You take on two husbands, I'll turn around and marry the tyrant and rule the world.

Consort Shu's face was as white as paper, and she was about to collapse. Green Qiao hurriedly stepped forward to support her mistress.

Duanmu Qingyu frowned, his expression grave.

"Quickly, help Consort Shu to the back couch!" Empress Lin ordered urgently. "Imperial Physician Chu, administer acupuncture to stop the bleeding!"

There was indeed a chaise lounge behind the screen.

The palace maids hurriedly helped Consort Shu over, and just as they were settled, the curtain was lifted...

Imperial physician Zhang Yanpei rushed over.

Physician Zhang was nearly sixty years old and had served two emperors. He was the most senior and skilled physician in the Imperial Medical Academy and usually took care of the emperor's pulse.

He bowed his head with practiced ease and entered, kneeling and kowtowing without raising his eyes: "Your Majesty, I have heard that the Empress is ill with a sudden illness, and have come to inquire about her condition."

"No need for formalities," Duanmu Qingyu said immediately. "Go and have Consort Shu take a look."

"Yes..." Physician Zhang had just stood up...

"No...no..." came Consort Shu's voice from behind the screen, trying to stop her. She was curled up, her hand pressed tightly against her lower abdomen, her voice trembling with pain as she pleaded, "This concubine...this concubine will just let the female physician examine me..."

Her remaining rationality told her that the pain was in her abdomen. If she undressed in front of the male imperial physician, how could she face anyone in the palace afterward? How could she serve His Majesty?

No... even if it means death, she would rather not be so humiliated in front of Brother Qingyu.

Seeing her insistence, Duanmu Qingyu had no choice but to change his mind: "Chu Shunqing, go and administer the acupuncture. Save Consort Shu's life at all costs. Physician Zhang, you wait here for now."

"Yes." Chu Shunqing kowtowed, took a deep breath, took out his needle pouch, and walked behind the screen.

She wondered to herself, "In my previous life, Consort Shu only had abdominal pain, not hemorrhage. What's going on?"

Fortunately, I remembered clearly that Doctor Zhang stopped the pain by inserting needles into a few acupoints.

With this layer of protection, she gradually felt more at ease.

She inserted needles into several acupoints on Consort Shu's wrist and knee...

But after a dozen or so breaths, the bleeding not only didn't stop, but it started gushing even faster.

"How could this be..." Her fingertips began to tremble. She tried different acupoints, but it was still ineffective.

Chu Shunqing broke out in a cold sweat, his heart growing increasingly panicked.

The bleeding was rapid and heavy, unlike a normal menstrual period.

But in my past life, Physician Zhang clearly used this method to insert the needles. Why can't it be done now?

There must be something different from my previous life.

Therefore... we had no choice but to try using a few dangerous acupoints to see if we could stop the hemorrhage.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, she dared not show any fear and could only force herself to remain calm, but the golden needles in her hands trembled slightly uncontrollably.

She gently lifted Consort Shu's undergarment, revealing her fair and soft abdomen.

"Hurry..." Consort Shu gripped Green Jade's hand tightly, crying out in pain, "My stomach... feels like it's being stabbed with a knife..."

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and insert the needle!" Green Bridge's voice was trembling with anxiety.

Chu Shunqing's forehead was covered in sweat, which washed away the powder on his face and left shallow marks on his wheat-colored skin.

She held the needle, but her hand couldn't steady itself.

After a few more frantic needle pricks, Consort Shu's condition not only did not improve, but she cried out even more pitifully.

Duanmu Qingyu's handsome face was ashen. He stood up and began pacing back and forth.

He looked at the starry eyes reflected in the lamplight behind the screen; they were like an icy sea, seemingly calm on the surface, but concealing an unfathomable, surging undercurrent.

Lin Jingrui was lying on the steps outside the main hall... He had just received twenty strokes of the cane.

He couldn't hear the conversation clearly, but he knew that Chu Shunqing was administering acupuncture. Consort Shu's increasingly miserable groans reached his ears clearly.

His face gradually stiffened.

Doesn't Chu Shunqing always claim to be a gynecological expert?

Why can't I stop bleeding during my period?

He then remembered the pills his mother often took, a prescription that Chu Nianci had prepared long ago, and Chu Shunqing still couldn't make an exact replica...

Could it be that she...she has poor medical skills?

Thinking of this, his mouth felt like it had a handful of sand stuck in it, both bitter and heavy.

