Favored concubine deposed empress? I'll seize your throne and marry you to a powerful minister.

Physician Qian arrived three days later, saying he had gone to study outside the palace again.

Wei Rong teased him, "With your eagerness to learn, it would be a real shame if the Imperial Medical Academy didn't promote you."

Kneeling on both knees, Physician Qian straightened his body and placed his hand on Wei Rong's pulse: "Your Majesty is too kind. I am merely good at medical theory, and I have a more complete collection of folk medical cases."

Whatever he says goes.

Wei Rong withdrew her hand and asked him, "How is it?"

"Phoenix is ​​in good health. The losses she incurred before the New Year have been largely recovered. She only needs to avoid getting angry and supplement her diet to prolong her life year after year."

Wei Rong was quite aware of her own physical condition.

She hadn't summoned Physician Qian for that purpose: "There are quite a few concubines in the palace. How are Consort Li and Consort Lan, whom you're in charge of, doing?"

This didn't seem like a typical inquiry about the concubines. Imperial Physician Qian hesitated and said, "Both of you are in good health. Consort Li has a weaker immune system and is prone to catching a cold when the weather changes, while Consort Lan has a good appetite. They are both fine."

"If that's the case, what do you think is the reason why there has been no imperial heir in the palace for so long?"

This question left Imperial Physician Qian sweating profusely: "What does Your Majesty wish to know?"

"I was just asking casually. I thought that with Physician Qian's extensive knowledge, he would have unique insights. Why are you so nervous?"

Wei Rong couldn't understand why Xiao Heng hadn't had any children yet, even though the throne was secure.

Even if one of the women in the palace has a problem, it's impossible for all of them to have problems.

Since Consort Lan and Consort Li are both healthy, why can't they conceive? If Xiao Heng intends to manipulate who will give birth to the first imperial heir, then Imperial Physician Qian should be able to discern something from their bodies.

Seemingly sensing Wei Rong's thoughts, Imperial Physician Qian looked around and lowered his voice: "Your Majesty, sometimes avoiding having an heir doesn't necessarily mean targeting women; a man's body is also a crucial point."

Xiao Heng herself?

"You mean, there's a drug that makes men unable to have sex?"

Physician Qian spoke cautiously: "I am not close to the Emperor, so I can only speculate. But the world is full of wonders, especially the Imperial Palace, where countless insidious methods have been used since ancient times."

"Consort Xian suffered from abdominal pain a few days ago and summoned the imperial physician. Could you perhaps find a way to access her medical records?"

"The pulse of the Consort Xian has always been taken care of by Imperial Physician An. If the Consort wishes to see it, I can try to find a way."

Looking at the medical records of a favored concubine, he wasn't as relaxed as he appeared on the surface.

If discovered, it's possible that Shen Mingxiu could turn the tables and frame him.

But he agreed so quickly.

"Imperial Physician Qian doesn't seem curious about my original intentions. What if I get implicated?"

"I won't cause Your Highness any trouble," Physician Qian said confidently. "The Imperial Hospital is a mixed bag of people, so the risk of taking advantage of the chaos isn't that great."

Compared to seeing doctors, Wei Rong felt that being a teacher seemed more interesting to him.

"Does Physician Qian wear earrings?" Wei Rong sat upright, and from this angle, she could clearly see a small hole in Physician Qian's left earlobe.

She pointed in that direction.

Doctor Qian froze for a moment, instinctively touching his own earlobe.

"Really? I never wear earrings."

"Is that so? But I didn't specify which side, and you touched the left side yourself. Or did I misread it?"

"..." Doctor Qian's face paled slightly. "Because when I was a child, my mother really wanted a daughter. She was quite dissatisfied when I was born and raised me as a girl. She also pierced my ears. It was only because my father strongly dissuaded her that we didn't get a pair."

Wei Rong admired his quick wit and storytelling ability.

In such a short time, they managed to come up with a perfect excuse that was impossible to refute.

