Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C121

The Empress straightened her shoulders, as if the moment of their slumping had never existed.

She lifted her chin, surveyed the crowd, and turned to walk inside.

Hupo hurriedly followed, instructing everyone else to leave and not follow.

Only when there was no one else around did the Empress's tense shoulders slump instantly. She muttered, "Bitch, bitch," and picked up a vase, intending to smash it. Hupo rushed forward, eyes filled with tears, shaking her head repeatedly.

Yes, she couldn't smash it.

If the Empress smashed the vase in her anger, all the pretense she had maintained would be for naught.

She was the Empress; she couldn't let anyone see that she was strong on the outside but weak on the inside. If she revealed even a hint of weakness, she would be devoured by those wolves and tigers until not a single bone remained.

The Empress's eyes were bloodshot, her nostrils flared, and she forcefully held back her tears.

Seeing her so stifled, Hupo said with heartache, "Your Majesty, if you want to cry, just cry for a while. This servant has sent them all away; no one will know, no one will know..."

The Empress gave a bleak smile, "This Majesty lost the right to cry long ago. Once, when I was a Princess Consort, and now as the Empress, I can't cry even more. Now that you tell me to cry, I can't even bring myself to..."

Hupo thought of everything Her Majesty had experienced since childhood, the troublesome affairs in the Mei mansion, and the things that happened when she was still in the Prince's mansion and after entering the palace. Others only said that being the Empress was glorious, but the suffering Her Majesty had endured was mostly known only to those who had served her since childhood like herself.

"Your Majesty, please try to cry a little; please don't stifle yourself."

The Empress tightly pursed her lips, murmuring, "Mei Wushuang, she is truly good, truly good... conspiring to hide here, waiting to take revenge on this Majesty..."

***

Wushuang's whole body stiffened, allowing him to lead her out of Fengqi Palace.

Only when they were outside did she retract her hand, pulling it back.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for helping this concubine out of a difficult situation. This concubine wishes to return."

She curtsied slightly and turned to leave.

Emperor Qianwu's face suddenly darkened, and he reached out to grab her arm. Caught off guard, she was pulled into his embrace.

Already filled with a mixture of shame and embarrassment, she was happy that he had come to save her, yet felt ashamed because of this very sentiment, especially since, in name, Mei Wuxia was still her elder cousin and his Empress.

These various and complex emotions tangled within her heart, making her feel, for a time, unable to face anyone. She only wished to hide. Yet, at this moment, he was angered, and Mei Wushuang was utterly at a loss for how to react, and promptly broke down.

Tears flowed as if a dam had burst, ceaselessly streaming.

She lowered her head, teardrops falling one by one onto his robes, her shoulders trembling, yet she wept without a sound.

Emperor Qianwu, looking at the damp patch on his chest, was momentarily at a loss for words.

After a long while, he finally said, "Did this Emperor bully you?"

To the side, Fusheng and the other chamberlains all lowered their heads.

On the long street, palace servants occasionally passed by, but upon seeing the commotion here from afar, none dared to approach.

She shook her head slightly.

"Then why are you crying?"

Crying, and he still asked why?

Outwardly, she used her sleeve to wipe away the tears, but the more she wiped, the more they flowed.

Fulai, leading several chamberlains, hurried towards them. Although they hesitated slightly upon seeing the situation from afar, they quickly arrived before them.

Emperor Qianwu glanced at him, then lowered his head and said, "Since you wish to return, then return."

She stiffened, took a few steps backward, lowered her head, curtsied, and silently turned to leave.

Fusheng, seeing Little Quanzi still standing there dumbly, quickly waved for him to follow.

Wushuang was sent back to the Duke Zhao's Mansion.

Seeing her silent and uncommunicative, Little Quanzi didn't know what to say, and could only silently depart.

Meifang saw that her Miss's emotions were somewhat off, and seeing that she didn't want to speak, she had no choice but to leave her alone.

Wushuang lay in bed all morning, not rising until it was time for the midday meal.

She didn't eat much for the midday meal either, only taking a few bites casually. Meifang wanted to coax her to be happy, but unfortunately, she was clumsy with words. Just then, Old Woman Gao, who served and did odd jobs in Wushuang's courtyard, arrived.

