Chapter 089

Chapter 089

"What's all the noise about, who gave you the courage to create a disturbance in Jingren Palace? If you disturb Imperial Noble Consort and the Fourth Prince, do you think you, a lowly servant, can bear the consequences?"

Nanny Wang led the servants out and saw the young eunuch from Yonghe Palace creating a disturbance and trying to rush in. She scolded him immediately.

The young eunuch recognized Nanny Wang, who had influence with the Imperial Noble Consort, and hurriedly pleaded, saying, "Nanny Wang, this servant only wishes to request an audience with Imperial Noble Consort. Please ask Imperial Noble Consort to allow one imperial physician to go to Yonghe Palace to save our lady. Our lady..."

Nanny Wang cut him off, her face stern, and said, "What do you mean by that?! It's not that Imperial Noble Consort refuses to let the imperial physicians leave, but the Fourth Prince has fallen ill, and his condition has been unstable. The imperial physicians have been too busy to spare anyone, so they are unable to attend to your lady."

Before the young eunuch could respond, Nanny Wang signaled the servants to immediately hold him down. "As for you, a mere eunuch, daring to make such a racket in Jingren Palace, why haven't you been gagged yet? Administer ten lashes to clear his head."

Nanny Wang's voice was cold, her eyes filled with malice as she looked at the young eunuch.

These ten lashes, if administered forcefully, would indeed cause the young eunuch considerable pain. This was merely a small punishment.

Their real intention was to buy time.

Eventually, two imperial physicians would be sent to Yonghe Palace, but whether Consort Rong could survive until they arrived was uncertain.

If she didn't survive, it would be her own misfortune. Imperial Noble Consort wasn't outright preventing the physicians from going.

Imperial Noble Consort was merely worried about the Fourth Prince and had kept the physicians longer for caution's sake. In the end, she would still send the physicians. It couldn't be blamed on Imperial Noble Consort for favoring the royal heir over Consort Rong.

Nanny Wang looked at the eunuch being held down for lashes and thought, you can only blame yourself for serving such a mistress.

The lashes were administered skillfully. Even just ten could make someone suffer greatly, or appear fine initially but worsen later. But this eunuch was still useful, so Nanny Wang didn't order a fatal blow.

The sound of the lashes still reached inside, causing the imperial physicians to tremble. Imperial Noble Consort didn't even lift her eyes. She stayed close to the Fourth Prince, her face showing concern as she watched the servants care for him, appearing too preoccupied for anything else.

This was truly a case of the imperial concubines fighting, while the physicians suffered.

"Which palace are you from? What brings you to Qianqing Palace at this hour?" The night guard of Qianqing Palace stopped Yun Hua before she could proceed.

The guards had no recollection, but the eunuch on night duty did. Wasn't this... a maid from Yonghe Palace?

What was a maid from Yonghe Palace doing at Qianqing Palace at this time?

"This servant is from Yonghe Palace. Consort Rong suddenly fell ill and is now critically ill. The imperial physicians on duty are all in Jingren Palace, and there's no one available to help our lady. This servant had no choice but to request an audience with His Majesty to send an imperial physician to save our lady. Please notify him." Yun Hua said anxiously.

The guard did not respond, and the eunuch on duty looked troubled, unsure whether to relay the message.

But mentioning Yonghe Palace and Consort Rong at this time in Qianqing Palace was not allowed. He really didn't know if he should relay the message.

If something happened to Consort Rong, he could also be held responsible for failing to inform the emperor.

This was truly a dilemma.

"Your Majesty."

Kangxi had just seen Baocheng finally fall asleep and was deep in thought when he heard the voice of his shadow guard. The shadow guards wouldn't appear without a command unless something urgent had occurred.

Kangxi rose and walked out of the inner chamber, seeing the shadow guard kneeling on the ground. He asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

"Consort Rong is critically ill and on the verge of death. The Fourth Prince has a fever from catching a cold. The imperial physicians on duty are all in Jingren Palace, and no one has gone to Yonghe Palace. Shadow Nine is at the entrance of Qianqing Palace, awaiting your orders."

