After Marrying The Paranoid God of War (Rebirth) - Chapter 45
As night fell and the lanterns were lit.
Today was a grand festival, the Empress’s birthday, and the Emperor had ordered the Culinary Bureau to prepare a tail-end feast.
With tables stretching several lengths, Ruan An sat on a brocade bench among the noblewomen, the table set with utensils made of luxurious gems like glazed glass, tortoiseshell, multicolored jade, and fire opal, their jade-inlaid rhinoceros bone chopsticks gleaming under the hazy moonlight.
Not far away, a Boshan incense burner wafted with the fragrance of auspicious qilin and golden phoenix incense, while the rest of the palace banquet’s decorations showcased the royal family’s majestic splendor, with brilliant brocade and embroidery.
The palace staff gradually brought out various exquisite dishes.
To ensure nothing went wrong at the banquet, Ruan An had Ze Lan gather information on past court feasts while at the Marquis’s residence, and many of the delicacies served at the palace banquet were actually known to her from before.
After all, during her time living in the Xiang Residence, Huo Pingxiao, in order to fatten her up, had her meals prepared according to recipes costing hundreds of taels.
The first dishes were delicacies like gold milk crisp, round flower seven-return cake, jade dew group, and crystal dragon phoenix cake, totaling thirteen varieties.
Then came more complex and refined dishes.
Guomenxiang, this dish, selected the freshest, highest-quality seasonal vegetables, coated and fried until crispy on the outside and tender inside, testing the chef’s control of heat.
Wushengpan, as its name suggests, consisted of thin slices of pork, beef, lamb, deer, and bear meat, served with a special sauce.
Fantijianlou, essentially soy beef liver, required craftsmen to carve intricate patterns on it, making it beautifully presented.
The warm and cold flower-stuffed donkey meat was steamed with Shaoxing flower wine…
Observing these exquisite dishes, the noblewomen sitting at the same table as Ruan An showed varying degrees of surprise.
However, Ruan An appeared quite indifferent, sitting by the warm yellow palace lanterns, her skin even more luminously pale, her beauty soft and demeanor graceful, her aura as pure and pristine as a lotus under the moonlight.
Madam Gao, sitting beside Ruan An, couldn’t help but take a few more glances at her.
She of course noticed that Ruan An’s dress and makeup were different from before; the cousin from the Fang family had become adept at dressing up overnight. While it’s often said, “Clothes make the man, and saddles make the horse,” it must be admitted that the cousin from the Fang family had an excellent foundation to begin with.
With proper dressing, her appearance became even more outstanding.
After all, she was a young lady from the Fang family, and Madam Gao saw that Ruan An, unlike the Crown Princess Li Shuying and Huo Pingxiao’s mother, possessed a unique charm, attracting attention wherever she sat.
In the end, the cousin from the Fang family was her daughter-in-law, a junior.
Ruan An’s striking beauty at the palace banquet also made Madam Gao feel proud.
If she had brought He Xingruo instead, she couldn’t have attracted as much attention.
Although she was from a distant branch of the Fang family and marrying into the Huo family was somewhat reaching high, her family background was passable.
But these were trifles; setting aside past grievances, Madam Gao found Ruan An, as her daughter-in-law, to have a gentle and polite personality, uncompetitive and easy to get along with, making her feel comfortable.
Madam Gao suddenly regretted, thinking it would have been wonderful if Ruan An were her daughter-in-law.
Seated at the same table was a lady of high rank, as well as the legitimate daughter of the Duke Yingguo, Lady Shao.
Madam Gao had a slight impression of Lady Shao. Last time at the Earl’s mansion, she had sought trouble with Ruan An, and Madam Gao had hoped that Lady Shao would behave herself at the palace banquet.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the Emperor began to speak, announcing the start of the banquet, Lady Shao, from a distance, looked towards Ruan An with a smile and asked, “Madam Fang, about that pharmacy you mentioned last time, I sent someone to check it out, but why isn’t that Ruan-surnamed female doctor often there? My servants went several times but never saw her.”
Ruan An smiled lightly and replied softly, “There are more than one pharmacy in Chang’an City, Lady Shao can look for another.”
Seeing Lady Shao’s deflated look, Madam Gao showed a look of approval. Ruan An’s response was neither humble nor arrogant, leaving Lady Shao speechless with a smile.
Lady Shao always provoked the Fang family’s cousin by bringing up the matter of the fearsome female doctor, as if she had no other means!
