Red Chamber 18
Before the imperial physician arrived, A Yuan collapsed.
The red rash started from her earlobe, spreading down her neck, disappearing into her collar, reaching depths unseen.
Shui Cong carried the already dazed A Yuan straight into the bedchamber. Aunt Jin followed behind, momentarily unable to intervene. Only when her mistress was laid down did she manage to squeeze beside the Emperor.
“Mistress, this servant oversteps.” As she spoke, Aunt Jin stepped forward to loosen A Yuan’s collar, discovering the rash had already spread to her chest.
She traced the rash’s path, finally reaching out to remove the earrings from A Yuan’s ears.
Shui Cong’s brow furrowed tighter. “What’s going on?”
Aunt Jin knelt, holding the earrings aloft with both hands, presenting them to the Emperor. “Today, the mistress went to Ningshou Palace to pay respects. The imperial concubine and the other consorts all gave gifts. These earrings were among them. The mistress liked them very much and wore them while dressing this evening. Aside from these, all other clothing and jewelry are items the mistress is accustomed to.”
Her explanation was concise, covering the earrings’ origin, the time they were worn, and clarifying that these were the only foreign objects on A Yuan’s person.
“It’s her again!” Upon hearing the earrings’ origin, Shui Cong angrily clenched his fist and struck the bed frame.
Even knowing the earrings couldn’t possibly have been bestowed by Consort Dowager Zhen, he still placed the blame squarely on her head.
Why did she have to summon Noble Consort Lin for no reason?
Aunt Jin was well-versed in the art of speech, her tone urgent and pained. “The mistress is pure-hearted. After returning today, she even said the imperial consort treated her kindly. Who could have imagined before the day was over, the mistress would fall victim to such a scheme. It is also this servant’s incompetence, failing to detect anything amiss with these earrings.”
A Yuan was already fair-skinned, with skin like congealed cream. The rash was remarkably considerate, avoiding her face entirely and spreading only across her body. The edges of the rash were irregular, yet they made her already pale skin appear even fairer, like scattered red plum blossoms blooming on a canvas.
Not only was it not unsightly, it was even somewhat beautiful.
Especially paired with that pale little face and the slight frown from discomfort, it gave her a fragile beauty reminiscent of Xishi holding her heart.
This utterly distressed Shui Cong.
Growing anxious, his tone turned irritable. “Why hasn’t the imperial physician arrived yet?”
“Your Majesty, please calm your anger.”
Imperial Physician Zhao had hurried all the way to Yongshou Palace. Just as he entered the hall, before he could even catch his breath, he heard the Emperor’s furious voice. His knees immediately weakened, and he dropped to the floor.
“Stop kneeling and come examine Noble Consort Lin.”
The Emperor had no awareness of having frightened anyone. He even felt this physician lacked sense. With a life at stake, telling him to ‘calm his anger’—he would only truly ‘calm his anger’ once Noble Consort Lin was cured.
Aunt Jin quickly adjusted her mistress’s collar, leaving only the rash on her neck exposed.
Imperial Physician Zhao thought to himself, at least let him catch his breath, otherwise how could he take a pulse? But his legs moved quite honestly into the bedchamber. He had come in such haste today that he forgot to bring a medical attendant. As he walked, his heart pounded, hoping His Majesty wouldn’t fault him for overstepping.
With just one glance, without even needing to take a pulse, Imperial Physician Zhao hissed through his teeth and gave his diagnosis: “The noble consort has developed a rash.”
‘Rash’ was one term for an allergic reaction.
“Rash?” Shui Cong’s brow furrowed even tighter. “Though it’s the third month of spring with flowers blooming everywhere, Noble Consort Lin showed no signs of abnormality in the previous days, so it likely has nothing to do with the flowers.” The floral department knew Noble Consort Lin loved flowers—ever since she moved into the palace, the flowers in Yongshou Palace had never withered, replaced every three days with a wide variety.
Shui Cong then remembered the earrings and gave Aunt Jin a meaningful glance.
Aunt Jin immediately stepped forward. “Please take a look at these earrings, Physician Zhao. The rash first appeared on Her Ladyship’s ears.”
Imperial Physician Zhao promptly took the earrings from Aunt Jin’s hands, examining them by touch, sight, and smell. He quickly reached a conclusion, but the moment he realized the answer, his expression turned peculiar.
For a moment, he couldn’t decide whether this Noble Consort Lin was unlucky or fortunate.
