Chapter 631 Threats and Inducements

Doctor Wu never expected that the Queen Mother would directly threaten his life. He was afraid of death, but he would still die if he was given the medicine, so he kowtowed to the ground.

"Please, Queen Mother, please forgive me, please, Queen Mother..."

"You still don't understand."

The Queen Mother was weak all over and looked down at the person kneeling on the ground begging for mercy.

"I have never wanted your life. All I want is peace and stability for the court. If you can help me, I will naturally give you a good future."

Seeing that Doctor Wu lowered his head and refused to say anything, the Empress Dowager's voice became a little colder.

"I remember that your youngest son has just turned four, and is now at the right age for enlightenment. You have been diligently treating my illness lately. Starting tomorrow, I will send the child to the palace for primary school, and he will go to the study room with the other little princes in the palace."

"And your wife and eldest daughter are both gentle, virtuous, well-behaved and sensible. I like them very much..."

"Empress Dowager!!"

Doctor Wu looked extremely grief-stricken and interrupted the empress dowager before she finished speaking. He met the empress dowager's calm and frightening eyes, and the last bit of blood color drained from his face, and he kowtowed suddenly.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I was confused just now. I will follow your instructions and do my best to take care of your health. I will make sure you get better and will not cause Your Majesty any worries."

The Queen Mother looked at him and said, "If others ask about my health..."

"The Queen Mother is fine."

Imperial Physician Wu replied decisively, "Although you have been ill for a long time, your condition has not been seriously damaged. The Imperial Astronomical Observatory reported that the Empress Dowager's condition was difficult to recover. The princesses and wives have come to the palace to tend to your illness, and the Empress Dowager is in a good mood, and her condition has shown signs of improvement."

The Queen Mother smiled with satisfaction: "Doctor Wu is a smart man."

Doctor Wu wished he were as stupid as a pig and knew nothing, but he had no way out now. Even though he knew there was a dead end ahead, he had no choice but to move forward.

When he came out of the Empress Dowager's bedroom, even though Doctor Wu felt so grief-stricken that he wanted to faint, he didn't dare show it on his face. He stood at the door and rubbed his cheeks vigorously several times, waiting for his pale face to become a little rosy, diluting the unnatural panic.

Doctor Wu took several deep breaths to adjust his expression, then walked out with a smile.

During this period, Shoukang Palace was filled with gloom, and everyone was cautious and nervous. In particular, every time the imperial physician came back from examining the Empress Dowager, the expression on his face made people even more worried. But now, everyone was surprised to suddenly see Imperial Physician Wu smiling.

The palace maid guarding the door lowered her voice, "Why does Imperial Physician Wu look so happy today? It's the Empress Dowager..."

"The Queen Mother is feeling better now."

"real?"

"Of course it's true."

Imperial Physician Wu smiled and said, "Although the Empress Dowager is still a little weak, she is in much better shape than before. It seems that what the people at the Imperial Observatory said is true. The lucky star clash of evil spirits actually works. I must go back and prescribe two new prescriptions so that the Empress Dowager can recover soon."

The palace maids in Shoukang Palace all looked delighted when they heard this.

Their life, death, honor and disgrace all depend on the Queen Mother. If the Queen Mother is safe, they, the servants of Shoukang Palace, will still be superior to others in the palace and have more power than the palace maids in other palaces. But if the Queen Mother is gone, at best they will be sent to other palaces.

If His Majesty were to vent his anger out of grief, they would probably have to be buried with the Queen Mother.

No one was more anxious for the Empress Dowager's well-being than those in Shoukang Palace. The maid who had spoken earlier hurriedly said, "Then I'll go with Imperial Physician Wu to fetch the medicine."

In the bedroom, Nanny Ran watched through the door as Imperial Physician Wu left. Then, she turned back to the Empress Dowager's bedside and told her about the conversation outside. She whispered, "Imperial Physician Wu didn't alarm anyone else."

The Queen Mother said weakly, "I said he is a smart man."

"That child from the Wu family..."

"It's better to send him to the palace. My health has improved. As the imperial physician, he deserves a reward for his meritorious service in treating me."

Nanny Ran whispered, "Okay, I'll send someone to the Wu family later."

The empress dowager was relieved about Nanny Ran, and she relaxed upon hearing that. She leaned back on the pillow with her brows relaxed and a weak smile appeared on her face, but the smile froze in an instant. The next moment, the empress dowager, who had just been fine, suddenly lowered her head and started coughing violently.

The cough was suddenly suppressed as soon as it started, as if she was worried that it would be heard by outsiders. The empress dowager covered her mouth with a handkerchief, her throat trembling rapidly, and the muffled coughs coming from her chest shook her body.

Cold sweat broke out on his forehead and veins popped out on the back of his hands. He used all his strength to suppress the fierce cough, but his hands slipped as if he had lost strength and he fell forward without being able to support himself.

"Empress Dowager!!"

Nanny Ran quickly supported the Queen Mother and said, "What's wrong with you? I'll go find Doctor Wu..."

"Come back, cough cough cough!"

The Queen Mother grabbed Nanny Ran's hand and suppressed a cough. Her face flushed red with anger. She coughed and whispered, "I'm fine."

However, Nanny Ran didn't believe it at all. When she turned around to support the empress dowager, she could feel that her body was shaking violently. She couldn't go to find a doctor, so she could only hurriedly take out the pills left by Doctor Wu from her sleeve, took some water and let the empress dowager take it. Then she patted her back to help her breathe.

The Queen Mother coughed heavily and it took a long time for the cough to subside slightly.

Her face was abnormally red, and there was blood on the handkerchief that fell to the ground. Perhaps the effect of the medicine had worn off, or perhaps the spirit she had been forcing herself to stay strong was washed away.

The Queen Mother looked much weaker, and even when she spoke there was an uncomfortable gasp in her throat.

Nanny Ran said, "You can't do this. If you continue like this, you might not be able to hold on. If you don't want anyone to know, I'll quietly go and ask Doctor Wu to come back and say that there was something you didn't explain clearly. No one will suspect anything."

The Queen Mother shook her head: "No need."

"Your Majesty..."

"I said it's not necessary. He came back only to give me a few injections to make me sleep for a while. I've been like this for more than a day or two." The Queen Mother coughed twice, her chest shaking uncomfortably. "I have worked so hard to hide this. Don't make it public and let others notice."

"But you..."

Nanny Ran's eyes were red. Seeing that the Queen Mother was so weak yet still refused to let the imperial physician come back, she couldn't help but say, "How can you force yourself to do something like this? Your body can't handle it. Letting the imperial physician take a look at you will at least make you feel better."

The Queen Mother shook her head. "What's the point of being so frivolous? Don't ruin the important work."

Nanny Ran was a little annoyed: "No matter what serious business you have, it is not as important as you! When His Majesty came to look for you earlier, I should have stopped him and not let him talk to you about those nonsense."

"Those matters in the court should have been his own. He never consulted you in the beginning. How could he bear to let you go to such lengths for him now..."