Chapter 256

Chapter 256

Su Yi hadn’t returned to her own carriage since she arrived.

Why go back to sitting when lying down was much more comfortable? When she felt peckish, she’d munch on snacks—it was practically like being on a long vacation, almost stuck to the bed.

She even got to watch Kangxi tirelessly power through memorials one by one along the way.

To Su Yi, the normally boring trip became somewhat amusing.

She was so leisurely that even Kangxi found it hard to take.

While he was buried in paperwork, the Noble Consort was over there eating, drinking, reading storybooks, and napping whenever she’d had enough. Upon waking, she’d go back to her lazy ways—living more comfortably than him, as if she were truly on holiday.

But Kangxi couldn’t do the same. He was always disciplined and never lacked self-restraint, so it wasn’t a problem for him.

Previously, Kangxi had never busied himself in front of Su Yi, only seeking her out during his free time, so she’d never had the chance to see it up close.

Now, she could clearly see it—Kangxi was busy, busy, and still busy.

Meanwhile, Su Yi, just a few meters away, was eating, drinking, occasionally resting, then resuming her idle lifestyle like a lazybones, completely relaxed.

The contrast was stark, quite different from before.

Even the even-tempered Kangxi found it somewhat unbearable.

There was no "elegant company of a beauty" to speak of.

With only Kangxi working and the other party utterly uncooperative, how could it be called elegant company?

This kind of atmosphere usually involved either mental exertion or the physical act of grinding ink—a shared effort.

But when it came to comfort, Su Yi could single-handedly ruin the mood, completely clueless about such things.

"Elegant company"?

More like a buzzkill.

The cat, Pothead, wasn’t brought along on the trip and was left in the palace.

Otherwise, it might have been a case of both human and cat taking turns lazing around, doubling Kangxi's frustration.

——

The journey was exhausting for the concubines accustomed to the pampered life of the palace. Though not to the point of looking haggard, they clearly looked travel-weary.

Faint dark circles showed under their eyes from restless sleep. However well-prepared they were, it still couldn’t compare to the comforts of the palace.

By the time they reached the travel palace, though they kept straight faces, they breathed an inward sigh of relief.

Yet Kangxi had no time to rest upon arrival—there was a pile of work awaiting him. In fact, this was when the real work began. The journey had been nothing in comparison.

At least during the trip, they could still catch glimpses of him.

But once they arrived, he was so busy they never saw him.

During martial demonstrations, the concubines were not permitted to accompany him.

Thus, the concubines who came along stayed behind at the travel palace.

Everyone hurried to rest and quickly adjust their condition, as they couldn’t afford to remain in such a state. This rare trip couldn’t be ruined.

Now that they had settled in and rested enough, their spirits lifted, and the ladies finally felt up to looking around.

Back in the palace, they each had their own halls, and when visiting one another, they always traveled by sedan chair.

Here in the traveling palace, sedan chairs weren’t practical, but fortunately, the distances weren’t as far as in the palace.

Once rested, their minds wandered more freely.

They started visiting each other, chatting to pass the time and bond.

Though things here weren’t as well-arranged as in the palace, at least they weren’t left without company.

Whether intentional or not, no one wanted to 'bother' Rong Noble Consort.

With her fragile health, Rong Noble Consort had reportedly fallen ill from the change in climate as soon as they arrived, breaking out in rashes that kept her from appearing in public.

The exact details were unclear, but it was evident she couldn’t receive visitors.

So they 'reluctantly' left her alone to recover.

Some even hoped she’d take her sweet time recovering—the longer, the better. There was no need to rush her recovery.

But Consort Ping wondered how long this 'climate sickness' would really last. While it might be an initial adjustment, these things usually passed fast.

With Kangxi currently too busy to meet anyone, by the time he had a moment to spare, Rong Noble Consort’s 'illness' would’ve cleared up by then.

Consort Ping even doubted whether Rong Noble Consort was truly unwell. She’d been fine the whole trip—why get sick just now?

Where’d all these sudden problems come from?

The imperial doctors had barely been needed on the trip, like she was just on a sightseeing trip.

Now, though, they finally had work to do.

It was almost a relief—no more guessing games.

As for Su Yi, what was she doing now? Naturally, she was "recuperating."

When one didn’t wish to be disturbed, the best excuse was illness. How else could she explain staying holed up all day, unwilling to show her face or entertain visitors?

Throwing up and diarrhea were too much trouble, but minor rashes were far more convenient—just ugly enough to be believable.

She could claim 'low spirits' and refuse to see anyone without putting herself through too much trouble.

"My lady, it’s time to apply the ointment," Qinxin gently knocked on the door.

Su Yi stopped forming the hand gesture, leaning back against the headboard with a weak hum of acknowledgment.

