Lanqi didn't recognize the old eunuch who was yelling at them, but she recognized the person next to him. He was the person who oversaw all the eunuchs and maids in the palace, and who was the Emperor's closest and most loyal retainer—Head Eunuch Li.
"Head Eunuch Li, this is simply preposterous...I'll make sure to punish this piece of trash later on. Please rest here first while I get some medicine for you," the old eunuch said, obviously trying to butter him up. He added, "If you need anything else in the future, just send another eunuch here for it. How could we trouble you to come down yourself?"
Head Eunuch Li sat down and shot a glance at Lanqi, who was kneeling on the ground. Coldly, he said, "Romantic liaisons between palace maids and eunuchs are forbidden. Where did you come from?"
The old eunuch seemed to want to protect his own people. Quickly, he chimed in, "This maid looks familiar enough, but she isn't from the Imperial Academy of Medicine. How should we punish her?"
"Head Eunuch Li, I beg of you..." Lanqi was so frightened that, ironically, nothing scared her anymore. She knelt at Head Eunuch Li's feet and told him what was happening at the Palace of Accumulated Purity. Even if she was going to be executed on trespassing charges, she pleaded, would Head Eunuch Lee be kind enough to allow her to pass the medicine to Second-Class Female Attendant Bu? When she got back, Head Eunuch Li could punish her however he wanted.
"I didn't know there were still servants like you in the palace who are so loyal to their mistresses. Second-Class Female Attendant Bu must be very blessed," Head Eunuch Li said icily. He sighed and continued, "You are very lucky, girl. During dinner tonight, the Grand Empress Dowager asked about your mistress. If news gets out tomorrow that Second-Class Female Attendant Bu—the royal princess's birth mother—has died of illness during the night, the list of servants who get punished for that will stretch a mile long."
"Head Eunuch Li..." Lanqi saw a ray of hope.
As expected, Head Eunuch Li turned to the old eunuch and said, "Alright, enough of this. Tell that disciple of yours to send her back to her palace. Tomorrow morning, send over a doctor to the Palace of Accumulated Purity—I'll get someone to notify Consort Zhao regarding this."
"Thank you, Head Eunuch Li, thank you..." Lanqi threw herself onto the ground and started kowtowing again. Head Eunuch Li waved a hand impatiently, and the old eunuch sent them away.
As the young eunuch and Lanqi found their way to the Palace of Accumulated Purity in the dark, the eunuch started to cry. "You've nearly killed me," he moaned. "When I get back, Master is going to beat the living daylights out of me."
Lanqi felt extremely guilty. When they got back to the Palace of Accumulated Purity and finished preparing the medicinal broth for Second-Class Female Attendant Bu, Lanqi gave the eunuch all the silver ingots she had managed to save up recently. "Sir, my deepest apologies. When my mistress recovers, she'll come and thank you again." The eunuch took the silver and left with a melancholic expression on his face.
After a long night of torture, Second-Class Female Attendant Bu finally made it till the next morning.
The moment the sun rose, a doctor came hurrying over from the Imperial Academy of Medicine. Aunt Wang, who had been asleep throughout everything, was extremely confused—without Consort Zhao's permission, no doctors should have come. Who had told her about Second-Class Female Attendant Bu's illness? When Aunt Wang asked Panxia and Lanqi, they merely denied it and feigned ignorance.
Not long after, Consort Zhao sent her people to ask after Second-Class Female Attendant Bu's illness. Presently, Noble Lady Rong and Noble Lady Hui dropped by for a visit, too. The Palace of Accumulated Purity, which had always been a quiet, abandoned corner of the palace, was suddenly gay and noisy again. In the end, even the Grand Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager were alerted, and they sent an Aunt Sumala down with armfuls of nourishing medicine.
Aunt Sumala visited Second-Class Female Attendant Bu personally and said gently, "This morning, the people at the Princes' Palace brought the little princess to the Grand Empress Dowager, who was extremely delighted to see her. She immediately sent me to visit you on her behalf when she found out you were ill. Besides, she had me give you another message—giving birth to the princess was a great achievement, and you haven't been properly rewarded for it. After the Lunar New Year, we'll pick a good date and have you conferred the rank of a First-Class Female Attendant. So mind you take care of your health!"
Second-Class Female Attendant Bu was so shocked at this sudden kindness that she burst into tears immediately. When Aunt Sumala asked her who she had to take care of her, Aunt Wang pushed the other maids aside and said, "I'm here to serve the mistress. Please let me know if you have any orders."
Aunt Sumala gave her a few reminders, which Aunt Wang lapped down like a dog in front of a puddle. As Aunt Wang sent her off at the gates, Panxia spat bitterly, "Look at her claiming all the credit again. Didn't Aunt Sumala see the bags under our eyes?"