"Sister Chu will be more at ease!" Dongfang Yi continued, looking kind as she spoke to Concubine Chu.
Donghua took the order and quickly ran out of the palace. The maids and eunuchs still watching outside the palace all looked confused. They thought that the Empress Dowager wasn't as terrifying as the rumors said. She still cared about the other concubines and even knew to invite a doctor to take care of Concubine Chu.
This made Concubine Chu a bit anxious. If two doctors examined her together, her act of feigning illness might be exposed.
That old Doctor Li was a stubborn man. He would surely tell the truth. But no matter how anxious she was, it was too late. For within a quarter of an hour, Donghua had already brought the two doctors into the palace.
"Let Doctor Chu examine Concubine Chu first," Dongfang Yi said.
Doctor Chu walked up to Concubine Chu nervously. He hurriedly took out his tools from his medicine box, and his hands were even trembling when he felt her pulse.
Dongfang Yi noticed that the two of them were constantly winking at each other. She couldn't help but snort inwardly. What's the use of doing this now!
After a while, Doctor Chu finished feeling the pulse and reported to Dongfang Yi, "Your Majesty, Concubine Chu is indeed seriously ill. Her liver fire is exuberant, and she has a weak heart and shortness of breath, which has led to stagnation in the chest. This could easily lead to great trouble! I think she must have been very angry or suffered some grievances recently. You know, emotions can affect the body!"
Dongfang Yi listened to his long - winded explanation. Every word seemed to imply that as the empress, she had tortured the concubines in the harem beyond recognition.
Sure enough, as expected, the people outside the palace started to whisper to each other after hearing Doctor Chu's report. Dongfang Yi didn't even need to think to know what they were talking about.
"Oh? It sounds quite serious. But we can't just listen to one side. So, please let Doctor Li take a look," Dongfang Yi said, pointing at Doctor Li behind her.
"Your Majesty, there's no need. I don't want to waste Your Majesty's time," Concubine Chu replied weakly. At this moment, she was a bit flustered.
"How could it be a waste of time! As the mistress of the harem, my duty is to handle the affairs of the harem for the emperor. Now that you, Sister Chu, are seriously ill, if I don't even have the time to invite a doctor for you, how can I live up to the emperor's expectations? Wouldn't I become a laughingstock in the world?!"
Dongfang Yi spoke grandly, with a false smile on her face. She thought to herself, You little thing. I can surely deal with your harem tricks.
After she finished speaking, she waved her hand, signaling Doctor Li to go and examine Concubine Chu.
Concubine Chu had nothing to say in rebuttal. After all, since Dongfang Yi had said such things, if she still refused, it would seem that she was being ungrateful.
Doctor Li took out his tools skillfully and began to examine her. His calm demeanor was in stark contrast to Doctor Chu's timid appearance just now.
He frowned while feeling Concubine Chu's pulse. After a while, he shook his head, started to pack up his tools, and said to Dongfang Yi with a smile, "Your Majesty, Concubine Chu is in excellent health and has no diseases."
"You're lying! I clearly diagnosed that Her Majesty has exuberant liver fire and a weak heart with shortness of breath!"
Before Concubine Chu could say anything, Doctor Chu beside her impatiently retorted.
Doctor Li just snorted and replied sternly, "It's spring now, and it's quite common to have exuberant liver fire. If, as you said, a mere liver fire could take a person's life, then people would be in great danger long ago. You're a doctor, yet you've made such a basic mistake. It's really disappointing."
After saying that, he shook his head with a disappointed look on his face, as if he was questioning the recruitment standards of the imperial medical department.
Doctor Chu wanted to say something more but couldn't. He knew that Doctor Li was right. He had tried to deceive others for personal gain but was still seen through. Thinking of this, he lowered his head in regret.
"Oh? It turns out that Sister Chu is not ill. I wonder why you've dressed up like this?" Dongfang Yi deliberately raised her voice and questioned the woman in front of her.
Concubine Chu was momentarily speechless and couldn't come up with any more excuses. She could only stare at Doctor Chu beside her resentfully.
Outside the palace, people started to chatter again. This time, the noise was so loud that even the people inside the palace could hear clearly. They were probably saying things like, "Oh, it turns out that Concubine Chu is not ill."
"Is she faking the illness?"
"Did she fake the illness to frame the empress?"
"It turns out that the empress is not a heartless and cruel person!"
These words made Concubine Chu's face turn red and then white. She roared towards the outside of the palace, "Get out of here! Leave!"
The maids and eunuchs outside were startled and scattered like birds and beasts. As they left, they could still be heard saying, "Hearing Concubine Chu's tone, she doesn't sound like a sick person at all. It seems that her illness was really faked..."
Dongfang Yi sat on the chair, looking expressionless on the surface, but she was already laughing uncontrollably inside.
She knew that in the palace, the maids and eunuchs often spoke without thinking. They usually said what they saw, which was why all kinds of rumors often spread in the palace. Only a fool would take these rumors seriously. The best way was to change the direction of the rumors.
Looking at Concubine Chu's angry face in front of her, it seemed that she was going to take the upcoming rumors about herself seriously.
"Haha—" Dongfang Yi finally couldn't hold back her laughter.
Concubine Chu stared at the woman in front of her with red eyes and roared, "Dongfang Yi—!"
"Hey, why don't you call me Empress Sister anymore? You called me so sweetly just now, Sister Chu!" Dongfang Yi stared at her coldly.
"You despicable woman!" Concubine Chu continued to roar, completely forgetting to maintain her image.
Despicable? Dongfang Yi found this word extremely funny. She never thought she would be called despicable, especially by such a cruel woman. It was really a joke.
She sneered and then turned around, about to leave Concubine Chu's palace with Donghua.
Behind her, Concubine Chu was still roaring, "Dongfang Yi, I won't let this go!"
Just as Dongfang Yi was about to step out of the palace gate, she suddenly remembered something. A cold smile appeared on her lips, and then she said to the woman behind her firmly, "Sister Concubine Chu must take good care of your health!"