Chapter 131 - 112: Team Member on Loan
While Doctor Sun waited to be announced, he overheard a load of nonsense.
"I am sure I will have need of you, but... not even the Emperor’s ministers would return to court the day after blocking a sword strike. I am not that unreasonable."
Jiang Xian said with righteous conviction, "If there is no precedent, then I shall set one."
That was setting the bar a little too high.
Seeing the Empress begin to waver, Jiang Xian pressed her advantage. "I did run a fever last night, but I’m perfectly well this morning. Forget calling an Imperial Physician—right now, I could take on ten of them by myself. If you don’t believe me, Your Majesty, you can have me spar with him when he arrives."
"The imperial edict promoting me to concubine praised me for ’toiling day and night without rest.’ I am simply here to prove it."
Jiang Xian was quite fond of that glowing review of her work ethic.
Just then, the palace maid Fu Jin leaned in and whispered something in the Empress’s ear. The Empress nodded. "Let Doctor Sun come in."
Doctor Sun entered, hunched in a deep bow, and paid his respects to the two ladies. After receiving permission, he cautiously took her pulse. Jiang Xian focused her breath, sinking it into her Dantian and secretly channeling her Inner Strength, trying to make her pulse feel healthier and more vigorous.
The Empress and the others in Jianzhang Palace watched Doctor Sun intently.
After all, it was said that when Gu Pin was brought back to the palace yesterday, she was covered in blood. Her Noble Lady robes had been so stained they were unwearable, yet today she was as lively as ever.
The moment Doctor Sun took her pulse, his brows furrowed tightly.
He started to pull his hand back, but then, with extreme caution, he checked it again. This time, a bead of sweat the size of a pea slid down from his temple.
[System: Host, what are you doing?]
[Jiang Xian: A martial artist can temporarily alter their own pulse.]
[Jiang Xian: The problem is, I’ve never studied Chinese medicine.]
Seeing Doctor Sun remain silent for so long, the Empress couldn’t help but ask, "Imperial Physician, how is Gu Pin’s pulse?"
"An... an ’Ambush from Ten Sides’!?"
Doctor Sun snatched his hand back.
How could he possibly explain this? He had practiced medicine for decades, yet this was the first time he had ever felt the rhythm of "Ambush from Ten Sides" in a person’s pulse. Who would believe him? He looked up again to see Lady Gu watching him with an enigmatic expression. A shiver ran down his spine, and he quickly lowered his head. "Replying to the Empress, Lady Gu’s pulse is as long and powerful as the piece ’Ambush from Ten Sides.’ However, we must wait for the female doctor to examine Her Ladyship’s wound and change the dressing before making a final conclusion. In my humble opinion, it would be best for her to rest quietly."
Moving about as little as possible was the safest course of action.
"I don’t believe it," Jiang Xian said.
"Lady Gu, please don’t make things difficult for this humble servant!" Doctor Sun pleaded. "Attending to the Emperor can surely wait." He assumed she was desperate to vie for imperial favor.
Jiang Xian decided she would try to persuade the Empress again later.
Doctor Sun went to a side room to wait while the female doctor examined Jiang Xian’s wound. She discovered that it was indeed healing quickly. The once-bloody area had already formed a scab. It was an excellent recovery, but not so fast as to arouse suspicion of anything supernatural. The Imperial Palace was a place that promoted overly conservative treatments, and the prescription list was both long and filled with expensive ingredients. After Fu Jin finished brewing the medicine, Jiang Xian had her pour it into a large bowl. Once it had cooled slightly, she tilted her head back and downed it all in one go, drinking it with the bravado of a swashbuckling hero.
Fu Jin said with a smile, "Lady Gu certainly isn’t afraid of her medicine."
The Empress was in poor health and had a terrible fear of bitter things. After slowly finishing a bowl of medicine, she would be stunned by the aftertaste for a long time before recovering.
"It’s more satisfying to drink it like this. Saves time."
"But what will you do with the time you save?"
The Empress couldn’t help but be curious.
Besides the Empress, who was burdened with palace affairs, and during festivals, none of the masters in the harem were busy. Everyone was extremely idle—so idle that their daily entertainment was limited to verbal sparring in Jianzhang Palace, gathering under the pretext of Buddhist worship, or admiring flowers.
Jiang Xian paused, taken aback by the question.
