Despite the freezing winter outside, Fengrui Hall was warm, with heated water circulating and braziers placed every five steps. The Empress wore a nine-phoenix robe and a lotus gold crown, dignified and noble, with twelve imperial guards standing beside her.
After the grand music, all ladies knelt to greet the Empress and offer the first cup of wine. The Empress drank and instructed everyone to be seated. My seat was near the phoenix throne, next to Su Hui, with the Seventh Princess directly across, giving me a sense of being caught between two threats.
I quickly opened my eyes, rubbing my head in a just-awakened state. “Where am I… Your Majesty!”
“Lady An,” the Queen stood outside the bed, her expression solemn and proud. “You just fainted in the hall.”
This is Master Sun, the most skilled imperial physician in the palace.
“Thank you, Your Majesty, but I’ve been feeling a bit weak recently and have already seen a doctor.”
“My lady, no need to be polite,” the Queen insisted, turning to Master Sun. “Please examine the lady.”
Her tone was definitive. My heart pounded, and I felt an ominous fear.
After taking my pulse, Master Sun looked at me with compassion.
He then bowed to the Queen. “Your Majesty, the lady is weak and cold, with blocked meridians. This indicates yin deficiency and cold.”
“Explain further.”
“Yes,” he said, glancing at me again. “The lady’s constitution is special. I fear she may find it difficult to conceive a child.”
My mind went blank.
The Queen approached with a sympathetic expression. “No wonder Lady An has been married to Lord An for over two years without a child. Rest assured, I will have Master Sun prescribe some tonic to help you recover.”
I stood there, nodding slightly. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
The Queen and the physician left, leaving me to rest. I took the opportunity to walk out to the garden, pacing in distress.
I was troubled not because the physician declared me infertile, but because I realized I had fallen into a trap, unable to explain myself.
Doctor Liu had previously checked my pulse, and I had always been healthy. Where had this cold condition come from? Now that the imperial physician had spoken, it felt irrefutable. If the Queen insists I am ill, how could I argue?
