In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the emperor sat on the dragon throne, one hand pinching his brow.

When Zhuang Dahai led Ning Yin in, the emperor looked up and saw Ning Yin in a dark blue imperial physician's robe.

She was graceful and elegant, with an even more dignified and noble air than before.

Ning Yin lowered her eyes and bowed to the emperor.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

The emperor was so engrossed in watching that he forgot to tell Ning Yin to get up. He didn't know why, but once he saw Ning Yin's face, he couldn't take his eyes off her.

If Empress Yao was a peerless beauty who could topple kingdoms, then Ning Yin before them was a celestial fairy from the heavens, beautiful and ethereal.

Without receiving a response from the emperor, Ning Yin could only maintain her bowed posture until Eunuch Zhuang reminded her, at which point the emperor snapped out of his daze.

"Oh, Physician Ning has arrived." The emperor's eyes held a barely perceptible smile, and Zhuang Dahai, standing beside him, couldn't fathom the emperor's thoughts, only guessing in his mind.

Recently, the emperor has been taking the medicine prescribed by Ningyin, and his spirits have improved a lot compared to before. His body is also getting stronger and stronger. He summons Consort Chen to his bedchamber every day.

At first, the emperor was basking in his own virility and feeling smug, but as time went on, he found it somewhat tedious and boring to face a woman who had given birth every day.

Especially when he saw Consort Chen's increasingly plump figure, compared to the slender waist of the woman before him, the emperor's heart began to itch.

He called the person over, intending to give them a slight reprimand and then leave it at that.

But now he suddenly had a new idea, so the emperor cleared his throat and pretended to be dignified.

"Imperial Physician Ning, do you know your crime?!"

His voice was cold, tinged with anger, which made Zhuang Dahai, who was standing next to him, tremble.

Ning Yin hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed to the emperor, "Your Majesty, there were reasons for yesterday's incident that delayed the little prince's illness. This humble subject is willing to accept punishment."

"Oh? To be punished? Do you know that delaying the little prince's treatment is a serious crime? Aren't you afraid I'll chop off your head?"

After the emperor finished speaking, he gave Zhuang Dahai a wink. Zhuang Dahai understood immediately, quickly dismissed all the palace servants, and then he himself left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

At this moment, only the emperor and Ningyin remained in the vast palace.

The emperor suddenly chuckled and then stood up from the dragon throne.

He strolled over to Ning Yin, leaned down slightly, and a confident smile played on his lips.

"Imperial Physician Ning, raise your head."

The man's voice above lost its previous anger and instead revealed an unusual gentleness. Ning Yin's heart clenched, and she knew something was wrong.

She had noticed something strange about the emperor's gaze last time, and now the feeling was even stronger.

This is the attitude a man has towards a woman he wants to possess, just like the prince did last night.

"Did Imperial Physician Ning understand what I meant?"

The emperor spoke again, and Ningyin could only raise her head to meet his gaze. As they drew closer, the emperor could see Ningyin's face more clearly.

It was truly breathtakingly beautiful; no wonder he had heard that Shen Yun and Li Chengyan had fought over it.

As the emperor of a country, everyone must submit to him, and such a woman can only enter his harem; others should not even dream of her.

"Would you be willing to be my woman?"

"Your Majesty, I am willing to accept the punishment."

Ning Yin interrupted the emperor's reverie, and the emperor's expression changed slightly. If it were any other woman, she would have known the emperor's heart well and tried every means to climb into his bed.

How could there be someone like Ning Yin, who would give up a promising future and only want to die?

The emperor suddenly let out a cold laugh, then straightened up, flicked his sleeves, and threatened in a cold voice: "I am not giving you the right to choose, but informing you that there is no woman under heaven that I cannot have, and you are no exception."

"I don't care about your past or your status. If you agree, I will immediately draft a decree to confer upon you the title of Consort Shu."

Ningyin knelt on the ground, listening to the emperor's every word. His tone, which brooked no refusal, made Ningyin think of the crown prince for a moment. If the crown prince knew, would he help her?

She didn't care if she died, but she absolutely couldn't let Su Xin and the others be implicated.

Ning Yin envisioned all the possible consequences of refusing the emperor, none of which would allow her to escape unscathed.

Her only option now is to appease the emperor and then find a chance to escape the palace.

Just as Ningyin was about to reply, she heard someone suddenly rush in from outside the hall.

"Father, where is my father? Chongyu has come to play chess with you!"

Ning Yin looked up at the emperor's liver-colored face and subconsciously looked back at herself.

Then they saw a woman dressed in a pink brocade palace dress, her hair disheveled.

The woman appeared to be in her early thirties, with a severe scar on her forehead that obscured her otherwise stunning beauty.

Ning Yin suddenly felt that she had heard the woman's voice somewhere before, but before she could remember, the woman had already reached out and taken the emperor's arm and headed toward the side hall.

Although the emperor was not very happy, he did not show any impatience. He tidied the man's hair and then turned to Ningyin to give her instructions.

"Imperial Physician Ning, please consider my words carefully. You may leave now."

"Oh, wait..."

Ning Yin was just about to express her gratitude and leave when the emperor called her back. Her heart skipped a beat, thinking that the emperor had changed his mind again.

"My daughter has suffered from mental illness for many years, and her face is disfigured. If you can cure her, the Empress Dowager and I will reward you handsomely!"

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