The man in black reported back with a flat tone.

Apart from the guards you could see, Qianqing Palace also had covert guards hidden in the shadows. They all knew who Yun Hua was, so when she spoke, it was clear she wanted the matter reported to the Emperor. Consort Rong's status was special, and they couldn't let her die easily, so the covert guards didn't dare to delay.

Kangxi spun around, his gaze sharp, the anger impossible to conceal even with his lowered voice. "Why are you only telling me now?!"

The man lowered his head without a word. Kangxi took a deep breath to steady himself and said, "Get the imperial physician to Yonghe Palace right away."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After giving the order, Kangxi was ready to leave. "Liang Jiugong."

Kangxi grabbed the outer robe that was lying nearby. Hearing his name called, Liang Jiugong didn't dare to hesitate and immediately entered. Seeing that the Emperor was preparing to leave, he asked, "Your Majesty, where are you off to...?"

"Prepare to move to Yonghe Palace. Have someone bring the Crown Prince back to his quarters to sleep."

Kangxi casually put on his robe and headed out. Liang Jiugong hurriedly ordered the servants to fetch the Crown Prince and prepared the palanquin as quickly as he could.

Meanwhile, the conflicted little eunuch finally made up his mind to report the matter. As for what the higher-ups would do, whether to report it or not, it wasn't up to him to decide. If it didn't work out, at worst, he'd get scolded, but at least he'd have done his duty.

"I'll report it for you, but I can't guarantee anything," said the little eunuch.

"Thank you so much, sir," Yun Hua replied gratefully.

Despite her confidence, Yun Hua clenched her hands tightly and paced back and forth, feeling as though time was dragging.

The little eunuch was confused. "Sir, what's going on?"

"Why are you supposed to be on night duty outside?" Seeing the sir's expression, the eunuch hurriedly explained, "Someone from Yonghe Palace has arrived. Consort Rong is critically ill and couldn't get any physicians on duty to treat her. The maid from Yonghe Palace came to request the Emperor's permission to send an imperial physician to treat Consort Rong."

The sir looked puzzled, and the little eunuch quickly added, "I'm afraid, sir, that Consort Rong's condition is very serious, so I came to report it."

He was genuinely afraid that if Consort Rong died and an investigation was launched, he, the eunuch who failed to report it, might meet the same fate.

"Alright, kid, you're just in time. His Majesty is on his way to Yonghe Palace right now." Likely because of this very matter.

The little eunuch's eyes widened in surprise, a hand to his chest in relief—he had been so worried earlier.

"Don't hang around here. Get back to your night duty. We don't need you here." The sir didn't dare to waste time and waved him off. There were still matters to attend to.

Liang Jiugong was busy running around but paused to hear what had happened. When he reported to the Emperor again, Kangxi didn't look surprised.

"Yes, I understand."

No wonder His Majesty suddenly wanted to go to Yonghe Palace.

Kangxi was in a hurry, and the servants didn't dare to delay. As Kangxi hurried out of Qianqing Palace, the palanquin was already prepared. Without waiting for the servants to set up the stepping stool, Kangxi stepped up into the palanquin. Yun Hua stepped forward and said, "Yonghe Palace maid Yun Hua greets the Emperor."

Kangxi didn't respond. Liang Jiugong hurriedly waved at her, signaling her to follow along quickly without delay.

Meanwhile, the imperial physician was sound asleep when he was abruptly pulled out of bed. Just as he was about to complain about being disturbed in the middle of the night, he heard the formal words, "Imperial decree, you are ordered to immediately go to Yonghe Palace to treat Consort Rong."

Hearing this, the imperial physician quickly sobered up, hastily threw on his clothes, and frantically packed his medical kit. Just as he finished preparing to leave, someone waiting nearby said, "The situation is urgent, pardon us."

Without further ado, they hoisted the imperial physician onto their shoulders and ran off with his medical kit, even using light martial arts to hurry along.

The imperial physician was momentarily dumbfounded after being carried, thinking to himself that this was really putting his old bones to the test.

