Chapter 90

Chapter 90

Even knowing that Nanny Wang was deliberately toying with him, the young eunuch put up with it. "Imperial Physicians Hou and Li, please, this way."

Imperial Physicians Hou and Li followed the young eunuch's steps. After walking a distance away from Jingren Palace, the young eunuch turned back and said, "The two Imperial Physicians should go ahead first and need not wait for me. I'll follow behind."

He had walked too quickly just now and broke out in a cold sweat from the pain. He couldn't walk quickly anymore, and if the two Imperial Physicians followed him and kept dawdling, it would only take longer.

Knowing the young eunuch had been beaten and couldn't walk quickly, and that he had probably aggravated his wound by forcing himself to walk earlier, the two Imperial Physicians nodded and went ahead.

Imperial Physicians Hou and Li hurried towards Yonghe Palace.

The young eunuch lagged behind, wincing with every step, wishing he could just lie down and not move. That old nanny had been really vicious. He wondered what the situation in Yonghe Palace was now. The young eunuch was eager to return, constantly wincing in pain as he hurried back.

After Qinxin finished speaking, Kangxi remained seated, without any response. There were many people in the main hall, but it was so quiet that only the imperial physician's occasional voice could be heard.

It was unclear how much time had passed, but the imperial physician still hadn't come out. The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, and no one dared to say a word.

Imperial Physicians Hou and Li finally reached Yonghe Palace, only to find that no one from Yonghe Palace had come out.

Shouldn't the people from Yonghe Palace be in a hurry?

Why wasn't anyone outside?

The further inside they went, the more something felt off. When they spotted the Emperor's carriage parked nearby, they panicked. They exchanged a glance, both sensing that something was terribly wrong.

The Emperor was in Yonghe Palace!

The servants outside the main hall spotted Hou and Li and immediately approached them, saying politely, "This way, please."

Imperial Physicians Hou and Li didn't want to go in, but they had no choice. The Emperor was inside. Now that they had arrived, they couldn't just turn back.

"Is the Emperor inside?" Although Li the Imperial Physician already knew the answer, he asked again.

He received a definite confirmation from the servant, "Yes, the Emperor is inside," with a formulaic smile.

These Imperial Physicians had only just arrived. If the imperial physician hadn't come, their mistress might have been in danger by now. The servant smiled but cursed the two Imperial Physicians in her heart. The Imperial Physicians were afraid to offend the Imperial Noble Consort, so they ignored their mistress's life?

Luckily, she was sharp-eyed and spotted the two Imperial Physicians right away. She had come out to wait for this very moment, to guide the Imperial Physicians inside as quickly as possible!

However, why hadn't Xiao Lu returned yet? The Imperial Physicians had arrived, but he hadn't come back. Shouldn't he have returned together with them?

"How is Consort Rong's condition now?" Hou the Imperial Physician felt something was off seeing the maid leading the way was in no hurry. Wasn't Consort Rong critically ill?

Why had the young eunuch been in such a rush earlier, but now this maid wasn't?

Could it be that Consort Rong wasn't in serious condition after all, and this was just to have the Emperor visit her? Once the Emperor arrived, Consort Rong would feel much better?

If that was the case, then it would be fine.

"In reply to the honorable physician, the imperial physician has arrived and is currently treating Consort Rong with acupuncture," the maid answered quickly.

This response sent a chill down Imperial Physicians Hou and Li's spines, and they slowed their pace.

The imperial physician had arrived. So, by coming now, weren't they just asking for trouble?

Doctor Hou and Doctor Li immediately felt unlucky, what a mess this was!

Consort Tongjia had really ruined their night. They had already prescribed the medicine, and the Fourth Prince's condition had quickly stabilized. Even one imperial physician would have been enough, let alone all four being there. Yet, the others were stuck in the Jingren Palace, and they had the bad luck to be here.

Though they walked slowly, they eventually arrived at the main hall.

