The Queen sealed her heart and locked up her love, and the Emperor was trapped in the crematorium

Inside the Qionghua Palace.

After learning that the person who came was just the imperial physician, Concubine Qi's originally pretty and charming face instantly turned cold as ice, and so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip out of it. The expression on her face was extremely ugly.

"It must be that bitch Queen who is causing trouble again." Concubine Qi said through gritted teeth, her face full of resentment.

"If not for this, why would my cousin be so cold and heartless to me? He wouldn't even look at me..."

Previously, she naively believed that the queen had changed her personality and wanted to be a generous and virtuous queen, but now it seems that all this was just an illusion.

The queen is still the same narrow-minded, ruthless, insidious and cunning person as before. No matter how nicely she says, she will not interfere in the competition for favor among the concubines in the harem.

But actually?

Humph, what does it mean to win favor with one's own ability? She is clearly just pretending to be tolerant and generous on the surface, but secretly she still occupies her cousin all by herself. She is simply a two-faced and extremely hypocritical woman. My cousin is really blind, mistaking fish eyes for pearls, and his heart and eyes are full of that bitch Xie Yaoqing.

In fact, Concubine Qi was not sick at all. She just wanted to find an excuse to meet Xiao Chengxu.

Since Xiao Chengxu did not show up, she naturally didn't bother to pay attention to the imperial doctors.

Concubine Qi waved her hands impatiently at the palace maid Yunqi beside her, signaling her to quickly send the two imperial doctors who came to see the patient away and not to get in her way.

The noble lady firmly refused to let them see the patient, and the imperial doctors had no choice but to bow and leave.

The two imperial doctors walked together back to the Imperial Medical Bureau. Not long after they stepped out of the Qionghua Palace, they ran into the emperor's carriage. They hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed to pay their respects.

Guessing that they came from Qionghua Palace, Xiao Chengxu asked casually, "Is the Imperial Concubine in any condition?"

The two imperial doctors looked at each other in silence, not knowing how to answer for a moment.

After all, they hadn't even seen the imperial concubine, so how could they know the specific situation?

One of the older doctors answered honestly, "Your Majesty, I don't know."

Xiao Chengxu narrowed his eyes slightly and asked in a low voice: "Why don't you know?"

"The Imperial Concubine has not allowed me and others to examine her, so I have no way of knowing." Another younger imperial physician replied tremblingly.

Xiao Chengxu's face darkened slightly, revealing a hint of dissatisfaction.

As the king of a country, he is certainly not a stupid person. He can guess the reason with just a little thinking.

Since there was an imperial physician but he was not allowed to see her, it probably meant that the imperial concubine was not sick at all and did not need medical treatment. The reason why the imperial concubine Qi pretended to be ill was just to take this opportunity to see him. Thinking of this, Xiao Chengxu could not help but feel unhappy.

This matter is neither big nor small. If you think about it in a small way, it is just some insignificant tricks used by the concubines in the harem to attract the emperor's attention; but if you think about it in a big way, it will inevitably be suspected of deceiving the emperor. Once a small matter is related to deceiving the emperor, it is no longer a small matter.

How the same incident is characterized depends entirely on Xiao Chengxu's attitude towards Concubine Qi. He could either turn a blind eye to it, let it go lightly, and pretend he had no knowledge of it; or he could do the opposite and punish her severely.

"Let's go back to Kunning Palace."

At this time, Xiao Chengxu had no intention of going to Qionghua Palace to see Concubine Qi. He only felt that Concubine Qi was making a fuss and being pretentious. These were all bad habits that the Qi family had spoiled her. She didn't know how to behave herself after entering the palace. What was he, the emperor, like? Was he a foolish and incompetent monarch who didn't know right from wrong?

Afterwards, he sent a eunuch to the Qionghua Palace to convey the oral order.

"Since the Imperial Concubine is in poor health and is ill, she should just stay in the Qionghua Palace and rest peacefully. There is no need to step out of the palace unless necessary."

