Yang Wan had been exhausted the previous night and hadn’t bothered with careful grooming, spending the entire day in Chengqian Palace.
Near dusk, a messenger came from the Central Palace saying the Imperial Pharmacy was drafting autumn and winter tonics for each palace at the Empress’s quarters, and Yang Wan was summoned to attend. This was the custom of the inner court – whenever the seasons changed, the Imperial Pharmacy would prepare new prescriptions for the Six Palaces based on pulse diagnoses. Since the imperial princes were precious, the Empress would personally oversee each prescription, and when necessary, the Imperial Pharmacy would need to consult with those who closely attended to the princes before finalizing the prescriptions.
The palace servant led Yang Wan directly to the rear hall of Kunning Palace. In the inner hall, a subtle fragrance of Shouyang incense burned. The Empress was a meticulous person – even after the hour of You (5-7 PM), her appearance remained impeccable.
Four Imperial Physicians from the Imperial Pharmacy stood before the Empress responding to her questions. For each query from the Empress, they would each give their answer as she nodded along. By the time the palace servants found a moment to announce visitors, the sky outside had already begun to darken. The Empress gestured for Yang Wan to enter, received her courtesy, and had her stand at her side.
“Continue,” she said.
Imperial Physician Peng said, “Since the lady from Chengqian Palace is here, let me first inquire about the Crown Prince’s condition.”
“Yes.”
Yang Wan curtsied, “Please ask, Imperial Physician.”
Imperial Physician Peng said, “Has His Highness’s liver qi surging condition that began in autumn shown improvement?”
Yang Wan responded, “We’ve been following your prescribed dietary remedies consistently, and the Platycodon tea hasn’t been interrupted. His Highness’s previous symptoms of dry lips and eyes have improved significantly.”
Imperial Physician Peng continued asking, “Has the tinnitus improved?”
“Yes, His Highness hasn’t mentioned that symptom anymore.”
“Does His Highness rise often at night?”
“Not often, though His Highness has been staying up increasingly late studying today.”
Hearing this, Imperial Physician Peng reported to the Empress: “This is something only those close to His Highness would know. Your Majesty, we can finalize His Highness’s tonic prescription.”
The Empress raised her hand and passed Yi Lang’s tonic prescription to Yang Wan, “When Noble Consort Ning was here before, she was even better at reviewing these than I was. Sometimes she could even discuss them with the Imperial Physicians. Now that His Majesty has entrusted the Crown Prince to you, you should review it in her place. If anything seems amiss, feel free to speak up.”
After finishing, she rubbed her temples and asked those outside, “What’s happening with Jiang? Has His Majesty shown mercy?”
The attendant, hearing the Empress’s inquiry, hurriedly came in and said softly, “In response to Your Majesty, this… Noble Consort Jiang is still kneeling outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.”
“Ah…”
The Empress sighed and handed Yi Jue’s prescription to Yang Wan as well, “Read through both prescriptions for me to hear. If there are no issues, we’ll send them to the Imperial Pharmacy.”
Yang Wan accepted the prescriptions and said, “Since Noble Consort Xian cannot come, perhaps we should summon the Second Prince’s wet nurse to inquire?”
“Don’t even think about it.”
The Empress waved her hand, “Have you forgotten about the Hejiu case? Though the child has grown, who knows if he was traumatized then? I used to hear Noble Consort Ning say that when Yi Lang was Yi Jue’s age, he would smile at His Majesty, but Yi Jue… ah…”
She sighed as she spoke, “He doesn’t even cry, let alone smile.”
The four Imperial Physicians exchanged glances upon hearing this but remained silent.
The Empress pressed her brow, “Yang Wan.”
“This servant is here.”
“Listen well to what I’m saying. His Majesty’s offspring are few and precious – we cannot risk the slightest harm. His Majesty trusts you; you must be ten thousand times more vigilant to deserve his trust.”
“This servant understands.”
After this exchange, what needed to be said was said, what needed to be emphasized was emphasized, and the Empress’s energy waned, “Alright, the Extreme Gate is about to be locked. You may go.”
The Imperial Physicians bowed and withdrew. The Empress asked a few more questions about the affairs of Chengqian Palace, and as Yang Wan was answering, a message suddenly came from the Hall of Mental Cultivation saying that Jiang had been stripped of her title and confined to Yanxi Palace.
The Empress responded with a “Noted,” then suddenly called back the messenger to ask, “Did His Majesty state the crime?”
“In response to Your Majesty, yes. It was said that Lady Jiang slandered Noble Consort Ning and mistreated palace servants.”
The Empress raised an eyebrow, “Were those the exact words?”
“Yes.”
The Empress glanced at Yang Wan, “When did she slander Noble Consort Ning?”
Yang Wan bowed and responded, “Yanxi Palace did have some unsavory talk, but as I am just a servant, I could only protect His Highness and dared not inquire into the affairs of the masters.”
The Empress smiled slightly, “So this is why Lady Jiang praised you as clever. You see? No matter how she acts up, His Majesty understands everything in his heart.”
She then asked, “What about the palace servant who jumped into the river?”
“His Majesty ordered him beaten to death.”
“Oh…”
The Empress responded, clasping her hands together and uttering “Amitabha,” “So be it. Self-harm within the inner court is also a serious crime. I should go see Yi Jue now.”
“Your Majesty, you still need to prepare to receive an imperial edict. Secretary Hu is already on his way.”
The Empress said nothing, only summoning someone to fix her hair.
Regarding this edict, the Empress wasn’t surprised. With Jiang’s conviction, she naturally couldn’t continue raising Yi Jue, and it was only reasonable for the Emperor to turn to the Central Palace. However, ultimately, she had no desire to take in this child who showed no particular talent.
Yang Wan took the opportunity of the Empress preparing to receive the edict to excuse herself from the rear hall of Kunning Palace.
Outside, the autumn wind whistled, and palace servants carefully walked about protecting their lantern flames.
The autumn had been dry, and several fires had broken out in the imperial city this month, making the lantern-bearing palace servants increasingly cautious.
Yang Wan listened to the careful footsteps around her while walking and contemplating the current situation.
Noble Consort Jiang, like Noble Consort Ning, was among the consorts whose names weren’t even recorded in history. Although Yang Wan had caused her to fall into such a state, this still didn’t allow Yang Wan to be certain whether she had truly gained anything in this Qingbo Pavilion affair.