Chapter 1116 - 1118: Reunion with an Old Friend, Tricked_1
In the following two days, Bai Ruozhu had successfully purged the remaining toxins from Consort Le’s body. She had considered using the waters of the Spatial Hot Spring, which might help the consort detoxify more quickly, but after much deliberation, she decided against it.
Consort Le’s poisoning wasn’t beyond remedy, and although the Spatial Hot Spring could detoxify and aid in the rapid healing of wounds, soaking in hot springs was, after all, not suitable for pregnant women, and Bai Ruozhu couldn’t be certain there wouldn’t be any risks.
Seeing Consort Le recovering and the fetus unharmed, the Empress Dowager immediately issued a decree to reward Bai Ruozhu, instructing palace maids to deliver the gifts to the Bai Residence.
"Empress Dowager, I will stay another day, and afterward, I can often enter the palace to check Consort Le’s pulse," Bai Ruozhu was eager to return home, worried about how Little Dengdeng might be missing her.
The Empress Dowager knew she was concerned about her child and said with a smile, "Alright, if it weren’t for the recent unrest in the palace, I would have had someone bring your mother and child here to keep you company. You’ve been through a lot these last few days."
Bai Ruozhu thought to herself that it was fortunate the Empress Dowager was so thoughtful; otherwise, she would have been even more worried if Dengdeng were to enter the palace.
At that moment, a palace maid came to report that Beauty Fu had arrived to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager.
"Let her come in. This child must have been frightened, not daring to come over for a few days," the Empress Dowager said with a chuckle. Then, she explained to Bai Ruozhu, "Beauty Fu is General Fu’s niece. She hasn’t been in the palace for long, but she is clever and skillful. She has a set of massage techniques that are quite good. She comes over to give me massages when I need them, and it helps me relax."
Bai Ruozhu wasn’t very familiar with the situation in Capital City and knew even less about the court affairs, but she understood that it was uncommon for women to be granted a title in the palace outside of a selection period. Beauty Fu’s recent arrival in the palace must have had something to do with General Fu’s contributions.
Mistaking Bai Ruozhu’s silence for dissatisfaction, the Empress Dowager said with a smile, "I don’t have any serious illnesses; otherwise, I would’ve asked for your treatment first. I just don’t know if Beauty Fu’s massages are actually beneficial for the health. Later, you must help me scrutinize carefully."
"Sure," Bai Ruozhu replied with a smile.
At this point, Beauty Fu was brought in, a petite girl who gracefully paid her respects to the Empress Dowager. But upon lifting her head, Bai Ruozhu was taken aback.
It turned out that Beauty Fu was someone she knew. But how had she ended up in the palace as a beauty?
Indeed, this Fu Yiyi could be considered an old acquaintance, the drowning girl whom Bai Ruozhu and Jiang Yichun once rescued on their first journey to Capital City in Linchuan City.
However, the outcome of that rescue was far from pleasant. Fu Yiyi had been betrayed and pushed into the water by her own aunt and cousin, but the townspeople of Linchuan City, who believed in the River God, claimed she was taken by the River God. As a result, the family of the rich merchant to whom she was betrothed dared not marry her, and both sides canceled the engagement.
At first, Bai Ruozhu felt sorry for her and wanted to help the girl, but when Fu Yiyi and her father came begging for help, offering to become Bai Ruozhu’s maids, Bai Ruozhu agreed, and they were about to sign an Indenture Contract. But then the father and daughter were no longer willing.
Bai Ruozhu could understand their reluctance to become bonded servants, but if that was the case, why plead to be a maid in the first place? Didn’t that just seem like their earlier offer was insincere? In any event, she couldn’t possibly take in strangers without any guarantees, right? Just because she kindly saved someone, did that mean she should be seen as soft-hearted and easy to deceive?
Ultimately, they parted ways on bad terms, with Fu Yiyi blaming Bai Ruozhu for being heartless and not saving her, the pitiable girl.
