The Fallen Medicine Woman: The Daily Life of Chun Nuan-Chapter 216 - 161_2

When choosing a wife, choose a virtuous one. The eldest sister-in-law manages the inner affairs of the Duke Mansion so well that everyone obeys her, and she maintains a good relationship with the Empress.

Often, when the Empress becomes anxious about something, the Duchess provides a thorough analysis, and the Empress can calm down and choose a better path.

Therefore, now whenever there is something, the Empress summons the eldest sister-in-law to the palace.

The Duchess entered the palace.

"Your Majesty, this is some osmanthus cake that I recently made. Please have a taste."

Immediately, a palace attendant took it, tested it for poison, and then presented it before the Empress.

The Duchess was not annoyed by this situation.

Offering food to the Empress always involved such procedures.

It’s not that she is foolish for insisting on bringing food; it’s just an excuse to meet with the Empress.

Whether to eat it or not depends entirely on the Empress’s mood.

"You all may leave now. I have a few personal words to share with the Duchess."

The palace attendants withdrew, and only then did the Empress speak to the Duchess about her suspicions.

"Eldest sister-in-law, do you think it’s possible?"

"Your Majesty refers to this." The Duchess nodded: "In fact, I have been pondering a question in recent days. Although Doctor Xiao is gone, Doctor Xiao had disciples."

"Disciples?"

"Yes, I heard from my father that Doctor Xiao once had a closed-door disciple. Later, for some unknown reason, this disciple was not kept in the master’s door, and he was never mentioned to the outside world. Perhaps that disciple also inherited Doctor Xiao’s true skills?"

"What is his name, and where is he now?"

"My father said that person opened an herbal shop in Shu City, but he forgot the specific name." the Duchess said, "If Your Majesty is interested, perhaps it would be worthwhile to investigate."

"Investigate anyone related to Doctor Xiao who knows medicine." The Empress nodded: "Also, Doctor Xiao’s second granddaughter, Chun Nuan. I remember she seems to have inherited Doctor Xiao’s true knowledge as well."

The Duchess was taken aback for a moment.

"Eldest sister-in-law, now there’s only the two of us. Feel free to speak your mind."

"Doctor Xiao’s second granddaughter, Chun Nuan, was engaged to the Zhaang family, wasn’t she?"

"Yes."

The Empress had also heard from Xiao Chunyu that after the incident with the Xiao family, the Zhaang family annulled the engagement.

"That’s her." the Duchess said, "I heard from several midwives that Chun Nuan understands childbirth, can perform acupuncture, and knows how to prepare medicinal herbs. She is quite skilled."

"Truly?"

"Absolutely true." the Duchess whispered, "Your Majesty, it would be best to find this second young lady as soon as possible. She might be beneficial to the Crown Prince."

"There are many watching me in the palace; I dare not act rashly, so, eldest sister-in-law, I am entrusting this matter to you." the Empress said, "Please remember, Chun Nuan’s safety comes first."

The Empress did not want to have a glimmer of hope for her son only to have it snuffed out suddenly. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Of course." the Duchess remarked: "Doctor Xiao’s punishment was overly unjust. If it weren’t for the Empress Dowager, the female members of Doctor Xiao’s family wouldn’t have had the chance to return to Shu City, but rather, the entire family would have been exiled to the Northern Desert. In that case, Chun Nuan’s situation would have been much harsher..."

"So, their malicious intent wasn’t only against Doctor Xiao but extended to the entire Xiao family?"

"Very likely, they initially wanted to ensure the Xiao family could never rise again, but in hindsight, they were planning steps far ahead, anticipating all kinds of possibilities."

Hence, the Crown Prince’s illness dragged on and even reached a dire point.

No one expected a Panpan to provide the Crown Prince with a pill.

"What a blunder." The Empress’s anger could hardly be concealed.

"Your Majesty, you must place someone by Panpan’s side."

"I have." The Empress felt a lingering fear thinking about the previous incident when Panpan was abducted by the Third Prince.

Not only did she assign people, but she also stationed two teams. Whenever Panpan entered or left the palace, she would not be allowed to fall, even if she tripped over a stone in the inner courtyard.

Why?

Simply because she has plenty of protection around her.

General Huaiyuan Xia Guangcheng also made comprehensive security arrangements.

The girl has two martial arts-trained maids by her side, and inner courtyard security has been strengthened. The previous incident of the Third Prince kidnapping her and the old lady served as a wake-up call for Xia Guangcheng.

"It’s good that precautions are in place." Speaking of this, the Duchess remembered another issue.

"What are you saying?"

Although the Empress resides deeply within the palace, she is well aware of the events outside.

Otherwise, she’d be blind to external affairs.

Some rumors about the Treasure Pavilion have reached her ears.