The Empress Dowager was kind and amiable. Thinking of Zi You’s aunt Née Liu, she easily said, “Yatou, don’t be formal. Aijia counts as your great aunt. Your aunt is Aijia’s cousin’s daughter. How is she doing?”
Zi You immediately smiled sweetly. This smile was like ice melting and the sun breaking through the clouds. “Yes, imperial great aunt. Chennu came into the Palace today and aunt mentioned you. She said that if imperial great aunt summons me, Chennu must pay respects on her behalf to you.”
The Empress Dowager nodded, gratified. “En, that yatou is blessed. Yatou, Aijia heard that you came into the Palace today because a censor censured you? Aiyo! Why would those rascals censure a little yatou for no reason?”
Zi You had not replied, but Shangguan LingRan, panting with rage, answered. “That’s because this idiot doesn’t know her own abilities. She bought fifty-plus female slaves. She wants to teach them medicine and let them follow generals onto the battlefield to treat the wounded soldiers. Someone found information to use against her. How can she not be censured?”
The Empress Dowager was puzzled. “This is a good thing. What information can be used against her?”
“Many of the slaves are relatives of criminal officials. Imperial uncle and Taizi gege listened to the officials’ bias and worried that those little yatous would want to take revenge and harm our soldiers. I said this yatou was stupid. Can’t noble xiaojies be female doctors?” Shangguan LingRan summed it up, still like a dandy.
The Empress Dowager listened and lightly slapped him. She said pamperingly and gently, “Nonsense! Would noble xiaojies want to be a doctor? Where do you want yatou to find them?”
Zi You said, “Empress Dowager is wise. It’s exactly because of the reason you said that Chennu had no choice but to purchase slaves and teach them medicine. Chennu thought that no one would be unwilling to live a normal life and want to live in hell? Empress Dowager, Chennu gave them an opportunity to be reborn. How can they not cherish it? If they would seek vengeance, they would go to prison, serve a sentence, be demoted to official slave status, and be sold like animals by slave dealers in the slave market. It was an inhumane existence. These ten- to fourteen-year-old slaves have experienced it once and would never forget it in their lifetime. Why would they want to experience it again?”