A look of surprise also flashed across Fu Yiyi’s face, but her gaze flickered, seemingly reluctant to acknowledge that she knew Bai Ruozhu.
Bai Ruozhu felt strange inside, but it was not entirely incomprehensible; perhaps that Fu Yiyi really was a distant relative of General Fu, who found a way to enter Capital City to save herself and was then sent into the palace. She withdrew her gaze, not wanting to dwell on the past events, lest it make her seem petty, as if she were complaining about trifles to the Empress Dowager.
"Yiyi, come and give me a massage. Madam Jiang is a Divine Doctor, and she might be able to give you some pointers; your technique could see further improvement," the Empress Dowager called out to Fu Yiyi with an extremely affectionate attitude, showing that she was quite fond of Fu Yiyi.
"Yes," responded Fu Yiyi, who lacked her earlier composure and seemed somewhat cautious, but the Empress Dowager did not think much of it.
Fu Yiyi went over to massage the Empress Dowager’s head. Standing beside, Bai Ruozhu watched and saw that it was indeed a set of relaxing, fatigue-easing techniques, with acupuncture points well addressed. Fu Yiyi’s fingers were delicate and her movements very precise; no wonder the Empress Dowager felt more comfortable with Fu Yiyi’s massages even with so many others attending to her.
After a while, having finished the massage, the Empress Dowager slowly opened her eyes, and Bai Ruozhu knew the Empress Dowager was seeking her opinion. She said, "The skills of Lady Fu are excellent, with precise acupuncture points. She truly has deft hands."
Fu Yiyi seemed to be quite afraid of Bai Ruozhu targeting her, hanging her head nervously.
The Empress Dowager then said she was tired, smiling as she told Fu Yiyi to go back and rest well, apparently even more satisfied with her.
"Let’s go take a look at Wenwen," the Empress Dowager got up and came down from the chair, pulling Bai Ruozhu’s arm and walking towards the rear hall.
"In a few days, when Concubine Le’s health improves a bit, she could also come out for a walk, but we still need to be extra cautious in the palace..." Bai Ruozhu stopped mid-sentence, and the Empress Dowager, believing that she was being subtle, nodded and said, "I understand."
However, Bai Ruozhu’s steps halted, and she grabbed the Empress Dowager, not letting her go, and leaned close to take a sniff, her expression immediately turning cold.
"Ruozhu, what’s wrong?" asked the Empress Dowager in surprise.
"There is a scent of Soul-soothing Leaf on your face. This medicine, indeed, can help soothe the nerves but is harmful to pregnant women, particularly in Concubine Le’s current condition of weakness, with an unstable fetal position," said Bai Ruozhu.
The Empress Dowager was taken aback, "How could this be, then I can’t visit Wenwen. Did Lady Fu just do this?"
Bai Ruozhu remembered that when she had spoken with the Empress Dowager earlier, she hadn’t smelled anything strange. It was only later in the Main Hall when Lady Fu was massaging the Empress Dowager, and she wasn’t standing too close, that she hadn’t noticed—until the Empress Dowager came down from the throne, pulled her arm, and got closer to her.
The Empress Dowager had a close relationship with Concubine Le and certainly visited her daily, and with her sitting by Concubine Le’s bedside so closely, the scent of the Soul-soothing Leaf would naturally drift into Concubine Le’s nose...
Realizing this, both Bai Ruozhu and the Empress Dowager showed grave expressions. The palace was indeed not peaceful; one had to be careful not to give others the opportunity to exploit a situation.
"Let’s go see Lady Fu," said Bai Ruozhu, her mood somewhat heavy. She suspected Fu Yiyi’s actions were instigated by someone, perhaps even aimed at herself. If the attempt succeeded and Concubine Le’s child couldn’t be saved, she, as the doctor, would definitely be the first to be blamed.
The scent of the Soul-soothing Leaf could only last for half an hour; if she hadn’t noticed it earlier, it would be extremely difficult to detect after the fact, and by then, she would truly have no defense.