Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Why is she here?
The expression on Concubine Tong's face froze, and suddenly became a little strange.
"My...Ama?"
"Yes, yes, he is the Empress's father. If he is powerful enough, how could the Emperor skip over the Empress and choose to enthrone another woman as the Queen?" Li Shuyao blinked and continued to persuade, still feeling a little nervous.
After a while, Concubine Tong dejectedly let go of the hand that was pinching Li Shuyao's chin.
As if his sanity had returned, he slowly sat further away. Suddenly, he didn't know what he was thinking, so he turned his head and glanced at Li Shuyao. He said in a slightly cold voice, "The Tong family is the emperor's maternal family. If my father is more powerful, wouldn't he be suspected of being too powerful to be the emperor's?"
"So!" Li Shuyao clapped her hands when she saw that she had finally figured it out. "Isn't your heart as clear as a mirror, Your Majesty?"
The Tong family has already produced an Empress Dowager Cihe, so the next empress will definitely not be chosen from the Tong family.
The Emperor himself was aware of this, as was the Empress Dowager, and all the civil and military officials in the court had reached a consensus on this very point long ago.
Li Shuyao raised her eyes to look at Concubine Tong, and seeing her thoughtful expression, she knew that she had guessed in this direction before, but had just been unwilling to admit it.
But today she happened to point it out.
...Hehe, she is so smart.
Li Shuyao was thinking happily.
On the other side, Concubine Tong suddenly sighed, and her voice sounded very lonely when she spoke, "That's why I feel unwilling..."
"What are you unwilling to accept?" Li Shuyao asked knowingly.
Concubine Tong was speechless for a long time.
Li Shuyao thought about it. Concubine Tong had come to visit her specially today and reminded her to be careful of anyone approaching her small kitchen.
This shows that Concubine Tong has no ill will towards her and wants to be good friends with her.
Shouldn't she return the favor?
Try to persuade her or something, so that she won't be depressed and continue to waste time?
It's just a few words, and she doesn't need to do anything.
Li Shuyao was ready to make a move.
While choosing the right words in his mind, he supported himself on the ivory table, slowly sat up straight, and moved a little closer to Concubine Tong. He lowered his voice and said to her, "Your Majesty, please don't worry about these things anymore, because these are things you can't control, just like the sun rises from the east every morning, flowers bloom in spring and wither in autumn, rivers flow eastward, and the stars in the sky form the Big Dipper, uh..."
Li Shuyao burped and almost started singing, so she quickly closed her mouth.
As a result, Concubine Tong didn't hear the rest of her words clearly, and asked curiously: "What in the sky?"
"The stars in the sky follow the Big Dipper," Li Shuyao answered obediently, "which means that the stars in the sky all follow the Big Dipper's movement..."
"What I'm trying to say is that these are all natural phenomena that we can't interfere with with human power, so there's no point in thinking about it."
"Since it's useless, it's better not to think about it."
Concubine Tong: “…”
She glanced at Li Shuyao several times with an indescribable expression and asked her, "Do you know what it means to 'man conquers nature, and success depends on human effort'?"
Li Shuyao nodded. "I know, but isn't there an old saying that goes, 'Man proposes, God disposes'?"
Concubine Tong stopped talking.
Li Shuyao couldn't suppress her suicidal urge at all, and she wouldn't stop talking once she started.
"There's also an old saying that goes, 'Life and death are determined by fate, while wealth and honor are determined by heaven.'"
“Man proposes, God disposes.”
“Do your best and accept your destiny.”
“Alas, the affairs of this world cannot be fully understood by this world.”[1]
…
She made Concubine Tong feel a little annoyed. All the pain and unwillingness she had felt before disappeared without a trace under Li Shuyao's nagging about "people" and "heaven".
Concubine Tong now just wants her to shut up.
But Li Shuyao was still racking her brains to think of other idioms she hadn't mentioned yet.
When she finally remembered a sentence and was about to say it excitedly, she raised her little face and was pinched on both cheeks by Concubine Tong's hands accurately. Her red lips pouted directly, "Mmm... Hmm?"
