Chapter 25: The Fifth Lady

Chapter 25: The Fifth Lady

An Qing was completely stunned. She looked down at her empty hand and then at the half-eaten tomato in Yinqi's hand, which looked rather pitiful.

It didn't make sense; why did he snatch her tomato? If he wanted to eat it, he could have taken one himself; there were plenty!

Yinqi couldn't care less about that right now. He looked down at the half-eaten tomato in his hand, his face growing increasingly grim.

"Ma Xiang, quickly go fetch the imperial physician!" His voice carried a barely perceptible tremor.

Hearing the words "imperial physician," An Qing's momentarily blank mind snapped back into focus, and she immediately understood the reason behind Yinqi's actions.

"Wait!" She stretched out her arms towards Ma Xiang and then turned to look at Yinqi, "This is edible; it's not poisonous. Really, no need for an imperial physician."

Yinqi's brows furrowed slightly as he stared at her for a few seconds. "Have you eaten it before?"

Of course, she had eaten it countless times in her previous life. After all, tomatoes are rich in vitamin C, beneficial for beauty and digestion, and very good for health.

"I've seen others eat it." An Qing might have felt this explanation was weak, so she added reassuringly, "Don't worry, nobody died!"

But this well-intentioned remark only made Yinqi's face darken even more.

What kind of assurance was that? How could he be at ease knowing she would eat anything?

This was sheer recklessness!

Seeing An Qing's innocent expression, Yinqi couldn't bring himself to scold her and instead turned to glare at Ma Xiang. "Useless fool, what are you waiting for? Didn't you hear my order!"

Ma Xiang, who had been on edge, immediately ran off upon hearing Yinqi's words.

He was completely terrified by An Qing's act of eating the tomato. Everyone in the palace knew that although tomatoes looked appealing, they were poisonous berries. How could the Lady eat anything without caution?

But before he had run far, he heard Yinqi shout from behind, "Remember to bring Director Qi from the Imperial Medical Bureau."

An Qing's eyes widened when she heard that Yinqi specifically requested the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Was he really going to make such a big fuss? Wouldn't it be enough to just send a minor physician to check her pulse and confirm she wasn't poisoned?

However, when she saw Yinqi's stern face, she instinctively shrank back, feeling a bit intimidated.

Fine, if Director Qi must come, so be it. Who comes isn't important.

As soon as Ma Xiang left, Yinqi tossed the tomato aside, squatted in front of An Qing, and asked with concern, "How do you feel now? Are you dizzy? Do you have any abdominal pain or discomfort anywhere?"

An Qing finally had a chance to prove herself and hurriedly replied, "No, no, I'm fine. No dizziness, no abdominal pain, everything is perfectly fine."

To reassure him further, she jumped up from the wicker chair and bounced around a few times. "Sir, look, I'm perfectly fine..."

Yinqi was startled by her sudden movement and quickly grabbed her, lifting her up horizontally and carrying her towards the room.

He gritted his teeth as he walked, saying, "Stop causing trouble and lie down properly!"

An Qing: "..."

After placing her on the bed and confirming she was temporarily fine, Yinqi finally had time to confront her.

He turned to look at Perilla and the others, his expression cold. "Is this how you serve the Lady?"

Without any physical punishment or harsh words, the emotionless "hmm" conveyed the oppressive demeanor of someone in authority.

An Qing had never seen this chilling side of Yinqi and was momentarily stunned.

Perilla and the others were so frightened that they immediately fell to their knees.

They had never seen such a scene. Yinqi was known for his good temper and kindness towards servants. Even when someone occasionally made a small mistake, he would let it slide.

But seeing him like this was unprecedented.

Feeling sorry for them, An Qing, adhering to the principle of taking responsibility for her own actions, tugged at his sleeve and pleaded, "Sir, don't scold them. I am their mistress; they can't control me."

Yinqi turned to glare at her and sneered, "So you're quite capable, aren't you?"

An Qing rubbed her nose and replied shamelessly, "Not really, just average capability."

Yinqi was about to be driven mad. He couldn't hit her or scold her, so he simply turned away in frustration.

The room fell into a tense silence. An Qing lay quietly on the bed, trying to minimize her presence, while Perilla and the others wished they could shrink away.

Fortunately, Ma Xiang soon returned with the imperial physician, breaking the suffocating atmosphere.