Though the ointment was being slathered on a little too often.

The medicinal scent was particularly strong. In just two days, the imperial physicians had concocted three or four different versions, each supposedly stronger than the last.

Enough, really, enough.

Once applied, the smell clung to her as if she had been steeped in medicine, and it was slow to fade.

Just as it began to dissipate slightly, another layer was applied, so the smell stuck around for a while.

This was still manageable, as Su Yi had ways to handle it.

But taking medicine was something Su Yi couldn’t stand. Drinking half and vomiting half ruined her appetite instantly, leaving her with no desire to eat. After going through that ordeal, she not only failed to improve but also appeared worse off.

Not drinking the medicine at least allowed her to eat, but after drinking it, she hardly ate anything, so they had to try something else.

The imperial physicians began making pills, making them less bitter by coating the outside with a sweet layer to cover up the medicine’s taste inside.

Though the efficacy wasn’t as strong as freshly brewed decoctions, at least Su Yi could take them without fuss.

She obediently swallowed the pills without vomiting and could eat a little, which was a big improvement compared to her previous state of refusing food and drink.

Otherwise, the imperial physicians’ bald heads would’ve gotten even shinier from worry.

At Su Yi’s voice, Qinxin carefully pushed the door open and entered quietly.

Due to the rash, which had spread not only on her body but also appeared in a small patch on her face, Her Majesty didn’t want to see anyone. Thus, the maids stayed outside, and only Qinxin was allowed in to apply the ointment.

Su Yi seemed worn out, her brow creased with worry. Dressed in plain white sleeping robes, she looked even more delicate. Eating less had caused her to lose weight, making her look even frailer.

Her lips were pale from lack of vitality, her complexion pale. Though the small rash on the side of her face had faded somewhat, it remained noticeably visible.

Like perfect jade with even the smallest flaw—no matter how minor, it still stood out glaringly.

Qinxin felt a pang seeing her like this, but she dared not show it too openly, lest it worsen Her Majesty’s mood. Instead, she acted as normal as possible.

Mirrors and other reflective surfaces had been hidden away.

"Your Majesty, the new ointment from the imperial physicians is really working. The rash has already faded a bit. I believe it will heal completely in a few more days."

Qinxin applied the ointment gently, and she couldn’t hide the relief in her voice as she noticed the rash had diminished slightly.

Su Yi smiled faintly at her words, but the smile quickly faded.

If there had been no improvement, the imperial physicians would have panicked and rushed to tweak the recipe again.

Who knew what horrible brew they’d come up with next? There was no limit to how bad it could get—no worst, only worse.

Thinking it would just be bitter was way too optimistic.

This was enough. No more changes. Su Yi could only pretend to show slight improvement, making it seem like the medicine was at least somewhat effective.

Surrounded by the heavy medicinal scent in the room, Su Yi didn’t have to fake it—she genuinely felt drained.

Some claimed that prolonged exposure would make one grow accustomed to the smell, but for Su Yi, whose senses were far sharper than an average person’s, that was impossible. Even the faintest whiff was noticeable, let alone this overwhelming stench.

She could temporarily block her sense of smell, but that wasn’t a permanent solution. Being completely unable to detect any scent might cause her to miss important cues.

She could only endure it for a while before easing the blockage slightly—otherwise, staying here would be unbearable.

But sealing off her sense of smell meant she couldn’t detect any odors—not just the medicine, but even the aroma of food. As a result, Su Yi lost all appetite for meals.

Without the fragrance—one of the key elements of taste—the impact was significant.

And if the medicinal stench mixed with the scent of food, it just made her even less hungry.

If the sense of taste were also blocked because of taking medicine, she'd have even less appetite.

If she didn’t eat anything at all, it would be even more troublesome. Su Yi could easily go days without eating.

But if she could just be left alone, that would be even better.

However, that wasn’t happening now.

At this thought, Su Yi couldn’t bring herself to smile anymore, so the brief smile vanished quickly.

To Qinxin, it seemed as though Her Ladyship was putting on a brave face. Realizing she had spoken carelessly—originally intending to cheer Her Ladyship up but instead adding to her worries—Qinxin immediately dared not say anything more.

After applying the ointment and watching Her Ladyship swallow the pill with water, knowing she preferred to be alone, Qinxin said softly, "Your Ladyship, I’ll be right outside," before slipping out quietly.

The room returned to silence, dead silent.

After a while, Su Yi, who had initially lain down to rest, opened her eyes and sat up again—none of that frail, helpless act remained.

It felt like she had just gotten through a check-up, and she couldn’t help but sigh.

Qinxin wasn’t the same as before. Ever since the last incident, she had been checking in on her regularly, afraid of a repeat.

If not for this damn body acting up last time, things could have stayed the way they were before.