Li Shuyao:?
What is the Imperial Concubine doing? Why is she as annoying as the Emperor, and loves to pinch her face?
…
Seeing Li Shuyao being humiliated, Concubine Tong's mood suddenly improved.
She simply stretched out her hands and rubbed Li Shuyao's face like dough for a long time, then she was satisfied and prepared to get up and leave.
Halfway through standing up, he seemed to remember something, said "Huh", and turned to look at Li Shuyao's lower abdomen.
Her sparkling eyes were filled with eagerness to try, and it was clear at first glance that she had no good intentions.
Li Shuyao:!
She quickly hugged her belly, thus avoiding the tragic fate of her baby being raped by Concubine Tong.
However, Concubine Tong would not let her go so easily.
After sitting opposite, she raised her chin slightly and said in a very proud tone: "After you give birth, remember to bring the baby to Chengqian Palace for me to see."
"Ah?" Li Shuyao was stunned, then lowered her head and counted on her fingers, "It probably won't work. July and August are the hottest months, and I still have to observe confinement after childbirth."
Having to stay in confinement during the hottest time of the year, and not even being able to use ice, Li Shuyao could almost imagine how much suffering she would have to endure.
How could I have the energy to carry the baby to Chengqian Palace and offer it to him for love?
Concubine Tong thought about it and agreed.
She didn't hesitate at all and simply waved her hand, "Then I'll come and see it myself when the time comes."
"Okay." Li Shuyao nodded generously.
The two of them agreed on this.
Just at this moment, Tian Jiarou came in with tea and snacks.
Following Concubine Tong's instructions, she made several plates of identical snacks and carefully placed them on the table in front of Concubine Tong.
He stole a glance at the imperial concubine and saw that there was no anger on her face, then he breathed a sigh of relief, holding the tray and standing behind Li Shuyao.
Concubine Tong lowered her head and sniffed twice before asking Li Shuyao, "Is this what you usually eat?"
Li Shuyao nodded happily, "Yeah!"
"Your Highness, please try it first to see if it suits your taste. If not, you can tell me whether you prefer sweet or bland. Next time Qingyao comes, I will adjust the recipe with her. I hope that next time Your Highness comes, you can eat comfortably and happily!"
She was selling it very hard, as if Changchun Palace was some Changchun restaurant.
What about "come again next time" and "enjoy the meal"...
As Concubine Tong listened, a trace of trance appeared on her face. She almost thought that she had not entered the palace at this time and was still staying in the Tong family outside the palace.
She reached out and picked up the silver fork next to the porcelain plate, and following Li Shuyao's recommendation, she picked up a piece of milky white pastry and put it into her mouth.
She only felt the rich aroma of milk, which melted in her mouth. However, the taste was not as sweet and greasy as she had imagined, but had a light sweetness that lingered between her lips and tongue.
Li Shuyao asked her with sparkling eyes: "What do you think, Your Majesty? Is it delicious?"
Concubine Tong nodded honestly, "Not bad."
After saying that, he put another small piece of milk into his mouth.
Li Shuyao chuckled twice, and the expression on her delicate and bright face was full of pride, as if she had made this dessert by herself.
"If Your Majesty the Imperial Concubine likes it, I will have someone send the recipe to you later. This way, you can also enjoy these snacks in your own Chengqian Palace." Li Shuyao said.
Concubine Tong shook her head, her tone suddenly turned cold, and she said that it was not necessary. If she wanted to eat, it would be the same if she came to Li Shuyao's place.
Li Shuyao was puzzled. How could they be the same? Changchun Palace was to the west, Chengqian Palace to the east, and although there was only Kunning Palace and Yikun Palace between them, if Concubine Tong wanted to come to her place, she couldn't go directly through Kunning Palace.
You have to go around the original route, walk to the Imperial Garden in the north, and cross the entire Imperial Garden before you can reach the territory of the West Six Palaces. Then you have to go around again, otherwise it would be very impolite to go directly through the Yikun Palace.
...Oh, no, she is the imperial concubine. If she wants to borrow a passage from Yikun Palace, Qingyao can't say "no".
