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

[Oh no, does the female supporting character really have some kind of incurable disease that prevents her from having children?]

[It's quite possible that in a previous plot point, the female supporting character accidentally pushed the female lead into a pond, and fearing she would drown, she jumped in to save her... Gong Han isn't out of the question.]

[He seems rather cowardly, yet somehow endearing in a sleazy way.]

[Where is she cute? A villainous supporting character is a villainous supporting character, and we won't accept any attempts to whitewash her!]

[A cold uterus can range from mild to severe, and given the limited medical resources in ancient times, it was truly difficult to treat.]

[Is the next plot going to be some melodramatic twist where the Empress Dowager pressures the Emperor to sleep with her niece, leading to a tragic ending for the female supporting character? I really need to call customer service.]

The comments section was buzzing with discussion about whether she could have children, making Qi Yitang even more anxious.

Just as the Empress Dowager was about to ask her question, a eunuch's voice suddenly came from outside—

"His Majesty has arrived!"

Qi Yitang was taken aback, but Qin Lianyue showed a look of joy.

My cousin's arrival is just in time; let him see how useless the woman he likes is.

Of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is to have no offspring; for an emperor to be childless is an even greater sin. If Qi Yitang cannot give birth...

When the time comes, with pressure from court officials and public opinion, even if my cousin likes it, he will have no choice but to compromise.

Only she can bear a son for her cousin.

Imperial Physician Kou knelt and turned around, saying, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."

Xie Ling strode in, first greeting the Empress Dowager, "Mother." Then he saw the imperial physician kneeling in front of Qi Yitang, seemingly taking her pulse.

His expression darkened. "What's wrong with Tangtang?"

The Empress Dowager glared at Xie Ling for his lack of ambition.

She's not a monster, she won't eat Qi Yitang alive. It's only been a short time since we last met, why is she so eager to come looking for me?

"Imperial Physician Kou has come to take my pulse and also examine Consort Qi."

"Oh?" Xie Ling glanced at Physician Kou, her gaze indifferent.

"Then, Physician Kou, what did you diagnose?"

Looking into the Emperor's deep, almost all-seeing eyes, Physician Kou felt a sudden sense of absurdity.

He was horrified: His Majesty... he knew all along?!

Indeed, with so many people in the Imperial Hospital, the Consort would take her pulse every few days, yet the pulse record always stated "in good health."

It's clear that it's not a matter of poor medical skills, but rather—they dare not say.

A cold sweat suddenly broke out on Physician Kou's back.

"Imperial Physician Kou, His Majesty is asking questions. Just tell me whatever you've diagnosed." Qin Lianyue was certain that Qi Yitang was ill.

He had initially been reluctant to let the imperial physician examine his pulse, but his expression changed later.

It's not a serious illness, but it's one that's hard to talk about.

Recalling the Empress Dowager's reprimands, thinking of his wife, children, and elderly parents, and then of His Majesty's ruthless methods, Imperial Physician Kou felt as weak as a noodle. "May I ask, Your Majesty... have you been feeling frequently tired and weak lately, wanting to rest, or even experiencing nausea and vomiting?"

Qi Yitang thought her secret had been exposed, but she didn't expect it to be this. She quickly nodded and said, "Yes."

The Empress Dowager suddenly perked up and got up from above.

Feeling sleepy and weak, nauseous and vomiting?

She was like this when she was pregnant with Xie Ling. At that time, she was in the Cold Palace and thought she had just eaten something bad. She never expected that she was pregnant.

This also became the opportunity for her to leave the cold palace.

Qin Lianyue's expression changed drastically. Although she had never given birth, she had seen her sister-in-law and other women in the family become pregnant. Whenever these symptoms appeared, it was most likely a sign of pregnancy!

The Empress Dowager was overjoyed, her voice trembling, "Imperial Physician Kou, what do you mean by that? Is it that Consort Qi—" is pregnant?

"Indigestion," said Physician Kou.

The scene fell into a deathly silence.

The live chat exploded with comments like, "[Damn, this is indigestion! The Empress Dowager thought she had a grandson, but it turns out it's Feifei!]"

Haha, feeling sleepy and tired is probably just from eating too much carbuncle.

[I remember my cat used to hang his head all the time, looking like he wanted to vomit but couldn't. The vet said it was indigestion and his stomach was full of poop.]

Is it really just indigestion? I felt that the imperial physician's expression was strange just now.

Qi Yitang felt a sudden sense of relief, but also felt extremely embarrassed.

