Chapter 420

Chapter 420 The Third Lady Qu who was not Willing to be Alone

Qu Qiuyan also came face to face with Medical Officer Zhang, but he didn’t give her a friendly look. He glanced at her coldly and walked past.

Their previous interaction was far from pleasant, although Qu Qiuyan had made amends in the end, it seemed to have little effect now.

“Medical Officer Zhang, didn’t Third Sister explain to him before?” Qu Moying said indifferently, beckoning Yu Dong to casually descend the steps.

Qu Qiuyan originally intended to follow them, but after giving it some thought, she decided to stay. Since her previous explanation was inadequate, she would seize this opportunity to explain again.

Since Medical Officer Zhang was involved with Noble Consort He, she didn’t dare to offend him, especially in the current situation. Crown Prince hadn’t given her a clear answer either. She had only mentioned entering the mansion but hadn’t specified her status. The palace hadn’t given a definitive response either.

From the initial vague mention of marrying her to later declaring her a side consort, and then saying nothing more, whenever she brought it up, he would claim her reputation was too tarnished. He couldn’t say anything now and had to listen to Noble Consort He.

Previously, her reputation was good, although her status was somewhat inferior, but she could still make some upward progress. However, recently her reputation had plummeted due to her own actions and the actions of Yu. Rumors were circulating outside that she had obtained her position as the rightful wife through illicit means, likely due to the death of Qu Zhizhen’s rightful wife. Otherwise, why wouldn’t they tolerate the daughter of a former wife with an eye condition?

She entered the Qu Mansion with such a temperament, and then the Second Madam of the Qu Mansion died of dystocia. Most importantly, it was said that she was not even in the mansion when the dystocia occurred. This had an unclear karma with Yu.

Even if she wasn’t directly killed by Yu, she should have been indirectly killed.

Then, it was said that Qu Qiuyan was repeatedly trying to harm this Fourth Lady Qu. Qu Qiuyan’s reputation fell again and again.

Thinking about all this, Qu Qiuyan felt extremely frustrated. She didn’t have any good feelings towards Yu since Yu had been placed under surveillance. She had visited her once or twice, but then had started to secretly avoid her.

She stood guard at the entrance of the grand palace for a while and when she saw the two physicians coming out, she took a couple of steps forward and gave a slight bow to Medical Officer Zhang, who was walking in the middle.

“Medical Officer Zhang.”

Medical Officer Zhang furrowed his brow. He truly disliked the Third Lady Qu, but in the current palace setting, he couldn’t completely ignore her. So he stood in place and nodded, “Third Lady Qu, you’re being polite.”

“How is the Dowager Consort’s health?” Qu Qiuyan asked softly, her gaze filled with concern.

“The Dowager Consort’s condition remains the same. It needs to be gradually treated,” replied Medical Officer Zhang, his voice calm.

“Just a while ago, the Dowager Consort took a short walk and even went to the window to look outside. She was causing a fuss before and refused to take her medicine,” Qu Qiuyan said, her face filled with worry. “I don’t know if you have any methods to help the Dowager Consort recover more quickly. She’s getting older, and her body can’t endure this for much longer.”

The words made Medical Officer Zhang almost burst into laughter, as if they didn’t want Dowager Consort Qu to recover. Even the emperor had issued a decree, urging them to pay more attention and ensure Dowager Consort Qu’s speedy recovery. The Imperial Hospital had been doing their utmost, with several doctors stationed here, constantly discussing and adjusting the treatment plan, fearing the slightest mishap.

But now, it seemed that they were neglecting their duty when it came to Third Lady Qu.

This displeased not only Medical Officer Zhang but also the young doctor standing nearby.

Although he remained silent, his expression revealed a hint of coldness.

“Lady Qu, we will do our best, and we will also inform the emperor about this matter. Please.” Medical Officer Zhang said bluntly, arching his hand towards Qu Qiuyan.

He then turned around, bypassing Qu Qiuyan, and briskly walked away with another physician.

They left Qu Qiuyan standing there, seemingly abandoned.

The implication was clear—Dowager Consort Qu’s matter was of the emperor’s concern, but what significance did Lady Qu Qiuyan hold? On what basis did she dare to come here and question, even casting doubt on the medical skills of the Imperial Hospital?

Seeing the two depart, Qu Qiuyan’s face flushed with embarrassment and frustration. She glanced at the palace maids standing quietly in two rows outside the palace. Even though they had their heads lowered, she couldn’t help but feel they were mocking her. Unable to bear it any longer, she stomped her foot forcefully and descended the steps with determination.

With a fierce glare at Medical Officer Zhang ahead, she thought to herself, “What a narrow-minded old fool! I’m here to express concern for Dowager Consort Qu, to show my goodwill, and yet this wretched old man misunderstands me.”

This was not surprising. Qu Qiuyan had clashed with Medical Officer Zhang in the Qu Mansion before. Regardless of what Qu Qiuyan said now, Medical Officer Zhang would always have a biased perspective and never consider her to be kind-hearted or well-intentioned. Qu Qiuyan’s stay this time was bound to be in vain.

