On the second day of Helian Hongyi's birthday banquet, Gu Banqin slept until noon and woke up, he was tired in the past two days, he was still having a fever the day before yesterday, and he spent another day in the Taiji Hall yesterday, and after watching the fireworks at night, he returned to Lihua Palace, which was simply a rhythm of exhaustion and paralysis.

Fortunately, Gu Banqin had a peony by his side who knew how to use medicine, and Gu Banqin's body was not happy, so the peony replaced the catkins by his side.

Peony knows how to recuperate, knows how to recuperate for Gu Banqin, and sometimes can even give some nourishing suggestions to the prescription of the Tai Hospital, Helian Hongyi knew that Gu Banqin was a little tired, and also sent the imperial doctor to come over for consultation, and occasionally took the time to come over at night to look at Gu Banqin and have to leave.

When she left, she felt a little embarrassed, but Gu Banqin felt that it was nothing, in fact, Helian Hongyi couldn't come, and it was true that she didn't need to toss so much.

Gu Banqin drank a taste of the medicine sent by Peony, the medicine was sent from the Tai Hospital, and the peony would let the little palace maid reheat it in the small kitchen before bringing it to Gu Banqin.

Gu Banqin doesn't like to drink medicine, so he added more licorice to the peony to minimize the bitterness in the medicine.

"Niangniang is so afraid of hardship, you have to take care of yourself in the future."

Peony took the empty bowl handed by Gu Banqin, and couldn't help but joke to Gu Banqin.

Gu Banqin sat on the bed, covered with a quilt, and sniffed.

"Chinese medicine is too bitter. In fact, there is no need to drink at all, this kind of small illness of cold and fever, people themselves have the ability to heal themselves, and the effect of traditional Chinese medicine is slow, it is impossible to take effect all at once, and when it is important to take effect, people can recover themselves. ”

Peony put the medicine bowl away, then walked to Gu Banqin's side and sat down, turned Gu Banqin's hand carefully, and replied with a smile: "Niangniang's theory is really strange, people have to drink medicine when they are sick, and where will their bodies be better if they don't drink medicine." ”

Gu Banqin looked down at Peony to diagnose her pulse, and was attracted by Peony's hands, and couldn't help but sigh:

"Peony, your hands are so good-looking, thin and white, long and pointy, and your nails are also beautiful, just like the onions."

As he spoke, he gently touched the back of Peony's hand with his other hand, so that Peony could only temporarily give up diagnosing Gu Banqin's pulse, and had no choice but to glance at Gu Banqin, Gu Banqin ate a little tofu in her hand, and said with a smile:

"It's so slippery to the touch. Peony, your hands, even if they are placed in the mother's pile, are also a little bit better. Silky ......"

Gu Banqin originally wanted to make fun of Peony, but she didn't expect Peony to hear Gu Banqin's words, and suddenly her face tightened, her knees weakened, she knelt on Gu Banqin's bed, and kowtowed to Gu Banqin:

"Mother, the slave doesn't dare."

Gu Banqin also felt a little puzzled by Peony's sudden kneeling, leaned out of the bed, pulled her up, and said, "Don't dare to do anything, I didn't say anything about you, I just said that you have good hands......"

Peony was a little anxious, lowered her head and didn't dare to speak, Gu Banqin reacted at this time, she compared Peony with other mothers in what she said just now, which may be a taboo in the palace.

Peony must have thought that Gu Banqin was saying that she was ambitious and wanted to be on a par with Niangniang, this girl was too sensitive.

Gu Banqin muttered in her heart, but she still had words of comfort on her face.

"Oh, don't think too much, I really praise you, and I don't mean anything else."

Peony raised her eyes and looked at Gu Banqin, and said: "The slave knows that Niangniang has no other meaning, she just wants to avoid suspicion, in Niangniang's place, naturally there is nothing, but if Niangniang's words spread outside, others should talk about me." ”

Gu Banqin looked at her, and also understood that some things were nothing, anyway, she didn't care what others thought or thought, but Peony was different, and her identity had developed her cautious character.

She has never been taken seriously in Shang Pharmacy, and she has always been unknown, if it weren't for Gu Banqin's insight, she might still be at the bottom of Shang Pharmacy, being a medicine maid.

It's always right to be cautious.

Gu Banqin can also give her enough understanding.

"Okay, I said the wrong thing, I'll apologize to you, okay?"

Gu Banqin said to Peony like this, which made Peony a little embarrassed, and lowered her head and replied to Gu Banqin: "Niangniang, don't say that, it's a slave." ”

Gu Banqin smiled, stretched out her hand to Peony again, and said, "Okay, okay, don't say anything, you can continue to diagnose my pulse." I feel like I'm in a lot better spirits, and there's nothing wrong with that. ”

Peony nodded, bent down shyly, and put her fingers on Gu Banqin's wrist again, this time Gu Banqin didn't make trouble anymore, leaned on the soft pillow and waited quietly, chatting with Peony without a stubble:

"Peony, do you have any siblings? What did your family do before entering the palace? ”

Peony raised her eyes and looked at Gu Banqin, and replied in a low voice: "Hui Niangniang, the slave maid has a younger sister, before entering the palace, our family opened a pharmacy, and then the pharmacy couldn't continue to operate, so I entered the palace." ”

"Oh, why can't the pharmacy survive? Where's your mom and dad? ”

Gu Banqin wants to be idle, but among the people who are serving by her side now, that is, she hasn't asked all about the life experiences of Caiping and Peony, but everyone else knows it, so take this opportunity to ask and understand each other more.

