The pregnant woman pressed down on the wife, and the cousin collapsed into the prince's arms.

Upon hearing this, Linglan and Ruichu finally felt relieved. They sat with Shen Yunshuang for a while longer, chatting about everyday matters in the mansion, before getting up to take their leave.

After they left, the warm pavilion returned to tranquility. Shen Yunshuang rubbed her temples and instructed Lürui and Xuezhi to put away the wine and sleeves. Then she heard a maid outside announce, "Your Highness, the Imperial Physician Zhang has come to examine your pulse on the orders of the Heir Apparent."

Having seen Shen Yunshuang take medicine before, Pei Jingnian had already kept it in mind. He asked Doctor Zhang to come so that he could have a proper pulse diagnosis and prescribe some dietary therapy to stabilize her body.

Shen Yunshuang had already planned this. She exchanged a glance with Xuezhi, then said calmly, "Let him in."

Before long, an elderly doctor with slightly white hair and beard, dressed in a blue medical robe, entered with a medicine box. He was respectful and bowed to Shen Yunshuang according to etiquette: "Greetings to the Consort."

Shen Yunshuang smiled gently, extended her wrist, and said softly, "No need for formalities, thank you for your trouble, Doctor Zhang."

Doctor Zhang dared not be negligent. He first placed a silk handkerchief on Shen Yunshuang's wrist, and then extended his fingers to gently feel her pulse, concentrating on diagnosing her condition.

At first, Doctor Zhang's expression was relatively calm, but after a while, he became visibly nervous. Doctor Zhang couldn't help but frown. The young master had clearly said that the concubine had a congenital deficiency, was weak, and had a deficiency of qi and blood. She needed to take medicine every day to maintain her health and could not be neglected.

But at this moment, under the touch of my fingertips, the concubine's pulse was clearly calm and strong, rising and falling in an orderly manner. She was not in a state of chronic illness at all, and did not need to take medicine every day. In fact, she was healthier than the average woman!

His fingertips went stiff, and he focused intently on probing the pulse several more times... but the result remained the same.

Dr. Zhang grew increasingly alarmed and uneasy, and sweat involuntarily broke out on his forehead. He had been practicing medicine for decades and was confident in his medical skills that he could not possibly have made a mistake.

But why did the young master say that before? Was it that the concubine intentionally deceived him? Was she trying to gain his pity by feigning weakness and illness? What should he do then? Tell him the truth? But he'd heard that the concubine was very much favored by the young master; what if he offended her…

He swallowed hard, his hand trembling slightly as he took her pulse. What should he do?

"Dr. Zhang, is there anything wrong with my pulse?"

Doctor Zhang looked up and saw that the concubine's face was gentle and calm, without the slightest panic, but his heart tightened even more.

He quickly regained his composure, stood up, cupped his hands, and replied, "The concubine's pulse is normal; there is nothing wrong."

Seeing his cautious and uneasy appearance, Shen Yunshuang understood. She gave Xuezhi a wink, and Xuezhi understood. She turned and went into the inner room, then brought out a heavy little brocade box.

She calmly handed the small brocade box to Doctor Zhang, then slowly opened it, revealing a neatly stacked stack of silver notes inside.

Doctor Zhang's heart skipped a beat when he saw this. Although he had been frequenting the Marquis's residence for a long time, he had never seen such a generous and blatant bribe.

"No...no, Your Highness, I am only here on orders to examine you, and I dare not accept such a generous reward."

Shen Yunshuang spoke calmly, without any pressure, saying, "Dr. Zhang, there's no need to be so alarmed. This is just a small token of my appreciation. I've only recently entered the Marquis's residence, and I'll naturally need to trouble you in many ways in the future. Just now, I noticed you looked a little strange; perhaps you had some doubts while taking my pulse?"

Money can move people's hearts. Under the influence of a large sum of money, Doctor Zhang couldn't help but follow up on Shen Yunshuang's words: "The concubine's health does not seem to be as weak as the young master said."

"I am an orphan. I was frail and sickly from childhood and was bedridden. After entering the Marquis's mansion, my aunt doted on me and the young master treated me with great affection. It was only with the help of precious medicinal herbs that I began to recover."

Doctor Zhang thought to himself that there was no improvement; the woman was actually quite healthy. But judging from the concubine's words, she clearly intended to keep it a secret. As for the reason, he could guess a bit—it was nothing more than seeking the pity of the young master and the lady of the house.

And he, too, became a tool in the struggle for favor.

His mind raced, and he realized that the concubine was the direct niece of the Marquis's wife, and was also incredibly beautiful, which had captivated the young master. Ordinary concubines were not enough for him, so he went straight to the Jade Tablet and made her a concubine.

What good would it do him to go against the concubine?

Thinking of this, he sighed inwardly, "What the Empress said is absolutely true."

Shen Yunshuang knew she had won over Doctor Zhang. She smiled slightly and said, "Then Doctor Zhang should know how to speak to the young master. If anyone asks you about my condition, you should tell them the truth. As for other people in the Marquis's mansion, if they have any medical or medicinal needs, please let me know as well. I will reward you handsomely."

Even after leaving Ningxiang Pavilion, Doctor Zhang was still feeling lightheaded. The small box in his medicine chest suddenly felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. He knew that his fate was now tightly bound to Consort Shen.

The news of Linglan and Rui's first visit to the concubine, as well as Doctor Zhang's visit to take her pulse, were all told to Su Wanrou by Chuntao.

In Su Wanrou's eyes, Linglan and Ruichu were nothing more than ants that she could crush with a flick of her wrist. She never paid any attention to how the two ants hopped around and never dealt with them, simply because she was afraid of further damaging her image in the eyes of the young master.

However, their blatant act of seeking refuge with Shen Yunshuang did indeed anger Su Wanrou.

As for Doctor Zhang, thinking that Pei Jingnian was so concerned about Shen Yunshuang's health that he had sent the imperial physician to examine her, he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. However, he still had his senses and knew that the bigger picture was more important.

He secretly summoned Doctor Zhang to Jinlan Courtyard and asked the concubine in detail about her health, especially whether she could conceive.

Doctor Zhang took the silver notes and spent several anxious nights, but there was no turning back now. By the time the Crown Princess asked him the question, he had already prepared all his excuses.

Upon learning that Shen Yunshuang was suffering from blood deficiency and would have difficulty conceiving, the huge weight that had been pressing on Su Wanrou's heart finally lifted, sweeping away all the bitterness and jealousy she had felt before.

Mrs. Zhou was right. With her body so frail, no matter how much favor she received, it would all be in vain. And why should she lose sleep over an opponent destined to lose?

_

Fook Hei Hall

"You mean, Dr. Zhang admitted in person that Shuang'er is physically weak and has great difficulty conceiving?"

Wang's hand holding the teacup tightened suddenly, her fingertips turning white. Although she had never had much hope for Shen Yunshuang's pregnancy and childbirth, she couldn't help but feel disappointed upon hearing the physician's words.

These days, she has witnessed how much Pei Jingnian cares for Shen Yunshuang, how much he dotes on her, how much he favors her in everything, and how he never goes to anyone else except Ningxiang Pavilion.

Logically, she should be happy. Shuang'er was her own niece, and she naturally wanted her to live a comfortable, carefree, and harmonious life. But while her love was genuine, her worries were also ever-present.