Chapter 749 A Small Gift with Deep Meaning
Upon hearing Su Qinglan's words, Shang Ruyi was taken aback and immediately looked up at her. Su Qinglan quickly smiled and said, "This humble subject didn't mean anything by it, but the Princess Consort is still in the early stages of pregnancy and needs to be careful with some of her diet. I'm afraid Madam Chu may not be aware of these dietary restrictions—"
She put it very tactfully, but Shang Ruyi understood immediately.
Tushe'er, who was standing nearby, realized what was going on and quickly said, "That's true. She made these pastries herself. I'm not entirely sure about them. Please have Lord Su take a look and confirm that the Princess can eat them. It's not too late to eat them later."
Shang Ruyi still had some hesitation in her heart.
Firstly, one person liking or disliking another is one thing, but physically harming them is another. Even if Chu Ruoyan doesn't like me, she's not the kind of person who would harm others. Secondly, even if I really misjudge people, she wouldn't be so stupid as to tamper with the food I made myself and have my head maid deliver it. That would be excessively foolish.
Tushe'er seemed to sense her hesitation and said softly, "Your Highness, we won't tell anyone. Let Lord Su take a look; it won't matter."
Shang Ruyi thought about it and realized that what she said made sense.
He nodded and said, "Alright."
So, Tushe'er immediately stepped forward, opened the lid of the food box, and presented it to Su Qinglan.
Su Qinglan looked down and saw four bright red hawthorn cakes. Although they weren't very delicately made, they were still quite neat. Their bright and pleasing color, along with the sweet and sour aroma that wafted out as soon as the lid was opened, made them very tempting.
It looks like an ordinary hawthorn cake.
But after Su Qinglan glanced at it, she leaned closer to smell it, and suddenly frowned: "Hmm?"
Her action immediately made everyone around her tense. Su Qinglan apologized again, dipped her little finger into the fine sugar powder sprinkled on the pastry, and tasted it on her tongue.
His brows furrowed even more immediately.
Tushe'er asked nervously, "Lord Su, is there a problem?"
Su Qinglan looked up at Shang Ruyi with a solemn expression and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, you can't eat this hawthorn cake."
Shang Ruyi immediately asked, "What's the problem?"
"These are not ordinary powdered sugar; they are also mixed with the ash of the Five Elements Grass."
"Five Elements Herb?"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi frowned. Tu She'er and Chang Wan, however, didn't quite understand. Su Qinglan could tell that Shang Ruyi probably had some medical knowledge, so she explained to the two palace maids, "The Five Elements Herb has the medicinal effect of smoothing and tightening a woman's uterus, plus the hawthorn cake below—"
Tushe'er hurriedly asked, "Hawthorn cake? There's a problem with that too?"
Su Qinglan shook her head and said, "There is no problem with hawthorn. However, pregnant women should not eat too much hawthorn because hawthorn has the effect of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, while Five Elements Herb can cause the uterus of pregnant women to contract. Using these two things together may cause miscarriage for pregnant women, especially women in the early stages of pregnancy."
"What!?"
Upon hearing this, Tushe'er immediately exploded, jumping up and exclaiming, "What a heartless person!"
Su Qinglan didn't speak, and looked again at the fine powder on her fingertips—the Five Elements Grass ash was ground so finely that it was mixed with powdered sugar, and even she could hardly tell the difference.
She looked up at Shang Ruyi again, only to see that Shang Ruyi's brows were furrowed and her face was dark as she stared at the box of hawthorn cakes. She seemed to want to come closer and take a closer look, but she was mindful of her pregnancy. So she said to Su Qinglan, "Doctor Su, are you sure there really is Five Elements Grass Ash in here?"
Su Qinglan said, "Your humble servant would not dare to lie."
Tushe'er was also furious at this moment, and said angrily, "Your Highness, is this a lie? Just now, that Panqing forced you to eat a bite in front of her, just to make you eat it and harm you! How despicable! I even gave her a piece of silver just now. It turns out that she is just like her master, with a heart of a snake and a scorpion!"
Seeing her huffing and puffing, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but laugh.
Tushe'er became even angrier and said, "Your Highness, are you still laughing?"
As she spoke, she rushed over, picked up the box, and was about to leave when Shang Ruyi quickly stopped her: "What are you doing?"
Tushe'er said, "This servant will take it to Prince Qin. No, since Prince Qin isn't here, this servant will go and settle accounts with them, or I'll show it to the Emperor and let him judge the matter for the Princess!"
Shang Ruyi shook her head helplessly and gave Chang Wan a wink. Chang Wan hurriedly stepped forward, grabbed Tu She'er's sleeve, and pulled her back. Tu She'er was still angry and struggled, saying, "Why are you pulling me?"
Chang Wan said, "Whether to tell the Prince of Qin or His Majesty is a decision for the Princess Consort, not for you to make."
After saying that, she used some force to pull her back, placed the food box back in front of Shang Ruyi, but moved it a little further away from her, and then said softly, "This matter should be decided by the Princess."
"..."
Shang Ruyi didn't speak, but stared intently at the four bright red hawthorn cakes.
