Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C122

Several days passed in this manner, and no one from the palace came to fetch Wushuang.

The various factions who had been watching the situation were, without exception, inwardly perplexed. Some wondered if she had fallen out of favor. Others thought that while plain congee and pickles were fine for an occasional meal, who could eat them every day? It seemed His Majesty had grown tired of her.

Everything that had happened that day at Fengqi Palace had long since spread throughout the entire palace.

Seeing the Empress suffer such a great loss of face, there were those who secretly enjoyed the spectacle. However, when they saw that His Majesty had not summoned that woman to the palace again, they couldn't help but wonder: had the Empress truly suffered a loss, or had that woman offended His Majesty and fallen out of favor as a result?

Yet, it didn't seem like the Empress had escaped unscathed, because in the following days, His Majesty visited the First Prince at Mingyi Hall twice. Although he did not stay there overnight, nor did he show any signs of summoning Consort Hui to his bedchamber, the fact that His Majesty had gone there at all held a certain significance.

In truth, when one thought about it, it made sense. The Empress had no children, while Consort Hui was raising the First Prince, who might very well be the future Crown Prince. Consort Hui would then become the future Empress Dowager.

And so, after this incident, Consort Hui unexpectedly stole the limelight, becoming the most talked-about person in the palace for a time.

As for the Zhao family, they were also observing the situation, but their information was not as reliable as that of those within the palace. Naturally, they were unaware of what had truly transpired and wondered if His Majesty had grown weary of this woman.

Chen shi was bursting with pent-up anger and had long wanted to find someone to vent it on.

Seeing this, she sent someone to find Wushuang, only to hear that she had left the mansion again. Immediately, she left word for the Second Madam to visit the main courtyard upon her return.

***

"Doctor Chu, I'm heading back."

Seeing Zhuzi arrive in a carriage to pick her up, Wushuang put on her veiled hat and went to say goodbye to Old Doctor Chu, who had just become free.

"Alright, go on back. You don't need to come so early tomorrow. A batch of herbs will arrive tomorrow morning, and we won't open the doors before the Si hour (9-11 AM)."

Wushuang nodded and stepped out of the hall with Meifang.

As she boarded the carriage, she noticed that Zhuzi's expression was somewhat off.

"What's wrong?"

"Before I left, my mother came to find me. She said that today, Madam sent someone to look for you, Madam, but couldn't find you. She asked that you go to the main courtyard after returning."

The servants' expressions usually reflected the seriousness of the matter. Was Chen shi trying to find fault with her under some pretext?

In truth, Mei Wushuang was not surprised by this. Perhaps it was from being neglected and ignored for too long that she possessed an exceptionally profound understanding of the human tendency to praise the high and trample the low.

"Then after we return, I will make a trip."

Seeing that the Second Madam spoke so casually, Pillar did not say much more. After the two were seated securely, he cracked the whip and drove the carriage back.

***

No sooner had Wushuang left than a carriage stopped in front of the Huichun Pharmacy.

Seeing the carriage, the apprentice of Old Doctor Chu hurriedly turned and ran inside.

Before long, Old Doctor Chu hastily emerged from within.

"Miss, why have you come?"

A couple alighted from the carriage. The man was in his thirties, with a somewhat frail appearance, like a scholar. The woman was about the same age as him, but she was heavily pregnant.

The 'Miss' that Old Doctor Chu referred to was this pregnant woman.

Chu Yunji smiled and said, "It's all because he wanted to come. Since I had nothing to do, I came to take a look."

Old Doctor Chu looked at the man, but his expression was not pleasant.

To be precise, the Chu family, whether servants or those like Old Doctor Chu, who were originally family servants but later learned medical skills from the family head and became independent practitioners, all disliked Song You.

Who told this man to delay their Miss for so many years back then!

Song You awkwardly touched his nose, forcing a smile, "Senior Brother, it's not really that I wanted to come, but..." He glanced at a chamberlain standing behind him, indicating that he was not there for personal matters.

Old Doctor Chu ignored him and helped Chu Yunji inside.

Song You followed behind.

After sitting down, Old Doctor Chu no longer deliberately acted aloof. He told Song You about Wushuang's general progress during the few days she had been learning from him. In his words, Wushuang was not particularly talented, but she was diligent enough, so learning it should not be difficult.

The chamberlain received the information, bowed to the three of them, and hurriedly left.