Furthermore, Qu Qiuyan was eager to prove herself, and her words had indeed been poorly chosen, giving rise to many suspicions.

Qu Moying ignored Qu Qiuyan. She didn’t want Qu Qiuyan to follow her. She purposely said those words to make Qu Qiuyan stay. Of course, she could guess that Qu Qiuyan wouldn’t have a good ending.

Medical Officer Zhang would never forget what had happened at the Qu Mansion. Qu Qiuyan’s appearance was enough to make Medical Officer Zhang avoid her for the rest of his life.

Qu Moying did not go far and chose a pavilion to sit for a while.

The pavilion only had two floors and was not very tall. However, when one sat on the top, the view was very wide. One could see the scenery at the entrance of the main palace. One could also see Medical Officer Zhang and another imperial physician walk around Qu Qiuyan and leave. Then Qu Qiuyan brought Qing Ju and walked down. Qu Qiuyan’s body was too weak. At this time, she really needed to rest.

Everyone knew that it was not a good time to go in now.

Qu Qiuyan looked down the steps and seemed to ask where Qu Moying was going. A palace servant pointed in the direction of Qu Moying. Qu Qiuyan narrowed her eyes and looked over. She turned and walked out. Looking at her, it was obvious that she was going to leave Dowager Consort Qu’s palace and walk outside.

Yu Dong, who was standing beside Qu Moying, also saw this scene and asked in surprise, “This time, we came to the palace to check on the Dowager Consort Qu’s illness. Now that the Dowager Consort Qu’s health is so poor, Third Lady still wants to go out for a walk?”

There was one more thing that Yu Dong didn’t mention. Dowager Consort Qu was a low-key person, so low-key that no one would remember that there was such an old Dowager Consort in the palace. If it wasn’t for the big commotion, perhaps many people wouldn’t know about this person. With Dowager Consort Qu’s personality, she wouldn’t want others to know about her or inquire about her.

If Qu Qiuyan went out like this, the people she met would definitely ask about it. Maybe there would be people who came to inquire about it because of the emperor’s attention. Qu Qiuyan went out like this, wasn’t it a good opportunity for people?

Moreover, she was here to visit the sick, not to enjoy the scenery. Dowager Consort Qu was so seriously ill, yet she still had the heart to slowly enjoy the scenery outside. It really made people feel that she was pretending to enter the palace this time.

“She also wants to go out for a walk and see if there is the right person.” Qu Moying smiled. If there were still people who also want to make trouble in this palace, they may do it together!

On one side of this building, there were windows all along. After pulling back the curtains, the view becomes clear. After Qu Qiuyan went outside, she looked around and chose the middle road to walk out.

The middle road was the widest, offering more opportunities to encounter people.

Qu Moying no longer paid attention to Qu Qiuyan. She turned away from the window and walked over to sit on the chair in the middle of the room. “Yu Dong, have you retrieved the piece of incense?”

“It’s in my sleeve. Would you like to see it now, Lady?” Yu Dong turned around as well and gently pinched her own sleeve. She had managed to slip the broken incense into it when the palace maid wasn’t paying attention.

“No need. Show it to Granny Miao when we go back. I sense that something is amiss, but I can’t be certain. Granny Miao must know something.” Qu Moying shook her head. If the incense was taken out, it would definitely emit a certain fragrance. It was better not to touch it for now.

Granny Miao’s behavior and actions clearly indicated that she had suspected something even before entering the palace. However, she hadn’t confirmed it at the time, so she remained silent.

Qu Moying was now certain that there must be something wrong with the incense. However, she was puzzled. Who would target such a low-profile Dowager Consort?

Indeed, her health had deteriorated significantly. When they had entered, the Dowager Consort had shown no desire to live. It was only after utilizing the carefully nurtured flowers that she had regained a bit of vitality and taken a few steps.

Qu Moying was well aware of the sensation of lying motionless in bed. Over the years, during her own bouts of serious illness, she had experienced the same state—gazing out of the window with lifeless eyes, unable to see anything clearly. She would simply wait for death quietly, without fear or dread. One could even say she felt neither sadness nor joy.

Looking back, Qu Moying realized that her previous self was actually more inclined to escape from the worldly affairs. She was a lonely individual in this world, with blood relatives who were cold and indifferent. As a young girl in her teens, she believed she had seen enough of the worldly glamour and the fickleness of human hearts.

Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly as she closed her eyes for a moment and then reopened them. She let out a long sigh and a faint smile curved her lips. “Let’s wait and see. Removing the incense should improve things, but…”

“But what?” Yu Dong asked instinctively.

Qu Moying sneered, “But there may be people who are unwilling to let it go and will try to light it again!”

If someone had sent this kind of scented incense, it was possible that there were individuals planted within her palace. Even if it had been removed before, they could now reintroduce it under the pretense of it being a habitual practice.

Habit was sometimes a convenient excuse that required no further explanation…

In the palace, ordinary people wouldn’t have access to such scented incense. The fact that there was a problem with the incense delivered to Dowager Consort Qu or within the palace itself raised suspicions…