Chapter 275

Chapter 275

They hurried over without any deliberate delay, even racing against the clock, worried that keeping others waiting would be improper.

Upon arrival, the imperial physician was still slightly out of breath but immediately performed the customary bow without pausing to steady himself.

When he raised his head, he glimpsed the imperial physician, who had already been there for a while—exactly as he'd anticipated.

On the way, he hadn’t forgotten to inquire about the current situation. Though the palace servants spoke in official terms, the physician still managed to parse the essential information accurately.

Consort Ping likely never expected things could unfold this way.

Despite being mentally prepared, the physician still felt the pressure of all eyes on him when the moment arrived—enough to rattle anyone.

Only when he saw the other imperial physician did he find a modicum of reassurance.

The other imperial physician remained composed, eyes downcast, appearing utterly calm and collected, not a flicker of emotion on his face—composure was second nature.

Su Yi waited patiently for the physician to finish his greeting before speaking softly, "Physician, how is Consort Ping’s condition now?"

Straight to the point, without preamble—one could say Su Yi was genuinely concerned.

Though her concern was real, her gentle tone carried an unmistakable hint of, *"Tell me how miserable Consort Ping is right now so I can enjoy it."*

Her concern wasn't exactly genuine.

Rather, she was the kind who’d pounce with, *"If you’re in trouble, hurry up and tell me so I can relish it."*

The physician’s eye gave an involuntary twitch—for the first time, he found it difficult to pretend he hadn’t detected the subtext.

Though he knew Rong Noble Consort must have played a role in the current situation, was she really being so brazen?

Had she reached a point where she no longer cared about appearances?

Did she no longer need to maintain her image of gracious benevolence?

If even he could hear the barely concealed glee in her words, surely the Emperor must have noticed too.

And yet, Kangxi showed no reaction at all.

With a calm expression, Kangxi absentmindedly rotated his jade ring on his slightly numb fingers—business as usual.

But thoughts aside, the physician still delivered his report.

However, due to medical habits and a tendency toward precision, his explanation became needlessly complicated, making it hard to follow.

Such thoroughness!

In truth, he wanted to provide a detailed account, including the reasoning process before the conclusion, to make it sound more convincing.

After all, simply saying *"it’s nothing serious"* would make them seem negligent.

For comparison, even the memorials sent to Kangxi, which were essentially just greetings, were filled with effusive flattery—how could he possibly sum it up so briefly?

As for the other imperial physician… well, he didn’t know how to remind his colleague to cut the unnecessary details—at least not in front of Rong Noble Consort.

But since the physicians weren’t usually responsible for Rong Noble Consort’s health checks, they rarely interacted with her, going by palace gossip instead.

However, Su Yi didn’t interrupt and appeared to be listening, though her gaze seemed somewhat vacant—her body was there, but her mind was elsewhere.

Since few people were looking up, no one noticed Su Yi spacing out.

Not long after, Su Yi's fingers, resting idly by her side, were suddenly pinched. Her eyes immediately darted to Kangxi.

Kangxi, in contrast, appeared much more focused than Su Yi.

At the very least, it was impossible to tell if he was actually listening—his demeanor remained composed.

His eyes never glazed over, nor did they stray toward Su Yi, yet he still found time to pinch her fingers.

Hold on, you weren't paying attention either, were you? Otherwise, how could you have noticed her drifting off?

Su Yi suspected Kangxi had grown impatient himself and simply didn’t want her to zone out either.

Was this a case of misery loves company?

Just then, the imperial physician finally finished speaking.

"I see. What does the Emperor think?"

Su Yi made a show of asking Kangxi’s opinion, but in truth, she hadn’t been paying attention.

Expecting her to remember anything was pointless—what went in one ear as 'blah blah' came out the other as 'blah blah.'

Still, Kangxi’s reaction at this moment was crucial. If he didn’t speak up, who would?

Then, after a brief pause, Kangxi uttered, "This emperor would prefer to hear Noble Consort Rong’s thoughts." His gaze settled on Su Yi, seeming completely focused.

It was hard not to assume Kangxi valued Noble Consort Rong’s opinion highly.

How shameless—passing the buck so fast?

Su Yi responded with a bashful smile, pressing her lips together under Kangxi’s intense gaze, while discreetly giving his hand a return squeeze beneath her wide sleeve. "Very well."

