tallest building

Chapter 208 Entering the Phoenix Palace

When the Empress fell slightly unwell, Princess Zhao rushed to the palace to visit her.

Despite the summer heat, the Empress's palace remained cool.

On the steps in front of the sleeping quarters, there was a row of large painted porcelain urns filled with iced spring water.

Before you even get close, you can smell the sweet aroma of melons and fruits.

Because there are fresh fruits and vegetables inside, but not for eating, only for their aroma.

The empress disliked the scent of spices, so no incense was burned in her palace; instead, she used only the fragrance of fruits and melons, regardless of the season.

When the head palace maid saw Princess Zhao arrive, she quickly greeted her with a smile and said softly, "I knew you would be coming to the palace in the next couple of days. Your Highness's headache is a little better now, and you're just asking for tea! Please come in, Your Highness."

Princess Zhao couldn't help but shiver as soon as she entered the palace. Despite the sweltering summer heat, the Empress's palace was filled with a chilling coolness.

"I heard that Your Majesty is unwell. How is she now?" Princess Zhao asked as she saw the Empress sitting on a soft couch, with a palace maid massaging her temples.

The Queen said with her eyes closed, "It's an old problem; it gets worse the hotter the weather."

“Wasn’t acupuncture effective when administered by Physician Wu in previous years?” Princess Zhao stepped forward and asked, “Or perhaps some herbal decoctions could be used in conjunction with it.”

“You and I are the same; we both hate bitter medicine. I did take it for a while last month, and although the headache lessened, it made my internal organs feel uncomfortable. Besides, I’m terrified of needles. I dream that my body is covered in needles. How can I get better like this?” The Empress shook her head. “Now I’m just eating some nourishing medicinal meals. I don’t want to touch needles or medicine anymore.”

"In my opinion, Your Majesty's bedchamber is rather too cold. Even though the weather is hot now, you haven't been sweating all summer, which is actually not good for your health," Princess Zhao earnestly advised.

"I can't stand even a little bit of heat!" the Queen said. "Rather than enduring it every day until I'm a hundred, I'd rather be carefree and live as I please."

She added, "It's been almost a month since I last saw you, and you look much better than usual!"

Princess Zhao laughed and said, "They all say that, and it's all thanks to one person."

Then she mentioned Wen Mingqian, saying, "Haven't you heard of her, Your Highness? She's the newly adopted daughter of the Eldest Princess."

"I have heard some things about it." The Empress sat up slightly, and a maid quickly placed a large cushion behind her.

"I must say that Wen Mingqian is indeed skillful and clever. I had heard people say that once you use these things she makes, you can't throw them away. I didn't believe it before! Now that I've tried them myself, I know that it's true." Princess Zhao said, gently touching her cheek.

“She is indeed capable, otherwise she wouldn’t have won the favor of the Eldest Princess,” the Empress said. “I have known the Eldest Princess for decades. Although we are both members of the royal family, we have never had any heart-to-heart talks. She is always cold and indifferent.”

"Speaking of which, the eldest princess is also pitiful. Back then, she chose Zhu Qingshen as her consort, but who would have thought that General Zhu would die in battle? After that, she stopped living in the palace and moved to Bowang Mountain to live a secluded life." Princess Zhao sighed, "Once a person is isolated, they inevitably become aloof and indifferent."

"Tong'er has been studying quite diligently these days. I'll have someone bring him over after he finishes his studies." The Empress waved her hand, signaling the maid who was massaging her to step back.

Ying Tong is the eldest son of Princess Zhao, and he has now been adopted by the Empress.

"It's all thanks to Your Highness's excellent upbringing," Princess Zhao said with a smile. "If she had been raised by my side, I don't know how naughty she would have become!"

"What child isn't mischievous? As long as they don't go too far, it's fine." The Empress smiled as well. "Your Majesty, I brought some face cream made by Wen Mingqian. Why don't you try using it to wipe your hands?" Princess Zhao said. "Knowing that you don't like strong fragrances, I specially brought a bottle of the mildest scent."

The palace maid took the bottle of face cream and, seeing that the Empress did not refuse, gently picked out some with her jade hairpin and applied it to the back of the Empress's hand, then carefully and meticulously spread it evenly.

“It’s a bit like the Runyu mutton fat cream in our palace,” several palace maids said, “but this one has a light floral scent.”

The Empress merely glanced at the back of her hand and said to Princess Zhao, "You seem quite concerned about this Wen Mingqian. It can't be just because of these things, can it?"

“Nothing can be hidden from Your Majesty,” Princess Zhao knew that the palace maids who could serve by the Empress’s side were all confidantes, so there was no need to avoid them. “Wen Mingqian not only has such skills in making face cream, but she also has a prodigy son, Gong Chang’an, who was chosen as the last disciple by Master Zhuge of the Sanjing Academy last winter.”

"Indeed, that child is truly one in a million." The Empress nodded in agreement. "You mean..."

"The Three Paths Academy is highly sought after by the world, but unfortunately, the people there are too arrogant and self-important. Even the royal family often fails to recruit them."

"Gong Chang'an is still young and probably hasn't learned those eccentricities of famous scholars yet. If we can get close to him early on, he might be able to serve Your Highness in the future!" Princess Zhao revealed her plan.

"After all, Gong Chang'an is a descendant of the Gong family. Hasn't Wen Mingqian already divorced Gong Xu?" the Empress said.

"Even so, Gong Chang'an had been with his mother since birth and only returned to the capital when he was seven years old. He spent less than a year with the Gong family, so his feelings for his mother were definitely deeper."

Furthermore, Gong Xu has already remarried, so how can the father and son be close? Princess Zhao analyzed the situation logically.

“What you say makes sense, but that child is far away at the Sanjing Academy, and we can’t count on him for the time being.” The Empress rubbed her forehead.

"Is Your Highness suffering from another headache?" Princess Zhao asked with concern. "This can't go on forever; we must find a way to alleviate it."

"Invite Master Fan here and have him play a tune on the xiao for me." The Empress frowned, looking somewhat impatient. "I slept very poorly last night. I don't know where all these insects came from this summer, making a racket every night."

The musician Fan that the Empress mentioned was Fan Wenzhao. When the Empress suffered from headaches and insomnia, she would often have him come and play music, which would relieve her pain to some extent.

Seeing that the Empress was unwell, Princess Zhao stopped talking and did not continue.

Then Fan Wenzhao arrived and played a tune called "Yunmeng" through the window.

The empress slowly closed her eyes, and her breathing gradually became even.

Upon seeing this, everyone got up and quietly withdrew, leaving only a palace maid to serve them.

Everyone knows that even a moment of peaceful sleep for the Empress is extremely precious, so no one dares to disturb her.

After Princess Zhao came out, she went east to see her son.

Ying Tong is twelve years old this year and looks more like the King of Zhao. Although he is not very tall, he is very strong.

The Empress also valued his robust physique since childhood, believing he would grow up safely.

Wishing everyone a prosperous and successful 2025! May you all reach new heights!