After Qing'er saw the person off, she came back to find Yan Zhihua smiling brightly. "Lady An, by driving her away like this, aren't you offending someone?"
Yan Zhihua laughed and said, "With her being so brainless, why should I care about her feelings? Those who like to gossip behind others' backs usually end up badly."
So, she didn't need to worry about such things.
"Lady, regarding the matter of the Empress, are you still going to intervene?"
Qing'er knew that Yan Zhihua was bent on supporting Tang Youyou. Even if their relationship was just so - so, she would go to great lengths to help her.
Wen Ruxue was a typical example.
Since Wen Ruxue lost her power, many clowns had emerged in the harem.
Concubine Qi in the Hall of Gathered Elegance, Concubine Cao in the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, and the long - ill Lady Ning.
These people were just itching to find a faction to join, and currently, there weren't many powerful people in the harem.
It was all because of Rong Xun's self - restraint. His heart was filled only with Tang Youyou.
"Since I'm going to take care of this matter, I must handle it well. Just wait."
She herself didn't know how the situation had developed. And Tang Youyou was nowhere to be found. But since it was Rong Xun who discovered this matter, it meant that Rong Xun hadn't let go at all.
A few days later, another huge stir arose in the harem.
Everyone was speculating whether the Empress was already dead, or if she had, like the former empress, transformed into a butterfly and flown away.
Such a preposterous reason even reached Rong Xun's ears. Rong Xun was so angry that his hands clenched into fists and the veins on his hands bulged.
"These people really speak without thinking. Spread my edict. If anyone in the palace dares to spread rumors without permission, I will surely punish them severely!"
Su Ningde on the side scurried away from Rong Xun's presence in a hurry, afraid that another wrong move would upset him.
Rong Xun had no heart to review the memorials. When he stood up, his vision went black, and he directly fell to the ground.
In an instant, everyone swarmed over. It took a moment to arrange Rong Xun properly.
"Your Majesty, you've suffered from a rush of qi and blood. You can't keep overworking like this day and night. If you don't cherish your own body anymore, it will be a great loss later."
At such a young age, he already had the body of a forty - year - old man. Such a situation would worry anyone.
Rong Xun still didn't care. What was on his mind was still Tang Youyou. "No, the Empress hasn't returned yet. I can't fall."
Seeing Rong Xun so determined, the imperial physician didn't say much. He walked to one side and leaned close to Su Ningde.
"Eunuch Su, you've been by the Emperor's side for some time. You surely know that the court is in a complete mess now. If the Emperor continues to overwork like this, I'm afraid..."
"I know, Imperial Physician Li. Don't worry. Some things need the Emperor to figure out on his own. We can't force him."
Hearing this, Imperial Physician Li left.
Su Ningde carried a bowl of lotus root and sparerib soup towards Rong Xun. The delicious soup and the fragrance of the meat whetted Rong Xun's appetite, which was a rare occurrence.
"Who made this soup?"
Su Ningde replied, "It was made by someone who used to serve the Empress."
"Call him here."
Su Ningde nodded. After a while, a simply - dressed person appeared at the door. It was an elderly maid.
The old maid glanced at Rong Xun and then calmly knelt on the ground. "This servant pays respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live long, long, long live."
"Get up. Who taught you how to make this?"
The old maid said, "Not long ago, when the Empress was still in the Cool Hall, this servant watched the Empress cooking for a few times and learned it."
"Later, Eunuch Su said that Your Majesty wanted to eat the dishes made by the Empress, so this servant made some and brought them here."
While she was speaking, Rong Xun had almost finished the soup in his hand.
He leaned back comfortably in the chair and quietly looked at the old maid in front of him. "In that case, do you know where the Empress has gone?"
"This servant doesn't know. This servant only knows that when the Emperor wasn't by the Empress's side, the Empress spent most of her time sleeping. Even when she was awake, she was mostly looking solemn."
Although the old maid didn't criticize Rong Xun in her words, every word seemed to be accusing the Emperor of not treating the Empress seriously.
Rong Xun let out a long sigh. Indeed, during that period, he had been too busy with the affairs in the court to take care of her. And later...
He had believed others and hurt her.
In the end, it was all his fault.
"Okay, I understand. You may leave."
After the old maid left, Rong Xun sat quietly on the chair, looking at the sunrise in the distance. These past few nights seemed to have become even longer.
Meanwhile, Tang Youyou on Chang'an Street was extremely excited. This time, she had recruited quite a few workers, including some women and some homeless little beggars.
Everyone thought that Tang Youyou was truly a divine figure.
In the shop, the old man was busy watching Tang Youyou's operation. The process of making lipstick shocked him even more.
"Who taught you how to make these things?"
Tang Youyou casually replied, "I studied them myself. What's wrong?"
"Then, can you teach me?"
The old man was timid, not daring to even breathe loudly. He stared eagerly at Tang Youyou's increasingly fast movements.
"You want to learn?" Tang Youyou said teasingly.
The old man nodded and then said, "Yes!"
"Then you teach me medical skills."
Hearing this, the old man immediately widened his eyes and then said, "I'm not good at medicine, let alone teaching you."
Seeing that the old man was still pretending not to know, Tang Youyou didn't ask further. She just said casually, "Then you don't even think about learning my skills."
Hearing this, the old man could only leave helplessly.
Yi Ran, who was busy filling materials on one side, said, "My lord, by rejecting him directly like this, won't you hurt the old man's feelings?"
Hearing this, Tang Youyou replied while fiddling with the things in her hand, "I have my own purpose, and he has his own concerns. This person must be hiding something from us."
After saying that, Tang Youyou placed the newly - made things on the shelf. After a day of sales, the things on the shelf were basically sold out.
At the same time, a group of people from a foreign country walked in at the door. The camels were fully loaded with grains. It seemed that these people were traveling here.
Seeing the people entering the shop, Tang Youyou greeted them personally.
"All you envoys from the Western Regions have come from afar. Is there anything you'd like to take?"
Tang Youyou was very hospitable and introduced the things in the shop to them one by one, but these people just stood there without making any move.