Rebirth of the Phoenix Princess novel Chapter 38

"Ask for a favor?" Lady Shu was a little confused.

Ya'er thought of an idea and spoke to Lady Shu in a low voice, "Your Highness, why should Qin Yi come here? I believe asking for the herb is an excuse. To find out her real intentions, why not call Qin Yi and question her carefully?"

Lady Shu nodded in agreement.

When Qin Yi entered, Lady Shu was sitting on her throne in the inner Palace. Qin Yi curtsied to her promptly. Lady Shu nodded and said, "So you are Qin Yi. It must have been very tough to live a lonely and plain life with the Princess at Ning'guo Temple for all these years. By the way, I heard that you called the imperial physician this morning. Is the Princess ill?"

Qin Yi answered softly, "Your Highness, the Princess caught a cold last night. If this had happened to a normal person, it would be no big deal, and appropriate medicine would work. But the Princess' health has always been a cause for concern. This makes her illness more serious. The Imperial Physician came this morning, and after checking the Princess, he said that her pulse was irregular and that he didn't dare to prescribe medicines. The only way to help her is to use some restorative herbs. These will help to keep her fit, and the Princess will recover once her body gets stronger."

"It is so serious?" Lady Shu sighed and said with sadness, "The Princess just had her Coming-of-age Ceremony yesterday. She is in her best years but her health is so poor. Alas..." After lamenting for a while, she continued "I heard that you came to ask for a herb but I have no idea which herb you need. Take whatever you need if I have it here.

Qin Yi expressed her gratitude and then continued, "What I am looking for is the Cordyceps, which is very rare. Master Wu Na from Ning'guo Temple mentioned it as well. He said that this herb would be very good for the Princess' health if we could find it. But it is not easy to get. I heard some maids talk about it when I returned to the Palace. It is said that the Emperor favored you a lot and sent some as a tribute to you before the New Year. I'm so sorry to trouble you. Please pardon any unintended offense, Your Highness."

"Really? Is there any here?" Lady Shu then called Ya'er and asked her, "Do you know where the herb is?"

Ya'er replied, "Your Highness, indeed the Emperor gave you such a herb before the New Year. But during the New Year, you sent it to your mother since she was unwell."

Reminded of the incident, Lady Shu spoke apologetically, "This is true. My mother was unwell at the end of last year. I remembered that the Emperor said this herb was very good, so I sent it to her."

Qin Yi felt disappointed, but she was forced to smile. "It doesn't matter. I came to try my luck. Since you don't have it, I will go back now. I still need to take care of the Princess."

Lady Shu nodded. "Okay. If the Princess needs anything, just send someone to tell me."

Lady Shu frowned after Qin Yi left. "Is it possible that she really came to look for the herb?"

Ya'er also felt confused. She said, "Your Highness, it is better to have as much support as possible so that things will be easier later. How about you ask the maids at the storehouse to bring some rare herbs and take them to the Princess personally?"

Lady Shu bit her lips as she thought. Then she nodded. "Although Lady Jin seems to pose no threat right now, she has a daughter to depend on. It will be prudent if we form an alliance with them. Go and pick up some herbs. I will visit the Princess after changing my clothes."