The Empress Arrives: Rebirth of Concubine Hua

Chapter 205 Concubine Duan Offers Soup
Nian Shilan waved her hand, and Xiao Linzi hurriedly got up from the ground and put his ear close to Nian Shilan. Nian Shilan whispered something and let Xiao Linzi go.

After Concubine Duan recovered from her miscarriage, she went in and out of Jingren Palace more often. On this day, she was in Jingren Palace again with Ulanara.

Ulanara said with a smile when she saw Concubine Duan took the embroidery frame and carefully traced the pattern in her hand.

"Empress Duan is really patient. This needlework is very good. Look at the big fish on the material. It seems to be jumping around. But you have to be healthy and have a careful eye. Embroidery is the most demanding on the eyes."

Concubine Duan smiled as she embroidered the carp stitch by stitch.

"Thank you for your praise, Queen. When I was in my boudoir, what I disliked most was needlework. I used to think that embroidery was tedious, but after entering the palace, I had nothing to do for a long time, so I slowly started to practice needlework. Only then did I realize that embroidering my favorite patterns on these fabrics is a very satisfying thing."

Ulanara kept smiling.

"Sister Duanhui, the title bestowed by the Emperor is very appropriate. By the way, I have been taking care of my pregnancy these days, and all the affairs in the six palaces are handled by Concubine Hua. I wonder if Concubine Hua has missed anything, and if there is anything missing from my sister's Yanqing Palace?"

Concubine Duan lowered her head and embroidered with a faint smile on her lips.

"I have everything I need. But Concubine Hua saw that I was not feeling well recently, so she sent me some tonics. My servants stewed them for me, and my waist became bigger. Now that the weather is getting hot, I need new clothes made."

"I've noticed that you look pretty good lately, and you don't look the way you did after the miscarriage. But I heard that the emperor has been busy these days, and when he comes to the harem, he only visits Concubine Hua and Concubine Wan, besides visiting me. You should plan as soon as possible to regain the emperor's favor. It was an accident last time, so please don't blame the emperor, he's been sad for quite some time."

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Ulanara mentioned Concubine Duan's miscarriage. Concubine Duan stopped her needlework and when she looked up, her eyes were filled with tears.

"How dare I blame the emperor? It is my bad luck that I did not keep the child. These days, I heard that the emperor is busy. Although I miss him in my heart, I dare not disturb him easily. I only hope that I can come to your place more often and meet the emperor by chance."

Concubine Duan paused and continued.

"Please forgive me, Queen, for my selfish thoughts, but I do not want to, nor dare to, deceive you. This is exactly what I want in my heart."

Ulanara looked at the two tears that shed from Concubine Duan's face after she finished speaking, and thought to herself that since she was pregnant now, it would be good to have someone around to capture the emperor's attention.

"I like you to speak your mind directly, without beating around the bush. It's not easy for you to run into the emperor here. I will naturally mention it to the emperor when the time is right, and ask him to visit my sister's palace more often."

Concubine Duan put down the embroidery frame in her hand, stood up and bowed.

"I would like to thank the Queen for her support."

From that day on, Concubine Duan brought a bowl of soup to Jingren Palace every day, but Ulanara always laughed and said that her small kitchen had already cooked enough soup and she couldn't drink any more.

Concubine Duan said.

"The Queen's small kitchen is unmatched in the palace except for the Imperial Kitchen. The soups prepared every day are also from my heart. The snow water I collected last year is clean and pure. I take it every day and stew soup with my heart. I just hope that the Queen will be healthy."

Ulanara smiled and picked up the bowl of longan and tortoise soup, smelled it, and put it back on the tray.

"It smells so good, but I can't drink it right now. Please leave it here for now. I will heat it up in the evening and then taste your cooking."

Concubine Duan bowed and took her leave.

As soon as Concubine Duan left Jingren Palace, Jianqiu said immediately.

"Master, I will pour out the soup right now, and I will just say you drank it."

The smile on Ulanara's face disappeared and she called Jiang Fuhai over.

"Go and ask Imperial Doctor Zhang to come to Jingren Palace."

Jiang Fuhai took the order and left, then Ulanara said to Jianqiu.

"Don't rush to throw it away today. She has been sending it for five days in a row. I am a little curious about what good things she put in this soup. This pregnancy of mine was not easy to come by. Apart from the food in the small kitchen, I will not easily eat anything from the imperial kitchen."

Jianqiu Road.

"Yes, but I think that you are the queen. The women in the harem would not dare to harm you even if they were brave enough to do so." Ulanara said coldly.

"Defenses can not do without."

What Ulanara didn't say was that even if they were sisters in the palace, they would do anything to gain favor and status.

After a while, Doctor Zhang followed Jiang Fuhai into Jingren Palace, greeted Ulanara, first felt her pulse, and then bowed.

"Your Majesty is in good health. The prince has been in your belly for four months and is also very healthy. Your Majesty only needs to follow my dietary supplements every day and rest assured to take care of the baby."

Ulanara pointed to the bowl of soup next to her which was still emitting some steam and said.

"Since I found out I was pregnant, I have been careful not to use anything except my small kitchen. But the concubines in the harem want to honor me. So for the sake of being appropriate, I have to trouble the imperial physician to check before I can decide whether to use it or not."

Doctor Zhang said hurriedly.

"Your Majesty, it is very necessary for you to be cautious. I will examine you for you."

Ulanara watched Doctor Zhang busy for a long time, probing with a silver needle and tasting himself. Finally, Doctor Zhang put down the spoon in his hand and said.

"Reporting to the Queen, I have tested and tasted it. This soup should be longan and grass tortoise soup. The ingredients used in it include longan, red dates, wolfberry, grass tortoise, dragon bone, pig's trotter, and old ginger. There is nothing else.

This soup is stewed with longan and tortoise, which has the effect of nourishing the heart and calming the mind, nourishing the blood and spleen, and is just right for use in spring. If you are pregnant, it is very appropriate to eat more of this soup, which also has the effect of calming the mind and helping sleep. "

Ulanara asked.

"Doctor Zhang means that this soup is safe to consume?"

Doctor Zhang cupped his hands.

"Yes."

After sending Doctor Zhang away, Jianqiu asked Ulanara.

"My lady, do we still need to pour out this soup?"

Ulanara held her slightly bulging belly and said.

"Pour it out. I just want to confirm that Concubine Duan did not tamper with the soup."

Jianqiu laughed.

"Your Highness has become more cautious since she became pregnant. How dare Concubine Duan do something so blatantly?"

Ulanara smiled and watched Jianqiu take the soup away and pour it away.

How can we not be cautious? These daily diet items are the easiest to tamper with.

Otherwise, my sister would not have died in childbirth.

Xiao Linzi whispered to Nian Shilan that day.

"Your Majesty, Zhile said that she only complimented Yuluo a few words. Oh no, she is now a second-class maid in the Empress Dowager De's palace. Her name is Yu Qiongyin. Zhile complimented Yu Qiongyin and said that her face was beautiful and comparable to the ladies in the palace. Yu Qiongyin seemed to be moved and wanted to get close to the emperor just like she did when she was in the palace before."

Nian Shilan smiled.

"She has died once, yet she still has such wishful thinking. I want to see what method she will use to get close to the emperor."

But Nian Shilan never expected that Yu Qiongyin would become a concubine overnight and the emperor would bestow her the title of Yu Da Ying.