Steeling themselves, Doctor Hou and Doctor Li entered, then both knelt down together with a thud, performing a grand gesture of respect. They trembled as they said, "Your Majesty, we, your subjects, pay our respects."

Their heads nearly touched the ground as they didn’t dare lift them.

Doctor Hou and Doctor Li could sense the Emperor's gaze on them and couldn’t help shuddering.

When they didn’t hear the Emperor tell them to rise, their hearts sank. They didn’t dare stand, maintaining their posture, bodies stiff as statues.

The surroundings were eerily quiet, and they could hear every little sound. The quieter it got, the louder their heartbeats became. The two imperial physicians could hear their own hearts beating especially hard.

Xiao Lu Zi, who had been lagging behind, finally made it back, wincing in pain the whole way. As soon as he returned, he could tell the atmosphere in Yonghe Palace had completely changed. It was eerily quiet now, but when he left, it had been chaos with everyone running around anxiously.

Still confused, someone called out to him, “Xiao Lu Zi, why did you take so long to come back?” The voice wasn’t loud, but the person quickly approached Xiao Lu Zi.

Seeing him holding his back with sweat on his face, the person asked, “What happened? Are you hurt?!”

“Nothing serious, just got given ten strokes of the cane, so I came back a bit slower. I had the imperial physicians go ahead first. How is our Consort’s condition now?”

Xiao Lu Zi walked slowly, holding his lower back. Seeing the other person wasn’t in a rush, he figured they had made it in time. Thankfully, despite the delay, they had still made it.

The maid saw Xiao Lu Zi struggling and went over to help, saying, “The Emperor has arrived. The imperial physician is still treating Consort Rong and hasn’t come out yet.”

Then, lowering her voice, she added, “Thankfully, the imperial physician got there just in time. Otherwise, who knows how things would have turned out? Were we supposed to wait for the regular physicians to arrive? They’re still kneeling and don’t dare move.”

Xiao Lu Zi exclaimed, surprised, “The Emperor came?! It’s the middle of the night, almost time for the early court session.”

“Yes, it was really urgent at the time. Yun Hua went to Qianqing Palace to get the Emperor since you hadn’t returned. The imperial physician arrived immediately, and the Emperor is still waiting inside.”

The maid said with some lingering fear, recalling how Consort Rong had been on her last breath. When the imperial physician arrived just in time, everyone was so relieved they almost hugged each other in joy.

“That’s great news!” Xiao Lu Zi couldn’t help but say happily.

“Yes, but you suffered going to the Jingren Palace. Those people didn’t hurt you too badly, did they? Sigh.” The maid remembered that Xiao Lu Zi had been beaten for going to ask Consort Liang to send over a physician, but in the end, the physician wasn’t needed. Wasn’t that beating for nothing?

“It’s nothing. They were counting on me to bring the physicians back. These flesh wounds will heal in a few days.” Xiao Lu Zi said casually, pretending it wasn’t a big deal.

This was perfect. He hadn’t made a mistake. Although he got beaten and the physicians weren’t needed in the end, with Consort Rong’s temperament, she wouldn’t forget to reward him. If he gained her favor, it would be even better.

Everyone had been saying that Yonghe Palace was declining and that Consort Liang had been humiliating them repeatedly. But now, it was uncertain who was really being humiliated.

The pain that had been quite unbearable now felt much better to Xiao Lu Zi.

“What! The Emperor rushed to Yonghe Palace!?”

Consort Rong angrily threw down her brush, splattering ink and ruining the carefully copied scriptures. Her eyes widened in disbelief. How could the situation still be reversed at this point?

The maid who had gone to gather information was also helpless. When she returned, she had already anticipated that Consort Rong would be furious upon hearing the news.

She wished she hadn’t fought with other maids for this task, thinking it would be a good one!

She had thought that by reporting Consort Rong’s miserable state to her, Consort Rong might be pleased and reward her.

He also felt that in this situation, Rongpin was probably not going to make it, and the imperial physician arrived in time, and the Emperor went as well.

