Seventeen, Shuhen glue

  The next morning, I had just finished paying my respects to the empress when she smiled and ordered someone to hold me in place, saying: "The emperor has already said that you are not allowed to make any more bows, so just sit down." I had no choice but to sit down. The empress then continued: "This morning, the emperor personally told the dowager empress about your pregnancy, and she was overjoyed. Later, you will go with me to pay our respects to the dowager empress together."

  I humbly nodded in agreement. Upon arriving at the Ning Palace, the Empress Dowager was in a very good mood, personally watering the flowers and plants in the courtyard with a water pot. Seeing me arrive with the Empress, she became even more delighted, washed her hands, and we all went in together.

  I stood respectfully in front of the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager said, "Others may stand, but you are pregnant, please sit down."

  We thanked and sat down, the Empress Dowager asked the Empress: "The day after tomorrow is the day of the ceremony, how's the preparation going?" As she spoke, she looked at me and said to the Empress: "Noble Consort is also a serious mistress now, it's time for her to perform the ceremonial rites, but the timing is a bit too tight, can't help feeling a bit rushed."

  "I hastily stood up and said: 'I don't dare ask for anything, everything depends on the Empress Dowager and the Queen.'"

  The Empress Dowager said: "You just sit down, I know you're a sensible person, it's just that although it was sudden, dignity cannot be lost."

  The Empress smiled and said, "Your Majesty can rest assured. I have made all the necessary preparations. However, as the auspicious dress and ceremonial hat for Imperial Noble Consort Gui's enthronement ceremony could not be made in time, I had the Ministry of Rites take the auspicious dress and ceremonial hat used during Empress Jing's enthronement ceremony and modify them."

  "Good." The empress dowager nodded and said, "The queen has done very well, handling the matter with propriety without losing etiquette." As she spoke, she signaled to a palace maid beside her to bring over a silver plate cushioned with large red silk, on which was placed a pair of ruby gold hairpins adorned with lotus flowers, double happiness characters, and bats. The top of the pin featured two auspicious immortals, and upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the very same one that the empress dowager had gifted to me when I was pregnant with Browning. On that day, Xuan Ling had thrown it away in a fit of anger, damaging one corner of the pin, which had now been repaired with blue sapphire. The empress dowager beckoned me to come forward, smiling as she said, "Du Liangyu has conceived, and I gifted her a pair of jade fragrance bead bangles; now, I shall gift this ruby gold hairpin to you."

  My heart skipped a beat, and I immediately thought of all the troubles that had arisen from Mei Zhuang's pregnancy. I felt a sense of foreboding. But before I could react, the Empress Dowager had already securely pinned the hairpin in my hair and smiled, saying "It really does look good."

  I woke up in a flurry to thank her. The Empress Dowager, who was already smiling beside my ear, said: "The Empress Dowager is indeed fond of Concubine Yu. When Consort Xian was pregnant back then, the Empress Dowager only gave her a jade pendant as a reward."

  After some more small talk, the empress dowager again instructed me with many words of caution on prenatal care and health preservation, then we each returned to our respective palaces.

  Back in the Yingxin Hall, just about to change into casual clothes, I saw that there were many more bottles and jars on the dressing table, especially a green and pink glazed openwork chrysanthemum patterned small box made of celadon jade was particularly eye-catching. I opened it and found that it was a box of clear and fragrant transparent ointment, and couldn't help but ask: "What is this?"

  "This is Yu Lu Qing Zhu Gao, the emperor just sent someone to bring it over, I heard it's great for removing scars." She pointed at a small pink box: "This is Fu Yan Ru Yu Xue, it solidifies blood stains." As she spoke, she pointed at each one again, most of them were medicines to heal the wounds on my face, all given by Xuan Ling.

  I sat in front of the mirror, stroking the wounds on my face. Fortunately, Songzi didn't directly collide with me yesterday, which reduced the impact, and this scratch wasn't too deep. However, two blood-red scars stretched across the area below my left ear, shocking to behold, like two stains of blood on pristine white snow.

  "Yesterday's events still make me nervous now, Your Highness should be extra careful in everything after becoming pregnant."