Li Shuyao pinched the handkerchief in her hand and felt that this was still inappropriate.
But seeing the inexplicably cold expression on Concubine Tong's face, she didn't dare to insist on giving her the prescription.
It seems like he is rejecting Concubine Tong's visit...
So she could only weakly agree, "Well, that's fine."
Concubine Tong glanced at her and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"I was wondering if it would be inconvenient for the queen to be like this..."
Concubine Tong chuckled, "Do you think I'm like you, that if I don't have snacks for a day, I'll be ravenous?"
Li Shuyao shook her head, and after a moment, several beats late, she realized that she had been tricked. How could she be so greedy if she didn't have snacks for a day?
She sounds like a nobody.
That's because the Qing Dynasty only ate two meals a day. She, she was hungry...
Being hungry is different from being greedy.
Li Shuyao was about to speak to defend herself when Concubine Tong dropped her fork with a "bang".
Li Shuyao noticed that, except for the milk squares, the snacks on the other plates in front of her had only minor skin injuries, and looked as new as if they had never been eaten. She began to wonder if they were not to Concubine Tong's taste.
After putting down her fork, Concubine Tong stood up and washed her hands. Then, while wiping her slightly wet fingers with cotton cloth, she ordered the palace servants outside to come in and remove the dessert plates.
Finally, she explained to Li Shuyao, "I don't really eat snacks."
I suddenly wanted to eat it today, and it was because of Li Shuyao.
Because when she eats, her soft cheeks always puff up, like a squirrel hoarding food. And her expression is so focused that it makes people's eyes envious and their hands itchy, and it will also make people have a sense of desire for the food, wanting to see if it is really that delicious.
However, once you have eaten it, you will find that it is just like that...
It would be better to just sit by and watch her eat quietly.
Li Shuyao was a little confused after hearing this: "The Queen just ate several pieces of those snacks."
Concubine Tong smiled and said softly, "That dessert is indeed quite good." It's soft and fragrant, not too sweet.
"It's just because the nanny beside me told me not to eat too much dessert, so three pieces is already the limit."
Huh? Three is the limit?
Li Shuyao didn't even dare to think about what would happen if Nanny Yan and Nanny Zhao only allowed her to eat three pieces of snacks a day...
She was afraid she would cry out of greed.
Li Shuyao was still thinking with resentment when Concubine Tong raised three fingers again and said, "After eating these three pieces of dessert today, I will not be able to eat sweets for the next three days."
Li Shuyao was shocked. "So it's not three pieces a day, it's only one piece a day?"
Concubine Tong nodded and said, "Mammy said that sweets are not good for the body. If I still want to maintain my health, it is better to avoid them."
Li Shuyao was a little puzzled. "What kind of logic is this?"
"That's what the ancient medical books say."
"But...but sugar is also necessary for the human body every day."
How boring would life be without sugar?
Dopamine makes you cry, okay?
Concubine Tong glanced at her again, and silently stroked her belly with one hand, recalling what the nanny had said to her.
After a while, he shook his head silently and did not explain any more to Li Shuyao.
Seeing that she didn't want to talk, Li Shuyao was too embarrassed to continue asking.
After lowering his head and finishing the snacks on his plate one by one, he drank the warm water in the cup contentedly.
Then he burped and waved to Tian Jiarou behind him, asking her to take away the plates and cups.
Tian Jiarou was very skillful. Shortly after she left, she brought in a cup of hot tea and a cup of hawthorn water.
The hot tea was for Concubine Tong, and the hawthorn water was prepared for Li Shuyao. Apart from a small spoonful of honey, there was nothing else in it.
Even from a distance, Concubine Tong could clearly smell the sour aroma of hawthorn wafting from her cup.
Concubine Tong was a little curious, "Don't you think it's sour?"
Li Shuyao shook her head: "It's not sour, the taste is just right."
Concubine Tong said, "That's pretty good, a sour boy and a spicy girl. Maybe there's a little prince inside."
Li Shuyao: "..."
She doesn't actually have any expectations about the baby's gender now. As long as it is healthy and has no problems, that's all that's fine.
