The harem is too complicated; the empress, a lazy bum, wins by doing nothing.

Chapter 356: Stench
Under the candlelight, a fine layer of sweat covered Yan Pin's forehead.

"Your Majesty, I just went to the Imperial Hospital, but they said the imperial physician who treated you a couple of days ago isn't on duty tonight. I didn't dare make a sound, I just asked a few questions and came back..."

"What?" Consort Rou's eyes widened in shock, and she couldn't help but scratch her head again. "Doesn't the Imperial Hospital have any other trustworthy physicians?"

Trustworthy...

Xia'er thought for a while and said, "Your Majesty, we have only been in the palace for a short time and we don't know anyone in the Imperial Hospital. Why don't we write to the Master and ask him to find a doctor from outside the palace to take a look at you?"

"Absolutely not!" Consort Yan immediately rejected the idea.

She originally claimed that she had menstrual cramps, hoping to delay Emperor Yuanwu's visit and secretly get medical treatment.

If this matter gets back to my family, and something goes wrong, it won't be kept secret and will alarm even more people.

This is the imperial palace; it's not a place where outsiders can just walk in as they please.

"Wait a minute, let's take another look tomorrow." After saying that, Consort Yan couldn't help but scratch again.

"Your Highness, how about I fetch some hot water and wipe your body down? That might help relieve the discomfort."

At this moment, Consort Yan felt an unbearable itch in her lower body, which made her feel like she was being torn apart. She even wanted to tear off a piece of flesh, but that did not relieve the excruciating discomfort.

Xia'er carefully removed her clothes, and as soon as she took off the last piece, a stench hit her, making her furrow her brow and almost vomit.

"Your Highness, it's all my fault, all my fault." Xia'er seemed surprised that Consort Yan was so ill. She had thought it was just something unclean that would cure her with a couple of doses of medicine, but...

Consort Yan lay on the bed in despair, her eyes fixed on one spot with hopeless eyes.

"Miss."

Xia'er was probably really frightened, so much so that tears kept falling down her face. Especially when she saw the skin on her thigh that had been scratched so badly that there wasn't a single patch of good flesh left, she held the clean white handkerchief, not knowing where to start.

“Your Majesty, this really can’t go on. Perhaps I should tell the Emperor about this. I’ve heard that Physician Zhang, the most outstanding physician in the Imperial Hospital, specializes in treating women’s illnesses. Why don’t we ask him to take a look at you? Maybe Physician Zhang can cure you, and you’ll be fine after taking a few doses of his medicine.”

A few doses of medicine will do the trick...

What lovely words!

Even if a few doses of medicine will cure her, what about her favor?
If the Emperor saw her like this, would he still come to her palace to spend the night in the future?
If she loses the emperor's favor in the harem, what's the difference between that and being banished to the cold palace? She's so young. Is her life really over like that?

No.

This matter must not be known to the Emperor. She brought some dowry with her when she entered the palace.

At worst, we can just distribute all those things; as long as the illness can be cured quietly, that's fine too.

Seeing that she remained silent, Xia'er couldn't help but speak again, "Your Majesty, no matter how I think about it, I find this illness very strange. Your Majesty has rarely been sick since childhood, and since entering the palace, you have always been favored by the Emperor and have been in the palace every day. How could you have contracted such a strange illness out of nowhere?"

Yes!

How could someone who was perfectly healthy suddenly contract such a strange disease?

Ever since she discovered she wasn't feeling well, she'd been thinking every day about how to cure her illness quickly so Emperor Yuanwu wouldn't find out. If Xia'er hadn't mentioned it today, she would never have imagined she'd contracted such a strange illness. She did indeed stay indoors in the palace every day, but just because she didn't see others didn't mean others wouldn't come to see her.

Consort Xian, who went to great lengths to bring her into the palace in order to consolidate her position, even risked her life to come to her palace while under house arrest.

Sure enough, not long after she arrived, she started feeling unwell.

Although her father was a former subordinate of General Pang, he was upright and honest, and even when the entire Pang family was punished by the emperor, he was still able to remain untainted.

Is that why?
That's why, after she entered the palace, she deliberately distanced herself from Consort Xian and even from everyone else in the harem.

Consort Xian was displeased. Was she going to use such despicable means to kill her?

What a cruel heart!

"His Majesty has arrived..."

Consort Yan was startled, thinking she was hallucinating. Hadn't she already told the Imperial Household Department that she was menstruating and couldn't serve the Emperor, and removed the green plaque from her nameplate? Why was the Emperor still coming?

Xia'er hurriedly helped Consort Yan get dressed, "Your Majesty, the Emperor is here, why don't you get up and greet him?"

Consort Yan suddenly came to her senses. She had just tied the belt of her clothes and hadn't even put on her shoes properly when Emperor Yuanwu had already entered her bedchamber.

He glanced at the somewhat disheveled bed and frowned slightly. "What is Consort Yan doing? Why does the room smell strange?"

Strange taste...

Xia'er hurriedly picked up the basin of water and walked towards the outside of the hall.

A hint of unease flashed across Consort Yan's eyes. "Your Majesty, is it because I was unwell today and rested in the palace without opening the windows?"

Upon hearing the commotion, Xia'er ordered all the windows in the palace to be opened. She knew that even with the windows open, the stench wouldn't be a problem, as it was emanating from Consort Yan. At that moment, the Emperor and Consort Yan were sitting close together, and even the wind outside the windows probably couldn't dispel the strange smell emanating from Consort Yan.

"Have you seen the imperial physician?" Emperor Yuanwu asked, pulling Consort Yan's hand and placing it on his lap.

"Your Majesty, the imperial physician who usually takes my pulse is not on duty today. I was thinking of asking him to come and take a look tomorrow when he is on duty," Consort Yan said softly.

"Not on duty?" Emperor Yuanwu's gaze darkened. "Which imperial physician isn't on duty?"

Wu Jixiang's eyes darted around, and he hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, it is Physician Li."

"Since Physician Li is not here, then let Physician Zhang come. The Imperial Hospital is not just Physician Li. There is no reason for patients to wait for the Physician to be on duty." Emperor Yuanwu raised his hand, "Go and call Physician Zhang over."

"Your Majesty," Consort Yan said, suppressing her panic, "I thank Your Majesty for your concern, but I am really fine. I have had abdominal pain since I was a child when I had my period, but it is fine after a good night's sleep. Your Majesty need not worry about it."

Emperor Yuanwu was skeptical. "Then I'll be at ease once Physician Zhang has come and examined you. Since you have abdominal pain, you need to take good care of your body. If you don't take good care of your body, how can you give me a prince? Go and summon Physician Zhang."

The color drained from Consort Yan's face, leaving her visibly pale. She dared not continue to stop him, fearing that the Emperor would become suspicious.

Ultimately, the most important methods are observation, listening, questioning, and palpation. If Physician Zhang were to actually come, he would probably know her condition the moment he entered the palace and smelled her scent...