Chapter 63: Catching the Fish

Chapter 63: Catching the Fish

After Wu Chenggong left, Qiuqiu quietly came in and reported in a low voice, "My lady, the Emperor has just summoned Doctor Lin to Liangyi Hall."

"The Emperor's concern for Nian'er's health is to be expected," Jiang Hui nodded slightly. "Has the message been delivered to the Marquis's house?"

"The young master personally visited the Lin residence. Doctor Lin and Lin Jijiu, despite sharing the same surname, have been separate branches for five hundred years. Accepting a young child as a student is a matter of fate," Qiuqiu said softly.

"But..." Qiuqiu hesitated, "My lady, wouldn't the Emperor think you are bestowing favors on Doctor Lin with such actions?"

"It would be strange if I didn’t bestow favors on Doctor Lin," Jiang Hui responded indifferently. "Doctor Lin brought Nian'er back from death’s door. No matter how I thank him, it’s not too much. Providing a good teacher is the least I can do."

Imperial physicians, despite holding official positions, have always been lowly regarded in the bureaucratic hierarchy and even discriminated against by scholars from the civil service examination system. They often lack the connections to find distinguished teachers for their descendants.

"I was overthinking," Qiuqiu acknowledged.

"For Nian'er’s matter, we owe much to the Lin family's young lady. Pick some generous gifts and have Qingfeng deliver them."

Soon, it was Mid-Autumn Festival. As usual, the family banquet was held in Qian Nian Hall.

The royal family and courtiers sat facing each other across the spacious hall. Jiang Hui was seated below the Emperor and the Empress, diagonally opposite to Prince Jin’s seat.

The Emperor and Empress had yet to arrive, and it wasn't time to start the feast.

Among the royal family, Old Rui Wang rested with his eyes closed, while Cheng Ping Princess nodded slightly to Jiang Hui from her seat. However, Jiang Yun and Prince Jin, who usually accompanied her, were nowhere to be seen.

There were also a few empty seats among the palace concubines. Jiang Hui quickly recognized that He Fei, Li Guiren, and Luo Meiren were absent.

Xu Xiuyuan, unable to eat and bored, noticed the absentees and commented to Jiang Hui, “Yufu Palace is a bit far from Qian Nian Hall, so it’s normal for He Fei and Li Guiren to be late. But why hasn’t Luo Meiren arrived yet?”

Before Jiang Hui could respond, Xu Xiuyuan turned to Xue Meiren and asked, “Xue sister, you share Changxin Palace with Luo Meiren. Do you know what's delaying her?”

Xue Meiren smiled at Xu Xiuyuan, "Sister Xiuyuan, don't you know? I have no affinity with Luo Meiren. Although we live in the same palace, we've never gotten along. Right now, she’s probably with Li Guiren."

Pausing, she added somewhat gleefully, "You know, during your flower-viewing banquet, Luo Meiren's maid accidentally scalded Li Guiren's hand. Now, she must be busy making amends!"

Xu Xiuyuan's eyes shifted slightly. She knew that Luo Meiren used to be close to Zhao Shuren. Without her support recently, Luo Meiren might be anxious to appease Li Guiren, a favored concubine, to avoid any negative influence she might cast in the Emperor's ear.

With this in mind, Xu Xiuyuan felt she understood the situation and smiled at Xue Meiren.

About a quarter of an hour later, the dishes were being served in succession. At the entrance of Qian Nian Hall, Prince Jin, Jiang Yun, He Fei, Li Guiren, and Luo Meiren appeared together.

"How did they end up together?" Xu Xiuyuan was surprised.

Unfortunately, no one could answer her question.

When He Fei, Li Guiren, and Luo Meiren took their seats, Xu Xiuyuan leaned over to ask Li Guiren, "How did you run into Prince Jin?"

Jiang Hui also glanced their way, seemingly puzzled about her younger brother's presence there.

Li Guiren's face showed traces of bewilderment, pausing before smiling, "We just happened to run into each other," but she didn’t elaborate.

He Fei spoke up, "Lady Consort, it was your brother who was talking to Prince Jin. He walked too fast and dropped something. It was Li Guiren who picked it up and returned it."

Hearing this, Jiang Hui's face, shadowed with worry since Nian'er's illness, relaxed slightly. She spoke softly, "Ah Yun is playful, and Prince Jin is his elder cousin. It's normal for them to be close."

He Fei, only now noticing Jiang Hui's pallor, looked concerned, "Lady Consort, are you alright? I heard the Crown Prince was ill. Is he okay?"

Her blunt words made even Xu Xiuyuan beside her shift away slightly.

Jiang Hui's face paled again at the mention of Nian'er. She forced a smile at He Fei before turning away, disengaging from the conversation.

Below, Xu Xiuyuan curiously asked Li Guiren, "What did Prince Jin drop?"

"It wasn’t Prince Jin, but the Heir of Ningyuan Marquis who dropped a ring," Li Guiren replied, her face showing her usual reserved smile. She looked down slightly towards Xu Xiuyuan, "I overheard he was asking Prince Jin about what young ladies like."

"I see," said Xu Xiuyuan, losing interest. The Prince of Jin was known for his romantic escapades, and the betrothal of the heir of Ningyuan Marquis to the eldest daughter of the National Academy's Libationer was common knowledge. Such behavior from him was hardly surprising.

At this moment, Qiu Kui entered, carrying a lotus-green satin cloak with golden pine and crane patterns, apparently just brought from Yaohua Palace for Jiang Hui.

It was mid-August by now, and the weather had turned cooler, but not so much as to necessitate a cloak. However, the Consort was always frail, so the other consorts found nothing unusual in this.

Soon, the Emperor and Empress entered the hall hand in hand. Everyone stood up from their seats to greet them and then sat down again.

Xiao Sheng noticed the cloak on Jiang Hui and quietly instructed Sheng An, who soon brought warm ginger tea to Jiang Hui’s seat.

"Convey my thanks to His Majesty," Jiang Hui said softly.

Xu Xiuyuan's eyes revealed a hint of jealousy, but she restrained herself. He Fei, however, commented with a smile, "His Majesty really dotes on the Consort!"

He Fei had been in the palace for two months, yet the Emperor had never summoned her, treating her almost like a decorative gift from the Xiongnu. He Fei didn’t seem to mind much, spending her days inviting people to her palace for entertainment, appearing somewhat naive.

Her comment left the other consorts speechless, each bowing their heads in silence. Jiang Hui, sitting at the main seat, acted as if she hadn't heard anything, and continued to drink her ginger tea.

After Jiang Hui finished her ginger tea, the Emperor and Empress finished their auspicious words for the Mid-Autumn family banquet and announced the start of the meal. This was the signal for the palace staff to begin serving food.

However, most of the consorts weren't focused on eating, as they had prepared performances to capture the Emperor’s attention during the Mid-Autumn banquet.

The Empress, smiling at the Emperor, said, "Your Majesty, on this joyful Mid-Autumn Festival, the sisters have prepared special performances for you. Would you like to see them?"

Xiao Sheng frowned slightly, his mind on Nian'er’s health, which according to Physician Lin needed constant care in the future.

Although he had issued a decree to find more Tianshan snow lotus, such rare treasures couldn't be found immediately. Even if found, it might be too late to replenish Nian'er’s health fully.

Preoccupied with some matters he was investigating, he had no interest in the performances. However, seeing the smiling face of the Empress, Xiao Sheng nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "Proceed."