The Daily Life of a Down-on-Hard-Life Medicine Girl Supporting Her Family

The Empress refused to let the imperial physicians examine the pills that Panpan had given to the eldest prince.

She knew that even if the imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Academy simply copied the pills from the prescription, they wouldn't be able to achieve the same effects as the Xiao family.

Every time Panpan gave Che'er the pills, he would feel better, but if he didn't take them for a few days, he would have problems.

Therefore, the Xiao family and Physician Xiao are the ones who can truly save Che'er's life.

However, the Emperor himself ruined Che'er's chances of survival by mistakenly killing Physician Xiao.

The thought that these tragedies were the result of the power struggles among the women in the imperial harem fills me with hatred.

The young girl, just beginning to experience love, met him one spring, and it was truly love at first sight for both of them.

It was only later that they learned he was actually a prince.

She was having second thoughts because she knew all too well that there was no kinship in the imperial family.

Unexpectedly, he obtained a decree from the late emperor to bestow a marriage upon him, and she became his princess consort.

Newlyweds, he promised to treat her well for the rest of his life.

You can only listen to what men say without really taking it seriously.

When he was pregnant with Che'er, he took two concubines as wives, and when Che'er was born, he took two more concubines as concubines.

Whether it was a concubine or a secondary concubine, his explanation was always that it was for the greater good, and that the concubines' families could afford it.

Over the years, using this excuse, he has filled his harem to the brim.

Even a wife cannot be jealous, let alone an empress who is the mother of the nation.

No matter how infatuated or devoted she was to him in her youth, as she went through one imperial concubine selection and conferment of titles and concubines after another, filling her harem to the brim, the empress's heart died.

The only thing keeping her alive was Che'er.

Moreover, he had countless concubines, but only one prince, Che'er; the rest were all princesses.

Therefore, the Empress felt she still had a reason to persevere: at least the position would be handed over to her son.

He's unreliable, so his son needs to be properly disciplined. The Empress even wants to raise him to be a great ruler.

Who would have thought that my son would suddenly fall seriously ill, and so far his condition has not improved, and even worsened after Doctor Xiao passed away.

Killing Physician Xiao would be cutting off Che'er's path to survival!

Upon realizing this, the Empress became somewhat cold and hardened.

She even harbored a slight resentment towards the emperor.

However, she knew clearly that she could not be dissatisfied with the emperor, so she suppressed all her resentment and grievances, and only prayed that her son would get better.

The imperial edict had been posted for over two years, but no one with exceptional talent or ability came forward to answer it.

To everyone's surprise, the eldest granddaughter of Physician Xiao would come to file a complaint with the Emperor, which made the Empress remember Physician Xiao's kindness even more.

When the Emperor gestured for her to step in and smooth things over, the Empress generously gifted Xiao Chunyu an estate.

This was to express our gratitude to Physician Xiao for taking care of and protecting Che'er.

I never imagined that my insignificant expression of gratitude would indirectly save Che'er.

Xiao Chunyu's daughter, little Panpan, also inspired her to hope for a future.

Yes, every time Panpan goes to the palace to give Che'er some pills, Che'er's energy and appetite will improve.

Therefore, the Xiao family must have a way.

Upon learning that Xiao Chunnuan was making pills, the Empress became even more convinced of this idea.

However, she didn't dare to go looking for Xiao Chunnuan openly at this moment.

After all, they were so far away in Sichuan, and if word got out, they would be in danger when spring arrived.

"Panpan, what other pills can your second aunt make?"

The eldest prince asked curiously, "Can I eat it all?"

“You can’t eat everything.” Panpan, despite her young age, was very sensible: “Medicine is three parts poison. Big brother should eat well and sleep well so that he can grow fat and tall.”

"Were all the pills you took sent by your second aunt?"

“Yes, Panpan is such a good girl, her second aunt always brings her delicious medicine.” Panpan tilted her head: “Panpan isn’t picky about food, and she knows her limits, she doesn’t take medicine randomly, she takes throat lozenges when her throat hurts; she takes hawthorn pills when she’s full…”

He rattled off several kinds of pills in one breath.

The Empress, who was sitting and listening to the two children chatting, secretly clicked her tongue in amazement: As expected of a family of doctors, they know so much at such a young age. One can only imagine how much more Chunnuan knows.

"Someone is coming."

"Your Majesty." Immediately, a palace maid entered, bowing her head and awaiting instructions.

"I have been feeling somewhat uneasy these past few days. I hereby issue an imperial decree summoning the Duchess to the palace."

"Yes, ma'am."

The Duchess was his elder sister-in-law.

