Chapter 69 Chapter 69 "The Queen must have done something bad...
When Li Shuyao arrived at Kunning Palace, the imperial physician had just finished taking the empress's pulse and was walking out.
The smell of traditional Chinese medicine inside Kunning Palace is very strong, and it feels a bit airtight.
As Li Shuyao walked in, she suddenly stopped. She saw Doctor Gu, who had come to Changchun Palace to check her pulse some time ago. He was now walking at the end of the queue and whispering something to a palace maid with a baby face.
Then the palace maid stopped, bowed lightly to him, and said thank you, imperial physician, she understood.
Know what?
Li Shuyao was a little curious.
Nanny Yan saw her suddenly stop and asked doubtfully, "Madam?"
Li Shuyao came back to her senses. "It's okay, it's just that the smell of the medicine is a bit strong. I just fainted for a moment, but I'm fine now."
The palace maid from Kunning Palace who was leading the way: "..."
She couldn't help but turn her head to look at Li Shuyao. She had a fair oval face, clear almond-shaped eyes, and slightly red petal-shaped lips. She looked beautiful and peaceful.
But how can you speak without thinking?
Did she mean that the smell of medicine in the Queen's palace offended her?
The more the maid thought about it, the angrier she became.
Li Shuyao, however, was completely oblivious. She held Nanny Yan's hand and continued walking into Kunning Palace, lowering her voice as she spoke, "Nanny, look at these Chinese herbs. They smell so bitter. The Empress' life has been incredibly difficult."
"If it were me, I wouldn't be able to drink such bitter medicine, and I'd drink it for several months..."
"Empress!" Nanny Yan suddenly pinched Li Shuyao's wrist and shook it twice, looking around vigilantly.
The intention was to remind her that this was Kunning Palace and she should be careful with her words.
Li Shuyao quickly shut her mouth. "What I mean is, the Queen is so amazing!"
The maid's expression was dull: "..."
She never thought that Concubine Ling, the famous Concubine in the harem, would have such a personality.
So, was her worrying in vain just now?
Soon they entered the Kunning Palace.
The Queen's complexion had improved somewhat today, and as soon as she got up in the morning, she ordered the palace maids to boil water for her bath.
It took more than half an hour to wash away most of the strong smell of medicine on my body.
She sat in front of the dressing table and carefully dressed up for a long time before she was able to slightly conceal the sickly color on her pale face.
At this moment, she was dressed formally, surrounded by pearls and emeralds, and sat at the upper seat in the main hall of Kunning Palace. She watched Li Shuyao, who was only wearing a simple light pink Manchu dress and had no makeup on but was still as beautiful as snow, kneeling to salute her. She felt indescribable jealousy in her heart.
When his eyes fell on Li Shuyao's lower abdomen, the jealousy in his heart instantly reached its peak.
The armor on his fingertips suddenly embedded into the wooden chair handle.
Li Shuyao had no idea what kind of crazy thoughts were flashing through the Queen's mind at this moment.
Supported by Nanny Yan, she followed palace rules and meticulously performed a standard curtsy, praising, "This concubine greets the Empress. May the Empress be blessed with good health."
The queen did not wake up immediately.
After several seconds, a weak voice came from afar, "Princess Ling, please excuse me and get up."
"Your concubine thanks the Queen." Li Shuyao stood up from the ground with a smile, her apricot blossom eyes shining, as if there was not a trace of haze, and she looked at everyone with deep affection.
The queen seemed to be burned by her gaze. Her fingertips loosened and she looked away a little uncomfortably, not daring to look at Li Shuyao.
Under the guidance of the palace maid, Li Shuyao sat down on the chair under the queen.
Then she leaned slightly to the side and asked curiously, "The Queen summoned me here today. I wonder why?"
The Queen said, "I have heard about what happened in the Qianqing Palace yesterday."
"Yeah!" Li Shuyao nodded vigorously, blinking her eyes as if to say, "And then?"
Queen: “…”
She continued, "I heard that the palace maid surnamed Wuya was very close to you in the past?"
