Chapter 276

Chapter 276

The words were directed at Consort Ping's maid, but as she spoke, she glanced at them. Combined with the maid's current state, it was clear that Noble Consort Rong was clearly annoyed at their earlier chatter!

This was a perfect example of what happens to chatterboxes.

The two imperial physicians, pretending to keep their cool, pretended not to catch the hint and simply acknowledged the order without another unnecessary word, proceeding to carry out their task directly.

Setting a dislocated jaw was no challenge for them—it wasn’t a difficult problem. The real challenge was dealing with Noble Consort Rong herself.

Much to her shock, Consort Ping's maid had thought there was no way out, that Noble Consort Rong might use her as an excuse to punish her while ensuring she couldn’t speak out.

To her surprise, Noble Consort Rong actually ordered the physicians to reset her jaw.

And after everything that had been said, it felt like getting a consolation prize after being punished—though it wasn’t exactly sweet.

But Su Yi didn’t care what the other thought. If it didn’t work, she’d find another solution. Finding solutions worked better than caring what others thought.

Su Yi knew how to dislocate a jaw—and naturally, she also knew how to reset it.

But since the physicians were already here, might as well put them to work. Best not to take their job from them.

If not for the fact that Su Yi was the one who had dragged them into this mess, the docs might've thanked her.

Meanwhile, Consort Ping's maid had to wipe away her drool first to avoid slipping during the reset.

Right—better leave it to the professionals.

His Majesty Kangxi leisurely skimmed the tea leaves with the lid of his cup, looking completely relaxed, as if he had naturally gifted at enjoying drama without getting involved.

Eating snacks wouldn’t suit the Emperor’s dignity, but a perfectly brewed cup of tea at just the right temperature? That was acceptable. He was about to take a sip when—

Su Yi, having just finished intimidating someone, turned back. She hadn’t forgotten that jerk who pretended to care about the Noble Consort's opinion. She was doing all the work here—what was His Majesty even doing?

And there Kangxi was, leisurely about to drink his tea. The man who hadn’t even spoken five full sentences—some nerve he had! They were both just watching the show, so why was she the one doing all the work?

She was the one who should be thirsty!

Just as Su Yi smiled and prepared to speak, Kangxi smoothly handed the teacup over, as if he had always intended to give it to her rather than drink it himself.

Su Yi, her momentum interrupted: "..."

Too annoyed for pleasantries, pursing her lips, she took the cup, taking a big swig before handing it back. She wasn’t thirsty, but she wasn’t going to let him have it easy either.

Declining was out of the question—she had to take at least a sip.

Qinxin, who had been standing with her hands folded in front of her, almost reached out to take the cup but quickly suppressed the movement.

Kangxi took the cup back and sipped from it as naturally as if nothing had happened, totally unfazed, radiating that annoying calm of his.

Su Yi, whose mouth wasn’t big enough to down the entire cup in one go, swallowed the tea—along with the insults she wanted to throw his way.

With her jaw reset, Consort Ping's maid finally felt like her life had been snatched back from death's door. Though still a little uncomfortable, it was far better than before—at least she could talk again.

She'd genuinely believed her life was over earlier.

Noble Consort Rong could have easily accused her of using Consort Ping’s name to cause trouble and punished her accordingly. Mute, she couldn't even beg for her life or put up any resistance.

Even if Consort Ping found out afterward, she likely wouldn’t make a fuss over some lowly maid.

"Thank you for your grace, Consort Rong!" If not for fear of talking too much, Consort Ping's maid would have added more praises to extol Consort Rong's kindness, worried that excessive words might again be seen as irritating nonsense.

Su Yi merely watched her without speaking, her gaze and expression appearing completely unassuming, gentle and serene.

Yet it was precisely this reaction that was more unsettling. At least if she had said something, there would have been a starting point to grasp, rather than a sudden, unexplained misfortune with no warning.

In truth, Su Yi was wondering what kind of person Consort Ping was, to have chosen such an average-looking senior maid as her representative. Shouldn’t a representative at least be easy on the eyes, someone who would make a good impression in public?

Not that the current maid was ugly.

Those selected for the palace had to meet standards of decent looks, and finding truly beautiful ones wasn’t difficult—in fact, it was harder to find someone genuinely unattractive among the younger servants.

So this maid of Consort Ping’s wasn’t ugly, just average-looking.

To put it bluntly, she wasn’t particularly pretty.

When you had to look at someone every day, why not pick someone pleasing to the eye? If nothing else, even when in a bad mood, facing someone good-looking might hold back one’s anger a little.

You’d naturally be more patient.

Had Consort Ping’s maid truly been a striking little beauty, Su Yi—being the pragmatic, appearance-conscious woman she was—might have let her jaw hang open longer. After all, she wasn’t one of Su Yi’s own people, so why not take the chance to admire her a little more?

But for someone average, there were no special privileges here, especially when they kept blabbering nonstop.

Annoying. Just plain annoying.

*I come here, and this is what I get?!*

Kangxi, who had been sipping tea, nearly choked. Hearing the sound, Su Yi turned to him with a look of concern. "Your Majesty, are you alright? How careless of you to nearly choke on your tea."

