In the third year of Taikang, the imperial palace underwent another renovation, resplendent with gold and glittering jade.
Miss Jun lifted her head to look at the palace in front of her. The path was still very familiar to her; after passing the Meridian Gate, she turned right.
The palace gate was crowded too, with families of mothers-in-laws and daughters-in-laws together, acquaintances and friends greeting each other, bustling about, chatting, and laughing. Miss Jun, who walked alone without the grand attire that denoted high rank, stood out all the more.
Although there were many glances cast her way, these noblewomen maintained their dignity and refrained from pointing or commenting.
Miss Jun also did not pay attention to these people and followed the line inside.
Someone coughed beside her.
Miss Jun came out of her reverie and saw that Zhu Zan had approached at some point.
He was dressed in the Princely Heir's formal attire and at first glance was almost unrecognizable.
"You, bearing a punishment, can also come for an audience?" Miss Jun asked with a smile.
Zhu Zan gave a dry laugh without speaking and briskly walked past her. Several young men laughed and jokingly passed by Miss Jun, as if everyone was just passing through without engaging in conversation.
Was this supposed to be a greeting? A couple of dry laughs, and not even a simple 'Happy New Year'?
Miss Jun smiled to herself.
The commotion here was quickly quieted down by officials on both sides. The area in front of the palace gate became quiet again. After passing the Meridian Gate, men and women went their separate ways.
"Miss Jun."
Someone called out.
Miss Jun looked up and saw that it was the elderly Marchioness of Dingyuan beckoning to her.
Those who recognized Miss Jun were not only the Marchioness and her daughter-in-law but also two other marchionesses who greeted her. They either had dealings with her or had seen her for medical treatment or received medicine from her.
With the greetings from these two families, word of who Miss Jun was spread, and more people looked in her direction, some greeted her, others curiously sized her up.
"Nervous with so many unfamiliar faces?" the Marchioness of Dingyuan said to her in a soft laugh.
Miss Jun smiled and shook her head.
Actually, there weren't that many unfamiliar people, and there was nothing to feel nervous about.
Soon, amidst laughter and chatter, they arrived at the Empress Dowager's presence.
But they could not yet go in and had to wait outside the hall. The Empress Dowager and the empress were in the front hall, receiving the courtiers' libations. Only then would they return to receive the concubines' congratulations, after which the princesses and then these women, both from inside and outside of the palace's influence, would enter the hall.
Miss Jun looked towards the princesses' location in the front.
The older aunts were no longer present; what remained were the aunts and a few cousins.
Naturally, her sister was not among them.
Ever since she received her princess title and moved to Prince Huai's mansion, she and her sisters had never appeared at court celebrations again.
Miss Jun lowered her gaze, hearing the laughter and chatter ahead.
Their sadness was their own, irrelevant to others.
Accompanied by music, the women entered the Empress Dowager's palace one after the other according to rank. Miss Jun naturally stood at the very end, looking towards the Empress Dowager sitting on the throne at the far end of the great hall, and next to her, the empress.
Because it was too far away, Miss Jun felt she couldn't see clearly.
The empress, having been in Shandong for a long time, had only come to the capital after Prince Qi ascended to the throne, so Miss Jun had almost no interaction and was not familiar with her. But the Empress Dowager was different.
She had grown up in the care of the Empress Dowager since she was a child.
Empress Liu was now fifty-six years old and was not her biological grandmother.
Her father was born to the former empress of the Wu Clan, who had ensured the survival of the prince during a difficult birth, but Empress Wu herself had not survived. It was also because of this that the prince had suffered a physical setback and had never been well.
At that time, no one dared to guarantee that the prince could be raised alive, and the concubines all avoided him for fear of being implicated. Liu Zhaoyi was just a consort at the time, with a gentle and pure character and always kept a low profile, but it was at this moment that she volunteered to take care of the prince.
This was not necessarily a good opportunity. Perhaps she could have gained the emperor's favor, but raising the prince was heart-wrenching and required enormous effort. If she did not succeed, it would be a dead end.
It was too risky a gamble.
Empress Liu Zhaoyi succeeded, and the prince was nurtured back to health. Furthermore, three years later she gave birth to a prince, and five years later she was crowned as the empress.
Many envied the good fortune of Empress Liu Zhaoyi, and some secretly called her cunning and sly, but Father always said that Empress Liu was truly good to him.
