Chapter 376

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

After agreeing with Shen Xingniang to take advantage of the clear autumn weather to go out and tour the gardens together at a suitable time, Song Miao sent the person away.

She returned to her room again, took a basin of water, wiped the Golden Lotus and books clean with a cloth, and then slowly scrubbed the box and cases.

Cheng Erniang, having received the news, specially sent some wood ash and soapberries in.

But the outermost part of that box was covered all over with burn marks from flames; just washing with water, even with wood ash, still could not remove them.

Cheng Erniang kindly suggested: "Since this is Young Lady's old family item, why not find a blacksmith to have someone help polish the dirty places outside clean—by then it would be a perfectly good box!"

Song Miao shook her head and said softly: "This is fine."

Since coming here, she had actually found opportunities to read historical records; official histories only mentioned it in passing without details, while unofficial histories had many different accounts.

At that time the world was in great chaos, warlords contended for supremacy, and the Pingyang Army was unstoppable, attacking cities and seizing pools; one day they finally took Xiangzhou, and after entering the city they did not harm the people in the slightest, and were about to organize the army and march south—the situation was truly very favorable.

That night the generals and soldiers held a banquet at the Zhou Ya; after the victory feast, at midnight, suddenly a sky fire broke out in the city; by dawn, when the fire was extinguished, everyone discovered that only some scorched earth remained in the Houshu, while Lei Jiong, the rebel leader, and his close aides had all disappeared without a trace.

Some said they saw a bolt of heavenly thunder the previous night, striking the Houshu and killing everyone.

Others said the people were burned to death by sky fire.

There was another account that said because Lei Jiong and others disagreed with their subordinates searching the city and robbing the people, they incurred resentment, so someone put medicine in their wine, and finally a fire burned everyone to death.

The Pingyang Army lost its leader, each had their own thoughts, and split into many armies, never again becoming a threat.

A little over a hundred years later, she had someone ask around; the Zhou Ya in Xiangzhou city had moved several times, and the government office that had caught fire back then had long become an ordinary road, with countless people walking back and forth on it every day.

The truth of that time was increasingly hard to find; only this one box covered in burn marks remained before her.

Inside the box was the Golden Lotus that her eldest uncle had vowed to have craftsmen make for him before going down the mountain, to be sent as a signal at the appointed time, and also the Riddle Book that had suddenly appeared for some unknown reason, which she clearly no longer pursued.

If there could be more in the future, that would naturally be best.

But if there were no more, this was already enough as comfort.

Song Miao flipped through a book, then carefully put everything away.

Just as she was tidying up, she heard someone come in to report that a yellow-gate eunuch had arrived from the palace.

Previously when Song Miao entered the palace, she had hoped to repay Empress Dowager Yang's "borrowed silver" monthly, and had agreed on the repayment day and hour at the same time.

The first repayment happened to be today.

Song Miao hastily put the prepared official document into an envelope and brought it out to the front hall.

That yellow-gate official had a very kind face and was easy to talk to; seeing Song Miao, he only said: "Empress Dowager summoned me to see how Young Lady Song's house renovation is going, and asked whether you have chosen where to place her table and chairs; she instructed me to look at the place and learn, so that suitable table and chair styles can be selected."

Song Miao hurriedly led the person to the opposite house.

She took the other person around the opposite house once, introduced the progress, then pointed to a Xiang Fang room and said: "This room is the largest, and its windows face the jade magnolia tree behind; if Empress Dowager truly comes, sitting here to look at the back courtyard, the scenery is just right—very suitable for placing those tables and chairs."

She explained her plan, then took the envelope from her sleeve, unfolded it, and showed it to the yellow-gate official.

The first page had the layout and size of the room drawn and written, as well as the scenery outside facing it, all depicted very finely.

That yellow-gate official was originally very amiable; seeing that Song Miao was so fully prepared and he did not need to exert any effort himself, his attitude became even better.