After the person left, Song You said awkwardly, "Actually, I'm not urging Senior Brother. It's just that that one and this one had a falling out. Chamberlain Fu felt that it wouldn't do to remain in such a stalemate, so he specifically asked someone to find me to go through the motions, so that he could have something to report back to the palace. If she can learn, she can learn; if she can't, Senior Brother doesn't need to worry."

Only then did Doctor Chu's expression improve somewhat.

He thought Song You's visit was to urge him on. How could learning medicine be accomplished overnight? Even understanding simple meridians required gradual accumulation over time for someone who knew nothing about them.

Afterwards, Chu Yunji inquired about the situation at Huichun Pharmacy, and this matter was considered closed.

***

After returning, Wushuang went directly to the main courtyard.

Little did she know that before her return, Granny Huang had already advised Chen shi.

Of course, Chen shi understood the principle of leaving a line of retreat in everything. Right now, she suspected that this Mei shi had fallen out of favor with the Emperor, but whether she truly had or not, no one knew.

It wouldn't matter if she vented her anger here, but what if the woman was brought back into the palace later? Wouldn't that be a slap in the face?

Moreover, this woman had suffered neglect in the Zhao family for many years. No one knew if she would seek revenge once she gained power. The Zhao family had always been worried about Mei shi's potential retaliation. Now, adding insult to injury, if she hadn't lost favor, the combination of old and new grudges, coupled with her pillow talk, would be a consequence the Zhao family absolutely couldn't bear.

After hearing this advice, the anger that had arisen on a whim subsided in Chen shi.

But the words had already been spoken, and retracting them now would inevitably make her lose face. She pretended to be nonchalant on the surface, but in reality, she was hoping that Mei shi wouldn't come.

Who knew that Wushuang would be so honest, coming as soon as she returned to the mansion.

Hearing the servants report that the Second Madam had arrived, Chen shi felt a sense of panic. But she was caught in a dilemma and could only ask them to invite her in.

"I wonder what business Mother has with her daughter-in-law?"

"I am your mother-in-law; can't I look for you?" After the panic came a bellyful of anger. The more Chen shi couldn't believe that she was actually afraid of this daughter-in-law, the angrier she became. Coupled with the resentment she already harbored, it was inevitable that some of it would show.

Wushuang lowered her eyes slightly, not saying a word.

Seeing her like this, Chen shi felt even more hatred in her heart, and said in a stiff voice, "Which daughter-in-law doesn't show utmost respect when she sees her mother-in-law? Even if she doesn't serve her in person, the morning and evening greetings are indispensable. Yet you're so bold as to not even have me, your mother-in-law, in your eyes!"

Chen shi had thought it through. Since she was caught in a dilemma, there had to be an explanation. She used the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship as a pretext, which was both justified and wouldn't make her lose face.

Moreover, she had a legitimate reason. If Mei shi retaliated against her because of this, she would have something to say.

Little did she know that Wushuang was very surprised, because when she had first married into the family, it wasn't that she didn't want to give Chen shi morning and evening greetings, to fulfill her filial duty as a daughter-in-law. But Chen shi had disliked her, telling her to stay in her courtyard and not run in front of her. Now, she was bringing up the morning and evening greetings again.

Wushuang was an honest person and couldn't imagine the many twists and turns in Chen shi's mind. She only thought that her mother-in-law saw that there had been no further movements from the palace and wanted to take the opportunity to deal with her and control her. Therefore, she said, "Daughter-in-law will keep this in mind and will definitely not forget the morning and evening greetings in the future."

Chen shi let her leave. Only after she had gone did she ask Granny Huang, "What does she mean by this?"

Granny Huang had no idea what she meant and could only say that perhaps it was just a perfunctory remark.

Little did Chen shi know that from that day forward, Wushuang began her persistent morning and evening greetings. Chen shi was often so angered by her actions that she was fuming, yet she couldn't express her anger, which led to stagnation in her heart and the need for much medicine. Of course, that is a story for later.

***

Fusheng quietly glanced at Emperor Qianwu.

Seeing him frowning, reviewing memorials while occasionally rubbing his temples, he hardened his heart and stepped into the hall.

"Your Majesty..."

Emperor Qianwu looked up at him.

"This old servant has something he is hesitant to report to Your Majesty."

"Speak."

"It's about the matter of massage that Your Majesty mentioned before..." 

Fusheng explained his arrangements in general terms.

Emperor Qianwu only needed to say that she could learn the massage technique. He only needed to give the order; how it was done was Fusheng's concern.

But how was it to be done?