The physician was Director Qi from the Imperial Medical Bureau. It was a coincidence that he was not on duty today but had been summoned by Kangxi to diagnose a noble person. He had just finished and was about to leave the palace when Ma Xiang caught him.

Director Qi was dragged to the Prince's residence without knowing the patient's identity or condition.

Recognizing Ma Xiang as someone from the Fifth Prince's entourage and hearing him repeatedly say "quick, quick, it's a matter of life and death," he assumed something had happened to the Fifth Prince.

Upon entering the room, however, he saw Yinqi sitting calmly, seemingly unharmed. He then turned his attention to An Qing lying on the bed.

"Director Qi, what are you waiting for? Please examine the Fifth Lady," Ma Xiang urged.

Director Qi finally identified the patient and hurriedly approached the bed with his medical kit. "Fifth Lady, please extend your right hand."

An Qing responded with an "oh" and cooperated.

Director Qi took out a thin silk handkerchief from his kit, placed it under her wrist, and began to take her pulse.

After checking several times, he found nothing wrong and asked, puzzled, "Fifth Lady, where do you feel uncomfortable?"

An Qing subconsciously glanced at Yinqi and pursed her lips, responding honestly, "I'm fine. There's nothing uncomfortable."

"This..." The chief physician Qi turned to look at Yinqi beside him, puzzled.

If there's nothing wrong, why did they urgently call for a physician?

Yinqi's brows furrowed slightly. "Physician Qi, are you sure there's nothing amiss?"

To be cautious, Physician Qi took her pulse again. Finally, he confirmed, "Fifth Prince, Fifth Princess's pulse is steady and strong. This subject confirms there is no issue whatsoever."

Only then did Yinqi exhale deeply, his heart finally settling.

Physician Qi was still confused.

Yinqi explained, "She ate half of a tomato fruit earlier."

"What?" Physician Qi was shocked. "You said Fifth Princess ate what?!"

An Qing instinctively drew back, feeling as if she had eaten poison.

Well, she admitted that tomatoes were considered poisonous by people here. Her initial plan was to eat it secretly in her courtyard, but fatefully, Yinqi caught her, leading to this commotion.

Yinqi's slightly eased mind was instantly on edge again due to Physician Qi's reaction. "It was the fruit from the ornamental tomato plant."

He then had someone bring up the remaining half of the tomato An Qing had eaten.

Physician Qi hurriedly examined the half tomato.

An Qing couldn't help but rub her forehead; the tomato still bore her messy bite marks, making her feel embarrassed.

Physician Qi carefully inspected the fruit, confirming it was a tomato. He approached An Qing again and said, "Fifth Princess, please stick out your tongue. This subject needs to check for any signs of poisoning."

An Qing had no choice but to comply.

Thus, Physician Qi meticulously conducted various examinations, checking her thoroughly. He even pricked her finger with a silver needle to draw a drop of blood for testing.

After all this, he finally confirmed that An Qing showed no immediate signs of poisoning, but with the caveat that it was temporary. To ensure no slow-acting toxins, observation was necessary.

"How long do we need to observe?" An Qing asked.

Physician Qi thought for a moment. "Fifth Princess, at least three hours."

An Qing thought it wasn't too bad; three hours equaled six hours, and since it was early, she could wait until dinner and rest afterward without much inconvenience.

Yinqi turned to Physician Qi and asked, "Physician, are there any precautions during the observation period?"

Physician Qi nodded. "No food should be consumed; she must remain fasting."

An Qing: "..."

But she was really hungry now. It was too hot during the day, and she had been waiting for dinner.

An Qing glanced at the half-eaten tomato on the plate beside her and cautiously asked, "Since I've already eaten one, how about another one? It shouldn't matter..."

Yinqi gave her a stern look, and she immediately shut her mouth.

Fine, no eating then. Missing one meal wouldn't kill her.

Physician Qi marveled at Fifth Princess's composure. Initially, he thought she had unknowingly eaten the fruit due to ignorance, but after all this, she remained calm and collected.

Truly, a woman raised under Mongolian cavalry in Horqin, her fearlessness far surpassed that of the ladies in the Forbidden City.

An Qing was unaware of the grand impression she had made.

In truth, she was quite afraid of death; her calmness stemmed from knowing the fruit was safe. Otherwise, with an unknown fruit, she would have panicked.

The next few hours passed slowly and anxiously.

Finally, after Physician Qi repeatedly confirmed no signs of poisoning, the matter concluded, and everyone's tension eased.

