Chapter 154 The Most Flirtatious Gardener (1/2)

At this thought, Concubine De was suddenly overcome with a sense of guilt.

If she was not so easily taken in by some persuasion, she would not have allowed Yue Ting to be taken away.

In that case, Ya'er would not have fallen seriously ill.

”After Princess Yu made sure you've fallen asleep, she went into the kitchen to personally prepare some food for you.”

Being her maidservant for many years, Jinyue could guess what was on Concubine De's mind.

In fact, it was Concubine De's intention to protect Miss Yue Ting that day.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Yue was backed by the Queen herself. In fact that day, the Yues were accompanied by one of the Queen's female officials.

Concubine De was left with no other choice but to cave.

All the people were shocked to learn about Mrs. Yue's wickedness and cruelty, which she demonstrated even on her own daughter.

Therefore, Concubine De felt a sense of guilt towards Lin Mengya with regards to Yue Ting.

”Bring the food in, but make sure to be quiet so as not to wake Concubine De.”

At Lin Mengya's gentle instruction, a few maidservants entered the room one after another.

”Princess Yu, Concubine De is already awake,” reminded Jinyue kindly.

Lin Mengya approached Concubine De immediately and with a gentle voice, said, ”Greetings of peace, Mother. I was not feeling well in the last few days and I didn't want my illness to affect Mother, so I refrained from coming to pay you respects. Please forgive me.”

Concubine De observed Lin Mengya's expression and saw that her countenance remained gentle and virtuous as before, as if nothing had happened.

There was not even a hint of estrangement from Concubine De, but was as amiable as before.

Mengya was a good girl in comparison. She must have understood and forborne Concubine De's difficult position.

”How did you lose so much weight, child? There is no need to stand on ceremony by saying those polite words, we are a family after all.”

Concubine De held Lin Mengya's hand and the guilt in her turned into an endearing feeling.

Her son was such a blessed man to have married such a sensible and obedient girl.

”I've heard from Jinyue that Mother had not been eating well and sleeping well, so I specially prepared some food for you, Mother. I hope you find the food palatable.”

Lin Mengya quickly instructed the servants to fetch the medicinal herbs, which appeared to be out of everyone's expectation.

Dish after dish of the so-called medicine looked enticingly delicious and there was absolutely no smell of medicine.

Concubine De's appetite was immediately restored. She took up the chopsticks and tasted some.

Although a little bland, the food was not oily at all.

Pleased, Concubine De did not stop until more than half of the food was eaten.

”Mother, the chrysanthemum flowers in my garden are in full bloom. Would you like me to bring you there to have a look?”

Concubine De was feeling a little sleepy after she finished eating.

However, Lin Mengya's suggestion resonated well with her heart.

Enjoying the full bloom chrysanthemum flowers in autumn and walking in the snow in winter were the most delightful things.

Only in those days before Concubine De was married, she could go out in a carefree manner to do these things with her girlfriends, without being concerned about her status.

Lin Mengya's suggestion had brought back the memories of those carefree days.

Concubine De nodded with pleasure and Jinyue immediately got Concubine De ready by dressing her up and a group of them were ready to go to the Liuxin Courtyard to see the chrysanthemum flowers.

The procession of people emerged from the Art Courtyard and headed towards Lin Mengya's Liuxin Courtyard.

Lin Mengya and Jinyue purposely lagged behind so they were the last two people in the procession.

Scanning the surrounding, Lin Mengya quietly asked Jinyue, ”Has Concubine De been suffering from frequent headache and lack of appetite, as well as the lack of quality sleep, recently?”

Jinyue nodded, and a look of worry flashed across her eyes.

”Do you know what illness Concubine De is suffering from, Princess Yu?”

Lin Mengya moaned for a moment and shook her head.

She was trained in western medicine and her knowledge of Chinese Medicine was limited.

When she first arrived in Concubine De's room, she had, through her observation, narrowed down her problem to a few poisonous substances in small amounts.

However, these few kinds of poison which she identified would not cause much harm even if given in large doses, not to mention damaging a person's health.

She was puzzled as to where these things had come from.

”What are some of Concubine De's long-term habits over the decades?”

Although these tiny doses of poison were not life-threatening, it could result in chronic illnesses from accumulation over a long period of time.

Jinyue took a moment to ponder over it and replied, ”Concubine De's daily routine is strict with a regular pattern. She has persisted for many years in this manner, but I can't really put a finger to any of them right now. Why? Is there a problem?”

They were habits of many years, and the effects were just emerging.

From here, one could see how cautious the person who poisoned her was.

There was some poison when ingested over a long period of time, caused the gradual deterioration of the body

Apparently, Concubine De had been subjected to this condition.

As a person entered into middle age, her immune system would have weakened, leading to such a condition.

”I can't really pinpoint what's wrong now. How about you secretly send the things that Concubine De uses every day to me tomorrow, I'll see what I can do. As for these coming days, continue feeding her those medicines and make sure she drinks lots of warm water. As for the rest, we'll have to play by ear.”

Although Lin Mengya's radar was a sensitive one, she knew that she needed antidotes to neutralize whatever poison that was in Concubine De's body.

If she wished to cure Concubine De's illness in secret, she would have to think of a better solution.

Suddenly, she had a brainwave. Baili Rui!

Yes! Bailin Rui, who was imprisoned in the dungeon, was an expert in poison.

He might be able to provide a good solution.

Lin Mengya made up her mind as she separated from Jinyue.

When she turned around randomly, she accidentally caught sight of a grey hem of someone's coat at a corner of the Moon Gate.