If she hadn't discovered Ling Xianru's ear piercings, she might have been completely fooled.

She cut to the chase: "Whose side are you on?"

Imperial Physician Qian's eyes darted around, and he stammered, his voice lacking confidence: "If we're talking about who's in charge, it should be His Majesty's man, after all, the entire imperial city belongs to him..."

"If you don't want to tell me, then so be it," Wei Rong said, too lazy to listen to his evasive answers. "I won't force you, but you must go on the spring hunt with me."

The two questions above are hard to answer, but this one is easy to answer.

Physician Qian nodded repeatedly, nearly suffocating with anger: "This humble official would gladly die for his duty."

"Easier said than done."

After confirming one thing, Wei Rong found it increasingly unbelievable.

When did Physician Qian come to her side?

She fell seriously ill after the heavy snowfall at Changhua Temple.

Everyone in the palace felt that she was out of favor, and life in Fengluan Palace was difficult during that time. The people in the Imperial Hospital were also snobbish, so only Physician Qian carried his small medicine box and went back and forth between Fengluan Palace and the Imperial Hospital every day.

At the time, she only felt that this young imperial physician was indeed exceptionally skilled, so how could he be so unknown in the Imperial Hospital?

But what if his ambitions didn't lie there, and his service in the palace was just a covert operation planted by someone?

This person is truly incredibly skilled!

Imperial Physician Qian is one, but who knows how many spies are in this palace?

Thinking hard.

Who exactly is he?

But letting Wei Rong indulge in her wild thoughts was useless. She was in the palace, and time flew by like a white horse galloping past a crack in the wall. In the blink of an eye, another month had passed.

She did not get to see Ling Xianru during this time.

Every year, the spring hunt is an important day for the Great Jing Dynasty. It involves a huge entourage, setting up camp and lasting for a full ten days.

Leaving the palace requires countless arrangements.

"In addition to the Empress, Consort Lan, and Consort Xian, Noble Lady Yu will also be going on this spring hunt," Zhu Er brought the imperial edict. "The Empress will still need to take care of all matters in the inner palace."

In previous years, the women were not allowed to attend; if they did go, it was just to relax in a different place.

Wei Rong can only watch but not touch; her hands are itching to do so.

Her father taught her a whole set of riding skills, but now they're all just sitting there unused.

She replied, "I understand."

On the day they left the palace, the grand procession and guards stretched for miles through the imperial city. Together with the carriages and families of the accompanying court officials, they practically emptied half of Yunjing City.

Wei Rong did not ride with Xiao Heng; her phoenix carriage followed behind the dragon-drawn chariot.

On a rare sunny day, she parted the curtain and saw Feng Wantang following behind the palace maids. It was no easy feat for a delicate and pampered woman to keep up with their pace.

They are more resilient than Wei Rong had imagined; it's just a matter of how much patience they have left.

Behind the imperial carriage was a dark-colored horse-drawn carriage bearing the nameplate of the Prime Minister's residence.

Listening with envy.

This man was clearly an excellent rider. When he carried her along the bumpy streets of Yunjing, Wei Rong thought she was going to fall several times, but that didn't happen. His hands held her very firmly with a strength that a civil official shouldn't have.

Caught off guard, Wei Rong recalled his last words from a month ago: "Slow and steady wins the race." She felt that if it came to patience, Feng Wantang might not even be as good as this man.

They're so unfathomable.

Shen Mingxiu was confined to her home for a month. After finally being released, she clung to Xiao Heng.

She happened to lift the curtain, and when her eyes met Wei Rong's, she proudly raised her chin.

It seems to be saying: Look, so what if I planned everything perfectly? I'm still perfectly safe and sound by His Majesty's side.

She does look a bit plump.

Wei Rong tapped her fingers lightly twice on the windowsill.

As she was lost in thought, a small, pale yellow bird suddenly landed on her windowsill.