Realizing that they intended to carry him all the way without putting him down, the imperial physician had time to spare and thought, "It seems that Consort Rong's condition is really severe; otherwise, they wouldn’t go as far as to carry me like this."

Qinxin watched Consort Rong's increasingly weak breathing, anxious as an ant on a hot pan, constantly mumbling to herself, "Why aren't they back yet? They've been gone for so long, not even one came back to report. At least let us know something."

Neither Yun Hua had returned, nor the little eunuch who went to Jingren Palace.

One after another, Qinxin was nearly worried to death. Was Consort Tongjia really trying to drive their mistress to death?!

They had taken all the on-duty imperial physicians away and didn’t spare even one!

As Qinxin was thinking about whether she should go to Jingren Palace as well, since waiting here was futile, she looked at Consort Rong and then outside, hoping someone would bring the imperial physician.

"Imperial physician, the imperial physician is here!" A palace maid's excited voice reached them before she even entered.

Hearing this, Qinxin hurried out, grabbed the incoming maid, and asked excitedly, "You mean the imperial physician is here!?"

"Yes! The imperial physician is here, our mistress can be saved," the maid said, nodding vigorously.

Immediately after, the imperial physician followed behind, his clothes still disheveled, barely suppressing the nausea from being carried all the way. He struggled to maintain his usual cold and serious demeanor as an imperial physician, thinking, "What a mess this is."

"How is Consort Rong's condition?"

Upon seeing the imperial physician, Qinxin's anxious heart settled a little, and she hurriedly said, "Mistress suddenly fell ill in the middle of the night, vomiting blood continuously. She is now unconscious."

She then led the imperial physician inside. Consort Rong's blood-stained clothes had been changed, and she lay there quietly, her face paler than the white bed clothes, looking lifeless and frightening.

The maidservant pulled Consort Rong’s hand from beneath the curtain and placed it on a small pillow, quickly spreading a cloth over it. The imperial physician sat down and began to feel her pulse.

His expression grew increasingly grave as he felt her pulse. Consort Rong’s pulse was barely detectable.

Seeing the imperial physician's serious expression, Qinxin's heart was in her throat, and she didn’t dare to breathe heavily, afraid of disturbing the pulse diagnosis. If even the imperial physician couldn’t save Mistress, what would they do?

After a long while, the imperial physician spoke, "When did Consort Rong start this? How much blood was vomited?"

Qinxin mentioned the time when Consort Rong fell ill, saying that almost half of the bedsheet and her nightclothes were soaked in blood. She then showed the used bedsheet and nightclothes to the imperial physician.

The imperial physician looked at them and understood the approximate amount of blood loss.

"Consort Rong's pulse is weak, and she has lost so much blood. Why wasn't an imperial physician called immediately? Delaying until now, if it were any later, I fear I would be unable to help," the imperial physician said.

He then picked up his brush and quickly wrote a prescription on the paper, "Prepare the medicine according to this prescription and bring it here at once." The imperial physician wrote three prescriptions, instructing which one to prepare first and which must be prepared and delivered before a certain time.

"I will now perform acupuncture on Consort Rong. Please find a few more maidservants to assist."

"Yes, yes, I will get someone right away," Qinxin quickly replied.

Kangxi's carriage arrived quickly, and before it had even stopped properly, Kangxi had already jumped down, causing Liang Jiugong to yelp in fright, "Your Majesty—please be careful." He really couldn’t handle the fright.

Kangxi paid no heed and strode quickly towards the main hall.

As the commotion started in the main hall, Consort Liang was quickly awakened and couldn’t sleep again. She had someone keep an eye on Consort Rong’s condition in the main hall.

Seeing the palace servants anxious as ants on a hot pan indicated that Consort Rong's condition was worsening. This secretly raised a sense of hope in Consort Liang's heart, hoping that Consort Rong would just die.

Hearing that all the on-duty imperial physicians had been called to Jingren Palace, everyone was at a complete loss. No one knew what to do.

