Chapter 782: The Strange Reward

the villagers, who handed him an iron pickaxe and a big hammer. He dashed around the spring, hammering wildly once again.Gravel cascaded down, and the spring water flowed with increasing force, eventu...But no matter how doubtful, the Li family could not be without propriety.

Soon, Li Zhensheng personally went out to greet the people who came from the palace.

The visitor was a palace maid from the Empress's side, accompanied by four female attendants. The rest of the guards remained outside the door.

Then, the grandmother, carrying a food box, and four maids each holding trays covered in red silk,

Grandma approached with a smiling face, respectfully greeting the Li family. She was then invited to take a seat and have some tea.

She smiled and said, "My Lady, the Empress had a meal with the Third Princess today. She mentioned that you haven't been feeling well, and the Third Princess is very concerned about you."

"The Empress is the same way, after all, she watched you grow up. So, the Empress chose a few sets of jewelry for you and asked me to bring them.

"

"If the county lord is pleased, this illness will be half cured."

Having said that, she waved her hand, and a palace maid lifted the red silk cloth covering the tray, revealing what lay beneath.

Four trays, four sets of crimson gold jewelry.

The style isn't particularly intricate, but it's very affordable. Each set probably wouldn't cost more than a few ounces of gold to make.

Four sets is over twenty ounces of gold, which can be exchanged for over two hundred ounces of silver!

This gift isn't lavish, but it looks quite eye-catching and caters to my preferences. It's evident that thought was put into it.

Jia Yin's face lit up with a smile, her eyes twinkling with joy. She quickly thanked the Empress, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for still thinking of me. When I have fully recovered, I will go to the palace to express my gratitude."

Then, the grandmother seized the opportunity to take a close look at Jiayin. She saw that her little face was slightly thin and her complexion wasn't very good, but it wasn't much different from ordinary people.

When Grandma had a good idea, she smiled and got up. She took out a small flask from the food container, wrapped in a cotton cloth to keep it warm.

She continued to smile and said, "My lady, this is the tonic soup that the Empress has been drinking recently. The Empress consulted with imperial physicians who said it was particularly effective for nourishing the foundation, invigorating qi, and supplementing blood."

"Your Majesty instructed someone to make a batch for you as well. Please drink it while it's hot."

Jia Yin blinked her big eyes, looking at the medicine pot and frowned, seeming reluctant.

"What kind of medicine is this, is it bitter I hate taking medicine the most!"

"Grandma quickly said, "Not bitter, not bitter. The princess does not know, the Empress also fears bitterness."

Since the Empress can drink it, the taste must be good.

Having said that, she personally took out the medicine jar, poured a bowl of brown broth, and brought it to Jia Yin's face.

"Have this while it's hot, my lady. The Empress said that when you've fully recovered, she'll invite you to the palace to admire the chrysanthemums. They are all top-quality blooms, I'm sure you'll love them."

"Really" Jia Yin sounded very interested and asked again, "Did the gardener in the palace cultivate a phoenix-feathered flower Can I ask the Empress for a sapling"

Grandmother Nanny took a glance at the bowl of medicinal soup and said with a strained smile, “Princess, this old slave can’t make the decisions here.”

"Why don't you have this tonic soup first, then we can go see the flowers together and tell the Empress herself. The Empress cares for you so much, she wouldn't mind even ten or eight flower seedlings!"

Jia Yin happily nodded, just about to pick up the medicine bowl, when she heard Li Zhen Sheng shout, "Hold on."

He stepped forward and examined the medicine carefully. He looked up to see that his grandmother's anxiety hadn't subsided, which made him even more uneasy.

The Empress's sudden visit was already strange, but bringing along a pot of freshly brewed medicinal soup made it even more bizarre!

If you truly want to give a gift that nourishes the body, consider giving supplements, medicinal herbs, or even a prescription. There's no need to cook them up beforehand and send them.

And also, Jia Yin must drink it immediately, she can't refuse!

Then Grandmother pressed down on her flustered heart and said, "Master learned medicine But looking at this tonic, how is it not inappropriate"

"Grandmother has grown worse. With the Empress's grace, how dare I question her" Li Zhensheng shook his head but still said with a smile: "However, this congee has been carried all the way here, it's probably gone cold now, and the medicinal effect must be diminished."