Therefore, when Song Miao said she had something to present to the Empress Dowager and asked him to first return to the food shop to sit and rest for a while, he did not refuse again.

He drank half a teacup of tea and ate some snacks; then Song Miao had the things brought out.

One food box of egg rolls mixed with hemp pastry, one package of sugar-preserved olive kernels, and two small porcelain bottles.

Song Miao introduced them one by one; after finishing, she pointed to the porcelain bottles and said: "It is Fritillary and Autumn Pear Paste made according to the prescription; now that autumn is dry, throats easily itch and dry coughs occur, so I specially simmered some; the prescription is here..."

As she spoke, she handed over another letter and said: "This is the paste prescription; I do not know if Her Ladyship can take it—you can take it to ask the Imperial Physician; there is also another prescription, also presented to Her Ladyship."

That yellow-gate official put away the things and letter, took another sip of drink, and then left with his people.

He returned to Ciming Palace, laid out the things, and while reporting the renovation progress of the house he had seen today and the size of the room Song Ji prepared for placing the Empress Dowager's tables and chairs, he also handed over Song Miao's letter.

Empress Dowager Yang nodded frequently, smiling to a palace attendant beside her: "Select a good set to send over—who knows, one day I might take an interest and truly go sit in that food shop."

Seeing there were two bottles of Fritillary and Autumn Pear Paste, she said again: "Truly thoughtful."

Speaking of which, she had to go look at that paste prescription.

The paste prescription was nothing special, very common; but afterward there was another food prescription, said to be for women to regulate their bodies, nourish yin and supplement Qi, using Dangshen, red dates, shiitake mushrooms, etc., steamed together with chicken pieces; eat the meat and drink the meat soup, one small plate a day, about the portion of one chicken leg, until the supplementation is complete.

What does "supplementation complete" mean?

Empress Dowager Yang continued reading and then saw Song Miao's letter.

It was a very simple letter; after the greetings at the beginning, she first spoke of the food shop renovation progress and current business, then said she had heard some news before, and in recent days the news had grown more and more intense; she could not help much, but from childhood she had learned from her mother a method to supplement Qi and blood; women eating more would have abundant Qi and blood.

After saying these, she mentioned that the Capital Prefecture Office was pressuring high officials and nobles, and had no choice but to release one of the stewards involved in the case from Wu Yuanwai's household.

Upon learning this news, she was truly anxious in her heart, not knowing how to respond, and there was no suitable elder in her household to consult, so she rashly wrote a letter to the palace, asking the Empress Dowager to point out a way.

Empress Dowager Yang looked at this letter; at first she still had a smile, but gradually the smile faded, and her complexion became unpleasant.

Just one piece of news, and it frightened someone into hastily sending such a food prescription here, especially explaining it was for women to supplement Qi and blood?

She summoned an old yellow-gate eunuch and said: "Go inquire, inquire whether there is any news in the city recently involving the imperial family."

That yellow-gate eunuch had followed Empress Dowager for a long time and knew her style of doing things; he did not go ask Guan Kou of the Imperial City Office, nor did he inquire randomly in the palace, but waited until the next day at dawn, and early in the morning brought several young eunuchs out of the palace.

He divided his people into several groups: some went to teahouses and wine shops on prosperous streets, some went to the entertainment district, some wandered the streets and alleys and river docks, while he himself specially ran to the Taixue area.

The Taixue public examination had just ended these past two days, exactly when everyone had free time; he casually found a nearby teahouse, and upon entering, did not even need to find a seat, before hearing it noisy and bustling inside.

"Zhong Xu, come quickly and look at this essay; this essay is written so well!"

"Which essay? Huh? This... where is this good? It's clearly full of redundant verbiage; actually 'Lu Wang's Omen Compares Itself, Gazing at the Imperial Throne'—these ten words are enough; yet your essay, written back and forth, is over eight hundred words, so wordy it makes my head ache! Look at this essay in my hand!"