Chapter 2, there are hidden mysteries

After lunch, following a one-hour break, a matron came to groom their eyebrows, clean their faces, trim their nails, and apply fragrant lotion to moisturize their hands and feet

The digestive pill kept on hand? Wang Qingjun looked at the pill in the palm of her hand, and when she raised her eyes, she noticed a flicker in Li Songbai's gaze. She immediately understood that this pill held a secret. Wonderful, thank you, Brother Li!

In the imaginations of Li Danyun and Xia Qiaoer, even if the emperor were immensely powerful, it would be impossible for him to spend the night with numerous women; at most, he would choose two among them to share his bed tonight. However, the fact that he has taken away seven women is truly astonishing.

"Did you not hear what the Consul said? Even if one is ill, one must be carried over, right?" Wang Qingjun said with a bitter smile, "I originally thought that pretending to be sick might delay the time before serving in the bedchamber, but now it seems that this method won't work either!"

The seven skilled maidens summoned to the palace today are all over the age of sixteen, having reached the age for discussing marriage. While at home, they not only learned domestic arts but their mothers also secretly instructed them in matters of intimacy. Upon hearing discussions about serving the emperor at night, they all understood what it entailed

Before Xia Qiaoer could respond, a consort entered, sharply announcing: "The Emperor summons Li Meiren, Xia Meiren, and Wang Meiren to attend to him."

It is evident! Wang Qingjun said with deep sorrow: "Do not be too happy too soon!"

By evening, after completing their fragrant baths, the ten clever maidens sat by the window waiting for the emperor's summons

After diagnosing the pulse, Li Songbai did not prescribe any medicine, but simply said: "It is merely food stagnation; you only need to take one digestive pill, and it can be taken with warm water." As he was about to instruct someone to fetch the medicine, he suddenly remembered something else. He opened the medicine box, took out a wax pill, and in front of everyone, he squeezed it open, pouring the dark pill into Wang Qingjun's palm, explaining: "This is a digestive pill I carry with me; it will work just the same for you, Wang beauty, so there is no need to send someone on another trip."

Grape stood beside her, serving her, and caught her glance. She quietly made a gesture to indicate that she understood. Isn't it just about secretly hiding a few eggs to eat at night? This is easy!

Madam Mo weighed the pros and cons and quickly nodded her head

Wang Qingjun, upon hearing this, calmly unfastened the jade fish ornament that was holding down her skirt and let it fall into Granny Mo's sleeve. She then quietly asked, "Granny, could you help me convey a message? If so, all the jewelry I wear on my head will belong to you."

The grape took the opportunity to help her sit aside and whispered, "Miss, what shall we do if Doctor Li is unable to help?"

"Your Excellency, look at my young lady like this, how can she serve the Emperor?" said the grape. "If it causes trouble for Your Excellency, what shall we do?"

A few of the Seven Clever Girls noticed that Li Danyun suddenly fell silent, and they exchanged glances before quickly entering into deep thought. After a while, one of them cautiously asked, "Is it because we were all born during the Qiqiao Festival that we were summoned to the palace?"

Wang Qingjun mentioned Li Songbai's name and gently said: "Mother showed him my jade fish roe. If he has nothing to say, then it is fine; if he has something to say, Mother will find a way to inform me."

Wang Qingjun originally had no appetite, but upon hearing this, she had no choice but to eat with great effort, while casting glances at the grapes.

Li Danyun and Xia Qiaoer were both skilled individuals. Upon hearing these words, they instinctively realized that something was indeed amiss tonight, and they hurriedly nodded, each making a solemn vow.

Wang Qingjun waited anxiously, but did not see Mama Mo coming over. Feeling distressed, she had no choice but to pretend that her stomach was uncomfortable and asked the eunuch to help summon the imperial physician to take a look.

Li Danyun suddenly tugged at Wang Qingjun's sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Is there something wrong?"

