As soon as the Imperial Physician spoke these words, the entire hall erupted in murmurs. Could the pill truly be problematic?
Did Shen Qingwu dare to deceive the Emperor before His Majesty?
“Hmm?” The Emperor frowned slightly, his voice calm yet causing everyone present to hold their breath. “Shen Qingwu, what is the meaning of this?”
The flickering candlelight in the hall cast shifting shadows across everyone’s faces, making their expressions difficult to read. The Grand Princess looked at Shen Qingwu with concern, only to see her kneel calmly:
“Your Majesty, Your Highness, please examine this carefully. This medicine indeed has additional effects.”
The Empress still wore a gentle smile, but when her phoenix eyes swept across the hall, they precisely caught the fleeting anticipation in Shen Qingxi’s eyes—that gaze was too bright, like a sparrow waiting to watch a spectacle, impossible to conceal.
“Cousin, this is your mistake.” Shen Qingxi pretended concern as she crouched down, casting a challenging look at Shen Qingwu under the cover of her sleeves before turning to grasp her arm persuasively. “If you don’t explain clearly, what if it harms Her Highness’s health?”
She sneered inwardly: How could a sickly girl raised in the wilderness compete with her for the position of the Marquis Estate’s young lady?
Shen Qingwu hurriedly defended herself: “It absolutely won’t cause any problems.”
But Shen Qingxi had already eagerly turned to the Imperial Physician: “Please clarify the effects of this medicine to ease Her Highness’s concerns.”
Though the Empress had indeed suffered physical damage during childbirth and could no longer conceive, the Emperor’s deep affection for her was as vast as the sea, and he had expressly forbidden anyone from mentioning this matter.
If the Imperial Physician publicly declared this to be a fertility-enhancing medicine, Shen Qingwu would immediately be charged with grave disrespect—punishable by light torture at best, or… loss of life at worst.
Thinking of this, Shen Qingxi’s lips curved upward.
The Imperial Physician raised his head and, seeing the Empress nod in approval, solemnly reported: “Your Majesty, Your Highness, this is the rare and hard-to-obtain Yangyuan Dan. Even the Taiyi Yuan doesn’t possess the complete prescription! Youth preservation is merely one of its effects!”
His voice carried barely concealed excitement: “Not only is this pill complex and time-consuming to produce, but its ingredients are extremely difficult to find. It uses millennium-old ginseng to consolidate vitality, deep-sea pearls to rejuvenate skin, assisted by deer antler and donkey-hide gelatin to nourish blood, and snow lotus to calm the spirit. And then there’s the medicinal catalyst…”
“Wait.” Shen Qingxi grew increasingly uneasy as she listened, forcing a smile to interrupt. “Has the Imperial Physician perhaps overlooked some effects?”
The Imperial Physician frowned displeased: “Since when has Second Young Lady Shen become well-versed in medical principles?”
“I…” Shen Qingxi was momentarily speechless.
“Bang!” The Grand Princess slapped the table with one hand, startling Shen Qingxi so much that she immediately knelt.
The Grand Princess scolded: “Second Young Lady Shen should obediently listen to the Imperial Physician finish speaking.”
Shen Qingxi lowered her head, thinking how she had clearly sent someone to examine the medicine dregs—it was supposed to be a fertility-regulating medicine. She suddenly turned to look at Shen Qingwu, “You deceived me?”
“How have I deceived you?” Shen Qingwu blinked her clear eyes, looking utterly innocent. “Why does cousin seem to understand the pills I made better than I do?”
Shen Qingxi tightly twisted the silk handkerchief in her hands, still unwilling to yield: “If you weren’t hiding some unspeakable effect, why did you only mention it as a Youth Preserving Pill earlier?”
The words “unspeakable effect” fell like a stone into water, stirring waves of whispers.
Since it couldn’t be spoken, the room for imagination became limitless.
Shen Qingwu pressed her lips together, straightened her posture, and performed a deep kneeling bow toward the imperial throne before her: “I beg Your Majesty and Her Highness the Empress to first pardon this common girl for a grave offense of disrespect. Only then can I explain why.”
Seeing her so composed, Shen Qingxi had a bad feeling.
“Imperial Brother, I believe in Qingwu,” the Grand Princess immediately spoke up in Shen Qingwu’s defense. “You should also trust the descendants of Wenzhi.”
The Emperor still sought the Empress’s opinion: “I’ve said it before, today you make the decisions.”
Meeting the Emperor’s gaze, the Empress smiled sweetly and generously said, “Speak freely. This palace is quite curious as well.”
Only then did Shen Qingwu rise, slowly rolling up her sleeve to reveal her forearm wrapped in gauze. The bloodstains seeping through the plain gauze looked particularly striking under the candlelight.
She couldn’t help but cough lightly a few times, politely nodding to the Imperial Physician: “I trouble the Physician to explain the medicinal catalyst.”
The Imperial Physician solemnly cupped his hands: “The catalyst for this elixir is the blood of a virgin. Particularly the fresh blood of a woman with a Pure Yin Body can best activate its medicinal efficacy.”
The Empress covered her mouth with a gasp, her gaze falling on Shen Qingwu’s slender arm. The sight of the blood made her heart tremble.
Shen Qingwu’s figure swayed slightly, but she bit her lower lip and steadied herself: “This common girl feared that the sight of blood would bring ill omen to Your Majesty’s auspicious birthday celebration, hence I deliberately concealed it. I beg Your Majesty and Her Highness to forgive my offense.”
“Quickly, help her up,” the Empress urgently directed the matron beside her. “You foolish child! When you’re still ill yourself, you must not do such reckless things again.”
“Ah… my own children aren’t as devoted as you.”
The Seventh Princess suddenly stood up: “Mother! Your daughter hasn’t presented her birthday gift yet, how do you know I’m not devoted? This is something I went through great pains to find, it will surely please Mother!” She shot a dissatisfied glance at Shen Qingwu. Though moved by her sincerity, she was unwilling to be outshone.
The Crown Prince rose with a smile: “Your son rather admires Eldest Miss Shen’s genuine devotion. If it were someone else, they would have likely been waving their arm before Mother to claim credit long ago, yet Eldest Miss Shen wanted to endure it silently by herself.”
As he spoke, he lowered his gaze and gave Shen Qingwu a warm smile.
The Grand Princess looked at Shen Qingwu with pity in her eyes. This foolish child.
Everyone seemed to have forgotten Shen Qingxi, who was still kneeling on the ground. She felt dizzy and confused—how had things developed like this?
The Emperor was greatly pleased, clapping his hands happily: “Excellent! We haven’t seen such a thoughtful gift in a long time. Very well, We shall grant you a reward. Tell Us what you want? Land? Property? Treasure?”
By now, Shen Qingwu had been helped by the matron to sit on an embroidered stool, with an additional soft cushion specially provided. Hearing about the reward, she made to rise again, but the Emperor waved her to stop: “Just speak while seated.”
Shen Qingwu pondered for a moment, but ultimately knelt on the ground again.
The time had come—she needed to seize this opportunity.
“This common girl humbly requests Your Majesty—” she spoke word by word, clear and firm, “to permit this common girl to inherit her late father’s noble title.”