"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty live a thousand years!"
Indeed, no one taught Jiang Yue manners; no, to be precise, no one thought to teach her.
Empress Cao frowned. Why did she smell a foul stench?
Because of the pungent smell, she didn't immediately realize that the other person's manners were inappropriate.
"Granny, what has gotten into the palace? Why does it smell so strange?"
Empress Cao covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, so that she didn't need to ask herself; the head lady-in-waiting would ask.
"Your Majesty, it was...it was Princess Xiangyun...she just relieved herself..."
The old woman found it difficult to speak of this, but she had no choice but to report it.
I thought to myself, she really is a country bumpkin, unreasonable!
"Someone, burn incense."
Empress Cao could not bear the smell and had to order someone to burn incense.
At the same time, a pair of phoenix eyes scanned the woman outside the beaded curtain from top to bottom.
Princess Xiangyun?
She does have some beauty, but she is vulgar and uncouth, hardly fit for refined tastes.
It's wrong to refer to yourself by your own name; it shows a lack of manners...
How could such a woman repeatedly achieve extraordinary feats?
And Your Majesty even made an exception and bestowed upon her the title of Princess?
He was promoted three times in five years!
Unbelievable, or is it that the other party has someone backing them up?
I had intended to test the waters carefully, but given the current situation, it's really...
After burning incense, the atmosphere inside the hall improved considerably.
At that moment, with just a glance from Empress Cao, the female official knew how to respond.
"Someone, please give the princess a seat."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Soon, someone brought over a hard stool, and placed it not far from the entrance of the hall...
"Your Majesty, I thank you for offering me a seat."
Jiang Yue said in a deep voice, seemingly unaware that the atmosphere was off, and instead expressing deep gratitude and tears of appreciation.
Yeah, just do whatever you want.
Empress Cao had palace maids fanning her from both sides, dispelling some of the stench, before she spoke:
"Princess Xiangyun is indeed a person of strong character. May I ask where she studied under?"
"Your Majesty is too kind. I am entirely self-taught. I have no teacher; I learned everything by reading books, asking people, and figuring it out myself. It's nothing to boast about."
Jiang Yue sat down. Although the bench was hard, it was better than standing and getting tired.
She answered all the Empress's questions one by one, but they were all just nonsense.
Empress Cao gritted her teeth, calmed herself, and continued to probe:
"Your Highness is too modest. I heard that you cured my granddaughter..."
Jiang Yue waved her hand and blurted out:
"Oh, not at all, it was just good luck, like a blind cat catching a dead mouse~"
"presumptuous!"
The one who scolded her was an old nanny, who glared at her with a look that was hard to describe.
However, Jiang Yue was even more audacious, glaring back and shouting:
"How dare you! Even the Empress has not reprimanded me, so who do you think you are!"
"Your Majesty, how can you have such a bullying old nanny by your side? If this were Yunshui County, such an overstepping servant would have been sold off long ago!"
"you--"
"This old servant knows his mistake, please forgive me, Your Majesty the Empress!"
The old nanny wanted to retort, but when her gaze met the Empress's even colder eyes, she immediately knelt down and begged for the Empress's forgiveness.
"Step back."
Empress Cao looked displeased and gestured for the other person to step back and not stand there in the way.
As for Princess Xiangyun, a hint of disdain flashed in her eyes.
"This old servant obeys!"
The old nanny was terrified, fearing she might anger the Empress Dowager...
"Princess Xiangyun, do you know why I summoned you?"
Empress Cao was too lazy to beat around the bush, and her tone was tinged with impatience.
She wondered if she had guessed wrong, and that this person was not truly talented, but rather guided by a master behind the scenes.
Yes, that must be it.
Therefore, this person is not to be feared; one should be wary of those behind him.
"I don't know."
Jiang Yue shook her head, looking as if she knew nothing.
Empress Cao had a sudden realization: "If that's the case, then let's just say it directly."
"I heard from the Crown Prince that you have cured the little princess of her plague. Why don't you give me and all the people serving in the Phoenix Palace a smallpox vaccination?"
"Oh, is that so? If you had said so earlier, I would have brought some with me when I went to the palace. But Your Majesty, this item is precious, and the price..."
Jiang Yue pretended to be a shrewd businessman, indicating that the price was not cheap and that payment was required for the vaccination.
"....."
This was the first time Empress Cao had ever been asked for money, and she was stunned for a moment.
As the First Lady of the Nation, she was always greeted with smiles and presented with treasures by others!
No one has ever asked her for anything with their palm facing up!
Jiang Yue received no answer, so she asked a series of questions in return:
"Your Majesty? What's wrong? Are you a little short on money?"
With so many people, don't even think about getting something for free!
People outside are all queuing up to get vaccinated!
One cowpox dose costs ten taels of silver!
She could at most give the Empress a fraction of the money.
"No, no problem. Are there any contraindications to smallpox vaccination? Are there any other symptoms?"
Empress Cao swallowed her anger silently and forced a smile.
"Your Majesty's health is of utmost importance. It would be best to fast for a day and abstain from food, so that the vaccination can be administered the next day. This would be the most appropriate course of action."
Jiang Yue knew the fish had taken the bait, so she started spouting nonsense with a straight face.
Empress Cao had no doubts upon hearing this, as there had been a precedent of such detoxification when Ge Tidian's father was alive.
"Chunhe, go and fetch one hundred taels of gold."
If you're going to get smallpox vaccinations, you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub.
She'll give you the security deposit!
She'll settle scores later once this matter is resolved!
"This servant obeys!"
The female official withdrew and, following the Empress's orders, went to the Empress's private treasury to retrieve one hundred taels of gold.
Having achieved her goal, Jiang Yue inwardly curled her lip in disdain.
This is only a hundred taels of gold?
We lost money.
It seems there's not much to gain from Empress Cao.
Then don't stop her from making money elsewhere!
After all, she is no longer alone; she is the mistress of Yunshui County, with countless people to feed.
"Her Majesty the Empress is such a kind person that she even granted the privilege of vaccinating the palace maids and eunuchs who serve her."
"......"
Empress Cao felt a slight pain in her temples. For some reason, she felt a mixture of disgust and inexplicable fear towards Princess Xiangyun.
It wasn't that I was afraid of her, but rather that I didn't want to see her fear.
“Princess Xiangyun, here is a hundred taels of gold. Please keep your promise and bring people tomorrow to vaccinate Her Majesty the Empress and everyone in the Phoenix Palace with smallpox.”
Chunhe returned and noticed that the Empress's expression was not good. She quickly pushed all the gold she was carrying to the chattering Princess Xiangyun.
"Oh, the gold is so beautiful, let me take a bite!"
Jiang Yue took the tray; it was heavy. She then casually picked up a piece and took a bite.
"Wow, it's true!"
"Guards, escort Princess Xiangyun out of the palace!"
"Chirp~"
......
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