingyin was surprised that after one eunuch left, another one arrived.
The difference this time was that the eunuch was from the Han family.
When Han learned that the Empress Dowager had summoned her to the palace, she looked puzzled: "What does the Empress Dowager want with me?"
The eunuch claimed ignorance.
Lady Han could not disobey the imperial decree, so she changed her clothes and followed the eunuch into the palace.
Xiao Qingyin was worried that Consort Li might cause trouble and that something might happen to Madam Han, so she accompanied her out.
With her around, at least we can manage to handle things a little.
When he met the Empress Dowager and heard her ask about Yun Zhao's marriage, he learned that there was another reason behind it.
Han had long known from Xiao Qingyin that Yun Zhao had taken a liking to the female pirate who had submitted to the imperial court, and that his heart was with her.
Therefore, when the Empress Dowager asked, he replied, "I was recently engaged."
The Empress Dowager was taken aback.
"Whose daughter is she? Why hasn't any news about her been sent out?"
Madam Han sighed: "He made the decision on his own, choosing the daughter of a small family in Nanyue."
"So that's how it is."
The Empress Dowager frowned.
"Marriage is a major event, and it has always been decided by parents and arranged by matchmakers. There is no reason for a private marriage. Since you come from a humble family, you can take a good concubine. It would be best to choose a wife from the capital."
"That's exactly what I think too."
Han looked helpless.
“But this boy is determined to marry her, and the betrothal letter has already been given. Our Yun family has always valued its promises, and we can’t let him break his promise just because the two families are not a good match.”
The Empress Dowager was very displeased.
With Han's abilities, he could easily manage a small local household; why bother with such important promises?
He clearly sensed her intention to arrange a marriage and used that as an excuse to reject her.
That person might have just made it up on the spot by Han.
This blatant disrespect for her is utterly outrageous.
Just as she was about to lash out, a palace servant came to report: "Your Majesty, Consort Li has arrived."
The Empress Dowager was taken aback.
Why is Consort Li here instead of resting in the palace during her pregnancy?
She couldn't bear the responsibility if anything happened to the child.
He quickly announced, "Let her in, and help her in gently."
Before long, palace maids helped Consort Li into the palace.
Consort Li curtsied to the Empress Dowager and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, I have come to pay my respects to you."
"You child, I told you to rest well and not to come over to pay your respects, but you just wouldn't listen."
The Empress Dowager scolded.
After saying this, she had a palace servant bring a chair for Consort Li.
After thanking her, Consort Li sat down.
She glanced at Madam Han and Xiao Qingyin and said in surprise, "I didn't expect that the old lady of the Marquis of Zhongyong and Miss Xiao would be here as well. What a coincidence! I was just about to ask Miss Xiao to take a look."
Xiao Qingyin: Keep pretending.
The Empress Dowager's heart tightened.
"What are you looking at? Are you feeling unwell?"
It's rare for the emperor to allow a concubine to become pregnant, so Consort Li must make sure this pregnancy doesn't go wrong.
Consort Li replied, "I am suffering from morning sickness. I vomit everything I eat, and I have lost a lot of weight. I am worried that it will affect the baby, so I wanted to ask Miss Xiao for some treatment. Unfortunately, Miss Xiao said that she is not good at treating pregnant women."
The Empress Dowager was somewhat relieved.
"Everyone has their own expertise, it's normal if you're not good at this. You should find an experienced imperial physician to see you."
Consort Li shook her head: "I have already seen the imperial physician and taken the medicine, but it has no effect."
After saying that, he looked at Xiao Qingyin and said, "Since Miss Xiao is here, please take a look at me. Perhaps my symptoms are not due to pregnancy, but due to some other illness."
Xiao Qingyin smiled slightly: "It's not that I'm being pretentious. It's just that I recently treated a group of soldiers. These soldiers have been through many battles, and even though they have long since retired, they still retain a lot of malevolent energy. I've picked up a lot of malevolent energy from them, and I'm afraid of passing it on to Your Majesty, which is why I refused."
The elderly are the most superstitious.
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager immediately replied, "Miss Xiao is right. A pregnant woman is most afraid of being struck by evil energy. You should stay away from her."
Consort Li looked alarmed: "So that's the reason? Then I'm so close to Miss Xiao now, isn't that...?"
Xiao Qingyin nodded.
"Your Majesty should take a bath immediately to purify yourself, and have a monk recite scriptures for forty-nine days to drive away any evil spirits."
Upon hearing this, Consort Li immediately summoned palace servants to help her back to the palace.
Fearing she couldn't withstand the murderous aura emanating from Xiao Qingyin, the Empress Dowager didn't bother arguing with Han Shi. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she ordered them to be escorted out of the palace.
On the way back to the manor, Madam Han said with great concern, "Why did you mention the evil aura just now? If something really happens to Consort Li, won't you be blamed?"
Xiao Qingyin chuckled: "Does Grandmother think that if I don't say that, she won't blame me?"
"What's the meaning?"
"It's highly likely that Consort Li's pregnancy has run into problems, and she wants to find me to be the scapegoat."
"What?!"
Han was astonished.
"She's trying to frame you?"
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