TPNCQ Chapter 2.1
Chapter- You have to eat to stay away from hunger 2.1
On the
twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, it was time for the annual house
cleaning.
Inside
Jingren Palace, the palace attendants were impeccably trained, moving with
silent precision and perfect harmony, executing their tasks with flawless
efficiency.
The snow
had ceased falling, leaving a thick blanket of snow in the courtyard, nearly
half a foot deep. The young eunuchs had diligently cleared several paths early
on.
As usual, Imperial
Physician Luo from the Ping'an Clinic had been patiently waiting in the hallway
for quite a while.
Shuang jiang
helped Su Limo to lie down before lowering the curtains, then allowed the young
palace maid to summon him in.
Imperial Physician
Luo approached the canopy with measured steps, adhering to protocol as he knelt
down and carefully took Su Limo's pulse. After a prolonged silence, he spoke
slowly, "Your Highness, today's pulse is much steadier. However, your body
remains weak. I will carefully consider the medications and prescribe a few
more herbal concoctions to complement your treatment."
Peering through the canopy, Su Limo could barely make out the figure, estimating from the voice that the person was around forty years old.
"Thanks
to Physician Luo's kindness and expertise, I've made it through. Shuang jiang,
give him a reward," Su Limo imitated the speech of a queen from a TV
series, speaking with refined elegance. Well, binge-watching dramas wasn't
completely without merit, cough cough…
Upon
hearing this, Imperial Physician Luo bowed and expressed his gratitude, humbly
accepting a silk pouch filled with silver coins. The weight of the pouch caught
him off guard, causing a slight tremble in his hand, but being a seasoned imperial
physician, he quickly composed himself.
"The
safety of my daughter and I rests solely on Imperial Physician Luo's shoulders.
I hope you will take extra care," Su Limo said with a gentle tone.
If it
hadn't been for Imperial Physician Luo's words, the hand disability of the
Fourth Princess might not have turned into a blessing. Su Limo was well aware
of the significance behind this.
Physician
Luo paused briefly before bowing even more respectfully. "I will surely
serve Niang Niang and the Fourth Princess attentively, Niang Niang, please rest
assured," he pledged.
Su Limo
waved her hand and the clever young palace maid, Dong Xue, swiftly stepped
forward to lead Physician Luo to the adjacent room to prepare the prescription.
As Shuang jiang
rearranged the canopy, she helped Su Limo settle against two soft pillows and
handed her a cup of warm ginseng soup.
Su Limo
took the cup of ginseng soup and drank it down in one gulp, then waved her
hand. Shuang jiang led the palace maids out of the bedchamber to wait outside.
In recent
months, the most sought-after physicians of the Imperial hospital were either
attending to Empress Fucha or beloved Consort Jia, leaving only the
lesser-ranked physicians to assist with childbirth. It was unheard of for
someone like him to be tasked with such an important duty in the past.
It was a
blessing in disguise that he hadn't been highly regarded in the past, if not,
he wouldn't have known who his mistress truly was. Keeping
silent about the gossip was one thing, but under no circumstances should he
solve the Fourth Princess's dilemma.
Now was the
time when assistance was crucial, and after several days of observation and
consideration, Su Limo made the decision to extend an olive branch to him.
No matter
who offends, one must never offend a physician, especially in the harem.
Without a competent imperial physician to attend to them, one might quietly
cease to exist one day….
Su Limo health
was very weak, and before long, she drifted off into a gentle slumber, only
waking up when it was time for lunch.
Observing
the rich variety of dishes on the table, along with two different bowls of
soup, each emitting a faint medicinal aroma, Su Limo recognized them as the
medicinal meal prescribed by Imperial Physician Luo.
Considering
her position as a high-ranking concubine, Su Limo found the postpartum meals to
be surprisingly excellent. They were meticulously balanced, featuring a wide
array of fruits, vegetables, and meats, ensuring a rich source of high-quality
proteins. The soups, skimmed of any excess oil, were both flavourful and
appetizing.
With two
palace maids attending to her meal, Su Limo felt increasingly irritated as they
meticulously served each dish. Finally, she dismissed them to wait outside the
bedchamber, preferring to eat alone at the table, picking up her chopsticks and
devouring her food with gusto.
“A big
eater surely ought to eat much. Thus, I will eat a lot.” she thought to
herself, happily selecting her favourite dishes without any fuss, unwilling to let
the food cool down. waste time waiting for lukewarm food.
As Shuang jiang
led the young palace maids in to tidy up, she noticed that each dish had been
significantly eaten. A heavy weight lifted off her chest at last. As long as
the food could be consumed, the health of the noble consort would surely return
to normal. Understanding that the noble consort had been preferring solitude
these days, she avoided having people hovering in the bedchamber unnecessarily.
Instead, she led the palace maids to attend to tasks outside.
After
finishing lunch and enjoying two cups of tea, Su Limo lay down again and soon
drifted off to sleep.
During the confinement
period, the most important thing is to eat well, sleep well, and rest well.
However,
there's an unfortunate rule here.
There are
only two main meals a day. The first meal can be served from around 5:00 in the
morning until around 11:00, and the second meal can be served from noon until
around 3:00 in the afternoon. After that, there are no more main meals, so if
you're hungry, you can only eat snacks or pastries.
Of course,
money can make the impossible possible. With enough silver, enjoying four meals
a day is not an issue.
Except...
it would invite mockery from others.
In less
than two days, news spread throughout Jingren Palace that Noble Consort Chun
was now indulging in four meals a day. The palace was abuzz with laughter and
gossip, except for Chunxi Palace.
Many concubines, in order to maintain their slender figures, ate very little each day. Even during the postpartum period, they dared not indulge too much for fear of altering their figures and losing favor. After all, Emperor Qianlong was renowned for his romantic nature and always placed great importance on a woman's appearance.