After hearing the eunuch's order, Concubine Qi's face suddenly turned pale and bloodless, and she couldn't even force out a smile. She forced herself to maintain her last bit of dignity and sent the eunuch away. Then she turned around and could no longer suppress her inner anger. She began to smash the furnishings in the room frantically. Just by listening to the sound, it was not difficult to infer how angry Concubine Qi was at this moment.

"Why? Why exactly? Why did my cousin treat me like this? Not only did he not come to see me, but he also confined me and punished me. Why did my cousin become like this?"

Although on the surface it allows her to rest and recuperate, how is it actually any different from house arrest?

What is different from the last house arrest is that the person who issued the order this time was Xiao Chengxu, and no specific date for lifting the ban was specified.

Illness comes like a mountain falling, and goes like a thread being pulled out. If she really needs to "recuperate" for several months, it is not uncommon. Does this mean that from now on, she will be trapped in this small Qionghua Palace and waste her time?

Concubine Qi was filled with resentment.

Why did she enter the palace? Wasn't it to be liked by her cousin, to live with him forever, and to love him? In order to be with her cousin, she could humble herself as a concubine, not be the mistress of a rich family, or the wife of a young talent. She had done so much for her cousin, but he didn't appreciate her feelings and didn't see her efforts. This was unfair, and she was unwilling to accept it.

Concubine Qi really couldn't understand why such an oral order came to her.

After some inquiries, Concubine Qi was filled with regret.

If I had known my cousin would come, I should have kept the two doctors. Even if I wasn't sick, I could still pretend to be sick. As long as I insisted that I was dizzy and unwell, the doctors could only blame my poor medical skills if they couldn't find the cause. But now I have done something wrong and shot myself in the foot.

Xie Yaoqing had anticipated Xiao Chengxu's treatment and was not surprised at all.

Originally, this matter could have been settled peacefully and left unresolved, but given Xiao Chengxu's character, what he hated most in his life was being deceived and cheated, so it was expected that Concubine Qi would be punished. It would have been a rare thing if she had not been punished.

He only announced that Concubine Qi would be "recuperating" and did not directly place her under house arrest in the palace. It was obvious that he was still showing mercy and giving her enough face.

As for why Concubine Qi was given a break, Xie Yaoqing found it difficult to figure out the reason.

Perhaps it is out of consideration for the reputation of the Qi family in the previous dynasty. Although there are fewer and fewer talented younger generations in the family nowadays, there are still a few people who can be of great use.

For example, Concubine Qi's father, Xiao Chengxu's uncle Qi Chaowei, was indeed a useful minister.

But perhaps it was for the Empress Dowager's sake. Otherwise, if the Empress Dowager learned that her own niece was punished and confined, she would have to plead for Concubine Qi.

One night passed, and the next morning, the concubines in the harem heard the news that Concubine Qi was ill.

However, few people really believed that she was really ill. After all, they had just seen Concubine Qi yesterday when they went to pay their respects to the Queen. At that time, Concubine Qi's face was as rosy as a newly blooming peach blossom, and she was full of energy and spirit, without any signs of illness. Anyone with eyes could see that Concubine Qi was in good health, not like someone who was suffering from illness.

How come it's only been a short time, and he suddenly needs to rest and recuperate? Who would believe me if I said there was no secret? I guess the so-called "illness" was just an excuse, and the real reason was probably that he had angered the emperor.

Within the palace walls, the emperor dominates everything. He can honor whomever he pleases and suppress whomever he wants. Making a concubine "sick" is just a matter of a word.

It seems that this Concubine Qi is not very capable. Even if she is the emperor's cousin, so what? Judging from the emperor's attitude towards her, it seems that he does not have any special favor or love for this cousin.

Because Concubine Qi had been arrogant and domineering since she came into the world, she had offended many concubines openly or covertly, and her popularity was very bad. Now that she was in trouble, many concubines were gloating and watching from the sidelines, watching the fun, and no one wanted to help her.