“This…” The imperial physician cried bitterness in his heart. However, being watched by that instructing nanny, after withdrawing his hand from taking the pulse, he could only brace himself and say, “The Princess’s pulse is warm, gentle, and moderate, like spring water beginning to thaw. Your honored body should have no major ailment…”
When the instructing nanny heard these words, she only felt she finally had grounds to make trouble. Just as she raised her chin to interrogate, she was beaten by Wen Yu who asked lightly first, “Is that so?”
Her slender white fingers pressed against the book cover to close the scroll. She raised her eyes, commanding authority without anger: “Yet this palace feels my body is quite severely unwell.”
Hearing this, the imperial physician’s heart sank with a thud. Cold sweat soaked through his robes like a gushing spring.
But Wen Yu did not look at him. Her gaze fell neither warmly nor coldly on the instructing nanny, yet her tone seemed quite amenable to discussion: “Since this imperial physician cannot diagnose this palace’s illness, why don’t you report back to the Empress Dowager and request another imperial physician to examine this palace?”
The instructing nanny’s face nearly turned green with anger, yet she had no way to find words to counter Wen Yu.
The imperial physician had diagnosed her body as having no ailment, yet she insisted her own body was unwell. Could she completely tear off the facade and directly state this Liang woman was pretending?
What made her heart ache even more with anger was that this Liang woman hadn’t pretended even half a bit, yet wanted their Chen Kingdom to swallow this breath and acknowledge she was indeed ill.
The Empress Dowager had her bring the imperial physician to force a meeting with this Liang woman, originally intending to dampen her spirit so she could no longer use illness as an excuse to avoid learning the rules.
But this Liang woman’s action was undoubtedly slapping that slap fiercely back onto their Chen Kingdom’s own face.
The instructing nanny had served in the palace for over twenty years. She had never before experienced such suffocating humiliation as today. She endured and endured, yet that breath of fury still made her internal organs ache.
She turned her head and with a livid face berated that imperial physician: “The Empress Dowager trusted your medical skills and specially ordered you to come treat the Princess. Yet you can’t even diagnose what illness the Princess has. You are truly a quack doctor, taking salary for so many years in vain! Someone, drag this quack doctor out and beat him to death!”
Although the imperial physician had anticipated he would face great disaster today, he hadn’t expected the instructing nanny would be so merciless. Shocked and aggrieved, he hurriedly knelt down with tears streaming down, begging for mercy: “It is this humble minister’s medical skills that are inadequate. I misdiagnosed the Princess. But in my household, below I have a three-year-old young child, and above I still have a seventy-year-old mother. I beg Nanny and the Princess to spare this humble minister’s life…”
The instructing nanny said sternly, “What are you standing there dazed for? Hurry and drag him away, lest he pollute the Princess’s ears!”
Two Chen royal palace guards accompanying them immediately moved forward to take the imperial physician away. The imperial physician wept bitterly and kowtowed begging for mercy, yet was still seized by both arms and dragged outside.
Only then did Wen Yu, who had been calmly watching all this, speak: “Wait.”
The two Chen royal palace guards dared not ignore Wen Yu’s words, yet also dared not follow her instructions. They looked toward the instructing nanny, waiting for her to speak.
The instructing nanny had already vaguely guessed what Wen Yu would say. Her hands clasped in front of her body gripped tightly. Only then could she barely squeeze out a smile without warmth and ask Wen Yu, “I wonder what other instructions the Princess has?”
Wen Yu said lightly, “Since he is an imperial physician valued by the Empress Dowager, how can he be dealt with so rashly? Let’s permit him to take this palace’s pulse one more time.”
The smile the instructing nanny had forcibly pulled out froze directly on her face. She declined, saying, “Such a quack doctor—how can we permit him to treat the Princess again…”
Wen Yu gently yet leaving no room for discussion interrupted the other party’s words: “Would the Empress Dowager dispatch a quack doctor to treat this palace? This palace cannot misconstrue the Empress Dowager’s kind intentions, can I?”
