Chapter 211: A Master of Abilities
The Princess Consort Zhao, seeing her son was out of danger, remembered her own foot injury, gasping in pain.
Everyone quickly carried her back to her room and sent for an Imperial Physician.
Things didn’t quiet down until after noon.
As the Princess Consort Zhao’s pain lessened, she thanked Wen Mingqian, “Today, it was truly thanks to you; otherwise, the consequences are unimaginable. How can I ever thank you enough?”
“You speak such words that make me feel ashamed. The favors you’ve bestowed upon me are already more than enough. It is my honor to have been able to help by chance today. Please, Your Ladyship, do not mention thanks again, or I will truly be uneasy,” Wen Mingqian said, her face blushing.
“I know your heart is sincere, so I won’t say more. Why don’t you stay at the mansion for a few days and make more scented sachets, just in case,” the Princess Consort Zhao said, seeing that Wen Mingqian’s medicine packet was effective and thinking of preparing more for her son.
“Then I won’t refuse. I will need two people from the mansion to help me,” Wen Mingqian readily agreed.
“Certainly, certainly, even twenty would be fine,” the Princess Consort Zhao readily agreed.
That day, Wen Mingqian selected all the raw materials needed for the sachets first.
Then, she went to the kitchen to stew a bowl of soup to clear the lungs and regulate qi for the young master of Prince Zhao’s Mansion.
She learned this skill from Zhang Ma. Although not as good as Zhang Ma’s, it was still better than most people’s.
Afterward, she prepared an incense for the Princess Consort Zhao that relieved pain, promoted blood circulation, and had a calming effect. Burning it in the bedchamber could significantly reduce suffering.
The Princess Consort Zhao greatly admired Wen Mingqian’s thoughtfulness and capability. Especially when she heard from the servants that the young master really liked the soup Wen Madam stewed; it didn’t taste medicinal and was very delicious, causing him to eat half a bun more.
This half a bun might be nothing to other children, but for the young master of Prince Zhao’s Mansion, who had been a picky eater for years, it was a tremendous joy.
Thus, Wen Mingqian stayed at Prince Zhao’s Mansion for seven days. Not only did she prepare thirty sachets, but she also clearly wrote down the dosage of the medicine for each, handing it over to the Princess Consort Zhao.
“What is this?” the Princess Consort Zhao asked, holding the ingredient list in surprise.
Normally, just holding this item in one’s hand could guarantee a lifetime of wealth and prosperity.
The Princess Consort Zhao naturally understood this, so she only asked Wen Mingqian to make sachets and did not directly ask for the recipe.
But she hadn’t expected Wen Mingqian to hand over the recipe, and even specify the amounts of each ingredient to be added or reduced as the child grew older.
“Your Ladyship, please keep this. In the future, whether I am here or not, you can prepare it promptly,” Wen Mingqian said. “It was not meant to cause delay just now.”
“If people knew about this, they would surely call you a fool,” the Princess Consort Zhao said, deeply moved. “You truly are someone who cannot hide malice.”
“In my younger years, due to my nature, I suffered some losses, but ultimately, my true self cannot be changed. Moreover, Your Ladyship has already shown me great kindness. If I were to still hide things from you, wouldn’t that be utterly heartless?” Wen Mingqian smiled. “I have also written down the few dishes the young master has enjoyed these past few days and given them to the servants.”
“It is precisely for this that I must thank you. Song’er’s complexion has become much more ruddy than usual these past few days, and his appetite has improved,” the Princess Consort Zhao said. “No wonder your son is so outstanding; it is indeed because his mother is extraordinary.”
“To receive a compliment from Your Ladyship makes my face feel as if it’s been dusted with gold powder,” Wen Mingqian smiled. “I have also been imposing on your hospitality for quite some time, so I should be going back.”
However, as soon as she finished speaking, an Eunuch from the Palace arrived to deliver an Imperial decree from the Empress.
