青春期撞上更年期第1部

Ruiping Great Elder Princess didn’t come — Infanta Yuan’an came to visit Shao Wanru alone with her servant girl.

Ruiping Great Elder Princess had often taken Infanta Yuan’an to the Rui’an Great Elder Princess’s Mansion, so Nanny Gao didn’t stop her when seeing her coming over. Instead, she stepped aside to let her in.

Infanta Yuan’an was quite pleased by this treatment because Nanny Gao, in the name of Rui’an Great Elder Princess, had rejected several imperial consorts who came over together.

Upon entering the tent and seeing Shao Wanru’s pasty face, Infanta Yuan’an was secretly delighted. Yet, assuming an air of concern, she took two steps forward, sat down on the chair next to Shao Wanru, and asked with concern, “How did you get hurt so badly? Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Thanks for your concern,” Shao Wanru replied in a feeble voice.

Since her wound had not healed yet, she did not dare to speak loudly, giving people a feeling of weakness.

“You are in poor health, but why did you come here? The Empress Dowager asked you to rest, didn’t she?” Seeing Shao Wanru’s listless and pale look, Infanta Yuan’an was so happy that she could barely refrain from smiling. It took her a lot of efforts to hide the joy in her heart and ask seriously.

“Imperial Grandmother said I didn’t have to come, but I thought I should be here. This is the first time for me to attend her birthday party!” Shao Wanru said softly.

Infanta Yuan’an felt depressed at the sight of Shao Wanru’s smile. “How could she still be alive? Why didn’t the killer shoot her to death?

“Prince Zhou, as the legitimate son of the Empress, was supposed to be the first to marry. But somehow, Prince Chen married before him. Otherwise, I would have been the one who called the Empress Dowager ‘Imperial Grandmother’ in a justified way like her.

“I could have strengthened the tie with the Empress Dowager through her birthday banquet. After all, it’s much easier for the first granddaughter-in-law to win elders’ favor. But now, Shao Wanru snatched away everything.”

“It’s not good for you to hold on like this!” Infanta Yuan’an said with more concern on her face.

“The Empress just came over and brought me a doctor surnamed Qiu. He doesn’t seem to be from the Palace. I heard Prince Zhou sent him to the Palace before, and he stays in the Phoenix Palace. Right now, he is waiting for orders outside the door. If I don’t feel well, I can ask for his help. He has excellent medical skills,” Shao Wanru said, beaming with satisfaction.

“Doctor Qiu?” Infanta Yuan’an asked in surprise.

“Yes, his family name is Qiu! Do you also know him?” Shao Wanru asked with curiosity.

Of course, Infanta Yuan’an had heard of this doctor. How could she not know him? When her face was injured, Prince Zhou specially asked Doctor Qiu to treat her wound, and the treatment was very effective. But later, she was told that Doctor Qiu had returned to his hometown, which turned out to be a lie: he actually entered the Phoenix Palace. Because of his absence, Infanta Yuan’an had to find another doctor.

Why would Prince Zhou ask Doctor Qiu to stay in the Palace when the Empress was fine?

Inexplicably, Infanta Yuan’an felt a little annoyed. “What does Prince Zhou mean? Is he not satisfied with me, or does he take a fancy to another woman? How could he be so careless about my appearance?

”The appearance is of great significance for any woman. How could he take Doctor Qiu away from me?“

“Is the Empress not feeling well?” Infanta Yuan’an forcibly suppressed the anger in her heart and asked.

“Not feeling well? No way. Her Majesty seems to be in good health. When I went to the Palace that day, she asked me to see Secondary Consort Shao, who had been in bad condition and badly needed the imperial physician’s treatment.” Shao Wanru shook her head in confusion and added, “I suppose Her Majesty has been very well, hasn’t she?”

“Shao Yanru? He must have done that for Shao Yanru.”

At once, Infanta Yuan’an confirmed that it was all about Shao Yanru. Without thinking it over, she knew Prince Zhou must have sent Doctor Qiu to the Palace for Shao Yanru. “That bitch has been keeping in contact with Prince Zhou.” Infanta Yuan’an twisted her handkerchief hard a few times and could no longer suppress the anger in her heart.

She lurched to her feet. “I’ve asked Doctor Qiu to treat my injury before. I wonder if he can check on my wound now.”

“Oh, Doctor Qiu had taken care of your face?” Shao Wanru said in surprise, “Then you’d better let him have a look at your face. I heard that Doctor Qiu has excellent medical skills. Moreover, if you’ve changed your doctor, you might have to use different medicines. Perhaps, the properties of medicines given by the two doctors might impose restraints on each other, which is bad for the wound’s recovery.”

“Thanks for that!” Infanta Yuan’an didn’t stand on ceremony with Shao Wanru and said, only feeling her anger flame up.

She might not have cared so much if Shao Wanru had mentioned someone else. But Shao Yanru was not someone irrelevant. As the granddaughter of Ruiping Great Elder Princess, how could she know nothing about the relationship between Shao Yanru and Prince Zhou? However, Ruiping Great Elder Princess had advised that Shao Yanru had become the Emperor’s Secondary Consort and would never have anything to do with Prince Zhou, so she had let go of this matter.

Did this mean that Prince Zhou got in touch with Shao Yanru again?

Shao Yanru was sick, and Prince Zhou took Doctor Qiu into the Palace with the excuse that the Empress needed him. They worked in unison to help Shao Yanru. It must be the truth. No wonder they suddenly withdrew Doctor Qiu, who had taken great care of her wound. They feared she would be suspicious, so they told her that Doctor Qiu had returned to his home village.