Indigestion is simply caused by overeating.

If word gets out and others find out, they'll think that she, a noble concubine, has never seen anything like food.

"Um, well..." she explained somewhat awkwardly, her face burning, "With the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet approaching, many dishes need to be tasted beforehand. I might have... eaten too much..."

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe the Empress Dowager's feelings as going from heaven to hell.

She originally thought that the Xie family had a successor, and was thinking of treating Qi Yitang a little better for the sake of the child, but she didn't expect it to be just... indigestion.

She should have been scolded for not knowing what was important, but she was tasting the dishes for her own birthday banquet.

The Empress Dowager didn't know what to say.

Qin Lianyue was thankful that she wasn't pregnant.

Qi Yitang already held absolute power in the palace. If she were to get pregnant, wouldn't the entire harem have to take her surname?

She pressed further, "Imperial Physician Kou, is Her Highness only experiencing indigestion, and there are no other problems?"

Xie Ling twirled the ring on his finger, looking down at her. "What else did you diagnose?"

Physician Kou's knees buckled, and he swallowed hard. "Your Majesty, Her Majesty is in good health. I will go back and prescribe some medicine to aid digestion. Her Majesty will be fine after taking it."

"As for offspring, the more anxious you are, the less likely you are to conceive. As long as Your Majesty can relax, you will surely conceive in time."

……

Ashamed.

Recalling the scene in Cining Palace, Qi Yitang buried her head in the quilt of the dragon bed in Yangxin Hall, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

She pounded the bedsheets twice, regretting that she had personally tasted the dishes; she should have let the eunuchs and maids taste them instead.

"Tangtang, it's time to take your medicine."

The Hall of Mental Cultivation was the residence of the emperor. Concubines from previous dynasties had to announce their arrival before entering the hall, and after serving the emperor, they were not allowed to stay overnight, let alone those who immediately went to bed.

But all of this was orchestrated by Xie Ling, and no one else dared to say anything.

The emperor took the bowl of freshly brewed medicine from Li Degui and tugged at the blanket.

—It didn't budge.

"Rest assured, I have issued an oral decree, and no one dares to tell anyone."

Half of her trembling face remained intact, preventing it from falling completely to the ground. Qi Yitang still didn't come out, her voice muffled.

"I'll digest it myself in a bit; I don't need to take any medicine."

Xie Ling sighed helplessly, "If you have indigestion and don't take your medicine, who will suffer? I won't say. Come out now, or I'll feed you with my mouth."

Li Degui felt his teeth ache. Was this pampering a concubine or raising a child?

If the ministers of the previous dynasty knew that His Majesty was like this in private, it would be disastrous.

Even if His Majesty had his own child, he probably wouldn't have the patience to spoil him like this.

Qi Yitang finally crawled out from under the covers, her hair all messed up, looking like a tired cat that had been rolling around in the grass.

The emperor's eyes, which were originally cold and indifferent, now held a faint smile on his lips. He gently pinched her cheek, making Qi Yitang's cheeks pout slightly. She looked bewildered and cute, even more like a cat.

Before Qi Yitang could react, Xie Ling tucked her messy hair behind her ear.

"Come on, open your mouth."

Qi Yitang wanted to do it herself, but Xie Ling wouldn't let her, saying, "Open your mouth."

Fortunately, the medicine to aid digestion wasn't too bitter, so Qi Yitang obediently opened her mouth and let her feed her spoonful by spoonful.

[Watching this is making my blood sugar spike. Anyone want me to get a couple of insulin injections?]

[The emperor is so doting! The Yantang couple is just unbeatable!]

[Even with the plot so badly ruined, the villain's love-struck mind remains intact.]

[Look at Yue, she needs to be fed even to take her medicine. Does she have no hands or feet? Like a dodder vine, this world truly is a giant world of doting wife literature.]

[It's you again! Why are you always getting pregnant? If you have morning sickness, go get it treated, don't just vomit all over the place.]

[Just came from the side story of a female-centric, no-romance drama. It was all killing spree there, so watching something sweet is a good way to balance things out. It's a mutually agreeable arrangement; if you don't like it, just click the "X".]

[Seeking recommendations.]

"Tangtang?"

"Hmm?" Qi Yitang snapped out of her reverie from the comments and saw Xie Ling lift up the intricately embroidered hem of her robe, which was decorated with dragon patterns, and pat her leg.

"Lie down, let me rub it for you."