Chapter 442: Honored Lady Shih Must Not Die

"It’s not too late to call the Imperial Physician first thing tomorrow morning!"

The Palace Attendant acknowledged and withdrew.

Only then did Noble Concubine Shih breathe a sigh of relief.

Actually, in her heart, she was thinking: It would be better if she died of illness sooner! That way, I could take the Princess into my arms sooner. Isn’t having a Princess better than none? But... sickly as she is, who knows if she can be kept alive?

The more she thought about it, the more irritated she became, tossing and turning for a long time before finally falling asleep late in the night.

「At Honored Lady Shih’s residence.」

Ying Qiu and two Little Palace Maids arrived, bearing Noble Concubine Shih’s order to take the child.

Zhaoer dared not make the decision herself and could only cry continuously.

Two Sisters then came forward to advise.

"There’s no need for you to be so distressed, Zhaoer. The Princess is frail, and if she catches an illness, it would be dreadful!"

"Taking her to Her Ladyship, the Noble Consort’s, chambers might actually be better!"

Ying Qiu also said with a cold face, "Zhaoer, you’d better not obstruct us. Her Ladyship, Noble Concubine Shih, is the Princess’s own mother; she will surely not treat the Princess poorly!"

With that, she sharply commanded, "Take her away!"

Zhaoer, sobbing, blocked their path. "Sister Ying Qiu, I know I shouldn’t obstruct you, but I beg you! Please, at least wait until our mistress wakes up!"

"Our mistress has fought with all her might. Once morning comes and she awakens, it won’t be too late to take the child then!"

Ying Qiu sneered. "Your mistress is ill now!"

"Once your mistress recovers, the Princess will naturally be brought back!"

Finishing her words, she pointed to the two Little Palace Maids beside her. "You two, pull her away!"

The two Little Palace Maids acknowledged and stepped forward, forcefully pulling Zhaoer away.

Ying Qiu gave a smug smile and quickly departed with the Wetnurse Nanny, the Sisters, and the other palace maids.

Zhaoer sank to her knees, looking around in bewilderment.

The once lively palace chamber was now cold and desolate, and a chill crept into her heart.

In the inner chamber, only Honored Lady Shih lay quietly, burning with a high fever, drifting in and out of consciousness.

Pitiably, there wasn’t even an Imperial Physician!

After a long moment, Zhaoer shakily got to her feet.

Just as she was about to enter, she suddenly heard a noise from outside.

"Who’s there?" she asked, looking out cautiously.

Shortly after, several people approached. On closer examination, it was Lady Yu Lan from the Empress’s retinue, followed by... an Imperial Physician?

"Lady Yu Lan?"

Lady Yu Lan stepped forward. "Lady Zhaoer, why are you standing out here so late?"

Without waiting for Zhaoer to invite her in, she walked straight inside.

Zhaoer, alarmed, hastily followed.

Lady Yu Lan turned, took her hand, and said reassuringly, "Don’t be afraid. Her Majesty the Empress has already heard about what happened here."

"Her Majesty the Empress has specially summoned an Imperial Physician for the Honored Lady. After all, she is the Princess’s birth mother and must not be neglected!"

Hearing this, Zhaoer’s heart immediately settled. She knelt and cried, "This servant thanks Her Majesty the Empress!"

Lady Yu Lan quickly helped her up. "Her Majesty the Empress is benevolent and would not stand idly by. You can rest assured!"

So saying, the two entered together.

In the inner chamber, Honored Lady Shih lay on the bed, burning terribly with fever. A foul odor permeated the air.

Lady Yu Lan frowned slightly and subtly edged away from the bed.

Zhaoer lowered the bed curtain and placed a damp cloth on Honored Lady Shih’s arm.

The Imperial Physician put down his medicine chest and pulse pillow, then began to take her pulse.

After a moment, the Imperial Physician rose, his brow deeply furrowed.

"How is she?" Yu Lan and Zhaoer asked almost in unison.

One was Honored Lady Shih’s Senior Palace Maid, the other the Empress’s Senior Palace Maid.

