Chapter 274

Chapter 274

When the imperial physician arrived, he had already steeled himself and put on his professional face. He then noticed that Noble Consort Rong appeared to be in good condition—except for a small medicated patch stuck to her cheek, everything seemed fine.

Wait, was this...?

The patch didn’t need to be applied so thickly. If too much was applied, it wouldn’t be fully absorbed by the next day and would have to be washed off.

Though there was no real harm in applying it this way, the potent medicine smell would hang around, making it impossible to disperse.

Yes, the doctor knew exactly how his ointment worked.

He seemed to recall having explained this to one of the Noble Consort's attendants.

Then, the doctor just realized: the issue wasn’t with the plaster—it was that Noble Consort Rong was feeling dizzy and unwell.

Maybe he was seeing things, but he couldn’t detect any signs of discomfort. She looked full of pep.

He'd need to check her properly. Maybe she was suppressing her discomfort to avoid worrying Kangxi too much.

As he stepped closer, the physician’s peripheral vision caught sight of a maid who looked calm but wasn't really.

Though she appeared calm, her hands remained firmly in place, pressing down. With years of experience in observing subtle details, the physician immediately noticed something off about the maid’s jawline.

But he quickly averted his gaze, showing no reaction and asking no unnecessary questions. He kept his eyes forward and proceeded to take Noble Consort Rong’s pulse.

And sure enough—nothing wrong with her.

Basically: totally fine.

After all, the physician had already completed the looking part of check-up the moment he arrived.

But could he actually say that?

Su Yi’s fingers rested lightly on her temple. At this moment, she cooperated fully, causing no trouble. She wore a quiet little smile, as if patiently awaiting the physician’s diagnosis.

Zero guilt showed on her face—she showed no concern that the physician might declare her perfectly fine with no signs of dizziness.

She oozed confidence. Whether the illness was real or feigned, the key was conviction.

No matter what anyone said, she would stick to her story.

Kangxi stood close to Su Yi, standing close like he was shielding her. He gave an almost imperceptible nod.

But was the doctor stumped?

Of course not.

So, the physician started rattling off doctor talk—the kind only comprehensible to those in the same field.

To anyone outside the profession, it would sound like complete nonsense, leaving them clueless about the actual meaning.

In an emergency, spouting such jargon would be tantamount to asking for trouble—who dares to speak in riddles at a critical moment?!

But here, it was just white noise. No one needed to understand.

What mattered was that this act had to keep going.

It could keep up, but there was no point trying to follow it.

Moreover, the imperial physician instinctively lowered his voice slightly and focused his exchange primarily with Rong Noble Consort's chief maid, Qinxin.

This ensured a certain level of comfort while avoiding making himself too unwelcome.

With just that brief glance, the physician had already discerned that the maid's abnormally positioned jaw was dislocated—enough to keep her "quiet."

Even if the full situation wasn’t yet clear, it was best to mind the volume. The physician dutifully played his role as if he were genuinely there for a diagnosis.

It wasn’t unnecessary—just that the right moment hadn’t arrived yet. So, the physician acted as though he knew nothing.

Amid the stream of medical terms that made listeners' heads buzz, the summary was simply: four words—nothing major.

He went through the motions of writing a prescription, filling it with general health-boosting herbs—a versatile cure-all.

After all, whether the medicine was taken or not didn’t matter. Drinking it would nourish the body, and skipping it would do no harm.

"We appreciate your trouble, Physician," Su Yi said politely, thinking that while the diagnosis had sounded like complete gibberish, at least it might serve as a decent sleep inducer.

Sometimes, though, the physician could be strangely obtuse—like with that ointment that somehow grew more pungent the more it was mixed!

Just how concentrated was this stuff?

The physician naturally dared not accept such courtesy and hastily replied that it was his duty and he wouldn’t presume to take credit.

At the time, he took Rong Noble Consort's politeness at face value—though he knew better than to take it seriously.

But soon, he realized her "We appreciate your trouble" had another meaning entirely!

The messenger sent to summon a physician for Consort Ping moved swiftly, not daring to delay given the urgency of the task, and arrived in no time.

All hell broke loose in Consort Ping’s quarters.

The imperial physicians were the picture of calm—as they should be. If even they panicked, it would be far more alarming.

Servants rushed in and out, some bumping into each other and nearly falling in their haste.

No one bothered with formalities—even the arrival of the messenger went unnoticed at first.

Consort Ping, the natural leader, was in no state to take charge. Even her chief maid, who had intended to fetch the Emperor, got herself detained instead.

She wouldn’t be returning anytime soon—not until this play ran its course.

The worst she had expected was being turned away by Rong Noble Consort’s people, unable to see the Emperor. She never imagined an even worse outcome.

And like the Gourd Brothers, each attempt only led to another dead end.

Unless Consort Ping could startle awake like a corpse reviving—which, given the circumstances, seemed impossible.

Upon learning that the Emperor was aware of the emergency and had expressly summoned a physician to report on Consort Ping’s condition,

the physicians exchanged glances, unsurprised. They had braced themselves for this moment—even feeling a "here we go again" feeling.

Though outwardly unflappable, their minds were racing, connecting the dots based on observations and known facts to form judgments. It seemed effortless, but their brainpower was being fried.

They merely appeared cool as cucumbers, waiting for the final verdict.

As for which physician would go, it made no difference.

With all of them singing the same tune about Consort Ping’s condition, any warm body would do—no specific choice was needed.

So the most experienced among them was quickly chosen and hurried off with the messenger.

Consort Ping listened to the constant chatter and panicked outbursts from the palace maids around her, wishing they would all just disappear!

Her nerves, already stretched as thin as a wire, were on the verge of snapping. She had been desperately trying to call for her system, but the system clearly wasn’t the type to respond right away.

But there was no other choice—she'd carelessly walked into this trap. Consort Ping knew she couldn’t rely on these chaotic, useless servants who could only shriek and panic!

Even the royal physicians couldn’t be trusted. She vaguely knew they had arrived, but nothing had changed or improved. These quacks were going to kill her!

Even if the cost of seeking the system’s help was higher.

Consort Ping prized her life above all and understood priorities—if she lost her life, she would lose everything. As long as the green hills remained, there would be no shortage of firewood. Compared to these people, the system was far more dependable.

Just when Consort Ping felt she might not hold on, as if teetering on the edge of death, the long-unresponsive system finally answered her call.

In a cold, detached tone, it explained the situation—she wasn’t in mortal danger, just suffering from the wrong medication, which wouldn’t be fatal. It then asked if she still wanted its assistance.

Of course, the system’s help wouldn’t be free. Consort Ping had to decide whether her current suffering was worth the price of this request.

Even though her mind was foggy, she could still clearly receive the system’s response.

This was clearly a decision that required careful consideration.

When the system hadn’t responded, she had clung to it like a drowning person grasping at the last straw. But now that it had answered, a bone-chilling fear rose from the pit of her stomach.

It was like being doused in cold water, shocking her foggy mind back to awareness.

Was this price truly something she could bear so easily?

All for something that wouldn’t even kill her?