After looking at it for a while, she suddenly asked, "Where's the lid?"
Chang Wan hurriedly picked up the lid of the food box that was placed aside and handed it to her. Shang Ruyi took it and carefully put the lid back on the box. Then she reached out and gently stroked the exquisitely carved hollow pattern on the lid.
Tusheer couldn't help but say, "Your Highness..."
Shang Ruyi said, "Look, this is Xiangfei bamboo."
Everyone was a little confused, but they could only follow her instructions and look down. Sure enough, they had only thought the carvings on the food box were exquisite, but upon closer inspection, they discovered that the carvings on the box depicted not only a clump of Xiangfei bamboo, but also two graceful women's figures under the bamboo grove.
Su Qinglan said, "This is—"
Shang Ruyi said, "These are Ehuang and Nüying."
As she spoke, she seemed to remember something and said with a smile, "Oh right, when Empress Dowager Jiang summoned me to the palace to keep her company, she gave me a hand warmer. The carvings on it were of Ehuang and Nüying, and a clump of Xiangfei bamboo."
Looking back now, it's clear that Empress Dowager Jiang had already begun paving the way for her daughter from that very moment.
Therefore, she gave Shang Ruyi items carved with the designs of Ehuang and Nüying, and told her more than once that Yuwen Ye treated her very well, unlike how he treated others. Later, when she left the palace, she was "intercepted" by Chu Yang on the way to Tinghe Tower. When she heard that Empress Dowager Jiang was so close to her, Chu Yang just sneered and told her that Empress Dowager Jiang did it because "there was something to gain."
Looking back now, everything seems quite clear.
At the time, I didn't understand.
Tushe'er said impatiently, "Empress Dowager Jiang, Empress Dowager Jiang is such a kind-hearted person, yet her daughter is so cruel, actually using such a method to harm the Princess. Why is the Princess bringing up the past?"
Shang Ruyi's fingertips still gently caressed the carving, and she said, "This thing should be a set with the hand warmer that Empress Dowager Jiang gave me back then."
"..."
"Empress Dowager Jiang knows what she wants, and Madam Chu... her use of this box must also have a deeper meaning."
"Profound meaning? What profound meaning?"
Su Qinglan listened quietly to the side, her face slightly flushed, and said softly, "Ehuang and Nüying shared the same husband, but they worked together wholeheartedly and were inseparable."
Shang Ruyi nodded and said, "When Empress Dowager Jiang gave me that hand warmer, she hoped that I would have such a broad mind; Madam Chu couldn't possibly be unaware of her intentions. You mentioned that things have been chaotic at Jinyu Garden these past few days, as if they're looking for something in the storeroom. If I'm not mistaken, they're probably looking for this thing that Empress Dowager Jiang left behind."
"..."
"And these past few days, Madam Chu has not come to offer her congratulations. It is probably because she is learning to make this pastry. She only gives away pastries that she can make herself and that she can present with dignity."
"..."
"In other words, although this gift is small, Madam Chu's intentions are very deep."
As she spoke, she pressed her fingertips deeply into a bamboo leaf and said, "Such deep feelings, yet used to 'poison' me, is a bit of a waste."
Su Qinglan reacted quickly and immediately said, "What Your Highness means is that Madam Chu genuinely wanted to send this gift. She carefully selected both the gift itself and the gift box, so she couldn't possibly have any intention of harming Your Highness?"
Shang Ruyi nodded and said, "Besides, as a princess, she is of noble birth and would not know anything about medicine."
"..."
"She doesn't even know that pregnant women shouldn't eat too much hawthorn. She blatantly sent me hawthorn cakes. If I had been even a little more careful, I wouldn't have eaten this box of pastries. Besides, she probably hasn't even heard of Five Elements Grass Ash."
Hearing her say that, Su Qinglan nodded gently: "That's true."
Tushe'er and Changwan exchanged a glance, both realizing that Shang Ruyi's words made sense. But after thinking for a moment, Tushe'er added, "But there's something wrong with this box. If it wasn't her, then it was Pan Qing. Who else could it be?"
"..."
"I don't care, this matter must be clarified."
Seeing that she couldn't help but revert to the domineering manner she had developed since childhood, like a mother hen protecting her chicks, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but smile again. Chang Wan, who was beside her, tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Lord Su is still here. Be careful what you say."
Tusheer could only pout and take a step back.
Su Qinglan pursed her lips, barely suppressing a smile, and then said to Shang Ruyi, "Your Highness, what my daughter said makes sense. In any case, we must investigate this matter thoroughly. I was ordered to come here to protect Your Highness's pregnancy. If Your Highness is truly harmed by this incident, I will bear the responsibility without hesitation."
The implication was that if Shang Ruyi didn't find out the truth, she would have to report to the emperor, even if it was just to protect herself.
It just depends on how big of a fuss Shang Ruyi is willing to make about this.
Shang Ruyi said, "Of course I will investigate this thoroughly."
Tushe'er immediately stepped forward: "Your Highness, what should we do?"
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment, then reached out and opened the exquisitely carved lid, looking at the bright red hawthorn cake underneath, and said to Tu She'er, "Take these things away and throw them away."
"ah?"
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