"Li Xue!" As Shen Li Xue entered the living room, the first person to greet her was Shen Ming Hui, who was all smiles and had a gentle gaze, looking like a loving father. He quietly lowered his voice and said, "Li Xue, you are the daughter of the Prime Minister's family. The Prime Minister's family's fate is intertwined with yours. The reputation of the Prime Minister's family is related to your future. Do you understand what you should do?"
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow. Did Shen Minghui want her to work on the Empress Dowager to protect the Prime Minister's residence?
A wicked smile curled at the corner of her lips: "The best way out for a woman is to marry a good husband. I am already engaged to Prince An, so I don't need to plan any more future plans!"
“With the Prime Minister’s mansion gone, you’ve lost your powerful maternal family. Prince An will not marry you as his principal wife!” Shen Minghui suppressed his anger and patiently analyzed whether his daughter was not understanding his words or was deliberately going against him.
"Is that so?" Shen Lixue asked casually, her tone full of doubt. Shen Minghui felt a lump in his throat, unable to breathe, and felt extremely uncomfortable: Rebellious daughter, how could he have given birth to such a rebellious daughter!
Shen Minghui and Shen Lixue spoke in very low voices, so that no one else could hear them. Seeing that it was getting late, Eunuch Sun put down his teacup, stood up, and smiled, "Miss, shall we go to the palace now?"
"Of course!" Shen Lixue could have entered the palace long ago, but Shen Minghui kept nagging her. Looking up at Shen Minghui's angry gaze, Shen Lixue whispered dismissively, "I will do my best to speak well of my father!"
A glint of cunning flashed in her cool eyes: she would put in a good word for Shen Minghui in front of the Empress Dowager!
"Hmm!" That's more like it! Shen Minghui's anger gradually subsided, and he looked at Shen Lixue with complicated eyes. He had never been able to see through this daughter, just like the Lin family members many years ago, who gave people a feeling of being unfathomable.
As Shen Lixue was about to leave the living room, Shen Yingxue's gaze darkened. Yingying stood up, took a few quick steps to catch up with her, and said with a soft smile, "Sister, I also want to go to the palace to see the Empress Dowager. Can I come with you?"
062 The Death of Lady Tian
"Eunuch Sun, my sister Yingxue misses the Empress Dowager. May she enter the palace to pay her respects?" Shen Lixue asked with a slight smile.
"Entering the palace without being summoned is a great disrespect to the Empress Dowager!" Eunuch Sun looked at Shen Yingxue with a serious expression and his brows furrowed slightly. The palace is the residence of the emperor; how can anyone just walk in as they please!
"Please forgive me, Your Excellency, it was I who overstepped my bounds!" Shen Yingxue hurriedly apologized, but she hated Shen Lixue to the core: of course she knew that one could not enter the palace without being summoned.
I thought that Shen Lixue would be very pleased to be summoned to the palace. She had a deep conflict with me, and I thought that she would mock me for asking to go to the palace. Then, my father and Eunuch Sun would blame me for not knowing etiquette and would dislike me. I would not be able to get along with the Empress Dowager. But I never expected that she would push the matter to Eunuch Sun, and I would be the one who was taught a lesson by Eunuch Sun.
Shen Minghui glanced at Shen Yingxue, his eyes flashing with displeasure. Yingxue was always very sensible, so why did she do something so stupid today?
Lei frowned slightly. Yingxue was too impatient. Shen Lixue was not so easy to fool!
Eunuch Sun agreed, his tone displeased but not overtly so, and turned to Shen Lixue: "Miss Lixue, it's getting late, let's go to the palace!"
In Yongning Palace, the kind and amiable Empress Dowager sat on a carved mahogany chair, her collar slightly open, revealing her shoulders. Shen Lixue carefully turned silver needles one by one, either pulling them out or re-inserting them. Beside her, the palace maids and nannies stood quietly, ready for anything.
After a stick of incense had burned out, the Empress Dowager's pale face regained some color and her complexion improved considerably. Shen Lixue removed the silver needles one by one and put them away. The Empress Dowager opened her eyes, let out a long sigh of relief, and looked at Shen Lixue with admiration in her eyes: "Lixue, which master did you learn this acupuncture technique from? The acupuncture treatment is even better than that of the imperial physicians in the palace!"
"When we were in Qingzhou, my mother was always frail and sickly. So I learned this acupuncture technique from a doctor to relieve her pain. My technique is clumsy and cannot compare to that of a skilled imperial physician!" Shen Lixue explained softly, giving a casual excuse. In any case, Lin Qingzhu was indeed frail and sickly, and she was not lying.
"When you were in the capital, your mother was always in good health. How did she suddenly become so frail and sickly?" the Empress Dowager asked kindly. Thinking of the brilliant, beautiful, and healthy woman who was famous throughout the capital, the Empress Dowager could not reconcile her with the words "frail and sickly."
"When my mother carried me out of the fire, she didn't take anything with her. We survived until now thanks to my mother's embroidery and painting to sell. My mother fell ill from exhaustion..." Shen Lixue had the original owner's memories and knew that Lin Qingzhu and her daughter had not had a good life over the years. Moreover, she heard from the information that Lin Qingzhu unintentionally revealed that her illness was caused by not taking proper care of herself during her postpartum period.
When Lin Qingzhu was in confinement after childbirth, she was in the capital. At that time, the Duke of Wu's mansion had not yet fallen from grace, and Shen Minghui only had her as his legal wife. How could she have fallen ill during her confinement? Could it be...?