Though her tone was playfully scolding by the end, it lacked sincerity.

This kind of concern was better left ungiven.

Kangxi glanced at Su Yi without a word, then signaled Liang Jiugong to take the teacup away and keep it at a distance. Drinking tea near the Noble Consort was far too risky.

Su Yi felt a slight chill under Kangxi’s gaze. *What’s with him?*

Still, she smoothly shifted the topic to the convenient subject. "Ah, right—what was it you said about Consort Ping earlier?" Her tone was perfectly natural, though her gaze drifted slightly.

Consort Ping was like a prop—something to trot out when needed.

Seeing how Rong Noble Consort had barely finished pretending to care about the Emperor before turning her attention back to Consort Ping, the maid almost started crying.

But she didn’t dare, afraid her jaw might drop again.

So she braced herself and explained how Consort Ping, despite only having a mild condition, had gotten to the point where the imperial physicians had to be summoned.

This time, she didn’t dare claim Consort Ping was critically ill again, only recounting the events factually—including how the two medicine carriers had been detained and how the imperial physician had altered the prescription. It wasn’t that they were making trouble; they really had no choice.

Of course, she absolutely didn’t mention that Consort Ping had privately ordered them to dump the delivered medicine to worsen her condition.

Even if she made it out of Rong Noble Consort’s palace, Consort Ping would never forgive her for revealing that.

She at least knew how serious it was. The earlier explanation was still based on facts—Consort Ping had indeed fallen ill after taking the newly delivered medicine.

No way could she be blamed.

Failing to bring the Emperor over could be blamed on her incompetence, but running into Noble Consort Rong—even ghosts would dread dealing with her—meant no one could have done better.

She hadn’t said anything bad about Consort Ping, but she feared that if word got out she’d dared to speak ill of her, it would spell trouble.

And clearly, the earlier reprimand had its effect—she cut straight to the chase, explaining the matter swiftly without any nonsense.

Truly, incoherent speech is an illness that needs curing.

One of the involved parties, the imperial physician, betrayed no emotion when the matter shifted to him. He stepped forward and voluntarily reported,

"Your Majesty, Noble Consort, I have reviewed Consort Ping’s medical records and the prescription from the imperial physicians. After taking the medicine, her condition not only failed to improve but worsened.

Though it's merely a chill, a lingering illness could damage one's constitution if left untreated. The original prescription proved ineffective, so I adjusted it to a new formula that should act more swiftly."

The physician's nerves of steel were remarkable—amidst this predicament, he showed not a hint of panic.

"If we continued with the original prescription without changes, Consort Ping’s condition would worsen in a few days, rendering her too frail to tolerate any new remedy.

Even good medicine carries some toxicity. Though the new formula may cause discomfort, after taking it today, we can switch to a milder prescription tomorrow to restore her health in a few days."

"Indeed, the other imperial physicians and I concur," another physician concurred.

"Oh, so that’s how it is," Su Yi said slowly, as if finally piecing together what happened.

But when she turned to Kangxi with a gentle smile, an alarm bell rang in his mind—something felt off.

Kangxi maintained his regal composure as he spoke, "Indeed, Noble Consort, the matter is now clear." He opened his mouth to suggest she retire early when—

Su Yi’s displeasure instantly palpable, her face dark with fury. She scoffed coldly,

"So that’s why Your Majesty was so composed—you already knew she wasn’t seriously ill. Meanwhile, I was left worrying for nothing while you sat sipping tea at your leisure. By all means, enjoy your tea. I’m tired."

She flung a handkerchief at Kangxi—seemingly a light flick, but it landed with the impact of a proper slap. Though seemingly playful, the blow packed real force.

She'd perfected the art of making a handkerchief strike like a lash.

With a face dark with fury, Su Yi stormed off without another word.

She even refused Qinxin’s support, leaving the maid scrambling after her.

As for Kangxi, still smarting from her scorn, verbal barrage, and that stinging handkerchief—

It was like enjoying melon seeds when a pot lid suddenly crashed on his head.

And damn if he didn’t take a moment to recover. By the time he lifted the "lid," Su Yi was long gone.

The others, realizing the gravity of the scene, fell to their knees as one—utterly silent, not even daring to gasp.

Witnessing such a deadly confrontation was like stumbling upon two giant cats in a standoff—everyone else just wanted to vanish, too afraid to intervene.

Yet one had already fled the battlefield, leaving the poor, helpless onlookers staring at the floor, praying it was clean enough to hide in.

Some even harbored the eerie thought: *So even His Majesty isn’t spared when Noble Consort’s mood swings strike.*

After a heavy silence, Kangxi finally spoke, "Why so quiet?"

His question might as well have been a death sentence—who the hell dared answer?

*Your Majesty, you really don’t know why it’s so quiet?*

*How are we supposed to respond to that?*

"Utterly senseless," Kangxi murmured, his gaze chilling. Though his tone remained light, the leisurely ease from before was gone—replaced by a palpable, oppressive tension.