The instructing nanny was blocked by Wen Yu from saying another word. Inside, she had nearly ground her teeth to pieces, and her heart ached with spasms.
Take the pulse again and have the imperial physician say she was truly ill?
Wouldn’t that mean this Liang woman had just finished slapping their Chen Kingdom’s left cheek, and they themselves were eagerly offering up the right cheek for her to slap?
Yet Wen Yu used the Empress Dowager’s good intentions as a raft, firmly blocking all the excuses the instructing nanny could use to politely decline.
Those two Chen royal palace guards had not received the instructing nanny’s signal for a long time. For a moment they didn’t know whether or not to release that imperial physician.
But that imperial physician already understood his survival was entirely in Wen Yu’s hands. After an inner struggle, in the end the desire to survive prevailed. Shouting “Thank you, Princess” from his mouth, he struggled and crawled to break free from the two royal palace guards’ restraint, threw himself before Wen Yu’s gauze curtain, and with the trembling hands of someone who had survived disaster, once again felt for Wen Yu’s pulse.
Seeing this scene, the instructing nanny closed her eyes as if facing death with equanimity.
Zhao Bai and Tongque stood on Wen Yu’s left and right sides. Seeing this situation, Zhao Bai remained expressionless as always, but Tongque clearly straightened her back several degrees, slightly raised her chin, and looked with great satisfaction at the instructing nanny and her group who had come specifically to create difficulties.
Before long, the imperial physician gave a new diagnosis: “The Princess’s pulse at first glance appears calm and stable, but upon careful examination, one finds the stability carries a trace of weakness. This should be stagnant郁氣 in the spleen and lungs, with vigorous heart fire. Combined with accumulated exhaustion and injury to the body, this is why she often feels weak and short of breath. She needs to nourish yin and regulate the spleen, relieve liver qi, and carefully nurture her health.”
This slap to the right cheek had ultimately also landed on their Chen Kingdom’s face.
The instructing nanny, supported by the composure cultivated through decades immersed in the deep palace, barely avoided directly leading people to turn and leave. She reluctantly maintained her last shred of dignity and said to Wen Yu, “If that’s the case, the Princess should first recuperate well.”
She was about to leave with the crowd of palace maids and guards when Wen Yu called out to stop her: “Nanny has come several times to inquire after me, and the Empress Dowager even sent an imperial physician to examine this palace. This palace also knows the auspicious day calculated by the Imperial Astronomy Bureau is not far off. Both Nanny and the Empress Dowager are anxious about the grand ceremony, but this palace’s body—I truly don’t know when it will improve.”
Her eyes were peaceful, her voice also gentle, only the words she spoke made people feel not half a bit of gentle compliance: “It just so happens that today Nanny brought so many royal palace maids. To prevent the Empress Dowager from continuing to worry, and also to give Nanny something to report when returning, why doesn’t Nanny just teach these palace maids the rules? This palace will simply watch from the side.”
The instructing nanny’s expression in that instant could no longer be described as ugly. This was already humiliation inflicted in reverse on their Chen Kingdom.
Because of extreme fury, the instructing nanny had even lost control of her tone. She turned back to stare at Wen Yu, saying with disbelief and angry laughter, “The Princess jests. The rules of the Chen royal palace—no one has ever learned them in such a manner.”
Wen Yu said neither warmly nor coldly, “Now there is, isn’t there?”
The instructing nanny was so angered by these words that her entire body trembled. Unable to hide the fury in her eyes, she said forcefully, “Since the Princess has this request, this old slave will report it to the Empress Dowager.”
Wen Yu supported her chin with one hand, casually flipping through the book pages, and said, “That’s fine too. Only this palace, dragging my sick body to receive guests, already feels quite dizzy and my head is spinning. Going forward, my health will likely worsen even more. If I cannot learn the rules today when my spirits are still acceptable, before the wedding ceremony, I don’t know if I’ll even be able to leave my sickbed. But if I don’t learn the royal palace rules, I fear that after the wedding ceremony I’ll handle matters improperly and offend the King or the Empress Dowager.”