  I nodded and stared at her for a moment, then said: "The slave will take extra care of Your Majesty's food and drink. Yesterday, the Emperor has already assigned a chef from the Imperial Kitchen to take care of Your Majesty's meals personally, so there is no need to worry about outsiders handling them. The medicine you are taking is also being prepared by Imperial Physician Zhang himself, he is an experienced person, I'm sure there won't be any mistakes."

  I finally felt at ease, changed into a light green silk blouse with a pale pink satin skirt that was flowing and elegant. After admiring the flowers for a while, I felt tired and lay down on the fragrant imperial couch to take a nap. As I dozed off, I vaguely sensed someone sitting in front of me, and when I opened my eyes, it turned out to be Ling Rong's slender figure.

  She smiled and said: "Sister sleeps well, so I don't dare disturb her."

  On a spring day, Ling Rong wore only a plain dark green robe. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the fabric had an extremely shallow pattern of light blue flowers. Her hairstyle was also very simple, adorned with a silver hairpin inlaid with dark red agate and scattered silver foil flower ornaments, making her appear even more frail, like a willow tree swaying gently in the wind, weak and unable to withstand the wind.

  As soon as she spoke, I was shocked and my face changed color. Ling Rong had always been favored for her singing voice, which was as gentle as the oriole's soft cry, but unexpectedly, a bout of wind chill had made her throat so hoarse that it sounded like a coarse, unpleasant flute that seemed to have lost its sound.

  Ling Rong seemed to notice my astonishment, her expression turned gloomy as if she was hurt, and slowly said: "I've startled you, sister. Ling Rong shouldn't have come out looking like this."

  I hastily pulled her hand and said: "How can wind chill be so severe, can't even the imperial physician cure it?"

  She nodded slightly, her eyes reddening as she forced a smile: "The imperial physician said that the wind and cold were blocked, so he used stronger medicine, which ended up being too much for my throat."

  "I angrily said: 'What a muddled imperial physician! Your body was originally weak, how could you use tiger-wolf medicine?! How can this be good now?! I'll go and report to the empress right away and have that physician dismissed.' Saying so, I turned over and got up to put on my shoes."

  Ling Rong hastily stopped me and said: "Sister, don't go. It's my own fault for being anxious to get better that I let the imperial physician use strong medicine. It has nothing to do with the imperial physician."

  I sighed: "But your throat is like this... what does the Emperor say?"

  Ling Rong smiled wryly and gently swept the hem of her dress, saying in a light tone: "Two days after I recovered from my cold, the Emperor summoned me to Yiyuan Hall to sing. Unfortunately, I couldn't sing at all, so the Emperor instructed me to take good care of myself and rest well. This happened twice, and then the Emperor didn't summon me again." Her tone was extremely calm and indifferent, as if she were talking about someone else's affair that had nothing to do with her.

  "What time is it? I didn't even know."

  "It's nothing glorious, why does everyone need to know?"

  I couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness, "You've really had it tough."

  The two sat opposite each other for a long time, each lost in their own thoughts. Ling Rong suddenly smiled and said: "I've been talking about my own affairs all this time, I'm afraid I've made sister sad, and I even forgot the purpose of today's visit." She stood up and bowed slightly: "I heard that sister is pregnant, so I'd like to be the first to congratulate you."

  I smiled and said, "What's with all the politeness between us?"

  Ling Rong said, "Yesterday I heard that my sister was injured and I was so scared that my soul was gone, I didn't know what to do. Originally, I wanted to rush over to see my sister immediately, but I had just taken medicine and couldn't be exposed to the wind, so I had to wait until now to come over. Sister, please don't blame me." Then she asked, "Sister, are you feeling any better?"

  I was combing my long hair in front of the mirror when she mentioned yesterday's fright, and I felt a surge of anger. The comb in my hand "thudded" heavily onto the dressing table made of huanghuali wood, leaving a lingering echo. Ling Rong hastily placated me, saying, "Sister, don't be angry, that beast Songzi has been beaten to death. It's said that Du Liangdi was so frightened that she had its four paws chopped off in revenge."

