Chapter 189

Chapter 189

Noticing that no one had been sent from Yonghe Palace,

However,

With a cold expression, Kangxi changed his clothes and decided to go himself.

His own words were,

"Alright, at a time like this, it wouldn't be good if I didn't show up. As the Son of Heaven, I am always magnanimous, and I won't hold a grudge over a small matter and keep feuding with the Imperial Noble Consort." Kangxi said, his face stern and dignified.

"Yes, Your Majesty," was all Liang Jiugong could say in agreement. Your Majesty had already said it all, and it wasn't long ago that you were being stubborn, and now here we are again.

Magnanimous? Your Majesty, just a few days ago, you stormed off with a dark face—hardly the picture of magnanimity.

Your Majesty has already covered all the good points.

Besides, isn't it a bit early for you to head over now? The Imperial Noble Consort likely hasn't even finished dressing in her court robes yet, and the auspicious time hasn't arrived.

"I'm merely giving her space, not out of fear. If I don't go, wouldn't it seem like I'm scared? Hmph." After speaking, Kangxi sneered, appearing very imposing.

At this moment, Liang Jiugong was unusually quiet, not saying a word. It seemed Your Majesty didn't particularly need his servant's agreement, and he was almost embarrassed by Your Majesty's stubbornness.

Liang Jiugong maintained a blank expression, but this still displeased His Majesty.

"Liang Jiugong, why so stiff?" Kangxi criticized, finding fault with Liang Jiugong everywhere.

Liang Jiugong, silent and unsmiling, found himself under fire. He smiled bitterly inwardly but quickly plastered on a smile, "Your Majesty, this servant is merely trying to remain serious, to avoid appearing frivolous. This servant will smile."

After speaking, he nearly bared his teeth in a grin, the wrinkles on his face showing.

It was a bit hard on the eyes, and Kangxi's face remained cold, "Stop smiling; it's hideous."

"Ah, yes, Your Majesty," Liang Jiugong promptly stopped smiling and stepped aside, standing a bit farther than usual.

He feared such situations, which is why he avoided being frivolous.

Sigh, he worried that smiling by Your Majesty's side might be seen as mockery, so he had to be serious.

After all, at this moment, Your Majesty had to save face, and he didn't dare laugh, fearing it might lead to misunderstandings, and then it would be over, as not everyone can laugh at Your Majesty.

Who knew that not smiling could also be an issue? Sigh, Liang Jiugong felt a pang of bitterness.

——

With Yun Hua's assistance, Qinxin, who lacked the strength to help Su Yi alone, managed to guide her away from the area heavy with the scent of locust flowers.

Yonghe Palace was in chaos as the Imperial Noble Consort's condition worsened.

"Quick! Go and fetch the imperial physician!" Qinxin hurriedly directed someone to fetch the imperial physician, sending a fast-footed eunuch to speed things up.

However, it would still take time for the imperial physician to arrive.

In such a short time, the Imperial Noble Consort had already broken out in a cold sweat, her face pale, the red lipstick making her look even more ghastly, leaning weakly on Yun Hua.

Although she wasn't as breathless as before, she was still having difficulty breathing, rapid and weak, her eyes slightly closed.

Originally, it was Qinxin who was supporting her, but since they had all come into contact with the problematic court beads, and the Imperial Noble Consort had felt uncomfortable when the scent was not obvious, they had also been in contact with it, inevitably carrying the scent, making the Imperial Noble Consort even more uncomfortable.

Only Yun Hua had been standing farther away, so she was almost unaffected by the scent.

Qinxin was also afraid that it might worsen the Empress's condition, and at this point, no more mistakes could be made, so she let Yun Hua take over.

Suddenly, one of the maids reminded, "Sister Qinxin, we had prepared some medicine in the palace earlier, just in case the Empress needed it."

In her panic, Qinxin suddenly remembered that Yonghe Palace had indeed prepared some medicine. "Yun Hua, you watch over the Empress first, I'll go get it." Seeing Yun Hua nod, she hurried off.

The medicine storage area had to be well-secured to prevent tampering, and it was Qinxin who was in charge of it, so she had to go personally to retrieve it.

Shortly after Qinxin left, a figure in bright yellow robes hurriedly arrived. The maids, who had been panicking, didn't react at first, but upon realizing who it was, they quickly bowed in greeting.

Yun Hua saw the newcomer and said, "Your Majesty."

Kangxi's expression was anxious and concerned. When he saw Su Yi's weak condition, his gaze darkened. "Move aside!" He stepped forward and took her into his embrace. Yun Hua quickly stood up and moved out of the way.

——

"Your Majesty, it appears to be a eunuch from Yonghe Palace," Liang Jiugong reminded from the side.

The eunuch who had hurriedly left Yonghe Palace for the Imperial Hospital hadn't gone far before he ran into Kangxi's imperial carriage.

Naturally, when encountering the Emperor's carriage, one had to stop and kneel in respect, keeping their head down until the carriage had passed before standing up again.

In his haste, this eunuch had nearly collided with the imperial procession and was naturally scolded.

However, upon questioning, it turned out he was from Yonghe Palace. Seeing the eunuch's panicked and hurried demeanor,

"Go ask what's happened," Kangxi said.

——

Qinxin had just retrieved the medicine when she saw the maids kneeling on the ground. Her heart skipped a beat, and she hurried her steps.

She saw that the Emperor had arrived and was holding the Empress, comforting her. Qinxin approached with the medicine box, about to bow, but Kangxi cut her off impatiently, "What's the time for formalities?! Hurry and find the medicine!"

