Sheng Xiyan nodded, but was stopped by a palace maid just as she reached the door.
"Aunt, please tell the Queen Mother that I know medicine and can massage her waist to relieve the pain."
The Queen Mother was leaning on the couch in the hall, unable to move, as it hurt if she moved.
When the head nanny heard this, she asked for instructions and then let Sheng Xiyan enter the inner hall.
Sheng Xiyan checked the Queen Mother's waist, "My Lady, does it hurt here?"
"yes."
Sheng Xiyan said, "The Empress Dowager has twisted her waist and must lie on her back on a firm bed."
The Empress Dowager said, "Listen to her. I can't sit still any longer. The pain is unbearable."
A maid carried the empress dowager to the back hall, and several people carefully laid her flat on the gold-threaded sandalwood bed. The empress dowager was sweating and screaming in pain.
"Let me put a soft pillow on your waist to relieve the pain."
The Empress Dowager asked anxiously, "Why hasn't the judge come yet?"
"Almost there, almost there."
Sheng Xiyan said calmly, "Your Majesty, I can give you a massage to relieve the pain. Would you like to try it?"
The Queen Mother was tormented by the pain and had no choice but to say, "Try it."
Sheng Xiyan helped her lie down, rubbed her palms to warm them up and used them to massage the acupoints, and then applied a hot towel to the massaged areas.
"Are you feeling better?"
The Empress Dowager felt that the pain in her waist was indeed much relieved. Looking at Sheng Xiyan, she felt dazed for a moment, as if she had seen her there before.
"If you have an acupuncture kit, I can give you acupuncture. It will work quickly."
She spoke softly, charming but not coquettishly. The Empress Dowager somewhat understood why Emperor Xuanwu liked such a woman, but at the same time she sensed a premonition of crisis.
Judge Wu ran in carrying a medicine box.
The Empress Dowager's pain had eased considerably. After examining her, Judge Wu respectfully said, "Your Majesty, you accidentally sprained your waist, but fortunately, it's not serious. A little massage and acupuncture, along with some blood-activating and blood-stasis-removing medicine, will prevent any further damage."
The Queen Mother looked at Sheng Xiyan and said, "Let her give me acupuncture."
Court Judge Wu opened the acupuncture kit from the medicine box. Sheng Xiyan was unhurried, applying the needles precisely to each spot. Court Judge Wu said respectfully, "Young Master Sheng truly understands. The Empress Dowager can rest assured."
After the Queen Mother felt the heat in her waist, the tingling sensation disappeared. She looked at Sheng Xiyan again. She was focused, calm, and beautiful.
Who wasn’t beautiful when they were young? The empress dowager recalled her own peerless beauty back then.
Xuan Ling returned from the Southern Fourth Residence, and the imperial servant reported, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager twisted her waist today. She is currently receiving treatment and is no longer in danger."
Xuan Ling picked up the hot tea on the dragon table and drank it. "After dinner, I will go to the Cining Palace to see the Queen Mother."
The imperial servant reported again, "Miss Gao, Miss Lin, and Miss Min, just before noon, they said the Empress Dowager summoned Miss Sheng to the Cining Palace for questioning."
Upon hearing this, Xuan Ling put down his tea cup, picked up the memorial, and put it down without even opening it. He stood up and said, "I'll go see the Queen Mother now."
After one stick of incense, the imperial carriage stopped outside the Cining Palace.
Xuan Ling walked very fast, and only when he reached the door of the main hall did he slow down and walk in.
"Good luck to the Emperor."
Xuan Ling walked into the inner hall and saw the empress dowager lying on the couch. Sheng Xiyan was kneeling on the ground beside her, massaging her legs. There was not even a palace carpet on the ground. He frowned immediately.
When Sheng Xiyan heard the palace maid's report, she turned around and saw Xuan Ling coming in, but he didn't look at her.
"Mother, are you feeling better?"
The Empress Dowager opened her eyes in silence and said, "The Emperor is here? I'm fine now, don't worry. I'm lucky to have a doctor by my side who saved me in time."
He added, "But my public side is public, and my private side is private. Privately, I can reward Sheng Chongyuan for her actions today. Publicly, I want the emperor to expel her from the palace."
Sheng Xiyan's heart trembled. She saved you in vain today. How could this old lady be so heartless?
Xuan Ling glanced at Sheng Xiyan with his dark eyes, "Mother, why do you say that?"
"Emperor, your responsibility is to protect the people, yet you impulsively jumped into the lake to save a woman. This has violated the ancestral teachings and should have been punished with death. However, I hope that Buddha will show mercy and allow her to leave the palace with her child so that peace can be restored."
Xuan Ling's face was filled with danger. He stared at Sheng Xiyan and asked, "Sheng Chongyuan, tell me yourself."
Sheng Xiyan thought, isn't this the time to show loyalty?
She said respectfully, "From the moment I entered the palace, I belong to the Emperor in life and in death. My only master is the Emperor, and I will be loyal to the Emperor alone for the rest of my life."
Her sparkling peach blossom eyes were full of spring water, but the man opposite was cold and ruthless and did not accept her charming glance at all.
He said in a sinister voice, "Once you've entered the palace, there's no way you can leave. Even until you die, you won't be able to leave the gates of the Forbidden City."
Sheng Xiyan bowed her head with a humble look, "I'll make a note of this."
"Mother, please don't mention this again in the future."
The Empress Dowager said, "Go back and finish copying the rest of the palace rules."
"I'll take my leave."
Sheng Xiyan quickly got up and staggered out, her legs and waist almost breaking.
Xuan Ling glanced at her back and turned his gaze back.
"Emperor, please don't blame me for being alarmist. You've rarely been in the harem, and lately you've only been going to Guanju Palace. How can the other forces balance the situation? What sins have Concubine Jia and Concubine Liang committed to deserve your not even a single visit?"
Xuan Ling said coldly, "Mother, I have given them a chance. The previous dynasty was busy, and I don't want to waste my energy training some foolish women. I will wait until their qualities improve. As for the others, I will make appropriate arrangements."
They were not biological mother and son. The Empress Dowager knew that Emperor Xuanwu had been in power since he took power four years ago, so she did not accept many of her opinions.
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