Li Shuyao said nothing, but lowered her head silently, holding the glass cup that was bigger than her face and drinking it in small sips.
The pink side profile looks quiet and well-behaved.
As Concubine Tong looked at it, she suddenly had an idea: "It would be nice to live in Changchun Palace forever."
After a moment, she was startled by the thoughts churning in her mind. She quickly lowered her head and took a sip of the hot tea in the cup, and only then did she completely suppress the inexplicable thoughts.
…
Li Shuyao calculated the time in her mind while drinking hawthorn water.
Concubine Tong had also been staying with her for more than half an hour.
But she never mentioned the purpose of her coming here today. Could it be that she came here on a whim just to see her and the baby in her belly?
"By the way, I came here today because I have something to thank you for."
Concubine Tong put down the teacup, cleared her throat, and was the first to break the silence in the room.
Li Shuyao suddenly raised her head from the glass cup, blinked her clear and watery peach blossom eyes, and asked in a voice full of doubt, "Thank you, my concubine?"
"Yes, now the whole palace knows about it. The palace maids in your palace found something incredible in the Yiku Palace yesterday. After Guo Luoluo took those things to the Qianqing Palace to complain, other palaces also started to investigate. Wow, after this investigation, problems of all sizes were found in each palace." Concubine Tong explained.
Li Shuyao: "..."
She still didn't understand, so she was at most a fuse. The people who really made great contributions were Nanny Yan and Su Malagu.
What does it have to do with her now?
At most, she just stumbled upon something by accident, like a blind cat catching a dead mouse...
Why did Concubine Tong speak as if she was the one who was in charge?
She doesn't have that much ability, especially since there is a Queen watching over the palace. What if she thinks she is overstepping her authority?
Concubine Tong seemed to see the fear in her heart. Before she could speak, she continued gently, "The Queen is also very pleased with you. You don't have to worry."
"The Queen Mother praises me? Why?" Li Shuyao became more and more confused.
Concubine Tong said, "Ever since the end of August, when the Queen took over as the Empress, she has been thinking about conducting a thorough investigation of the harem, cleaning out the old filth, and releasing a number of the palace maids who are accustomed to being sneaky and cunning. However, due to the open and covert opposition from the other palaces, this has never been carried out."
Although the queen holds a noble position, she is ultimately the one who comes later than the queen.
Among those concubines who have been in the palace for more than ten years, which one is not more experienced than her?
Even if you agree on the surface, there is plenty of room for manipulation in private.
If it weren't for Li Shuyao's accidental discovery this time, the palace servants under her command would have discovered countless disgusting things in Yikun Palace, such as chronic poisons, flowers and ornaments that complement and counteract each other, blood-stained packages, and several wooden figurines with silver needles inserted...
The various palaces will not cooperate in this way.
No, the word "cooperation" is a relatively easy excuse.
The correct word to describe it is "impatient".
So the concubines returned to the palace to check...
Concubine Tong did not know what was discovered specifically, and she did not have the time to send anyone to investigate.
All I know is that this morning, the number of letters delivered to the Palace of Heavenly Purity was like falling snow, one after another.
After listening to this, Li Shuyao exclaimed, "Ah," and then there was a long silence.
After a while, she slowly spoke, "So, the Empress didn't blame me for overstepping my bounds?"
Concubine Tong, perhaps displeased with her cautious attitude towards the man in Kunning Palace, immediately frowned and said, "You easily accomplished what she couldn't do. If she still holds you accountable for your transgression, doesn't that mean she's useless as queen?"
Is this the truth?
Li Shuyao blinked twice in confusion and asked, "If we don't pursue it now, will there be a future..."
Concubine Tong interrupted her directly, "In the future, you will be a concubine who will give birth to an imperial heir. What are you afraid of her for?"
Li Shuyao shrank her neck in fear, "I'm not afraid, I'm just..."
"Yes, I understand. What you mean is that you are just fulfilling the duties and responsibilities of a concubine, right?" Concubine Tong looked at her with a smile.
