“Chapter 149: Graceful Decorum”

"Chapter 149: Graceful Decorum"

"As the Empress, Jiang Hui had the authority to promote concubines, but she didn't file a direct petition, instead choosing to discuss the matter with the Emperor at an opportune moment."

"The Emperor carefully read the book in his hand, his eyes twinkling with starlight, seemingly struck by a thought. With an air of peculiar praise, he said, 'This book of Hui'er's is indeed very apt. In recent years, the experiments of Minister Gu on superior crop varieties have been successful. The Maritime Trade Office also submitted a memorandum about a high-yielding sweet potato variety. If successful, the people of Great Zhou will not only be clothed but also well-fed. If that happens…'"

"His tone, unlike his usual calm and inscrutable demeanor, became excited. He paced the room several times, then turned to Jiang Hui and said, 'If so, more people could engage in other tasks, like the women in Jiangnan who breed silkworms and weave silk… This book could indeed pry open the mouths of those pedantic scholars…'"

"Jiang Hui was somewhat surprised; she had merely mentioned it, and yet the Emperor had thought so much further, and, contrary to her expectations, did not seem averse to such content."

"As Xiaosheng spoke, he mused, 'However, the measure of this must be recalibrated, not a matter of just one or two years…'"

"He handed the book back to Jiang Hui and instructed Sheng'an, 'Summon Prime Minister He, Minister Cao, Minister Qi, Minister Jin, Minister Xu, Deputy Minister Gu, and Reader Shen to enter the palace for an audience.'"

"Jiang Hui knew the Emperor had important matters to attend to and was about to respectfully see him off when he seemed to recall something and turned back to her, 'In ancient times, there was Ban Jieyu who excelled in poetry, and today we have Lady Lu who is skilled in writing. However, it wouldn’t be appropriate to directly promote her to the rank of Jieyu… Let’s elevate her to Wanyi instead.'"

"Having said this, he hurriedly left the Fengyi Palace."

"With the Emperor’s decree, Lady Lu leaped from the sixth rank of Talented Lady directly to the fourth rank of Wanyi, bypassing the ranks of Noble Lady and Consort, becoming the third highest-ranking woman in the palace after Jiang Hui."

"Had it not been for her distinguished family background and her promotion due to talent, the former dynasty's censors would have surely criticized the Emperor harshly."

Tangli Palace, Shuyu Pavilion.

After sending off the eunuch An Jing, who had come to deliver the imperial decree, Lu Wanyi, supported by Lu Qin, returned to the main house without noticing the uncontainable joy on the faces of the palace servants. She sat down at the desk and sighed softly.

Lu Qin knew what her mistress was thinking. She restrained her smile and comforted, "Mistress, there's no use in overthinking now. At least those who belittled Shuyu Pavilion won't look down on us anymore."

"I know," Lu Wanyi said, looking at the half-finished painting on her desk depicting the view outside Shuyu Pavilion's window. A noticeable ink spot marred the lower right corner, a result of her hand trembling when An Jing had suddenly arrived to deliver the decree.

"I had thought that at most the Empress would promote me to a noble lady, a move that would neither be too conspicuous nor too modest, and would also curb the arrogance of the other palace servants. But I didn't expect to be promoted to Wanyi," she frowned, pondering for a moment before continuing, "Even if my writing is good, such a move by His Majesty seems excessive. Perhaps my book coincided with something..."

Hearing this, Lu Qin quietly said, "But Mistress, you enjoy writing. Even if given another chance, you wouldn’t refuse the Empress’s offer."

Lu Wanyi, hearing these words, relaxed her brows and smiled, "That's true."

Lu Qin secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Being promoted to Wanyi surely caught the Emperor's attention. She had been worried that her mistress might resist because of this.

Lu Wanyi rolled up the ruined painting on the desk, handed it to Lu Qin, and spread out a new sheet of white Xuan paper, regaining her usual calm composure, "From now on, I can no longer hide away in Shuyu Pavilion."

The Empress was her temporary support. The Noble Consort might not be a threat, and there was no conflict of interest with the Consort. However, the lower-ranked Imperial Concubines, such as Yi Pin, Xue Pin, and Duan Talent...

They would certainly have thoughts about her, a newly emerged Wanyi. In such a situation, she could no longer afford to avoid competition.

Outside, the bead curtain tinkled softly, and another senior maid, Lu Hao, entered, bowing respectfully to Lu Wanyi, "Mistress, the Palace Office has sent a bushel of blue copper and several boxes of mineral pigments, knowing your fondness for painting."

Painting required many pigments; for example, the most precious blue was made from powdered lapis lazuli. But lapis lazuli was rare and often substituted with blue copper. It seemed the Palace Office, upon hearing of her promotion to Wanyi, had promptly prepared these gifts, likely fearing her displeasure for their previous negligence.

"Understood, give them a few coins as a reward," Lu Wanyi nodded slightly, not particularly concerned.

*

That day, Nian'er fell ill again due to a cold. When Lin, the imperial physician, came to check the pulse, the person carrying the medicine box behind him was not the usual little eunuch but a young man who appeared to be barely of age.

The young man had a dignified appearance and the air of a scholar. He was dressed not as a eunuch but more like a junior imperial physician from the Imperial Medical Bureau. Being personally accompanied by Lin, the imperial physician, he might already be highly regarded or even taken as an apprentice.

Seeing Jiang Hui's gaze sweep over the person behind him, Lin, the imperial physician, hurriedly said, "Reporting to Her Majesty the Empress, this is Yan, a new physician at the Imperial Medical Bureau, recently assigned to assist me in familiarizing himself with the affairs of the palace."

The mentioned Physician Yan stepped forward and bowed to Jiang Hui, his voice gentle: "This humble physician, Yan Mianfeng, greets Her Majesty the Empress."

"Please rise, Physician Yan," Jiang Hui nodded and then turned to Lin, "Nian'er felt feverish early this morning. Physician Lin, please examine him."

"Yes," Physician Lin bowed and took the medicine box from Physician Yan, following Jiang Hui towards the inner chamber.

Qiu Kui stayed behind, gesturing to Shan Zha to serve tea to Physician Yan and smiling, "Please have some tea, Physician Yan."

"Thank you, Miss," Physician Yan returned the gesture, sitting gracefully in the guest chair and taking a sip from the tea cup.

The green-glazed, belly-folded cup contained early spring Longjing tea, made with dew collected from lotus leaves at dawn in summer, offering a subtle fragrance. However, the dew in this pot of tea was several days old.

Physician Yan's demeanor was impeccable, and his brows slightly furrowed as he tasted the tea, quickly returning to his usual expression.

Qiu Kui observed him discreetly for a moment before quietly leaving the room.

After the two physicians left, Qiu Kui whispered to Jiang Hui, "Mistress, that Physician Yan seems to come from a notable background, his gestures and mannerisms are not of the common sort."

Jiang Hui hummed softly in response, without further comment.

Qiu Kui continued, "If not from a common background, such a person would usually pursue the civil service examinations. Even if deeply interested in the art of medicine, it wouldn't be the main path. Why did Physician Yan join the Imperial Medical Bureau?"

"There are no prominent Yan families in the nobility, and to serve as a physician in the palace, he surely wouldn't dare to deceive about his family background. For a new physician in the Imperial Medical Bureau to be accompanied by Physician Lin, who is soon to be promoted to the head of the bureau, he must have extraordinary abilities," Jiang Hui spoke calmly, "Let Qingfeng keep an eye on him. If there's nothing significant, there's no need to intervene."