"No, no," Li Shuyao quickly rejected the idea. "She's actually friendly with everyone. I'm just one of the palace maids she's friendly with. Besides, I've worked with her for nearly a year, and she's only left snacks for me a few times."
She didn't know what the queen wanted to ask or what her purpose was.
Anyway, now the Wuya clan has been driven out of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Wuya Lianchu is already on his way to Mount Tai.
Li Shuyao was very reluctant to have anything to do with her anymore, so she simply counted on her fingers and told the Queen, "She seems to be quite wealthy. When I first entered the palace, I saw her secretly give a cloisonné bracelet to a tutor named Wu in the Imperial Household Department."
"She also gave a gold butterfly hairpin to a maid named Luofang in the rear quarters of the Qianqing Palace."
"I also gave a small bag of silver to Eunuch Zhu from the Imperial Kitchen. I don't know the exact amount."
“By the way, she also helped many people take things out of the palace to their families outside the palace. There were two young eunuchs from the Guangchusi, and she had friends in the Qingfengsi, the Constructionsi, and the Zhangyisi. However, I have never seen whether these people accepted any benefits from her.” [1]
"But I know the general list. Does Her Majesty need it?"
The queen had a solemn face and said nothing. She was still ill, and the power of managing the palace had been delegated to Concubine Tong and several concubines.
As for the task of liquidating the Imperial Household Department, the Emperor didn't seem to have any intention of entrusting her with it.
I mentioned Uya clan just to find a starting point for what I am going to say next.
...Who wants the list of people that Uya is friendly with?
Seeing that the queen had not spoken, Li Shuyao mistakenly thought that she was talking too fast and that the queen was still sick and had a dull consciousness so she did not hear clearly.
Then she leaned towards the Empress again and said, "Empress, how about I wait until I return to Changchun Palace and have someone write down the detailed list and send it to you? What do you think?"
The Queen said with difficulty, "No need."
"I'm not actually asking about Uya's accomplices, but... you've already heard about the rumors, right?"
Li Shuyao nodded, "I know."
The Queen said, "Although the rumor didn't cause any major disaster, it was ultimately caused by my own negligence in managing my subordinates, and you were the victim. Therefore, I summoned you here today to ask if you would like any compensation."
Li Shuyao's apricot blossom eyes rolled around, and it was true.
She licked her dry lips and asked eagerly, "Anything is possible, Your Majesty."
The Queen nodded and said, "As long as I can do it, I can compensate you."
Li Shuyao said, "Then I want a cook."
As soon as she said this, Nanny Yan beside her suddenly felt something was wrong.
But in the end, it still couldn't stop Li Shuyao from continuing, "Yes, in the imperial kitchen, there is a eunuch named Dai. I heard that he used to be in charge of the meals of the two ancestors in the Cining Palace. He is a very good roaster!"
"It's just that as the two ancestors have aged, their diet has become lighter, so Eunuch Dai is no longer needed. Therefore, Eunuch Dai has been assigned unimportant tasks and rarely displays his cooking skills... So, Your Majesty, I would like to have Eunuch Dai stay in Changchun Palace for a while."
"It doesn't take too long, just a month, uh, fifteen days? Is that okay?"
Li Shuyao originally wanted to say three months.
However, the look in Nanny Yan's eyes next to her was so terrifying that before she could say anything, she timidly changed it to one month.
But one month doesn't seem to be enough.
Because after hearing her words, the queen suddenly widened her eyes, as if she was hearing something incredible.
Li Shuyao had no choice but to change her words and shorten the time to fifteen days.
At the same time, she secretly planned in her heart that during these fifteen days, she would eat roasted whole lamb and roasted whole cow every day!
Eat enough for the next few months! Then you won't have to worry about it anymore.
In fact, to be honest, she also wanted to eat a seafood feast with sauce, but most seafood is cold in nature, and Nanny Yan would definitely not allow her to eat it.
So roasted whole lamb is the second best option among the second best options!
Li Shuyao looked at the queen with a pleading expression that said "please".