Fusheng thought a lot about it. If he directly found an imperial physician to teach her, it would inevitably lead people to connect it to His Majesty. So, he considered a more roundabout approach. He had Little Quanzi mention to Wushuang that His Majesty suffered from headaches and that massage could alleviate them.

If this woman had feelings for His Majesty, she would surely consider learning it to please him. Then, the rest would be easy. The most skilled medical hall in the capital for acupuncture and massage was Huichun Pharmacy, which was opened by Imperial Physician Song and Female Doctor Chu. This was not known to ordinary people, but it was known to Fusheng.

As long as this woman asked around, she would inevitably find out about Huichun Pharmacy. Even if she didn't, Fusheng would make sure they 'found out' about Huichun Pharmacy later.

In this way, it would seem subtle and also test whether this woman had any feelings for His Majesty.

In fact, Fusheng had the intention of helping Wushuang. He had some connection with Mei Zhan in his earlier years. Later, when the marriage agreement changed, Fusheng only thought that this woman was truly foolish, and he felt some resentment towards her in his heart.

Later, because of the struggle between the Princess Consort and the Secondary Consort, Fusheng also learned some inside information. But what was done was done, and there was no point in saying more. In addition, due to the unpredictable situation of the princes vying for the throne at that time, and because of His Highness's illness, Fusheng did not explain this matter in too much detail to Prince Wei at the time, only mentioning that there were some rumors in the mansion recently, saying that the Princess Consort's position was not obtained properly, and so on.

At that time, Prince Wei didn't ask much, just as Fusheng had thought. These matters were enough to occupy all his energy, and he had no energy to care about other things.

Furthermore, Prince Wei was somewhat arrogant and didn't want to hear about matters concerning Wushuang.

The matter thus faded away. Later, with Prince Wei's ascension to the throne and the struggles between Consort Hui and the Empress, the story of that year gradually took shape through deliberately released rumors.

Emperor Qianwu had heard of these things. Fusheng dared not ask further, only knowing that His Majesty seemed indifferent, but in truth, harbored some resentment towards the Empress because of it.

Therefore, everyone initially thought the First Prince would be raised by the Empress, but he was unexpectedly given to Consort Hui. Fusheng was not surprised by this outcome.

Even the Zhao family.

The imperial court and the harem were all speculating as to why His Majesty had not dealt with the Zhao family. According to Emperor Qianwu's methods of settling accounts after his ascension, the Zhao family should not have escaped the net. Yet, Emperor Qianwu did not touch the Zhao family, leaving everyone puzzled. Only Fusheng had a vague idea, likely related to that person.

It wasn't until this time, with the Empress and Consort Hui's struggle, that that person was implicated.

At this point, as Emperor Qianwu's confidant, it was Fusheng's duty to investigate the entire matter and report it to his master. Thus, the events of that year and Wushuang's experiences over the years entered Emperor Qianwu's ears through Fusheng's words.

It was also because of this that Fusheng learned of the Mei family's secrets, Wushuang's experiences over the years, and that her regretful change of marriage had other reasons.

She was a little foolish, but truly pitiable.

In the eyes of Fusheng, who was accustomed to seeing shrewd people, one could be foolish, but not wicked. If one could also be loyal to the master, then that would be even better.

Therefore, he had gone through so many twists and turns to orchestrate this, and the subsequent promotion was a natural consequence.

"She is a little timid, but she still has His Majesty in her heart." Fusheng, while observing Emperor Qianwu's expression, said softly, "It was also this old servant's cunning that made me want to test Madam. You see, no one instructed her, yet she went to learn on her own. It is said that she studied very diligently. Why would Madam be so diligent, if not because of Your Majesty?"

"No one instructed her? Are you not a person?"

Fusheng flattered him with a smile, "This old servant didn't directly instruct her, this old servant..."

"Enough, so much nonsense. Go receive the person."

Fusheng hurriedly responded with a "Yes," and went happily.

After he left, the corners of Emperor Qianwu's lips slightly lifted into an imperceptible arc.

[Is Wushuang about to enter the palace?]

[Didn't I tell you, if you recover sooner, you can have her enter the palace whenever you wish?]

[Really? Are you lying to me to make me wake up? I always feel like you're plotting something.]

[What devious plans could this Emperor possibly have? You heard it yourself just now, she's gone to study the art of massage.]

[Don't bully her, and don't let your Empress bully her either.] After a pause, Ji Yang added, [I always feel like I'll be better after a few more sleeps, I'm going to sleep now.]