The old lady held the hand of the woman in deep thought, conveying warmth in an invisible way.
The Queen looked towards the doorway again and again.
The eunuchs and palace maids of Shufangzhai knelt on the ground.
Ertai, standing to the side, looked anxiously at the dazed man.
The situation remained deadlocked for a time, with only Qing'er's comforting voice soothing Shen Nian.
"Here he comes, here he comes, Physician Chang is here."
Benjamin's words broke the deadlock.
Upon hearing Benjamin's words, the people surrounding Shen Nian dispersed.
"Doctor Chang, hurry! Niannian is frightened and won't say a word."
Upon seeing the newcomer, the empress spoke urgently.
"Okay, okay, spread out a bit."
Upon hearing that Chen Nian was in trouble, Chang Shou grabbed his medical kit and rushed over, leaving Rong Momo behind.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Imperial Physician Chang has arrived."
Rong Momo arrived late, panting as she spoke.
"I understand, Granny Rong. Please calm down. Physician Chang is already examining Niannian."
The Empress was actually quite kind to Rong Momo.
"Um."
Rong Momo shut her mouth and stood beside the Empress, waiting.
Chang Shou first waved in front of Shen Nian's eyes, and seeing that Shen Nian did not react, he began to take Shen Nian's pulse, his brows furrowing.
The Empress Dowager, watching from the side, was on tenterhooks, her handkerchief crumpled into a deep wrinkle.
Her precious darling must not be harmed, or she'll never let Little Swallow off the hook.
"Your Majesty, Consort Shen is extremely frightened. I will immediately prescribe a calming soup for her. I will prepare the soup and give it to Consort Shen. She should feel better after that."
Now, let's let Princess Shen calm down and not frighten her. Everyone else, please leave.
As time ticked by, Physician Chang finally stopped.
"Alright, alright, you may all leave. Physician Chang, go and write the prescription."
Seeing the large group of people in the room, the Empress Dowager waved her hand impatiently.
"Your Majesty, I'll stay here and keep Niannian company."
As Qing'er pleaded, she kept thinking about the situation and was reluctant to leave.
"Alright, Qing'er, you stay with Niannian for now, I'll be there in a bit."
The Empress Dowager nodded gently. "Very well," she said, "I don't feel comfortable leaving Niannian alone in the inner room."
"Little Swallows, come out here!"
Looking at Xiao Yanzi, who was standing to the side trying to find someone to help her, his tone became stern.
The Empress helped the Empress Dowager out of the inner room.
Ertai glanced back at the still dazed man again, then followed him out with concern.
...
"Ertai, bring out that ball."
After scanning the crowd below, the Empress Dowager looked at Ertai and spoke with a hint of anger in her voice.
In the urgency of the situation, she didn't have time to see what it was; she only knew it was a ball.
"yes."
Following the Empress Dowager's instructions, Ertai stepped out of the crowd and presented the ball, which was then taken by Eunuch Pu.
"Your Majesty, it's Cuju (ancient Chinese football)."
Grandpa Pu glanced at it and began to speak.
"Hey, don't talk nonsense. That's not Cuju (ancient Chinese football), it's launching balloons."
Little Swallow jumped out and argued after hearing what Grandpa Pu said.
Hearing this, Yongqi and Benjamin couldn't help but facepalm.
This little swallow...
"I don't care what you do, whether it's releasing balloons, playing with forbidden items in the palace, Little Swallow, do you know your crime?"
Looking at the person who jumped out, the Empress Dowager's tone was extremely stern.
Startled, Little Swallow immediately knelt on the ground.
"Your Majesty, this is really a balloon being released, not a football."
As soon as the Empress Dowager spoke, Xiao Yanzi deflated like a punctured balloon, her voice weak and lacking any of the imposing manner she used to display when confronting and challenging the Empress.
"Heh~, I didn't know until I came that you gave me such a big surprise. It's one thing to play during the confinement period, but to play with forbidden items in the palace is truly lawless."
The old lady's tone was laced with sarcasm.
Without Qing'er to smooth things over, Xiao Yanzi won't get away with it so easily this time.
Little Swallow, hearing the Empress Dowager's mocking words, didn't know how to explain and trembled all over.
"May the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager be blessed. This football is a gift for Xiao Yanzi."
The protector of the flower arrived late, and Yongqi stepped forward, taking all the responsibility upon himself.
If Chen Nian were alive, he would probably exclaim, "Truly courageous."
"Yongqi, what kind of behavior is it for a prince to come to a princess's courtyard every day? Doesn't Xiaoyanzi know that playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football) is forbidden? Don't you know that too?"
The Empress Dowager was already furious, and Yongqi added fuel to the fire by jumping in. Thinking of the frightened Chen Nian, the Empress Dowager's anger surged even higher.
She had previously told Qing'er that Yongqi had become much more mature, but now it seems she still needs to observe him more closely.
"Where did you get your football from?"
"May Your Majesty the Empress Dowager be blessed, may Her Majesty the Empress be blessed, the Cuju (ancient Chinese football) was found by my Ruyi Pavilion..."
Benjamin also jumped in, trying to exonerate himself.
"Heh~, even forbidden things can appear in Ruyi Pavilion. It seems I have to deal with the Imperial Household Department severely."
Seeing so many people making excuses for Xiao Yanzi, while her own Niannian was still inside, frightened and disoriented, with no one caring about her, the Empress Dowager's anger grew higher and higher, and even the Empress felt it.
She should have taken this opportunity to show off her status as Xiao Yanzi, but now she was worried about what was going on in the inner chamber and didn't want to argue with Xiao Yanzi.
She'll settle accounts with Xiao Yanzi sooner or later for the things that hurt Niannian and for the things that went against her.
"Your Majesty~"
Qing'er's shout came from inside the room, which immediately extinguished much of the Empress Dowager's anger.
"Little Swallow, I originally intended to lift your confinement today after listening to what Niannian and Qing'er said, but now it seems..."
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