Li Shuyao thought about it and realized that it was indeed the case.
Is it wrong for her to do her duty?
No!
So he nodded confidently, "Yes, that's right, that's right."
Concubine Tong was speechless.
Perhaps because Li Shuyao's attitude was too open and her expression was too sincere, the sarcasm she hadn't said yet seemed inappropriate.
After being choked for a while, she roughly understood Li Shuyao's personality.
To describe her as timid is an understatement.
But what words should be used to describe it?
——Empress Tong, who had been famous for her talent since childhood, felt for the first time what it was like to "regret not having read enough when you need it."
…
After sitting for about another quarter of an hour, Li Shuyao finally saw Concubine Tong off.
She stood under the eaves of the main hall and watched Concubine Tong's light red cloak drag out of the gate of Changchun Palace, then she breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he wiped the nonexistent sweat from his forehead and said to Nanny Yan beside him, "It's really not easy for me."
Nanny Yan was instantly alert, "Is your Majesty tired?"
Li Shuyao nodded, "I'm tired."
No matter whether she is physically tired or mentally tired, as long as the word "tired" comes out of her mother's mouth, it means she wants to eat snacks or wants to sleep.
Nanny Yan nodded obediently, "Your Majesty has just had some snacks. Why not take a nap now?"
Li Shuyao: "..."
She glanced at Nanny Yan and puffed her cheeks and said, "But didn't I just get up?"
As soon as she got up, she received many palace maids who came to give gifts, and then she personally received Concubine Tong. They talked for more than an hour and she learned some news that Qingyao had never told her. Li Shuyao was still excited at this time, so how could she want to sleep?
After Li Shuyao finished speaking, she looked up at the sky.
"Will it snow again later?"
If it didn't rain, she would like to take a walk in the Imperial Garden.
...Actually, it doesn't necessarily have to be the Imperial Garden. She's just a little bored of staying in Changchun Palace.
Since moving in, she has never stepped out of the gate of Changchun Palace. So, if Nanny Yan agrees, she can choose not to go to the Imperial Garden. It will be enough for her to walk back and forth on the palace road in front of the Changchun Palace gate.
Sure enough, when Nanny Yan heard that she wanted to go to the Imperial Garden, she refused without thinking.
"It snowed this morning, and there's still snow on the palace roads. What if Your Majesty slips and falls?"
"Then let's not go to the Imperial Garden. I'll just walk around the palace gate, okay?" Li Shuyao took the opportunity to put forward her real request.
At the palace gate...
Nanny Yan thought about it and decided that it was not impossible.
However, to be cautious, she went out for two quick walks. Still feeling uneasy, she asked the palace servants to bring out more than ten huge floor mats from the warehouse and spread out an open space about a quarter of the size of a badminton court at the gate of Changchun Palace.
Li Shuyao looked at the palace servants busying around her: "..."
I feel very guilty.
She obviously just wanted to walk around the door, and it wasn't an excessive request.
How come Nanny Yan even specially fenced off a piece of land?
Isn’t Nanny Yan really good at doting on children?
Li Shuyao was thinking deeply, and suddenly she remembered that Qingyao had told her before that when the baby in her belly grew to seven or eight months old, she would need to start choosing a wet nurse and a nanny in charge for him.
She had to choose four to six midwives, two head nurses, four wet nurses, four senior palace maids, eight junior palace maids, two young eunuchs to serve as attendants, two senior eunuchs to take charge of the affairs, and eight young eunuchs to run errands...
——Of course, if a little princess is born, there will be no need for so many eunuchs. Just change the positions of two eunuchs to palace maids.
Midwives are only needed during childbirth, and wet nurses generally only serve the babies for three to six years.
So she can pick any of these people, as long as they have good character and decent skills.
Only the two maids in charge and the two eunuchs in charge are the ones who will follow the little guy for the rest of his life.
Be sure to choose carefully.
Li Shuyao felt that Nanny Yan and Nanny Zhao were very good.
But if she gave both nannies to the little one, she would be left with no one...
As Li Shuyao thought about it, she suddenly became distressed again.
