Chapter 311

Chapter 311

Man, people really don’t share the same highs and lows.

For instance, the imperial physicians assigned to attend to the Noble Consort and the eldest imperial son faced no real challenge to their skills. Luckily, the drama hadn’t dragged them in, and their patients were relatively cooperative.

Basically, smooth sailing.

But then you had cases that really put a doctor’s skills to the test, compounded by uncooperative patients who acted like their lives were some kind of joke—reckless, like death didn’t scare them. If such patients ended up dragging themselves to the grave, the physicians would be blamed for failing to provide active treatment, putting not just their jobs but their heads on the line.

In such situations, even palace old-timers who’d seen it all would rather faint on the spot and be done with it than endure the torment inflicted on their fragile old hearts!

And the one giving them hell? Consort Ping, who had been struck by an arrow.

From the moment she lost consciousness, Consort Ping was hanging by a thread. The arrow was in a nasty spot—pulling it out wasn’t simple, as it risked damaging vital meridians near the heart. She could bleed out in seconds, and yanking it out might straight-up kill her from the pain. These were all serious concerns.

After much deliberation, the physicians finally settled on a plan and prepared to remove the arrow. Just then, Consort Ping regained consciousness—the timing should have been ideal, as they had intended to rouse her anyway.

Too bad she woke up.

The second she came to, Consort Ping started calling the shots. Without explicitly saying so, she signaled for the physicians to hold off on removing the arrow, insisting on waiting for the Emperor to arrive before proceeding. The docs were floored and could only beg her to reconsider.

But Consort Ping dug in her heels like a relative refusing to sign off on surgery, deaf to logic.

Docs: "Doc’s orders: pull the arrow NOW."

Consort Ping: "Not yet."

Consort Ping had a safeguard—a way to cling to life even with a fatal wound—so she dared to engage in what others saw as reckless, death-defying behavior.

The docs were sweating bullets, yet they couldn’t voice their frustration aloud. If she died, they’d be blamed for negligence!

One after another, palace maids were sent to summon the Emperor, but like those vanishing gourd brothers, each one who left never returned. At this rate, they’d have no one left to send.

Consort Ping’s pallid face gradually darkened with frustration.

She didn’t let things escalate to the point of a full-blown "gourd brothers rescuing grandpa" scenario—where each dispatched servant vanished without a trace—but she stubbornly refused to allow the arrow’s removal, stubborn to the bitter end.

All that planning? Wasted.

Under the bewildered and disapproving gazes of those around her, Consort Ping furrowed her brows slightly and closed her eyes, as if enduring unbearable agony. Her lips, pale from blood loss, were gnawed raw, marked with deep indentations. Her white sleeping robes were stained with blood, and her faint, labored breathing made her seem like she’d break at the slightest touch.

Anyone who saw her would fear she might breathe her last at any moment.

Yet Consort Ping still refused to let them remove the arrow.

The expressions of those around her were grim, as if they were already mourning her impending death. If Consort Ping died like this, they’d suffer the consequences—wasn’t that just utterly despair-inducing?

Consort Ping wasn’t the type to gamble with her life for no reason. She always sought to maximize advantage in every situation. If not for her safeguard, she wouldn’t have taken such risks—she valued survival too much.

Originally, she had planned to remain in critical condition, hovering between life and death, to emphasize the peril she had endured—how else was Kangxi supposed to appreciate her near-death sacrifice?

But then her plan backfired. Kangxi hadn’t accompanied her back; instead, he had turned around to fetch Noble Consort Rong. Consort Ping, unwilling to back down, decided she’d make damn sure he saw her at death’s door, while Noble Consort Rong hadn’t suffered so much as a scratch!

By then, he’d feel even guiltier toward her. Consort Ping never underestimated that bit of guilt, for it could play a crucial role at certain times. It might burn out fast, but it got the job done.

Who knew dragging along the injured Eldest Prince would lead to Consort Hui snapping and blindsiding Rong Noble Consort over his injuries? Just as Consort Ping grew impatient and asked her system what was going on—why hadn’t Kangxi come to see her yet—she learned that Consort Hui had gone berserk, catching Rong Noble Consort off guard, and Kangxi was busy managing the situation, making it impossible for him to come over for now.

Consort Ping’s astral form nearly cursed out loud. What the hell was Consort Hui thinking? Of all times to lose her mind, why now?!

This was screwing up her whole plan!

If she hadn’t kept a shred of sense, she would have dragged her severely wounded body back to her senses and joined the fray right then and there!

Consort Ping held her breath and waited for the farce between Consort Hui and Rong Noble Consort to end. When those two went at it, someone was gonna get wrecked!

She watched them bicker—go on, keep at it! Picking fights now? Talk about bad timing. With so many assassins emerging and so much to investigate and handle, they still dared to make a scene in front of Kangxi. After her anger subsided, Consort Ping almost laughed at their foolishness.

Consort Hui threw the first punch, but Rong Noble Consort wasn’t innocent either. It was no surprise she wouldn’t stay passive—there was no fear the conflict would fizzle out.

Consort Ping quietly waited for her system to report the final outcome, forcing herself to remain patient.

Kangxi ended up playing favorites—Consort Hui got publicly shredded, while Rong Noble Consort walked away without a mark—like it was just a spa day.

Consort Ping shook with fury and jolted awake. The doctors thought her waking up was a miracle—until they realized it was a disaster. They wished they could manually knock her out again.

Consort Ping had to send someone to remind Kangxi that there was still someone who had taken an arrow for him, now hanging by a thread, waiting for him. Otherwise, that scheming Rong Noble Consort would hog Kangxi forever!

To be safe, she sent messengers one after another—yet none returned.

Those sent to summon Kangxi must have been detained. Consort Ping couldn’t help but curse inwardly—useless! Couldn’t even handle such a simple task! Even if they were blocked from entering, couldn’t they at least make a scene?!

Now, because she had earlier insisted on waiting for Kangxi before allowing the arrow to be removed, and he still hadn’t arrived, Consort Ping found herself trapped. Without a way to back down, changing her mind now would only make her a laughingstock—afraid of death and contradicting herself.

Though her life was preserved by her cheat, Consort Ping was far from comfortable. The system hadn’t completely blocked her pain, leaving her acutely aware of her body’s weakness. It was anything but easy.

Gritting her teeth, Consort Ping felt time crawl by. The sensation of teetering on the edge of death made her repeatedly confirm with her system—she really wouldn’t die, right?

Regretful, she considered letting her spirit drift out again, feigning unconsciousness so the physicians could remove the arrow while she was "out." That way, she wouldn’t need to find an excuse to back down. Just then, a sharp voice rang out from outside—

“His Majesty has arrived—” About damn time! Consort Ping’s drooping eyelids flew open, her eyes suddenly bright with life.