The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 114

Chapter 114: The Reason, Entering the Palace

Xiao Yuan shook her head and laughed.

“Where there are people, there are shadows. The human heart is extremely difficult to fathom and easily swayed. Back then, the Crown Prince was so benevolent and virtuous, but his personal attendant, merely feeling slightly unfairly treated by the Crown Prince, framed him.

This Commander of Personal Troops seal was originally carved by your grandfather. Under the Commander of Personal Troops, there are nearly ten officers commanding personal troops. Back then, when your mother went to Northern Qi, a loyal officer commanding personal troops also took dozens of personal troops to follow her. But some of those who remained, some were heavily bribed by the Chen princess, some were intimidated by the imperial authority of the Chen, and another point is, they all seemed to be under the control of some kind of drug!”

“Drug control?”

“Yes, after the Chen princess got the Commander of Personal Troops seal, she immediately summoned a dozen officers commanding personal troops and held a banquet in the name of the Mistress of the Xiao family. After the banquet, she told them that the wine and food they all consumed were poisoned, and to counteract this poison, they needed to take an antidote every half a month.

The antidote was in her hands!”

Is that so? Xiao Jinyu recalled that day in the Elegant Poetry Pavilion, although the personal troops brought by Princess Yunyin obeyed her, after Xiao Xian said those words, some of them clearly showed signs of being touched.

It seems that Princess Yunyin only used coercive means to obtain this group of personal troops but did not win their hearts.

And once the human heart is filled with resentment, it will surely backfire.

This was excellent news for her.

But where did Princess Yunyin get the poison from?

While Xiao Jinyu was pondering, Xiao Yuan began to blame herself tearfully again.

“If I hadn’t forced A’luan to take the clan back to Jiankang, wouldn’t all this have happened?”

“I miss seeing A’luan, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother… Our family sitting in the courtyard, listening to A’luan tell stories, eating snacks, just like we did in the fortified settlement in Jingkang…”

As she spoke, she seemed to be reminiscing about certain past events, her expression becoming somewhat distant.

“Mother, it’s not your fault, Elder Sister and the others wouldn’t blame you either…”

“You’re tired, go back to your room and rest, okay?”

Xiao Yuan’s gaze turned to Xiao Xian, tears suddenly welling up in her eyes again.

“Xianlang, I know you are all good children, and you won’t blame me, but I… how can I forgive myself… how can I forgive myself for my momentary wrong decision that caused this direct lineage to dwindle…”

“A’luan, such a wise and kind person, suffered such humiliation…”

As she spoke, she suddenly looked at Xiao Jinyu again.

“Child, don’t enter the palace, okay? That palace is a place where people are devoured without a trace, I regret it…”

“I regret bringing them back… If I could choose again, I’d rather they live ordinary lives, as long as they’re safe and healthy…”

Xiao Jinyu hugged Xiao Yuan.

“Grandmother, fortune and misfortune are intertwined, it’s all destined, but as long as we work together, there will eventually be a day when things turn around.”

Xiao Yuan’s heart ached, and she hugged Xiao Jinyu even tighter, sobbing softly.

✿✿✿

Neither Xiao Xian nor Xiao Jinyu told anyone about Xiao Yuan’s regaining consciousness. Therefore, in the entire courtyard, except for the two of them and Nurse Lin who served Xiao Yuan closely, no one else knew.

The next day, Xiao Jinyu gave Xiao Ruoling a recipe book and asked A’xiu to teach Xiao Ruoling some ways to maintain health through tea and diet.

Since Xiao Ruoling decided to learn business, she had already started to study snacks, tea drinks, and other aspects. The recipe book given by Xiao Jinyu once again broadened her horizons.

“So Elder Sister not only knows how to make that tea drink and hot pot with beef, but also so many other novel and delicious recipes?”

“Yes! They were all left to me by my mother!”

She was not lying. Speaking of which, she was becoming more and more curious about her original mother, Xiao Luan. She showed signs of precociousness at the age of three. At the age of five, when the Crown Prince passed away, he entrusted the family knowledge and assets of this direct lineage to a young granddaughter.

And just like when she was in the Xie family in her previous life, Xiao Luan also had a vast collection of books. But unlike the Xie family, whose books were inherited classics and biographies, Xiao Luan’s collection included more medical books, books on food, tea, porcelain, and other aspects of everyday life.

After seeing the recipe book given by Xiao Jinyu, Yuan Rujing was also very interested and decided to learn business with Xiao Ruoling.

During breakfast, the family sat together, enjoying each other’s company. Xiao Yuan no longer cried and made a fuss like she used to, but quietly watched everyone in the courtyard, listened to their conversations, and occasionally smiled faintly.

Yuan Rujing did not return to the Fan family, but it was as if a needle was stuck in her heart, leaving her feeling somewhat melancholic.

