Xie Chongyuan exited the inner chamber, and Qingyun and Nuanxue immediately entered.
The two of them helped Ming Hua out of her pale green palace dress embroidered with silver-threaded narcissus flowers, carefully examining her body for any other injuries.
Ming Hua noticed that the back of the palace dress Nuanxue had removed was stained with a large patch of mud and bits of grass. She pouted her little mouth, feeling a pang of regret.
"This dress was made from the Lingbo satin that the Huzhou Weaving Bureau newly presented as tribute a few days ago. When Li Youfu delivered it, he said that because the weaving technique was extremely difficult, only this one bolt existed so far. Who would have thought that I'd only just worn it today, and it's already been ruined like this…"
The Lingbo satin was soft as water, fine and lustrous. When worn, it shimmered like the rippling surface of a lake under sunlight with every movement, making the wearer look like a goddess of the waters—truly a sight to behold.
Today, she had deliberately worn this dress to deliver the longan, lotus seed, and lily bulb soup to Xie Chongyuan, wanting to express her feelings and show it off to him. She never expected that not only would she fail to deliver it again, but she'd end up in such a disheveled state.
Still, she had managed to save Xie Chan today and teach Xie Zhi—that arrogant, domineering, unreasonable woman who had been at odds with her for years—a lesson. That made it worth it.
The young lady's face was full of regret as she let out a long sigh, thinking to herself.
"Your Grace, don't regret the dress so much. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager both dote on you the most. Hasn't everything good in this palace been sent to our Yilan Hall first these days? There will surely be plenty more fine satins like this in the future!"
Qingyun said this while carefully and seriously examining Ming Hua's body, her expression grave with worry: "What matters most right now is your health! That Xie Zhi is always beating palace servants—she's got quite a lot of strength!"
"Your Grace, when she pushed you down just now, did you hit any pebbles or stones or other hard objects? Besides your foot, do you feel pain anywhere else? Or anything that can't move?"
Hearing this, Ming Hua thought of how well Xie Chongyuan and the Empress Dowager had treated her these past days. She pursed her lips in a sweet smile, then with a shy, embarrassed expression, clumsily turned around and lay face-down on the couch, burying her little face into the floral-patterned brocade blanket, squirming bashfully.
"Don't worry, I'm not badly hurt. It's just my bottom that hurts a little—I think I sat down on a rock just now. Come take a look for me, see if it's serious, whether it's swollen or bruised."
"If it is, then later you should quietly tell Imperial Physician Li to give me more of the swelling-reducing medicine. Whatever you do, don't let the Emperor find out—this is far too embarrassing…"
Hearing this, Qingyun and Nuanxue couldn't help but burst into giggles.
Their mistress was truly too adorable—no wonder the Emperor and the Empress Dowager both doted on her so much.
After confirming that aside from her foot, Ming Hua had no other injuries, the two changed her into a clean light-purple snow-satin ru skirt, then came out to report to Xie Chongyuan.
Xie Chongyuan sat waiting anxiously in the outer chamber. Imperial Physician Li and Li Youfu, who had gone to retrieve medicine from Zichen Palace, were also waiting nearby. After hearing the two maids' report, he immediately brought Imperial Physician Li in to treat Ming Hua.
Ming Hua had removed her silk socks and sat on the couch, her somewhat swollen right foot lifted by Qingyun and Nuanxue and placed on a small carved rosewood stool with cinnabar lacquer beside the couch.
Imperial Physician Li was by now quite accustomed to attending to this noble consort. With a composed expression, he first took Ming Hua's pulse to check for internal injuries, then examined the wound on her foot.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, although the noble consort's ankle sprain is somewhat severe, fortunately the bone is not injured, and her body is otherwise unharmed."
"Once I prescribe some decoctions to relax the tendons, invigorate the blood, disperse stasis, and relieve pain, to be taken together with Your Majesty's Golden Sore Ointment for external application, and if the noble consort rests carefully for a few days without walking about or overexerting herself, she should fully recover within half a month."
"If the noble consort finds the pain unbearable right now, she may apply an ice-cold cloth to the swollen area, and apply the Golden Sore Ointment later in the evening. However, starting tomorrow, she should switch to warm cloths for hot compresses."
Hearing this, Xie Chongyuan's furrowed brow relaxed slightly. He then had Imperial Physician Li withdraw to write the prescription and ordered palace attendants to fetch ice.
Before long, an attendant brought in a basin of ice and cloths. Qingyun was just about to wring out a cloth to apply cold compresses to Ming Hua when the Emperor snatched the cloth first.
