Little Palace Maid Desires a Higher Seat of Honor - Chapter 17
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- Chapter 17 - Summoning the Imperial Physician
Chapter 17: Summoning the Imperial Physician
The moon was bright, and the stars were sparse. The Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was gradually dispersing, and the palace was becoming quieter. No one would pay attention to the people kneeling in front of the Yikun Gate.
Today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and according to tradition, Tan Yuanchu went to the Kunning Palace.
On the imperial carriage, Tan Yuanchu closed his eyes. Xu Shunfu looked up at him several times, trying to decipher the Emperor’s thoughts. If the Emperor was truly indifferent to Yun Si’s punishment, he wouldn’t have been so merciless to Yang Jieyu in the Taihe Hall. But even though the Emperor knew about Yun Si’s punishment, he hadn’t made a move.
If the Emperor was interested, the master and servant kneeling in front of the Yikun Gate would have been sent back to the palace to rest long ago. Why were they still kneeling here?
Xu Shunfu shook his head inwardly.
Suddenly, the person on the imperial carriage knocked on the handle, and a faint voice came, “Take a different route.”
There were, of course, more than one route to the Kunning Palace. Xu Shunfu’s mind quickly turned, and he immediately understood. He raised his hand slightly, and the imperial carriage immediately headed towards the Yikun Gate. When they passed in front of the palace gate, Xu Shunfu saw clearly.
The master and servant hadn’t even been able to leave this palace gate. They were kneeling at the edge of the grass, both of them covered in grass clippings, their hair slightly disheveled, and they looked incredibly disheveled.
Xu Shunfu instinctively looked at Yun Si, but the night was dark, and he couldn’t see very clearly. However, he vaguely saw that Yun Si’s arm was hanging unnaturally.
Hearing the commotion, Yun Si struggled to gather her strength, and she and Lu Cairen turned to look simultaneously.
Lu Cairen was surprised, and the next moment, she revealed a mixture of joy and grievance on her face. She bit her teeth and struggled to bow to the imperial carriage, “This concubine greets the Emperor.”
She had been kneeling for two or three hours, and her whole body was stiff. Every movement was laborious.
Unlike Lu Cairen’s joy, Yun Si bit her lip imperceptibly.
She knew very well that today was the 15th, and the Emperor would definitely go to the Kunning Palace. No matter whether he came from the Taihe Hall, the Imperial Study, or the Yangxin Hall, the best route to the Kunning Palace would not pass through the Yikun Gate.
In other words, the Emperor shouldn’t be here.
But the Emperor came anyway, which could only mean that he had known about the situation at the Yikun Gate all along. Yet they were still kneeling here for nearly three hours.
Yun Si and Lu Cairen bowed their heads in unison, and when they turned their bodies, a subtle but piercing pain shot through Yun Si’s shoulder. Her face paled slightly, and she bit her lip tightly, not making a sound.
Tan Yuanchu didn’t disembark from the imperial carriage. He looked down, taking in the disheveled state of the two women, especially the woman’s face, which paled for a moment. His gaze lingered imperceptibly on the woman’s shoulder before she lowered her head, and Tan Yuanchu’s movement to disembark was almost imperceptibly paused.
The imperial carriage arrived quickly and departed just as swiftly. The light in Lu Cairen’s eyes gradually dimmed.
From a distance, Xu Shunfu looked at the imperial carriage with some puzzlement. What was the Emperor trying to do by deliberately passing by the Yikun Gate?
He speculated about the Emperor’s intentions and ventured, “It seems like Lu Cairen might be injured, Your Majesty.”
Both Xu Shunfu and Tan Yuanchu knew who was truly injured.
After a long silence, a cold snort came from within the imperial carriage, “She doesn’t seem to feel the pain.”
Xu Shunfu forced a smile but couldn’t help but defend Yun Si, “Your Majesty is joking. How could a servant dare to complain about pain in front of their master?”
Xu Shuncu thought to himself, You’re unhappy with Yun Si’s attitude, but Yun Si isn’t in control of her own destiny. If You don’t give her a higher status, how can a small servant like her dare to be intimate with Lu Cairen?
The imperial carriage fell silent for a moment. Tan Yuanchu frowned, having forgotten that Yun Si was different from the others due to their previous interactions.
She was just a servant.
He wanted Yun Si to show her true feelings like the other concubines, but that was like asking a beggar to dine at the most luxurious restaurant in the city – it was a challenge.
