flstandardbreds Chapter 106 Purslane
Chapter 106 Purslane
Shen Meizhuang was playing chess with the emperor, while on the other side, An Lingrong and Zhen Huan had nothing to do, so they got together to discuss and work out some ideas, and discussed making a bellyband for Shen Meizhuang's unborn child.
"Rong'er, what do you think of this style?" Zhen Huan put down the pen in her hand and pointed at the drawing on the paper.
An Lingrong looked at it carefully and nodded: "Not bad, this pattern is very beautiful, very suitable for children."
After agreeing on the style, the two began to cut the fabric, discussing how to do it better while doing it, and bursting into laughter from time to time.
This harmonious and loving atmosphere made Yongzheng, who had been tired all day, feel very relaxed. "I've been tired all day, and seeing you guys so happy, I feel much better too."
Shen Meizhuang smiled and replied, "Your Majesty, you work hard for state affairs all day long, you should rest more!"
"Alas, you are sensible. Every time I go to Noble Lady Fucha, she complains about being uncomfortable here and there, which gives me a headache!" Yongzheng frowned and shook his head helplessly.
They were both pregnant, but why was there such a big difference? Shen Meizhuang's gentleness and thoughtfulness formed a sharp contrast with Noble Lady Fucha, which made the emperor like and appreciate Shen Meizhuang even more.
"Sister Fucha is young, and it's normal for her to feel panicked shortly after becoming pregnant. Your Majesty, please pay more attention to her so that our children can grow up together in the future!" Shen Meizhuang comforted her understandingly.
Ever since she became pregnant, she had been overwhelmed with worry and anxiety. Fortunately, she had An Lingrong and Zhen Huan by her side to provide constant companionship and guidance. In contrast, Noble Lady Fucha seemed somewhat lonely and helpless. Shen Meizhuang understood her and was willing to speak well of her in front of the Emperor.
The emperor nodded. "I understand the hardships of a pregnant woman and won't hold it against her. You should also take good care of yourself and the child, and don't make me worry."
Shen Meizhuang smiled slightly and nodded gently in response, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I will be careful and take good care of myself and the child."
Yongzheng smiled and continued playing chess. The entire Yonghe Palace was filled with a warm and harmonious atmosphere.
Just as they were talking and laughing, they suddenly heard a faint sound. An Lingrong looked up and saw Su Ye standing outside the hall with an anxious look on his face.
Something was wrong. Su Ye must be in the small kitchen watching over the meal. How could he come to the front hall? An Lingrong's mind moved slightly. She glanced at the emperor who was playing chess and whispered, "Sister Zhen, please accompany me to change clothes!"
"it is good!"
After hearing Su Ye's words, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong exchanged a glance, then turned their gaze towards the palace. Zhen Huan said, "Report this directly to the Emperor!"
An Lingrong agreed, "Okay, if someone wants to harm his son, of course he, as a father, should know!" Otherwise, what's the point of having a father!
Not long after the two returned, Su Peisheng's voice rang out from the palace, "Your Majesty, Su Ye said he has something to report to His Majesty and His Majesty."
Yongzheng put down the chess piece in his hand and said, "Let her in!"
"Your servant greets the emperor!" Su Ye stepped forward and saluted.
"What's the matter?" Yongzheng remembered this maid who knew medicine, and it was he who helped her to get to Huipin.
Su Ye looked up at Shen Meizhuang and continued, "I was preparing food for Concubine Hui and discovered that the vegetables sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs today contained a lot of purslane."
"What is purslane?" Shen Meizhuang asked.
"Your Majesty, Purslane is cold in nature and can clear away heat and detoxify, cool the blood and stop bleeding, and is beneficial for intestinal abortion. Eating it can induce uterine contractions, which may increase the risk of miscarriage. In some areas of the south, women eat it when they are about to give birth to speed up labor!"
When Yongzheng heard the word "miscarriage", his face changed, "Su Peisheng, go check!"
Su Peisheng secretly groaned. The emperor had finally gotten into a better mood, but there were still some people who didn't know how to live or die and insisted on doing evil things.
The atmosphere in the hall was cold.
Shen Meizhuang spoke softly, "Your Majesty..."
"This matter must be thoroughly investigated to see who is so bold as to murder the heir." Yongzheng looked at Shen Meizhuang's belly, and the anger in his eyes became more and more obvious.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. I believe this was just an accident, perhaps the negligence of the Ministry of Internal Affairs." Shen Meizhuang hurriedly comforted.
