tallest building

Chapter 323 Introducing the Palace

Just as Dong Gang's affair was causing a great stir, an unusual celestial phenomenon occurred.

A huge comet appeared in the northwestern sky. An old saying goes, "When a comet appears, there are treacherous people in the country."

At this moment, the comet appeared, and everyone immediately attributed the matter to the Dong family.

The petitions from thousands of people in the capital, the strikes by merchants, and the strikes by farmers were all spearheaded by that group of Imperial College students.

Although Grand Tutor Dong was already aware of the situation, he was powerless to turn the tide.

He had no choice but to personally go to court to plead guilty, bitterly blaming his family for their corrupt practices, which had led to the birth of such a morally depraved and immoral child.

However, experience prevails. While Dong Taishi apologized with a bundle of thorns on his back, he also sent a message to Dong Gang, instructing him to feign madness.

Furthermore, many witnesses were found to prove that Dong Gang had been suffering from sudden bouts of madness for the past three years, becoming delirious, behaving incoherently, and unaware of his own madness.

Although it cannot completely absolve Dong Gang of his crimes, it can at least help him exonerate himself of some of them.

Two weeks later, Dong Gang's case was finally settled.

He was dismissed from his post and exiled, and his status as the imperial son-in-law was revoked.

His father, Dong Sicheng, was also demoted three ranks and became a sinecure of the fourth rank.

The Empress fell seriously ill, and even though she was reluctant to take medicine, she had no choice but to take herbal decoctions for several days in a row.

You know, her family has always been there to bring her honor and support, but who would have thought that she would suddenly suffer such a big setback.

But she couldn't plead with the emperor, since Dong Gang's crimes were too shameful to talk about.

During the days that the Empress was ill, Consort Hui stayed by her side.

She didn't let the eldest princess come over, and only told the outside world that the eldest princess was ill and could only stay in bed.

This moved the Empress deeply, but she also felt guilty: "Gang'er has been too outrageous, dragging Yingpei down with him. The Emperor wants them to divorce, so I can't say much, since he has already been treated leniently."

"Your Majesty, please don't worry. Although His Majesty ordered them to divorce, Yingpei is naturally reluctant to part with him."

She told me privately that after all, they were husband and wife, and it was a pity they had to be separated for the time being. She could only pray to God that he would be able to return to the capital someday so that they could rekindle their relationship. Consort Hui said this only to make the Empress think that she and her daughter were very affectionate.

"Yingpei is such a kind child. Gang'er wronged her before, but she still remembers our marital bond." The Empress couldn't help but sigh. "I hope that this child will become more sensible after going through hardships and won't be so absurd anymore."

"Yingpei has been ill these days, with no appetite, and she's become so thin she looks unrecognizable," Consort Hui said with a worried expression. "I think Your Highness is the same way. You should take good care of yourself and get some rest."

"You know, I've always dreaded summer, and this summer has been particularly unbearable with one thing after another." The Empress truly felt that this summer was too agonizing. "I'm really unable to eat or sleep right now. I just want to wait for the weather to cool down so that I can slowly regain my appetite. Maybe then I'll feel better."

“In previous years it would have been fine, but not this year. Your Majesty, you have just been ill. If you wait until autumn to start taking tonics, how can you possibly quench your thirst? By then, you will be severely depleted.” Consort Hui said with a worried expression. “But what can I do? The weather is so hot, I really have no appetite,” the Empress said weakly.

"I would like to recommend someone," Consort Hui said, getting to the point. "To be honest, when Yingpei was on Bowang Mountain, she only ate the food cooked by one person. The cooking skills were absolutely amazing; even the worst appetite could be whetted."

The Empress, intrigued, asked, "Oh, such a person exists? Is she a Taoist nun from Mount Bowang?"

"She's not some Taoist nun. Actually, she was originally a servant of Lady Wen. Later, when Lady Wen entered the palace, she had nowhere to go, so she was sent to serve the Princess."

While we were on the mountain, we had the privilege of eating a few meals at the Princess's place and experiencing her superb culinary skills.

"Your Majesty, I also have my own selfish reasons. I was thinking that Your Majesty might as well summon her to the palace, so that Yingpei can also benefit from your favor." Consort Hui's face was plastered with a smile, carrying a hint of flattery and pleading.

“Logically speaking, we shouldn’t ask for people from the Princess’s household,” the Empress said, slightly troubled. “However, I’ve heard you say that her cooking is so good, I’d like to try it myself. Why don’t we discuss with the Princess and have her stay in the palace for a while, until Yingpei is feeling better, then she can leave the palace? I think the Princess will understand and won’t refuse.”

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. I really can't think of any other way. The most important thing right now is to get you and Yingpei's health back on track. We can talk about the rest later!" Consort Hui said.

"Yu Lu," the Empress called out, "in a little while you will take my imperial edict out to the Princess and ask her to lend us that cook. Remember not to go empty-handed, bring plenty of things."

Wen Mingqian, enjoying a rare moment of leisure, walked to the waterside pavilion to watch the goldfish and lotus flowers.

The scene before her reminded her of the Lingyue Pavilion where she lived when she was in the Gong family, where there was also a large lotus pond in the courtyard.

Wen Mingqian undoubtedly loved lotus flowers. Later, she met Shen Fu, and the two hit it off immediately.

The lotus, also known as hibiscus, has a far-reaching and pure fragrance, and stands tall and clean.

But that pure lotus was ultimately swallowed by the mud...

"Mingqian, what are you doing here?" Yu Lu called out to Wen Mingqian with a smile when he saw her staring blankly at the pool.

"Chief Steward Yu, where are you going on such a hot day?" Wen Mingqian knew he was going out of the palace as soon as he saw his attire.

"I went to the Princess's residence on the Empress's orders," Yu Lu said with a smile. "That Zhang Ma, is she one of your people? The Empress ordered me to bring her into the palace."

"Zhang Ma? What does Her Majesty want with her summoning her to the palace?" Wen Mingqian asked.

"It was Consort Hui who recommended Zhang Ma to the Empress, saying her cooking skills are exceptional. You know, the Empress has been ill these days, and so has the First Princess. The weather's also hot, so everyone has lost their appetite. That's why they invited a highly skilled cook to the palace to improve their diet." Yu Lu, unaware of the ulterior motives, continued, "So it's true what they say, a strong general has no weak soldiers. You're incredibly clever and resourceful. Who would have thought your subordinates would also possess such exceptional skills!"

"So Zhang Ma is going to the palace too? I haven't seen her for a long time." Wen Mingqian smiled. "But the weather is really hot, so it would be best if you brought some medicine to cool you down. I have some fragrant herbs to relieve the heat, you don't mind taking them with you!"

As he spoke, Wen Mingqian took off the sachet he was carrying to beat the summer heat and handed it to Yu Lu.

"Oh, you're so thoughtful. Thank you so much, don't mention it." Yu Lu happily accepted it. "I have something to attend to, so I'll be going now."