Back to his hometown? What a nice try! He didn’t return to his hometown at all. Instead, he was in the Palace, checking on Shao Yanru.

Others might not know about the dispute between Chu Liuyue and Chu Liuzhou in the Palace, but Infanta Yuan’an learned something. As the future Princess Zhou, how could she not be in a rage? Shao Wanru’s words touched the most sensitive spot in her heart, and she could not hold her jealousy and anger on a leash.

As soon as Infanta Yuan’an walked out of the tent, she forced a smile and asked Nanny Gao, “Nanny Gao, have you seen Doctor Qiu?”

Nanny Gao pointed to the side and said in astonishment, “Eh? He was there, but where is he now?”

“Where did he go? He must have gone into hiding upon seeing me. Sure enough, he feels guilty.”

In a burning fury, Infanta Yuan’an came over with her servants. As expected, she saw Doctor Qiu hiding aside. As soon as she noticed his astonished look when seeing her, she was sure that he had been avoiding her. Infanta Yuan’an could no longer control the anger ignited by Shao Wanru in her heart. She took two steps forward and rebuked, “Guards, take this person away and flog him ten times. He is disrespectful to me!”

She couldn’t do anything to Prince Zhou, but she could ruin his subordinate who took orders from him. After this harsh punishment, Doctor Qiu could no longer attend Shao Yanru.

As the imperial infanta, she didn’t need reasons to beat a doctor who was not even an imperial physician.

“Infanta Yuan’an…” Doctor Qiu attempted to defend himself, but several eunuchs came over and dragged him away. In the future, Infanta Yuan’an would be Princess Zhou, who was likely to be the future Empress. So, everyone in the imperial Palace was more than willing to do something to curry favor with her.

Doctor Qiu was given a beating for no reason. To his dismay, he couldn’t find a place to sob out his grievances. Thus, he had no choice but to find a young eunuch who looked kind, asking him to deliver a message to the Empress. Then he limped back to the Phoenix Palace. Given his condition, he couldn’t stand outside Princess Chen’s tent anymore.

Infanta Yuan’an gave vent to her anger by giving Doctor Qiu a violent beating, which was a trivial matter. The eunuch didn’t even see the Empress, for her servants had blocked him.

The Empress was accompanying the Empress Dowager, so she was too occupied to deal with such a thing of no significance. Besides, Infanta Yuan’an merely inflicted punishment on a doctor. Since she was the Empress’s future daughter-in-law, how could anyone dare to make her pay the price for that?

The people serving the Empress nearby didn’t take this matter seriously. As a result, the Empress didn’t even know what had happened.

When the Empress Dowager came over, the Empress accompanied her to meet those Old Madams and Madam Dowagers, each of whom had noble character and high prestige. The whole time, the Empress sat aside with a bright smile, pretending to be a filial daughter-in-law.

What had happened before seemed to have nothing to do with her. Although many people knew the Empress hadn’t been cleared of her suspicion, so what? She was still the Empress, and Prince Zhou was still the legitimate son in the Imperial Palace, the most likely prince to ascend the throne. In this case, no one dared to offend her.

At this time, all the guests here were female members of the invited families. Prince Yue, who had come to send the message on behalf of the Emperor, also went to the front. There were songs and dances prepared by the Empress going on the flower platform.

They had been rehearsing these shows for a long time.

In the morning, these people, arranged by the Empress, focused on singing and dancing. In the afternoon, some Young Madams went up to demonstrate their talents.

The birthday banquet specially prepared by the Emperor would last for the whole day. When the officials and their family members entered the Palace, they would stay there for a day. After lunch, they would have a little rest and gather to watch these Misses’ fantastic shows, which was the major event today.

Compared with the singing and dancing of the palace maids, the superb performance of these Misses was the most eye-catching, which could also show the dignity of the Empress Dowager. Otherwise, her birthday banquet would be the same as that of an ordinary Old Madam.

Some began to offer gifts to the Empress Dowager one after another. Of course, presenting gifts before the Emperor and his officials was considered the most honorable thing. However, some people, who preferred keeping a low profile or whose gifts were not particularly outstanding, didn’t think it necessary to wait until later. Anyway, it wouldn’t make any difference. So, they began to demonstrate their gifts at this time.

Those unremarkable gifts might be more than one piece. If they presented their gifts earlier, they were less likely to awkwardly demonstrate the same ones others had shown.

It was still early, and everyone presented their gifts quickly. As one item was offered, the Empress Dowager would enjoy it with other noble ladies. Then, the next one would be sent over. It was also pleasant to watch the performance on the flower platform while appreciating various gifts. In the meantime, those Madams and Young Madams sitting outside could still chat leisurely.

“My Lady, they start presenting gifts!” After Yujie got the news, she went back to the small tent. Shao Wanru was waiting there for her message. Hearing Yujie’s words, she nodded. It was the best time. She was injured and could not hold on there until the banquet. So, she planned to go back to rest after sending the gift.

Because of her injury, the Empress Dowager wouldn’t criticize her even if she did the job rather incompetently! She didn’t want to waste such a rare opportunity. A shadow of a smile touched her mouth, bringing an air of easy assurance and calmness. Then, she reached out to put her hand on Qu Le’s and said, “Help me up. I’m going to present the gift in person!

Today, she made this trip to the Palace to show her sincerity by presenting the gift. Since it was a show of good faith, she had to do it properly…