Kangxi’s expression remained unchanged, though just for a moment, his arm tensed slightly.

The pair shared several subtle exchanges, yet no one seemed to notice.

To put it simply—like students at their desks versus the teacher at the podium. From the podium, every little movement in the audience is clear, but those below rarely catch what’s happening above.

"So, in other words, Consort Ping isn’t in critical condition?" Having given Kangxi’s hand a return squeeze, Su Yi felt slightly more cheerful—though it didn’t stop her from getting straight to the heart of it.

She had caught the physician’s final conclusion—meaning everything before it might as well have been gibberish. The key takeaway? Consort Ping was fine.

Though that was the gist, the way Noble Consort Rong phrased it was rather crude.

"You are correct, Your Highness," replied the physician. Consort Ping’s condition appeared urgent, but there was indeed no life-threatening danger. And Consort Ping had to be declared fine.

"Ah, that’s wonderful. Consort Ping is doing just fine." Su Yi’s tone carried a note of relief, her smile brightening—you could say it was dazzling.

She appeared truly relieved by the other’s well-being.

Of course, it was all for show.

Such words were best interpreted inversely: *"What a shame. Consort Ping is actually fine?"*

No one present dared to speak—they simply couldn’t.

Once Su Yi finished sighing, she pivoted sharply: "However—"

Her smile dimmed slightly, and as the warmth in her expression receded, a coldness emerged. The fleeting smile disappeared like morning dew, revealing her mercurial temperament.

"Since Consort Ping is not at death's door, why did her maid rush over claiming she was, causing me such distress?"

Her unhurried tone carried the weight of a death sentence.

The previously subdued maid now trembled uncontrollably.

Initially relieved that the arriving physician was not the first one summoned, she had hoped he would confirm Consort Ping's dire state—that her mistress was truly on the brink of death.

Yet, to her dismay, his diagnosis mirrored the first physician's exactly.

Before her anger could fully rise, Noble Consort Rong's words made her blood run cold, as if she had seen a ghost and dared not lift her head.

The physician said Consort Ping was fine—she was doomed!

When she had come, she had exaggerated the situation to draw the Emperor away from Noble Consort Rong.

She had also caused a commotion to prevent Noble Consort Rong's people from easily dismissing her, for Consort Ping's condition had seemed undeniably severe.

Once the Emperor arrived and saw Consort Ping's state, he would surely believe her illness was grave, and she would be rewarded by her mistress afterward.

Her mistress had to be ill! Not now, of all times!

If her mistress was unharmed, she certainly wouldn't be!

Especially now—she faced punishment not just for false reporting, but for deceiving the Emperor himself during his private hours with Noble Consort Rong.

With all these factors combined, and the fact that Consort Ping was not actually in critical condition, her fate would be dire...

Though Consort Ping's maid couldn’t speak, the more frightened she grew, especially when trying to shrink into the background, the more terrified she became—only for Rong Noble Consort's words to shove her off the cliff's edge!

Tears poured uncontrollably from her eyes, and though she wanted to beg for mercy, she couldn’t even get the words out.

She was also terrified that making any noise would worsen her fate, because Rong Noble Consort couldn't stand noise!

These conflicting thoughts were driving her mad, like a trapped animal with no escape.

When Su Yi’s gaze fell upon her, the maid trembled even more violently, as if suddenly remembering something. "Ah, I forgot you can’t respond right now. Since the imperial physicians are here, why not have them put your jaw back in place first before you answer?"

Then, in a deceptively sweet tone, she added, "I assume you’ve already learned how to speak properly."

For the maid, who had already resigned herself to death, this was like getting a last-minute pardon!

She bobbed her head wildly, not even caring if the movement aggravated the pain in her jaw—she was too afraid that any delay might make Rong Noble Consort think she was being disobedient.

Su Yi gave a small, approving nod. "Good." It was the kind of approval one gives when someone finally listens to reason.

When she spoke again, her tone had softened considerably.

"I get impatient when I’m not feeling well, and I don’t want to hear unnecessary chatter. If I’ve done anything to make you uncomfortable because of that..."

At first, it almost sounded like she was offering a token apology.

But by the end, though her smile remained gentle, her tone was ice-cold.

"...please forgive me."

It sounded like an apology—just not a very sincere one.

At some point, Su Yi seemed to glance casually at the hapless imperial physicians. The hapless imperial physicians flinched: What now?!