She lowered her eyes. "With the time I’ve saved, haven’t I come to Your Majesty to look for work? I’m building up my experience, waiting for a promotion." Ordinary concubines trying to curry favor with the Empress could only show up at Jianzhang Palace every day to sit with her and offer pleasantries, but she had identified the Empress’s true pain point.
* * *
Jiang Xian ended up staying at Jianzhang Palace for the better part of the day.
In the latter half of the day, she was summoned by the Noble Consort from Zhaoyang Palace. The Emperor had originally intended to visit them both, but an urgent matter arose in the outer court, requiring him to summon his ministers to Qiankun Palace for discussion, so his visit to the harem was delayed.
After being summoned by the Noble Consort, Jiang Xian asked enthusiastically, "Is there some way I can be of use to you, Your Ladyship?"
She was met with a look of utter disbelief from the Noble Consort.
It was as if she were saying, ’I am a peerless genius, the likes of whom have never been seen before. Would I ever need a mere concubine of your rank to help me with my work?’
Jiang Xian thought the Noble Consort was displeased because she had overstepped her bounds.
But then, the Noble Consort retorted in an unfriendly tone, "Can’t I summon you even if there’s nothing for you to do?"
Jiang Xian: "..."
’The Lady has become so difficult to understand lately.’
The Noble Consort’s eyes narrowed slightly. "I heard you were at Jianzhang Palace helping the Empress handle palace affairs."
The news had been kept tightly under wraps; even the Noble Consort had only just caught wind of it.
This showed that no one else in the Six Palaces knew.
Seeing that she already knew, Jiang Xian no longer tried to be evasive. "I am now the head of my own palace. It is my duty to help the Empress bear her burdens. If you have any use for me, Your Ladyship, I will not hesitate to help."
"I have none."
"Then may I take my leave?"
"I do not permit it."
Noble Princess Consort Rong lifted her teacup, her stunning face even more captivating now that it was tinged with anger. Jiang Xian thought for a long moment. ’The only other time I’ve seen that expression was on my boss’s face after he lost a sports bet.’ She ventured in a low voice, "Has someone displeased the Lady?"
But the Noble Consort denied it. "I am very pleased."
"In that case, if the Lady is very pleased, then I am pleased for you. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of your pleasure, so... may I take my leave?"
’Why is she trying to leave again!’
’She stays at Jianzhang Palace for most of the day, but here, she won’t even finish a cup of tea before trying to run off!’
’Is Zhaoyang Palace not as good as Jianzhang Palace?’
After a moment, during which a storm of emotions seemed to pass over Noble Princess Consort Rong’s face, she said, "Since you’re so interested in palace affairs, I will let you see how they are managed."
At this, Jiang Xian was indeed no longer in a hurry to leave.
She had witnessed Noble Princess Consort Rong’s beauty many times.
But she had yet to see her superior’s professional capabilities.
* * *
Noble Princess Consort Rong hadn’t been assigned many palace duties from the Empress.
For instance, in planning next year’s minor selection of new staff, she was responsible for the Imperial Household’s accounts and for assigning the eunuchs, palace maids, and nannies needed for each step of the process.
To Jiang Xian’s slight surprise, the Noble Consort had a much better head for numbers than the Empress.
With the same ledgers, the Noble Consort needed only half the time the Empress did to check them, and with greater accuracy. However, when it came to recalling past precedents, her memory was not as good as the Empress’s.
The Yan Chi Royal Family held a minor selection every year; it was just a matter of how many people were chosen.
From the preliminary selection to the creation of the final roster, the process was far more complex than it appeared on the surface. There were those who didn’t want to enter the palace as maids and waste their lives away, and there were also Concubines’ maternal families who wanted to sneak in their own maids so that their daughters could choose servants they could trust.
How the palace maids were evaluated and where they were assigned were also full of hidden complexities.
If everything went smoothly, all was well. But if any mistakes were made, the Empress would be the one held responsible.
The Noble Consort didn’t seem to be hiding the ledgers from her, showing them to her openly.
Jiang Xian asked casually, "There are some discrepancies here compared to the ledgers sent to Jianzhang Palace, and some things are missing."
"The Empress has to double-check the accounts and summon me to discuss the details."
Jiang Xian understood.
The Empress and the Noble Consort undoubtedly had a superior-subordinate relationship, but there was also an element of competition. The subordinate needed to ensure her own importance. The Noble Consort was clearly inclined to create trouble for the Empress, so the Empress couldn’t truly trust her, yet had no choice but to use her.
And very quickly, Jiang Xian witnessed the Noble Consort’s second professional specialty.