tallest building

Chapter 216 Spreading Kindness

In the blink of an eye, Wen Mingqian had been in the palace for a month, and the weather was gradually getting cooler, especially in the mornings and evenings.

It rained the night before. Wen Mingqian got up early to go to the Imperial Hospital. When he walked along the path, he saw a little palace maid kneeling there with a brick on her head.

He was clearly punished.

Several other eunuchs were scolding her, and the young palace maid trembled with fear, not daring to argue back.

Wen Mingqian recognized those eunuchs because he had met them before.

Because Wen Mingqian is now a favorite of the Empress, the eunuchs immediately put on smiles when they saw her and greeted her, "Good morning, Madam Wen. Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the Imperial Hospital to get some herbs," Wen Mingqian said. "What are you gentlemen busy with?"

"Sigh, we were just delivering things to the palaces when we ran into this little girl who doesn't know the rules. She was walking alone in this passageway, and when we stopped her and asked her questions, she dared to talk back," said the head eunuch.

Wen Mingqian knew that the palace had strict rules, and that low-ranking palace maids and eunuchs were not allowed to move around alone; they had to be in pairs at least.

"I was originally with Sister Qiuxing, but she suddenly needed to relieve herself and asked me to wait for her here," the young palace maid said aggrievedly. "We were ordered by Consort Yun to pick flowers, and I can't possibly go to the latrine with her to wait after we've picked them. Otherwise, wouldn't that be a great disrespect to my mistress?"

"Ha, you little slut with a sharp tongue! You broke the palace rules and still try to argue your way out of it. Making you stand here with bricks on your head is already too good for you!" The eunuchs looked fierce and menacing, as if they wanted to devour the little palace maid.

Wen Mingqian learned that the little palace maid was originally from Consort Yun's palace. He knew that Consort Yun was out of favor, so the people in her palace were often bullied.

So he smiled and said, "It's not that I want to meddle, but you gentlemen can just give her a warning. I heard that Chief Steward Yu will be passing by here soon, and if he sees her, he'll inevitably ask her a few questions. I just think it's not worth it for you gentlemen to make a fuss over such a small matter, isn't it?"

The Grand Eunuch Yu she mentioned was Yu Lu, the chief eunuch in the Empress's palace, whom these people naturally feared.

While they wouldn't be punished for it, it would be somewhat unseemly. As Wen Mingqian said, it's not worth it.

Who knows if Chief Steward Yu was in a good mood this morning? If he wasn't, we shouldn't use them as a form of witchcraft.
Everyone in the palace knows that it's better to avoid trouble and to protect oneself.

Therefore, after hearing Wen Mingqian's words, these people said to the young palace maid, "Since Lady Wen is speaking up for you, then you should get up quickly! Don't do these things again, or if the higher-ups catch you, they'll beat you half to death!"

After they finished speaking, they went off one by one.

The young palace maid stood up; her skirt was stained with mud, but she only thanked Wen Mingqian.

"Lady Wen, I really owe you a lot today, otherwise I don't know how much more suffering I would have endured!"

"It's nothing, don't worry about it," Wen Mingqian said. "I wonder if those people coming from over there are your companions? If so, you two should go back quickly."

Wen Mingqian saw a palace maid rushing over from the north, and guessed that he was with this palace maid.

"Sister, hurry up!" The little palace maid turned around and greeted her, "This is Lady Wen, we are so grateful to her."

She was about to continue speaking when Wen Mingqian smiled and left.

When she arrived at the Imperial Hospital and explained her purpose, someone immediately brought her the things she needed.

"This is the finest quality. We also have borneol. Would Lady Wen like some?" asked Physician Li, who was receiving Wen Mingqian.

"I'd also like some turmeric, which has the effect of removing dampness and dryness," Wen Mingqian said. "Your Majesty doesn't like taking medicine, and although the incense method is slow, it will still have some effect." "Yes, yes, Lady Wen is right," Physician Li was also very happy to hear this.

With Wen Mingqian around, the Imperial Hospital was scolded much less often.

Wen Mingqian took her things and turned to leave, but unexpectedly someone came from outside and knocked the things out of her hands.

Wen Mingqian stumbled, but managed to grab the door frame and avoid falling.

"Physician Su, how could you be so careless?" Physician Li hurriedly stepped forward.

"It's alright," Wen Mingqian said. "Actually, these things can't be given to Her Majesty the Empress. Please get me some more."

"Of course, of course," Physician Li quickly agreed, not forgetting to smooth things over for Physician Su, "Physician Su has been ill for some time, and I imagine she is still a little delirious! Please don't take it to heart, my lady."

But Physician Su kept a straight face the whole time and didn't say a word.

Wen Mingqian sensed his hostility towards him, but said nothing, pretending not to notice.

Wen Mingqian left the Imperial Hospital and headed towards the Empress's palace, unaware that the Empress was in the midst of a rage.

It turned out that the Empress was in a good mood recently, so she ordered the Imperial Wardrobe to find the Tongyun yarn that had been a tribute from the Southern Frontier in previous years and make clothes for herself.

Unfortunately, the material was very thin and not durable. Although it was stored carefully, several years had already passed.

Now, when taken out again, not only is the luster much worse than before, but it can no longer be used for embroidery.

Wen Mingqian watched from outside and saw that the people from the Imperial Wardrobe included Aunt Cui, whom the Princess had instructed beforehand. He thought that he should help her no matter what.

So he cautiously walked in and greeted the Empress.

The Empress's anger subsided slightly upon seeing her, but she was clearly still furious.

Wen Mingqian smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. This servant has a method that might work."

"Oh? What's your plan? Tell me." The Empress trusted Wen Mingqian from the bottom of her heart.

"Although this fabric cannot be embroidered with flowers, it can be used as a cover. We can have the people in the Imperial Wardrobe embroider flowers on other matching fabrics, and then use Tongyun gauze as the cover. This way, the patterns will appear more and more subtle, creating a unique charm."

The Empress originally only wanted to use Tongyun gauze, but it had to be multi-layered. However, no matter how many layers were used, it was no longer possible to embroider directly on it.

Aunt Cui listened and said, "Although this gauze cannot be used for embroidery, it can still be used for portraits. Didn't Your Majesty feel that the peonies embroidered with gold thread were a bit too conspicuous? If you add another layer of gauze, it will be just right."

The Empress listened and thought for a moment, then said, "That sounds good. Go and try it out! You people in the Imperial Wardrobe can't even keep an eye on a few bolts of fabric. If you can't redeem yourselves this time, I won't stand for it."

Although they didn't completely give in, they did give the Imperial Wardrobe a chance, and Aunt Cui and the others quickly went to express their gratitude.

Then the Crown Prince of Zhao and the Crown Prince of Chu came over to pay their respects, and only then did a smile appear on the Empress's face.

He said, "It has been raining for several days, but the weather has been quite nice lately. Besides studying, you should also practice riding and archery, as His Majesty values ​​this very much."