As a child, when he was naughty and didn't want to study, Empress Liu would punish him by making him kneel and smacking his hands. It was one thing for other children, but the prince's health was always fragile. Who would dare punish him so severely? Even the emperor intervened to plead on his behalf, but Empress Liu was unyielding, and Father was punished all the same. From then on, he never dared to be mischievous or lazy again, and his respect for Empress Liu grew even stronger.
Only someone who truly regarded the prince as their own child would be so strict, especially when she had a son of her own. According to some, they would wish for nothing more than for the prince to be disposed of.
Everyone said that the empress was very strict, but Miss Jun didn't feel that way. As a child, she often played in Empress Liu's palace, where the empress herself would cook venison for her and even let her eat sunflower seeds while lying on the bed. She wasn't as controlling as her mother and sister.
When she left the imperial palace, Empress Liu was reluctant to let her go but admired her for being a good child. Every time she returned for the New Year, she would stay one night in Empress Liu's palace, enjoying the snacks the empress specially saved for her.
It didn't seem like much when she was in the palace, but after traveling and seeing more of the world with her master, she understood that their relationship was like the kindred bonds between grandparents and grandchildren found among the common folk.
She had always regarded her as her own grandmother.
She wondered how Empress Liu felt upon hearing of Father's death, or if everything turned out as she had wished for. Did she really have any affection for Father and her family? Even raising a cat or dog could lead to affection, let alone people.
Or perhaps it was precisely because they were human that humans tend to be more heartless toward one another.
A palace maid brought over a cup of wine. Miss Jun took it and, following the emcee's ceremonial call, raised the cup, bowed deeply once, twice, thrice.
The great hall echoed with synchronized well-wishes, and music and drums sounded in unison.
After the ceremony, the atmosphere in the hall became much more joyous and relaxed, starting with the princesses who approached the Empress Dowager with sweet, soft voices calling for red envelopes. The Empress Dowager smiled and indeed brought out red envelopes for them, prompting both inner and outer court women to join in the fun.
Miss Jun stood at the very back of the hall, smiling along with the people beside her.
An eunuch approached the Empress Dowager and whispered a few words in her ear. It seemed the Empress Dowager thought of something, and her gaze shifted towards the hall.
The laughter and chatter stopped immediately, and the hall returned to silence.
"Where is Divine Doctor Miss Jun?" the Empress Dowager's steady voice rang out.
Immediately, all eyes in the hall shifted in disarray towards her. Miss Jun lowered her gaze, stepped forward a few paces to the center, and knelt to kowtow to the Empress Dowager.
"Your humble daughter is here," she said.
All eyes were fixed on her.
"You may rise," the voice of the Empress Dowager issued from afar. "Come closer and let me have a look at you."
Miss Jun responded affirmatively, kowtowed once again, and then stood up, with her hands properly in front of her and eyes slightly downcast as she stepped forward. Countless eyes were focused on her, observing her headdress, her face, and the gracefulness of her figure and gait.
For many of the court women, the walk from the entrance of the hall to the Empress Dowager's throne seemed too long, causing them to feel suffocated at the mere thought of making the journey under everyone's watchful gaze.
But this fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl walked steadily, her face showing not the slightest hint of constraint, and seemed even more composed.
She stopped a few steps in front of the Empress Dowager, her demeanor generous, dignified, and elegant, as if she had done it many times before.
She lifted her gaze to the Empress Dowager, who also looked at her.
The Empress Dowager, dressed in her ceremonial robes and fully made up, appeared even more august and solemn.
She hadn't seen the Empress Dowager for a long time. Since Father's death, she and her siblings had moved into Prince Huai's mansion. Even at her wedding, the Empress Dowager didn't see her, as if she had suddenly been excised from their lives.
An object thrown away just like that; indeed, emotions could also be so easily discarded.
Miss Jun lowered her gaze and curtseyed.
"Indeed, the stature of a divine doctor," the voice of the Empress Dowager came down. "It is said that you have strict rules for treating patients. Then take a look at me, is there any omen of doom?"
The question was a bit impolite.
Your rules are strict, but how strict can they be? Are they more strict than those of the Imperial Family?
If not, then the so-called rules for treating patients might just be an act of condescension, looking down on the nobles?
Furthermore, will you treat the Empress Dowager or not?
To say that the Empress Dowager is not ill would be unrealistic; after all, people of advanced age tend to have some discomforts.
But to claim there is illness, on this festive occasion would you really tell the Empress Dowager that she has an ominous omen?
The atmosphere in the great hall became stifling and even quieter.