Only An Qing was carefree, mumbling before sleep, "See, I told you it was fine."

Yinqi turned away in frustration, unable to bear her nonchalance.

An Qing pouted and lay down to sleep, exhausted from the ordeal.

Soon, her steady breathing filled the room.

Yinqi sighed, admiring her resilience.

He got up quietly, slightly lifting the bed curtains to let in some candlelight, allowing him to observe An Qing more clearly.

An Qing slept soundly, waking up just as dawn broke. She opened her eyes to meet Yinqi's deep gaze.

"Didn't you have to attend morning court today?"

Though princes without titles didn't attend, Emperor Kangxi had his adult sons listen in, requiring them to leave early like ministers.

Yinqi ignored her question. "How do you feel now? Are you alright?"

An Qing responded, "I feel fine."

Seeing her seemingly unharmed, Yinqi relaxed and called out, "Ma Xiang, fetch Physician Qi again."

An Qing blinked, realizing Yinqi was still worried about yesterday.

"Did you... not sleep at all last night?"

Yinqi glanced at her without saying a word.

A surge of guilt washed over An Qing. So, he had truly been frightened by her yesterday.

"How could you dare? No one has ever eaten that thing before. If something happened, it could be fatal," Yinqi said.

An Qing didn't want him to worry, so she tried to explain, "I really saw someone eat it before; I wasn't reckless."

Seeing that she still didn't show any remorse, Yinqi couldn't help but explode, "You're still arguing!"

An Qing silently closed her mouth.

Wah wah wah~ He was being mean to her!

But then she thought about it and realized that she should reflect on herself for making someone as patient as Yinqi lose his temper. From his perspective, the tomatoes were always considered poisonous, and no one around them had ever eaten them. Seeing her eat them and showing no symptoms must have been terrifying.

No wonder he couldn't sleep all night; he was afraid she might succumb to poisoning during the night.

Realizing this, An Qing immediately understood that she had been too hasty. For Yinqi to hold back until now before yelling at her, he must have an exceptionally good temper.

"Um, Master, don't be angry, okay? I was wrong, and I won't do it again." She blinked her big eyes and pitifully tugged at his sleeve.

She had always been adept at playing the victim, a skill honed since childhood. Whether it was her parents or brothers, no one could stay angry with her when she acted this way.

This trick had never failed her, but she knew it only worked on those who cared about her.

Through their recent interactions and Yinqi's behavior yesterday, she sensed that although there was no romantic interest, he at least considered her part of his inner circle. That was enough for her.

Yinqi had never seen her act like this before and indeed gave in.

He took a deep breath and tapped her forehead, "Don't eat anything strange again."

An Qing readily agreed, repeatedly assuring him, almost swearing on it.

Seeing Yinqi's expression soften, she let out a sigh of relief.

Phew~ She had finally calmed him down. She knew that the more patient someone was, the scarier they became when truly angry. This time, she was clearly at fault, and if she hadn't appeased him, she would have felt terrible.

But little did An Qing know that calming Yinqi was just the first step. The matter was far from over.

The Chief Physician of the Imperial Medical Institute reported directly to Emperor Kangxi. In other words, he was one of Kangxi's trusted confidants. Such a significant event naturally required reporting.

So, after the Chief Physician had just experienced the shock of the previous night and had checked on the Fifth Princess Consort's pulse early in the morning, confirming she showed no signs of poisoning, he went straight to the Palace of Heavenly Purity.

After hearing the entire story, Emperor Kangxi was stunned for several seconds. "What did you say she ate?"

The Chief Physician repeated, "Your Majesty, the Fifth Princess Consort ate the fruit of the tomato plant."

There was a sound of a document falling onto the table.

"Nonsense! Utter nonsense!" Kangxi suddenly stood up from his throne and paced back and forth, cursing, "How could anyone eat that? How could no one stop her? Are the servants in her courtyard all dead?"

The Chief Physician wiped his sweat, accustomed to the imperial family's protective behavior.

"How is the Fifth Princess Consort now?" Kangxi asked.

The Chief Physician hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, the Fifth Princess Consort shows no signs of poisoning or discomfort. It seems the tomato fruit is not poisonous."

Hearing that she was fine, Kangxi's anger subsided slightly, "Still, we can't be careless. No one has eaten it before, and we don't know if it's a slow poison. Qi Ping, I order you to check on the Fifth Princess Consort three times daily for the next half month. Report immediately if anything unusual happens."

