Chapter 113

Lin Jiaojiao was instantly brought to her senses by Qingdai's words!

Right! Now is not the time to be despondent! Think back to when she first transmigrated here; the original owner had just died while giving birth, and her soul-transmigration was a disastrous start!

Now that she had family and someone she loved, even if the Emperor liked her, he hadn't rushed to make her an Imperial Concubine but was willing to take things slowly. That meant there must be areas where he needed to maneuver!

Lin Jiaojiao suddenly thought of one person: the Empress Dowager!

Shortly after she first entered the palace, she went to the Empress Dowager's Shoukang Palace and served Xiao Taihou for a few days. Pondering the "marriage urging" incident regarding Qin Yuan that day, she finally realized: Xiao Taihou must have seen that Qin Yuan had feelings for her back then!

But Xiao Taihou likely did not want Qin Yuan to take her into the Imperial Palace!

Otherwise, Qin Yuan wouldn't have first made her a female official to let her earn merit!

Since the Empress Dowager didn't want Qin Yuan to take her into the Imperial Palace, then she would just have to fan the flames!

Lin Jiaojiao tilted her head back and drank the tea Qingdai handed her in one gulp!

"You're right, Qingdai. As the saying goes, 'As long as the green hills remain, one need not worry about firewood,'" Lin Jiaojiao's eyes flashed with a renewed glimmer of hope. "Since that's the case, we shall proceed according to the original plan..."

"Ah? You already had a plan?" Seeing her no longer despondent, a trace of joy welled up in Qingdai's heart involuntarily.

What she couldn't have imagined was that Lin Jiaojiao had already made plans so early on!

"Qingdai, come here..." Lin Jiaojiao said, pulling Qingdai over and whispering a detailed explanation into her ear.

Qingdai listened with a look of shock, her mouth hanging wide open, then began to nod, saying it was right and feasible, and finally revealed an expression of sudden realization: "So that's how it is!"

Finally, she patted her chest, "You can rest assured and leave Fu'er's matter to me!"

After Lin Jiaojiao finished speaking, she suddenly felt the stone that had been pressing on her heart had been moved away. Her body and mind felt much lighter, and a wave of exhaustion surged up, her eyelids beginning to fight each other.

She yawned, changed her clothes and washed up under Qingdai's service, then lay on the bed, savoring Lu Zhenting's confession in her heart, clutching the heart-protecting silver mirror tightly in her hand, and slept dreamlessly until dawn.

The next morning, Lin Jiaojiao woke up groggily. Hearing the movement, Qingdai came out from the side room to help her get up.

After breakfast, just as she had taken the medicinal decoction brought back last night, someone outside reported: "Ningfei Niangniang has arrived—"

"Didn't she send someone yesterday to say she sprained her leg? Why is she here today?" Lin Jiaojiao was stunned for a moment, then quickly sat at the vanity, rapidly applied a thick layer of white powder to her face, flicked a few drops of water onto her forehead to feign sweat, and then, supported by Qingdai, walked out of the room while pretending to cough. After a graceful bow, she said weakly, "Greetings, Ningfei Niangniang."

She saw Ningfei Niangniang sitting on a sedan chair, being carried by servants into Qingju Pavilion. As Lin Jiaojiao bowed, she clearly saw a circle of white bandages wrapped around her right ankle.

Lin Jiaojiao's face showed surprise, "Ningfei Niangniang, with an injury on your leg, shouldn't you be resting properly? Why have you come to Qingju Pavilion?"

Ningfei saw her standing unsteadily; if it weren't for Qingdai supporting her, she might have been blown over by a gust of wind!

"I heard about what happened yesterday and originally wanted to come see Sister Lin last night," Ningfei's beautiful face showed concern, "but the little prince was making such a fuss and wouldn't let me go, so I couldn't get away. Now that the little prince has gone to do his lessons, I hurried over to take a look. Sister Lin, are you alright?"

"Thank you for your concern, Ningfei Niangniang," Lin Jiaojiao covered her mouth with a handkerchief and coughed a few times, "I saw Qin Liuye die right before my eyes, and even had a few drops of blood splashed on me. I was so frightened that I didn't realize I was so fragile, and now I've fallen ill today."

Upon hearing that Qin Liuye died before Lin Jiaojiao's eyes and even splashed blood on her, Imperial Concubine Ning couldn't help but lean back slightly, but her face still showed concern, "Miss Lin, you really have been frightened. I have some excellent calming herbs; I'll have Duruo send some over later."

"This subject thanks Ningfei Niangniang." Just then, another autumn breeze swept by, and Lin Jiaojiao shivered, "Qingdai, why is it so cold today?"

Qingdai subconsciously touched Lin Jiaojiao's forehead and immediately exclaimed in surprise: "Oh! Why is your forehead so hot!"

"What, is it a fever from the shock?" Ningfei frowned slightly and said worriedly, "I will send someone to call the Imperial Physician—"

"No need, cough, cough, cough," Lin Jiaojiao coughed a few more times, "Thank you for your concern, Ningfei Niangniang. I am a physician myself, and last night the Emperor even appointed me as an Imperial Physician. I know how to treat my own body; I have already taken medicine this morning."

"It's good that you've taken medicine," Ningfei Niangniang breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in approval, "You should hurry back and rest. Since you have been appointed as an Imperial Physician, surely you have a way to get better quickly."

After saying this, she pointed to her bandaged right ankle and smiled, "I was still counting on you to treat this leg."

Lin Jiaojiao replied humbly: "The palace is full of Imperial Physicians with brilliant medical skills. This subject dares not show off her medical skills before Ningfei Niangniang. However, since I have received your kindness, I will certainly make sure to recover quickly so I can examine your sprain."

"Do you know why I value you?" Ningfei said, suddenly sighing, a look of nostalgia inadvertently appearing on her face: "Besides your brilliant medical skills and pure heart, there is another point: you look very much like an old friend of mine."

"This subject looks like your old friend?" Upon hearing this, Lin Jiaojiao raised her almond eyes, which were sparkling with curiosity, and even forgot to pretend to be sick and cough.

"Yes," Ningfei sighed softly. She looked at Lin Jiaojiao closely, thinking more and more of an old acquaintance, so she couldn't help but ask, "Lin Guniang, do you know Rouyi?"

"Who is Rouyi?" Lin Jiaojiao subconsciously exchanged a glance with Qingdai. She saw Qingdai shake her head slightly, seemingly knowing a little about Rouyi, but the look in Qingdai's eyes revealed that it was not convenient to discuss Rouyi in front of Ningfei at this moment.

"Rouyi was a remarkable woman from the Southern Frontier," Ningfei fell into memories, her eyes full of longing, "Back when the Emperor was still the Crown Prince, he was once assassinated and fled all the way to a remote mountain village, where he was finally saved by Rouyi."

"When the Emperor brought Rouyi back to the Eastern Palace, I had just been promoted to a small Collator, mainly responsible for organizing the royal archives and books. Because Rouyi loved books and ink very much and often went to the archives to look for books, that was how I got to know her."

"And then?" Hearing this, Lin Jiaojiao roughly guessed that Qin Yuan, who was the Crown Prince at the time, must have been very fond of that woman named Rouyi!

Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought her back to the Eastern Palace, nor would he have let her browse the royal archives!

Her mind raced: No wonder Qin Yuan wanted to keep her by his side; it turned out he really had a 'white moonlight'!

Ningfei said she looked like Rouyi, so it seemed she was just a substitute for Qin Yuan's first love!