The words were rough but the truth was there. The Marquis's wife gave this advice in order to show the Queen's grace and magnanimity.
Although the queen was very reluctant, she still nodded and agreed.
"Okay, I will discuss this with the Emperor right away. The imperial harem will select concubines every three years in the spring. Let's set a date now so that we can welcome new people into the palace next year."
Only when the marquis' wife saw that the queen agreed did she leave with peace of mind.
Liu Qiao'er was left with the queen. Looking at the queen's haggard face, she felt a little sad for her.
So what if she is the mother of a country? The emperor does not belong to her alone. Even if he possesses all the power and wealth in the world, she would not like it.
As soon as the Marquis's wife left, the imperial physician arrived.
Although Imperial Physician Zhang, who treated the Emperor and the Empress, was only in his fifties, he had been walking around in the palace all year round, and he looked much older than his actual age.
Liu Qiaoer sighed inwardly, it was indeed not easy to survive in the palace.
However, the young imperial physician following behind him looked shaken.
Imperial Physician Zhang knelt beside the Queen and felt her pulse: "Your Majesty, you are fine."
"If your Majesty suffers from severe morning sickness, you can eat some hawthorn to stimulate your appetite. You can also make some ginseng soup for your Majesty on weekdays to nourish your body."
The Queen saw that Zhang Imperial Physician's method was the same as Liu Qiao'er's, and smiled: "Okay, it seems that you really have no other way."
The Queen took one look at the apprentice beside Imperial Physician Zhang and asked, "Is this your youngest son? He's only nineteen this year?"
Imperial Physician Zhang smiled bitterly and said, "I have five sons in my life. The other four have no talent for medicine, but he has been very smart since he was a child. He memorized the Treatise on Febrile Diseases when he was seven years old."
The queen looked at Zhang Lingzhi with a smile, and he kowtowed to her politely.
"Okay, then you can let him check my pulse in the future."
Zhang Lingzhi glanced at the Queen in surprise. The Queen signaled to Nanny Xing to give him a reward, and Nanny Xing grabbed a handful of golden melon seeds and gave them to him.
"You must treat the Empress well in the future, and your achievements will definitely be better than your father's."
Zhang Lingzhi was flattered and took the Queen's pulse, saying that in addition to taking a lot of tonic food, it would be best for her to rest more, worry less, and go out for a walk when she has time.
Seeing that he was very accurate in taking the pulse and speaking in a measured way, Liu Qiaoer couldn't help but look at him carefully, but she didn't expect that Zhang Lingzhi was also looking at her and smiling at her.
He is really a lively and sunny young man, reminding Liu Qiaoer of the former Lu Yunzheng.
At noon, the emperor was going to have lunch with the queen, and everyone was waiting on the side.
After dinner, the Queen proposed to the Emperor to recruit new concubines into the harem.
In fact, the emperor had this idea a long time ago. There were too few concubines in the harem, and there were only a few of them coming and going. The emperor had long been fed up with it.
In the past, the Empress Dowager was in charge of the harem, and the Emperor was always on guard against her, not knowing which of the concubines in the harem were hers. Now, a group of court officials who were in league with the Empress Dowager have been purged, and a group of concubines in the harem have also been purged.
The harem is deserted and it’s time to bring in a new person.
The emperor was very happy to hear the queen's proposal. He rewarded the queen and began to formally summon all unmarried women of officials above the third rank in the court to enter the palace for selection.
After the emperor had eaten and drunk his fill and left, the queen's face gradually became gloomy.
Finally, we have reached that step.
Seeing that the queen was in a bad mood, Nanny Xing suggested, "Your Majesty, today is a fine day, why don't you go to the Imperial Garden for a walk."
The queen looked listless and didn't want to move.
Liu Qiao'er also advised: "Your Majesty, don't eat much. It's not good for the fetus. You should move around and eat more."
The queen sighed. The child was the most important thing. She nodded and said, "Accompany me to the back garden for a walk."