One of the most important reasons I wanted to marry her was because I valued her talent and her indomitable spirit.

He always felt that she was like a blade of grass that sprouted from a crack in the rock, confident and strong.

He longed to walk alongside her and plan for the future together.

But now... something that was once solid in his heart seems to be cracking little by little, slowly collapsing.

"Get out of the way, where is Physician Zhang..." Lü Qiao shoved Chu Shunqing aside, unable to bear it any longer. She rushed out from behind the screen and knelt before the Emperor, her face deathly pale. "Your Majesty, Physician Chu is an incompetent doctor, I'm afraid he's no good... We must summon the Imperial Physician!"

Duanmu Qingyu's beautiful eyebrows were deeply furrowed.

"Your Majesty..." Empress Lin hesitated before speaking, "How can Consort Shu, a woman of noble birth, allow a man to approach and treat her? If her body is truly seen, how will she serve Your Majesty in the future? Your Majesty, what do you think..."

Green Qiao kowtowed, weeping, "Your Majesty, please save Consort Shu!"

"No... I don't want the imperial physician..." came the weak but resolute voice from behind the screen.

Chu Shunqing inserted another needle.

"Ah~ Mother~" Consort Shu cried out in extreme pain, startling all the other concubines.

Luqiao hurriedly ran back.

"Human life is at stake, how can we follow old ways?" Duanmu Qingyu's voice was calm, but his eyes revealed a sharp light. "My beloved consort, you and I have known each other since childhood, and we are like siblings. You should understand that I will not despise you because of this. Let the imperial physician take a look."

"No..." Consort Shu's weak voice came out, "Brother Qingyu, if you let the male physician in, I will die here..."

Duanmu Qingyu's unfathomable eyes, with their delicate, slanted corners, also revealed a hint of helplessness.

Chu Nianci stared at the mottled bloodstains on the ground, her mind buzzing.

A high-ranking concubine was about to die in front of her.

To manage or not to manage?

If I take action and they fail to save him, the blame could very well fall on my head.

If Consort Shu were to truly pass away, His Majesty would lose the support of a major civil official, making it even more difficult to maintain balance in the power struggle among military generals in the court.

Moreover, she and the emperor are now in the same boat; their fortunes are intertwined.

If His Majesty's power weakens and the Empress Dowager and Empress gain influence, given Empress Lin's style of doing things, she will definitely be eliminated.

Only by saving Consort Shu might there be a chance for things to turn around.

Besides, if we save Consort Shu...

You can also earn merit, since you're seeking a better future.

A crisis can also be an opportunity.

As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold.

Since they entered the palace seeking wealth and status, they should bear the corresponding risks.

Without further hesitation, she stepped forward and knelt before Duanmu Qingyu: "Your Majesty, I have some knowledge of medicine and am willing to try my best."

Duanmu Qingyu's gaze fell on her, a barely perceptible hint of thought flashing in his eyes.

He knew that Chu Nianci and Chu Shunqing were sisters, so it wasn't surprising that they knew some medical skills.

But even Chu Shunqing is helpless right now, so how confident can Chu Nianci be?

If she wasn't allowed to try, and something really happened to Consort Shu, it would be difficult for me to explain to the Prime Minister.

Empress Lin narrowed her eyes slightly at this moment...

Chu Nianci jumped out and courted death.

She also knew that the Chu sisters probably both had some medical skills.

But she never believed that a woman could have such high medical skills.

I did indeed administer the menstrual-inducing drug myself.

But all she wanted was for Consort Shu to lose the chance to serve the emperor. No one knew who did it or what methods they used.

It caused Consort Shu to suffer from postpartum hemorrhage.

If Chu Nianci hadn't stepped forward, this matter wouldn't have involved her at all.

But if she takes action and fails to save him, then being tried in the Imperial Laundry Bureau would be considered lenient.

Isn't this the perfect opportunity to completely subdue her?

With this thought in mind, the Empress looked anxious and whispered to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, given the current situation... perhaps we have no choice but to let her try."

Duanmu Qingyu looked at Chu Nianci, his eyes deep and unfathomable, and slowly said, "Have you thought this through? If you intervene but fail to cure her, it won't just be a matter of going to the Cold Palace. You'll probably have to explain yourself to the Imperial Household Department."

This is both a reminder and a warning.

Chu Nianci looked up to meet the emperor's gaze and answered clearly, "Your Majesty, I understand and am willing to do my best."

"Alright," a faint glint flashed in Duanmu Qingyu's eyes, "then go ahead."