I no longer feel that the air outside Changchun Palace is fresh and free.
She stopped and stood in the middle of the mat, lost in thought. The palace maids beside her had no idea what she was thinking, so they had to carefully hold hands and form a wall of flesh to prevent her from being frozen by the cold wind blowing from afar.
When Li Shuyao came out, Tian Jiarou and Yue Shu were busy with things, so they sent Ruolan and Yinzhu to support her.
Ruolan is a more lively girl, while Yinzhu is relatively calm and introverted.
Seeing Li Shuyao stop, Ruolan was a little surprised. Without thinking, she asked, "What are you thinking about, Madam?"
Li Shuyao came back to her senses and subconsciously squeezed her hand, "No, nothing."
Yin Zhu's eyes flickered, then she quickly lowered them and said softly, "Madame Yan said that Your Majesty shouldn't overthink things, so if Your Majesty has anything you're curious about, you can ask us."
"Perhaps these servants can help your Majesty clear up her confusion."
"Really?" Li Shuyao suddenly became interested, picking and choosing in her mind, then turned her head and asked, "So, when will Qingyao finish her work and come to see me?"
this……
Yin Zhu's face flashed with hesitation, and then she lowered her head, "I don't know."
"Oh, I see. Then let me change the question. Do you think the Emperor will turn over my card in the next few days?"
She only heard about the first half of the search of the harem from Concubine Tong. As for the treatment of the palace servants and the punishment they would receive, she had no idea.
I was extremely curious and wanted to get the first taste of the hot melon from the emperor.
Yin Zhu: ...
Yin Zhu almost knelt down to her.
She now felt very regretful in her heart that she should not have deliberately said such words in order to please the empress.
Ruolan saw her embarrassment, her eyes turned, and she said in a clear voice, "Of course I will!"
"Oh?" Li Shuyao turned her head again, looking at her with an extremely focused look in her eyes. "How did you know that?"
"Because the Empress is pregnant with a dragon fetus, how could the Emperor not come to visit her?"
Li Shuyao was a little disappointed when she heard this. "So you think the emperor came to see me because he likes the dragon fetus in my belly?"
Ruolan shook her head. "No, it's because the Emperor fell in love with the Empress first, so he also likes the dragon fetus in the Empress's belly."
"But do you have any evidence to support what you said?" Li Shuyao asked her.
"Of course there are," Ruolan said confidently. "Your Majesty, look, when Concubine Nala was pregnant, the Emperor only visited her seven or eight times. When Concubine Rong was pregnant with Prince Changsheng, the Emperor did visit her more often, but his treatment never increased compared to Concubine Rong's. It was only when Concubine Rong was pregnant with Prince Yinzhi that the Emperor allowed her to enjoy the treatment of a concubine."
"But it's different for you, Your Majesty. You've only been here for three months, and the Emperor can't wait to make you Lingpin."
"If we strictly follow the palace rules, even if you have made great contributions by becoming pregnant, the highest you can start as is a noble lady. Then, after ten months of pregnancy, you will have to successfully give birth to an imperial heir and please the emperor and the two ancestors before you have the opportunity to be promoted to a concubine."
"Only concubines and above can raise the emperor's heir on their own."
In other words, even if a woman is pregnant with an heir to the throne and gives birth successfully, if the emperor doesn't like her enough, or if the two ancestors have any concerns, they will most likely just hastily give her a title after the birth.
As for the position of concubine, she didn't even want it.
Without the rank of concubine, one would not be qualified to raise the royal heir on one's own. After the confinement period, the full-month ceremony would most likely be presided over by a empress with rich experience and high moral character in the palace. After the full-month ceremony, the emperor would personally issue an imperial decree to select a concubine of the rank of concubine or above in the palace to be the adoptive mother of the newborn royal heir.
Many women in the palace are stuck in the position of noble ladies.
Just like the example of Concubine Nara that Ruolan just mentioned, her son Prince Wanfu, who was born before, was now being raised by the main lady of Yongshou Palace, Concubine Xi.
Li Shuyao gradually understood.