  I put down the comb and said: "I don't hate Songzi, I hate that someone might use Songzi to frame people."

  Ling Rong thought for a moment and said, "After my sister heard about the whole story, she thought about it for half a night. If it wasn't an accident, someone must have been behind it. But what I don't understand is that with all of you ladies present, why did Concubine Yi's handkerchief only land on Du Liangdi? Is there something unusual about Du Liangdi?"

  I bowed my head and thought for a moment, then suddenly said: "I once heard that Du Liangdi's body had a special fragrance, it was said to be given by the Emperor last month, only she had it."

  "This is it. Empress Dowager is skilled at manipulating cats, and the other consorts and young masters will pose the greatest threat to the Crown Prince's position once they have children. As the birth mother of the Crown Prince, Empress Dowager naturally won't sit idly by. Of course, this is just my speculation, but sister must be extremely careful from now on. Yesterday it was Du Liangdi, and in the future, I'm afraid their eyes will all be fixed on you."

  I saw her speaking with reason and logic, couldn't help but sigh that the former Ling Rong's thoughts are now even more sharp, involuntarily took a deep look at her, nodded in agreement.

  Ling Rong saw me looking at her like that, and she was a bit embarrassed. She said awkwardly: "Sister's words are also my own confused thoughts, what doesn't sister understand? It seems like I'm the one who's being nosy."

  "You wouldn't be saying these things to me if you weren't close to me, so why are you being muddled?"

  Her expression softened slightly as she lowered her head, and when she lifted it again, a faint smile had appeared on her face. She leaned in close to me, examining the wound repeatedly, saying: "It's already healing, as long as there won't be any scarring, everything will be fine."

  I touched the wound on my cheek and said, "It's nothing serious, the imperial physician has already examined it, and the emperor has also bestowed medicine upon me. I think that after applying the medicine for a few days, I'll be fine."

  Ling Rong slightly stunned, looked at the medicinal paste bestowed by Emperor Xuan Ling and said: "The medicine bestowed by the emperor is naturally good, but first, sister is pregnant and can't use just any medicine, second, some of the medicines bestowed by the emperor are tributes from foreign countries, they may not be suitable for our physique, what do you think, sister?"

  I thought for a moment and nodded: "You're right too."

  She pulled out a small, delicate porcelain box from her sleeve and said: "This Shuhen glue is a family heirloom of the Lingrong family. It's said that when Wu Zetian's beloved concubine, Deng Yifei, was injured by Yu Ruoyi, she used this to recover. According to the ancient recipe, it's made with fish bone glue, amber, pearl powder, white weasel gallbladder, jade dust, and honey mixed with peach blossom juice that has been filtered and purified." She listed them out one by one: "Peach blossoms and pearl powder make a person's complexion smooth and give them good color; fish bone glue and honey make the skin smooth; jade dust and amber can heal wounds and flatten scars. Especially white weasel gallbladder is the most precious, making scars fade away and restoring the skin to its original state."

  The exquisite ceramic pot has a hook-shaped gold pattern depicting the flowers of the four seasons. The pot contains a semi-transparent white gel-like substance that emits a fragrant floral scent. As soon as I touch it, I feel a cool sensation on my skin. I exclaim in surprise: "All the other things are nothing special, but the White Otter Oil is extremely rare, and even the palace might not have it. The White Otter only lives in the Fuchun River, and they are timid by nature, escaping into underwater stone caves when they see people trying to catch them, making them very difficult to capture. Only during the annual Fish Festival, when the otters fight each other for mates, some of them die or get injured, leaving behind a few pieces of bone marrow in the stone caves. And it has to be fresh, otherwise, it would only be bone powder, which is still useful but not as effective as the bone marrow."

  Ling Rong smiled and listened, praising: "Sister's words are wise and knowledgeable, you're absolutely right." Then she said: "Originally I wanted to add some fragrant spices to make the scent sweet, but since sister is pregnant, I was afraid of using fragrant spices, so I used more fresh flowers to balance the scent. This way, sister won't feel any medicinal smell." As she spoke, she handed it under my nose, "Sister, take a sniff and see if you like it?"