Firstly, it was to deliver blood-activating medicine used in the Palace to the Princess Consort Zhao. Secondly, it was to ask her to tell Wen Mingqian to make two more boxes of the face cream she had sent to the Palace previously, but with less fragrance.
The Princess Consort Zhao listened and smiled at Wen Mingqian, “See? I don’t need to ask you to stay; someone else is keeping you here. You should stay, and we’ll talk about it when you’ve finished making the face cream for Her Ladyship.”
Then, she said to the Eunuch who delivered the Imperial decree, “Here is some qi-regulating and calming incense made by Madam Wen for me. Please take it to the Palace and ask Her Ladyship’s opinion. She can try it, and if she likes it, she can have more made.”
The Eunuch took the incense and left, promising to do so.
Meanwhile, Wen Mingqian asked the Princess Consort Zhao for instructions, “Her Ladyship dislikes floral scents, so I reduced the orchid oil in the ingredients. But I wonder if Her Ladyship has any preferred fragrances?”
“Her Ladyship dislikes ordinary scents, but she particularly enjoys fruit fragrances. Especially the green tangerines in early winter; they are offered to her for a long time every year,” the Princess Consort Zhao said. “However, Her Ladyship only likes fresh ones. The scent of dried tangerine peel won’t do.”
Wen Mingqian thought for a moment and said, “In that case, I can try. I can make one unscented and one with a tangerine scent. We’ll see which one Her Ladyship prefers then.”
Wen Mingqian had learned methods for extracting fragrances and blending and preserving scents from her Master.
It wouldn’t be difficult to recreate the scent of green tangerine, but the key was to do it subtly, making it appear as natural as possible.
Meanwhile, the Eunuch returned to the Palace to report. The Empress had been using Wen Mingqian’s face cream these days and felt her skin had greatly improved, so she was not particularly averse to this incense.
She said, “I was just about to go to the Waterside Pavilion for a stroll. Take this incense with me!”
The Empress did not burn incense in her own palace; if the scent was disliked, it would be difficult to dissipate. It would be better to try it outdoors.
The Palace Maids brought an incense burner and began burning the incense in the Waterside Pavilion.
“This scent is very faint, almost imperceptible,” everyone commented as the incense began to burn.
“If you smell closely, there’s a sweet scent, like apricots just ripening.”
“Smelling this incense makes one feel calm; it’s clear it can be soothing.”
Everyone whispered their opinions while carefully observing the Empress’s expression. The Empress sat there, propping her chin with her hand, her eyes gently closed.
The Empress unknowingly fell asleep and suddenly woke up with a slight jolt.
The Palace Maids beside her had been protecting her and caught her in time.
“Oh, how did I fall asleep?” the Empress asked, somewhat bewildered. She had always had trouble falling asleep and had never before fallen asleep so unconsciously.
“Oh dear, Your Ladyship, this is wonderful news!” the attendants couldn’t help but exclaim with joy.
Heaven knew that because the Empress couldn’t sleep well, her temper was exceptionally volatile. Those serving her usually acted with extreme caution, not daring to even breathe loudly.
“It seems this incense is somewhat useful,” the Empress glanced at the incense burner on the table. “Take it back to the bedchamber!”
That noon, the Empress, for the first time, fell asleep and, for the first time, snored, which was enough to show she was sleeping soundly.
No one serving her dared to disturb her, not making the slightest sound.
But just then, the sound of cicadas chirping rang out.
“Oh dear, where did this come from?!” the head Eunuch broke out in a cold sweat. “It’s been stuck for the whole summer, how is there still one?”
Because the Empress often suffered from insomnia, she detested the sound of cicadas. Therefore, people in the Palace had long ago started using sticky rods to catch the cicadas. Originally, there had been no cicada chirping for days, but precisely at this moment, one started calling out again.
If this were to wake the Empress, this cicada would naturally meet a terrible end, but they would also not escape punishment.