With this in mind, Madam Gao changed the subject in front of the acquainted noblewomen, praising Ruan An, “My daughter-in-law is unlike ordinary girls; she also practiced medicine in Shu and is particularly good at treating women’s diseases.”
After saying this, Madam Gao glanced at Lady Shao with her hand-held silk fan.
Upon meeting Madam Gao’s gaze, Lady Shao immediately understood her intent, and her expression turned much uglier.
The women at the table also smirked, clearly understanding the double entendre in Madam Gao’s words, filled with heavy sarcasm.
It’s no falsehood that where women gather, gossip abounds.
For a woman like Lady Shao, prone to jealousy and pettiness, and fond of stirring up trouble without reason.
Madam Gao’s irony was clear; the women of the Huo family do not take such petty tricks to heart.
After being rebuffed by the two ladies of the Huo family, Lady Shao felt even more perplexed.
Why was Madam Gao’s attitude towards the Fang family’s cousin not as indifferent as last time at the Earl’s mansion, but now at the palace banquet, she was speaking up for her?
On the other side, Ruan An didn’t take Lady Shao’s words to heart but noticed many unfriendly glances around her.
From Li Shuying, Xiao Chong, Xiao Yan, to the Empress…
Yet, for some reason, upon entering the deep palace again in this life, the worries and fears of the previous night vanished in an instant.
Even though she was surrounded by wolves, Ruan An couldn’t help but smirk at herself.
The resilience of humans should never be underestimated. In her previous life, she often felt she couldn’t go on, perhaps dying in some corner of the palace the next day, becoming a homeless ghost on the road to the underworld.
But the next day, upon seeing the sunrise, she would rise again, her will never completely broken.
In her past life, she was an ugly, blind, foul-smelling laundry maid in the palace, shunned by everyone.
In this life, however, she is a noble wife, a lady of the marquis, sitting at the same table as the most distinguished women of Chang’an, receiving much flattery.
Such a stark contrast, yet Ruan An’s demeanor remained calm and composed.
Whether as Nurse Ruan or a distant cousin from the Pei Country Duke’s House, she was the wife of Huo Pingxiao.
According to her previous life’s trajectory, she was destined to become an enemy of the Xiao family someday.
But for now, Ruan An thought, if people do not offend me, I do not offend them.
Before any earth-shattering changes occur in Li Country, she would do her duty well, adhering to the principle of sincere medical practice, treating and saving people, making up for her past life’s regrets.
Ruan An didn’t want to waste food and cast aside the old grievances in her mind, ready to enjoy the feast thoroughly.
On the high platform not far away, Kabuki dancers were performing the Nuomian Dance that has been passed down from the state of Chu, moving to the rhythm of the increasingly intense drumbeats. Their makeup was thick, and the hanging pearl eyebrows above their eyes were like cold cicadas.
The heavy makeup could not hide the vivid smiles on their faces, their expressions both comical and enchanting, resembling both deities and ghosts, carrying a mysterious and eerie beauty.
There were also musicians singing “The Mountain Spirit” written by Qu Yuan of Chu —
“Thunder rumbles and rain veils; monkeys wail and otters cry in the night.”
“The wind whistles and trees rustle; longing for the prince, filled with endless sorrow.”
Such familiar singing suddenly made Ruan An somewhat dazed. She put down her chopsticks and looked solemnly at Noble Consort Chen, who was sitting not far from the emperor.
Seeing that Noble Consort Chen was nine months pregnant, her belly prominently raised.
Ruan An frowned and calculated the time; it was the third year of Xuan Kang.
During the Qianqiu Festival of the third year of Xuan Kang, the Empress’s birthday celebration, the only daughter of Duke Chen, also Noble Consort Chen, was startled by the music, resulting in a stillbirth and her own death due to complications…
If everything followed the trajectory of her previous life, then…
Suddenly, the pipa began to emit a murderous aura, and everyone heard the sound of the strings snapping abruptly.
—”The Noble Consort has begun bleeding, quickly fetch the Imperial Physician!”
The eunuch’s voice was shrill and piercing, and with the music ceasing, the dancers also retreated.
No one expected that attending a palace banquet could lead to such an event.
The air, filled with the aroma of fine wine, was now tinged with a hint of blood. Ruan An, along with other noblewomen, stood up from the high tables near the Humen Gate, looking towards the chaos at the head table, as memories of her past life were gradually awakened.
All the palace servants knew very well that the Empress and the Crown Princess were not as amicable as they appeared.
In her previous life, this Qianqiu Banquet was where the Empress had already decided on a suitable candidate to counterbalance Li Shuying in the Eastern Palace, to prevent her from becoming too powerful.