The Chief Physician bowed, "As Your Majesty commands!"

After the Chief Physician left, Kangxi sat there, growing angrier the more he thought about it. How could she treat her own body so recklessly? Did she think she was Shennong tasting herbs?

From what Qi Ping said, the Fifth Princess Consort seemed unafraid. This wouldn't do. If she continued acting recklessly, she might lose her life.

"Liang Jiugong, go to the Prince's residence..."

Kangxi paused, realizing this might not be appropriate. Liang Jiugong was his personal attendant, and if he went, others might assume it was to reprimand her.

So he changed his mind, "Liang Jiugong, go tell Concubine Yi to visit the Fifth Princess Consort and talk some sense into her. She shouldn't eat anything randomly; it's unacceptable."

Liang Jiugong immediately acknowledged the order.

But he also noted everything silently. The Emperor, despite his anger, still wanted to preserve the Fifth Princess Consort's dignity. It seemed he had underestimated the impact of the auspicious peony incident.

In the Palace of Tranquil Dignity, Concubine Yi was stunned after hearing Liang Jiugong's report.

Her first reaction was, why did An Qing eat that thing? Then she remembered it was supposedly poisonous and quickly asked Liang Jiugong, "How is the Fifth Princess Consort now?"

Liang Jiugong replied, "Don't worry, Your Highness. Dr. Qi said she shows no signs of poisoning."

Concubine Yi relaxed and asked about the Emperor's intentions, "Did the Emperor give any orders?"

Liang Jiugong relayed the Emperor's message verbatim.

Concubine Yi frowned, worried that the Emperor might be blaming An Qing.

Liang Jiugong smiled, "Concubine Yi, don't worry. The Emperor is concerned about the Fifth Princess Consort."

Concubine Yi immediately understood his implication. If the Emperor truly wanted to blame her, he would have sent Liang Jiugong directly to the Prince's residence instead of coming to her.

Without delay, Concubine Yi led her attendants to the Prince's residence.

This was the first time Concubine Yi had visited Yinqi's courtyard since his marriage. She didn't send anyone ahead to announce her arrival and arrived directly at An Qing's main residence.

An Qing and Yinqi were having breakfast when Little Xizi came in to report. Both were visibly taken aback.

Concubine Yi arrived quickly, entering the room while the two were still in a daze.

The two hurriedly put down their chopsticks and went forward to pay their respects.

"Mother, why did you suddenly come here?" An Qing smiled as she supported Concubine Yi, saying, "If there's anything, you could have sent someone to tell me, and I would have come to your palace. Why trouble yourself to come here?"

Concubine Yi glanced at her and lightly 'humphed,' "If I didn't come to check on you, what would you be eating next time, hmm?"

An Qing wasn't foolish; she immediately understood that Concubine Yi knew about yesterday's incident.

She abruptly turned to look at Yinqi with an expression of 'how could you tattle.'

Yinqi: "…"

Fortunately, Concubine Yi never liked beating around the bush and soon explained her purpose, clearing Yinqi of the suspicion of being a tattletale.

An Qing instantly realized she had gone too far. How did Emperor Kangxi even find out? And he specifically sent Concubine Yi to warn her not to eat indiscriminately. This…

"Don't worry, your Imperial Father probably isn't angry. You don't need to be concerned."

An Qing immediately felt relieved, instinctively meeting Yinqi's gaze. Both of them visibly relaxed.

Concubine Yi had no time for their silent exchanges and couldn't help but tap An Qing's forehead, scolding, "Why are you such a glutton? There are so many delicious things in the palace, and they're not enough for you?"

An Qing: "…"

Oh no, this incident must have left an impression of a big glutton on Concubine Yi.

"Mother, it was all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding…"

"What kind of misunderstanding made you eat that thing? You seem fine now, but you still need to be careful these days. If you feel any discomfort, don't take it lightly; call a physician immediately."

"Yes, yes, I will definitely remember Mother's words."

"Don't just say it; remember, you can't be careless about this. Don't think I'm being annoying…"

"I don't find it annoying at all. I know Mother cares about me."

"Who cares about you? Don't flatter yourself."

"…"

Yinqi watched An Qing's various antics as she tried to please his mother, feeling… well, somehow, her morning efforts to placate him seemed a bit perfunctory.