Then he clasped his hands together and said "Congratulations" twice to the queen as if he was greeting the New Year.
The queen fell into an unspeakable silence for a moment.
Perhaps it was because Li Shuyao's unconventional behavior disrupted the Queen's rhythm.
For a moment, she even forgot what she was going to say. A hazy fog appeared in her brain, and then her fingertips began to soften. She had to use a lot of strength to barely support her body and not lean on the back of the chair.
The queen's vision began to become blurry, and she guessed that the medicine she had just drunk was starting to take effect.
She thought vaguely that maybe Li Shuyao really didn't know.
Otherwise, how could I dare to ask her for a cook?
Isn't she afraid that he can use Eunuch Dai to place people in her Changchun Palace?
...Well, let's just consider that she doesn't know.
The queen finally agreed to Li Shuyao's request.
Li Shuyao was as happy as a bird that had just learned to fly.
Nanny Yan's eyes went dark.
I can almost foresee how much worries I will have to worry about in the next period of time!
…
As soon as she returned from Kunning Palace, Li Shuyao immediately sent someone to the neighboring Yiku Palace to invite Qingyao over.
Nanny Yan thought she was going to talk to Concubine Yi about the roasted whole lamb, so without saying a word, she sent a eunuch out to run errands.
As soon as Qingyao arrived, Li Shuyao hurriedly pulled her over and sent all the other palace servants outside the hall to wait.
Then he moved closer to Qingyao and whispered to her, "Empress, she must have done something bad before!"
Qingyao was startled when she heard this and quickly turned her head to look at her: "How did you know?"
"I don't know what happened, but I know that she definitely took action. As for how she did it, it is probably related to the Imperial Physician Gu from the Imperial Hospital." Li Shuyao replied stutteringly.
Then, gesturing towards Qingyao, he explained, "That's right. She suddenly summoned me over today. You knew about this, didn't you? Oh, you definitely knew about this, because she sent someone to Changchun Palace a few days ago, and I hadn't returned yet."
Li Shuyao paused for a moment, considered her words twice in her mind, and when she spoke again she was not as flustered as before.
"Actually, when I went to Kunning Palace today, I saw Imperial Physician Gu talking to a young palace maid. Several other imperial physicians were also there when they were talking. It looked like there was nothing wrong, right? But this is actually the biggest problem."
"Doctor Gu's medical skills aren't the best in the Imperial Hospital. When the maid went to question him, Director Xu was clearly there. So if she was considering the Empress's condition, she should have gone to Director Xu for advice, right? But she went to Doctor Gu instead..."
After Li Shuyao finished speaking, Qingyao immediately realized the key point, "You mean, that Doctor Gu is actually the Queen's man."
“That’s right!”
Because that’s what’s written in the original novel!
Li Shuyao thought about it carefully. During the more than half a year since she came here, she had spent most of her time around the Qianqing Palace. Therefore, the people who were most deeply affected by her butterfly, besides Qingyao, were the emperor, Yueshu, Liang Jiugong, Nanny Lin and others.
As for the concubines in the harem, they were the least affected, so the plots and settings related to them should not have been affected much.
In other words, she still has the advantage of the golden finger!
——Because she memorized the character composition diagram of the original novel.
So she knew that the current Imperial Physician Gu was the Queen's man, and after the Queen's death, Imperial Physician Gu would be expelled from the Imperial Hospital because of the suppression by Concubine Tong, and would eventually end up on the streets.
As for how he ended up stranded, the book does not describe it in detail.
Also, Xu Yuanzheng is the Empress Dowager's man. A few years later, he will be framed by the heroine Uya and lose his position as the Yuanzheng. Then, the doctor Zhang, who is supported by her, will take over the position of Yuanzheng.
Concubine Tong also bribed the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital, as well as Concubine Hui, Concubine Rong, Concubine An, and the future Concubine Liang, Concubine Mi, and Concubine Wenxi...
The Imperial Medical Bureau is almost being arranged into the shape of a honeycomb!