Although Granny Gao usually only did odd jobs, she was an old-timer in the Duke Zhao's Mansion, having served in the residence for decades and being a bondservant since birth. Her son worked as a coachman in the mansion, and her husband was a gardener. Her visit to Wushuang was because Wushuang had asked her for a favor previously.

After entering, Granny Gao respectfully greeted Wushuang and then spoke of the matter Wushuang had entrusted to her.

In truth, Wushuang had only asked her to help find a doctor skilled in the art of massage.

This old woman spoke with great exaggeration. According to her, not only had her husband been inquiring everywhere, but her son had also taken every opportunity to run errands, almost searching the entire capital, before finally finding such a master of massage.

In short, her whole family had put in a great deal of effort.

After listening, Wushuang was stunned for a moment, remaining silent for a long while.

Granny Gao stole a glance at her expression and hesitated, "Madam..."

Wushuang quickly regained her senses and looked at Meifang.

Meifang turned and went into the room, soon returning with a tael of silver, which she placed in Granny Gao's hands.

Without even looking, Granny Gao knew from the weight that the Second Madam had rewarded her handsomely. As expected, a noble person was indeed noble. The Second Madam was different from before.

In the past, serving in the Second Madam's courtyard was a thankless task that everyone avoided, knowing that coming here was like entering a cold palace. Now, however, it had become the most sought-after position in the entire mansion.

The servants were not fools. If the Zhao family truly fell from grace one day, or were liquidated by the Emperor, the best outcome for them, as bondservants, would be to be resold by the government. But now, with the Second Madam, even if the day came when their home was raided, they wouldn't dare to raid in front of the Second Madam.

The servants didn't understand the principles of propriety, justice, and honor. In their eyes, the Second Madam was now equivalent to the Emperor's mistress kept outside the palace. Which high-ranking official didn't keep a mistress or concubine?

So what if she was a mistress? Hadn't they heard that a wife was not as good as a concubine, a concubine was not as good as a stolen lover, and a stolen lover was not as good as one you couldn't steal?

In Granny Gao's view, the Second Madam was now equivalent to the Emperor's unattainable stolen lover. If she wasn't deeply ingrained in his heart, would he repeatedly summon her into the palace, regardless of his status? Therefore, clinging to this source of favor and stoking it fiercely was the way to go, and naturally, she wouldn't dare not to do her best in her tasks. As for the words she spoke, they were merely to curry favor.

"Then, Madam, when will you be going? This old servant's son has already spoken to that doctor, telling him that Madam is a noble person and it's inconvenient for you to leave the mansion. However, that doctor's clinic only has him as the physician, and even though he's getting on in years, he's still an outsider, so it's inconvenient for him to come to the inner courtyard."

Seeing that Wushuang didn't speak, Granny Gao changed her tone again, "Of course, it's not impossible for him to come, but we would have to inform the mansion and Madam. What do you think..."

Wushuang lightly exhaled, "There's no need for him to come. I will go to his clinic myself."

Receiving a definite answer, Granny Gao also revealed a smile, "That's good. This old servant understands. Madam, when do you plan to go? Just let this old servant know, and I'll have my son personally drive the carriage for Madam..."

"This afternoon, then."

Granny Gao hadn't anticipated that Wushuang would be in such a hurry. She was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered.

"Then this old servant will go and make arrangements."

Mei Wushuang had thought it would be difficult for her to leave the Mei mansion, but unexpectedly, no one stopped her.

She took Meifang and boarded the carriage. Just before leaving, she was stopped by the gatekeeper, but Zhuzi, Granny Gao's son, scolded him away, saying that the Second Madam was in the carriage, going out to buy some things. The gatekeeper immediately dared not stop them.

Sitting in the carriage, watching the bustling streets, Mei Wushuang finally felt much more comfortable.

She didn't even know what she was doing. It was clear that she had annoyed him in the palace before, and he probably wouldn't summon her to the palace again. Why should she bother learning that damned massage technique? But she really didn't want to stay in the mansion and just wanted to do something to distract herself.

The medical clinic was called Huichun Hall. Judging from the facade, the clinic wasn't large, but there were quite a few patients, with people constantly coming and going, either for consultations or to buy medicine.