The imperial physician’s skills are far superior, so there’s an 80% chance that Rongpin won’t die. Now, this is a mess. I wish I hadn’t fought with that person. I wouldn’t be directly facing Rongpin’s wrath right now. There’s no benefit; I’m definitely catching her blame.

"How did the Emperor find out?!" Consort Rong asked, her face darkening.

"It was Rongpin’s personal maid, I think her name is Yun Hua, who ran to the Qianqing Palace to request an audience with the Emperor," that’s how the Emperor found out.

From a distance, he saw Yun Hua returning to the Yonghe Palace in the Emperor’s entourage.

Consort Rong slammed her hand down on the table so hard that it went numb, yet she showed no sign of pain. "I completely forgot about them. How dare they! The people from Yonghe Palace disturbing the Emperor at such a time!"

The people at Qianqing Palace didn’t even lift a finger to stop them!

Consort Rong sat down, her chest tight with anger, unable to calm herself at all. She had put up with all this, not to hear some ‘good news’!

Consort Tongjia is a complete fool. She knew how to stall for time but forgot to block the path the Yonghe Palace people would take to seek help from the Emperor, leaving them with no way to ask for help!

Now, everything has fallen apart. She’s useless, unable to accomplish anything significant!

She had thought Consort Tongjia was capable, but her actions were far from thorough!

The situation in Jingren Palace was almost the same.

Although Consort Tongjia had sent the imperial physician to the Yonghe Palace, she still had someone keeping an eye on the news from there.

Consort Tongjia didn’t want to hear that Rongpin had survived again.

At this moment, she also hadn’t slept while waiting for news. However, the Fourth Prince was with her, being cared for by the maids. It could be understood that Consort Tongjia was worried about the Fourth Prince's condition and had stayed up to watch over him without sleeping.

As a result, the Emperor rushed from the Qianqing Palace to the Yonghe Palace.

Consort Tongjia couldn’t help but smash a cup. The sound of the cup shattering woke the already restless Fourth Prince, who remained drowsy with his eyes closed but could hear Consort Tongjia's angry voice.

"That Consort Rong, I've underestimated her," Consort Tongjia said, gritting her teeth. She was so angry she could barely breathe, and Nanny Wang quickly patted her back to comfort her.

Even Nanny Wang, who was usually calm, couldn’t help cursing at this moment. Was Consort Rong deliberately trying to trap them?

Pretending to be critically ill, she actually just wanted to use the illness to win back the Emperor's favor! By showing weakness and submitting to the Emperor! And they had actually helped her achieve that!?

"All of you, leave. I will watch over the Fourth Prince with Imperial Noble Consort," Nanny Wang told the servants to leave, keeping only herself and Imperial Noble Consort in the room. As usual, they dismissed the servants whenever they had private conversations, but today the Fourth Prince was there.

However, it was fine to have the Fourth Prince there. He was just a baby, wrapped in swaddling, and even if he heard, he wouldn’t understand.

"Nanny, do you think Consort Rong is faking her illness and deceiving both the Emperor and me?! She's not actually sick, she's pretending!" Consort Tongjia said, gripping Nanny Wang's hand tightly, as if trying to convince Nanny Wang, but also herself.

"Imperial Noble Consort," Nanny Wang didn’t know how to respond, but finally replied, "If Consort Rong is really faking her illness, then her schemes must run deep to deceive both you and the Emperor. But if she's faking, the imperial physicians should be able to tell."

If it's a fake illness, then Consort Rong has gone too far. The panic among the servants, the request for help from Jingren Palace—in this situation, even if the Emperor went, the imperial physicians would be able to see through it. Consort Rong wouldn't be able to hide it, as faking an illness is deceiving the emperor.

So Nanny Wang still leaned towards the belief that Consort Rong was genuinely ill.

But originally, they had the upper hand, and then the situation in the Yonghe Palace reversed.

"I know, but I just can't accept it! I've done everything I could to buy time, and the Fourth Prince is sick, but what good has it done?!"