The Empress had calculated everything, deliberately sending away the trusted Imperial Physician Zhang of Noble Consort Chen earlier, and today’s on-duty Imperial Physician Du had his weaknesses held by the Empress.
Imperial Physician Du had an affair with Consort Li, and Ruan An knew from her previous life that the princess born to Consort Li was not the Emperor’s biological daughter.
Yet the Empress, aware of the truth, had for many years pretended not to see, intending to use this move strategically.
Ruan An came back to her senses and saw that the hurriedly arriving Imperial Physician was indeed Du, indicating the Empress intended to use him as a sacrificial pawn, determined to eliminate Noble Consort Chen and her child no matter what.
Ironically, after Noble Consort Chen’s death, it was rumored that the deceased child was indeed a fully-formed little prince.
Thinking of this, Ruan An gradually clenched her fists.
What should she do? She did not want to stand by and watch death, but her current identity was different; every action she took represented the Huo family, so how could she save Noble Consort Chen?
But she was a doctor, and Heaven had given her a second chance. Was she still going to choose to watch these vivid lives fade away before her eyes?
Elsewhere, Noble Consort Chen lay in a pool of blood, seeing that the arriving Imperial Physician was Du. The Empress looked at her with seemingly anxious and sympathetic eyes, yet there was a hint of ruthless determination.
A profound despair enveloped Noble Consort Chen’s heart.
Imperial Physician Du was not here to save her; fearing a determined resolve, he must have been compromised by the Empress. After the event, he would likely claim it was his own mistake, never betraying the Empress.
Noble Consort Chen attempted a final struggle, weakly pleading to the Emperor, “Your Majesty… Your Majesty, please do not let this physician and the midwives behind him deliver for your consort, call for Imperial Physician Zhang who cared for your consort before…”
The Emperor frowned and said, “Stop making a fuss now. Doctor Zhang won’t be able to come for a while, and Doctor Du is a highly respected physician. He will definitely save both you and our child.”
Concubine Chen choked up and pleaded, “No! Your Majesty, I absolutely do not want Doctor Du to treat me. Anyone else will do…”
The Empress scolded softly, “Concubine Chen, it’s one thing for you to be willful and spoiled on normal days, but now the heir to the throne is our top priority. You cannot act recklessly!”
“Someone, carry the concubine to a nearby palace.”
At this moment, the legitimate daughter of Duke Ying, Lady Shao, suddenly came up with a plan.
Wasn’t Madam Gao boasting about her daughter-in-law’s medical skills in front of her? If those two women from the Huo family made her lose face in front of other wives, she wouldn’t be polite.
Since she couldn’t get Huo Pingxiao, she might as well ruin him. If she could use this grand banquet to put the Huo family in a position of blame or loss of power, Lady Shao would be pleased.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Lady Shao said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear but not too loudly, “Just now, Madam Gao said her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Fang, is particularly good at treating women’s diseases, so she should also be able to help with childbirth. Since the concubine does not want Doctor Du to treat her, why not let Mrs. Fang try?”
As soon as she said this, Madam Gao immediately glared at Lady Shao with fierce eyes.
This wicked woman!
Because of some minor grudges, she wanted to push out the precious wife of the King of Hell. If something happened, the entire Huo family would be implicated.
“Your Majesty, I wish to have… I wish to have Lady Fang of the Marquis of Dingbei assist me in childbirth,” the concubine weakly requested.
Hearing the concubine’s feeble plea, Madam Gao’s face turned pale with shock.
Oh my!
Now that the concubine had said this, what could Mrs. Fang, their cousin, do? Now, their Huo family was truly caught between a rock and a hard place!
Lady Shao’s lips gradually formed a shallow and barely noticeable smirk. She looked again at Ruan An, trying to see some panic or loss of composure in her expression.
Unexpectedly, Ruan An’s demeanor was exceptionally calm, her beautiful eyes serene and untroubled, also looking back at her.
Lady Shao was startled; how could this cousin from the Fang family not show the slightest bit of fear, but instead look at her with sympathy?
The chief eunuch came in haste, asking her to go over. Ruan An withdrew her gaze and, under Madam Gao’s worried eyes, walked steadily towards the front.
Ruan An found that every time Lady Shao tried to trouble her, not only did she not succeed, but she actually ended up helping her instead.
Watching Lady Shao exert herself in vain each time, she naturally looked at her with a sympathetic eye, letting her know how amusing she was.