Chapter Fifty-Seven: Returning the Favor

  The queen walked up to the table and saw that the dish was still green and shiny, making her mouth water. However, the piece in Pong Luo's handkerchief had already turned dark green with a hint of purple showing through. The queen walked over, picked up the handkerchief, and used her own handkerchief to wrap up one of the pieces.

  The queen sneered: "This idea is really clever, if it weren't for my obedient daughter, I would have eaten this often recently, but I don't know where such a delicate mind comes from?"

  Ruofang said, "Your Ladyship, these things were all checked with a silver needle before they were sent in. Just now, I measured them again and still couldn't detect anything. Except for the color gradually changing, everything else is normal."

  The queen raised an eyebrow and said: "It seems that everything is normal." The queen turned around and said: "How do you see it, Xue Er?"

  Pan Luoxue walked to the front and said, "Yu Fang will definitely not be able to detect it. The color of this dish is still deep green, and after a while, it will turn purple. This dish has been soaked in a special medicinal liquid, and things that have been soaked in this liquid cannot be detected by silver needles."

  "What? What kind of medicine is so magical?" The queen asked with a curious face.

  Pang Luoxue looked at the Empress with a face as if nothing was wrong, and indeed had some guts. As the Empress, she had seen many tricks to harm people.

  "Pang Luo Xue smiled slightly and said: 'Your Highness, you see that everything has already turned purple.'"

  The queen and Ruofang looked down, and indeed, the vegetables wrapped in Pong's handkerchief had turned deep purple, while the one next to it was still green.

  Pang Luoxue continued: "This is worth a thousand gold coins, and it's usually impossible to get one. I suppose the person behind the scenes won't be of too low status."

  "Can the county master know what this medicine is for?"

  "If you continue to take this medicine for a long time, it will damage your body's constitution. More importantly, the harm it causes to women is that they will be childless. Gradually, one will become addicted to this medicine. And Mother, haven't you felt that your body has been feeling tired lately and getting angrier easily?"

  "The princess is right, recently the empress has indeed been physically exhausted and her temper has also become somewhat violent."

  "That's good then, mother should like eating this dish recently."

  "Yes, I think this dish is refreshing and delicious. Lately, I've been eating it every day, but recently the King of Yu sent over a lot of fresh food, so I haven't been eating much of it."

  "That's it, Empress Dowager, please sit down and let Xue'er help you with your pulse."

  The queen's face was full of surprise: "Xue Er actually understands medicine?"

  Pang Luoxue was startled, this palace has always liked women not to know too much, she herself is also worried and confused, hurriedly knelt down to apologize: "Please forgive me, Mother, it's just that Snow learned it in her free time, my family doesn't know about it."

  The queen helped Snow up and said, "Snow's intention, the empress understands. It's just that this matter of learning medicine should not be known to others, understand? However, I think learning medicine is a good thing. If it weren't for you, the empress would have been killed by someone without knowing. You can rest assured, the empress will keep this secret."

  Pang Luo Xue nodded: "Thank you, Empress Dowager"

  Pang Luoxue gave the Empress a pulse diagnosis, although she hadn't studied medicine for long, but her teacher was a famous toxic doctor, so it came naturally to her.

  Ruofang took over the pen, ink, paper and inkstone to wait for Pang Luoxue to write down the prescription. The empress saw that she was young and had a strong handwriting, it can be seen that she is a person with ups and downs in her heart.

  Pang Luoxue finished writing one and didn't stop, then wrote two more.

  "If you don't understand, Pang Luoxue laughed and said: 'This one is for detoxification. This one, Auntie Yu Fang, prepare more of it, use it to soak the silver needle. Even if it's exposed to air, it can be detected. As long as the silver needle changes color, no matter what color, I dare not eat it again.'"

  Ruofang nodded, and the county master's prescription was indeed too important.

  Pang Luo Xue took up the third prescription and said: "This is for the empress to regulate her body, make all preparations, and please drink it on time."

  "Xue Er is so considerate, I really don't know how much virtue this palace accumulated in the previous life to have a daughter like Xue Er who is so attentive. This palace truly envies Madame Pang of the Duke's household."

  Ruofang's aunt said, "Your Ladyship, now the county master is also your daughter, naturally there is no need to envy others anymore. Looking at the county master's filial piety towards you, she must be a dutiful and sensible person."

  "Yes, I am also a blessed one."

  The queen saw this dish and said: "Snow, what do you think is good about this?"

  "In Yixue's opinion, finding out the mastermind behind the scenes is the priority, and then it depends on what kind of gift the empress wants to give her."

  The queen nodded and said, "Xue'er makes sense." Then she looked at Ruofang again and said, "You also saw what happened just now. Investigate the palace maid thoroughly, but don't let anyone notice. She might still be useful later."

  Ruò Fāng nodded and said yes.

  The queen said, "Snow thinks this gift should be returned in what way?"

  Pang Luoxue stroked the bangle in her hand, lost in thought. "Since this matter is directed at Mother, let's see if the person behind the scenes is worth Mother's concern. Just like this Blood Jade, even His Majesty can't help but feel a lingering fear."

  The queen nodded: "Today is also a tiring day, tomorrow I will let the Yu Wang bring you into the palace, we two mothers will watch a good show"

  "Xue'er is eagerly waiting, and you should take good care of your body too, Mother."

  The queen nodded and Pang Luoxue bowed respectfully before retreating.

  As Fang let a palace maid send Pang Luoxue out, she saw that some of the peonies in Chenxi Palace had been moved out. The tender red petals lay on the green brick road, looking limp and wilted beyond words.

  The queen was indeed ruthless and decisive, and the queen's heart must not have been feeling well either. After all, this man had given her so many beautiful memories, and even she felt that it was despicable of herself to personally go and shatter those lies that had woven a beautiful dream, Pang Luoxue sneered at herself.

  The palace maid led Pang Luoxue through the Chenxi Palace and walked to the Imperial Flower Garden, where they could walk on the main road out of the palace.

  Pang Luoxue also came out for a day, and she didn't want to stay in this place of gossip for long. She followed the palace maid with her head down as they walked out. The flowers in the imperial garden were fragrant on this spring day, and butterflies danced around. However, Pang Luoxue didn't have any thoughts to appreciate such a beautiful scene.

  "Halt!" a pink palace maid said loudly.

  Pang Luoxue lamented in her heart, "I don't want to cause trouble, but those blind people keep crashing into me. Is it because I didn't worship the Buddha correctly? Or is it really my fate to be unlucky? When I go out, I must let Master take a good look at me."

  "This servant is from Chenxi Palace. This is Princess Xue of the Snowy Kingdom. I have been ordered by Her Majesty the Empress to escort Princess Xue out."

  The maid looked at Pang Luoxue and smiled as she curtsied: "Your servant has seen Snow County Master"

  "Get up," Pang Luoxue said lightly, she had already figured it out, this maid was actually her previous life's mother-in-law's personal palace maid Luo Yu.