Consort Tongjia was so angry that her voice was tinged with a sob. She had never felt so wronged and humiliated, not even when facing that Niohuru!

This Niohuru is at odds with her again?!

Nanny Wang no longer knew how to comfort Consort Tongjia.

"Since the Emperor has gone to the Palace of Eternal Harmony, he should know that the Fourth Prince is sick as well. Shouldn't he come to see the Fourth Prince instead?!

The Fourth Prince is utterly useless. What's the point of raising him if he can't even make the Emperor visit me more frequently? I'm stuck raising the son of a contemptible bondservant!" Consort Tongjia grew angrier, to the point of speaking without restraint.

Nanny Wang said from the side, "Please calm yourself, Consort. The Fourth Prince is still here." Even though the Fourth Prince was just a baby and couldn't comprehend, Nanny Wang feared her words might be overheard. After all, walls have ears.

Consort Tongjia became even angrier upon hearing this. She stormed to the Fourth Prince's bedside and pointed at him, saying,

"What can the Fourth Prince possibly understand at this age? Even if I were to speak, what difference would it make? His lowly birth mother has now become a noble lady thanks to me and no longer needs to serve. But just look at her—does she seem satisfied? Who knows if the Fourth Prince will turn out like his contemptible birth mother and turn against me, just like Ula did!"

She had never liked Ula, and as a result, she harbored some reservations about the Fourth Prince. Normally, since the Fourth Prince was an innocent and well-behaved child, Consort Tongjia wouldn't trouble herself with him when she was in a good mood. But at this moment, the Fourth Prince was of no use to her.

Not even his sickness could make the Emperor come and visit! Consort Tongjia unleashed all her frustrations on the helpless Fourth Prince.

Consort Tongjia firmly believed the Fourth Prince couldn't understand, but every word she said was a sharp sword piercing his heart, destroying the last traces of goodness within him.

Back in the Palace of Eternal Harmony, the imperial physician finally emerged. After focusing on the acupuncture, he appeared exhausted and wiped the sweat from his face with a handkerchief.

As he emerged and saw the Emperor seated, the imperial physician hastily tucked the handkerchief into his sleeve, approached to bow, and was about to kneel when the Emperor turned and asked, "How is Consort Rong?"

"Your Majesty, following the acupuncture, Consort Rong's condition has stabilized. However, due to significant blood loss, she has not regained consciousness."

As he spoke, a maid arrived with the freshly brewed medicine, precisely on time as he had instructed. Seeing that the medicine had arrived, he immediately said, "This medicine must be administered to Consort Rong immediately. There are two more doses after this that must not be skipped."

The imperial physician hurriedly had them send it in to give to Consort Rong.

Kangxi, who had remained seated until that moment, rose and entered the inner chamber.

As soon as he departed, the maids in the main hall all sighed in relief. Earlier, when the imperial physician hadn't come out yet, they hadn't dared to breathe loudly.

Physicians Hou and Li appeared utterly exhausted, wishing they could collapse to the ground. The sweat from earlier was all over the floor, and their knees were numb from kneeling, but they didn't dare move.

The imperial physician glanced at them and, seeing Physicians Hou and Li kneeling there like obedient grandchildren, glared. "Aren't you Physician Li and Physician Hou? I, this old man, managed to rush over, so how is it that you two, with your stronger bodies, arrived later than I did? This won't do. Why didn't you come earlier in the morning?"

If the physicians had been more competent, would he have been dragged out in the middle of the night like this?! It was all their fault!

Physicians Hou and Li, with bitter expressions, said, "We came late because the Fourth Prince was sick."

The imperial physician twitched the corner of his mouth and asked, "What illness does the Fourth Prince have?"

"The Fourth Prince caught a cold and has a fever..."

"Did all the on-duty physicians go over and still couldn't stabilize the Fourth Prince's condition? Was it necessary for all of you to be there without sparing any manpower?" He then added, "With your medical skills, you shouldn't be physicians anymore. Let someone with better medical skills take over."

