CHAPTER 93: CHAPTER 88: BLESSINGS EXTENDED TO THE FAMILY

The Prince’s luxurious attire, viewed as a shackle by the Eldest Prince, was also his talisman for survival.

Respect comes first to the clothes, then the person; once the Prince encounters danger, palace maids, eunuchs, even concubines are willing to risk their lives to save him. It’s akin to earning second-class merits or advanced individual accolades within the system, ensuring stability for the rest of their lives.

The more Princess Consort Jing thought about it, the more fearful she became, her expression changed: "Concubine Xi, there is no need to decline, I truly thank you."

Her eyelids slightly drooped, dressed in a sober blue-brown gown, despite holding a concubine rank and being relatively young, she dressed maturely and sedately, understated and reserved: "In the future... if something happens, and you are unsure of what to do, you may come to Qixiang Palace to seek my advice."

Princess Consort Jing looked at Yun Jiao’s young and tender face, fearing she might not understand, she made her words exceptionally clear.

Yun Jiao opened her personal attribute panel.

In the column of friendships, indeed, Princess Consort Jing appeared, with Doctor Zhang ahead of her, which made her frown—Doctor Zhang was surprisingly not on bad terms with her!

"Very well, as long as Lady doesn’t mind me disturbing your peace, I’m content."

"No need to worry about it,"

A hint of warmth appeared on Princess Consort Jing’s face: "When Jing’er wakes up, he would surely want to thank you personally. For now, please rest well."

She rose and left.

No sooner had Princess Consort Jing stepped out, when the Empress arrived!

The Empress came with a classic smile and extended a formulaic consolation—one can assume the Empress is quite bothered by the situation. Although the fault lies with Qixiang Palace, being a high leader means that any mishap, even if not her fault, requires her to share the blame. Before visiting Concubine Xi, she was reprimanded by the Empress Dowager and then thought of Concubine Xi’s merit in saving a life, which essentially earned her a pardon token, and she also formed an alliance with the toughest to please, Princess Consort Jing. This made the Empress too troubled to speak.

How could she be so fortunate!

But it’s also good that the Eldest Prince was saved...

The Emperor now has but this one son; dread to think if the Eldest Prince had drowned and the Emperor for some reason passed away, the new Emperor would have to be adopted from the Imperial Family or replaced by a Prince, leading to inevitable fierce battles, and her rank as Empress would be utterly lost. With the Eldest Prince alive, even if the Emperor died, she would still be the Empress Dowager, with a noble status.

Though the Empress was envious, realizing this point, she still felt greatly relieved.

However, she would never thank Concubine Xi.

The Empress Dowager felt similarly relieved.

Back then, she had poor relations with the mother consorts of other Princes; should the Emperor pass away, her status and treatment were likely to be significantly downgraded. Therefore, when she came to comfort Yun Jiao, her fondness was much more genuine, her words not without regret: "It’s a pity the Emperor hastily appointed you as a concubine. If you were promoted during this opportunity, it would convince everyone more," she paused, "but after this event, no one should question your status as a concubine anymore. I did not misjudge; you are a good child."

The Empress Dowager carefully inquired about her rescue process.

This was easy to recount; she had experienced it nearly ten times over and remembered every detail precisely. Among them, speaking of the aquatic plants entwined around the Eldest Prince’s ankles and his subconscious reliance on her as a floating piece of wood, even the listening wet nurses secretly broke into a sweat.

The more dangerous the process, the more heroic Concubine Xi appeared!

The Empress Dowager wasn’t afraid of her exaggerating the truth; once the Eldest Prince awoke, the full story would be revealed.

After handling these successive appearances of important figures, Yun Jiao could finally have some peace. She went to Yikun Palace for dinner before returning to Xianfu Palace, soon falling into a deep sleep, joking with Xue Ya before bed: "After moving my arms and legs a bit, I’m surprisingly getting sleepy earlier than usual!"

"Mistress should have a good rest, today was truly frightening."

...

The next morning, Yun Jiao opened her eyes and lifted her leg: "Xue Ya, I seem to not recognize my own legs."

"What happened with Lady?!"

Yun Jiao raised her hand: "It seems my hands are also quite unfamiliar to me."

Seeing Xue Ya panic and about to call an imperial physician, Yun Jiao looked at the ceiling and said: "The downside of usually being inactive has shown. Suddenly having intense activity has led to lactic acid buildup, and I seem to have pulled a muscle, I can’t get up, any movement is painful, please ask for leave in Jianzhang Palace for me."

What a stark contrast to her exuberance before bed!

Joy followed by sorrow!

Xue Ya did not understand what lactic acid buildup meant, but she accepted the task to go to Jianzhang Palace, while Gong Mei stayed to boil water and use a handkerchief for hot compresses to ease the pain. Before long, there was news from Jianzhang Palace—

The Empress instructed Concubine Xi to rest well and exempted her from paying respects today, also sending an imperial physician to Xianfu Palace, instructing Concubine Xi not to disregard her own body.

Yun Jiao cast a glance at the mid-aged imperial physician holding a small wooden box entering and saluting, startled: "Doctor Zhang, it’s you again!"

"The Lady jests, someone as distinguished as you naturally requires the service of a well-used physician like me."

Doctor Zhang gave her a knowingly smile.

Yun Jiao turned her head away.

Doctor Zhang not only checked her peaceful pulse but also informed her about the situation in Qixiang Palace.

Late at night, the Eldest Prince developed a high fever, and all the night staff in the Imperial Hospital were mobilized: "The Eldest Prince drank the antipyretic potion and fell back asleep, but the situation was indeed precarious." Fortunately, he was not present.

The Empress Dowager asked the imperial physician twice, could the Eldest Prince end up with a permanent ailment?

They dared not say, given the Eldest Prince’s frail constitution, without any preexisting condition, he was already a fragile patient.

"It’s fortunate the fever was reduced."

Xue Ya looked worried: "What about Lady? Lady can’t even get out of bed now! When will Lady recover?"

Since the Emperor was not present, there was no need for diplomatic words, so Doctor Zhang spoke candidly: "The Lady is Innate Strong, she caught a slight chill from falling into the water, and since she did not have a fever overnight, it indicates no major issue—proper rest should suffice."

Hearing the Innate Strong evaluation, Yun Jiao felt rather pleased inside.

Strong, is it? Acquired through mastery of music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and wit!

Doctor Zhang further asked: "Nevertheless, if the Empress inquires about it again, what should I say?"

This time, he would not decide on his own; should Concubine Xi wish to "recover" quickly to attend the Emperor, it would be up to her.

Yun Jiao mischievously entertained a thought: "Could you tell her that with one hundred taels of gold, I can immediately recover?"

Doctor Zhang was startled: "Lady, that’s not appropriate."

"Then I have nothing more to say."

Yun Jiao tried indignantly to turn her back, but due to muscle soreness, she halted midway with "ouch ouch ouch" and panted like a puppy. The entourage at Xianfu Palace, not a single one realized how monumental saving the Eldest Prince was—what was a mere hundred taels of gold!

The previous calmness stemmed from the length of the gift list, still being meticulously crafted.

By scorching midday, the imperial decree for rewards arrived.

Just the glistening list of gold, silver, jewels, and fabrics reached ten thousand words.

It is challenging to advance without offspring to the rank of concubine; this time the Emperor bestowed titles, raising her mother’s status to titled lady, and promoted her father’s position, benefiting her whole family!