After the lunch, the palace matron, while guiding the dining etiquette, casually remarked: "Ladies, according to the palace rules, those who are waiting to serve at night cannot dine in the evening. If you cannot bear the hunger, you may eat more now!"

Upon seeing Wang Qingjun, who has her own ideas, the heart that was hanging in suspense finally returned to its normal position.

During the pulse diagnosis, Wang Qingjun glanced at Li Songbai several times, but Li Songbai did not look at her, focusing solely on the diagnosis.

Li Songbai is merely a minor court physician, and Wang Qingjun does not hold much hope for him. She only hopes that he can convey messages out of the palace to see if the Wang clan can find her father's old acquaintance, Minister of Personnel Luo Chong. If Luo Chong can intervene, she might feign a serious illness, which could provide a glimmer of hope for her to leave the palace.

Grape Shouqin has already helped Li Songbai organize the medicine cabinet, expressing gratitude repeatedly

Wang Qingjun whispered: "If it really comes to that, I must drink some cold water and eat something spoiled. Once I start vomiting and having diarrhea, I can naturally avoid the duty of serving at night. However, this method must not be used until the very end, to prevent any sudden occurrences that would leave me unable to save myself"

The consul disregarded them and simply stated: "The Emperor has decreed that tonight, all ten of the Seven Clever Girls must report to the palace to serve. We shall comply with the order, regardless of whether you are ill or not"

The eunuch saw Wang Qingjun suddenly clutching her stomach, sweating profusely from the pain, and did not dare to delay, quickly going to report it.

Li Danyun was slightly more perceptive than the other seven talented women. In her joy, she noticed Wang Qingjun's strange expression and became vigilant. As daughters of ordinary families, lacking distinguished backgrounds and extraordinary beauty, and even their virtues were not remarkable enough to be widely praised, why had the palace suddenly summoned them?

Wang Qingjun, in a state of urgency, removed all her jewelry in front of Li Danyun and Xia Qiaoer, handing it to the consul and saying, "Your Excellency, please be lenient. After the imperial physician finishes taking the pulse and I take a pill, I will go serve the Emperor, so as to avoid this sickly appearance upsetting His Majesty"

Li Danyun felt restless, glancing at Xia Qiaoer and Wang Qingjun. Suddenly, she gritted her teeth, removed two hairpins that were somewhat acceptable from her head, and walked over to hand them to the consul, saying: "We three are not feeling well, so please have the imperial physician check our pulses!"

This sight nearly took my breath away. My goodness, the situation is so serious, it looks terrifying

The consul picked up the jewelry in his hand and, noticing that two pieces were of decent quality, felt somewhat satisfied. He then said, "In a quarter of an hour, whether you are alive, ill, or dead, you all must be carried over there." With that, he stepped back.

The grape was extremely anxious, supporting the weak Wang Qingjun as she said, "Your Excellency, my young lady is not feeling well. May we wait for the imperial physician to examine her before attending to the night duties?"

Sister, you must know something, please tell us! Li Danyun tightly grasped Wang Qingjun's hand, pleading.

Wuwu, Brother Li, help! Wang Qingjun cried out in her heart, but did not dare to show it on her face

Wang Qingjun has not yet responded, and a eunuch has already brought palace matrons to instruct them on etiquette. This instruction took half a day.

Li Danyun, however, was smarter than Wang Qingjun had imagined. In just a short while, she calmed down and tightly grasped Wang Qingjun and Xia Qiaoer, saying: "We cannot sit idly by; we must come up with a plan."

Wang Qingjun felt flustered and confused. She raised her head and saw the pleading gazes of Li Danyun and Xia Qiaoer. Noticing that the eunuchs were not in the hall, she weighed the pros and cons and quickly said: "You must make a solemn vow that if anything happens, you will not reveal my name."

Xia Qiao'er timidly tugged at Li Danyun's sleeve and whispered, "I have heard that the Emperor has turned forty-three this spring and autumn, this..."

