The wicked imperial concubine is courting death again; the comments section teaches her how to win w

Qi Yitang was slightly surprised, then showed an expression of being flattered, "Yes."

She didn't ask the Empress Dowager why she lifted Qin Lianyue's confinement ahead of schedule, as if she didn't care about it. Instead, the Empress Dowager spoke first.

"I heard you've been preparing for my birthday banquet lately?"

Qi Yitang nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty governs the world with filial piety. As your wife, I am one with Your Majesty, and naturally I am also willing to fulfill my filial duties to my mother."

Husband and wife are one... How dare she be worthy of it?

Qin Lianyue's expression twisted for a moment, and her nails dug into her palm.

"I know you are a filial son, and as you get older, you just like being surrounded by people and having fun..."

The Empress Dowager patted Qi Yitang's hand, the force neither too light nor too heavy, "I thought it would be too hard for you to manage all this on your own, so I released Consort Qin so you would have another helper."

Of course, it's hard work for one person; everything from seating arrangements to food utensils is meticulously planned.

Who sits in each position, who is on the east and who is on the west, and which imperial concubine and which noblewoman have a past grudge, must never be seated at the same table.

The type of dish should be served in the appropriate utensil, and the dishes should avoid unlucky words such as "broken," "scattered," and "separated"—even melons cannot be served.

Because "melon" sounds like "widow," it was suspected of offending the late emperor.

The singing and dancing should be appropriate to the time, and should not be in a melodramatic or mournful manner.

They even had to guard against the Empress Dowager feeling unwell midway through, the sudden rain, or some prince or minister becoming drunk and behaving inappropriately...

There's another crucial point—the Empress Dowager was born in the Year of the Rooster, so all utensils and dishes with the character "chicken" in them had to be changed. Who would dare let the Empress Dowager see them being "slaughtered" on her birthday?

Just thinking about it for a moment makes my head explode.

"But..." Qi Yitang glanced at Qin Lianyue with a subtle expression, somewhat embarrassed, "I have already asked Consort Hui to assist in managing things."

Qin Lianyue scoffed. Consort Hui? Would Consort Hui dare to compete with her?

The Empress Dowager said, "Consort Hui is still relatively inexperienced, while Noble Lady Qin has been helping with these matters since she was a young lady in her boudoir, so she knows more about them."

Since the Empress Dowager said so, Qi Yitang reluctantly agreed.

Anyway, she just wants to find someone to boss around, so what difference does it make who she asks?

If she wanted to take all the credit, she could just give it all to her and then she would be left with nothing to do.

Qin Lianyue smiled proudly, "Then I thank Your Highness for giving me this opportunity. I will certainly not disappoint Your Highness."

Qi Yitang gave a forced smile, "Whatever makes you happy."

[Haha, this is hilarious! It's the first time I've ever seen someone deliberately looking for trouble.]

[I'm so tired of this! Can we please stop with these brainless plots about two women fighting over one man? I want to see the female lead as a baby.]

What's the point of watching a palace drama if there's no infighting? Besides, the female lead's side is pretty much the same; is it really that interesting to watch two men vying for one woman?

[Competition between males is definitely more interesting than competition between females.]

The barrage of comments sparked a heated debate about "male competition" versus "female competition," while the three people inside the hall chatted casually, each with their own thoughts.

Suddenly, a royal physician arrived outside the palace. "Your humble servant pays respects to the Empress Dowager, and to the Noble Consort Qin."

The Empress Dowager raised her hand. "Rise."

"Your humble servant has come to inquire about the Empress Dowager's pulse," the imperial physician said respectfully.

The Empress Dowager hummed in agreement and placed her wrist on the pulse pillow. The imperial physician, through a silk handkerchief, focused intently on taking her pulse.

After a moment, the imperial physician withdrew his hand, knelt down, and replied, "The Empress Dowager is in good health, but... she is overly worried, causing stagnation of liver qi. May I ask, Your Majesty, have you been troubled by anything lately?"