This was naked threat.
Either train their Chen royal palace’s own maids today and “teach” these rules, or never think about bringing up teaching rules again.
But if she “didn’t understand” the rules going forward and was disrespectful to the Chen King and Empress Dowager, that would also be because she hadn’t learned the rules—ignorance is not a crime.
The instructing nanny was so angry her vision went black in waves. Her entire person even swayed, and only by being promptly supported by the palace maid behind her did she stabilize her form.
After regaining her composure, she forcefully suppressed her fury and said through gritted teeth, “Fine. This old slave will teach the Princess the rules today.”
Knowing her own humiliation, the instructing nanny hastily trained the palace maids in the rules once through, then led people back in defeat. The imperial physician who should have accompanied them back to report Wen Yu’s physical condition to the Empress Dowager was kept at the courier station by Wen Yu under the pretext of poor health for nearby consultation.
Zhao Bai saw the guests off on Wen Yu’s behalf. The instructing nanny walked out of the courier station with her back straight. As soon as she got on the carriage, it was said she collapsed from anger.
When Zhao Bai returned to report, the gauze curtains in the main hall had not yet been taken down. Besides Tongque standing beside Wen Yu, that imperial physician was still kneeling outside, continuously kowtowing toward Wen Yu: “This humble minister thanks the Princess for the grace of saving my life…”
Wen Yu continued perusing the scroll in her hands, seemingly uninterested in the person outside the gauze curtain: “Rise.”
The imperial physician stopped kowtowing. After rising, he also didn’t dare raise his eyes to observe the person behind the gauze curtain. He stood slightly hunched, appearing quite at a loss.
Fortunately, Wen Yu’s questioning voice soon rang out from inside the gauze curtain: “How long have you served at the Imperial Medical Bureau?”
The imperial physician bowed and respectfully said, “Seven… seven and a half years.”
“What other people are in your household?”
The imperial physician became even more apprehensive: “There is a seventy-year-old mother, a three-year-old young child, and my wife who has shared my hardships.”
Wen Yu then instructed Zhao Bai, “Take people to bring them all temporarily to the courier station.”
Zhao Bai cupped her fists in acknowledgment.
Hearing these words, the imperial physician knew Wen Yu intended to protect his family, old and young. He was instantly moved to tears of gratitude: “The Princess’s great grace and virtue—even if this humble person becomes an ox or horse in my next life, I cannot repay it…”
Wen Yu’s voice remained calm: “This palace has just arrived in Chen Kingdom and there are still many aspects of the royal court I’m unfamiliar with. Going forward, I’ll still need the imperial physician to take care of things.”
The imperial physician understood that after experiencing today’s matter, even if the Empress Dowager didn’t kill him, in her fury she absolutely would not let him off lightly. Going forward, he would certainly be unable to continue serving at the entire Imperial Medical Bureau.
Wen Yu was the Chen royal palace’s new female master. Since the other party was willing to protect his family and had extended an olive branch, he naturally had to firmly grasp this life-saving straw. He immediately bowed deeply toward Wen Yu with tears: “The Princess has the grace of giving this humble person new life. This humble person will certainly give my all for the Princess, brave fire and water…”
Zhao Bai cut off his subsequent words, saying, “The Princess is somewhat tired from receiving guests. Please trouble the imperial physician to move elsewhere and tell this humble officer where your residence is located.”
Only then did the imperial physician, while continuing to express gratitude, gratefully agree and follow Zhao Bai out of the main hall.
Tongque had long been unable to restrain the joy on her face. As soon as the imperial physician left, she helped Wen Yu raise the curtains on both sides, saying with unconcealed satisfaction, “Princess, you didn’t see the expressions on the Chen royal palace people’s faces before they left. If that Empress Dowager Jiang learns what happened today, won’t she be angered to the point of vomiting blood?”