"Hmph, negligence? I have never seen this thing before. It appeared once, but it was only sent to your palace?" Yongzheng obviously did not believe that this was a simple negligence.
"Let Eunuch Su investigate. I will accompany the emperor for dinner. No matter how important other things are, they are not as important as the emperor's health!" Shen Meizhuang touched her belly and comforted the emperor.
Yongzheng was very satisfied with Shen Meizhuang's understanding, "Good!"
The four of them sat down and finished their dinner quietly.
After a while, Su Peisheng came in and replied, "Your Majesty, the eunuch in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said he didn't know what purslane was and sent it in thinking it was just ordinary cauliflower!"
"Send him to the Ministry of Punishment for severe interrogation. We must find out who is behind this!"
"Yes!"
Yongzheng's eyes flashed with a terrifying glint. "From now on, all food and drink expenses in Yonghe Palace will be allocated from the Yangxin Palace. If there is any discrepancy, it will be treated as regicide."
"The slave obeys the order."
After Yongzheng left, the three of them gathered together to discuss countermeasures.
"Today's matter is a bit... simple, right?" An Lingrong couldn't help but feel a little confused.
After all, the crisis was resolved so easily that she felt like she was punching cotton, with nowhere to exert force.
Zhen Huan also nodded, "Yes, it's so simple that it doesn't seem like the Queen's work!"
Shen Meizhuang recalled the day when Concubine Hua suddenly asked her how many months it had been, "Could it be Concubine Hua?"
Zhen Huan and An Lingrong both shook their heads.
The reason why Zhen Huan didn't believe it was Concubine Hua was that she knew Cao Qinmo. With Cao Qinmo's intelligence, she would not come up with such a simple method.
The reason why An Lingrong didn't believe it was Concubine Hua was that she knew that Concubine Hua only beat the favorite concubines and not the children.
"Could it be Xia Dongchun?" An Lingrong asked.
"From picking and transporting the purslane to sending it to the Imperial Household Department and then to Yonghe Palace, quite a few people have been involved." Zhen Huan thought for a moment, "She just came out of the cold palace, so she probably hasn't had time to cultivate so many people."
"Is there some force in the palace that we don't know about?" An Lingrong knocked her head and thought carefully.
The three of them discussed for a long time but could not come to a conclusion.
"Let's see if there's any news from the Ministry of Punishment!
In Jingren Palace, the Queen listened to Jianqiu's report.
"How stupid! If such a simple method could get rid of Huipin's dragon fetus, would I still need her to do it?" The queen put down the purple-hair brush in her hand, feeling a little disappointed with Xia.
Jianqiu said, "Your Majesty, Concubine Xia is terrified, but Feng'er has reminded her to go look for Master Xia. I'm sure the Ministry of Punishment won't be able to get anything out of her!"
"To deal with these three, we must show some real skills," the Queen thought for a moment and said slowly, "If we can't hit them with one blow, we must learn to be patient! Let her be quiet for a while."
"Yes!"
As expected, after the Ministry of Punishment had used the punishment once, the young eunuch still insisted that he did not know purslane. Two days later, he died from his injuries, and the matter was left unresolved!
Time passed quickly and it was New Year's Eve in a blink of an eye.
An Lingrong reported feeling unwell and was unable to attend the New Year's Eve dinner. Shen Meiyu only showed up for a brief moment and then returned to the palace to rest, feeling heavy-hearted. This left Zhen Huan to respond to the concubines' blessings with a professional fake smile.
As the first month of the year begins, the weather gradually warms up, and Shen Meizhuang's pregnancy is almost eight months old!
On the 20th day of the first lunar month, Yongzheng awarded Nian Gengyao the first-class hereditary title of Ashanihafan for his contribution in suppressing the rebellion at Zhuozi Mountain. The title was inherited by his second son Nian Fu. From then on, all the men in the Nian family had titles.
As for Concubine Hua, Yongzheng restored her power to assist in managing the six palaces on the grounds that she had made a contribution by offering a prescription for epidemic medicine.
Just as February began, something happened that shocked the government and the public.
Because Henan Governor Tian Wenjing strictly enforced Emperor Yongzheng's policy of "officials and gentry serving as one and paying taxes together," the scholars, feeling it was a disgrace to the scholars, were furious. They paraded through the streets carrying the tablet of Confucius, the Great Sage and Teacher, and refused to take the provincial examinations, hoping to save face for the scholars and preserve their privileges. This caused an uproar within the court and the public, and to ensure the smooth implementation of the new policy, Emperor Yongzheng decided to personally travel to Henan to resolve the matter.