He wanted Yun Si to be less “proper,” but she needed the means to do so.
Just like how he needed to give the beggar money to dine at the restaurant.
The imperial carriage slowed down, and Tan Yuanchu lifted the curtain, “Let them return to the palace. Send someone to fetch the imperial physician.”
Xu Shunfu, “The servant will go immediately.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be him who went to the Imperial Academy. If he went to fetch the doctor after escorting Lu Cairen, it would be a waste of time.
The imperial carriage didn’t stop on its way to the Kunning Palace. However, Xu Shunfu quickly turned around and headed back. Behind the palace gate, Yun Si and Lu Cairen were still kneeling. Yun Si was comforting Lu Cairen, and when she saw Xu Shunfu running towards them from afar, Lu Cairen didn’t hold out much hope.
She wiped away her tears without looking up.
She realized, no matter how slow she was, that she was nowhere near Yang Jieyu’s status in the Emperor’s heart.
If that’s the case, holding onto unrealistic hopes would only make her a laughingstock.
But Yun Si was right – there’s plenty of time ahead, and no one knows what will happen in the future.
Unexpectedly, Xu Shunfu really did stop in front of her. Lu Cairen was stunned, and Xu Shunfu quickly supported her, “Lu Cairen, please get up. The Emperor instructed the servant to escort you back to the palace.”
Lu Cairen was dumbfounded as she was helped up. She didn’t come back to her senses for a long time. The Emperor had left without hesitation earlier, so why would he send Xu Shunfu back?
She had been hit hard several times today and had lost her confidence. She sniffled, “Is it really the Emperor who sent you?”
She had cried many times today, and her eyes were red now. She stared at Xu Shunfu with wide, tearful eyes, looking pitiful and adorable, hoping he would nod.
Xu Shunfu almost laughed at her question, “Without the Emperor’s order, the servant wouldn’t dare to neglect his duties.”
As he spoke, he glanced almost imperceptibly at Yun Si. She looked more disheveled than Lu Cairen, her arm hanging unnaturally, and even the simple action of standing up caused her to furrow her delicate eyebrows. She didn’t say a word, and her expression didn’t change, but she drew attention and sympathy.
Even without the doctor’s diagnosis, Xu Shunfu could tell that she was injured, and the injury wasn’t light. Thinking of this, Xu Shunfu didn’t delay further and personally escorted the two women back.
As soon as they arrived at the Heyi Hall, Song Rong and the others rushed over. Seeing their disheveled state, they immediately let out a chorus of shocked gasps, “Mistress, what happened?!”
Xiao Rongzi was also in the crowd, and his worried gaze subtly fell on Yun Si. When Yun Si met his gaze, she imperceptibly shook her head, indicating that she was fine.
Xiao Rongzi pursed his lips and lowered his head, his expression cold and annoyed for a moment.
His sister was always cautious and prudent, and she hadn’t been this disheveled even after being in the palace for over two years. In the end, it was all because of Lu Cairen that his sister was dragged down.
The crowd surrounded Lu Cairen and escorted her back to the hall. Yun Si didn’t join in the commotion and was about to return to her room to change her clothes. However, she was subtly stopped by Eunuch Xu. Yun Si looked up in confusion.
Xu Shunfu glanced at her shoulder and hinted, “The Emperor has sent for the imperial physician, and they will arrive soon.”
He also subtly spoke well of the Emperor.
Yun Si pursed her lips. She clenched her hand slightly, and a piercing pain shot through her shoulder. Yun Si didn’t know where she was injured.
But she was very clear that if she missed the opportunity to see the imperial physician today, she wouldn’t be able to summon them again due to her status. She would have to recover on her own.
Yun Si never made things difficult for herself. She stopped in her tracks and said softly, “Thank you, Eunuch.”
However, she didn’t catch the hint from Xu Shunfu. She and Lu Cairen were both injured, and the imperial physician was clearly summoned for Lu Cairen.
She was just an afterthought.
In her situation, she feared being overly attached and making things even more awkward.
Xu Shunfu didn’t know what she was thinking. He glanced at the chaos in the hall and saw that no one was paying attention to them. He quickly waved his hand, “The servant dare not accept this kindness.”
Yun Si understood. No matter what she thought, she kept her eyes downcast, her eyelids trembling slightly. After a long time, she said softly, “Please thank the Emperor on my behalf, Eunuch.”
