Chapter 266

Chapter 266

The situation took a sudden turn for the worse. Consort Ping was so weak that she could barely speak for a moment.

Her condition genuinely frightened the palace maids, and panic visibly spread among them as they scrambled, unsure of what to do.

Just as the maids were at a loss, one finally reacted and was about to send someone to fetch the imperial physician when Consort Ping’s intermittent voice rang out, "The... the medicine is tainted!"

Even in her obviously weak and breathless tone, the gnashing of teeth could be heard, revealing how furious she was. Even now, she couldn’t suppress her anger.

Consort Ping had never expected that all the previous times she had poured out the medicine without finishing it, no mishaps had occurred—at most, her illness had worsened somewhat from the delay.

Yet this time, when she dutifully consumed it all, something went wrong!

Even if her emotions had been on an emotional rollercoaster earlier, it was impossible that after taking the medicine, she felt no relief at all—instead, she felt worse. How could this be?

It must be—it must be that the medicine was tainted!

Consort Ping paused for a moment to catch her breath, then with great effort, pointed at the two maids who had delivered the medicine and were still lingering. "Worthless servants... how dare you!"

Who would dare to tamper with her medicine at such a time?

At her faint words, the two medicine-delivering maids threw themselves to their knees.

They were promptly pinned down by others, as everyone in Consort Ping’s palace believed they had meddled with the medicine and wanted to detain them.

After all, usually, the medicine would be delivered and left behind, and the maids would leave immediately. But this time, they insisted on remaining until sufficient time had passed.

And now, Consort Ping’s condition was visibly deteriorating.

The two restrained maids cried out in protest, their expressions fitting those of the wrongly accused—though flustered, they showed no obvious guilt.

"Your Highness, we are innocent! Before coming, the imperial physician warned that the new prescription might cause minor discomfort after consumption. To prevent Your Highness from misunderstanding, he ordered us to stay and wait."

This explained why they hadn’t left immediately but had insisted on staying until sufficient time had passed.

It was precisely for this reason, so they could offer a timely explanation if needed.

Since medicinal effects vary by individual, Consort Ping might not necessarily experience discomfort after taking it. But to prevent misunderstandings, someone had to be present to clarify—this was also the imperial physician’s instruction.

Moreover, the entire brewing process had been supervised by Consort Ping’s own people, and they had escorted the medicine the entire way.

If they had tampered with it, how could they have gone unnoticed along the way? Besides, how would they dare to be bold enough to tamper so openly?

The maids rattled off their defense.

Though Consort Ping was in mounting discomfort, she hadn’t fainted and could still hear their excuses.

Yes, excuses.

Even if she had had people watching over it, who knew if they had missed something in the blink of an eye, letting tampering occur?

The worsening discomfort only fueled her rage further. And this is called minor discomfort?!

Consort Ping refused to believe their excuses and ordered someone to summon the imperial physician immediately.

She also commanded that the two maids be kept under tight guard. If the physician discovered any issues, whether due to negligence or malice, they would be punished without leniency!

As she spoke, her weakened eyes burned with ferocity, her face contorted almost grotesquely. Pale-faced and drenched in sweat, her hair in disarray, she resembled a specter risen from the depths.

Consort Ping's current state made the palace maids rush to summon the imperial physician without delay.

The reason they didn’t call for the imperial physician at this moment was twofold. First, there was a chance he might not come. Normally, they could afford to wait it out and persist, but now, they couldn’t afford to wait.

Not only would it waste time, but it could also delay her treatment.

Consort Ping didn’t want to bear this agony any longer—she just wanted someone who could come immediately to examine her!

Secondly, Consort Ping insisted that the medicine was the problem. The imperial physician hadn’t even come in person to check her pulse before adjusting the prescription, instead relying solely on the previous one issued by another physician.

Now, after taking the new medicine, not only had she not improved, but her condition had worsened.

And they even claimed that some discomfort after taking the medicine was normal—what kind of imperial physician was this? A quack, more like!

If they had explained this beforehand, Consort Ping would never have taken the medicine so readily. She would have demanded a clear explanation.

But now that something had gone wrong, they trotted out this excuse to cover up—Consort Ping felt this was nothing but dodging blame!

Yet, she was in no state to confront the imperial physician now.

Combining these two factors, Consort Ping ordered them to summon a physician first, before her condition got worse!

She would deal with the rest once she felt better!

On top of that, she was now weak and exhausted, drenched in cold sweat, her head throbbing like a drum.

Gritting her teeth, she forced out the order to the maids to fetch the physician, but finally collapsed, caught and supported by the palace maids.

Then the maids crowded around, their endless buzzing and sudden shrieks making Consort Ping’s head throb unbearably. She wished she could shout at them to shut up!

Quiet, all of you!

But she no longer had the strength to speak, let alone command them to be quiet.

Though she felt on the verge of passing out, Consort Ping remained agonizingly conscious, unable to fully lose awareness.

Her body felt unbearably heavy, her eyelids like lead. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t open her eyes, yet she remained trapped in this agonizing semi-awareness.

This state was far worse than complete unconsciousness—at least then, she wouldn’t have to endure this misery.

She couldn’t even escape by fainting entirely.

It was like being trapped in a nightmare—struggling desperately but unable to break free, desperate for it to end.

Yet she couldn’t—not even to utter a single word. She could only endure.

Meanwhile, the palace maids, seeing Consort Ping collapse with her eyes closed, assumed she had fainted and panicked even more.

Fortunately, the physician arrived swiftly without delay. But before the maids could relax, thinking she was finally saved—

That fleeting hope, like sea foam, vanished instantly. There was no comfort to be found.

The physician arrived quickly and appeared diligent while checking her pulse, though the exam seemed to drag on forever.

Perhaps it wasn’t actually that long, but given the circumstances, every moment dragged on unbearably, creating the illusion of an endless wait.

Still, despite their anxiety, everyone remained silent, too afraid to interrupt for fear of interfering with his diagnosis of Consort Ping.

Anyway, since their mistress was unconscious and unresponsive, it wasn’t their place to urge the court physician.

As soon as the doctor finished taking her pulse, Consort Ping’s handmaiden anxiously asked if her mistress was alright.

She asked urgently what had happened.

Then, as if getting to the main point, she spoke rapidly about how Consort Ping had only become like this after drinking the new medicine.

She also mentioned the lame excuses from the palace maid who had delivered it.

Her words implied that the medicine had been poisoned.

Though the handmaiden wanted to accuse the court physician’s prescription of being flawed—after all, the previous formula had never caused any issues, yet problems arose as soon as the new one was used—she held back.

Being a palace maid, she knew such direct accusations would not only offend the physician but possibly the entire Imperial Medical Bureau.

So she hinted carefully that something else might have been added to the potion.

The physician then examined the empty bowl that had held the medicine. Though drained, the scent of the brew lingered, and he scraped the residual liquid from the sides.

Soon after, the dregs of the medicine were also brought in—Consort Ping had ordered this in her last conscious moments, fearing someone might dispose of the evidence once she recovered.

She had also worried that the empty bowl alone might not reveal anything amiss.

The physician meticulously inspected everything, his expression serious and grave. Yet despite the handmaiden’s anxious questioning, he remained silent throughout.

Focused solely on examining and sniffing the remnants, he seemed too focused to say anything yet.