"These years have been so hard on you and your daughter!" The Empress Dowager sighed softly, her gaze towards Chen Lixue filled with pity. If it weren't for what happened back then, Qingzhu wouldn't have suffered so much...
"It is nothing for me to suffer, but I pity my mother. Her illness penetrated to the bone marrow and there was no cure. She passed away in great pain!" A highly talented young lady from a prestigious family in the capital, she was tormented by illness at a young age and died young. It is truly pitiful and regrettable.
"Reporting to the Empress Dowager, the Empress and Consort Li have come to pay their respects!" The eunuch's distinctive high-pitched voice rang out from outside the door.
"These two children!" The Empress Dowager shook her head, her tone helpless yet tinged with a hint of relief. She said gently, "Please invite them in. Tell them they don't need to come to pay their respects every day. They are really stubborn."
Light footsteps sounded, and the Empress, dressed in a phoenix robe, was elegant and noble, while Consort Li, in a scarlet palace dress, was beautiful and alluring. Each of them was supported by a palace maid, and they walked gracefully into Yongning Palace one after the other, with smiles on their faces and a graceful curtsy: "Greetings, Empress Dowager!"
"Rise!" The Empress Dowager smiled gently and sat down in the main seat. "Please take a seat!"
After thanking the Empress Dowager, the Empress and Consort Li, supported by the palace maids, walked to their seats. Whether it was Shen Lixue's imagination or not, as the two passed each other, a glint flashed deep in their eyes, so fast that no one could see it clearly.
Shen Lixue's gaze was cold and aloof. There was a deep conflict between the Empress and Consort Li.
"This humble woman greets the Empress and Consort Li!" Shen Lixue gracefully bowed. As the daughter of a minister, she naturally had to pay her respects to the concubines of the harem.
"Li Xue, no need for such formalities!" The Empress smiled gently. "I heard that Li Xue has come to perform acupuncture on the Empress Dowager. How is the Empress Dowager's health?"
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is fine, but her blood circulation is a little poor. She can walk around often to improve her blood circulation and prolong her life!" Shen Lixue answered truthfully. The women in the harem like to sit in their palaces all day long when they have nothing to do. Their blood circulation is poor, and they will get sick even if they are not sick.
"Your Majesty looks very well. It seems that Li Xue's medical skills are quite good. I haven't been feeling well lately. Why don't you take my pulse and check my condition, Li Xue?" Consort Li extended her smooth, silky wrist, her smile dazzling and alluring, a glint of light flashing in her eyes.
"Your Highness, I only know simple acupuncture to improve blood circulation. The art of pulse diagnosis is profound and complex, and I don't understand it!" Shen Lixue politely refused. Consort Li had first schemed against her, and now she was asking her to treat patients. She definitely had no good intentions.
"Really? You know acupuncture but don't know how to take a pulse?" Consort Li frowned slightly, her gaze sweeping back and forth over Shen Lixue, clearly not believing her words.
"This humble woman dares not lie!" Shen Lixue frowned. She needed to find out the reason why Consort Li framed her as soon as possible. It was really not easy to have such an inexplicable enemy hiding in the background.
"Sister Li, Li Xue doesn't know anything about medicine. If you're not feeling well, just go to the Imperial Hospital and ask a famous imperial physician. Why make things difficult for her?" The Empress smiled and spoke up for Shen Li Xue, but a hint of coldness flashed in her gentle gaze towards Consort Li.
"The imperial physicians couldn't think of a good solution for the Empress Dowager's illness, but Li Xue cured her. My sister thought her medical skills were superb, so she just wanted to ask her to examine her. How could she make things difficult for her!" Consort Li looked aggrieved, her gaze on Shen Li Xue with a half-smile.
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow, inwardly mocking herself for having learned acupuncture specifically to curry favor with the Empress Dowager: "When I was relieving my mother's pain, I learned some basic acupuncture techniques. Improving blood circulation was just a coincidence that happened to match the Empress Dowager's symptoms, not because of my superior medical skills. Your Majesty has misjudged me!"
Consort Li's face instantly turned ugly, her smile froze, and Shen Lixue was mocking her for judging others by her own petty standards...
The Empress smiled gently and glanced at Consort Li indifferently: "Consort Li, you are overthinking it. Li Xue is a filial person!"
Looking at the Empress and Consort Li, who were secretly at odds, the Empress Dowager frowned slightly. These two were constantly fighting each other, and they didn't even restrain themselves in front of outsiders: "Li Xue is tired from performing acupuncture on me. Granny Tong, take Li Xue to rest!"
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I will take my leave now!" Shen Lixue thanked the Empress Dowager and left the living room with Granny Tong. The Empress and Consort Li were fighting amongst themselves and actually wanted to use her as a pawn. How utterly absurd.
Led by Granny Tong, Shen Lixue entered the side hall to rest. It was well past the lunch break, and Shen Lixue was wide awake. After drinking two cups of tea, she got up and left the side hall. The Empress Dowager was resting, and Shen Lixue did not want to disturb her, so she left Yongning Palace, intending to walk around the area and bid farewell to the Empress Dowager when she woke up.
The flowers in the Imperial Garden were in full bloom, but the paths were quiet. Occasionally, one or two palace maids would hurry by carrying things, whispering among themselves, "Is it appropriate to give this food to Consort Tian?"
"She's already fallen out of favor and been banished to the cold palace, so this food is quite good..."
Consort Tian! Shen Lixue's heart skipped a beat. She wondered how Dongfang Heng's arrangements were going. Logically speaking, her visit to the palace today should have been a good opportunity to secretly meet Consort Tian...