Chapter 112: Ginseng

Chapter 112: Ginseng

On the first day the new consorts entered the palace, the Emperor didn’t visit any of them, staying in Liyi Hall reviewing documents until late at night before returning to Jianzhang Palace to rest.

Therefore, the next morning in Fengyi Palace was relatively harmonious.

As usual, the Empress had the new consorts come forward one by one to greet her, and Jiang Hui, as usual, had prepared some hairpins and jewelry from Meiyin Pavilion as welcome gifts.

However, this batch of newcomers…

"What happened to your face, sister?" Consort De's voice interrupted Jiang Hui's thoughts. She looked up to see a woman dressed unremarkably, standing near the front with her head slightly lowered, her face partially covered by a veil.

Before the woman could respond, the Empress explained with a warm smile, "This is Lady Lu's daughter. She had an unfortunate fall in Chuxiu Palace and landed on broken porcelain. The imperial physician has seen her, and she will be well in a few days."

Lady Lu's daughter?

Given the Empress's mention of her, she must be from the prominent Fan Yang Lu family of the previous dynasty. Unlike the Yingchuan Wang family, the Fan Yang Lu family had provided significant assistance in founding the dynasty and had modestly declined the hereditary peerage offered by the Emperor. They were a family of scholars and had many members serving as officials in the current dynasty.

No wonder, despite her facial injuries, she was still selected for the palace. Judging by her position, she must have been given a relatively high rank among the newcomers.

But was this injury intentional or accidental? If intentional, was it self-inflicted or caused by someone else?

"Indeed, Consort De, it was an accident," Lady Lu spoke softly, her voice gentle and non-confrontational.

Consort De, however, was reminded of Lady Xie, who had also claimed to have sprained her ankle on her first day of greeting. That turned out to be part of a conspiracy with Prince Jin to commit treason!

She instinctively moved back, coughing uncomfortably when everyone's eyes turned to her, and said, "I see, I understand now."

"Alright," the Empress at the head of the hall redirected the focus, "New sisters, please come forward according to your rank."

The first woman to approach Jiang Hui was strikingly attractive and carried herself with grace. She said, "Consort Jiang, I am Duancaili from Ningxiangzhai of Fuyang Palace. I wish Consort Jiang peace and prosperity."

"Duancaili? Please rise," Jiang Hui smiled slightly, "So, you are the virtuous Miss Jiang."

"I dare not take credit," Duancaili respectfully lowered her gaze, "It was the great compassion of the masters at Pulu Temple. I merely lent a hand."

Jiang Hui merely nodded, signaling to Autumn Kui to present the welcome gift, and Duancaili tactfully stepped back towards Consort De.

Next came Lady Lu, her eyes visible beneath her veil revealing her stunning beauty.

She greeted Jiang Hui in kind, "Consort Jiang, I am Lu from Tangli Palace's Shuyuxuan. I wish you peace and prosperity."

Jiang Hui scrutinized her, noting the calm and dignity in her eyes. Smiling, she said, "I have a particular fondness for Master Yunting's calligraphy and paintings. I wonder, Lady Lu, how are you related to him?"

Master Yunting, surnamed Lu, was renowned for his calligraphy and landscape paintings.

Lu Cairen quietly responded, "He is my ancestral grandfather."

Hearing this, Jiang Hui gave a slight nod. Autumn Kui immediately stepped forward to present the gift, and Lady Lu also retreated.

After meeting with the six daughters of officials who were selected this time, the greeting ceremony finally concluded.

As Jiang Hui was about to step into her palanquin outside the Fengyi Palace, she heard a commotion behind her. Turning back, she saw that the newly titled Sun Baolin, Sun Qingyun, was provoking her own sister, Sun Gui Ren.

Jiang Hui, uninterested in such trivial matters, pretended not to notice and proceeded to her palanquin, hearing Consort He's loud but subtly joyful attempts to mediate.

Upon returning to Yao Hua Palace, it was already bright daylight. Nian'er, holding Huayang's hand, came out of the East Pavilion to greet their mother before sitting down at the table in the warm chamber, waiting to have breakfast with her.

Huayang was learning to use a spoon herself, sitting in a specially made small chair from the Palace Administration Bureau, seriously poking at the egg custard in her bowl. Nian'er, however, was already adept with chopsticks, sitting properly next to Jiang Hui, quiet and disciplined, making no noise.

Snowy, with her fluffy and soft fur, lay at Jiang Hui's feet, lazily swishing her long tail.

Snowy was the new name for the black-and-white cat, originally called Mimi by Consort He. Huayang, however, refused to continue calling her Mimi and insisted on a different name.

It wasn’t Huayang who came up with Snowy, though; it was the name her brother Nian'er thought of after she pleaded with him.

After the meal, Huayang was taken by her nurse to play in the garden, while Nian'er went to his desk to continue practicing calligraphy. Autumn Kui handed Jiang Hui a list, whispering, "Mistress, this is the list of food delivered to Jinlan Courtyard by the Imperial Kitchen recently."

Jiang Hui hummed in acknowledgment, scanned the list briefly, then handed it to Hongying, asking, "Is there anything here that a pregnant woman shouldn’t eat?"

Hongying carefully examined the list for a while before shaking her head, "No, everything here seems suitable for a pregnant woman."

Jiang Hui nodded slightly, then inquired, "What could cause a fetus’s heartbeat to weaken in the womb?"

"One reason might be the woman's weak constitution; second, issues with the fetus itself; third, illness during pregnancy; fourth, consumption of forbidden foods..." Hongying spoke in detail.

Aware that Lady Luo was the only pregnant woman in the palace and having just seen the Imperial Kitchen's menu, Hongying understood what her mistress was implying. She concluded, "From what I see, the most likely cause is excessive consumption of certain nourishing foods."

"Excessive consumption?" Jiang Hui raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," explained Hongying, "Apart from foods and medicines that can induce miscarriage, there are also nourishing items that shouldn't be consumed in excess, such as ginseng, longan, and soft-shelled turtle..."

She listed a range of items and elaborated, "Consuming too much of these can lead to over-nourishment. Especially during a time when the mother's body is in a state of Yin deficiency and Yang excess, it can easily result in fetal arrest and miscarriage."

"Ginseng…" Jiang Hui murmured. Longan and soft-shelled turtle would need to be requested from the Imperial Kitchen, but ginseng could be brewed in one's own quarters.

Moreover, from high-ranking officials to commoners, ginseng is widely considered a beneficial tonic. Without knowledge of pharmacology, one wouldn’t suspect the harm of consuming ginseng during pregnancy...

However, Lady Luo, coming from a less prominent background and holding only a consort's rank, couldn't have amassed so much ginseng even with the Emperor's gifts during her pregnancy.

"Mistress," Autumn Kui asked softly, "should we warn Lady Luo?"

"She probably already realizes it," Jiang Hui replied, sipping honey water handed by Wan Men. "A mother six months into pregnancy knows best whether the child in her womb is still moving or not."

"It's just uncertain whether she knows who is harming her," Jiang Hui said, though her eyes clearly indicated she had a suspicion.

Lady Luo wasn’t foolish. After becoming pregnant, she should have been more cautious about what she consumed. Those ginseng supplements were likely her own doing, mistakenly believing them to be beneficial for the fetus.

So who suggested that she consume more ginseng, and who provided her with so much of it? And why didn’t the Imperial Physician attending her notice the weakening fetal heartbeat?