Chapter 264

Chapter 264

For Noble Lady Qing, this was truly important. What she heard from others could never compare to what she saw and heard firsthand.

After all, she was preparing for a battle she dared not lose.

Bumping into the Emperor might sound easy, but if it were truly so simple, Noble Lady Qing wouldn’t have been the only one visiting.

As for why she chose today, aside from the reason she openly gave to Noble Lady Liu, the real reason was more calculated. To obtain the information she needed quickly and effectively, timing was crucial.

Coincidentally, Consort Ping had also fallen ill recently, making a spectacle of herself. Noble Lady Qing knew—this was the moment.

So she went.

And she made every effort to stay longer, waiting to see if the Emperor would appear again after learning of Consort Ping’s illness.

Noble Lady Qing waited, and she got the answer she sought. Naturally, she wouldn’t overstay her welcome.

She knew better than to overstay.

Still, her attendants needed replacing.

——

Su Yi fluttered a round fan lazily in front of Kangxi. She wasn’t actually hot—she just wanted to play with it.

It was practically irritating Kangxi’s eyes.

“It’s not even summer yet. Don’t get chilled, Imperial Noble Consort,” Kangxi said gently, taking the round fan from her hand and signaling for someone to put it away.

Su Yi: …

How much wind could such a small fan produce? Was it Princess Iron Fan’s legendary fan—a mythical fan from Chinese folklore?

“This tiny breeze is nothing,” Su Yi twirled the fan handle between her fingers before catching it again.

She switched hands and fanned herself a couple more times.

Then, after a few more waves, she handed the fan back to Kangxi.

Kangxi: ?

Was she done already?

Su Yi then reached for a handkerchief but realized she didn’t have one on her. After a brief hesitation, she lifted her sleeve and lightly dabbed at Kangxi’s forehead—

Like a gust of wind—gone before he could feel it.

It barely touched him—like a mock wipe.

“But, Your Majesty,” Su Yi said softly, her tone laced with concern, “you seem warm. You’re even sweating a little.”

But her sleeve barely grazed him.

"Oh look, there's a fan—why don’t you use it, Your Majesty?" Su Yi said, like it was the most obvious thing to do when feeling hot.

Leaning against Kangxi, Su Yi looked like a little bird snuggling up.

There’s a special kind of heat—the kind where the Noble Consort decides you must be hot.

In reality, this position was perfect so that when Kangxi fanned himself, the breeze would also reach her.

Coupled with her swift action of immediately handing the fan back to Kangxi earlier, you’d think she just couldn’t be bothered to fan herself.

With Kangxi right there, it was all too convenient—not bossing him around—just a little flirtation.

Of course it came to this, and Kangxi wasn’t the least bit surprised.

He really should’ve seen this coming—Noble Consort Su had kept the fan around for a reason. Aside from flaunting it in front of him, she was bound to put it to use eventually.

It was like getting a new toy—one always wants to play with it for a while.

Kangxi held the round fan, which had been just the right size in Su Yi’s hands but now seemed a bit too small for him, and fanned slowly.

It barely stirred a wisp of air.

Though the round fan was small and couldn’t produce much wind, this breeze was basically nothing.

A random draft would’ve done more.

If Su Yi hadn’t been sitting so close, she wouldn’t have felt even this tiny puff of wind.

Seriously.

At this rate, one lazy wave of an old man’s fan would have been more effective than ten waves of this one.

Before Su Yi could voice her protest, Kangxi piped up, pretending to just notice, "The medicinal scent is fainter today. Did you open the windows to air out the smell?"

Su Yi: …

"Yes, indeed," Su Yi replied sweetly, tilting her head to rest on Kangxi’s shoulder.

That stench wasn’t going anywhere, windows or not!

But why bother correcting him now?

She could, but why would she?

Coincidentally, Noble Lady Qing had visited earlier, and when it was time to apply the medicinal ointment, she was deep in conversation.

So, oops—she forgot.

Totally reasonable.

Easy to miss, really, and by the time she remembered, the moment had already passed.

Of course, conveniently ignoring the fact that Su Yi had pretended not to see Qinxin’s not-so-subtle looks.

Having completely blocked out Qinxin’s silent signals, Su Yi made sure their eyes never met.

She was truly absorbed—completely zoned out.

And Qinxin hesitated to interrupt as Consort Yi was so absorbed in listening, not daring to disturb and ruin her good mood.

After all, it was rare for Consort Yi to keep someone talking for so long today, and she seemed much livelier than in the past few days.

Besides, the rash had faded significantly, so skipping one late application probably wouldn’t matter.

So Su Yi managed to slip away this time.

She felt like she’d scored a win.

But before she could even secretly rejoice, Kangxi brought it up, and Su Yi, feeling guilty, became unusually obedient and didn’t make a fuss.

A light breeze? No big deal.

