Li Xianyun said, "We need to feed him something; otherwise, his body won't be able to hold up."
Huo Dun frowned and said, "But right now, even giving Minister Xiao medicine is difficult, how can he eat?"
Li Xianyun did not answer, but instead slowly stood up and gently straightened her skirt, saying, "Take this consort to the kitchen to have a look."
Huo Dun paused for a moment, then stepped aside and said, "Yes, Your Highness, this way please."
Guided by Huo Dun, Li Xianyun walked along the lengthy cobblestone path, passing through the verdant corridors, the top of which was entwined with brownish grapevines, the dense tendrils laden with lush green leaves and bunches of large, succulent grapes.
On the journey for her diplomatic marriage, Li Xianyun had noticed that while the Khitan had an abundance of fruits, their crops were pitifully scarce.
Entering the kitchen, Li Xianyun was immediately greeted by a very greasy smell of roasted meat; the Khitan mainly consumed meat, milk tea, and naan bread, with little variety of light food available.
Currently, Xiao Dilu's condition is relatively weak, and he has a poor appetite, so what he needs is some stomach-nourishing, light food.
The servants in the kitchen, seeing Li Xianyun enter, all bowed to her and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."
Since Yelu Yan acknowledged her identity, people in the palace no longer dared to treat her with neglect.
Li Xianyun looked around and asked, "Do you have any millet?"
The person in charge of the kitchen was a portly middle-aged man, tall and muscular, fitting the Khitan people's physique.
All he said was, "We do have it, but it hasn't been used for a long time."
Li Xianyun said, "Bring it to this consort to take a look."
The person in charge had someone retrieve a bag of millet from a corner, but because it hadn't been used for a long time, the millet had already been infested with weevils; the gray insects were dead and stuck to the bag.
The person in charge said, "Your Highness, this can't be eaten. I will have someone go to the market to buy some."
Li Xianyun said, "Going back and forth is too troublesome; even millet with weevils can still be eaten."
Prince Rui was very young when he became a commoner, taken in by a farming family. After growing up, he married and had children in the countryside, and as Prince Rui's eldest daughter, Li Xianyun lived with her parents in the countryside for quite some time.
Back then, the family was very poor, barely getting by; the cheap millet and white rice bought from the market were always infested with insects, but after washing, they could still be eaten.
Li Xianyun had someone light a fire to boil water while she scooped up some of the millet into a clean bowl.
Youlan stepped forward and said, "My lady, let me do it."
Li Xianyun did not give it to her, but instead said, "Youlan, fetch some clean water and take it to the inner chamber; have them wipe Minister Xiao's face, neck, and hands."
Youlan said, "Yes!"
Li Xianyun poured the millet into a larger iron bowl, adding clean water, and immediately several shriveled weevils floated to the surface.
She stirred the water with her hand, which turned turbid.
Li Xianyun poured out the water and replaced it with clean water, grabbing the millet and gently rubbing it in her small hands.
After three or four rinses, the millet finally revealed its golden-yellow true color.
Li Xianyun poured the washed millet into a black iron pot and covered it with the hefty iron lid.
The people in the kitchen were shocked to see this, having thought that Li Xianyun was a noble young lady who shied from menial tasks, yet she worked with such efficiency.
The water boiled quickly, and Li Xianyun opened the pot, stirring the porridge with a large iron spoon before covering it again, but only halfway, so the porridge wouldn't spill over when boiling.
Li Xianyun had someone pull out the firewood, leaving only charcoal at the bottom of the pot.
She let it simmer on a low flame.
Li Xianyun said to Huo Dun, "In about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the millet porridge can be served. From now on, use this method to cook porridge for Minister Xiao."
Huo Dun bowed and said, "Yes!"
"Take me to where the medicinal soups are prepared," Li Xianyun said.
"Yes, Your Highness, this way," said Huo Dun.
The room for preparing medicinal soups was located behind the kitchen, in a courtyard connected by a wide bluestone path, with tender green grass growing in between the stones.
It had been overcast these past few days with occasional light rain, leaving the soil dark and moist, occasionally showing the new sprouts that had broken through the earth.
Upon entering the medicinal soup room, an entire wall of small cabinets caught the eye, totaling around a hundred, each containing a different kind of medicinal herb. However, there were no labels for identification, making it difficult to locate the herbs.
A medicinal stove was alight with flames, and the decocting pot bubbled with medicinal soup, emitting white steam.
The room was stifling and carried a piercing smell. Following Yelu Yan's orders, there were people assigned to guard the place where medicines were prepared.
When they saw Li Xianyun come over, they immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."
Li Xianyun hummed softly, walked over, scooped up a bit of the medicine with a spoon, and smelled it. Not sensing anything unusual, she put down the spoon and said to the servant preparing the medicine, "Use a smaller flame."
"Yes, Your Highness," the servant replied.
After doing these things, Li Xianyun went back to where Xiao Dilu was and began writing a prescription.
Xiao Dilu's condition was more serious than expected, and it was necessary to adjust his prescriptions daily.
Having finished writing the prescription, Li Xianyun also instructed the Imperial Physician on how to press acupoints and massage, to be done three times a day for Xiao Dilu, to speed up his recovery.