  I gently sniffed, and indeed felt the fragrance was rich and intense, as if I were in the boundless sea of flowers on a spring day in the Shanglin Garden. So I smiled and said: "It's extremely good, but it's too expensive for me to accept."

  Ling Rong grasped my hand, anxiously saying: "My things were originally sister's things, as long as the scars on sister's face fade away, I will also be at peace. Does sister want to see me like this, uneasy?" Ling Rong was anxious, her voice became even more hoarse and rough, with a hissing sound, as if there was a gentle breeze flowing between her lips and teeth.

  I couldn't bear to listen anymore and seeing how sincere she was, I had no choice but to accept it.

  Ling Rong also instructed: "Sister's face has a wound, now in the spring, there is a lot of pollen and dust, the epidemic has not been cleared, and the palace often burns mugwort, the ash flies everywhere, if you are not careful and get it on your face, it will be unfavorable for the wound to scab, besides, after applying this Shuhen paste, it is also forbidden to blow wind. Sister might as well cover her face with a veil."

  I'm grateful for her kindness and smiled, "This is exactly where you're being careful, the imperial physician also said that I shouldn't let dust or powder touch the wound on my face."

  Ling Rong's gaze relaxed for a moment, as if the thick clouds had been swept away, revealing a clear and refreshing atmosphere. She smiled and said, "It's best this way. Take good care of yourself, sister. I'll take my leave now."

  After finishing dinner, I was idle and anxious, so I picked up the needle and thread to embroider two stitches of the Spring Mountain picture. Pei'er came over to pour tea and said: "Your Ladyship is still embroidering this? It's bad for your eyes and mind, let me do it instead."

  Just then, Huan Bi came in to change the fresh flowers on the table and hurried over to say: "Miss, you should drink less tea, Xi Qi's aunt has instructed that tea water can easily cause the fetus to be restless, it's better to drink less." She also said: "Why not make some nourishing soup? Swallow's nest, honey, or clear dew?"

  Pei'er's face turned red, and she muttered to herself as she patted her head: "Look at me, I'm so foolish, I forgot. Auntie had instructed us before. Auntie also ordered the small kitchen not to put coriander, Sichuan pepper, cinnamon, chili peppers, and five-spice powder in the dishes, and not to add too much wine either, and to avoid deep-frying."

  I smiled and said, "You're being too cautious, Xiaoyu. It's okay to think about it a bit."

  She changed the honey water and carefully warmed it before handing it to me, saying: "Miss has been fortunate for a whole year and finally has a child. Not only are the emperor and empress dowager treasuring her, but our own palace is also being extremely careful. We just hope that Miss can safely give birth to the young prince." Huanbi smiled again, "Miss should take good care of herself, your left hand is injured again, let's have the palace people do these needlework instead. Besides, it's not suitable for you to be embroidering now." I listened to her sincere words and thought that since I had warned her, she indeed no longer had a divided heart. Even Concubine Lin, who had been secretly paying attention, hadn't found anything improper about her. So I slowly began to trust her with some tasks, no longer being intentionally vigilant.

  Embroidering the Spring Mountain picture was originally to cultivate my mental state and strive for peace of mind, but now I don't have that mindset anymore. So I said: "It's fine if I don't embroider this, it's just that lying around all day is also suffocating."

  "Miss, if you're feeling bored, why don't you make some little clothes and embroider some patterns on them? When the young prince is born, he can wear them."

  Liu Zhu chimed in, "That's right, it's time to start doing something about it. Once the young lady is six or seven months pregnant, her body will be heavy and she won't be able to move around easily."

  I was moved by their words and immediately ordered someone to fetch some soft fabrics from the warehouse, watching as several people sat around the lamp cutting and sewing clothes.

  Early in the morning, I heard the oriole chirping outside the window. Chun'er came over to see me, and we had breakfast together, then sat facing each other chatting about family matters.

  Chun'er said: "I heard that when sister gave birth, mother from her maiden family can come to the palace to accompany her, is it true?"

  I said: "Yes, by the eighth month, His Majesty will have a decree."

