As the old Madam of the Qi family and Qi Wenyin pleaded for forgiveness, the hall was instantly filled with people kneeling.
Gu Qinglu sat just below the Empress Dowager, watching the scene with slightly lowered eyes that flickered faintly.
She noticed Qi Wenyin kneeling on the ground, her body trembling—likely from both fear and the cramping pain in her abdomen.
Amid the chorus of pleas, the nanny kneeling behind Gu Qinglu spoke up:
“Empress Dowager, Qi Wenyin has committed a grave offense by losing decorum before the throne—her crime is not to be forgiven. However, considering that the former Commander of the Imperial Guards once protected the founding emperor, I ask Your Majesty to weigh this carefully. Qi Wenyin’s condition is urgent.”
The Empress Dowager’s brows furrowed tightly as she snapped, “If I summon the imperial physician now, would the Qi family even dare to accept treatment?”
Hearing her tone, Gu Qinglu knew the Empress Dowager was already furious to the extreme.
What should have been a joyous occasion—selecting a candidate for the central palace—had turned into this.
If the Qi family had been unwilling, they need not have come at all.
To come and then stir up trouble—spare the family from collective punishment—was already the greatest concession the Empress Dowager and the imperial family could offer.
Gu Qinglu secretly glanced at her, unable to understand why the Qi family would not dare accept treatment.
Still prostrating herself, the nanny spoke again:
“There is no need to summon the imperial physician. The Princess Consort has some medical knowledge—if she treats Qi Wenyin, that will suffice. Everyone present today has come for the stability of Dayong’s state and future prosperity. I trust that none of the ladies or young women here will speak a word of this.”
At these words, Gu Qinglu suddenly lifted her eyes, thinking to herself: I am not a living bodhisattva. I may be able to relieve her abdominal pain now, but I cannot save her from the twenty strokes of punishment she must still endure.
After twenty blows, for a young woman like Qi Wenyin—even surviving would be unlikely.
“So my younger sister-in-law knows medicine?” the Empress Dowager asked in surprise.
Gu Qinglu rose. “Your Majesty, I know a little.”
The Empress Dowager shifted her gaze, weighing the nanny’s suggestion.
If the imperial physician were summoned and the emperor alerted, there would surely be a thorough investigation.
An incident occurring within her own palace—no matter what was uncovered—given the emperor’s growing shrewdness in recent years, it could drive a wedge between mother and son.
Even if, in the end, her niece from her maternal family entered the central palace, the emperor might never look at her twice.
Only by letting the Prince Qin’s consort handle this matter could she keep herself uninvolved.
After steadying her thoughts, the Empress Dowager waved her hand. “Take her to the side hall. Princess Consort Qin, trouble yourself to examine her.”
As soon as she finished speaking, palace maids rose and helped the already unconscious Qi Wenyin up.
Gu Qinglu gave a respectful bow and hurried after them.
As the crowd who had come to pay their respects filed out, the Empress Dowager’s gaze finally met the nanny’s.
Mistress and servant exchanged a look. The nanny immediately stepped forward and replaced the remaining tea and pastries on the Qi family’s table.
Inside the side hall, the nanny dismissed all the accompanying ladies and young women, leaving only the old Madam of the Qi family by Qi Wenyin’s side.
Watching Gu Qinglu take Qi Wenyin’s pulse with one hand while drawing out silver needles with the other to perform acupuncture, the old madam’s voice trembled:
“Princess Consort Qin, for you to involve yourself in such filth… this old woman has no way to repay your kindness.”
Gu Qinglu glanced at her but said nothing.
What puzzled her now was why the nanny had brought a roll of acupuncture needles into the palace in the first place.
It was almost as if she had foreseen that something would happen.
Was the Qi family truly unwilling to enter the central palace and had taken medicine in advance, as she suspected?
Or was it the Empress Dowager who disapproved of the Qi family’s actions?
And why, after taking laxatives, would they also use itching powder?
One question after another surfaced, and Gu Qinglu couldn’t help but frown.
The old Madam of the Qi family looked at her granddaughter—her abdomen and arms covered in needles, her face drained of all color—and felt her heart ache.
If she had known things would turn out like this, she would never have tied the family’s future glory to her granddaughter.
Then they wouldn’t have had to come to the palace and suffer like this.
The Qi family was no longer what it once had been. Hoping for the imperial court to conduct a full investigation was no longer possible.
After about two quarters of an hour, Gu Qinglu finished examining her pulse and instructed:
“She will wake soon. Do not try to nourish her body too quickly. She must not be exposed to cold. Avoid eggs and tofu.”
