CHAPTER 1536: CHAPTER 1512: PLAYING

The Emperor was completely unaware of this but chatted with the Empress for a while. Since Manbao was already there, he thought she might as well take a look at the Empress as well.

"The Empress has not had much of an appetite lately."

After feeling the pulse, Manbao said, "It’s the summer fatigue; there’s not much one can do about it. However, since your body is weak, don’t use too many ice bowls in the room. It’s better to use a fan for some breeze, or you can sit in a well-ventilated area. Just be careful not to catch a chill at night..."

Manbao nagged with many instructions, so much so that even the Emperor found her a bit too verbose, though the Empress was paying close attention with great interest.

After finally sending her off, the Emperor let out a long sigh and said, "She doesn’t look that old, so why is she so long-winded?"

The Empress smiled and asked, "Does Your Majesty still have a stomachache now?"

The Emperor felt it and shook his head, "I must say, her acupuncture is quite effective. I heard from the Crown Prince that they are planning to teach separate subjects in the Imperial Hospital, and acupuncture is one of them."

The Empress agreed it was a good idea. Although she still experienced summer fatigue this year, it was better than in previous years. Last year, at this time, she felt very uncomfortable, especially during the season when willow catkins were floating. She once thought she wouldn’t survive that summer.

This was the Emperor’s first time receiving acupuncture, and he felt it was helpful, let alone the Empress, who frequently experienced it.

That’s why the Empress tried so hard to persuade the Emperor to reform the Imperial Hospital.

If Zhou Man’s skills could be taught to disciples and passed on to medical offices across the country, benefiting the common people, who knows how many could benefit?

The Emperor also started to seriously consider this, and he thought even deeper than the Empress, "Acupuncture uses fewer medicines, so the cost should be lower, and some poor folks might afford it too."

The Emperor couldn’t help but tap his thigh with his fingers, pondering, "At that time, we can allocate some funds from the national treasury each year, and all local medical offices can purchase some commonly used medicinal herbs, which could also help patients who can’t afford to buy medicine."

The Empress nodded repeatedly, "Exactly."

"However, this order must be decided carefully, otherwise those who truly need help may not get it, yet some fat cats might be fed instead." The Emperor thought for a moment, then turned his head and said to Gu Zhong, "This matter is being handled by the Crown Prince. Summon him, and I’ll ask if he has any plans."

Gu Zhong quickly agreed, bowed, and went out to summon the Crown Prince.

Just after giving the instructions and preparing to return, he saw Manbao, who had just left the side hall not long ago, sitting happily with the two princesses. He had no idea what they were talking about, but Manbao and Princess Changyu were laughing heartily, and even Princess Mingda had her eyes curved with laughter.

Gu Zhong shook his head slightly and turned back.

The Emperor and Empress inside the hall could vaguely hear the laughter and asked, "What are they laughing about?"

Immediately, a palace maid went out to inquire and quickly returned, "Lord Zhou Junior is sharing amusing stories from her childhood playing by the river in the village with the princesses; both princesses are greatly entertained."

Indeed, they were more than just entertained; if Manbao hadn’t mentioned the sun being too strong and her unwillingness to be in it, the two princesses would almost have dragged her to the riverside to play in the mud.

There is indeed a river at the Daming Palace.

Moreover, because the Daming Palace hadn’t been completed and occupied a large area, it exuded a sense of wildness. The riverbank was completely untouched, with water plants growing where they should, mud where it should be, and even wild ducks hiding in the lush water plants of the wetlands.

There was no sign of it being a palace at all.

Finally, when the sun was no longer scorching, Princess Changyu, dragging Manbao and Mingda to the riverside, screamed with delight at the startled wild ducks taking flight.

Manbao wasn’t surprised but was curious to know if there were wild duck eggs among the water plants. So she lifted her skirt, tied it up, rolled up her sleeves, and ventured into the depths of the grass.

Changyu immediately followed, and Mingda wanted to go too but was promptly held back by a sharp-eyed palace maid, "Princess, you can’t catch a chill."

Mingda, feeling a bit regretful, stood by the shore waiting for them, even pointing directions, "Go a bit further up, the wild duck flew off from that way earlier..."

Manbao pulled at the thick grass on the wetland and finally found a dry grass nest with Princess Changyu. Upon digging it out, they saw five blue-white duck eggs.

The two couldn’t help but exclaim as they reached out to grab them.

Manbao even gave them a shake, happily saying, "These aren’t very old; we can eat them."

Changyu took three, and Manbao took two. They gleefully emerged from the grass and showed the duck eggs to Mingda.

Mingda was equally curious, "How do you eat them?"

"You can stir-fry them with chives," Manbao explained, "Stir-fried chive chicken eggs are delicious, so duck eggs should taste good too."

After all, they’re all eggs.

Changyu didn’t want to eat all of them, so she said, "I’m going to wash this one clean and place it on my desk for display; no one is allowed to eat it."

Mingda also wanted one, so she took hold of one in her hand, while Manbao, indifferent, handed both eggs to the palace maid, "These eggs can only be stored for about twenty days. In hot weather, if you don’t eat them, they’ll spoil."

Mingda regretted, "Isn’t there a way to keep them from spoiling?"

"Sure, see if they’re fertilized eggs. If they are, find a hen to hatch them. That way, the eggs will turn into ducklings, and once grown, the ducklings can lay more eggs, so they won’t spoil. Hahaha..."

Manbao was joking, but Mingda and Changyu took it seriously. They thought the idea was good, so they decided to take the eggs back and find a hen to hatch them.

"But how can you tell if they’re fertilized eggs?"

Manbao was puzzled for a moment, then carefully recalled her mother’s method of selecting eggs. Scratching her head, she said, "You have to light an oil lamp, then hold the egg up to it. If you look closely, you’ll eventually see if it’s a fertilized egg."

The palace maids and eunuchs nearby: ...

One palace maid, who joined the palace at an older age and knew how to distinguish them, stepped forward and said, "Princess, I know how to identify them."

So the group hurried back to the palace, drew the curtains, lit an oil lamp, and began selecting fertilized eggs.

Fortunately, three out of the five eggs were fertilized. Mingda and Changyu each chose one they fancied, then looked at Manbao, "Are you sure you don’t want to pick one?"

Manbao wasn’t really interested in raising ducks. Her Little Manor already had many ducks, so there’s no need to raise one in the palace from afar.

But she rarely had a common interest with her little friends, so after thinking about it, she picked the remaining one and nodded, "Alright, but it’s inconvenient for me to carry it. Can you keep it for me? Once you’ve found a brooding hen, we can hatch them together."

Mingda quickly nodded and took the duck egg from her, smiling, "I’ll keep it safe for you."

A palace maid nearby, seeing they’ve finally come to a decision, gently reminded, "Lord Zhou Junior, it’s getting late."

Manbao looked outside and realized how time had flown by; it was almost time for the evening meal.

She got up immediately, "I have to go back now, or the boat will stop running soon."

The main thing is, she still needs to submit the medical case to the Imperial Hospital, and she doesn’t even know who’s on duty there tonight.