The Queen's palace is closest to the back garden, but if you take the main road, you need to go around the Emperor's bedroom. For some reason, the Queen was not very willing to see the Emperor today and suggested taking the small road.
Nanny Xing supported the queen and slowly walked out of the side door and took the path to the imperial garden.
It was the dead of winter and there were only a few flowers in the garden. There was lingering snow everywhere, which created a unique scene. The plum blossoms in the plum forest next to the Imperial Garden were in full bloom.
Just as the group turned the corner and arrived at Merlin, a dark shadow emerged from the woods. If it weren't for Nanny Xing's quick eyes and hands protecting the Queen, the man would have hit the Queen's stomach.
"Pah!" Nanny Xing knocked the man to the ground with a slap and angrily shouted, "You blind dog, you bumped into the Empress, I will kill your entire family."
The palace maid quickly knelt on the ground, kowtowed and admitted her mistake.
Suddenly, the queen took a closer look at her and said, "You... are Concubine Chen?"
The palace maid had not expected that she could be recognized even in disguise. She looked up in horror and found that it was indeed the emperor's concubine, Chen Pin.
Her family was a steward of the Ministry of Rites and she was sent to the palace to serve the emperor. In fact, she was a spy planted by the empress dowager beside the emperor.
But she has been useless and a little stupid, so the emperor and the empress don't take her seriously.
Even when the Queen Mother's subordinates were purged, she was not included in the purse strings.
But I didn't expect to meet her here today, and she was wearing the clothes of a palace maid.
"What are you doing here?"
At this point, Concubine Chen was so frightened that she couldn't speak. Nanny Xing gave a look and the eunuchs following her began to search inside the hall.
In a corner, I found a little guard.
The young guard was brought before the queen, crying and sobbing. Only then did she know that he and Concubine Chen were childhood sweethearts. When Concubine Chen was sent to the harem, he also came to the palace to work, just because he wanted to be with his beloved.
But the harem is not a place for them to date casually.
The queen's face turned cold and she ordered Chen Pin to be beaten to death. The young guard was also sent to the Dali Temple.
The emperor even exiled Chen Pin's family to southern Xinjiang.
It was a very common thing that Concubine Chen was causing chaos in the harem, but after three or four days, there were rumors in the harem that there was the sound of a female ghost singing in Meilin at night.
And that female ghost was none other than Chen Bin.
Nanny Xing was superstitious and felt a little guilty, so she was a little flustered when the palace maids passed the news to her.
"Qiao'er, take care of the queen today. I'm going out of the palace..."
Liu Qiao'er and Nanny Xing are both the Queen's confidants. Their rooms are next to each other and are both single rooms.
She glanced at Madam Xing and smiled faintly: "Madam, do you want to go out of the palace to buy some paper money to burn for Concubine Chen?"
Nanny Xing was suddenly enlightened by Liu Qiaoer's words and quickly covered Liu Qiaoer's mouth.
"Little ancestor, it's enough for you to know, but don't tell anyone. If the queen knows, she will be angry again."
Liu Qiaoer chuckled and said, "Mammy, there are no ghosts in the world. There are only those who pretend to be ghosts. If you believe me, Mammy, tomorrow is the seventh day after Chenpin's death. Come with me to Meilin, and I will definitely help you catch the ghost."
Aunt Xing frowned: "You said you can catch ghosts?"
Liu Qiaoer sneered: "Not only can he catch ghosts, he can also catch people who pretend to be ghosts."
Liu Qiaoer stayed in the palace to wait for Cui Boxiao and to help the Queen, but not to be bullied.
The Empress Dowager ordered the execution of Concubine Chen, and some people used the matter of ghosts and gods to make a mystery out of it, obviously saying that the Empress Dowager was unfair, or that she was cruel and ruthless.
In any case, it will bring bad reputation to the Queen.
Liu Qiaoer won't spoil them.
Aunt Xing looked at Liu Qiao'er's confident look and nodded slowly: "Okay, I'll go with you tomorrow night."