Quick Transmigration Cannon Fodder's Record of Counterattacks Chapter 3598: The Most Favoured Woman in the Inner Palace (1

“No?” Ning Shu looked very disappointed. “The court physician said I shouldn’t rely on elixirs to condition my body, but I find them quite effective. I just wanted something a bit more potent.”

“There are many ways to treat ailments in this world,” the old Daoist replied. “Physicians use herbs to heal people, but I use celestial items.”

Ning Shu expressed her deep agreement. “You are right, Daoist Master. Do you have any more?”

“I refined a few recently. Golden elixirs are not easy to e by. Your Highness should use them sparingly.”

People never cared for things that were easily obtained. Only things won through great difficulty were truly valued. The old Daoist wanted to market his products as high-end goods to keep people’s interest piqued.

“I can give you three. The other five must go to the emperor. Refining is no easy task. Every time I create these elixirs, it drains a significant portion of my cultivation.”

“Oh, I see. But three is only enough for one day,” Ning Shu said, sounding a bit displeased. “Can’t you increase the dosage so one pill lasts me the whole day?”

The old Daoist was speechless.

“These are celestial items. They cannot be altered at a whim. Please do not be disrespectful toward the divine.”

Ning Shu immediately looked upset, and her eyes grew even redder. “In that case, I might as well go back to drinking herbal medicine.”

The old Daoist was at a loss for words.

“What is the empress doing here?” Ao Tianze walked into the hall. He looked between Ning Shu and the old Daoist with a searching, pointed gaze.

Seeing Ao Tianze’s suspicious look, Ning Shu felt a wave of speechlessness wash over her. Her mouth twitched. What was that look for? Was he actually suspicious that something was going on between her and this old priest? Ao Tianze had bee so paranoid about being cuckolded that he was hallucinating.

“This humble priest greets Your Majesty. The empress came to ask for elixirs.”

“Elixirs?” Ao Tianze looked at Ning Shu. “The empress takes them as well?”

“Your Majesty, we are husband and wife. I have taken them for a few days and feel quite good, so I came to ask the priest for more. However, they are hard to e by, and I was hoping for a larger supply,” Ning Shu said with a dignified air. In her mind, however, she was thinking that they were now ‘pill-mates’ in their shared addiction.

Ao Tianze looked at her. “The empress still has the heart to e here for elixirs? How are the children?”

Ning Shu immediately pouted and spoke in a wronged tone. “I have these headaches, and the pain is so agonizing that I cannot focus on anything else. After taking the priest’s elixirs, I feel my head doesn’t hurt as much.”

“How are the children?” Ao Tianze asked again as he took the elixirs the old Daoist handed over. Noticing the box held fewer than usual, he asked, “Why are there so few?”

“I gave a portion to the Empress.” The old Daoist’s eyes gleamed with self-satisfaction as he watched the most powerful man under the sky scramble to eat his pills.

“Then… Your Majesty can have my portion.” Ning Shu reluctantly pulled out her elixirs. “You should take more, Your Majesty. I will ask the priest for more next time. I shall take my leave.”

Ning Shu returned home, looking disappointed.

Ao Tianze watched her retreating back and told the old Daoist, “Next time the empress asks, do not give her any. These celestial items are limited. Every pill used is one pill less.”

“This humble priest understands,” the old Daoist said calmly, maintaining his air of immortal grace.

A thing was only good if people fought over it, as food only tasted better when others wanted to steal it. Seeing the empress e to pete for the elixirs made Ao Tianze even more protective of them. These were his things.

When Ning Shu returned to Jiaofang Palace, a palace girl reported that Consort Xuan had arrived with the two children.

“Your Highness, please save my children!” Consort Xuan knelt on the floor, weeping so hard she could barely speak.

Ning Shu took the infants. Their faces had bee painfully thin and their breathing was weak. When she touched their heads, she felt a low-grade fever.

Ning Shu quickly placed the children on the bed and spoke to the hysterical Consort Xuan. “Go wash your face.”

In just a few days, Consort Xuan had lost a significant amount of weight. She looked utterly haggard, with her face sallow and devoid of makeup. She no longer looked like an elegant imperial consort.

The two children had been feverish for days and now weighed even less than they did at birth. When she unfastened their clothes, their protruding ribcages were a heart-wrenching sight.

Ning Shu funneled some spiritual energy into the children and sent the female physician and Xi’er away to brew medicine. Once the hall was empty, she took out some modern fever-reducing tablets, crushed them into a fine powder, mixed them with a little water in a spoon, and fed the mixture to the children.

These two babies were causing her more worry than their own mother.

She used a cloth to wipe down their bodies. If they survived this great disaster, they were bound to have good fortune later.

With Ning Shu looking after the children, Consort Xuan was finally able to rest. After several sleepless nights, she had reached her limit. She’d just finished her confinement, but her body had been pushed to the breaking point.

Consort Xuan was wary of Ning Shu, yet she had no choice but to rely on her. If she hadn’t felt she had no other options, she wouldn’t have brought the children here.

Ning Shu stayed by the bedside all night. By morning, the children’s temperatures had dropped slightly, and their expressions were no longer so pained.

With continued meticulous care, the fevers stopped recurring. Occasionally, the infants would even open their eyes.

Consort Xuan breathed a long sigh of relief. The children were finally out of danger.

When the other concubines in the inner palace learned the children were safe, their feelings were plicated. Seeing Consort Xuan with her children made them all burn with envy and jealousy.

Naturally, this included Fu Min. She desperately wanted a child, but every time Ao Tianze visited her, he would give her a medicinal tonic to drink afterward.

She had privately asked a court physician about the ingredients. The physician told her it was a tonic to nourish her body, but that it also served as a contraceptive. Because the tonic was a gift from Ao Tianze, it left Fu Min feeling dejected and hurt.

One night, she spoke to him. “Your Majesty, I want a child. I want someone to keep me pany while I wait for you every day.”

As she spoke, she braced herself for his anger. To her surprise, Ao Tianze agreed readily. “Very well. Let us have a child of our own.”

“Really?” Fu Min was overjoyed. “I thank Your Majesty for your immense grace!”

“I will give you everything you want.” Ao Tianze kissed her forehead.

He figured that since there were already two children in the inner palace and they seemed to be recovering, Fu Min getting pregnant now wouldn’t stand out too much. Moreover, with his protection, she would surely be able to give birth safely.

Those two children were truly resilient, and they simply refused to die. He decided he would let them serve as shields for Fu Min’s future child. When the time came, he could find any excuse to have them executed.

Ao Tianze took an elixir and pulled Fu Min into an embrace. He felt he should give her a child. Otherwise, she would be too lonely. He couldn’t show her too much public favor, lest it stir up criticism from the court officials. Furthermore, Fu Min’s father was only a minor official. If he pampered her excessively, her father might suffer for it.

Thus, Fu Min’s favor was a strange thing—not enough to be supreme, but more than enough to make others jealous.