“Physician Zhao, what exactly caused Her Ladyship’s rash?” Aunt Jin pressed urgently.
The Emperor had been closely watching Imperial Physician Zhao and naturally noticed his strange expression. “Speak plainly,” he said. He could handle it!
Imperial Physician Zhao placed the earrings back on the tray, sighed inwardly, and spoke slowly. “Your Majesty, the hollow carved gold beads in these earrings contain a heavy concentration of musk. Prolonged wearing could hinder conception. And Noble Consort Lin… developed the rash precisely because of the musk.”
That was why he said Noble Consort Lin was both unlucky and fortunate!
Unlucky because someone had targeted the only potential heir in the imperial harem and nearly succeeded. Fortunate because this Noble Consort Lin was actually allergic to musk… How could one even reason with that?
Who would have thought someone could be allergic to musk!
In his decades of medical practice, having even participated in treating the Retired Emperor’s legs, this was the first time he had encountered ‘musk rash.’ His curiosity piqued, he tentatively asked, “Your Majesty, may I take Noble Consort Lin’s pulse again?”
Shui Cong immediately shifted slightly, making room for Imperial Physician Zhao to check the pulse.
A Yuan always handled matters thoroughly, so the pulse had also been altered to reflect typical allergic symptoms.
After taking the pulse, Imperial Physician Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. He cited numerous medical texts before finally saying something that reassured everyone: “Her Ladyship’s rash is not severe. It hasn’t affected her internal organs and only manifests on the surface. She simply needs to be careful in daily life and avoid contact with the source.”
This put everyone at ease.
Who would deliberately expose themselves to musk? Today’s incident was solely due to someone’s malicious intent.
Moreover, this constitution might even be a blessing in disguise. In the future, if anyone tried to place musk in Yongshou Palace, it would be discovered before the night was over.
Fascinated by Noble Consort Lin’s constitution, Imperial Physician Zhao prescribed a remedy and observed for another quarter-hour. Seeing the red marks beginning to fade, he finally took his leave and returned to the Imperial Hospital. Of course, he would have preferred to stay and watch the ‘musk rash’ disappear completely.
However, imperial orders were not to be disobeyed. Before leaving, the Emperor sternly warned him to keep the matter of the ‘musk rash’ absolutely secret. If even a whisper of it leaked outside, Imperial Physician Zhao would bear the blame.
Imperial Physician Zhao inwardly lamented his misfortune but couldn’t wait to delve into medical texts upon returning.
He had truly never heard of ‘musk rash.’ Could it be that he had encountered the first case in history?
A Yuan woke up shortly after drinking the medicine, and the red patches on her body did not completely fade until late into the night. Shui Cong kept a watchful eye on her throughout the night, and despite A Yuan urging him several times to return to Qianqing Palace to rest, he turned a deaf ear, only tightly gripping her hand without relaxing for a moment.
The fervent concern of youth, even if shallowly sincere, burned as intensely as fire.
A Yuan felt it, yet her heart remained largely unmoved. However, on the surface, her eyes reddened, and paired with her slightly pale complexion, she appeared all the more pitiable, which only deepened Shui Cong’s resentment toward Ningshou Palace.
Yes, Ningshou Palace.
He not only hated Consort Dowager Zhen, but he also hated the Retired Emperor.
In his childhood, they had once shared a period of fatherly affection and filial devotion. But as he grew older and the voices in the court urging him to assume governance grew louder, the Retired Emperor’s attitude toward him grew increasingly cold and his demands ever more stringent. This was especially true after Consort Dowager Zhen gave birth to two younger sons. The Retired Emperor’s doting on his younger sons stood in stark contrast to his wariness toward Shui Cong.
In Shui Cong’s view, Consort Dowager Zhen’s audacity to target his offspring was tacitly approved by the Retired Emperor.
“Your Majesty, please go back to sleep. You still have court to attend tomorrow morning,” A Yuan’s voice, soft and sweet, carried a hint of illness, yet her eyes were filled with concern.
Shui Cong refused, only holding A Yuan’s hand. “I am not yet tired. If my beloved consort is sleepy, rest first. I will watch over you.”
A Yuan pursed her lips, her eyes growing even redder. Struggling, she shifted toward the inner side of the bed, making space for one person. “If Your Majesty does not mind this humble consort, please come up and lie down with me.”
It was merely a rash, not a contagious disease, so Shui Cong naturally did not mind.
Especially since this rash was not at all unsightly.