As her mother grew older, she became increasingly timid. The Empress no longer summoned her to the palace for any matters, but instead sought out her eldest sister-in-law.

He married a virtuous woman. His eldest sister-in-law managed the household affairs of the Duke's mansion, and everyone in the family was well taken care of by her. She also had a good relationship with the Empress.

Many times, when she herself was a little anxious, the Duchess would analyze the situation logically, which would calm the Empress down and allow her to choose a better path.

Therefore, nowadays, the Empress summons her eldest sister-in-law to the palace for any matter.

The Duchess has entered the palace.

"Your Majesty, this is a freshly made osmanthus cake. Please have a taste."

Immediately, a palace servant took it, tested it for poison, and finally presented it to the Empress.

The Duchess was not annoyed by this situation.

When delivering food to the Empress, one would inevitably encounter this situation.

It wasn't that she was stupid to insist on sending food; she was just looking for an excuse to see the Empress.

Whether or not to eat depends entirely on the Empress's mood.

"You may all leave. I need to have a private word with my wife."

After the palace servants withdrew, the Empress began to share her speculations with the Duchess.

"Eldest sister-in-law, do you think it's possible?"

"Your Majesty is right." The Duchess nodded. "Actually, I've been thinking about something these past few days as well. Although Physician Xiao is gone, he did have a successor."

"successor?"

"Yes, I heard my father say that Physician Xiao once took on a disciple who was later taken away from the sect. However, for some reason, the disciple was no longer kept in the sect, and this was never mentioned to outsiders. Perhaps that disciple also received Physician Xiao's true teachings?"

"What's his name? Where is he now?"

“My father said that person opened a pharmacy in Shu, but he forgot his name.” The Duchess said, “If Your Majesty is interested, why not have someone investigate?”

"Investigate. Investigate anyone related to Physician Xiao who knows medicine." The Empress nodded. "Also, Physician Xiao's second granddaughter, Xiao Chunnuan. I remember she seems to have also inherited Physician Xiao's true skills." The Duchess was taken aback.

"Eldest sister-in-law, it's just the two of us now, so please feel free to say whatever you want to say."

"Isn't Xiao Chunnuan, the second granddaughter of Physician Xiao, once engaged to the Zhang family?"

"Yes."

The Empress had also heard Xiao Chunyu mention this; after the Xiao family's misfortune, the Zhang family dissolved the engagement.

"That's her," said the Duchess. "I've heard some midwives say that Xiao Chunnuan is skilled in childbirth, can use acupuncture, and can also process medicinal herbs. She's a very capable person."

"really?"

"Absolutely true." The Duchess whispered, "Your Highness, it would be best if we could find this second young lady as soon as possible. Perhaps it would be beneficial to the First Prince."

"There are many people in the palace watching me, and I dare not act rashly. So, elder sister-in-law, I'm entrusting this matter to you." The Empress said, "Elder sister-in-law, you must remember that everything is for Xiao Chunnuan's safety."

The Empress was not happy that the glimmer of hope she had suddenly found for her son had been cut off again.

"Of course," the Duchess sighed. "The charge against Physician Xiao that day was far too far-fetched. If it weren't for the Empress Dowager, the women of Physician Xiao's family wouldn't have had the chance to return to Shu. Instead, the whole family would have been exiled to the northern desert. In that case, Xiao Chunnuan certainly wouldn't have had such an easy time..."

"So, their malicious intentions extend beyond just Physician Xiao; they want to eliminate the entire Xiao family?"

"It's very possible that at the time they just wanted to ensure that the Xiao family would never recover, but now that I think about it, they were thinking twenty steps ahead for every one step they took, and they considered all the possibilities."

That's why the eldest prince's illness worsened over time, to the point where he was on the verge of death.

Despite all the planning, no one expected that Panpan would give the eldest prince the pills.

"What a mistake!" The Empress's anger was impossible to conceal.

"Your Majesty, you must release the person who is with Panpan."

"Release her." The Empress was still hesitant, remembering the last time Panpan was kidnapped by the Third Prince.

She not only released the person, but also two groups of people. Whether Panpan entered or left the palace, even if she tripped over a stone in the inner courtyard, there would be no chance for her to fall to the ground.

why?
It was simply because she had many guards around her.

General Xia Guangcheng of Huaiyuan also took comprehensive protective measures.

The girl had two maids who knew martial arts by her side, and the inner courtyard was also strengthened with security. The incident where the Third Prince kidnapped her and the old lady last time had also served as a wake-up call for Xia Guangcheng.

"It's good that you released them." Speaking of this, the Duchess remembered another question.