The imperial physician spoke without any politeness. When he had rushed over, Consort Rong's pulse was almost undetectable, and not a single physician had arrived by then.

If you can't even handle a simple cold and fever, what face do you have being a physician?

The imperial physician was not only older and of higher rank but also highly skilled and usually only responsible for the Emperor's and the Grand Empress Dowager's health.

The Emperor was in good health and in his prime, without any ailments. However, the Grand Empress Dowager, being advanced in age, suffered from frequent minor ailments though she was free from major illnesses. It was troublesome, but the imperial physician had been managing her condition, allowing the Grand Empress Dowager to live more comfortably and earn her much trust. The imperial physician was highly favored by both the Emperor and the Grand Empress Dowager.

At this moment, the imperial physician spoke bluntly, and neither Hou Taiyi nor Li Taiyi dared to refute.

They were truly miserable—it wasn’t that they wanted to stay, but Noble Consort Tongjia wouldn’t let them leave. This time, Noble Consort Tongjia had really put them in a tight spot. As a Noble Consort, she wouldn’t suffer any consequences, but they would.

The other maids listening felt vindicated, thinking that the imperial physician was absolutely right. These imperial physicians deserved to be scolded!

The maid had cooled the medicine slightly but still couldn’t get Consort Rong to take it. Before it even reached her mouth, it dribbled from the side of her lips onto the bedsheet.

Kangxi stood by, expressionless, watching. When he saw what was happening, he reached out and said, "Give it to me."

Kangxi sat on the edge of the bed and said to Yun Hua, "Help Consort Rong sit up."

Yun Hua quickly stepped forward and supported Consort Rong, allowing her to lean against her. Kangxi then gently pressed under Consort Rong’s jaw to open her mouth. He began spoon-feeding her the medicine, one spoonful at a time, far more skillfully than the maid had done. Hardly any of it dribbled out.

When half of the remaining half bowl of medicine was left, Liang Jiugong reminded from outside the screen, "Your Majesty, it’s getting late."

It was almost time for the morning court, and the Emperor hadn’t even changed into his court clothes yet. That would take time too.

The maid nearby was ready to take the medicine bowl from Kangxi to continue feeding Consort Rong. But the Emperor didn’t stop, continuing to spoon-feed Consort Rong slowly and steadily until the bowl was empty. Then he handed it over, and the maid quickly took it.

Kangxi stood up, gently took Consort Rong from Yun Hua’s arms, and carefully laid her back down. He tucked the blanket around her and watched her for a moment, her eyes still closed in sleep. "Take good care of Consort Rong," he said before leaving.

As he left, he instructed the imperial physician, "You stay and keep an eye on her."

Then he left in a hurry, with Liang Jiugong anxious and flustered. Fortunately, he had already arranged for the Emperor’s court clothes to be retrieved ahead of time, so Kangxi would still make it in time.

Kangxi almost arrived late for the morning court but managed to make it on time.

He attended court as usual, listening to the ministers report.

The courtiers observed the Emperor’s expression. Though he appeared as stoic as ever, there was a certain intuition—a unique sense courtiers had. Even those ministers who usually quarreled during court had become much more restrained.

After court was dismissed, the officials who hadn’t managed to quarrel glared at each other coldly before parting ways on the steps.

After court, Kangxi changed out of his court attire. Liang Jiugong put away the attire and said, "Your Majesty, would you like to rest a bit? You didn’t get much sleep last night." Liang Jiugong was genuinely concerned.

"No need, just brew a strong cup of tea," Kangxi said calmly.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Liang Jiugong responded, not daring to say more as he hurried off to brew the tea.

As soon as Liang Jiugong left, the secret guard appeared.

Kangxi supported his forehead and spoke coldly, "Tell me, what exactly is going on in Chengren Palace?"

There was an issue with Uya. He had people watching her every move, having placed agents in Chengren Palace. Nothing that happened in Chengren Palace could be hidden.