Li Shuyao said to Qingyao firmly, "So, starting with Imperial Physician Gu, we will definitely be able to find out what the Empress has done before."
When Qingyao heard her say this, her heart skipped a beat. "Are you so sure?"
Li Shuyao nodded, "Of course, definitely!"
Qingyao stared at her quietly for a moment, then suddenly raised her hands and pinched both of her cheeks, mumbling a few times before asking, "Then can you guess what the Queen did?"
Li Shuyao: "..."
She actually had a little guess.
Li Shuyao retracted her neck and exerted a little force to rescue her cheek from Qingyao's hands.
Then he rubbed his face a few times with a rather resentful look.
I always feel that Qingyao has become bad after staying with the emperor for too long.
How could he pinch her face like this before...
Li Shuyao bit her lip, complained quietly in her heart, and quickly composed herself.
When he spoke again, he remembered to speak in a whisper, "I guess, maybe, it might be related to the Yanxi Palace..."
"Yanxi Palace? Concubine Hui?" Qingyao was startled, then quickly realized something. "You mean the eldest prince...?"
"But, wasn't the Uya clan the culprit responsible for the eldest prince nearly falling off his horse?"
Li Shuyao shook her head. "She didn't plead guilty."
Qingyao burst out laughing, "How is she going to admit it? This is murder of the heir to the throne, and nine generations of the clan will be exterminated!"
"Although her father and her uncles and brothers have been sentenced to death, she still has younger brothers who are still immature. For their sake, the Uya family cannot really acknowledge it."
Li Shuyao continued to rub her cheeks, "Anyway, I just feel that this shouldn't be her doing."
"Also, Qingyao, have you ever thought about this? She hates me so much, and she has so many good friends in the palace. If it was really her, why didn't she secretly send the packet of medicine powder to Changchun Palace, or even your Yikun Palace?"
After she said that, Qingyao also felt that there seemed to be some truth in it.
So he tilted his head and asked Li Shuyao: "Then who did it?"
Li Shuyao coughed twice, trying her best to suppress the elation in her heart, but her tone still revealed a hint of joy. "I'm actually more inclined to believe that she was framed..."
"That's right. Didn't she once instigate a palace maid to have sex with him, driving her crazy?"
"Perhaps, someone wants to avenge that palace maid?"
After all, there is sincere friendship among the palace people at the lower level.
Isn’t that the case with her and Qingyao?
Just like in the original novel, the original owner was sentenced to death for failing to climb into bed. After Qingyao found out the murderer, didn’t she avenge her regardless of any consequences?
Although it didn't work...
But this is not Qingyao's fault. If anyone is to blame, it is because the author of the novel gave the heroine too big a cheating hand.
How annoying!
Qingyao nodded thoughtfully and had to admit that Shu Yao was really smart today.
Did she take some miracle drug?
How come he's become so powerful just after returning from the Palace of Heavenly Purity? He can even understand all the twists and turns in the palace...
Could it be that the emperor secretly gave Shu Yao special treatment?
Guo Luoluo Qingyao felt a little envious.
*
Because Li Shuyao had no power in the palace and her family was far away in the south of the Yangtze River.
Therefore, the matter of investigating Doctor Gu was handed over to Qingyao.
Qingyao returned to Yikun Palace in a hurry. The first thing she did was to write a secret letter and give it to the senior palace maid beside her, instructing her to deliver it immediately to Guo Luoluo's home outside the palace.
When Guo Luoluo's family received her letter, they immediately began to investigate the relationship between Doctor Gu and Niuhulu.
Two flowers bloom, each showing its own beauty.
What the Queen promised Li Shuyao that day soon came to fruition.
Eunuch Dai rushed to Changchun Palace to take up his post the next day, and that afternoon he bought a processed whole lamb from the imperial kitchen.
Li Shuyao was very surprised when she heard the news. She didn't even want to learn anymore. She threw the ball of thread in her hand onto the table, stood up and ran towards the small kitchen.
The next second, he was pulled back by Nanny Yan and Nanny Zhao, one on the left and one on the right.
