Chapter 25: Feigned Illness Turns Real

Oh~

A glimmer of light flashed in the Empress’s eyes: It seems this Wen…

Hmm?

She wanted to say that this Physician Wen had many stories in her past life, but suddenly realized that Consort Hua wasn’t referring to a physician, but a great physician?

Great Physician Wen?

Was it a slip of the tongue by Consort Hua, or was his medical skill so exceptional that he earned the title of great physician?

[When there’s trouble, he’s the first to step up; when there’s none, he’s Lord Wen. Zhen Huan torments you a thousand times, yet you treat her like your first love.]

[Undoubtedly the number one simp for Zhen Huan!]

[You treat your Huan sister quite well. Before she entered the palace, your proposal was rejected; after she left the palace, your confession went unanswered. Unable to win her, you ended up having a fling with her good sister—truly loving the house and its crow.]

[But it must be said, his medical skills are truly remarkable. There’s no illness in the harem he can’t cure.]

[It’s just a pity he can never be of use to me. Otherwise, perhaps my health could be restored, and I might even have another chance to bear a child.]

Simp?

A fling?

The Empress could somewhat understand “simp” from the first two sentences, but what did “a fling” mean?

Where did Consort Hua learn such nonsensical words?

“Let him in,” the Empress said.

Wen Shichu entered, carrying a small medicine chest, and bowed respectfully. “Greetings to the Empress, greetings to Consort Hua.”

“Physician Wen, what brings you here at this hour?”

“Your Majesty, Attendant Zhen has fallen ill.”

A flicker of understanding crossed the Empress’s eyes. No wonder Consort Hua had earlier said Zhen Huan wasn’t the first to receive favor—it was because she couldn’t serve the Emperor.

“She seemed perfectly fine yesterday. How did she suddenly fall ill?” Something’s fishy.

“Your Majesty, Attendant Zhen exhausted herself tending to flowers yesterday and was exposed to a cold draft, which triggered a seasonal illness. She requires isolation and rest.”

[Among those three bitches, An Lingrong has the smallest guts, while she has the biggest. In the past life, the one with the smallest guts wasn’t frightened into illness, yet the one with the biggest guts fell ill.]

[This lifetime, without Zhang Hong or paofu, she still manages to fall ill?!]

[Bitches are just pretentious! Even the slop buckets in the Imperial Kitchen aren’t as full of it as she is!]

From Consort Hua’s tone, was Zhen Huan feigning illness?

The Empress frowned. “Exhausted from tending flowers?”

Jian Qiu immediately leaned in to explain. “Yesterday, Jiang Fuhai went to Suiyu Pavilion to deliver the decree. He said Attendant Zhen heard the crabapple flowers hadn’t bloomed this spring, so she loosened the soil for all the flowers in the courtyard.”

Hearing this, a trace of surprise flashed in the Empress’s eyes:

She was so alert that because the crabapple flowers hadn’t bloomed, she went to turn over the flower soil?

No wonder she was the woman who survived to the end.

“Your Majesty is wise. We acted in advance, so she discovered nothing,” Jian Qiu said.

It wasn’t my wisdom—it was Consort Hua’s.

[I hate people like this the most! If you know you need to whisper, why bother summoning me here?]

Was Consort Hua angry that I kept her in the dark?

The Empress could almost picture Nian Shilan rolling her eyes and smiled casually, saying:

“Attendant Zhen looks delicate, but I didn’t expect her to have the refined interest of loosening soil for flowers.”

[Loosening soil? She must have discovered the She Xiang in the jar!]

[Just wait. Sooner or later, she’ll find out that the filthy thing was placed by that old woman, the Empress. I love watching dogs bite each other.]

The smile on the Empress’s face grew even more serene: Too late, I’ve already dealt with it.

Wen Shichu replied, “Those who love flowers cannot bear to see them suffer, which is why she took matters into her own hands. It was also because of this that Lady Zhen overexerted herself and caught a chill. She now has a high fever and is delirious.”

“Loving flowers is not a problem, but if one loves the wrong flower, it becomes a crime punishable by the extermination of one’s clan!”

Nian Shilan’s eyes held a threat. “Judging by Physician Wen’s tone, you must also be someone who cherishes flowers. But be careful.”

Wen Shichu felt a pang of guilt and immediately thought Consort Hua was referring to himself and Huan’er. A fine sweat broke out on his forehead.

But upon further reflection, how could Consort Hua, who had long resided deep within the palace, possibly know about his and Huan’er’s affairs?

So, between “fear” and “refutation,” he chose a third response: playing dumb.

“This humble official thanks Consort Hua for her reminder and will keep it in mind.”

When the Empress heard that Wen Shichu’s medical skills were exceptional, she was reluctant to give up such a useful pawn. “Since the epidemic is highly contagious, Noble Lady Chun must move out of Suiyu Pavilion to avoid the illness.”

“Your Majesty is wise.”

[Wise? Oh, she’s so wise—she couldn’t even spot such an obvious case of feigning illness to avoid favor. How brilliantly wise of her!]

[In her past life, she arrogantly sent Jian Qiu to Suiyu Pavilion to check on Zhen Huan. Seeing Zhen Huan weakly cough a few times, she foolishly assumed she was useless and then used the beaten and crippled Xia Dongchun to intimidate that wretch Zhen Huan, even trying to sow discord between Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang.]

[But the bond between those two sisters was as strong as iron chains, completely unaffected. Meanwhile, she remained utterly in the dark. In the end, when Zhen Huan suddenly gained favor, it caught her completely off guard.]

Nian Shilan rolled her eyes, inwardly cursing her stupidity.

The Empress hadn’t expected Zhen Huan to be so cunning.

“Since you were the one who examined Attendant Zhen’s illness, you shall continue attending to her.”

Feigning illness… If Jian Qiu couldn’t uncover it, then she’d send someone else to discover it.

The Empress gently closed the scissors in her hand, and a budding flower branch drooped.

“However, Physician Wen is, after all, new to the Tai Yi Yuan and may overlook details. In a couple of days, I will summon Zhang Yuanpan to Suiyu Pavilion to reexamine Attendant Zhen. An extra person brings extra reassurance.”

Wen Shichu hadn’t anticipated this move and grew anxious on the spot.

“Your Majesty, this humble official believes his medical skills are adequate. Lady Zhen’s rank is not high—wouldn’t it be inappropriate to trouble Zhang Yuanpan?”

The Empress’s tone was gentle but carried the authority of one in power. “Physician Wen, that is presumptuous.”

“Attendant Zhen is one of the Emperor’s imperial consorts and concubines. How can her rank determine her worth? Moreover, if word spreads that she fell ill so soon after entering the palace, people might think I, as Empress, am mistreating her.”

If she is truly ill, when she recovers will be up to me.

If she is feigning illness, then you must work harder to turn the false into truth!

Otherwise… don’t even mention Zhen Fu or Wen Fu. Once I have evidence, I’ll send all of you to meet Chunyuan!

“Your Majesty…”

The Empress glanced sideways, feigning confusion and curiosity. “Physician Wen, are you worried—”

She deliberately drew out her words, testing Wen Shichu’s racing heart.