Wushuang was, after all, a woman, and a woman of the inner court at that. She specially wore a veiled hat before getting out of the carriage.

The old doctor was very busy. She had Meifang stand with her in the hall for a while. Zhuzi finally managed to squeeze his way to the front to speak. The old doctor glanced over here, finished examining the person he was currently attending to, then stood up, telling the people behind to wait a moment, and that he would finish with this side first.

"Come inside to talk."

Wushuang and the other two followed behind him inside. The inside was no smaller than the outside, and it was divided into several rooms. They walked all the way to the back, to a room facing the courtyard.

There were several bookshelves in the room, filled with medical books, as well as an Eight Immortals table and a desk with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones on it.

On the wall facing the courtyard, there was a row of windows, allowing a clear view of the courtyard. The backyard environment was clean and serene, with an old banyan tree. Many racks were placed in the courtyard, with herbs drying on them.

"Although I don't know what Madam intends to do with this knowledge, the massage technique may seem simple, but it cannot be mastered in a single day. If Madam wishes to learn, she should first read this book, understand the meaning of the meridians, and then this old one will teach Madam the rest."

Wushuang looked at the book the old doctor had given her. The words "Lingshu Jingmai" were written on it in large characters. It was evident that the book was very old, and the pages were yellowed.

"Madam can study here, or take the book back to study, but there are many obscure terms in this medical book that outsiders would not understand, which may cause some inconvenience."

"I'll study here," Wushuang said, looking at the small room and the small courtyard facing it. "I just don't know if it will disturb the doctor."

The old doctor stroked his beard and said, "That won't happen. This old one mostly sits in the front hall for consultations. Besides this old one, there are only the two apprentices I've taken in this clinic. This old one will instruct them not to come to this room. If Madam needs anything, she can also have her maidservant instruct them."

Wushuang naturally had no complaints and instead felt that the old doctor's arrangements were very appropriate.

"I have not yet asked for the doctor's esteemed surname, nor the tuition fee..."

At Mei Wushuang's prompting, Meifang busied herself with taking out a purse.

Who knew that the old doctor would wave his hand and say, "This old one's surname is Chu. As for the tuition, Madam should wait until she has learned something before mentioning it."

***

It was clear that Doctor Chu did not have high hopes for Wushuang. After speaking, he went to the front.

Zhuzi had other errands to run; after all, he wasn't just Wushuang's personal coachman. After agreeing on a time to pick her up, he drove the carriage away.

Wushuang removed her veiled hat and told Meifang not to wander too far, but to stay in the small house or courtyard. She then went to sit behind the desk to read the Lingshu Jingmai.

After taking a look, it was indeed difficult to understand. She recognized all the characters individually, but when put together, the meaning became hard to grasp. No wonder Doctor Chu didn't have much hope that she could learn it.

If Wushuang wasn't entering the palace, she usually dressed simply. Today, when going out, she changed into some old clothes. Apart from her beautiful and charming face, her attire made her look like an ordinary woman.

She also had Meifang take down her hair and redo it into the simplest round bun.

After all that, she felt that she was inconspicuous enough, and only then did she take the book to the front to ask Doctor Chu about the parts she didn't understand.

In one afternoon, Wushuang only managed to read less than two pages.

But it wasn't without its gains. For example, she rarely saw people or interacted with them, but now she dared to ask Doctor Chu questions in person.

And after several conversations with Doctor Chu, she also realized that the old doctor Chu was a gentle person, just extremely busy.

This Huichun Pharmacy looked unremarkable, but the reason it had so many patients was that Huichun Pharmacy's consultation fees were extremely cheap, and medicine was practically given away. Therefore, many commoners in the capital liked to come here for treatment, and many people even traveled across half the city to get here. Old Doctor Chu's reputation among the people was also extremely high.

At this point, Wushuang dispelled her worries that Doctor Chu was a charlatan with poor medical skills.

That night, no one came from the palace.

However, Wushuang was very tired today, so she didn't think too much about this issue.

The next day, she went to Huichun Pharmacy again and stayed there for the whole day.

In fact, the Zhao family hadn't failed to notice her actions. After questioning Zhuzi, they heard that the Second Madam had gone to a clinic to learn some massage techniques. Although they didn't understand what she wanted to do, they didn't interfere much.