Chapter 287 Taking Pulse
Chapter 287 Taking Pulse
Chapter 287: Taking the Pulse
Upon hearing this, Xie Liuzheng glared at Ji Yuntang, but she responded with a broad smile.
If he had to sleep with Luo Qianxue, he might as well be dead!
Their interaction, in Luo Qianxue’s eyes, was a blatant provocation.
Her eyes twisted with rage as she snapped, “Ji Yuntang, are you here to see me make a fool of myself?”
Ji Yuntang wanted to say, “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Luo Qianxue’s misfortune today could keep her laughing for a whole year.
No, ten years!
After all, she had never seen a princess so eager to marry, only to be rejected like this.
Ji Yuntang said with a grin, “Tenth Sister, you’re mistaken. I’ve been here for a while, but your eyes were only on your Brother Liuzheng—you didn’t notice me!”
Luo Qianxue was so furious she nearly bit through her silver teeth.
Emperor Jingyang, realizing the farce had finally ended, swept his gaze over the mess in the Hall of Government Affairs, his heart bleeding. Finally, his cold glare settled on Xie Liuzheng.
“Heir Xie, you vomited all over the Hall of Government Affairs and also over Tenth Princess. Don’t you owe me an explanation?”
Xie Liuzheng made a perfunctory bow.
“In reply, Your Majesty, I just asked Tenth Princess if she could accept my imperfections, and she agreed. Everyone here heard it.”
Emperor Jingyang frowned. “And what does that have to do with you vomiting all over her?”
“Your Majesty doesn’t know this, but I am allergic to women. Whenever I come into physical contact with one, I inevitably vomit. That is my imperfection.”
“My constitution is special. I never wished to delay Tenth Princess, but Your Majesty and Consort Li insisted on betrothing her to me. I had no choice but to resort to this, to see if she could accept this flaw of mine.”
Xie Liuzheng’s words made Luo Qianxue’s eyes widen in disbelief.
She prided herself on knowing Xie Liuzheng well, but she had never heard that he was allergic to women?
Was this the real reason he had never married or kept concubines in his mansion?
Luo Qianxue’s gaze toward Xie Liuzheng grew complicated.
She would rather he were impotent than accept this news that he was allergic to women—it was too hard for her to bear.
At that moment, a nearby table moved. Ji Yuntang was the first to react, shouting, “Ah! A dog! I saw a dog!”
Xie Liuzheng quickly stepped in front of her, his eyes scanning around. “Sister Yuntang, don’t be afraid. Big brother will protect you.”
He didn’t see any dog, so he asked, “Where is it?”
“Right under that table! Didn’t you see it?”
“I saw that table move just now!”
Ji Yuntang’s voice was filled with panic, but in a place no one could see, a sly glint flashed in her eyes.
Just then, Consort Li crawled out from under the table, her hair and clothes slightly disheveled.
Ji Yuntang gasped as she spotted her. “Ah! It’s Consort Li! I thought it was a dog!”
Consort Li was enraged. “How dare you! Are you calling me a dog?!”
Ji Yuntang blinked innocently. “Since ancient times, only dogs crawl under tables. Who would have thought Consort Li would do the same?”
“I only did this for Your Majesty’s safety. What if a dog really had been hiding under the table and bit you?”
Consort Li: “…”
Consort Li: “!!!”
She was about to scold Ji Yuntang when Emperor Jingyang, pinching his nose, bellowed, “Enough! Xue’er, go wash and change your clothes at once. What kind of princess looks like this?”
Luo Qianxue was so foul-smelling that Emperor Jingyang felt nauseous just looking at her.
If he could, he would have sent her back to her mother’s womb for a remake.
Leaning on two palace maids, Luo Qianxue left in tears.
Emperor Jingyang immediately ordered the Hall of Government Affairs to be cleaned.
The stench was too overwhelming to handle any business there, so he ordered everyone to move to the adjacent Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Once there, Emperor Jingyang began to target Ji Yuntang.
“Princess Ye, aren’t you skilled in medicine? Quickly take a look at Heir Xie and see what’s wrong with him!”
He strongly suspected that Xie Liuzheng was faking it just to avoid marrying Luo Qianxue!
He had never heard of or seen such a thing as being allergic to women, and he couldn’t believe it was real.
Of course, Emperor Jingyang had an ulterior motive in asking Ji Yuntang to examine Xie Liuzheng.
If Xie Liuzheng vomited whenever he touched a woman, then when Ji Yuntang took his pulse, she would inevitably have to touch him.
He wanted to see if Xie Liuzheng would vomit on Ji Yuntang too.
If not, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor, and he would have a reason to punish him!
Ji Yuntang also wanted to take Xie Liuzheng’s pulse; she was very curious about his constitution.
Hearing Emperor Jingyang’s suggestion, she agreed without a second thought.
“Alright, since Your Majesty has decreed it, I will not decline!”
But Xie Liuzheng refused at once. “No, no! You’ll end up coated in my vomit.”
He had no qualms about vomiting on Luo Qianxue—it was easy for him.
But vomiting on Ji Yuntang? He couldn’t do that.
The real reason: He didn’t dare.
Xie Liuzheng looked at Emperor Jingyang. “Your Majesty, this illness of mine can’t be cured by any doctor. I’ve been like this for years, and I’m used to it. I really don’t need a pulse check.”
Xie Liuzheng's refusal only further confirmed Emperor Jingyang's suspicions, making him even more determined to find out whether he was faking it.
"It's just a pulse check, and it's for your own health. Heir Xie, please stop refusing!"
Consort Li suppressed the hatred welling up in her eyes and added in a faint tone, "The Emperor is right. A pulse check is for your own good. If other doctors can't cure you, that doesn't mean Princess Ye can't."
"As everyone knows, her medical skills are far superior to those experienced physicians in the Imperial Hospital. After all, He'er is almost cured by her!"
Her words were dripping with sarcasm. Ji Yuntang wished she could stuff a cloth into Consort Li's mouth.
If Luo Junhe was getting better, shouldn't Consort Li be happy?
Instead, she acted as if she resented his recovery.
Ji Yuntang knew that Xie Liuzheng's refusal to let her take his pulse was for her sake. She looked at him warmly.
"Big brother, it's fine. Taking a pulse doesn't necessarily require physical contact. If I don't touch you, nothing bad will happen."
Xie Liuzheng's handsome brows furrowed slightly, but he couldn't shake his worry.
He hadn't intended to reveal his secret so early, but today Emperor Jingyang had forced his hand, forcing him to resort to this undesirable tactic.
He had anticipated that Emperor Jingyang might suspect him and arrange for other imperial physicians to take his pulse.
But what Xie Liuzheng hadn't expected was that Emperor Jingyang would send Ji Yuntang.
If Ji Yuntang could detect any problems, that would be fine. But if she couldn't, Emperor Jingyang would likely make things difficult for her.
------------