Xie Chongyuan took the ice-cold cloth and said in a deep voice: "It's getting late. Go down and have the Imperial Kitchen prepare some dishes the noble consort enjoys and send them over. Then follow Imperial Physician Li to the Imperial Medical Bureau to fetch the medicine and decoct it for the noble consort. I will handle things here."
A woman's bare feet were an extremely private matter, never to be shown casually. Ming Hua had allowed Imperial Physician Li to examine her earlier only for treatment purposes, and he hadn't even come close.
Ming Hua watched as Xie Chongyuan crouched down beside her feet, holding the cloth and reaching for her foot. She shyly and instinctively shifted, tucking her fair, rosy little feet beneath her silk skirt. But unexpectedly, the movement sent another sharp, piercing pain through her ankle.
The young lady immediately winced, her little face scrunching up as she cried out softly in pain.
Xie Chongyuan quickly and gently pulled the young lady's small foot out from beneath her skirt, holding it in his hand before carefully placing the cold cloth over it.
He let out a soft "tsk," his expression serious. "Huahua, be good and don't move around. You might make your foot injury worse."
Xie Chongyuan's palm was broad, warm, and covered in thick calluses. Ming Hua's sole tingled from the friction of his calluses, and against the cold of the cloth, the warmth of his palm seemed to sear straight into her heart.
Ming Hua was overcome with shyness. She bit her soft pink lips, enduring the strange sensation within her, and whispered to Xie Chongyuan, "Your Majesty, let the palace maids attend to Huahua. You are the sovereign of the nation—how could you stoop so low to serve Huahua like this…"
Xie Chongyuan said with tender concern, "How could this be called stooping low? Before Huahua, I am only Huahua's husband. Taking good care of Huahua is my duty. I have told Huahua this many times these past days—why is Huahua still so distant with me?"
"In the past when I was in the army, there weren't many physicians with the troops, and I often tended to minor injuries from the battlefield myself."
"These medicinal ointments are a lost prescription from Qianxi, even more effective than those from the Imperial Medical Bureau. In a moment, I'll apply some for Huahua. If you have to move tomorrow, it shouldn't hurt as much as it does now."
He then explained further, "The maids' touch is too light. If they were to apply it for Huahua, I'm afraid the medicine's potency wouldn't be fully brought out."
Xie Chongyuan looked at the young lady's snow-white, beautiful jade-like foot, swollen and red at the ankle, and felt a pang of guilt in his heart.
"On the day Huahua entered the palace, I promised Huahua's parents that I would never let Huahua suffer any grievance in the palace. I never thought I would break that promise so soon."
Thinking of Xie Zhi's humiliating words, he said with a guilty expression, "These past days have been my fault. I neglected Huahua for the sake of court affairs. It won't happen again."
When Ming Hua heard Xie Chongyuan's earlier words, her face, already tinged with pink, flushed crimson in an instant, and a wave of sweetness surged through her heart.
She lowered her raven-black lashes, pressed her pink lips together, and stammered shyly, "It's… it's alright…"
"Your Majesty has already severely punished Xie Zhi to vent Huahua's anger. Huahua hasn't suffered any grievance. Matters of state are important—Your Majesty must not feel guilty."
Having said that, as if remembering something, she hesitated before speaking, "Your Majesty, Xie Zhi is, after all, the only daughter of Lady Lu and the late Emperor."
"To strip her of her title as princess and send her to Qinglong Temple to cultivate and pray for the late Emperor, forbidding her from ever leaving for the rest of her life—this is harder to bear than death itself. Isn't this punishment a bit too severe? The old ministers loyal to the late Emperor may well object to your decision."
She could vaguely guess that Xie Chongyuan's merciless and severe punishment of Xie Zhi was, for the most part, also to vent her anger on her behalf.
Xie Chongyuan knew that the young lady's words were for his sake. A wave of warmth washed over him. His thin lips curved slightly in delight, but then a flash of ruthlessness passed through his eyes.
"Huahua need not worry. They cannot stir up any great waves—they are not worth fearing."
"If she had not touched Huahua, I might have shown some respect to those old ministers of the previous court and let her off with a whipping as a lesson. But since she dared to hurt Huahua, she must pay a price a thousand or ten thousand times more painful than what Huahua suffered."
"If I did not protect Huahua first in such a matter, then I would be unworthy of being a husband. Besides, she was the one at fault first. No matter how those ministers argue with sharp tongues, they cannot change that fact."
Hearing Xie Chongyuan's every word centered on her, standing up for her, Ming Hua felt both proud and delighted.
