Chapter 15: Chapter 15 Effective Frostbite Ointment Chapter 15: Chapter 15 Effective Frostbite Ointment As she walked out of the firewood shed, Feng Bailing looked back one more time—there was nothing on Jia Xiazhu’s forehead.
Could the fleeting fiery red mark have been an illusion?
At dusk, Feng Bailing received a letter brought by Chun Liu, which said that Feng Xiaoli was doing well outside, eating and sleeping heartily, and had even gained a few pounds in weight. It was only before sleep that Feng Xiaoli would think of Feng Bailing.
Feng Bailing missed Xiaoli’s tender little face and thought to herself that after the Spring Banquet, she should visit her precious daughter, lest Xiaoli forget her own mother.
The thought of Xiaoli inevitably brought worries about her own son, whom she had never met.
Jia Xiazhu told her that Xiazhu was also a disciple of the Xingxiu Sect, and that when Feng Bailing was in labor, she gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The boy was taken away by people sent by Dongfang Li.
Her heart clenched tightly—it was the child she had given birth to after a nine-month pregnancy, yet she had lost him, and it had been three years.
She must extract the whereabouts of her child from Dongfang Li’s mouth!
The next day, the horse carriage for entering the palace was waiting outside the mansion gate.
“Ah Ling, your mother is in no condition to travel, so you must enter the palace alone and take good care of everything. This is the birthday gift for the Empress Dowager; it was carefully selected by your father.”
Feng Zhanlian, appearing every bit the affectionate father, had prepared the birthday gift.
Feng Bailing casually took the birthday gift and boarded the horse carriage.
Feng Bailing had no idea that before she left, another horse carriage had already departed first. This was a vermilion-wheeled carriage with golden tassels hanging down and a body made of Nanmu wood—a royal carriage.
As with previous years, the Spring Banquet was set in Yi Garden, part of the imperial garden. In these days when the weather turned warm yet could still chill, the plum blossoms, sensing spring, were blooming enthusiastically, adorned with red, white, and yellow on their branches.
In the afternoon, the women of the Royal Family, each dressed magnificently, gathered together to sip tea and chat about the latest gossip from every household.
“The eldest daughter of the Princess’ Mansion has returned, and on the first day, she got her marriage annulled by the Seventh Prince.”
“This time, the Yong’an Princess Mansion has really lost face. The legitimate eldest daughter isn’t even comparable to an adopted daughter.”
“Where does the Princess’ Mansion get the face? Just think of that fatty and the huge embarrassment she caused that year…”
That year, during the Spring Banquet, Feng Bailing sparkled with gold and jewelry, with her plumpness overly embellished, looking even older than the birthday star and, not only that, she, barely literate, insisted on writing a couplet during the talent performance to celebrate the birthday.
“Fortune as enduring as the old squirrels of South Mountain; longevity surpassing the flowing saliva of the Eastern Sea.”
Remembering the Empress Dowager’s expression at the time, the ladies couldn’t help but laugh with heads thrown back.
The Crown Princess Consort has arrived————
The women busily bowed in greeting. On the pebble-paved path, two beautiful women walked gracefully.
Trailing behind was Feng Xiangxue from the Princess’ Mansion. She was pretty and wore apricot-yellow today, exuding a gentle demeanor.
Feng Xiangxue was considered a beauty in Chu City, but next to the woman in front of her, she paled in comparison.
Beneath the large fox-fur cloak, the woman was dressed in a lotus-pink silk dress embroidered with lotus flowers, with pale pink ribbons outlining her slender waist. Her graceful presence attracted everyone’s attention.
The woman’s face was no less outstanding. With her hair like black clouds, her delicate nose, eyelashes like feather fans, and eyes as captivating as jewels, with just a touch of crimson on her lips, and a faintly visible blue indigo mark between her brows that resembled an ancient fire symbol, she had an ethereal charm.
Even the most critical Royal Family ladies couldn’t find a single fault with her.
Nalan Yan’er, the Princess Consort of Great Chu, was the object of envy for all women in Great Chu, from eight-year-olds to octogenarians.
She came from a good family as the daughter of Grandmaster Nalan; she was beautiful, considered the most beautiful woman of Great Chu; and she was fortunate, having given birth to twins that caused a sensation in heaven and earth after marrying into the Royal Family.
But Heaven’s favor didn’t end there. She also possessed the rare Wenhua Seal, making her the unrivaled talented woman of Great Chu.
If there was one flaw, it was her husband—the Prince of Great Chu…
Feng Xiangxue and Nalan Yan’er were close friends, and it was Nalan Yan’er who brought her to today’s Spring Banquet.