  Jun'er let out a soft sigh, she had never been one to worry about much, and now suddenly learning how to sigh was quite astonishing. Jun'er counted on her fingers: "I haven't seen Mother for a long time, but Sister is lucky, once the baby in her belly grows bigger, she'll get to see Mother."

  I saw her pitifully, and my heart was moved. I thought of the kindness of my parents at home, and my heart also felt sour. Chun'er is two years younger than me, and at home, she is... At the age of 13, she entered the palace and has not seen her family for a long time, no wonder she would be sad.

  Qingyu saw that both I and Chun'er had a gloomy expression, fearing that I was upset, so she hurried over to comfort me: "In the future, when Chun'er becomes pregnant like us, won't she be able to see Madame? Chun'er is living well in the palace, and Madame can also rest assured at home, right?" Qingyu smiled and said: "Moreover, the food in the palace is unparalleled anywhere else, isn't it?" As she spoke, she smiled and ordered Pin'er to bring over steaming hot cow's milk, fragrant rice cakes, and sweet pastries.

  Chun'er didn't see it, so be it. Once she saw the delicious food, her fingers moved greatly, and she couldn't care about sighing anymore. I actually really envy Chun'er's simple personality, as long as there is good food, all troubles are thrown away. The book often says that one's thoughts should be pure and simple, which probably refers to people like Chun'er. Thinking too much always troubles oneself first.

  I smiled at her and said, "I heard from the palace maid Cui Yu that you like to eat lotus seed paste cake, so I had the small kitchen prepare some for you. They also added milk to make it extra soft. Do you want to try some?"

  Chun'er responded in a string of voices, and Feng Juan ate a plate with relish, still licking her fingers reluctantly, saying: "It's much more delicious than what I make at home."

  I looked at her with a doting gaze and smiled: "If you like, I'll have the small kitchen prepare it for you every day - just one dish, don't eat too much."

  Jun'er smiled and nodded. She stared at my belly for a while, then carefully touched my abdomen and asked, "Zhen jie, is there really a little kid in your tummy?"

  I smiled and said: "Yes, he is still a very small child, his teeth and hands have not grown out yet."

  Chun'er stared blankly for a moment, "It's so small!" and hastily removed the gauntlets from her hands.

  I laughed: "What are you doing?"

  "Chun'er held her cheek and said: 'This little kid is still so small, I'm afraid the sharp armor will hurt him.'"

  I laughed so hard I almost spat out water, and after barely managing to stop laughing, I said: "How could that be? You like him this much, how about I make him your nephew?"

  Chun'er's long eyelashes fluttered, her eyes sparkling like pearls, and she exclaimed excitedly: "Really? Can I be her bridesmaid?" As she spoke, she hastily pulled out a white jade pendant from around her neck and said: "Then I'll put down the betrothal gift first, and he'll have to call me Auntie later!"

  "I said, 'Yes, the gifts have been received, can't be lazy.' I patted my belly and said, 'Child, look at how much your aunt cares about you, but you're still nowhere to be seen, the gifts have all arrived.'"

  "Darling, darling, you must grow up quickly! When you're big, Auntie will give you all the best pastries to eat: emerald green bean cake, chestnut cake, two-colored bean cake, red bean roll, lychee good gentleman, twisted peach strip, crispy walnut, twisted date ring, and twisted pear meat. These are all the most delicious things under heaven! Auntie will let you have them all, won't fight with you over them. Just eat and become a plump darling!"

  I said with a smile: "And then, your aunt will have many more babies to keep you company in the future, are you happy?"

  Chun'er stamped her foot and laughed scoldingly: "Sister, you're not ashamed, making fun of me!" As she spoke, she lifted the curtain and ran off.

  I thought she had run away, but unexpectedly she poked half of her head in again, her face flushed bright red, and after hesitating for a long time, she asked in a very small voice: "If I give birth to seven or eight little ones to play hide-and-seek with sister's kids, will that be enough?"

