Chapter 835 - 757: Malignant Sore (2)

Chapter 835: Chapter 757: Malignant Sore (2)

Consort Li, with tears in her eyes, said, "Dean Luo and Doctor Liu have already looked at Ying’er and given her medicine, yet Ying’er’s condition hasn’t improved. Three days have passed, it’s been three days, if this continues, I fear..."

The Emperor strode forward and said, "I’ll go take a look!"

Consort Li hurriedly stopped him, "Emperor, Emperor, you mustn’t! Ying’er is suffering from an infectious sore, it wouldn’t be appropriate for someone of your esteemed status to enter."

The Emperor stopped in his tracks upon hearing this.

He turned to Eunuch Feng and said, "Summon Meng Zhang and Luo Jia!"

Luo Jia was merely the Deputy Director; Meng Zhang was the Director.

Eunuch Feng immediately sent someone to summon them.

The Emperor frowned, he had been away for only five days, and the Seventeenth Princess had suddenly fallen ill.

Here he was, about to agree to a marriage alliance, but with the seventeenth in such a condition, how could he proceed?

Soon enough, Meng Zhang and Luo Jia arrived in a hurry.

Upon seeing Dean Meng, a glimmer of hope resurged in Consort Li’s eyes.

Though favored among the consorts, her status in the harem was neither high nor low, calling upon the Dean was not easy; even to invite Luo Jia, the Deputy Director, she had to beg the Empress for her name card to request their presence.

Meng Zhang entered and first greeted the Emperor.

The Emperor said, "No need for formalities, go and check on the Seventeenth Princess first."

Meng Zhang complied with a nod, though Luo Jia had already informed him of the Seventeenth Princess’s symptoms beforehand. He entered the Seventeenth Princess’s bedchamber with an assistant, and Consort Li stumbled along, her steps unsteady. Palace maids attempted to dissuade her, but she brushed them aside and entered the chamber, eyes filled with worry and urgency.

The Emperor watched coldly.

Initially, he thought, could such a coincidence really happen?

The matter of the East Tang Envoy requesting a marriage alliance hadn’t been disclosed previously; the news only got out when he officially met with them on his birthday banquet.

Yet the Seventeenth Princess contracted this sore precisely two days before his birthday? Could she have received early notice and staged this ploy just to avoid the marriage alliance?

The fact that the Seventeenth Princess’s illness hadn’t been reported by the eunuch was baffling!

However, seeing Consort Li’s demeanor now, he was convinced.

Although looking pale and unkempt could be feigned, genuine worry and urgency, those could be discerned by the Emperor’s keen eye. ℯℯ𝑙.

Before long, Meng Zhang emerged, but Consort Li did not follow.

The Emperor asked, "How is it?"

Meng Zhang saluted, hesitantly saying, "Emperor, the Princess’s sore is on her face, and I have never encountered such a case before. According to my diagnosis, the pulse shows surface normalcy, but internally there are alternating chills and heat, and imbalanced organ functions, leading to this growth."

Bright light flickered in the Emperor’s eyes, and he asked, "Is it poisoning?"

Meng Zhang shook his head, speaking solemnly, "According to my pulse check, it should be caused by congenital fetal breath, usually latent but aggressive upon outbreak!"

Just then, Consort Li emerged as well, overhearing Meng Zhang’s statement, her tears flowed once more. She choked back sobs and said, "Luo Jia and Liu Jiang, both Imperial Physicians, said the same. Emperor, I am at fault; when I was pregnant for ten months, a malicious maid schemed against me. Although Ying’er was weak at birth, she appeared normal; who could have imagined such a latent disaster would be hidden. My poor, ill-fated Ying’er..."

In the harem, schemes are inevitable; consorts employ various means, none being most malicious, only more malicious, as Meng Zhang positioned himself as an invisible man, acting as if he hadn’t heard anything.

The Emperor also frowned; he recalled this matter. At that time, Consort Li was still at Princess Consort status, and living in the same palace, Princess Consort Wang envied her favor, secretly attempting to cause her miscarriage.

The incident later escalated, and that Princess Consort Wang was personally dealt with by the Emperor’s orders.

Impatiently, he said, "Why wasn’t the Seventeenth Princess’s illness reported to me?"

Consort Li’s gaze flitted around, timidly glancing at the Emperor.

"Speak!"

Only then did Consort Li hesitantly say, "Ying’er’s sore is on her face, and with your birthday approaching, I didn’t dare!"

The Emperor understood; his birthday was a nationwide celebration, if he learned of the Seventeenth Princess contracting sores at such a critical juncture, he would certainly be displeased. Therefore, Consort Li had hoped the doctors would quickly cure the Seventeenth Princess and let the matter slide. If it weren’t for hearing Old Fifth today and deciding on a whim to visit Liqing Palace, he’d still be unaware.

He wasn’t concerned about disrupting his birthday; but now, what of the marriage alliance? The Emperor frowned again.

Though Consort Li’s heart was both resentful and painful, anxious and urgent, she was after all an understanding beauty, well-versed in reading expressions; seeing the Emperor frown in displeasure, she dared not sob, only silently weeping.