After listening to Prime Minister Xiao's advice, the Emperor's anger subsided somewhat, and he realized that now was not the time to act impulsively.
After all, Duke Enguo held the power of 100,000 troops, which was no small number, and many civil officials listened to him without question.
The Emperor's face grew even more somber. He frowned deeply, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "The Prime Minister is absolutely right. I will go to the Empress's palace first."
Seeing that the Emperor's emotions had eased slightly, Prime Minister Xiao hurriedly reminded him again: "Your Majesty, when you go to the Empress's Palace, you must remain calm and not alert the enemy. The Duke of Enguo has great power, and if he discovers your intentions, it may cause unnecessary trouble."
The Emperor naturally understood the implications and nodded, "I understand, Prime Minister, there's no need to worry."
Then, the Emperor instructed Prime Minister Xiao, "Prime Minister, do not leave yet. Wait for me to return in this council hall. I will be right back. We can discuss any matters further later."
Prime Minister Xiao hurriedly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, your humble servant will await Your Majesty's arrival here."
The emperor then summoned another troop of imperial guards to accompany him before striding out of the palace and heading straight for the central palace.
The Empress paced back and forth in the central palace. When she heard a eunuch announce, "His Majesty has arrived," she was overjoyed. She quickly tidied her clothes and led a group of palace servants to greet him.
"Your Majesty, I respectfully welcome you." Upon seeing the Emperor, the Empress hurriedly bowed in greeting. However, just as she stood up, she suddenly cried out "Ouch!" and unconsciously clutched her waist.
Upon seeing this, the Emperor immediately asked with concern, "What's wrong, Empress?" His brows furrowed slightly, and his gaze darkened.
The Empress smiled shyly and said impatiently, "Your Majesty, I think I have good news."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor remained composed and asked with a hint of doubt, "Oh? Is that so? But why haven't I heard the imperial physician mention this?"
The Emperor's gaze fell upon the Empress, sharp as a hawk's, as if trying to see through her surface to her true thoughts.
The Empress hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, it was I who asked Imperial Physician Wei to keep quiet for the time being and inform Your Majesty after the pregnancy has stabilized." As she spoke, she stepped forward, took the initiative to get closer to the Emperor, lowered her eyes slightly, and had a faint smile on her lips, looking dignified and skillful.
The Emperor did not respond immediately to the Empress's words, but remained silent for a moment. Suddenly, without warning, he reached out and grabbed the Empress's wrist, then gently placed his fingers on her pulse.
The Empress was clearly not prepared for the Emperor's actions. Her face turned pale instantly, and she asked in terror, "Your Majesty, you...you...you know medicine? Your Majesty can take my pulse?" She tried to pull her hand back, but under the Emperor's murderous gaze, she gave up resisting and trembled involuntarily.
The emperor's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile, but that smile also carried a chilling undertone that was hard to fathom.
He did not answer the empress's question, but simply felt the throbbing of her pulse.
The Empress was sweating profusely, her entire body drenched in sweat. She had been married to the Emperor for several years and had even given birth to a princess, yet she had no idea that the Emperor could take her pulse.
The Emperor coldly observed the Empress's expression and calmly took her pulse. Only his former steward from when he was a prince knew of his medical skills.
Before ascending the throne, the emperor was a young prince whose health was a constant source of worry. He was frail and sickly from childhood, falling ill every three days and suffering from a serious illness every ten days.
Such frequent illnesses forced Physician Ning to stay by his side day and night, doing everything in his power to treat him.
Faced with such frequent illnesses, the young prince couldn't help but think, "If I could learn medicine, would I be able to cure these diseases myself?" This thought grew stronger in his heart, and finally, he made up his mind and made a request to Physician Ning: "I want to learn medicine and become your apprentice."
When Physician Ning heard the young prince's request, he was somewhat surprised, but seeing how interested the prince was in studying medicine, he couldn't refuse him directly.
After a moment's thought, he agreed to the young prince's request and decided to teach him some basic medical knowledge.
Physician Ning was well aware of the prince's special status, and that the slightest carelessness could lead to disaster. Therefore, he was extremely cautious in his teaching, and dared not easily teach the young prince more complex and risky medical techniques such as acupuncture and tongue diagnosis. Instead, he only taught him how to take a pulse and diagnose illnesses.
After Physician Ning finished imparting these basic medical skills, he retired to his hometown due to old age.
After the Emperor finished taking the Empress's pulse, he put his hand down, took two steps back, and solemnly issued an order: "Surround the Empress's palace and summon all the imperial physicians here."
Upon receiving the order, the Imperial Guards sprang into action, carrying it out swiftly and systematically. They surrounded the Empress's palace like an impenetrable fortress, forming layers upon layers of defenses, leaving no room for escape.
Not long after, the sixteen imperial physicians, escorted by the Imperial Guards, arrived before the emperor with trepidation.
The Emperor sat on the dragon throne in the main hall with a gloomy expression, his cold gaze sweeping over each of the imperial physicians, making them all tremble involuntarily.
The Empress stood trembling to one side, her face deathly pale, racking her brains for an explanation on how to deny that she had lied about being pregnant.
"Speak! Who exactly took the Empress's pulse and said she was pregnant?" The Emperor's voice was as cold as ice, sending chills down one's spine.
The imperial physicians looked at each other, none of them daring to utter a sound. Finally, one of the bolder physicians stepped forward and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, we have not taken the Empress's pulse, nor have we ever mentioned that the Empress is pregnant."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor frowned slightly, clearly dissatisfied with the answer. He pressed further, "Are there any imperial physicians who are not in the palace?"
At this moment, an elderly physician named Wu stepped forward, bowed, and replied, "Your Majesty, there is a physician named Wei who went to the Duke's mansion today, saying that he was invited by the Duke's mansion to treat the Duke's illness."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor's lips curled into a mocking smile. He casually asked, "Oh, what illness has the Duke of En contracted?" In his heart, he thought to himself: The Duke of En probably sent that man surnamed Wei to the Duke's mansion to arrange in person how he would deceive me and announce the Empress's pregnancy to the public.
The Emperor gave a signal to his trusted guards, and one of them led a few others out. They were there to arrest Physician Wei to prevent him from escaping.
Physician Wu, oblivious to the unusual atmosphere around him, continued to respectfully report to the Emperor: "Your Majesty, I have just received news that someone from the Duke's mansion has come to say that the Duke of En has suddenly been vomiting and having diarrhea, and his condition seems quite serious. I suspect that he may have eaten something bad."
"Hmph." The Emperor snorted coldly, convinced that the Duke of Enguo had feigned illness and summoned the imperial physician away.
After a moment's thought, the Emperor decisively ordered, "Someone, convey my decree: order these imperial physicians to immediately examine the pulses of all the palace maids in the Empress's palace!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com