News from the palace was kept strictly confidential, and the news that Li Mai had treated the Empress Dowager did not reach the capital. Everyone received news that Prince Yun had left the palace with several cartloads of gifts, and they were all speculating that the Emperor had asked Prince Yun to do something again.
Seeing that the Prince Yun's mansion was gaining more and more of the emperor's trust, receiving many gifts before the New Year and several more cartloads after the New Year, this was definitely not normal.
Each household was also scheming about how to establish a relationship with the Prince Yun's mansion and gain his support. Sending their daughters to the Prince Yun as concubines was one way to do it.
However, Prince Yun is not fond of women. The lady in his mansion is of unknown origin and is said to be from a low social class. It is likely that Prince Yun will not choose a concubine from a high social class, and will instead choose someone other than the Princess Consort.
At present, no one knows that Prince Yun is going to the battlefield. They think that Prince Yun will stay in the capital. One by one, they are all scheming to take advantage of Prince Yun.
Three days later, after the acupuncture was completed, Li Mai personally helped the Empress Dowager out of bed and let her try to walk.
More than a decade later, the Empress Dowager stood on the ground for the first time, her hands and feet trembling with excitement.
Li Mai and the princess each supported her, helping her to stand up slowly before starting to walk.
The Empress Dowager tried several times before slowly taking one step, then a second, and a third!
The emperor stood on the opposite couch, extending his hand and waiting for his mother to come over.
When the emperor helped his mother, who was walking towards him, tears welled up in his eyes. "Mother, you can finally walk again."
The Empress Dowager also cried with excitement, "Yes, I can walk again. I thought I had done something wrong and that Heaven was punishing me, but it turns out that's not true, it turns out that's not true!"
The emperor was startled by his mother's words and quickly comforted her, "No, Mother, no, please don't say that. Didn't Heaven send Physician Li to save you? You're well now! Good people get such good fortune."
"Yes, yes, yes, Physician Li's medical skills are superb. My son, you must reward Physician Li well. And I, yes, I also have something good to give to Physician Li." The Empress Dowager was so excited that she stammered.
Li Mai quickly stopped the mother and son, "Your Majesty, the Emperor has already rewarded me that day. Those rewards are more than enough. I am just a merchant. You don't need to mention the rewards anymore. It is because the Emperor is filial and Your Majesty has accumulated good fortune that we have the opportunity to meet and heal you!"
"Yes, we also have to thank Prince Yun for this. It was because of Prince Yun that we were able to meet Physician Li." The Empress Dowager was very pleased to hear Li Mai's humility and eloquence. She took Li Mai's hand and then brought up Yun Chang.
"Yes, Mother, rest assured, I will reward Prince Yun." The Emperor quickly agreed.
Before leaving the palace, Li Mai thanked the emperor again for his trust and the reward he had given her last time, and gave him three antidote pills as a return gift for the gold medal.
The emperor never expected that he would receive a return gift after giving someone a reward, and such a precious one at that. As the emperor, his greatest fear was that someone would secretly poison him!
In the emperor's eyes, gold and silver jewelry were not as valuable as anything that could save a life.
Therefore, after thanking Li Mai, he asked her what her husband did for a living and whether she wanted him to give her an official position. Li Mai refused, saying that her husband was a farmer's son, not very literate, and currently worked with her in business, so he did not know how to be an official.
The emperor, upon hearing this, dropped the matter and said that there were still rewards for her to receive, which would be arranged in a few days.
Li Mai thanked the emperor and went back with them.
The reason she said that was something the family had discussed that morning. Yun Chang had asked Zhou Quan if he wanted to become an official, but Zhou Quan refused, saying that he only wanted to stay by his wife's side and do business.
Yun Chang, who knew the emperor well, instructed Li Mai to say this: the emperor would not assign Zhou Quan an official position.
Sure enough, when the emperor heard that Zhou Quan was from a peasant family and not well-educated, he let it go. He was still considering what reward to give Li Mai in order to establish and even maintain the relationship between Li Mai and the royal family.
The matter in the palace was now settled, and the eldest princess was even more grateful to Li Mai. She treated Li Mai's family to a meal at the Zhong residence and sent gifts to the Li family, filling two carriages with fine items.
Because Zhong Hui and Chu Yan were going to the battlefield with Yun Chang to learn, they would train with Li Mai and Zhou Quan at the Li residence every night, hoping to improve their abilities.
Li Mai also prepared some detoxifying pills and blood-tonifying pills for them, which they could use.
These past few days, after she took out the spiritual spring water, she accumulated it and put it in water bags for them to take with them so that they could use the spiritual spring water to cultivate when there was no war.
In addition, I soaked some spiritual liquid in the spiritual herbs in the space for them, and they took it with them.
The Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, was a very lively occasion in the capital.
This year, Li Mai's family didn't have to worry about anything. They happily went out to see the lanterns and had fun all day, eating and drinking outside.
Xu Changhuan's due date was originally at the beginning of the first lunar month, but there has been no sign of labor as of today.
Li Mai also examined her, and everything was normal. The baby's heartbeat was also normal, so she comforted Yun Chang, saying that it was okay and that some babies are indeed born after their due date.
Yun Chang also took Xu Changle out today. He wanted to take her to see the lantern festival in the capital, since he wasn't sure when he would be able to return and reunite with his wife.
However, they didn't go with Li Mai and the others. The couple watched from the second floor of the teahouse, afraid that they might accidentally push their wife out of the way.
At noon, the two families met for lunch at Chu Ji Restaurant. The head of the Xu family had also spent the morning in the capital with his guards, and they brought him here for lunch as well.
Chu Yan knew that her master was coming over for dinner today, so she reserved a private room for her well in advance.
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