Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 341 Promoting Blood Circulation and Fertility

Liuli's Adam's apple bobbed, and she spoke in a very low voice:

"When I opened the window, I happened to see Miss Zhixue, who was by the Empress's side, carrying a small package to the medicine shop. The package was wrapped in a cloth bag and looked bulging and moving. It looked quite frightening."

Consort Mei's eyes sharpened, and she leaned forward slightly: "Is it a living creature?"

What kind of illness requires the use of live animals in medicine? Are they perhaps used as a medicinal guide?

A hint of surprise flashed in Consort Mei's eyes: "Are you sure you didn't see wrong?"

“I saw it clearly,” Liuli said, her face pale. “Miss Zhixue pinched the bag's opening with her fingertips, and the cloth bundle bulged. Then Xingyu suddenly appeared, and I was so frightened that I quickly closed the window…”

......

The moon shines brightly, and the clouds disperse.

Inside the study, Meng Shu's slender fingers traced across the bookshelf, pulling out a copy of "Compendium of Materia Medica" and then taking down "Essentials of Gynecology." The candlelight flickered between her brows, casting a somber shadow.

Green Willow tiptoed in and placed the rhinoceros-hide lacquer box she was carrying on the desk.

"Your Highness, I just returned from Cheng Guan Zhai. Madam sent over some calming incense, saying it was made by Aunt Lu and the Sixth Miss herself."

After Meng Shu changed her name, Lü Liu stopped calling her "Shu'er" as before, and even in private, she adhered to the rules. Dong Gua was simple-minded and didn't think so much. When she was with Meng Shu, she still affectionately called her "Shu Shu," a title that only she could ever use.

Meng Shu raised her eyes, shifting her gaze from the medical book to the box, and exclaimed in surprise, "Why is it packaged in such a precious rhinoceros lacquer box? The incense inside must be extraordinary as well."

She gently stroked the box with her fingertips and sighed, "It must be that the Empress told the Lady about my nightmares. It's quite a hassle for them."

“This servant doesn’t know anything about spices. I just showed them to Donggua, and she said they are excellent.”

Meng Shu glared at Lü Liu, then lifted the box. Inside were several exquisite wooden boxes, faintly emitting a cool, sweet fragrance. At the bottom of the box were several incense recipes, showing the care taken in their preparation.

She opened one of the small sandalwood boxes, which was carved with a lotus scroll pattern. Inside were several dark gold incense balls, shaped like lotus seeds.

He had Green Willow bring the incense burner, lit it himself, and then covered the burner with the lid and gently fanned it.

Meng Shu closed her eyes and gently inhaled the fragrance, feeling as if it possessed a spirit, penetrating her lungs. At first, it was as clear and refreshing as a spring stream, gradually transforming into the cool and secluded atmosphere of a bamboo forest after rain, and finally settling into the calm and steady scent of a cedar tree. The inexplicable suffocating feeling in her chest that had lingered in Fengyi Palace, along with the palpitations in her heart, also subsided.

Meng Shu opened her eyes, picked up the prescription and looked at it. She praised, "This is the 'Sinking Soul-Soothing Incense' that Aunt Lu prepared according to an ancient prescription. It is indeed more effective than the Tranquilizing Powder prescribed by the Imperial Hospital."

As she spoke, her gaze unconsciously fell on the lacquer box again. The color was somewhat similar to the bottom of the incense burner lid in the side hall of Fengyi Palace. Could it be that the sandalwood wasn't mixed with spices?

Thinking of this, Meng Shu's eyes brightened slightly, and she suddenly remembered a type of wood. "This box arrived just in time."

Then, suddenly remembering something, he asked, "A few days ago, the second young master of the Wuxing Earl's Mansion fell into the water. Is there any other news now?"

Green Willow covered her mouth and smiled: "Young Master Wu has been ill for a few days. Last night, he secretly slipped out of the Marquis's mansion and ran away from home! The Marquis's wife and his sisters made a fuss, but in the end, they didn't dare to really go to the Marquis's mansion. I heard that when Young Master Wu left home, he only took his pageboy with him. The Marquis's mansion has already sent people to search for him in the direction of Lin'an."