——

Meanwhile, Consort Yi, who had initially only glanced outside occasionally with restraint, had now begun to look out more and more frequently as time passed.

Her face showed growing impatience.

This was understandable. If she hadn’t gotten her hopes up, the wait wouldn’t have felt so unbearable.

Now, it was torture.

Not just Consort Yi—even Consort Ping, who had seemed far more composed at first, was losing her cool too.

If not for her poor complexion due to her illness, her sour look could be blamed on that alone.

Moreover, Consort Yi was too distracted to pay much attention to whether Consort Ping was doing well or not, so the two managed to maintain a polite façade.

As they waited and waited, the medicine prepared for Consort Ping was finally delivered.

Hoping it was Kangxi, Consort Yi’s expression darkened further when she realized it wasn’t him.

Another letdown.

She was tempted to turn and leave immediately.

Bitter over the disappointment, Consort Yi instinctively wanted to snap at Consort Ping but forced herself to hold back, avoiding any open conflict.

Consort Ping had spoken so confidently, getting her hopes up, only for things to turn out like this.

Consort Ping was about to pull her usual stunt—having the medicine set aside to "cool" before drinking it.

Once the servant left, she would take only a few sips before ordering it to be discarded, to drag out her ‘recovery’.

Because of this, several potted plants in Consort Ping’s quarters had already withered—victims of her constant medicine dumping.

The plants paid the price, requiring constant replacement.

After all, pouring it all into one pot was like putting all one’s eggs in one basket.

Still, it was effective. If this were modern times rather than ancient days, she could’ve dumped it down the drain and washed it away—easy, tidy, and untraceable.

But here, tossing it outside was too risky, and if someone witnessed it, they could rat her out.

Too risky. So the plants were her only option.

Letting the medicine smell fade a bit more, so the soil color wouldn’t stand out.

Besides, there was no need to deal with the leftover herbs, which made it quite convenient.

If it wasn’t such a pain, Consort Ping had even thought about getting someone to dig a hole to bury the medicine after pouring it out.

That way, she wouldn’t have to replace the potted plants so frequently.

But digging a hole would make it easier for others to notice, putting her back on guard against getting caught.

At least the potted plants could be replaced quickly. As the head of her palace, surely she had the authority to change some flowers and plants, didn’t she?

This time, Consort Ping planned to stick to the old method—prolonging her illness.

Drawing out her recovery as slowly as possible.

After all, she had the system to fall back on. In ancient times, people died easily from illness—even a cold could kill you. Without the system, Consort Ping wouldn’t have dared to risk her health like this.

She figured that even if her condition worsened or left lasting effects, she could just trade points with the system to ensure she stayed healthy, with no lasting problems.

That’s why Consort Ping could afford to mess around.

However, this time, after she finished speaking, the maid bringing the medicine didn’t rush off like usual.

She wasn’t the regular maid assigned to bring Consort Ping her medicine, but Consort Ping didn’t think much of it—perhaps it was just a rotation of duties.

Seeing the maid still standing there, Consort Ping grew displeased, her expression turning cold as she spoke sharply, "You useless servant, can’t you hear my orders? I said to leave it here. I’ll drink it once it cools."

Her tone was commanding.

To these servants, products of the times, equality wasn’t even a concept. Even if she tried to explain, these brainwashed servants wouldn’t understand—they’d only see it as heresy.

Consort Ping simply treated them the way this era dictated. Being nice would just make them see her as weak and easy to bully.

They weren’t worth treating well.

Seeing Consort Ping’s dark expression, her own maids got nervous. When their mistress was in a bad mood, they’d be the ones to pay for it.

Yet, the two maids delivering the medicine didn’t back off right away.

When they knelt, they didn’t tremble in terror.

"Your Highness, forgive us. We did not mean to defy your orders. We were instructed to deliver this new medicinal decoction, reformulated by the imperial physician based on the previous prescription. We were told to wait until Your Highness has finished drinking before returning to report."

"Please, Your Highness, do not make this difficult for us." They kept their heads down, their posture humble as they kowtowed.

But the meaning behind their words only stoked Consort Ping’s irritation.

Just as she was about to retort, Consort Yi suddenly spoke up, "The imperial physician changed the prescription?"

Hearing this, Consort Ping snapped back to attention. The imperial physician had altered the prescription?

That meant the medicine delivered now was brewed from a new formula.

So, it had some effect after all. But still...

"Did the imperial physician only modify the old prescription? Shouldn’t he come to examine me first, to ensure the new formula suits my current condition?"

Consort Ping’s tone softened slightly, her words coming faster. If the imperial physician were to visit, it’d be a step in the right direction.

But why is the imperial physician acting high and mighty? Before modifying the prescription, why did he just glance at the old one?

He couldn’t even be bothered to come himself to check my pulse before writing a new prescription.