Ruolan meant that in the harem, not every concubine who gave birth to a baby could get a rank above concubine, and not necessarily have the power to raise the royal heir alone.
However, the emperor gave her such status and power without a second thought when she was only three months pregnant.
This means that the emperor is not interested in the baby in her belly, but in her as a person.
Others are honored because of their sons. But it is different for her. Her son is honored because of his mother.
In other words, she is older than Zaizai.
But...why?
Although the baby in her belly was only slightly bigger than a grape, it carried both his and her blood.
Why couldn't he love the baby in her belly as much as he loved her?
Li Shuyao not only misunderstood, but also became angrier the more she thought about it.
The delicate face was puffed up into the shape of a bun, and the sparkling eyes seemed to be on fire.
After Ruolan finished speaking, she originally thought that the queen would be happy, but who would have thought that she would suddenly become angry.
And no matter how she and Yinzhu tried to persuade and guide her, the queen refused to tell her the reason for her anger.
Finally, he got annoyed by the questions and actually pushed them away with a little force, then walked angrily into the main hall of Changchun Palace.
Ruolan and Yinzhu: "..."
The two of them looked at each other, and Ruolan asked Yinzhu, "Do you know why the Queen is angry?"
Yin Zhu sighed: "I don't know."
If she could have guessed what the Empress was thinking, she would not have said those words before.
Ruolan thought for a moment and said, "Why don't we ask the imperial physician to take a look?"
Yin Zhu said yes, and Ruolan went straight to the Imperial Hospital, leaving Yin Zhu alone to direct the eunuchs around to pick up the mats on the ground one by one and send them back to the warehouse.
The eunuchs were caught in a cold wind and were sweating from tidying up the floor mats.
Nanny Yan was watching in the yard. She turned around and told someone to go to the small kitchen to boil a pot of thick ginger soup, and ordered the palace servants who were sweeping the snow and carrying the floor mats today to drink two full bowls each.
…
On the other side, Ruolan quickly called the imperial physician over.
The old doctor tremblingly felt Li Shuyao's pulse on her wrist for a long time, and finally said that Li Shuyao was in good health, but she had eaten too much today and might have indigestion at night, so he asked someone to keep an eye on her.
Li Shuyao lay on the bed, her cheeks blushing like the fiery sunset.
After the imperial physician packed up his medicine box and left, she sat up from the bed in a bad mood and glared fiercely at Ruolan and Yinzhu, who had "meant well but ended up doing something bad." "It's all your fault!"
After saying that, he angrily threw a round pillow the size of a football at the two of them.
Because he didn't use much strength, the pillow fell to the ground in mid-air and flattened into a pancake shape.
Yin Zhu knelt down in shame and apologized, while Ruolan chuckled, quickly bent down to pick up the pillow from the ground, patted it left and right a few times, and carefully stuffed it back into Li Shuyao's bed, begging for mercy: "Oh, my lady, we know we are wrong."
"Non-sensei and Yin Zhu didn't do it on purpose. It's not, it's not because we're worried about your Majesty's health."
Yin Zhu also said, "Yes, it's all our fault. If your Majesty wants to punish us, just punish us two."
Ruolan turned around and glared at her at this time.
This silly Yinzhu, what kind of punishment does he want? Can’t he even say a few nice words?
Li Shuyao sat on the bed and watched, and probably saw some of the arguments between the two of them.
Then she put her hands on her waist again, angrily, "Well, Ruolan, you evil-minded person, you know I'm angry, but you're still trying to fish in troubled waters and get away with it, right?"
"Don't you see what Yin Zhu did? Her apology was so sincere."
After saying that, he turned around and glanced at Yinzhu who was still kneeling on the ground, "Yinzhu, get up. I forgive you."
"But I won't forgive you, you stinky Ruolan! You have to apologize to me sincerely."
Before she finished her words, Ruolan knelt down in front of her.
Her attitude was even more humble than Yin Zhu's. Not only did she kneel down, she also kowtowed to Li Shuyao prostrating herself. With her eyes blinking, she said with a face full of shame and sincerity, "Your Majesty, I was wrong!"