Seeing how the servants in the main hall were anxiously running in a frenzy, Consort Liang secretly wished that Consort Tongjia from Jingren Palace would let Consort Rong die.

Consort Liang had even been praying, but as she prayed, she heard the servants in the main hall shouting excitedly. Her heart sank, and it was like they’d seen a savior. Could it be that the imperial physician had actually come?

The servant who had sneaked out to inquire returned with news that the imperial physician had arrived, but none of the regular physicians had come.

The imperial physician had actually come?!

Was Consort Rong’s life really that lucky?!

The regular physicians hadn’t come, but the imperial physician had.

Does this mean the Emperor knows? Otherwise, without the Emperor’s permission, how did they manage to summon the imperial physician? Someone must have run to Qianqing Palace for help!

Since the Emperor had sent the imperial physician, there was a chance he might come soon, with the imperial physician arriving just a step earlier.

Consort Liang, with a dark expression, hurriedly tidied herself in front of the dressing table. If the Emperor were to come, she would need to go out and greet him.

As expected, Consort Liang had just hurriedly tidied up when she heard that the Emperor had arrived. She quickly went out, bowed, and said, "Your servant greets the Emperor, may the Emperor be blessed with health and peace."

Consort Liang was speaking when the Emperor walked straight past as if he hadn’t seen her.

When Consort Liang looked up again, the Emperor’s party had already walked a good distance away, and she could only watch their retreating figures.

"Consort Liang, should we head over to the main hall?" The servant beside her, seeing that Consort Liang had remained crouching on the ground, came over to help her up and whispered.

Consort Liang did want to go and appear before the Emperor. After all, she hadn’t seen the Emperor in some time.

But just then, when she had greeted him, the Emperor hadn’t even looked her way and had walked straight past. If she followed him to the main hall now, she might only end up being disliked, and there was even a possibility of being implicated because of Consort Rong’s critical condition.

If only the Emperor had asked her to stand, she would have gone to the main hall to wait.

Consort Liang shook her head and said, "Let’s go back." She secretly thought dark thoughts, hoping that Consort Rong would die, and if she didn’t, that she’d remain bedridden for a long time.

When Emperor Kangxi entered the main hall, the servants were about to bow, but he stopped them with a raised hand and asked, "How is Consort Rong’s condition now? Is the imperial physician here?" Kangxi looked around but didn’t see the imperial physician. Had he not arrived yet?

Qinxin hurriedly came out and replied, "Your Majesty, the imperial physician has arrived and is currently treating Consort Rong using acupuncture. The treatment has not finished yet."

As she spoke, she noticed Yun Hua standing nearby with her head slightly bowed. It was Yun Hua who had run to Qianqing Palace to seek the Emperor’s help.

Although she hadn’t thought highly of Yun Hua before, Qinxin was very grateful at that moment. She had thought Yun Hua had gone to Jingren Palace, but it turned out she had gone to Qianqing Palace.

The little eunuch sent to Jingren Palace hadn’t returned yet. Fortunately, the imperial physician had come; otherwise, they really wouldn’t have known what to do.

Seeing Qinxin’s excited yet restrained expression, Yun Hua smiled slightly but didn’t say anything.

Kangxi walked towards the inner room and, through the screen, observed Consort Rong’s condition. The imperial physician was continuously inserting needles, and Consort Rong, now almost like a hedgehog, looked to be in great pain. If it weren’t for the maids supporting her, she would have collapsed.

Kangxi’s lips pressed into a tight line, his expression unnervingly calm, like a storm about to break. He didn’t enter, watching for a moment through the screen before leaving.

Kangxi sat in the spot where Consort Rong usually sat, his head slightly lowered, looking at the jade ring on his hand. Slowly turning the ring with his other hand, he spoke calmly, "Explain everything carefully. When did the illness start, and why are there no duty doctors present now?"

Qinxin knelt down and quickly explained what had happened.

"Your Majesty, from the moment Consort Rong fell ill, we immediately sent someone to the Imperial Medical Office to summon the duty doctors. But just then, people from Jingren Palace arrived, saying that the Fourth Prince had caught a cold and was running a fever. They had already called all the duty doctors to Jingren Palace. By the time the little eunuch arrived at the Imperial Medical Office, there were no duty doctors left, so someone was sent back to inform us."