Qinxin didn't dare to delay. She set the medicine box aside and began searching through it. Yun Hua also watched, reaching in to retrieve a bottle. She opened it, smelled it, and took out a pill, tasting it in her mouth. "This is it."

Because the Empress had been unwell, Yonghe Palace had always kept some medicine on hand, just in case it was needed before the Imperial Physician arrived. Although her health had improved and it wasn't used much anymore, it was still kept.

They would regularly check and replace it, fearing the medicine might lose its potency when needed.

Qinxin didn't have time to question how Yun Hua knew so much about it. She quickly took it and prepared to feed it to the Empress.

She managed to get it into her mouth, but the Empress lacked the strength to swallow it. It stayed in her mouth, unable to go down, and the medicinal taste spread. Su Yi was about to spit it out when Kangxi held her chin, soothing her, "Don't spit it out, it's medicine."

He turned his head, suppressing his anger, and demanded, "Where's the water?!" Kangxi said in a low voice, clearly frustrated with the servants' lack of awareness.

A maid tremblingly handed over a cup of warm water. Whether from nervousness or something else, some of the water spilled from the cup. At a time like this, making a mistake in front of the Emperor, she was scolded, "How can you be so careless?"

Kangxi didn't have time to deal with her now. Seeing the water was brought over, he reached out to take it and brought it to the lips of the person in his arms. But just as she took a sip and was about to swallow, she started coughing violently, "Cough..! Cough!"

She spat out the water along with the pill, some of the water staining Kangxi's robe. "Bang!" Kangxi threw the cup aside, not caring about anything else. He patted her back in a panic, holding her helplessly, "Alright, alright, we won't take it anymore."

Su Yi coughed so hard that she couldn't stop, coughing and gasping, her eyes turning red.

The maid who had handed over the water crouched down to hurriedly clean up the spilled cup, her head lowered so her expression was unclear.

"Ah!" Suddenly, she was kicked hard to the side, clutching her shoulder and screaming in pain.

Kangxi's expression was fierce, as if he were staring at a corpse, clearly reining in his fury. "Arrest her!" he commanded.

It was evident that he had kicked the maid, not holding back an ounce of strength.

The maid was kicked to the ground and lay there, unable to get up immediately.

Kangxi's sudden outburst left everyone present startled. Yun Hua swiftly moved to subdue the maid, stuffing a handkerchief into the maid's mouth—a habitual action to prevent her from biting her tongue or making noise. The other maids quickly followed suit.

It seemed this maid was involved in something suspicious.

They dragged her away, ensuring she couldn't cause any more trouble.

"Leave the spilled items for the imperial physician to examine later," Kangxi coldly ordered.

Kangxi decreed that no one touch the broken cup or the spilled water, an order that was clearly unusual.

Qinxin suspected that the water brought over might be tainted. She also recalled how it was this maid who had reminded them about the medicine stored in Yonghe Palace.

During the lady's attack, amidst the panic, it would have been easy for someone to take advantage of the chaos. If the medicine wasn't administered, they would check it when needed, but they might not necessarily think to verify whether the water used to administer the medicine was safe.

It was no surprise that the maids were trembling in panic, not thinking of this, yet she alone had reminded them and promptly brought the water. Her hands were shaking so much that she spilled some of the water, committing an error that shouldn't have happened.

Had the lady not choked and spat out the water, drinking that tainted water could have led to unforeseen consequences.

In that moment, all attention was on the lady's deteriorating health, and truly no one would have noticed if this maid had any issues.

The Emperor had clearly discerned the maid's treachery and ordered her arrest.

Qinxin was wracked with guilt over the oversight. If they hadn't noticed and something had happened to the lady, what would they have done?

Despite their meticulous precautions, chaos erupted today—an important day for the lady—and she had been harmed by these despicable acts.

"Blood!" a maid shrieked.

"Silence!"

Qinxin swiftly moved forward and struck the maid. At such a time, daring to exclaim in front of the Emperor was tantamount to courting death.

The maid cowered, too frightened to utter another word, her body trembling uncontrollably, consumed by fear.

Qinxin hurriedly turned to assess the lady's condition, her pupils contracting sharply.

The lady's coughing worsened, as if she were coughing up her very insides, the handkerchief she clutched to her mouth now stained with blood.

Kangxi stared at the stark bloodstains on the handkerchief, as though his heart were being roasted alive. He gripped the handkerchief so tightly that the veins on his hand stood out, pulling Su Yi closer into his embrace.

Despite his grim expression, he attempted to comfort her with a soft voice: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid... I'm here. I won't let you... Don't be afraid."

In that moment, Kangxi's usual eloquence deserted him, his words repetitive and somewhat incoherent.

Su Yi's coughing subsided slightly, seeming to improve, but Kangxi's face remained tense.

For he knew she was too exhausted to continue coughing, now barely able to muster the strength. Leaning against his chest, her eyes closed, her breath faint, the rouge on her lips wiped away to reveal a pale pallor, like a flower wilting after its bloom.

If Kangxi hadn't held her tighter, burying his head in her neck, he would hardly have been able to feel her faint breath.

The imperial physician had yet to arrive, and the lady's condition deteriorated rapidly. Kangxi covered her ears with his hands, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. The anger he had suppressed finally erupted.

"Where is the imperial physician?! Why hasn't he arrived yet? What is he dawdling for?!" Kangxi's face darkened, his tone losing its usual calmness. "How have you been serving the lady? How could you let her come into contact with something harmful? If anything happens to the lady, you..."