After Peony pondered for a while, she said to Gu Banqin: "Originally, the family was fine, but one day, my father went to the clinic and went to a family to treat the old lady of that family, and the old lady was a little bad in the first place. ”

"My father told her family about the condition, and then let the ginseng hang up, saying that there were three or four days to live at most, and the family didn't say anything at first, so they asked my father to go back."

"But in the evening, the old lady suddenly convulsed to death, quite unreasonable, took my father's prescription to the government to sue my father, saying that my father's prescription killed the old lady, when the officers and soldiers came to our house to get people, my father and mother didn't know what was going on."

Gu Banqin listened attentively, but she didn't expect Peony's life experience to be like this: "What about later?" Your father was arrested by the government because of this? Convicted? ”

Peony sighed: "I was arrested by the government to ask about the case, but the crime was not determined, but the family asked my father to pay him three hundred taels of silver, saying that no matter what, the old lady died because of the medicine prescribed by my father." ”

"How can this be counted? It's obviously not a slander. The government gave a sentence like this? ”

Gu Banqin was filled with righteous indignation when she heard this.

Peony nodded: "That family has a bit of power in our place, and they also have dealings with the lord of the government, and the government did not clearly condemn my father at that time, and told my father in private that he would let things settle and lose money." My father was not a powerful person, and after being scared a few words, he had the right to destroy the fortune and eliminate the disaster. and gave three hundred taels of silver to the man's house. ”

"Alas, how can you compensate, doesn't it mean that your father admitted that the prescription was wrong?" Gu Banqin said what Peony was going to say later.

"Mother is right."

Peony put Gu Banqin's hand back, stood up and twisted the handkerchief, and continued to Gu Banqin: "Just because my father lost the three hundred taels of silver, and then the family colluded with the government to sue my father for selling fake medicine. ”

"The house was raided, and the government wanted my father to pay money, or he would be sentenced, and he would be exiled with tattoos on his face, my father was afraid of things, and lost all the money in the family, and he couldn't stay there anymore, so my father and mother had to take me and my sister to join my uncle."

"Along the way, I ate and slept in the open air, but the world was not peaceful for a while, there was chaos everywhere, and when I arrived outside the city, I was blocked by the officers and soldiers from entering the city, my mother's health was not good, and she fell ill after not walking for a long time, so we could only find a hunter's house in the nearby mountains to live."

"My father went to the mountains at night to get medicine for my mother, and when he was collecting medicine, he fell to his death. My sister and I finally dragged my mother to my uncle's house, who knows, my uncle's family moved because of the war, I heard that Jiankang came, and we dragged my mother to Jiankang, but not long after arriving in Jiankang, my mother went. ”

Peony handed the twisted handkerchief to Gu Banqin, Gu Banqin took it in a daze, but she couldn't make a sound, she looked at Peony's restrained and dignified appearance.

Where did she think that her background was so pitiful, she suddenly regretted asking about Peony, unfolded the warm handkerchief and wiped her hands, Gu Banqin whispered to Peony:

"Oh, me, I didn't know you were walking so hard, I didn't mean to ask this."

Although Peony can say it calmly now, Gu Banqin can still imagine the hardships she has come through.

Seeing Gu Banqin's guilty expression on her face, Peony couldn't help but smile: "It's okay, Niangniang, it's all over, I'm still serving by Niangniang's side, that's good." It's also the fate of our master and servant, isn't it? ”

Although the peony was very generous, Gu Banqin was very reluctant in her heart, and after taking a deep breath, she asked the peony softly:

"What about your sister?" Peony said the ending of her father, but not her sister-in-law.

I saw that Peony was stunned for a moment, and then replied:

She ...... At my uncle's house. It's enough for me to enter the palace alone, and she's doing well outside. ”

Gu Banqin looked at Peony and sighed faintly, in the past, she only thought about how miserable her life was, but compared to Peony, it was really insignificant.

As soon as she crossed over, at least it was the prime minister's house, although it was a concubine, but she did not suffer from displacement, even when the Helian family and the Zhao family were fighting, they were not miserable.

Peony raised her eyes to look at Gu Banqin, put away the handkerchief she had used to the edge of the basin, and rubbed the handkerchief while looking at the reflection in the basin broken by her own hand.

Peony's eyes flashed coldly, but in the blink of an eye, she regained her expression, dried the veil, picked up the basin, turned around and saluted Gu Banqin, and then went out with the basin.

Gu Banqin looked at her back, and seemed a little distressed, Peony is eighteen years old this year, and she will be nineteen after the New Year, although the palace maid can go out at the age of twenty-five.

But what can I do after I leave the palace?

Inexplicably sentimental, worried about these little palace maids living in the palace. Is it possible to think about it next, how to better accommodate the future of these palace maids in the palace?