A’yuan wanted to learn medicine, so Xiao Jinyu let her start by learning to identify medicinal herbs and gave her a silk book with illustrations of various herbs.

A’yuan was very happy to receive the silk book and immediately opened it to look. She saw that it was full of lifelike illustrations of all kinds of plants, with annotations beside them.

Yuan Rujing was surprised and deeply moved.

✿✿✿

“I didn’t expect you to take A’yuan’s casual remark to heart. A’yu, I don’t know how to repay you…”

“I will ask for your repayment in the future!”

Unexpectedly, Xiao Jinyu would answer like this. Yuan Rujing suddenly felt her mood lighten and couldn’t help but smile.

At three quarters past seven, an imperial eunuch arrived from the palace to deliver the Empress’s edict, urging Xiao Jinyu to enter the palace quickly. Originally, an edict was also issued yesterday, but because Xiao Jinyu was not at the residence, the eunuch hurried back to report. Today’s situation seemed even more urgent.

Xiao Jinyu had no choice but to enter the palace!

To reassure Xiao Yuan, Xiao Jinyu asked Xiao Xian to accompany their mother and did not tell Xiao Yuan about her entering the palace, so as to avoid any further complications.

✿✿✿

When she arrived at Tai City with the eunuch, Xiao Jinyu was surprised to see that Prince of Lanling’s carriage had also arrived outside Tai City.

And it seemed that Gao Changgong had been waiting for her for a long time.

“Why did Your Excellency come to Tai City today?” The eunuch had heard of Prince of Lanling’s great name and hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.

“I was summoned by His Majesty, so I came here to see His Majesty!”

The eunuch nodded and smiled obsequiously.

At this time, Prince of Lanling had already strode up to Xiao Jinyu, gazing at her very tenderly, and took her delicate hand, seeming to slip something into her hand.

“His Majesty has summoned me to the Taiji Palace to discuss matters. Xiao A’yu, if you encounter any trouble, you can call for me at any time. This is a token I’m giving you.”

“Call for me, and I will come!” he whispered in her ear.

Seeing this, the young lady of the Xiao family and this Northern Qi envoy, Prince of Lanling, actually had an extraordinary relationship. If something really happened, wouldn’t it offend this Prince of Lanling!

The eunuch calculated in his heart, his gaze towards Prince of Lanling and Xiao Jinyu becoming even more obsequious and attentive.

Xiao Jinyu opened her lips and whispered to Prince of Lanling, “Thank you!” Then she followed the eunuch into the palace.

She looked at the object that had appeared in her hand, it was actually a willow leaf. Was this hinting that if she encountered danger, she could use the leaf to make a sound and call for help?

Fenghuang hid not far away, silently watching all of this.

✿✿✿

Tai City was the imperial city. During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Emperor Yuan of Jin, with the assistance of Wang Dao, built ancestral temples and government offices here, designating the Eastern Palace as Tai City. After expansions, it had three layers of palace walls. The outermost layer housed troops, the second layer housed central government offices, and only within the third layer of walls was the true inner palace.

But since the Jin Dynasty, dynasties changed frequently, regimes struggled for power, and wars raged. After the rebellions of Su Jun and Hou Jing, the Tai City palace had become extremely dilapidated, far less luxurious than the residences of aristocratic families.

After passing through a long corridor, they arrived at Hualin Garden. Palace maids walked gracefully, and vast flower beds were filled with blooming flowers.

Xiao Jinyu was no stranger to the layout here. In her previous life, she often entered the palace to teach the princesses.

Soon, they passed a peach grove, and Xiao Jinyu paused, stopping in her tracks.

“Young Lady, why have you stopped? The Empress is waiting!”

The eunuch urged.

Xiao Jinyu asked, “Your Excellency, has this peach grove only grown into such a sea of flowers in recent years?”

In early spring, the peach blossoms were in full bloom, a mix of crimson and white. Because this peach grove covered a large area, it truly resembled a sea of flowers.

“Young Lady, it’s not from recent years. Back then, when Emperor Wen ascended the throne, he favored General Han. Remembering their first encounter in a peach garden, he ordered this peach grove to be planted as a symbol of their everlasting love.”

“Oh.”

The eunuch glanced back at Xiao Jinyu, his heart skipping a beat. He seemed to have just remembered that this young lady was the legendary daughter of Han Zigao. Could it be that she was trying to get something out of him by asking this?

Xiao Jinyu did want to get something out of him, just to confirm whether this peach grove had existed fifteen or sixteen years ago. If so, it would match her dream.

If the dream was real, who was the woman who ordered the palace maid to drug Han Zigao?

Seeing that Xiao Jinyu did not intend to ask further, the eunuch breathed a sigh of relief and urged her to quicken her pace, heading towards the Empress’s Palace of Manifest Brightness.

Soon, a majestic palace appeared before them. Just as they reached the palace gate, they heard a burst of laughter:

“Your Majesty, look, that Divine Physician Lady is here!”