The Changchun Palace team travels back in time to Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace

Zhao Jiuxiao was tortured in the Shenxing Division and was also angry at himself for misjudging people and giving his affections to the wrong person. The double attack caused him to fall ill. Fortunately, he was young and strong, and Cherdenzab helped him find doctors and medicine. After recuperating for a period of time, he finally pulled through.

To his surprise, Ying'er actually came to visit him during his illness, bringing him food and helping him carry water and chop firewood.

They hadn't seen each other since Ying'er left the Cold Palace, but although she still looked thin, she wasn't as sickly as before, almost skin and bones, and her complexion had improved considerably. Although she was still taciturn, there was less of the fear and timidity in her expression.

It seems that, as Consort Ling said, Her Majesty the Empress treats Ying'er well.

He then believed Ying'er's claim that "the Empress arranged for me to work at the charity to avoid some trouble."

After he recovered, Cherdenzab sent someone to say that the main courtyard of his house was under renovation and it was inconvenient to receive guests, so there was no need to come in person to thank him.

The visitor handed him a letter.

"My master said you are quite clever. If you want, you can go north and join the army. Perhaps you will have a chance to show your skills."

After the start of spring, Huang Yuanyu began to take the emperor's pulse for a period of time.

The emperor personally promoted Huang Yuanyu not only because he valued his medical skills, but also because, after the incident involving Physician Xu and Qi Ru, he always suspected that some physicians, like the two, were not entirely obedient to him. Huang Yuanyu, on the other hand, had previously worked among the common people and was not a highly skilled apprentice of the senior physicians in the Imperial Medical Academy. Moreover, he was a newcomer to the Imperial Medical Academy and had not been deeply involved with any of the parties involved.

However, he still couldn't be completely at ease, especially regarding certain secret matters. He wasn't comfortable entrusting them to other qualified imperial physicians, fearing a leak. As for the Lingling Incense and other methods, according to Qi Ru, using a small amount wouldn't harm the body, meaning they weren't necessarily that effective; they were just multiple layers of protection. But even Huang Yuanyu wasn't entirely at ease and always wanted to test them first.

So when Huang Yuanyu came to check his pulse, he casually said, "I heard that you saved Gui Duo's life?"

Huang Yuanyu said, "It is all thanks to Your Majesty's boundless grace, Physician Bao's superb medical skills, and Physician Su's great help in setting the bones. I dare not take all the credit."

The emperor nodded and said, "You are quite modest." He then asked, "When Gui Duo woke up and wrote a letter, were you also present?"

Huang Yuanyu replied, "Yes." Then the emperor said, "I heard that you took the imperial examination before becoming a doctor, so your knowledge must be stronger than that of other imperial physicians. What do you think of that letter?"

Huang Yuanyu said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I have never read what the letter said."

The emperor looked at him sharply: "You were by his side taking care of him, and you didn't even glance at him?"

Huang Yuanyu said, “Your Majesty, please allow me to report. At that time, Lord Gui Duo was seriously injured and unconscious for seven days and seven nights. When he awoke, he was immediately lucid, able to speak normally and even write long passages. His pulse was also stronger. Imperial Physician Bao said at the time that Lord Gui Duo had improved, but in my experience, this was more likely… a final burst of energy before death. Therefore, I was filled with fear and did not pay attention to other things. Fortunately, my judgment was wrong. In addition, I can only see with one eye, so my field of vision is narrower than that of ordinary people, so…”

The emperor thought to himself that this seemed to be a pure physician, and felt somewhat relieved. He then searched for an explanation and said, "It is like this. Among my concubines, some are naturally weak, and if they are pregnant, it will probably be even more detrimental to their health. However, I cannot neglect them because of this, otherwise it will cause gossip and speculation, leading to disharmony in the harem. So when Qi Ru was still alive, I ordered Qi Ru to prepare some medicine for them. Now that Qi Ru has passed away, I thought I would entrust this matter to you as well."

Huang Yuanyu broke out in a cold sweat in the chilly early spring weather and struggled to say, “Your Majesty, Physician Qi must have left a prescription. Just have the eunuchs in the Imperial Pharmacy prepare the medicine according to the prescription. I am not qualified enough to take on this important task.”

The emperor said, "Qi Ru may not follow the prescription exactly. This prescription is not valid. Only Qi Ru himself knows what medicine he actually used."