The old madam solemnly adjusted her clothing and gave Gu Qinglu a deep bow. “This old woman thanks Your Highness for your great kindness.”
Seeing her white-haired head pressed to the ground, Gu Qinglu felt an indescribable emotion stir within her.
She glanced at the nanny. Only after the nanny helped the old madam up did Gu Qinglu say:
“She committed an offense before the hall. After she wakes, she still has twenty strokes to receive. If she still has breath after leaving the palace, send her directly to the Prince’s residence.”
The old madam could no longer speak—she simply nodded and bowed again.
“Princess Consort, the Prince and His Majesty have arrived. Please go and change.”
After giving a few more instructions, Gu Qinglu left with the nanny.
“What is the Qi family’s current standing in the capital?” she couldn’t help but ask while washing her hands and changing clothes along the way.
As she helped her dress, the nanny replied, “They are not what they were when Commander Qi was alive, but they are still respectable. The sons of the Qi family are all both cultured and skilled in warfare, stationed in the military year-round. Even Miss Qi is well-versed in military texts.”
Gu Qinglu nodded slightly, her thoughts shifting.
If Qi Wenyin entered the central palace and war broke out on the borders, the Qi family’s sons would certainly volunteer without hesitation.
For the emperor, this would bring nothing but benefit. The Empress Dowager would have no reason to interfere.
Then suddenly, Gu Qinglu thought of the noble ladies and young women present earlier and frowned.
The web of relationships in the capital was too intricate. Even with her years of experience managing affairs in Miao territory, she could not determine who would ultimately benefit from this incident.
“Princess Consort, the Prince has come to escort you,” the nanny said softly as she fastened her waist sash.
Gu Qinglu had been lost in thought. Hearing the reminder, she turned her head— only to see the tall, lean silhouette of a man reflected upon the screen.
Once the dress was properly arranged, she stepped out from behind the screen—and immediately saw Xiao Xingcang standing with his back to her.
Hearing the movement, he turned around and looked at her.
Because she had taken so long changing, and because he and his uncle had already reached a decision regarding the Qi family’s matter, Gu Qinglu didn’t want to linger any longer. She asked somewhat urgently, “Can we go back now?”
“Then let’s go back. I still have to teach the Princess Consort how to read and write,” Xiao Xingcang said.
Gu Qinglu felt his words were half-serious, half-joking, and she hadn’t expected the Empress Dowager to actually have said such things to him.
She glanced at him sideways, then stepped out.
After formally taking leave from the Empress Dowager, the couple left the palace without exchanging a word.
As soon as Gu Qinglu entered the carriage and sat down properly, the vehicle suddenly jolted. In the next moment, the curtain was lifted and the man bent down to step inside.
The originally spacious carriage suddenly felt much smaller with him in it.
“Not happy?” Xiao Xingcang asked, looking at her.
Gu Qinglu met his gaze. For a brief moment, she wanted to ask whether he had already known something would happen in the palace—whether that was why he had asked the nanny to bring acupuncture needles.
No matter who had been the one to collapse at the banquet, the nanny would have stepped forward to plead for mercy, and in doing so would naturally bring up the fact that the Princess Consort knew medicine.
After thinking it through, she dismissed the idea. It wasn’t really her concern.
What made her unhappy was something else entirely—the fact that a single word from those in power could end the life of a young woman in the blink of an eye.
She withdrew her gaze, lowered her eyes, and smoothed her skirt.
“No,” she said flatly, her tone indifferent, as if she were merely an observer standing outside everything.
Xiao Xingcang suddenly thought of the first time he had seen her practicing her blade—she had worn the exact same expression then.
“Your Highness, the Old Madam of the Qi family requests an audience,” the nanny’s voice came from outside.
“Let her come over,” Xiao Xingcang replied.
Shortly after, the old madam’s voice sounded outside the carriage: “This humble wife greets Your Highness and the Princess Consort. Thank you both for your great kindness. Once Ah Yin recovers, I will come again to present an official visit.”
Xiao Xingcang looked at Gu Qinglu, but spoke toward the curtain, “The Princess Consort will be waiting for the Old Madam in the residence. Let’s return.”
From their exchange, Gu Qinglu immediately understood that Qi Wenyin had not received the punishment of the twenty strokes—and that it was Xiao Xingcang who had intervened.
He might be domineering in manner, but he was not yet someone who treated human life as worthless.
Noticing the subtle change in her expression, Xiao Xingcang felt a faint sense of satisfaction.
Just as he had expected—she wouldn’t stand by idly. She couldn’t bear to watch a young life be extinguished like that.
He assumed it was simply because she was a physician at heart.