Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 351 Pregnancy Diagnosis: Men and Women

The next day, as dawn broke, all the concubines gathered at Renming Hall to pay their respects.

As everyone expected, the Emperor was also there. The Empress sat upright to one side of the phoenix throne, her face ashen.

Jingming unfurled the yellow silk and read aloud:

"Regarding the incident of Madam Shen experiencing abdominal pain and threatened miscarriage at yesterday's summer banquet, an investigation revealed that the head of the Food Bureau neglected his duties, resulting in a failure to properly control the ingredients; the imperial chef in charge of the noodle preparation, Li Dequan, was negligent in his duties, mixing hawthorn into the jujube paste filling of Madam Shen's lotus-shaped pastry, which nearly harmed the fetus. His actions are unforgivable. He is hereby ordered to be beaten to death as a warning to others."

During her tenure as an assistant in palace affairs, Xie failed to diligently supervise, leading to trouble and ineffective work. Therefore, she is demoted to the rank of Lady of the Palace and fined six months' salary as punishment.

After the reading was completed, the Emperor frowned slightly, glanced at everyone in the hall, and said coldly, "The affairs of the harem are related to the face of the royal family and the safety of the offspring. You all must do your best. If there is any negligence, you will not be let off lightly."

After speaking, he assigned the task of organizing the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet to Consort Chun and ordered Meng Shu to assist in the process to ensure the banquet went smoothly.

The concubines bowed their heads to listen to the reprimand. The gold filigree bee and butterfly hairpin in Consort Xie's hair had been replaced with a plain silver hairpin, which gleamed coldly in the morning light. She knelt down sadly to express her gratitude, her former radiance and charm gone.

Consort Chun raised her eyes slightly, her gaze towards Meng Shu revealing a hint of helplessness, exactly the same as when she was forced to do her homework by Mr. Lin at Yunyin Academy back then, with a hint of irritation mixed in.

After the morning audience, Consort Chun immediately began preparations with Meng Shu. Fortunately, Consort Xie was quite diligent, ordering that the banquet schedule be clearly handed over.

Inside Shujing Hall.

The Empress personally came to visit Consort Shen, just as Cui Huan was taking her pulse. The Empress lowered her eyes and asked, "How is Consort Shen?"

"Your Majesty, Consort Shen's pregnancy is stable. Although she has been temporarily disturbed, her maternal health is robust. After taking the pregnancy-stabilizing drink, she only needs to rest quietly for ten days and avoid eating raw or cold foods, and she will be fine," Cui Huan reported, bowing.

Consort Shen's complexion was still acceptable. Upon hearing this, she bowed and said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty. It was all because I was greedy yesterday. I will never do it again. It's strange, but lately I've been feeling very hungry..." As she spoke, her voice gradually lowered, as if she also felt somewhat ashamed.

The Empress nodded slightly and said gently, "You are currently pregnant, which is perfectly normal. However, you should also be careful to have Yuehuan help you walk around the courtyard more each day, as this will be beneficial for the fetus."

Yuehuan curtsied and accepted the order. Shen Jieyu looked listless upon hearing this, then, as if remembering something, she gently stroked her belly and said softly:

"They say that a mother and child are of one heart, and I feel that this child is definitely a prince. He survived such a dangerous situation yesterday, and after his birth, he will be taken care of by the Empress. It is clear that he is a blessed child."

The Empress curled her lips into a smile, glancing at Cui Huan out of the corner of her eye. "Did you see Consort Guo's medical records when you were on duty at the Imperial Hospital?"

Cui Huan looked embarrassed and knelt on the ground to beg for forgiveness: "Consort Guo has been staying at home and only invites Imperial Physician Jian to examine her every three days. According to the rules of the Imperial Medical Bureau, the pulse records of the pregnant empresses in the palace are all managed by the special Imperial Physician. I have tried to find an opportunity to see her several times but have not been able to."

Xingyu said softly, "Your Majesty, Physician Jian is a wandering doctor from the martial arts world. He was appreciated by the Emperor for his meritorious treatment of the epidemic in Jinzhou. Consort Guo's father was also acquainted with him. It is because of this relationship that Consort Guo trusts Physician Jian so much."

The Empress pondered for a long while, her eyes deepening: "I remember that Imperial Physician Jian also took Consort Chun's pulse at the same time... That's quite interesting."

"Guo is quite shrewd, so cautious indeed. Now that I'm at Shujing Palace, I can't show favoritism to either of them; I should go and visit her in person."

When we left Shujing Hall, the sun was already beginning to set in the west.