  I couldn't help but laugh, and in an instant, I accidentally spilled the bowl of honey water all over my skirt, getting myself completely soaked. Xiang Yu came over to help me change into a new skirt, also smiling. Xiao Yuanzi was laughing so hard she had to squat on the ground, holding her belly in pain. Everyone else turned their backs to cover their mouths and laugh. I forced myself to stop laughing and said: "That's enough, that's enough, if we keep going like this, it'll be too much for us to handle."

  Chun'er saw our expressions and knew that what she said was wrong. Her face turned even redder as she hastily ran away again.

  At noon, the sun was shining warmly, so I leaned against the western warm window sill on the couch to read and pass the time. My body was covered with a light green silk quilt, and underneath me was a soft velvet blanket that was warm and cozy. The lake-colored autumn brocade canopy bed had silver hooks, and on the couch were piled three or four goose down pillows embroidered with white satin and auspicious flowers, which were very soft and comfortable. After reading for a while, I dozed off to sleep, and when I woke up, it was already late afternoon. I vaguely heard the sound of Xiaolianzi and someone talking outside, which seemed to be the voice of Wen Shi Chu. At this time, there was no one in the room, the window was half-closed, and the evening breeze with a floral scent blew gently from the corridor outside, blowing the canopy slightly like ripples on water, and the golden flower patterns shimmered like sunlight. I didn't feel like getting up, so I remained reclining on the couch, turning my body towards the window to sleep, listening to the conversation outside.

  Xiao Yanzu said, "The master is slow. My mother is still sleeping and has not woken up yet. I don't know what the master wants."

  Wen Shi said, "It doesn't matter, I'll just wait under the corridor. I heard that Your Ladyship has good news, so I came over to pay my respects."

  Xiao Yuanzi said: "It's a trouble for you to wait here, I'll retire first."

  Outside the window, there was a moment of silence. The warm sunlight had been shining on the windowsill, but suddenly I heard the faint sound of footsteps approaching. I felt the window darken, and I slightly opened my eyes to see Wen Shi's figure looming in front of the window, separated from me by two layers of curtains and screens, gazing at me intently and silently.

  Under the eyelashes like a crow's wing, I was still asleep, and he thought I was still in deep sleep. After a while, his hand silently reached up to the window gauze, but he didn't get close or lift the gauze to peek at my sleeping face. He just stood there quietly, gazing at me with affectionate eyes - actually, through the golden silk curtain, he couldn't see me clearly.

  I felt a bit awkward and didn't want to get up and scold him, after all, I had to leave some room for future interactions. He treated me very well, actually. Since entering the palace, if it weren't for his careful attention, my days probably wouldn't have been so comfortable.

  I am only unwilling to owe people a lot on the word "love", he gave me the affection of melon, but I couldn't and didn't want to repay it with jade. Of course, I have to find ways to repay him with fame, wealth and benefits, which is also worth his efforts for me.

  He should also understand that although the imperial concubine's beauty illuminated my eyes and ignited his, inside and outside the palace walls are different realms. No matter how much he yearns for me, it is ultimately a futile dream. Moreover, my intentions were already clear to him before I entered the palace. There is no need for me to repeat what Cold Person said.

  She turned over and changed her sleeping position, with her back to him, pretending to accidentally knock the purple jade scepter on the pillow to the ground. "Clang" a sound of shattering jade, he seemed startled, hastily retreating far away. Hearing the sound of Xiuxiu rushing into the warm pavilion, seeing that I was sleeping peacefully, she picked up the broken jade and left.

  After a long time, hearing no more noise outside, he raised his voice and said: "Who is it?"

  It was Hongyu who came in to talk, helping me up and putting two down pillows behind my back. "Miss is awake," she said. "Just now, Wen Shi, the young master of the First Family, has been here."

  "I pretended to be surprised and said: 'Why didn't you come in?'"

  "Actually, I came to pay my respects to the young lady, but I thought she was still sleeping. Then someone from Cunju Hall came over to deliver a message saying that it's time for Ping'an Mai, and asked Lord Wen to go over."

  "I said: 'This is also. The emperor appointed Dr. Wen to treat Shen Ronghua, he has a responsibility and cannot leave easily.' I asked again: 'What did he come for?'"