Huang Yuanyu's mind went blank for a moment. He tried his best to suppress any thoughts that might cause trouble and said, "Your Majesty is indeed considerate, but when a woman is pregnant, her vital energy and blood are concentrated. The so-called methods of contraception involve using medicine to weaken her vital energy and blood and deplete her kidney essence. Even worse, some women in the common folk use mercury and other highly toxic substances to weaken their bodies. Those methods would be even worse for the health of Your Majesty and Your Highness, and I'm afraid they would ruin Your Majesty's good intentions in caring for Your Majesty and Your Highness."

He saw the emperor's reproachful gaze sweep over him, and forced himself to say, "Your Majesty, actually, this method of contraception doesn't necessarily have to be applied to women. This method is specifically for men and will not affect their health. Moreover, it can be done entirely according to one's own wishes. However, it requires some rare items, but what good things are there in the palace?"

The emperor thought for a moment and realized that if such a method truly existed, he could control it himself, and it would be even more secretive. He immediately softened his expression and said, "Tell me in detail."

When Rongyin checked the accounts at the end of the month, she discovered that the expenditure on fish maw from the Imperial Pharmacy had suddenly increased, and the amount of several spices used had also increased.

She recalled that a few days ago, Director Yuan Yi had suddenly given them a briefing on "modern physiological and hygiene safety measures," and she understood. Thinking that it wouldn't affect the concubines' health, she didn't say anything more.

The head eunuch of the Imperial Pharmacy continued, "Furthermore, Consort Xian requested bath powder from the imperial physicians for cleansing her hands and removing fishy odors. The bath powder provided by Physician Zhao was made according to the 'Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold,' using herbs such as Angelica dahurica, Atractylodes macrocephala, Dictamnus dasycarpus bark, Aconitum carmichaelii, Poria cocos, Notopterygium incisum, Polygonatum odoratum, Trichosanthes kirilowii, Prunus persica, and Phytolacca acinosa, mixed with white bean flour and pig pancreas to form a cake, which was then dried, pounded, and sifted. It was quite expensive, but His Majesty said that whatever Consort Xian wanted would be given to her, and he also bestowed some Mei Zhenxiang on her. What do you think of this…"

Rongyin said, "Since it is His Majesty's will, how could I refuse? But what is this plum blossom fragrance?"

The eunuch said, "This Meizhenxiang is made by grinding Linglingxiang leaves, Gan Song, white sandalwood, cloves, white plum powder, and borneol into a fine powder. It is said that the palace maid Hailan's injuries were recurring, and Xian Changzai felt that the palace room smelled too much blood. After the emperor found out, he specially found this in the storeroom."

Rongyin said, "His Majesty has indeed shown great favor to Consort Xian, so let's give it to her."

Hailan was beaten two hundred times. According to the imperial physician's diagnosis, although she survived, her left leg was ruined. However, the emperor said that Hailan and Ruyi had a deep bond, so he allowed her to continue serving Ruyi and recuperate at Cuiyun Pavilion without having to move out. Four more nannies were also summoned to Cuiyun Pavilion to temporarily serve Hailan during her recovery.

However, there were many rules to follow when serving Ruyi, and they also had to clean the Buddha statues. The old nannies were already quite old and lacked energy. Moreover, Ruyi was famous and would be troublesome if she didn't give them a penny. Even if the Empress gave them extra money, it was difficult to motivate them to work. They would just do the bare minimum and naturally couldn't take care of Hailan.

After slapping Ruyi every day, Shuangxi would busy herself with all sorts of chores, leaving Hailan lying on the bed, not even allowed to drink a bowl of water. Naturally, her injuries healed slowly, and coupled with her metrorrhagia, the whole room reeked of blood. Ruyi couldn't avoid it, so she washed her hands with bath soap every day, applied plum blossom powder, and burned a lot of agarwood incense to barely cover up the blood smell.

Her face was terribly swollen, but the emperor did not bestow any medicine upon her. However, for her, what the emperor gave her, though it could not alleviate the pain, was a touch of warmth and love in this cold and indifferent harem.

A'Ruo specially gave money to several old nannies to inquire about firsthand information. Every five days, after sending Princess Hewan back to Shou Kang Palace, she would tell the news to Consort Yu while the princess was playing around.

