The eldest princess was speechless for a moment, but quickly whispered to the empress, "Sister-in-law, the divine physician is concentrating on inserting acupuncture needles, so do not make a sound."
The Empress gave a faint "oh," went outside, and sat down next to the Emperor.
The emperor was afraid that she would disturb the Limai people, so he didn't say anything and let her sit there.
The eldest grandson of the emperor sat obediently, not daring to go into the inner room to disturb them.
The Crown Prince spoke quietly with Yun Chang about some things.
The emperor did indeed discuss the attack on the Chen Kingdom with Yun Chang before the new year. In order to accumulate merit for the crown prince, the emperor also sent the crown prince to go out with Yun Chang to broaden his horizons.
Yun Chang agreed, and they set off at the end of January.
What the emperor didn't know was that after the crown prince was chosen to go on the expedition with him, the other princes secretly wanted to pay him a visit, wanted to go with him, and wanted him to mention it to the emperor. Yun Chang wasn't stupid, so she didn't meet with any of them.
The Crown Prince is a decent person. As long as he doesn't make any major mistakes in the future, he can be a good emperor who maintains the status quo. Therefore, although Yun Chang has not decided which prince to side with, if the Emperor asks him to cultivate the Crown Prince, he will definitely do so.
Moreover, the Crown Prince and Zhong Hui had a good relationship, and Yun Chang felt that with Zhong Hui's help, there wouldn't be any major problems. Therefore, Yun Chang proposed to bring Zhong Hui and Chu Yan along, and the Emperor agreed.
An hour later, Li Mai stopped needling, her forehead covered in sweat. The princess quickly handed her a handkerchief.
Li Mai thanked her respectfully, wiped her sweat, and asked the maids to help the Empress Dowager put on her clothes. She then lay down and slowly practiced moving her toes and ankles.
After the Empress Dowager finished dressing, she lay down and stared blankly at Li Mai. At that moment, she saw a golden halo behind her.
The Empress Dowager wondered if this child was sent by Buddha to save her, and if her repeated prayers had worked.
Just now, while Li Mai was giving her acupuncture, the Empress Dowager slowly felt warm currents flowing through her legs.
Previously, she had no feeling in her legs, and they felt cold to the touch.
After learning that the Empress Dowager had put on her clothes, the Emperor and the Crown Prince from the outer hall rushed in to inquire about the situation.
The emperor came to the bedside and asked the Empress Dowager expectantly, "Mother, are you feeling anything?"
The Empress Dowager nodded. "My legs feel a little warm, something I never felt before."
Hearing his mother speak to him, the emperor was overjoyed. "Good, that's wonderful! Prince Yun, your sister is truly remarkable, worthy of being called a divine physician!"
Li Mai then slowly guided the Empress Dowager to move her ankles.
Because she was wearing cloth socks, the Empress Dowager's toes couldn't be seen moving, but everyone could see her ankles moving.
"That's wonderful, that's really wonderful!" the Empress and the Princess exclaimed excitedly.
"This is only temporary. I'll teach the people accompanying the Empress Dowager how to massage her legs in a little while, and a medicinal bath tonight will be even better. Within three days, there shouldn't be any problem for the Empress Dowager to be able to walk again." After Li Mai finished speaking confidently, she taught the Princess and several nannies how to massage and how much pressure to use.
The emperor, along with the crown prince and Yun Chang, went to the outer hall again, and was overjoyed.
"It's past lunchtime, Prince Yun, why don't you stay in the palace for your meal?" the Emperor asked Yun Chang.
Yun Chang shook her head. "No, Your Majesty. My sister has a baby at home who is not yet one year old and is waiting for her to go back and put him to a nap. After settling the Empress Dowager here, we will go back first. I will accompany her to the palace tomorrow morning."
The emperor nodded, "That works too!"
Knowing that Li Mai had two babies, he didn't suggest letting them stay in the palace for meals. Even if they did, they wouldn't feel comfortable, and he wouldn't enjoy the food either.
The Empress was relieved to hear that no one was eating in the palace and that there were children, which meant she wouldn't have time to spend alone with the Emperor.
The current empress is genuinely afraid that young women will enter the palace and bewitch the emperor. This throne belongs to her son, the crown prince, and no one else can shake it.
When Li Mai left the palace with Yun Chang, the emperor rewarded him with one hundred taels of gold and ten chests of jewelry and jade.
She was also bestowed with a gold plaque bearing the character "Song" and a dragon and phoenix design on the back. This was a symbol of her royal status, signifying that if she encountered any trouble while away from home, she could use this to convict or judge officials below the second rank. Only the Dali Temple or the Emperor could judge her.
Yun Chang looked around and realized that of all the emperor's rewards, this gold medal was the most valuable, implying that she should accept it.
Li Mai understood, accepted the gift, and thanked the emperor.
She decided that three days later, before she left, she would leave the emperor three antidote pills, which could save his life in a critical moment.
Back at the mansion, Li Mai released Zhou Quan and the children, letting them pack up the things the emperor had sent.
Li Mai was talking to Yun Chang in the study.
Yun Chang explained the scope of authority of this gold medal to Li Mai, saying that there were only a few people who possessed it, and it was only bestowed by the emperor upon those who had done favors for the royal family. Currently, only three medals have been given out.
One piece is in the Emperor's tutor's residence, another is in the Chu family, and this piece is with her.
Li Mai was speechless after hearing this. The Emperor had given her something so important?
Along with the gold medal came an imperial edict, proving that the medal was personally bestowed by the emperor and served to protect the royal benefactor.
Even if a benefactor or their family member commits a crime, only the Emperor or the Court of Judicial Review has the authority to try the case, and ultimately only the Emperor can convict her.
Actually, this thing was of little use to Li Mai, but the fact that the imperial edict mentioned it could protect her family touched her.
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