Chapter 86 Shen Jiao
The golden needle on Chen He's fingertips reflected a little cold light in the sunlight, and then quickly disappeared.
She lowered her eyes again and continued writing on the plain silk.
At this moment, the queen, who was standing at the front of the team and closest to the Karma Fire Cauldron, moved her nose almost imperceptibly.
She frowned slightly, and a hint of doubt flashed in her phoenix eyes.
The scent was subtle and unique, like musk yet transcending it, mixed with an indescribable sweetness and... a faint chill, lingering.
This strange fragrance...
The queen's heart suddenly skipped a beat, as if it was suddenly grabbed by an invisible hand!
Blood Jade Musk? No! That's impossible! There's absolutely no way it could be possible!
Her face suddenly turned as pale as paper and lost all its color.
She had personally destroyed all the records and existing copies of that forbidden object, leaving no trace behind!
There should not be a single trace left in this world!
Who is it?
The queen's heart was pounding with fear, but she forced herself to remain calm on the surface. She calmly glanced slowly at the people around her, trying to catch a subtle hint of something unusual.
She wanted to find out where the smell came from.
But there were hundreds of ladies at the scene, with their hairs swirling with fragrance, and the smell of various perfumes, rouge, sandalwood, and blood mixed together. That faint and elusive fragrance was erratic and difficult to capture.
Just when the Queen's heart was in turmoil and it was difficult to calm down -
“Plop!”
A dull and sudden sound, like a sharp blade, cut through the solemn and dignified silence of the square.
Everyone's eyes were involuntarily drawn to the sound.
As far as the eye could see, Shen Jiao, the second young lady of the Shen family, was sitting there just now, copying scriptures with seemingly great piety, but at this moment she suddenly fell limply to the ground.
Shan Zhuyu, Chen Jiao's mother and Chen He's stepmother, was so frightened when she saw this scene that her face turned pale, her heart suddenly shrank, and she screamed, "Jiao'er!"
She threw down the pen in her hand in panic, almost threw herself over, and with trembling hands supported Shen Jiao's fallen weak body.
What my fingertips touched was a biting coldness.
Looking at Shen Jiao's face carefully again, the originally beautiful face had lost all its color, her lips were faintly blue and purple, her eyes were closed, and her breath was weak.
"Jiao'er! Jiao'er, what's wrong with you? Wake up!"
The commotion here naturally alarmed the empress dowager who was sitting in a high position in front.
The Queen Mother was resting with her eyes closed, but when she heard the commotion, she opened her eyes unhappily and frowned.
"What's going on?"
Her voice was not loud, but it carried unquestionable authority, instantly quieting the noisy scene.
Shan Zhuyu hugged Chen Jiao and quickly knelt down to reply, her voice trembling: "Reply, reply to the Empress Dowager, I think, I think it is Jiao'er..."
Her eyes rolled, and she quickly came up with an idea: "I think Jiao'er has been fasting and chanting scriptures for days to pray for the royal family. She is too tired and has lost her strength. This is..."
What a good excuse of "being overworked praying for the royal family"! It not only covers up the truth but also takes credit for it.
The queen also came to her senses at this moment. Although she still had doubts about the strange fragrance, maintaining order in the assembly was more important at the moment.
She immediately interjected, her voice as dignified and gentle as usual:
"I see."
"Miss Shen Er's sincere heart in praying for the country is truly commendable."
"It's just that her health is urgent. Come here," she turned to the palace servant behind her, "quickly, send Miss Shen to the side hall to have a good rest, and call the imperial physician to take a look."
The queen just wanted to get rid of this "trouble" quickly to avoid any further complications.
Several palace maids immediately stepped forward and were about to carry Chen Jiao away.
"Wait a minute!"
A cold voice sounded, not loud, but clearly reached everyone's ears.
It’s Chen He.
She put down her pen and walked over slowly, with just the right amount of worry and concern on her face.
"Mother, the Queen."
She first bowed politely, then looked at the unconscious Shen Jiao.
"My sister's face looks so bad, her lips are purple, and her fingers are cold. This is probably not just simple fatigue."
"Daughter, it's better not to move easily. If you move carelessly, what if your condition worsens?"
She paused, her tone sincere.
"It just so happens that this maidservant beside my daughter has a family with elders who practiced medicine, and she has learned some basic medical knowledge. Why not let her give my sister a quick check to see if she is suitable for movement?"
What Chen He called "rudimentary medical knowledge" was naturally a humble expression.
And this maid was Chu Yue.
When Shan Zhuyu heard this, her heart skipped a beat and she subconsciously wanted to refuse.
Let Chen He's people see it? How can that be possible!
"No, no need!"
She hurriedly stood in front of Shen He and her maid Ting Zhu, forcing a smile and saying, "It's just a minor illness. The Empress has already instructed that it should be sent to the side hall for the imperial physician to take a look."
She was afraid that Chen He's people would find out something they shouldn't.
Chen He didn't seem to notice Shan Zhuyu's obstruction. He just frowned slightly and looked at the Queen and the Queen Mother, his tone becoming more worried:
"Mother, you are wrong."
"Although there are imperial physicians accompanying us, mother forgot that there is a rule today: no men are allowed to enter the palace without being summoned. The imperial physicians are all waiting outside. Once summoned, they will carry my sister out. I'm afraid it will take quite a while to go back and forth. Moreover, if anything goes wrong during the move, wouldn't it make my sister's illness even worse?"
Her tone changed, and she seemed to be very considerate of Shen Jiao:
"My sister's current condition is truly worrying. For her own good, let's take a quick look. At least we can determine whether she can be moved, and that will also put everyone at ease, right?"
Chen He pressed on step by step, with high-sounding reasons, and every sentence was "for the good of my sister", making it difficult to refute.
The queen narrowed her eyes slightly, looked at Chen He, and then looked at Chen Jiao, who was barely breathing on the ground.
She naturally didn't believe that Shen He would be so kind.
But Shen He's words blocked her mouth.
Letting the imperial physician in? That would be against the rules.
Just carry it away? If something really happened, wouldn't it make the royal family look mean?
But if Chen He's people were to intervene...
The Queen was weighing the pros and cons in her heart, and was about to speak up to support Shan Zhuyu and get rid of her quickly: "Second Miss Shen is not feeling well. It is not appropriate to delay here and affect the progress of the blessing ceremony..."
Before she finished speaking, Shen He spoke again softly. Her voice was not loud, but it was like a needle, accurately piercing the queen's soft spot.
"The Queen is kind-hearted."
Chen He bowed slightly, his tone calm, but his eyes had a hint of sharpness as he looked at the queen.
"Mother just said that my sister collapsed from exhaustion while praying for the royal family in seclusion on behalf of the Empress."
"If they won't even take a quick look at it now, and just carry it out like this without any explanation, what if... what if something really happens..."
Chen He paused, his voice becoming softer yet deeper.
"I'm afraid outsiders will say that the royal family, and you, the Empress, have shown no compassion or sympathy towards a minister who fell ill while praying for the country."
"Wouldn't that damage your reputation, Madam?"
What a good move! "Using the enemy's spear to attack the enemy's shield"! It tied Chen Jiao's "merit" and the queen's "kindness" together.
If you ignore Chen Jiao's health today, you will be ignoring the life and death of the "hero", which is "unkind"!
The queen's face suddenly darkened.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