When Princess Hewan was originally by the side of Consort Yu, the Empress Dowager was still in Shou Kang Palace, with a gloomy face all day long. The consorts had to be careful, and even the princess dared not laugh or make a fuss. Moreover, Consort Yu was quite old and her diet was light. The palace servants believed in the health preservation principle of "being three parts hungry and three parts cold" and dared not give the princess much food. Therefore, Princess Hewan was somewhat thin and timid before.

But after the princess came to A'Ruo's side, A'Ruo simply let her eat whatever she wanted, and when it got cold, she would wear more clothes until she was all bundled up. A'Ruo had a fiery temper, and no one dared to disobey her. Instead, the princess grew stronger and more lively every day.

Consort Yu was initially reluctant to part with Princess Hewan, but seeing how well the princess was being cared for, she felt more grateful to A'Ruo. In addition, since both of them were quite dissatisfied with Ruyi, they often got together to gossip about Ruyi, which had a bit of a friendly atmosphere between people of different ages.

Hongzhou desperately wanted to get involved, but as a man, he couldn't live with his brother's concubines.

One day, A'Ruo was talking with Consort Yu in her bedchamber when Consort Yu suddenly lowered her voice and said, "Be careful here with me from now on, and watch out for the Fifth Prince."

A'Ruo was somewhat surprised: "Isn't the Fifth Prince being raised here with you?"

Consort Yu said, "The other day, Consort Tong fell ill. We, the late Emperor's concubines, also have to fulfill our filial duties to the Holy Ancestor's concubines, so the concubines who are raising the Fifth Prince are gradually becoming unable to take care of him. This child wanders around all day, sometimes suddenly appearing out of nowhere, which is quite frightening. He doesn't like to smile, but just secretly observes people's expressions. He is also weak, and he has been ill several times recently, so he looks even thinner. Anyway, although this child is pitiful, he is indeed not very likable."

When A'Ruo stepped out of the palace gate, she saw Yongqi squatting in the corner of the courtyard wall, staring intently at the ground.

He was born with anemia, and his skin was paler than other children. Due to prolonged illness and exhaustion, he was very thin, and his slender neck could hardly support his large head.

He seemed not to notice Aruo at all, so Aruo whispered to Xinyan, "Let's go out quietly and not disturb the Fifth Prince."

Time flew by, and after the silkworm-rearing ceremony, early summer arrived quickly.

During this time, Consort Qing made some progress in her studies, but despite singing and reciting her songs in the Imperial Garden several times, she still couldn't get a chance encounter with the Emperor.

Kui also learned several plays, including "Da Bao Guo," but the emperor felt that these plays were not like operas but rather like cursing, so he did not like watching them.

Kui agreed to go and perform for Rongyin. Rongyin couldn't refuse the concubine's insistence on performing, so she listened to it once and thought it was quite good.

Yanwan also began to learn Kunqu Opera. She was young and pretty, with a good figure and a beautiful singing voice, which attracted the emperor to visit Chengqian Palace often to give his opinion.

Although Gao Xiyue was annoyed by the favor these people received, she had already spent a lot of her energy walking in circles and picking up Buddha beans every day according to Huang Yuanyu's method. In addition, Yongcheng was growing up and began to show the mischievousness of a child. Every day in Xianfu Palace, he would either catch peacocks or try to climb up the umbrella covered with wind chimes to pick them, keeping Gao Xiyue busy for a moment.

Moreover, she still harbored some doubts about Hailan's words and had to spare some energy to investigate the matter.

The Empress has never given up the investigation. The prescription has been reviewed by the imperial physicians and there are no problems. As for whether any herbs were added or subtracted, many years have passed, and most of the eunuchs who dispensed the medicine back then have accumulated enough seniority to be transferred to higher positions. Although the Empress found those people, they had handled many medicines and did not remember the medicine Qi Ru used. The dregs of the medicine were long gone, and the clues were lost.

Gao Xiyue knew that matters from several years ago were difficult to investigate, and the Empress had already done her best. But she couldn't help but wonder if there weren't many people who could command Qi Ru. If this was true, could the Emperor be the mastermind? Did the Emperor really dote on her as much as he seemed?

Until one day, the emperor visited Xianfu Palace and told her something.

“I know you’ve been investigating what Hailan said, and the Empress is too. I know the Empress’s temperament; she won’t draw a conclusion until she has solid evidence. But Xiyue, this matter happened several years ago, and it’s hard to find witnesses and physical evidence. If we follow the Empress’s method of investigation, we won’t be able to get to the bottom of this.”

