The world is ever-changing.
Miss Jun thought of the words her master once said, which her master claimed were spoken by a monk.
Her master said most of the words spoken by monks were nonsense, but this statement was somewhat truthful.
"Shi" is time, "jie" is place, when the time changes, when the place changes, there will be transformations.
That was the case now.
She was no longer Princess Jiuli, nor was she her Imperial Grandmother.
She was a subject; she was the Empress Dowager.
She needed to show respect to her, while she did not need to be polite and careful with her.
Therefore, the question asked was impolite, and naturally so.
Miss Jun lowered her eyes and smiled.
"Rules are determined by fate, and no matter how significant the rules are, they cannot surpass fate," she said, bending her knee once more in respect to the Empress Dowager, "Your Highness is destined to turn misfortune into fortune."
The Empress was taken aback, but then she smiled.
"Truly a divine doctor, your words are magical indeed," she said, "I do not know whether you are praising me or yourself."
Seeing the Empress Dowager smile, the surrounding Concubines and women of Imperial Mandate hurriedly followed suit with laughter.
"How can this be considered praise?" the aged lady of Marquis Dingyuan smiled and said, "It's a fact that Your Highness's fate is precious."
The Empress laughed again.
"I know you, you're on her side," she said, giving the aged lady of Marquis Dingyuan a meaningful look.
The lady laughed and offered her respects.
"Your discernment is clear, Your Highness, mainly because I have benefited from her good deeds," she laughed.
Her words had a double meaning, which everyone present understood. They knew about the gifts of healing they had received from Miss Jun, and they knew the power of Miss Jun's medical skills, so they couldn't help but sing praises.
The Empress Dowager smiled and did not speak further but extended her hand.
"Miss Jun, I'll trouble you to give me a checkup," she said.
It was time to take her pulse.
A palace maid brought over a cushioned stool, and Miss Jun looked at the cushion.
Long ago, she had also knelt before the Empress Dowager in this same way.
She bent her knees and knelt on the cushion, extending her hand.
"Imperial Grandmother, I want this."
Once, a child had also knelt on the cushion, ungraciously extending her hand and casually speaking to the Empress Dowager while leaning on the stool.
Miss Jun placed her hand on the Empress Dowager's wrist, looking down intently.
Low laughter and chatter continued in the grand hall.
"...This wine tastes quite good..."
"...It's brewed in the palace... I'll ask for some later..."
That was the Imperial Mandate women conversing.
The wine brewed within the palace was indeed delicious; they had even made a special fruit wine for her and her sister in the past.
"...Has the younger sister moved? To the Sixian Pavilion?"
"...Yes, it's closer to the Imperial Garden, it must be lovely come springtime..."
That was the princesses talking amongst themselves.
The Sixian Pavilion was not actually suitable for living; it was where her sister used to practice calligraphy.
Everything that belonged to them had vanished, taken by new owners.
Miss Jun withdrew her hand.
"How is it?" the empress asked with concern by her side.
"The Empress should avoid sauces like the one she had last night in the future," Miss Jun said, "Otherwise, the coughing tonight will continue for a while longer."
As soon as these words were spoken, the empress uttered a sound of surprise, the Empress Dowager slightly raised her eyebrows, and everyone around immediately understood Miss Jun was right.
"To diagnose even what was eaten from the pulse?" a princess standing behind the Empress Dowager couldn't help but ask.
That was the emperor's fourth daughter, Princess Fengping, ten years old this year.
"Sometimes, it's possible," Miss Jun replied.
Princess Fengping immediately clung to the Empress Dowager's arm.
"Imperial Grandmother, I want to have my pulse taken too," she said, "Let her guess what I ate last night."
The empress was slightly anxious.
"Don't be ridiculous," she said.
As a daughter-in-law who had just arrived at her mother-in-law's side a few years ago, the empress still inevitably felt constrained and fearful in front of the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager didn't pay attention to her but reached out and tapped Princess Fengping on the nose.