"Such unconventional behavior, though somewhat audacious, does display a boldness that most people lack," Meng Shu commented casually. "Did Madam convey any other message?"

Green Willow shook her head and straightened her expression: "The manor said that Your Highness doesn't need to worry about these trivial matters, and that the manor has its own ways of dealing with them. They also said that no matter what news comes out of the capital, Your Highness and Consort Chun should not be affected, and should just focus on the palace."

Meng Shu nodded and said, "I'll write a letter for you to give to Aunt Mei so she can deliver it to Physician Jian herself. Also, have Xia'er keep an eye on Wutong Pavilion. If anyone goes out tonight, have her keep a close watch."

Green Willow understood and curtsied before leaving the study. Winter Melon brought in a bowl of ginseng soup. Seeing that Meng Shu was about to write, he told her to drink the soup first: "You didn't have dinner tonight, so you must drink this soup."

As they talked, Donggua began grinding ink. Meng Shu smiled, finished her ginseng soup, picked up her brush and wrote down the names of several medicinal herbs, then added a few lines of smaller characters.

“Winter melon,” Meng Shu suddenly put down her pen, “when we left the side hall of Fengyi Palace, did you smell a faint fishy smell?”

Donggua nodded and described it as, "Like spoiled chicken blood in the kitchen, with a fishy smell and a hint of rottenness."

Meng Shu's expression was solemn. After pondering for a moment, she picked up her pen and added two other 'medicinal herbs' that she suspected after adding deer antler. She then handed the pen to Green Willow when she came in, so that she could deliver it to Aunt Mei.

The Emperor has been busy with state affairs these past two days and has no interest in visiting the inner palace, so Meng Shu doesn't have to worry about being summoned at any time.

After washing up, she changed into a moon-white soft silk nightgown and sat down with Donggua to talk.

Donggua asked, "Is there something wrong with the medicine Her Majesty the Empress drank?"

Meng Shu, fiddling with the spices in the box, scoffed upon hearing this, "To let us notice so easily is rather deliberate. Your methods are even inferior to those of Consort Liu in the manor. However, that Liuli maidservant by Consort Mei's side must have discovered something..."

"Has Shushu figured out what spices were mixed in with the sandalwood in that side hall?"

"It's not a spice, but a type of wood called sappanwood, which is mostly used as a dye. It's incompatible with agarwood, and prolonged exposure can cause palpitations. If someone already has a heart condition, it will worsen after just one exposure."

Donggua suddenly realized: "The inside of the incense burner lid in the side hall is coated with sappanwood juice?! The Empress is trying to harm someone again!"

Meng Shu said, "It should be used to test Consort Mei. If it only happens once or twice, it won't be a big problem."

......

Inside the Phoenix Palace, the flickering light from the gilded candlesticks cast a long, slender shadow of Xingyu. Her fingertips trembled as she carried a celadon medicine bowl into the bedchamber.

The reddish-brown medicinal liquid in the bowl gleamed with an eerie sheen, and a faint, fishy odor wafted through the hall.

"Your Majesty, I have a feeling that there's something wrong with this prescription..."

The Empress leaned against the brocade pillow, picked up the medicine bowl, frowned, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Hasn't it been tested with silver needles and proven to be non-toxic? Doctor Chu has a long-standing reputation in the Southwest, and this method of promoting blood circulation and fertility has been effective time and again. Why shouldn't I give it a try?"

As the medicine entered her throat, the Empress felt a nausea rising in her throat. She forced herself to suppress the urge to vomit and threw the empty bowl back onto the tray.

"My body was damaged by the miscarriage last time. If this method works, that would be best. If it doesn't work... we should make plans as soon as possible."

Xingyu took the empty medicine bowl, handed her a handkerchief, and then helped the Empress lie down. "As Your Majesty instructed, the dregs of the medicine have been changed, but I wonder if Consort Meng will notice anything today..."

......

The next morning, Aunt Mei brought Jian Zhi's reply.

Meng Shu unfolded the letter, and Jian Zhi had attached two prescriptions, which were extensions of the medicinal herbs Meng Shu had listed. Both prescriptions were for fertility, which was within Meng Shu's expectations.

At the end of the letter was a fertility remedy popular in Southwest China. After reading it, Meng Shu felt slightly uncomfortable and almost vomited.