Another young eunuch followed the group going to Jingren Palace, hoping to ask Noble Consort Tongjia to send a physician to Consort Rong. But the person sent to Jingren Palace hasn't come back yet.

Qinxin was trying hard to keep her emotions in check, recounting the events as objectively as possible without letting her anger show.

Kangxi listened in silence.

In Jingren Palace, Noble Consort Tongjia, who had been buying time, realized the moment was right. After the attendants gave the Fourth Prince his medicine, he drifted into a deep sleep. Only then did she address the physicians waiting by her side.

"The Fourth Prince's condition seems to have stabilized, and my worries have finally been put to rest. Oh, by the way, isn't Consort Rong still waiting for a physician? Physician Li and Physician Hou, you may now head to Yonghe Palace to attend to her."

Pretending to care, Noble Consort Tongjia finally allowed the two physicians to leave, keeping the others behind to continue watching over the Fourth Prince.

Physicians Hou and Li didn't dare say anything, but they secretly felt frustrated. With all the delay, they wondered how Consort Rong's condition was now. It was probably quite critical.

Usually, Imperial Physician Wang was the one primarily responsible for Consort Rong's medical records. Even he could not fully cure her condition, let alone them, since they were not specialized in that area. It just so happened that it wasn't Imperial Physician Wang's shift, and now it fell to them.

"Yes, Noble Consort, we will leave at once," Physicians Li and Hou said in unison.

Nanny Wang guided the two physicians out.

Outside, the young eunuch who had been beaten and gagged, forced to walk without being able to speak, had already given up hope. He had tried his best, but as a servant, he could not do much. If Noble Consort Tongjia refused to release the physicians, there was nothing he could do.

Just as he was in despair, Nanny Wang appeared again, this time accompanied by the two physicians. The young eunuch from Yonghe Palace looked up excitedly. Was Noble Consort Tongjia finally letting the physicians go?

Nanny Wang signaled the servants to remove the cloth gagging the young eunuch and to stop holding him down.

The young eunuch, now free, tried to stand, but the pain from the beating was so intense that he nearly cried out. He could only rise slowly and awkwardly. The servants around him couldn't help but secretly gloat at his disheveled state.

This little eunuch is unlucky to have received this beating.

Nanny Wang stood there, and said, "The fourth prince's condition has stabilized, but he still needs the imperial doctors to care for him. Therefore, Imperial Noble Consort has sent Doctors Hou and Li to Yonghe Palace to treat Consort Rong. While worrying about the fourth prince's condition, Imperial Noble Consort still remembers your Imperial Consort. Consort Rong should indeed come to express her gratitude once she recovers."

Doctors Hou and Li listened to Nanny Wang's words and felt a sense of unease. This was incorrect. They had been idly discussing the fourth prince's condition repeatedly until they were exhausted, and only then did Imperial Noble Consort allow them to leave.

Now, hearing Nanny Wang's version of events, they both lowered their heads and said nothing.

The little eunuch from Yonghe Palace was barely holding back his anger.

This old nanny was truly vicious, able to twist the truth with her words, distorting the truth.

It was clear that Imperial Noble Consort had been stalling to prevent the doctors from leaving with him, yet now it was being framed as if she was doing them a favor by allowing the doctors to attend to their consort. They should be grateful.

This is absurd!

But at this moment, under someone else's roof, he had no choice but to bow his head to avoid further complications. The priority was to quickly get the doctors to Yonghe Palace. Hopefully, they weren't too late.

The little eunuch pinched his nose and put on a smile, saying, "Yes, Nanny Wang, you are right. May Doctors Hou and Li leave with me now? Our Imperial Consort is waiting for the doctors."

Nanny Wang slightly lifted her chin and looked at the little eunuch's smiling, fawning face. She deliberately delayed her response, only speaking slowly when his smile was about to stiffen, "Very well."