The Imperial Physician looked from one to the other, then sighed. "Puerperal fever due to infection. This illness is common among the populace but rare in the palace. How is it that there wasn’t an Experienced Sister to guide her care!"

With that, he shook his head and returned to the table to write a prescription.

The two palace maids exchanged glances, only half understanding. Puerperal fever... did that mean... she wasn’t cared for properly during her confinement?! That must be it. It was indeed uncommon in the palace. After all, any master who gave birth in the palace would have Experienced Sisters attending to them. But now... Honored Lady Shih had none!

At this thought, Zhaoer felt aggrieved and began to cry. "The Experienced Sisters are all looking after the Little Princess! Who could have possibly attended to our Honored Lady!"

As she spoke, she knelt down again. "Imperial Physician, you must save my mistress!"

Yu Lan helped her up again. "Don’t worry. Her Majesty the Empress expressly ordered that the Imperial Medical Bureau, the Imperial Kitchen, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs should all provide good care. Her words are true!"

Hearing this, Zhaoer felt somewhat reassured.

Whatever the Empress’s motive, it’s a good thing if Mistress can survive!

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Sister Yu Lan!"

Yu Lan nodded with a smile. "The Little Princess is frail and needs many Sisters to attend to her. Honored Lady Shih’s chambers must not lack for them either!"

"I will report this to Her Majesty the Empress later. We can assign another person for her personal service!"

"Don’t worry too much. Serve her well. No matter what, recovering her health is paramount, isn’t it?"

Whether these words were sincere or not, they were enough to make Zhaoer tearfully grateful.

She knelt down with a THUD. "For Her Majesty the Empress’s great benevolence, this servant kowtows on behalf of my mistress!"

Yu Lan stepped back, not stopping her this time.

After Zhaoer finished her kowtow, Yu Lan helped her up and gave her a few more instructions, waiting until the Imperial Physician had written the prescription and the medicine was prepared before she departed.

「Jiaofang Hall.」

The Empress had finished her ablutions and lain down.

Yu Lan returned and reported everything that had happened there.

The Empress frowned, somewhat disbelieving, and asked, "Has the Little Princess been taken away already?"

Yu Lan nodded, "Yes!"

Sure enough, the Empress sneered. "She really can’t wait, can she? Honored Lady Shih hasn’t even awakened yet, and she... How vicious!"

After thinking for a moment, she sneered again. "It seems Noble Concubine Shih is also getting desperate!"

"To not even spare such a sickly Little Princess, heh..."

Yu Lan then said, "That was also the Empress Dowager’s intention back then, and the Emperor said nothing, so he presumably acquiesced!"

The Empress sneered and shook her head. "Regardless, Honored Lady Shih must not die!"

Noble Concubine Shih wants to quietly raise a daughter and enjoy long-lasting favor? In her dreams! I simply won’t allow it!

"Tomorrow, you personally go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, select an Experienced Sister, and send her over to attend to Honored Lady Shih properly!"

Yu Lan replied with a smile, "Yes!"

「The next day, Jiaofang Hall.」

The weather had warmed, and everyone still came to pay their daily respects.

Xia Ruqing arrived neither early nor late.

She sat in her place, calmly sipping her tea and listening to the verbal battle between the Empress and Noble Concubine Shih.

The Empress, casting aside all pretense of courtesy, rebuked Noble Concubine Shih. "As a Noble Consort, you are truly outrageous! Honored Lady Shih is so ill, yet you didn’t even call for an Imperial Physician!"

"If I hadn’t called an Imperial Physician to personally examine her, who knows what state Honored Lady Shih would be in now!"

The Empress was, after all, the Empress. When she adopted a stern air to reprimand someone, her imposing manner was truly formidable.

Even Xia Ruqing felt a little intimidated.

Noble Concubine Shih was so angry her eyes practically rolled back in her head.

Just as she opened her mouth to speak, the Empress continued her tirade. "The Emperor attends to a myriad of state affairs daily. We sisters of the Harem should unite to ease the Emperor’s burdens!"

"But look at you!" The Empress glared at her.

"If anything like this happens again, I will not let you off lightly!"