She calmed down, then felt a little embarrassed at having worried unnecessarily. She awkwardly lowered her little head and said in a small voice, "That's good then. It was foolish of Huahua to worry unnecessarily on Your Majesty's behalf…"
Xie Chongyuan gently replaced the cold cloth with a fresh one for the young lady, then looked up with a warm smile. "Huahua is not foolish at all. Huahua is clever and kind-hearted, with a warm and generous nature."
Seeing Xie Chongyuan's teasing expression, Ming Hua picked up her embroidered handkerchief and covered her face. Her coquettish, flustered voice came through the hazy silk.
"Huahua is already shy enough—Your Majesty should stop teasing Huahua. At this rate, Huahua won't die from the pain, but will die of embarrassment right here…"
The young lady was adorably bashful, and Xie Chongyuan felt as though a part of his heart was gradually sinking.
He smiled and gently pulled the handkerchief away from her face, coaxing her in a tender voice, "I know Huahua is afraid of pain. I won't use too much force in a moment—don't be afraid."
Though he knew the young lady was very delicate, Xie Chongyuan had already tried to use the lightest touch when applying the medicine. Still, she hurt so much that her eyes brimmed with tears, looking so pitiful that she nearly made Xie Chongyuan's heart soften.
But for the sake of the medicine's effectiveness, Xie Chongyuan had to ignore the young lady's tearful, pitiful little face. Only after he had finished applying the ointment did he soothe her with gentle words, finally carrying her to the dining table for the evening meal.
These past few days, Ming Hua had taken a liking to the lotus seeds and lotus roots from the small pond, as well as the freshwater delicacies raised within it, finding them quite fresh and delightful.
Today's evening meal also included a lotus seed and minced pork soup, a lotus root and pork rib soup, a steamed crucian carp with lotus leaves, and a crispy fried lotus flower with braised shrimp.
When Ming Hua saw the lotus seed and minced pork soup on the food table, she remembered that today she had originally planned to go to Zichen Palace to deliver the longan, lotus seed, and lily soup to Xie Chongyuan, and felt a pang of regret.
She ladled a bowl of lotus seed and minced pork soup for Xie Chongyuan, pouting with a look of regret. "These past two days, the lotus seeds in the small pond have been at their freshest and most tender."
"Today, Huahua picked quite a few lotus seeds and had someone make a bowl of longan, lily, and lotus seed soup. I originally wanted to send it to Zichen Palace for Your Majesty to taste something fresh, but unexpectedly I ran into Xie Zhi in the garden, and so it was delayed."
"Your Majesty, do try it—isn't this lotus seed and minced pork soup fresh, tender, and delicious?"
Hearing this, Xie Chongyuan suddenly felt a surge of joy and asked with a smile, "So Huahua wanted to come to Zichen Palace today to see me?"
His usually composed, handsome face rarely showed a hint of grievance, and then he explained softly with some embarrassment, "These past days, I've been busy with state affairs and had no time to keep Huahua company, but Huahua never came to Zichen Palace either. I thought Huahua didn't enjoy being with me at all."
Ming Hua quickly shook her head and explained anxiously, "That's not it! Huahua was just afraid that going to Zichen Palace would disturb Your Majesty's handling of state affairs!"
Xie Chongyuan looked at the young lady's flustered attempt to defend herself, his gaze burning as he immediately explained with a smile, "Not at all! If Huahua is willing to come, I would be very happy! Zichen Palace is open to Huahua at any time!"
Ming Hua met Xie Chongyuan's intense gaze, then shyly lowered her head again, biting her pink lips, feeling a little annoyed at her own hasty explanation, as if she had been missing him.
Xie Chongyuan took a sip of the soup the young lady had ladled for him, then asked with another smile, "Where is the longan, lotus seed, and lily soup Huahua originally intended to send me today? Quickly send someone to fetch it—I want to taste it!"
Nuanxue, who was attending to the evening meal nearby, watched the two of them so deeply in love, her little face beaming with a smile.
Hearing this, she immediately replied cleverly, "It's in the food box! This servant will go fetch it for Your Majesty right away!"
Ming Hua blushed and said softly, "The weather is so hot—that soup has been sitting in the food box all afternoon, it's probably no longer good to drink. If Your Majesty wants some, Huahua will have the small kitchen make you a fresh bowl."
Xie Chongyuan refuted with a smile, "How could the one Huahua picked herself be the same as one made anew?"
"Besides, this is Huahua's heartfelt gesture—it can't be wasted. I want exactly this bowl that Huahua originally intended to send to Zichen Palace for me today!"
With that, Xie Chongyuan took the bowl of longan, lily, and lotus seed soup that Nuanxue had retrieved from the food box and savored it with great relish.
"The flavor is indeed wonderfully sweet and fresh!" Xie Chongyuan said with a smile, looking at the young lady whose face had flushed red again.