As the emperor spoke, he raised his face towards Yu Hu.

Yu Hu clapped his hands, and Jin Zhong brought in a man.

Gao Xiyue recognized the man as Cheng Han, who served the Empress Dowager.

Cheng Han knelt down and bowed, shouting, "Your Majesty, please forgive me! Consort, please forgive me!"

The emperor said coldly, "Tell me, what did you do for the Empress Dowager while you were by her side, and how much did you hear about?"

Gao Xiyue was shocked, and with each sentence she heard, her face grew paler.

After Cheng Han finished speaking, she could no longer hold on and collapsed onto the couch, covering her face.

She spoke in a trembling voice, already choked with sobs: "Over the years, I have asked myself whether I have failed in my filial duties to the Empress Dowager. Empress Dowager, why did you do this!"

Cheng Han knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head: "This servant heard the Empress Dowager and Aunt Fujia say that Princess Duanshu's marriage to a distant place was not only necessary for the peace of the court, but also thanks to Lord Gao's great efforts. As for the Imperial Concubine, it was precisely because of Lord Gao's influence that she became an Imperial Concubine and enjoyed the favor of the Empress's household."

Gao Xiyue was already sobbing uncontrollably: "My father didn't send Princess Duanshu away for his own selfish reasons! Besides, what does this have to do with me!"

The emperor seemed very distressed. He sat down and embraced Gao Xiyue, whispering in her ear, "I have always hoped that the Noble Consort's health could improve, which is why I asked Qi Ru to treat you. I never expected that the Empress Mother would do something to you."

Gao Xiyue suddenly looked up, her tear-filled eyes gazing at the Emperor: "Is what Your Majesty said true? Does Your Majesty truly care about me?"

The Emperor said gently, “Why would you ask such a question, Consort? You know how I have treated you these past few years. Besides, if I were to do this, do you think you and the Empress could investigate further? But Consort, although my mother was momentarily confused, I cannot disregard filial piety and the Niohuru clan behind her. My sister Hengti is also about to be engaged, and I have already promised her a marriage in the capital to a Manchu nobleman. The Niohuru clan will also gain more support from this marriage, so I can only ask you to accept this in the open. Here’s what you want as a reward, just say the word.”

Gao Xiyue nestled in the emperor's arms, sobbing, "Since Your Majesty has said so, I dare not feel wronged. I only ask that Your Majesty show me more mercy in the future."

That night, the emperor stayed at Xianfu Palace.

Cheng Han withdrew, and Jin Zhong helped him to the outside of the hall, smiling and saying, "Eunuch Cheng has abandoned darkness and embraced light. His Majesty has already arranged a three-courtyard residence for you outside, assigned maids and servants to serve you, and also an estate that can collect rent every year. This is His Majesty's way of ensuring you can enjoy your later years in peace."

Cheng Han hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes, it's all thanks to the Emperor's boundless grace."

Jinzhong's smile remained warm: "This is a blessing that even we servants would beg for. So, Eunuch Chenghan, it's worth paying a price for such good fortune."

With a flick of his whisk, a young eunuch brought over a bowl of dark, medicinal soup.

Having served in the palace for many years, how could Cheng Han not know what this meant? He was momentarily terrified, but then, as if realizing something, he sighed, gritted his teeth, picked up the bowl of medicine, and gulped it down.

A sharp pain shot through his throat, and he almost collapsed if Jinzhong hadn't been supporting him.

He tried his best to swallow, but a trace of blood still seeped from the corner of his lips. Jinzhong took out a handkerchief from his embroidery and gently wiped it away.

He let out a hoarse "ah ah" sound, struggled to kneel down, and kowtowed three times. Only then did the young eunuch help him leave.

The next day, after seeing the emperor off, Gao Xiyue couldn't contain herself and immediately said, "Moxin, I must write a letter to Father! I will never allow Princess Roushu to be betrothed to a high-ranking Manchu family, so that the Empress Dowager can have her wish fulfilled!"

Xingxuan hesitated for a moment, then advised, "My lady, but Princess Roushu is innocent after all..."

Gao Xiyue's eyebrows furrowed: "Princess Rou Shu is innocent, so why is it that I am guilty! Mo Xin, hurry up and prepare pen and ink!"