"What did you say?"

Although the Empress lived deep within the palace, she was still quite aware of some things happening in the streets.

Otherwise, she would be completely clueless about what was happening outside the palace.

I had heard of the Qingcheng Pavilion.

"The items in Qingcheng Pavilion are small and expensive, but they sell very well," the Empress said. "Many of the concubines have mentioned to me that they want the Imperial Household Department to make some purchases from Qingcheng Pavilion."

"I never imagined that the person behind this might be her."

"I discovered this by accident. The shopkeeper used to be Xiao Chunyu's servant in the Wu family." The Duchess was extremely excited about her major discovery: "I thought to myself, even an old man wouldn't have the resources to open a shop, let alone the fact that the goods in the shop are quite expensive. How much wealth could a servant have? And how many unconventional things could happen? So, I made a bold guess."

"Eldest sister-in-law, you must never tell anyone about this."

"Your Majesty, rest assured, this humble woman is keeping her mouth shut."

The Empress simply smiled.

If she were truly tight-lipped, she wouldn't have told me who the owner of Qingcheng Pavilion was.

At the Xia residence, Xiao Chunyu was reviewing the account books.

"Madam, business at Qingcheng Pavilion has clearly picked up this month."

"That's because the New Year is almost here, and everyone wants to have a nice time," Xiao Chunyu said. "Mo Lan, about the matter of you and Jian Lan choosing a husband, how have you and Jian Lan made your plans?"

The topic suddenly shifted to themselves, and the two girls blushed with embarrassment.

“I also asked the general. Three of the four men around him are unmarried: Ye Feng, Ye Lin, and Ye Yu. All three are quite good, whether in terms of appearance, education, or family background.” Chunyu said, “When it comes to living together, you have to find someone you like. So, tell me quietly who you should choose.”

“Madam, it’s not like we can just choose whoever we want,” Jianlan said with a smile. “If these brothers really had that intention, they would have said so already. It’s not up to us to choose.”

"Is it possible that because you two are people close to me, they don't dare to do anything rash, which is why they remain silent and dare not say a word?"

That's right. The lady has no shortage of people around her, but she lacks loyal servants. Mo Lan and Jian Lan are two people she is comfortable using. If she really asks to marry them, who will the lady have to serve her?

"Alright, I'll ask you again later and tell me what you're thinking. If these three don't like it, there are still some young men in the army. I'll make sure you find someone who loves you wholeheartedly and have a wonderful marriage and a happy life together."

As I said before, Chunyu felt that she was living a happy life, so she wanted the two people who had served her for so many years to have the same happiness.

Chunyu sought help from Xia Guangcheng.

"Alright, I'll ask those three if any of them are interested in the two girls next to you."

When Ye Feng learned that Chun Yu's two maids were preparing to get married, he became a little anxious.

"General, I humbly beg you to give me a chance?"

"what chance?"

"I am in love with Mo Lan, who serves the lady, and wish to marry her. I humbly request the general's permission."

"Night Wind, your brain is usually quite sharp, why isn't it working right now?" Xia Guangcheng laughed in exasperation: "Do you think that you can get Mo Lan's hand in marriage just by begging me?"

Or else?

"Mo Lan is someone who serves the Madam, and she's been a sister to her for over ten years. Her indenture is also in the Madam's hands. Tell me, who should you ask for help?"

The night wind suddenly realized.

Yes, he should ask the lady for help.

Xiao Chunyu smiled knowingly as she looked at the man kneeling before her, begging to marry Mo Lan: See, now that's what you call a loving couple.

"Night Wind, you are a person close to the general, and I trust your character."

Ye Feng was secretly delighted. Look, he had managed to gain the lady's approval after all. His mission had been very successful!
"Please rest assured, Madam, I will treat her well."

“Being good to her is one thing, but marriage is a huge deal. A woman's marriage is a gamble. Mo Lan is still young and beautiful now, but when she gets old, or when you get promoted, will you still treat her well?”

When the time comes, don't look down on your first wife just because she came from a lowly background.

"Madam, you are wise. I will certainly treat her well."

"Okay, I need to ask Mo Lan what she thinks."

Xiao Chunyu went into the room, called Mo Lan over, and whispered a series of questions.

"This servant will follow Madam's arrangements."

Mo Lan blushed. Sure enough, feelings are mutual; Brother Ye Feng was indeed interested in her.

“Alright, in that case, I’ll choose a date for our wedding.” Xiao Chunyu wasn’t going to be the bad guy. Since the two of them were so in love, she would grant their wish.

Right now, the only problem is finding a suitable match for Jianlan. (End of Chapter)