Could it be because it’s already late today, and he won’t come until tomorrow?

At this thought, Consort Ping couldn’t help but feel displeased with the imperial physician. How dare he be so negligent, making a royal consort wait instead of coming immediately?

Still, she had to bite her tongue for now to avoid unnecessary complications.

Consort Yi’s eyes also lit up upon hearing this. Though a little jealous, seeing Consort Ping’s sickly pallor made her feel slightly better. After all, it was Consort Ping who was suffering, while she could use this to her own benefit. Letting Consort Ping have her moment of satisfaction for now wasn’t the worst thing.

But the next words killed Consort Ping’s flicker of relief. The servant, still bowing his head, replied,

"Your Highness, the physician said the case notes were enough. The prescriptions from the imperial doctors only needed minor adjustments. With the freshly prepared medicine, Your Highness will recover soon."

No mention of the physician visiting, yet every syllable implied it was highly unlikely he would.

Upon hearing this, Consort Ping’s expression stiffened uncontrollably. Rage flared up inside her, so hot it made her head spin.

This wasn’t just her imagination—her anger made her blood boil. Already weakened by illness and exhaustion, she almost blacked out from rage.

Consort Ping clutched her head, but fortunately, the palace maids reacted swiftly, catching her before she toppled over.

Still, she had come dangerously close to passing out from rage.

Watching this scene, Consort Yi pursed her lips impatiently.

Yet she had no choice but to pretend to care. "Sister Ping, don’t upset yourself. You mustn’t harm your health." In truth, she’d have loved to see Consort Ping faint.

That way, she could have immediately summoned the imperial physician, claiming Consort Ping took a turn.

Since she hadn’t fainted, Consort Yi was almost disappointed—she even considered shooting Consort Ping a look. But if that failed, it would complicate things. Consort Yi wasn’t willing to take such risks for Consort Ping, who might not even grasp her intentions.

So she refrained from any covert actions, merely offering empty sympathies.

When Consort Ping regained her composure, though still dizzy from anger, she kept her wits. After the initial fury, she quickly realized that even minor adjustments to the old prescription required Kangxi’s approval.

Otherwise, the imperial physician wouldn’t dare interfere with the medical records and prescriptions of the concubines on his own.

That the physician only tweaked the prescription without coming to examine her pulse in person must mean Kangxi had merely instructed him to review and adjust the formula. Otherwise, the physician wouldn’t have dared to delay, making a royal consort wait for him.

The more Consort Ping thought about it, the darker her expression grew. By now, her face was already ashen, and any further deterioration would simply be attributed to her illness.

Only Consort Yi saw through the truth.

Her previously warm demeanor cooled, though she didn’t leave immediately, still harboring some reservations.

Earlier, Consort Ping had wanted to keep Consort Yi longer, but now she took the initiative to dismiss her.

Consort Ping had begun to realize that Kangxi likely wouldn’t appear tonight. Keeping Consort Yi any longer would serve no purpose—it would only give her more opportunities to witness her humiliation.

Thus, putting on a strained smile, Consort Ping said to Consort Yi, "Sister Yi, as you can see, I’m in no state for conversation. I’m truly lightheaded, and it’s getting late. You should return and rest early—there’s no need to stay with me any longer."

This was a clear dismissal.

She couldn’t wait for Consort Yi to leave.

But her attitude had changed since this afternoon.

If Consort Yi hadn’t still held some reservations, she would have definitely exposed Consort Ping's pathetically transparent ploy by now.

She would have outright called her bluff, playing dumb while deliberately staying to see how Consort Ping would handle the situation.

However, at this moment, though displeased, Consort Yi bit her tongue.

She was done engaging further with Consort Ping and simply said,

"In that case, Consort Ping should rest well and avoid overexerting yourself. I'll be going now and will visit you again tomorrow."

With that, she rose decisively and left, taking her maid’s arm.

Seeing Consort Yi play along so easily without deliberately opposing her, and her figure quickly disappearing, Consort Ping finally sighed in relief—she had managed to get rid of Consort Yi first.

Her intuition told her it was best to deal with Consort Yi as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the two maids who had brought the medicine hadn’t said a word the entire time, kneeling quietly with their heads bowed, waiting.

It seemed they truly intended to stay until Consort Ping had taken the medicine before leaving.

Consort Ping also realized that the reason these two servants were new faces was precisely for this purpose.

They hadn't left immediately after delivering the medicine, and based on their earlier words, they were clearly there to watch her drink it. If she stubbornly refused, they might spread unfavorable words upon their return.

Without further comment, Consort Ping ordered the medicine to be handed to her. Without using a spoon, she chugged half the bowl and quickly finished the rest.

Yet, the maid who collected the empty bowl still did not leave.

This just made Consort Ping angrier. She had already drunk it—for heaven's sake, why weren't they leaving?