"Why don't we have the prescription bestowed upon us, brew it at home, and then have the county princess take it"

"The old lady quickly said, "To be frank with the master, this prescription for medicinal tonic is a closely guarded secret of the imperial physician's family and they refuse to divulge it."

"The Empress also felt that the medicine was effective, so she sent it to the County Princess."

After saying that, she looked around at the Li family and added with a smile, "Master Li wouldn't distrust Empress Dowager, would he"

Li Zhensheng's face paled a bit, and he replied, "I dare not. I was just asking a few more questions."

After all, the county princess is still young. Before the Marquis went north, he instructed us many times to take good care of the county princess. He said that if anyone were to harm her, he would not let them get away with it when he returned.

Grandma's hand trembled, but she still pushed the bowl of medicine forward.

"Miss, please drink the tonic quickly, old slave is in a hurry to return and report!"

Jia Yin seemed not to have heard the previous witty remarks. She frowned, picked up the medicine bowl, shielded her mouth with her sleeve, and drank it all in one gulp.

After she finished her soup, she smacked her lips twice and said with some disdain, "This tonic isn't bitter, but it's a bit fishy."

"Grandma finally let out a sigh of relief and smiled, saying, 'This noodles must have been made with bird's nest. Not only is it good for nourishing the body, but it also beautifies and rejuvenates the skin. The princess has become accustomed to the taste and no longer finds it fishy.'"

Having said that, she took the medicine bowl and mortar and pestle, then got up to say goodbye.

Li Jia's family members all stood up and sent him to the door.

Needless to say, with one grandmother and four maidservants, the Li family also sent out five purses filled with hard-earned silver.

When only their own family was left in the house, Li Zhensheng immediately asked: "Funiu'er, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere Should we call Dr. Zhang"

Jia Yin smiled and waved her hand, asking, "Uncle, how did you know this congee was tampered with"

"What do you mean by 'getting your hands dirty'" Before Li Zhensheng could speak, Lao Tai Li rushed forward and grabbed her granddaughter's hand, her face paling with fright.

Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru, along with others, also rushed forward, their faces filled with worry.

"Grandma, don't worry! There's no poison in the soup, and I didn't drink any either."

Everyone let out a sigh of relief, but they still looked at her with concern, afraid she would collapse at any moment.

Jia Yin finally soothed her family before saying, “I just smelled the congee and it had seaweed. I tried a little bit and it was really good.”

This sea grass is not poisonous and won't take a person's life, but if you drink it, there won't be any initial reaction, but after two days you will start vomiting and having diarrhea, lasting at least five or six days.

Thus, even if a doctor comes to take the pulse, the doctor would think that the patient caught a cold or ate the wrong food and that's why they are sick.

"Fortunately, treating vomiting and diarrhea isn't too difficult, it definitely won't be life-threatening, just a bit of suffering."

Then Old Lady Li became angry, "Our family hasn't offended the Empress recently, why would she send you congee to make you suffer"

Tao Hongying also scolded: "Even if she is the queen, she can't harm children like this! Fortunately, you didn't drink, otherwise you would really vomit and have diarrhea. What should you do"

Li Zhensheng signaled everyone to stay calm and asked Jiayin, "Funiu'er, what do you think of this matter"

Jia Yin was also puzzled and said, "If our family truly offended the Empress, or if the Empress disliked me and wanted my life, she should have poisoned me. She shouldn't make such a big spectacle of it."

So, the Empress's true intention was probably just to have me fall slightly ill. Even if it were discovered, I wouldn't be in any danger. Neither our family nor even the Emperor would do anything to her.

I just don't know, how many days she made me sick for What was the reason

"Could it be that she's doing something these days that I might get in the way of, so she wants me to 'lie down' temporarily" went to the restaurant.Only Li Laoer brought along Jiaren and Ligero, protected by Zheng He, Zheng Feng, and Yè Shan, to the outside of the貢院.The top of the charts was crowded with people.As the cro...