Shui Cong nodded and released her hand. “Then wait a moment, my beloved consort. I will go freshen up.” With that, he rose and headed to the Water Chamber.
As soon as Shui Cong moved, Chang’an, who was guarding the door, immediately led others to attend to him.
Aunt Jin quickly approached. “Mistress, that Imperial Physician Zhao… once treated the Retired Emperor’s leg in the past. His medical skills are quite excellent, but he has an obsessive nature and pays great attention to rare and difficult ailments. Since ‘musk rash’ has never appeared before, I fear…”
“It’s fine. He won’t detect anything.” However: “Is he the Retired Emperor’s man?”
“He only treated the leg back then. Since then, there has been no summons.”
So it was uncertain whether he was the Retired Emperor’s man.
“Find a way to keep an eye on him.”
The Retired Emperor is deep and scheming; planting a long-term spy would be normal for him. If he isn’t, all the better. If he is… it would be a good opportunity to gauge the Retired Emperor’s attitude toward the Emperor’s imperial harem.
“Should we watch the Imperial Medical Institute or Ningshou Palace?” Aunt Jin’s eyes sparkled with excitement, as if eager to take action.
“The Imperial Medical Institute.” She currently had no one under her command; watching Ningshou Palace would be courting death.
Aunt Jin immediately complied. “Yes, mistress.”
After exchanging a few more words, Shui Cong returned from the Water Chamber, having changed into his sleeping robes. He carried a faint scent of moisture as he walked to the bedside, lifted the covers, and lay down beside A Yuan. Reaching out, he pulled her into his embrace, his hand gently stroking the red marks on A Yuan’s neck.
It remained soft, smooth, and delicate, with no discernible difference in texture.
He had also experienced rashes before—they would swell, the texture would become rough, and they would appear red and unsightly. Noble Consort Lin was renowned for her beauty, yet even a rash seemed to favor the fair, unwilling to let a beauty suffer.
A Yuan shrank her neck, her voice sweet and delicate: “Your Majesty, it tickles…”
Shui Cong’s fingers trembled, and in the next moment, he pulled her into his embrace, his body radiating warmth. “Sleep.”
A Yuan stiffened. Even in this state, he still had the interest?
It seemed the Emperor was quite taken with the fragile beauty type… Note that down!
Shui Cong held A Yuan tightly, not letting go. A Yuan dared not move either—she certainly didn’t want to be accused of “seducing the Emperor while ill.” So she simply closed her eyes and, in the end, actually fell asleep like that.
Shui Cong gazed at Noble Consort Lin’s sleeping face, his thoughts churning.
Hatred and ambition intertwined.
His hand unconsciously rested on A Yuan’s abdomen, and only after a long while did he slowly close his eyes.
Over the next two days, Shui Cong would head straight to Yongshou Palace after court, always checking on A Yuan’s condition before returning to Qianqing Gate to handle state affairs. Imperial Physician Zhao also reported to Yongshou Palace daily, at least until he confirmed A Yuan had fully recovered, after which he would no longer need to take her routine pulse readings.
The Retired Emperor didn’t pay much attention to Shui Cong’s imperial harem, as they were all common-born women, not yet worthy of his concern.
However… Shui Cong’s unusual behavior had caught his attention.
Soon, the full account of the matter was placed on his imperial desk. After reading it, he showed no anger. Instead, he spent the day handling memorials before summoning Consort Dowager Zhen to Yangxing Hall.
“Take a look.” The Retired Emperor sat in his wheelchair, his back to the imperial desk, reaching out to take a book from the shelf and flipping through it.
Consort Dowager Zhen was puzzled until a young eunuch handed her the papers from the imperial desk.
She immediately knelt, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears as she cried out her innocence: “Your Majesty, this concubine is wronged.”
The Retired Emperor ignored her, calmly taking the book before having the eunuch push him in front of Consort Dowager Zhen. He leaned down, pinched her chin, and forced her to look up at him.
The Retired Emperor had a long scar on the side of his face, still terrifying even after so many years.
Back then, Yizhong Prince had inflicted too much harm on him—three strikes in total. One had injured his arm and face, while the other two had struck his legs, turning the once ambitious and capable ruler into someone with a peculiar temperament.
“Slap—” A sharp slap.
Consort Dowager Zhen fell to the ground in disarray, her cheek instantly red and swollen.
“There will be no next time.”
The Retired Emperor warned her in a calm tone.