Wen Yu put away the book. Her index and middle fingers picked up a white piece and placed it on the unfinished game on the go board beside her. Her tone was extremely indifferent, yet her gaze was extremely cold and sharp: “Throwing a stone can test the road. Empress Dowager Jiang pressing so urgently should not only be to observe my attitude after entering Chen. She’s also probing to see how many people my father arranged in Southern Chen still remain.”
—
Chen Royal Palace.
After Empress Dowager Jiang finished listening to the instructing nanny’s ashamed report of the afternoon’s events, she closed her eyes and fingered her bodhi bead string, saying nothing.
The instructing nanny’s hair by her temples was disheveled. Miserably and fearfully, she touched her forehead to the ground and kowtowed: “Humbly begging the Empress Dowager to mete out punishment.”
In the dimly lit Buddhist hall, Sanskrit incense curled. The bodhi bead string in Empress Dowager Jiang’s hands made another complete rotation before she said with closed eyes, “Go down.”
Only after the instructing nanny kowtowed once more did she withdraw from the Buddhist hall.
Empress Dowager Jiang continued calmly fingering the bodhi string. But at a certain moment, she still suddenly swept her arm and knocked the incense burner on the small table to the ground.
The bronze lotus platform-shaped incense burner crashed to the ground with a muffled sound. Not one of the palace maids guarding outside dared enter to check.
The curtain of the Buddhist hall’s partition was lifted. A pair of black brocade boots stepped on the plush carpet and walked forward. Crouching down to right the incense burner, then using a handkerchief to carefully wipe clean the incense ash on the ground bit by bit, the handsome face wore a smile: “Aunt is so greatly angered?”
Empress Dowager Jiang opened her eyes and looked at the nephew she had cultivated like her own son, saying, “Indeed, this aunt underestimated the Liang woman. I originally thought that back in Pingzhou, everything was due to the Liang ministers beside her advising and planning for her. Now it seems she herself is also a hard bone.”
Jiang Yu gathered the handkerchief wrapped with incense ash. The contours of his profile became increasingly distinct in the dim light. He lowered his eyelashes slightly and said, “We’re advancing troops into Liang territory. The great battle to punish Pei Song has already begun. Now is precisely the time to be united against external forces. Why must Aunt at this time use this method to make her bow her head?”
These words caused Empress Dowager Jiang to look down at him. That gaze was cold, sharp, and domineering: “I make her bow her head? Her Liang territory’s nation is no longer a nation, yet forming a marriage alliance with our Chen Kingdom, she’s still so imperious. Back when your cousin went to Liang territory to borrow troops from King Changlian, to what depths did he have to lower his head?”
Jiang Yu didn’t continue arguing. He only picked up the nearby teapot, brewed a cup of tea, and handed it to Empress Dowager Jiang: “Please don’t be angry. How can it do if you harm your own health with anger?”
Empress Dowager Jiang took the tea, yet her gaze remained undiminished in its sharpness as she scrutinized Jiang Yu: “Yu’er, you speak up for that Liang woman like this. I sent you to get close to her—could it be you’ve first been beguiled by her beauty…”
“Aunt!”
Jiang Yu cut off Empress Dowager Jiang with a low voice. On that young, handsome face rarely appeared discomfort and murderous intent. He lowered his head, staring at the black iron thumb ring on his thumb marked with bow and arrow wear, like an eagle with broken wings: “I want to go to the battlefield, not to receive a bride, not to stay in the royal court.”
He pressed his lips tightly together. Any additional words were left unsaid because of that mutually understood reason. He only said, “Once the royal court is stable, I can go to war with the troops.”
Having said this sentence, he placed the incense burner back in its original position, stood up, and left the Buddhist hall.
Empress Dowager Jiang watched his retreating back. The corners of her lips moved, but in the end she said nothing. Her face also resumed its usual coldness and hardness.