Upon the arrival of the Crown Princess Consort, Yi Garden fell silent, and no one dared to gossip about Feng Bailing anymore.
Feng Xiangxue looked around but did not see Feng Bailing.
She was waiting to see Feng Bailing make a fool of herself. Feng Bailing didn’t have time to prepare new clothes, and that gift as well… A cold light flashed in her eyes; being humiliated twice at the Spring Banquet, Feng Bailing would definitely be disowned by the Royal Family.
“How come the Imperial Grandson and Imperial Granddaughter are nowhere to be seen?”
“They went to find their Grandpa. His Majesty, accompanied by several Princes and Princes, is discussing state affairs in the nearby Lian Garden and might come later to celebrate the birthday. You’d better perform well.”
Nalan Yan’er lifted her gaze and smiled lightly, her eyes tender, and her thoughts drifting afar.
“Look, Feng Bailing has arrived.”
Someone whispered, causing a stir in the crowd.
Feng Xiangxue couldn’t help laughing secretly. Judging by the commotion, she knew that Feng Bailing had made a big fool of herself today.
Just then, the Empress Dowager and the Empress arrived, and both Nalan Yan’er and Feng Xiangxue hurriedly knelt down to pay their respects.
“We are all family here, no need for such formalities.”
The Empress Dowager was not yet in her sixties, and aside from slightly graying temples and a bit of fullness, she was otherwise well-maintained.
She glanced around the crowd and then spotted a figure kneeling in the corner, a familiar sight.
“It’s Ah Ling, isn’t it? I heard you just returned from recuperation. Come here, let your Imperial Grandmother have a look at you.”
The Empress Dowager nodded slightly.
Feng Xiangxue bowed her head, waiting to see Feng Bailing’s disgrace.
Standing before the Empress Dowager, Feng Bailing’s attire earned her several moments of admiration in the Empress Dowager’s eyes.
“Ah Ling, you look truly handsome today. You remind me of your mother, Lianhua, when she was young. Young ladies should dress , it’s pleasing to the eye.”
When the ladies heard this, they thought, what?
Could the Empress Dowager’s vision be failing her?
Nalan Yan’er’s eyes flickered slightly, and she furrowed her brow lightly.
Her attire had always set the standard in the palace, and today she had also dressed with great care, elegant yet charming. She had thought she would receive praise, but to her surprise, it was Feng Bailing who was complimented.
The Empress Dowager helped Feng Bailing up and looked her over.
She was dressed in a begonia-colored Changru robe adorned with large ‘longevity cloud’ patterns blooming like flowers across the fabric, and draped over it was a scarlet cloak edged with jade rabbit fur. A silver-red veil covered her face, leaving only her lively eyes visible.
Whatever makeup she had used on those eyes, they were like autumn waters—clear and spirited, with the corners of her eyes shining like stars, as if filled with the galaxy.
“Imperial Grandmother, Ah Ling has prepared a birthday gift for you. This is ointment. Your hands have developed chilblains, and after using this, they won’t crack any longer.”
As Feng Bailing spoke, she took a small porcelain bottle and gently applied the ointment onto the Empress Dowager’s hands.
When kneeling to perform the ritual, she noticed with her sharp eyes that although the Empress Dowager’s face and figure were well-maintained, several of her fingers had developed chilblains. Because she aggravated them by holding a hand warmer, the Empress Dowager couldn’t resist scratching several times while standing and greeting guests.
Feng Bailing had been worried about not having a birthday gift, but in the second layer of her medical box, there just happened to be a chilblain ointment!
Gift-giving is a skillful art, better clever than expensive.
As for the birthday gift prepared by Feng Zhanlian, hmph, Blood Wings.
Indeed, she had a “good father.”
The always vegetarian and devout Empress Dowager, if she had seen it, would have been angrier than she was that year at the couplet incident.
The Empress Dowager was taken aback for a moment. Ah Ling was usually so meek and dare not speak up to her, but this time, she seemed much bolder.
After Feng Bailing applied the ointment, the chilblain ointment was absorbed, and the itching on the Empress Dowager’s hand was alleviated considerably.
Chilblains had troubled the Empress Dowager for a long time, a minor ailment the Imperial Hospital had always managed to treat the symptoms but not the root cause, recurring every winter.
With her hands feeling better, the Empress Dowager’s mood improved, and her brows relaxed as she led Feng Bailing towards their seats.
“Let’s all take our seats and enjoy the meal. After a year’s absence, let this old one see what new skills the children of each household have learned.”