  Miss, Master Wen sent two pieces of plain paper from his bosom and said that if there is a scar on your face, he has prepared a special makeup to cover it.

  I took a look, one said pearl powder, which is made from the seeds of purple jasmine, taking out the kernel and steaming it into a powder. Another said jade hairpin powder, which is made by cutting off the flower stem of the jade hairpin flower, filling it with ordinary mung bean flour, and then steaming it into a powder. On the side, there was a line of small characters that specifically noted that pearl powder should be used in spring, while jade hairpin powder should be used in autumn. It also said that using the dew on the lotus leaves in the morning to mix with the powder would have an even better effect.

  Another sheet had a recipe for medicinal pills. Choose healthy and thriving motherwort grass during the Dragon Boat Festival, making sure there is no dust on the grass. After sun-drying, grind it into a fine powder and sift it. Add an appropriate amount of water and flour to mix it into a dough, and dry it in the sun. Use a well-sealed three-layered yellow mud furnace to burn with a strong fire for half a day, then switch to a low fire to simmer slowly. After about a day and night, take out the medicinal pills and wait for them to cool completely before grinding them into a fine powder for use.

  The mortar and pestle were also carefully chosen, with jade being the best and deer horn being second-best - both jade and deer horn have the effect of nourishing the skin and removing scars.

  I asked again: "Is Shen Ronghua okay?"

  "Asked," said the soft voice. "Master Wen said that Young Master is fine, but still can't get out of bed and needs to rest." Then smiled again: "Miss only says others, herself is also the same."

  I took a look at the prescription and smiled: "Let him worry about it, in the evening, I'll send Xiao Lianzi to fetch the medicine according to the prescription."

  Yuwen Yong finally nodded and said "yes", then retreated.

  March 26th, the best day in half a year according to the calendar, I and Feng Shuyi were granted titles on the same day. In the early morning, before dawn broke, the Yingxin Hall was already bustling with activity. Palace maids and eunuchs carried gift boxes and ceremonial instruments, hurrying back and forth, while the stone path in front of the hall was covered with a long, crimson carpet, and the imperial carriage, specially prepared for the consorts' ceremony, stood quietly waiting in front of the Tongli Palace gate.

  I sat properly in front of the dresser, having just finished washing up. Liu Jishou, the inner attendant beside Xuan Ling, personally brought over the clothes and jewelry that I would wear for the ceremony. According to custom, the empress wore her hair in a Lingyun hairstyle during the ceremony, consorts wore their hair in a Wangxianjiu hairstyle, noble consorts wore their hair in a Canluan hairstyle, while other palace ladies wore their hair in a Ruyi high hairstyle and palace maids wore their hair in a Fongsheng hairstyle. I then styled my hair into a modest and elegant Canluan hairstyle.

  It was Old Madame Qiao, a palace maid for many years, who had been ordered to comb my hair. She smiled and said: "Your Majesty's forehead is really high, I have combed the hair of so many princesses, but yours is the highest. Now that you are pregnant, it can be seen that your good fortune is deep and thick, and cannot be compared to others."

  The women in the palace all believed that the higher the forehead, the greater the good fortune. I was already feeling happy and comfortable, listening to her made me even more delighted, so I let someone bring out some reward money to give to her.

  The six hairpins I wore were a pair of gold-plated red coral "Fu" character pins, a pair of Tianbao Xiyi hairpins, and the most striking was a pair of gilded silk-wrapped jade bead phoenix hairpins. The phoenix hairpin was originally only allowed to be worn by noble consorts and above, although Xu Ling had rewarded me with one before, but today I could finally wear it openly. The hairpin was fully decorated with hollow gold and silver flowers, with pearls, green jade, and bat-shaped jade as the canopy, inlaid with intricately carved jade bead strings that hung down to my earlobe. On the Tianbao Xiyi hairpin, there were delicate six-petaled palace flowers, exquisite turquoise beads, and long, slender pendants that swayed slightly. This was still not enough, so I also adorned my coiffure with a pair of red gemstone beaded rice grain head flowers, a pair of jade-embedded coral agate gourd head flowers, and a pair of square bottle-shaped auspicious hairpins.