"How about that, Miss Jun guessed correctly, what reward will you give her?" she said.
Probably because of the grandparent-grandchild relationship, the Empress Dowager always doted on the grandchildren.
Princess Fengping looked at Miss Jun with pride.
"This palace will reward her with a box of osmanthus cakes," she said.
Miss Jun smiled at her and bowed in thanks.
"Thank you, Princess," she said.
"These are the osmanthus cakes made especially for me; you can't find them anywhere else," Princess Fengping said with a hint of boast.
Miss Jun thanked her again.
"Don't thank me just yet, whether you can receive it is still uncertain," Princess Fengping said as she sat down beside the Empress Dowager and extended her hand.
Miss Jun read her pulse for a moment.
"The Princess ate a bit too much roast duck last night," she mused, "I fear you might not have much appetite for breakfast this morning."
Princess Fengping uttered a surprised sound, and the Empress Dowager patted her on the shoulder.
"Did she get it right?" she asked with a smile.
Princess Fengping nodded her head and shook the Empress Dowager's arm repeatedly.
"She really guessed it, she really did," she said.
"This wasn't a guess," the Empress Dowager said, looking at Miss Jun with a proper demeanor, "Miss Jun's medical skills are impeccable."
This was high praise indeed. The old lady of Marquis Dingyuan thought to remind her, but Miss Jun, standing in front, had already bowed in thanks.
"Imperial Grandmother, Imperial Grandmother, I want my pulse read too," a few princesses crowded around.
However, the Empress Dowager's stern gaze swept over them, and their voices immediately stopped.
The Empress Dowager's gaze then turned to the other people in the hall.
"Miss Jun is a doctor, healing and saving lives, not for your amusement," she said, "Miss Jun cured Prince Huai, preserving the bloodline of the former Crown Prince, her merit is boundless, and she shall be amply rewarded."
At these words, everyone in the hall knelt down.
"Congratulations to the Empress Dowager, blessings to the Empress Dowager," they said in unison.
Miss Jun naturally knelt down as well, and after others stood up, she continued to kneel, watching the eunuchs present the rewards that had already been prepared one by one.
"The Empress Dowager rewards a pair of jade,"
"The Empress Dowager rewards a glass screen,"
"The Empress rewards four bolts of 'All Wishes Fulfilled' imperial satin,"
"The Empress rewards a pair of Treasure Flower."
Accompanied by the sound of announcements and surrounded by the envious, admiring, and appreciative eyes of those around, Miss Jun kowtowed.
"Thank you for your generous grace," she said, bowing her head to the floor, her forehead touching the smooth, cold ground.
.......................
With the public reward from the Empress Dowager and the Empress, Miss Jun, walking out of the Empress Dowager's bedroom, was surrounded by even more people.
"Does this count as being ordered to heal?" A lady of the court chuckled, "The Empress Dowager herself said you are a doctor, healing and saving lives, not for entertainment."
The people around all nodded in agreement with a chuckle, also inviting Miss Jun to visit their homes during the first month of the new year.
This meant that she had been accepted by the elite of the capital.
"I am a doctor and should not accept invitations casually," Miss Jun said with a smile, "It also depends on whether I can go."
The ladies laughed at this.
"If you speak like that, we don't know whether to be happy or not if you come."
Chattering and laughing, they reached the palace gate quite quickly. Outside the gate, the men from various families were waiting for their wives, the scene was somewhat chaotic.
In this chaos, Miss Jun instantly spotted Zhu Zan.
He was standing and talking with a group of young men and seemed to notice her gaze.
Their eyes met, and Miss Jun smiled at him.
Zhu Zan turned his head away in disgust.
Miss Jun hesitated about whether to go over and say a few words to him, but then Zhu Zan patted his horse, said something, and the group of young men mounted their horses and galloped away.
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Adding an update (*^__^*) hee hee...