"This time, I truly know I was wrong. There won't be a next time. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Li Shuyao was speechless for a moment.
She thought Ruolan would make a last-ditch effort.
Unexpectedly...
Li Shuyao pursed her lips. She wasn't very angry in the first place. After all, Ruolan and Yinzhu asked the imperial physician to come and take her pulse for her own good.
She herself couldn't explain why she suddenly got angry when she was at the gate of Changchun Palace.
...Maybe it's a process that all pregnant women go through, with mood swings and the like?
Li Shuyao lay on the edge of the bed, stretched out her hand to pull Ruolan up from the ground, and said to her in a muffled voice: "You get up too, I forgive you."
"only!"
Li Shuyao felt like she had to emphasize this point again, "I have a baby now, so my estrogen and progesterone levels will become abnormal, affecting my mood and appetite. So next time I get angry, just leave me alone. I think I'll be able to recover on my own."
"Anyway, just don't do that. Don't call the imperial physician over for no reason."
"The roads are slippery in the snow. If that person, Doctor Gu, falls, I would be guilty of a great crime."
After Ruolan was pulled up, she rarely put away the smile on her face.
He nodded to her seriously, "I understand."
Yin Zhu also came over at this time, with a hesitant expression. After a while, he whispered to Li Shuyao, "It's just that your Majesty, that Doctor Gu just now, he's actually not eighty years old..."
Why would the Imperial Medical Service invite an old man in his seventies or eighties to be the imperial physician and treat patients?
Yin Zhu said, "Actually, after the New Year, he's only fifty-eight."
Li Shuyao choked and began to doubt whether her eyesight was bad, otherwise how could she make someone look twenty or thirty years older out of thin air?
Then, the next second, Ruolan said in a clear voice, "That's not your fault, Madam. It's Doctor Gu's fault for being so old."
Yin Zhu tried to be tactful, "Doctor Gu wasn't born old."
Ruolan asked, "What's going on with him?"
Yin Zhu was silent for a moment. "I heard that this Imperial Doctor Gu has many wives and concubines at home, and he drinks, smokes, and gambles, and he's proficient in everything..."
If his medical skills weren't truly remarkable, the Imperial Hospital wouldn't have recruited him...
Yin Zhu also didn't understand why Ruolan was so "lucky". Logically, there were more than ten doctors on duty at the Imperial Hospital every day, so how could she just pull this one...
Yin Zhu couldn't figure it out, and didn't want to say these words out loud and dirty his wife's ears.
Li Shuyao listened to the conversation between the two with a thoughtful expression on her face.
In the original novel, wasn't the imperial physician who helped Empress Nianhulu do bad things named Gu?
Could it be the one just now?
*
Because of the disturbance that Li Shuyao had unintentionally stirred up, the entire harem underwent a three-day-long sweep.
The amount of filthy things found was innumerable, and the number of palace maids expelled from the palace could basically be counted in the hundreds.
The emperor didn't turn over the cards for three or four days.
Qingyao hasn't been to Changchun Palace for some time.
Fortunately, Li Shuyao was a person who could sit still. She knew very well that there were countless palace maids outside who hated her, so she simply closed the gate of Changchun Palace and lived her life quietly.
Go to bed on time, get up on time, drink a cup of warm sweet milk after getting up, and then walk a few laps in the yard.
It was time for breakfast. After breakfast, I went into the study to read a book and practice typing. I stayed there for the whole morning and had a snack during that time. At about two o'clock in the afternoon, I had a delicious dinner, took a walk in the yard, and then went back to the house to take a nap.
Only the afternoon is leisurely and relaxing.
Either she would read storybooks or learn to make lace clumsily under the guidance of a few palace maids.
She thought life would continue to be dull like this for a long time, but who knew that after just a few days, she was carried to the Palace of Heavenly Purity in a sedan chair sent by the emperor.
As soon as I stepped into the door of the East Warm Pavilion, I saw a very familiar figure kneeling on the ground of the East Warm Pavilion.
Then... isn't that the heroine in the original novel, Wu Yalianchu?
How come she is here?
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