She avoided the crowd, her head bowed, and her neck seemed slightly red. Her voice was soft and delicate, but her meaning was clear.
Xu Shunfu finally showed a hint of a smile. He nodded subtly at Yun Si and said nothing more. The imperial physician arrived soon.
Xu Shunfu didn’t rush off. He waited until both master and servant had seen the physician and confirmed their injuries, especially when he heard that Yun Si’s injury was severe and would take at least half a month to recover. Xu Shunfu’s heart sank.
He had been following the Emperor and could see that the Emperor was interested in Yun Si. With an injury that would take half a month to recover, the Emperor wouldn’t be pleased.
Xu Shunfu felt a headache coming on, unsure of how to report the situation to the Emperor. Despite his thoughts, he didn’t show any of it in the Heyi Hall. When he arrived at the Kunning Palace, the lights were still on, but Xu Shunfu didn’t have the courage to go in.
In the Kunning Palace, the Empress was massaging Tan Yuanchu’s forehead. Seeing that he wasn’t in a good mood, the Empress’s eyes flashed with concern. The news from the Yikun Gate had arrived before the Emperor’s arrival at the Kunning Palace, and she couldn’t quite figure out what the Emperor was thinking.
But it didn’t matter.
Since the Emperor had sent Xu Shunfu to escort Lu Cairen back to the palace, it meant that Lu Cairen still held some weight with the Emperor.
The Empress spoke softly, “I also heard about Lu Cairen’s situation. It’s my fault for not disciplining her properly, and I’m sorry that the Emperor had to take care of it.”
Even though she had known about the incident at the Yikun Gate since the palace banquet, she had pretended not to know. However, she didn’t hesitate to show a apologetic expression now.
Tan Yuanchu didn’t even lift his eyelids, “It’s Yang Jieyu’s fault for being arrogant and presumptuous. It’s not related to the Empress.”
The Empress raised an eyebrow in surprise. The Emperor rarely spoke about Yang Jieyu’s faults so directly. It seemed that in the Emperor’s mind, Yang Jieyu was indeed to blame for today’s incident.
The Empress calculated her next move and spoke softly, “It’s indeed my fault for not keeping a close eye on things, and Lu Cairen suffered as a result.”
Tan Yuanchu suddenly stood up, and the Empress’s hands were left empty. She paused for a moment and then put her hands down, pretending that nothing had happened. She heard the Emperor’s calm voice, “In that case, give her some compensation.”
The Empress didn’t understand what the Emperor meant by “compensation.”
Was it a title, a favor, or something else?
Before she could ask further questions, Tan Yuanchu rubbed his temples, looking tired. The Empress immediately swallowed her questions and smiled, “I’ll take care of the Emperor’s rest.”
In the Heyi Hall, Yun Si returned to her room with the ointment awarded by her mistress. She stood with her back to the bronze mirror, removing her clothes.
The mirror reflected the bruises on her shoulder and the red marks on her back, some of which were already turning blue.No wonder her back had been hurting. After a simple cleaning, Yun Si took a shallow breath, enduring the pain as she applied some ointment to the injured area with her fingertips.
The pain caused her eyelids to tremble, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead. It took her a long time to withdraw her hand, and her fingers involuntarily curled up by her side.
Suddenly, the door was knocked, and Xiao Rongzi’s voice came through, “Sister, are you asleep? I brought some pastries for you.”
After learning that they had knelt for two hours, Xiao Rongzi realized that his sister hadn’t eaten. While everyone was worried about their mistress, he ran to find food for his sister.
The door creaked open, and Xiao Rongzi looked up. Under the faint moonlight, the woman’s figure seemed frail, and her lips were a bit pale.
Xiao Rongzi’s brow furrowed.
Yun Si saw what he was thinking and took the pastries from him, forcing a weak smile, “I’m fine. You should go back early and not be late for your duties tomorrow.”
Xiao Rongzi clenched his fists. His sister probably didn’t realize how unconvincing her words were.
But he couldn’t let his sister worry about him anymore.
He lowered his head and muttered, “Okay.”
He turned around and left. Yun Si closed the door and looked at the pastries for a long time. She put one in her mouth, and the delicate texture filled her mouth. However, Yun Si couldn’t really taste anything. She ate all the pastries with her head down and then lay down on the bed.
After a long time, muffled sobs of pain seemed to come from under the quilt.
Storyteller Pinky_yu's Words
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