Wang Qingjun saw that Li Danyun and Xia Qiaoer had pale faces and looked alarmed, and she couldn't help but feel a bit regretful for telling them about this matter. After all, they would find out soon enough, and telling them now would only add to their panic

Madam Mo received the bracelet, her brows and eyes relaxed. She made an excuse that the place she was sitting was not bright enough, making it inconvenient to groom her nails, and asked Wang Qingjun to move the chair closer to the palace door. Seeing that the crowd could not hear their conversation clearly, she then lowered her voice and said: "If Lady Wang has a way, it would be best to leave the palace as soon as possible"

Madam Mo hesitated for a moment, seeing Wang Qingjun in her flower-like youth, her heart suddenly softened. She finally whispered, "If you want to convey the message outside the palace, I fear it may not be possible. However, if it is within the palace, there might still be a way to consider. I wonder if there is anyone familiar with you in the palace, Lady Wang"

Indeed, at this age, how could one possibly consort with multiple women at night? Li Danyun was also quite uneasy and quietly said, "Perhaps it is just a summons."

Li Danyun was so shocked after hearing this that she nearly stumbled to the ground. It turned out that the Emperor was gravely ill and had summoned them to the palace for the purpose of bringing good fortune. Although her understanding was limited, she knew that resorting to such a measure usually indicated that there was little hope left. If the Emperor were to pass away, what would become of them?

Xia Qiao'er was also frightened to the point of losing her color, tightly covering her mouth, which prevented her from crying out. She had originally been discussing marriage with her cousin, but due to her cousin's family unwilling to offer a larger betrothal gift, her mother, in a fit of anger, refused to relent, causing the wedding date to be delayed. Because of this, she secretly blamed her cousin, convinced that he had not been earnest. This morning, when she was suddenly summoned to the palace, at first, she felt a secret thrill, thinking that her aunt would surely regret her earlier decisions. Once she became a concubine, high and mighty, would her aunt and cousin still dare to look down on her? However, at this moment, it was she who regretted her earlier thoughts.

Wang Qingjun had not finished speaking when the sound of the door was heard, and an inner servant led in two imperial physicians, thus halting the conversation

Wang Qingjun, taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, slipped the bracelet off her left wrist and tucked it into the sleeve of Mo Mama, who was helping her with her nails, while quietly asking: "Mama, what does it mean to serve in the bedchamber?"

Among the two imperial physicians who arrived, one was Physician Dong, and the other was Li Songbai

Currently, there are seven ranks of concubines in the palace. Those who are hastily summoned into the palace, like them, do not yet have an official title and are collectively referred to as "beauties." If they are able to serve the Emperor at night and gain his favor, it is highly likely that they could be promoted in rank, bringing glory to their families. Furthermore, if they were to give birth to a son or daughter, it would indeed be as Empress Chen said, leading to a life of wealth and nobility from then on. As everyone contemplated this, their faces flushed and their hearts raced, secretly indulging in endless fantasies.

Wang Qingjun waited for them to finish their vows, then pulled them close and whispered what she knew into their ears

As the Milky Way spanned across the sky, the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl stars gazed at each other from afar. Seven of the Ten Sisters of the Seven Stars had been carried away one after another. Only Wang Qingjun, who was suffering from a stomachache, Li Danyun, who was filled with doubts, and a girl named Xia Qiaoer remained.

"Grapes, please pour me a glass of water!" Wang Qingjun handed the cup to the grapes, using her body to shield Li Danyun and Xia Qiaoer from view, pinched open the pill, and indeed found a small piece of paper hidden inside the pill core, quickly pulled out the paper and unfolded it to examine closely

Xia Qiaoer was initially reluctant to part with her jewelry, but seeing Wang Qingjun and Li Danyun do the same, she also handed a hairpin to the consul, whispering, "I beg you, sir"