Cui Huan, carrying the medicine chest, followed behind the Empress and her entourage until they reached a quiet corridor. The Empress suddenly stopped and turned her head slightly to look at him.

"I've heard that when Physician Cui was among the common people, he was most skilled in the art of 'terminating abortion,' a skill that is rare even among the many physicians in the Imperial Hospital. I'll ask you one more time: is the child in Lady Shen's womb a prince or a princess?"

Cui Huan's heart tightened, and he felt his back instantly soaked with cold sweat. He replied tremblingly:

“How could your humble servant dare to deceive Your Majesty in the slightest? A month ago, your humble servant made a diagnosis: Consort Shen’s left pulse is slippery and weak, and her right cun pulse is floating and short, indicating that she is undoubtedly pregnant with a girl. Your humble servant is willing to swear on his head that there is absolutely no falsehood in his words.”

—Determining the sex of a fetus is not something a physician can presume to say, much less use it for profit. Moreover, judging by pulse diagnosis should be based on the fourth month of pregnancy, yet even then, the accuracy is only about 50% accurate, with many errors.

But Cui Huan was different.

He had been studying gynecology for over twenty years and rarely made mistakes in diagnosing pregnancies. It was precisely because of this that the Jiang family secretly sent him to the Imperial Hospital.

After Cui Huan finished speaking, he stood there obediently, eyes lowered, awaiting orders.

The golden-red afterglow slanted across the vermilion palace walls. The empress stood beneath the corridor, half her face bathed in the thin light of the setting sun, while the other half was shrouded in deepening shadows. Her features were deep and obscure.

A slight smile played on her lips, and a hint of amusement crept into her eyes, making her half-lit, half-shadowed face appear even more enigmatic.

......

The moon is about to rise, and the night air is slightly intoxicating.

Jingming sent word in advance that the Emperor would visit Cuiyu Hall at Hai hour (9-11 PM).

Green Willow instructed the palace servants to sweep and burn incense in advance, and had Winter Melon prepare the Emperor's favorite snacks. She also had Jinxi set up the gilded palace lanterns in the corridor early in the morning.

After Meng Shu finished checking the palace affairs before tomorrow's banquet, she had just come out of the study when she was pulled to the West Warm Pavilion.

Seeing that no one inside or outside the hall was idle and everyone was busy with their own tasks, Meng Shu looked blank for a moment.

Upon entering the warm pavilion, one is greeted by a thick, warm atmosphere. A hot bath has been prepared inside, with rose and jasmine petals floating on the water. Xia'er, with a silk handkerchief embroidered with peony vines draped over her arm, stands by the bathtub, waiting with a beaming smile.

"...It's not like it's the first time I've served the emperor, why go through all this trouble outside?"

Green Willow's hands moved swiftly, deftly untying the sash around Meng Shu's waist. "My good Your Majesty, although it's not the first time, receiving Your Majesty at Lingcui Palace is a first. Otherwise, why would Minister Jing have sent someone to deliver the message in advance?"

The servants had already prepared the incense burner in advance, and the curtains had been changed to auspicious colors; now all that was left was to bathe and dress the lady.

Xia'er helped Lvliu change her clothes and smiled, "Your Majesty, please listen to Sister Lvliu. This is what everyone in the harem does. Moving to a new residence and receiving the Emperor's favor for the first time, such a grand ceremony is to bring good luck."

"That's right!" Green Willow exclaimed. "If Aunt Mei hadn't come to give me some pointers, I really wouldn't have known these tricks of the trade."

Warm steam filled the bathroom. Meng Shu stepped into the tub and pinched the flesh on Lvliu's arm. "Even without Auntie's help, Lvliu has managed everything perfectly. She already has the air of a head lady-in-chief."

Having spent more time with Meng Shu, Xia'er was less reserved than before and teased, "Our Lingcui Palace doesn't have a head nanny, so isn't Sister Green Willow our 'little aunt'?"

"You little rascal!" Green Willow's ears burned, and she pretended to pinch Xia'er's mouth. The two laughed and joked, splashing water all over the ground.

As Xia'er finished bathing, she went out to fetch perfume. Meng Shu asked, "In the afternoon, after Her Majesty the Empress came out of Shujing Palace, did she go to Consort Guo's place? What was the occasion?"

Green Willow lowered her voice and said, "Aunt Mei mentioned it when she came earlier, saying it was nothing serious. However, after Her Majesty the Empress returned, she sent two boxes of tonics to Dieqiong Pavilion. Imperial Physician Jian examined them and found they were completely clean."