Chapter 24: Grandmother Empress Eats Candy

Arriving at the Kunning Palace, a palace maid’s eyes lit up. "Your Highness, the Imperial Grandson, you have come! Her Majesty has been mentioning you these past two days!"

She turned to go inside and announce his arrival, but the little boy stopped her. "Don't tell Imperial Grandmother yet; I want to give her a surprise!"

"As you command!" The maid bowed and stepped back.

The little boy took short, quick steps, crossed the high threshold, and walked into the bedchamber. Queen Ma lay on the bed, her complexion sallow and her breathing faint. Hearing footsteps, she frowned. "Didn't I say I don't want to eat anything? Do not bring any more food!"

However, the footsteps did not cease, and a cute, milky voice sounded above her head. "Imperial Grandmother, how can you go without eating?"

Queen Ma opened her eyes and saw that whimsical little face, immediately bursting into a smile. "Xiongying? Is it really you?"

"Imperial Grandmother, it is me! I’ve come to see you!" Zhu Xiongying squinted his eyes and nodded with a smile.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the task. Reward: Primary Medical Skills!]

The system reward arrived just as he finished speaking with Queen Ma, showing remarkable efficiency. Upon receiving the reward, Zhu Xiongying suddenly felt his head grow hot and swollen. A few breaths later, the sensation gradually faded. As he looked at Queen Ma again, various data points suddenly appeared in his mind:

*Sallow complexion, deficiency of both qi and blood.*
*Cold hands and feet, yin deficiency constitution.*
*Loss of appetite, weak spleen and stomach.*
*Liver deficiency with excessive fire, both heart and lungs injured.*

Zhu Xiongying frowned, thinking to himself that this was bad. Queen Ma’s illness seemed quite severe. It was likely that the hardships and stress of traveling and struggling alongside Old Zhu in her youth had broken her body. After becoming Queen, the daily burdens of managing the inner court had only added to the strain. Once everything was on the right track, she had collapsed from illness. For the past year, knowing her time was short, she had even refused to let the imperial physicians take her pulse, fearing that they would be implicated after her death. This had only allowed her condition to worsen. No wonder, in history, she was destined to pass away next year.

"Xiongying? Xiongying?"

While Zhu Xiongying was lost in thought, Queen Ma had been giving him instructions about being obedient in the future. Seeing no response, she struggled to raise her hand and waved it in front of him. The little boy finally snapped back to reality.

"Imperial Grandmother! You called me?"

"Yes! Xiongying, Imperial Grandmother is leaving soon. If your Imperial Grandfather loses his temper in the future, you must help your father persuade him!" Having spent twenty or thirty years with Old Zhu, Queen Ma understood his temper best. If she were to die, Old Zhu would likely go half-mad. No one knew what he might do then.

"Forget it, Imperial Grandmother. My father doesn't even dare to breathe loudly when he sees Imperial Grandfather; how could he dare to persuade him...?"

Seeing Queen Ma’s frail state, the little boy steeled his heart and pulled the two life-extending pills from his robes. "Imperial Grandmother, eat some candy!"

Anyway, the system would reward him with more lifespan in the future, so missing these two years didn't matter. At worst, he would just have to prank Old Zhu a couple more times. That guy gave much better rewards!

Queen Ma glanced at the items in his hand and waved her hand with a smile. "My dear grandson, Grandmother has no appetite; I can't eat anything."

"Imperial Grandmother, the sun is so hot outside, and I ran all the way here to bring you candy. Can you bear to refuse me?"

Old Zhu and Queen Ma doted on their grandson, Zhu Xiongying, more than anyone. Whenever the boy asked for something, they almost never refused. Sure enough, Queen Ma smiled and said weakly, "Alright, then Grandmother will snatch a piece of candy from her eldest grandson!"

She slowly raised her hand and picked up one pill. Before she could put it in her mouth, the little boy shoved the other one in as well. "Imperial Grandmother, these are all for you; you must eat them all!"

Unable to refuse, Queen Ma nodded. "Alright, alright, Grandmother will eat them all!"