Nanny Yan's expression looked a little cold.
She dragged Li Shuyao to sit on the couch, then poured her a cup of warm water and said, "When Eunuch Dai is processing a whole lamb, he usually doesn't allow anyone to watch. So, Your Majesty, please wait a while before going."
Zhao Mama brought a small basket from the side, placed it on the dining table, and said to Li Shuyao with a smile, "How about this: when the queen has separated the beans, we can go to the backyard to watch Eunuch Dai roast the lamb. How about that?"
Not much.
Li Shuyao held the teacup and leaned her head to take a look at the basket, which contained mung beans, red beans and soybeans.
She doesn't know the difference.
Dividing beans is a job only children can do.
She would rather drink water and wait here than want—
"Once Your Majesty has finished distributing the food, I will prepare delicious mung bean cakes, red bean soup, and the exploding tofu you mentioned earlier. How about that?"
"good!"
Li Shuyao's eyes lit up and she agreed immediately.
Then he obediently took the bamboo basket from Zhao Ma's hand, lowered his head and reached into the basket to grab a handful of beans, spread out his palm, and used his other hand to separate the beans one by one.
Wen Mei, Yue Shu and others were stunned.
Nanny Yan also cast an admiring glance at Nanny Zhao.
Only Tian Jiarou looked a little worried. After a while, she pulled Madam Zhao aside and asked her in a low voice, "Those beans are so small. What if the queen damages her eyes?"
When Nanny Zhao thought about it, she felt that Tian Jiarou's concerns made some sense.
So he looked in the direction of Li Shuyao, and as if he had thought of something, he walked in and whispered a few words to Nanny Yan, then turned around and left.
Not long after, when Nanny Zhao came back, she was holding a few scroll-like things in her hands.
Li Shuyao was distributing red beans and green beans while observing what was happening over there, Madam Zhao.
Then, Madam Zhao smiled and said to Yue Shu and the others, "There is one more thing I need to trouble you ladies with."
"The sun is too strong outside. If you sit there dividing beans all the time, your eyes will be hurt. So I went to find this wonderful thing, the Moon Shadow Yarn. I'd like to ask the girls to help cut it into the right size and nail it on the windows over there."
Yueshu took the Yueyingsha from Nanny Zhao and looked at it.
Zhao Ma explained to her, "Nail this thing to the window to reduce the brightness of the sunlight outside. This way, when the queen is dividing the beans, the sun won't be so glaring."
Yue Shu's eyes lit up, "It's really a good thing."
Wen Mei also came over. "But this Yueying yarn must be very expensive, right? I remember that the emperor gave it to her last month and said he wanted to make new clothes for her."
Madam Zhao shook her head. "No matter how valuable something is, if it's piled up in a warehouse and not used, it becomes waste."
"Besides, isn't this for the sake of Her Majesty's eyes? I don't think the Emperor will blame us."
That makes sense.
Several palace maids nodded repeatedly after hearing this.
Then they all gathered forward, some holding scissors, some holding needle and thread.
Yueshu looked around and found that there was no place for her to start, so she went out to make paste.
While measuring the length of the window, Tian Jiarou directed Wen Mei and others to cut the moon-shadow gauze.
The room suddenly became lively and bustling.
This made Li Shuyao always distracted and put all the mung beans she had picked with great difficulty into the plate of soybeans.
When I came to my senses, I found that there were more than 20 mung beans mixed in with the yellow soybeans, and in the plate of mung beans, there were also a few small red beans that had sneaked in at some point.
Li Shuyao picked out a few red beans angrily.
Then he poured all the soybeans in the plate into his palm and prepared to resume work.
Just then, Yue Shu, who had gone out to make paste, came running in hurriedly with an anxious look on her face. She called out to Li Shuyao and the two maids, "Your Highness, outside! The eldest prince and the crown prince are coming together and are almost in the courtyard!"
Li Shuyao was shocked after hearing this. Somehow, her mouth suddenly spoke faster than her brain.
"Big Brother and His Royal Highness, are you here to help me divide the beans?"
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