The imperial physicians asked the same questions as usual, as they needed to know the cause of the illness in order to prescribe the right medicine.

Qi Yitang suddenly had a bad feeling.

The Empress Dowager pressed her temples. "The Emperor is twenty-five, yet he has no children. Qingyang is two years younger than the Emperor, and his sons are already running and jumping."

"I fear that the ancestors of the Xie family will blame me; how can I not be worried?"

The imperial physician dared not accept such a remark.

Having offspring is a major royal matter, but His Majesty himself is not in a hurry. How could a mere imperial physician possibly pack up the emperor and send him to a concubine's bed to have a child?

The Empress Dowager didn't expect him to respond, and continued talking to herself, then suddenly changed the subject.

"Since Consort Qi is here too, you can take her pulse as well."

Qi Yitang: "..." She knew it.

……

In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Xie Ling was waiting for Qi Yitang to have lunch.

When the appointed time arrived, there was no sign of anyone, nor did any palace maid come to deliver a message.

"Go ask how much longer Tangtang will take to arrive."

A young eunuch whispered a few words in Li Degui's ear, and his expression instantly turned bitter.

Approaching Xie Ling, he cautiously said, "Your Majesty, the Empress has been summoned to Cining Palace by the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager has lifted Consort Qin's confinement, and she is currently... in Cining Palace."

Li Degui almost cried.

The Empress finally came to her senses and was willing to live a good life with His Majesty, but the Empress Dowager insisted on interfering. Wasn't she just deliberately making things difficult for His Majesty?

Xie Ling's expression indeed turned ugly. "Prepare the carriage."

"Yes."

……

The imperial physician knelt before Qi Yitang, "Please extend your right hand, Your Majesty."

Qi Yitang did not move. "Mother, I have always been in good health. His Majesty sent Imperial Physician Fang to examine me a few days ago. I don't think I need to take my pulse every few days."

"...By the way, Your Majesty invited me to lunch yesterday. I was afraid that Your Majesty would be displeased if you waited too long."

Before the Empress Dowager could speak, Qin Lian Yue interrupted, "It's just a routine check-up, not forcing you to do anything else, sister. Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

She curled the corners of her lips into a smile. "Could it be that Her Highness the Imperial Concubine has a hidden ailment that she's afraid of being diagnosed with?"

The Empress Dowager's gaze also lowered heavily, carrying an extreme sense of authority.

"Consort Qi, it's just a matter of taking your pulse; it won't take up much of your time."

Qi Yitang really wanted to run away, but the situation in front of her made it clear that if she ran away, things would become even more complicated.

I had no choice but to grit my teeth and extend my wrist.

The imperial physician placed his fingers on the wrist pulse and examined it carefully.

Qin Lianyue said with concern, "Imperial Physician Kou, you are the most outstanding daughter of the Imperial Hospital's gynecology department. You must examine her carefully. After all, the Imperial Concubine is the only one in our palace who has ever served His Majesty. This is a matter of great importance concerning the country and its people."

This is no different from saying it outright.

Physician Kou had been warned before his arrival, so he naturally understood the gravity of the situation. "Your humble servant will do his best," he said.

Qi Yitang hoped that this imperial physician's medical skills would be mediocre, after all, the imperial physician Fang whom Xie Ling had assigned to her before was also quite mediocre in his medical skills.

But she also understood that Physician Kou had spent decades in the Imperial Hospital, specializing in treating the ladies of the palace.

To have survived unharmed to this day and still serve in the Cining Palace, one must be far more skilled than Physician Fang.

Sure enough, as Physician Kou held her, his expression suddenly changed.

The change was subtle, but Qi Yitang still noticed it, and her heart skipped a beat.

Qin Lianyue was overjoyed, as if she had sensed something amiss, and eagerly asked, "Imperial Physician Kou, how is Consort Qi's health?"