The two pale yellow pills entered her mouth, drifting into her body like a gentle breeze, flowing through her veins. A moment later, sweat poured down her like rain. When everything returned to normal, her clothes were soaked through. Zhu Xiongying watched closely and saw that Queen Ma’s complexion was improving at a visible rate. It seemed the life-extending pills not only added a year to her life but also purged the diseases from her body.

With both pills dissolved and absorbed, Queen Ma felt her body filled with strength and sat straight up. "Xiongying, what did you give me to eat?"

"It’s candy given to me by the white-bearded grandfather!"

"White-bearded grandfather? Could it be the immortal master your Imperial Grandfather mentioned?" Although Queen Ma hadn't been out lately, Old Zhu had told her quite a bit, including the story of Zhu Xiongying being taken as a disciple by an immortal.

"Exactly! How does Imperial Grandmother feel now?"

"Grandmother feels warm all over, and I have strength in my body again!" Queen Ma made a slight fist, feeling as though her body had returned to the state it was in ten years ago.

"That’s good! Imperial Grandmother, go change your clothes first; I’ll go get you something to eat!" People are like iron, and food is like steel; one feels weak without a meal. Although Queen Ma’s illness was cured, she had barely eaten anything recently, so she still needed proper nourishment.

"Alright!" Queen Ma, fearing the smell of sweat might bother the child, nodded in agreement.

Zhu Xiongying skipped out of the bedchamber and ran toward the small kitchen. This was where each palace prepared food if the imperial kitchen’s offerings weren't to their liking, or where they prepared special tonics and medicinal soups. Because of Queen Ma’s status, there were ten people working in her small kitchen. Every kind of meat and vegetable was readily available; whatever the main imperial kitchen had, they had here too.

The little boy rubbed his smooth chin, his eyes scanning the various ingredients. Queen Ma was weak, so she needed something nourishing. But because she had long been eating so little, he couldn't overfeed her; it was best to have something gently restorative with a mix of meat and vegetables. With that thought, an idea popped into his head.

He ordered the imperial chefs to prepare the ingredients according to his requirements. An hour later, two steaming pots were placed on the dining table in the Kunning Palace. Having changed her clothes and redone her hair, Queen Ma looked far better than before, with a newfound light in her eyes.

Seeing Zhu Xiongying bring in these strange items, she asked suspiciously, "Xiongying, why did you have them bring these? And why are the meat and vegetables raw?"

"Of course, it’s to nourish your body, Imperial Grandmother...!" The little boy pointed to the soup base in the hot pots. "The soup in here is boiled from marrow bones. With my secret dipping sauce, even boiling a shoe insole would taste delicious!"

"A... shoe insole?" Queen Ma raised an eyebrow. She knew what shoes were, but what was an insole? And what did dishes have to do with shoes?

"Just watch, Imperial Grandmother!"

Since Queen Ma’s stomach was still weak, she couldn't eat spicy food. Zhu Xiongying had ordered two types prepared: a clear broth for her and a spicy one for himself. He had been craving this for ages! He impatiently picked up a thin slice of lamb and dropped it into the red broth. A moment later, he pulled it out, cooked to perfection. Dipping it into the sauce, it was fresh, tender, and incredibly satisfying.

"Sss-ha... delicious!"

"Imperial Grandmother, you try it too!"

Seeing this way of eating for the first time, Queen Ma followed his lead, picked up some ingredients, and placed them into the boiling pot. A moment later, she pulled them out and rolled them in the dipping sauce.

"Hmm? This really does taste good!" Queen Ma’s eyes lit up, and she couldn't stop praising it. She had never imagined that lamb could be so delicious when cooked this way.

"That’s not all! I also prepared some hawthorn juice to whet your appetite!"

By pitting and crushing hawthorn berries, adding a little sugar and water, and filtering the mixture, he had created a sweet and sour juice. It was perfect for aiding digestion and restoring the appetite, especially suitable for Queen Ma at this time. A maid poured a cup, and Queen Ma found it delightful. "Mmm! It's both sour and sweet—it really opens up my appetite!"