"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager's blood rushed to her head, and coupled with her advanced age, it caused... it caused..." Physician Lu couldn't continue. After all, a high and mighty Empress Dowager would have to spend her days in bed from now on, which was worse than killing her.

"What exactly happened? Physician Lu, you need to explain clearly. You're just stammering. Is it some kind of terminal illness?"

Consort Tongjia was already afraid of the Empress Dowager, and she also had to take responsibility. When the imperial physician was slow to give the results, she angrily said.

"Alas! Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is showing signs of a stroke, and the situation appears quite serious. It is almost certain that she has become incontinent. As for whether it will lead to hemiplegia or loss of speech, we can only wait until she wakes up to know." Physician Lu sighed and explained everything in one breath, his fear completely gone.

"That serious?" Empress Niohuru asked in disbelief.

"Imperial Physician Lu, is there any treatment available? My mother is a very strong-willed woman; how can she accept such an outcome?"

Emperor Kangxi could hardly believe that his kind and amiable imperial father, his political leader, was gone just like that, and that he would have no one to consult with or make decisions with anymore.

"Your Majesty should know that a stroke is irreversible, and even with treatment, a full recovery is almost impossible!" Physician Lu meant that it was impossible to cure, so give up on the idea; my master would be the first to disagree.

"Your Majesty!" the Empress called out tentatively to Kangxi, noticing that Kangxi's expression seemed somewhat off.

"I am fine. Empress, please arrange for some people to take turns serving the Emperor!" Kangxi composed himself and immediately ordered the Empress to arrange for the concubines to attend to him.

"What about Consort Chun's affairs after her death..." The Empress naturally knew that the Empress Dowager's affairs were the most important, but Consort Chun was from Khorchin and was the Empress Dowager's great-niece, so she also had to pay attention to her affairs!

"She caused the Empress Dowager to become like this. She herself left without a trace, but she caused the Empress Dowager great suffering. Your Majesty might as well just handle it casually."

Consort Tongjia harbors hatred for the deceased Consort Chun. Although Emperor Kangxi is not currently investigating why all the imperial physicians are in Jingren Palace, he will settle accounts later!

"Let's keep it simple! As long as it's presentable." He didn't just wrap Consort Chun in a straw mat and throw her into the mass grave because she was the great-niece of the Empress Dowager.

"Yes!" The Empress ignored her! She had limited energy now and just wanted to do her duty. She was too lazy to argue with Consort Tongjia.

The next morning, after the Empress Dowager woke up, she turned her head with difficulty to look outside and found a concubine sleeping next to her with her hand under her arm. Upon closer inspection, she realized that it was Consort Rong.

"Swimming, swimming~" The Empress Dowager was horrified to find that her mouth seemed to be unable to speak, and she had lost feeling in her hands and feet. The more she thought about it, the more panicked she became, which woke up Consort Rong who was standing next to her.

"Your Majesty, you're awake. How are you feeling? Your Majesty, I'll go and fetch the imperial physician right away."

After finishing her speech, Consort Rong walked out, feeling somewhat disgusted. After all, how could she not find it disgusting that an old woman with a crooked mouth and drooling was spewing saliva while speaking? Consort An was on duty for the first half of the night, and Consort Rong was on duty for the second half.

Consort Rong had just gone out when she summoned the imperial physician, and the Empress and the others walked in together.

"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress, Your Highness the Imperial Concubine, Consort Jing, Consort Duan, and all my sisters." Consort Rong quickly and respectfully bowed to the Empress and the others so as not to glance at the Empress Dowager again.

"No need for formalities. Thank you for your hard work at noon, Consort An and Consort Rong," the Empress said, offering a token of appreciation.

"It is what I should do, and I am not worthy of such hardship," Consort Rong replied respectfully.

"Imperial Physician Lu, how is the Empress Dowager?" The Empress then shifted her gaze, no longer exchanging pleasantries with Consort Rong.

"The Empress Dowager suffered a stroke that caused hemiplegia. She is unable to move anything below her head and needs careful care. Her speech is also slurred."

When Physician Lu examined the Empress Dowager and came to this conclusion, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If the Empress Dowager had not been in any danger, he would have had to administer the medicine again. Otherwise, he might not have discovered Wanyi's scheme, but the Empress Dowager would definitely have figured it out.

"Please, Physician Lu, think of a way. You must cure the Empress Dowager! Otherwise, what will the Emperor do? How heartbroken he will be?"

Consort Tongjia spoke to the imperial physician before the Empress could, her anxious expression leading everyone present to believe she was deeply worried about the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. In her heart, however, she was thinking, "That old hag is finally going to die! Don't think she doesn't know—it was I who suppressed her promotion to Empress. Otherwise, how could that daughter of Ao Bai have become Empress?" As for how Consort Tongjia knew this, Wanyi replied that she kept her merits hidden.

"I am afraid I am powerless to help!" The imperial physician Lu was so frightened that he knelt down. This was exactly what Consort Tongjia wanted to hear. The Empress Dowager on the bed was so excited that she rolled her eyes and fainted again.

"Empress Dowager, what's wrong with the Empress Dowager? Quickly, Imperial Physician Lu, take a look!" Consort Tongjia had been paying attention to her and had seen the Empress Dowager's reaction, so naturally she was the first to notice.

"This requires acupuncture."

Physician Lu took the pulse seriously, thinking to himself, "Acting is really a skill. As a physician, he usually doesn't talk about serious illnesses in front of patients. It was only because Wanyi instructed him that he was so dedicated!"

"Then it's more important to give the Empress Dowager acupuncture first." The Empress paid no attention to Consort Tongjia, which only made her more arrogant and domineering.

"Yes! Imperial Physician Lu, the Empress Dowager's health is of utmost importance!" Consort Tongjia thought to herself, since it wasn't her body that was being treated, she didn't care what happened.

"Yes." Just like Consort Tongjia, Imperial Physician Lu took out a gold needle from his medicine box and inserted it into the Empress Dowager's head. She couldn't feel any pain when he inserted it into her body, so he inserted the needle in one go.

"Ah!" It worked immediately; the Empress Dowager woke up right away!

After all this commotion, the Empress Dowager finally saw Emperor Kangxi, and she could no longer hold back her tears as they streamed down her face.

"Hmph...yeah...!" The Empress Dowager managed to utter two words, and saliva involuntarily dripped from her mouth.

"Grandmother, your grandson is here. You will get better. I will definitely cure you." Kangxi took the handkerchief from Su Ma La Gu's hand without any disgust and wiped away the Empress Dowager's tears and saliva.

The Empress Dowager was helpless. She hated herself for becoming like this. How could she go on living like this? Suddenly, she thought of Guozhen.

"Stupid concubine?" Is she really dead? Even in death, she doesn't forget to harm me. I am truly a jinx.

"Your Majesty need not worry about Consort Chun. I have already instructed the Empress to take good care of her funeral arrangements, which will be a grand and dignified affair!"

Kangxi's words only angered the Empress Dowager again, causing her to nearly faint from the shock. She could only tell herself not to be angry and gradually calmed down, only to find that there was no one by her bedside, and a wave of sorrow rose in her heart.

Because Kangxi noticed that the Empress Dowager was not moving, and thinking that she preferred quiet, he asked Su Ma La Gu to take good care of her. He then left temporarily with the concubines, leaving the concubines who had attended to her illness that day in the side hall.