  After finishing dressing up, I gently tilted my head and couldn't help but say: "It's so heavy."

  Li Zhu smiled and said, "Now she's just a noble lady-in-waiting, but Miss already thinks the hairpiece on her head is too heavy. What will happen when she becomes a noble consort? I heard that during the ceremony of becoming a noble consort, there are sixteen hairpins on one's head."

  "What nonsense!" I retorted, turning back.

  Auntie Qiao smiled and said, "Miss is absolutely right! Now that the Empress has given birth to a prince, isn't it certain that she will be promoted to Imperial Noble Consort one day? Who in the palace doesn't know that the Emperor dotes on the Empress the most?"

  I just smiled and didn't answer, stretching out my arms to let them help me put on the dress. The crimson silk with intricate patterns of auspicious clouds and mandarin ducks had wide sleeves that dragged all the way to the ground. The golden embroidery on the skirt was adorned with beautiful pearls, and the entire long gown was embroidered with a magnificent seven-colored phoenix pattern that spread from the chest, across the shoulders, and down to the hem like clouds. The cuffs also had intricate gold and pearl embroidery, forming a one-inch-wide border of real pearls and flowers, slightly revealing my slender white fingers. Around my waist was tied a beautiful sash in green and red, and on my arm was wrapped a silver and crimson silk scarf with a pattern of flowers.

  In this way, he also had a dignified and elegant demeanor when facing the mirror.

  The appointment of Guifei is different from the past. In the past, the appointment was only a verbal order or an imperial edict to inform the six palaces. Only concubines above Guifei in the palace were considered to be of high and noble status, requiring sacrifices to the ancestral temple, granting gold books and gold seals, while the gold seal of the first rank four consorts was called "Jinbao". However, the ancestral temple is only opened on occasions such as sacrificing to heaven, appointment ceremonies, and major festivals. On ordinary days, the appointment ceremony for concubines in the palace's ancestral temple is only a symbolic ritual.

  At the auspicious hour, I knelt behind Empress Dowager Feng and made a sacrificial announcement at the solemn and majestic ancestral temple. After listening to the ceremonial official read out the congratulatory words in four-six parallel prose, the chief and deputy historians, Li Lianji, Minister of the Board of Revenue, and Chen Xilie, Gentleman Attendant within the Imperial Palace, took the vermilion-lacquered gold-inlaid box with dragon and phoenix designs. The box was covered with a red silk cloth with golden threads and presented with four pages of golden certificates. Empress Dowager Feng received eight pages of golden certificates. Then, a small box made of brocade was used to present the golden seal, which had a treasured inscription, measuring 4.9 inches wide and 1.2 inches thick, with a golden plate and a phoenix-shaped knob. Empress Dowager Feng and I shouted "Long Live" three times, and then we went to the Zhao Yang Hall to pay respects to the Emperor again.

  The queen wore a purple and gold hundred phoenix ceremonial robe with wide sleeves and a high collar, sitting upright beside Xuan Ling. The cuffs and collar slightly exposed a band of golden red silk undergarment, the apricot yellow gold thread moonlight long skirt was radiant in color, the snow white plain satin base apricot peony flower patterned brocade flowed quietly to the ground, making her demeanor even more noble and elegant.

  The Empress's expression was solemn and dignified, her voice loud and clear: "Respectful Consort Feng, Noble Consort Zhen, having received the heavenly mandate, succeeded to the inner palace, from now on cultivate virtue and self-restraint, harmonize the palace, diligently serve above, and extend the imperial lineage."

  I bowed three times to Empress Jing and replied respectfully: "I am honored to receive your teachings, Your Majesty. I am overjoyed."

  He looked up and saw Xuan Ling's bright yellow nine-dragon brocade robe, with the hem embroidered with a pattern of rivers and seas, as if "thousands of miles of mountains and rivers" stretched out endlessly. He raised his head again, meeting his warm gaze like spring breeze, his eyes locked onto mine, and my heart felt a warmth, I couldn't help but exchange a heartfelt smile.