Chapter 18: Liu Mei Learns the Truth

Already struggling to suppress her anger, Liu Mei exploded at the physician’s words.

She had been half-reclining but immediately sat up straight, glaring at the physician as she scolded:

“What do you mean by that? Someone, go inform my mother to summon the imperial physicians from the palace… As for this quack, lock him up in the servants’ quarters and sever his hand tendons.”

“If you claim your medical skills are lacking, then what use are these hands of yours? Better to destroy them entirely.”

With just a few words, Liu Mei sealed the physician’s fate.

The physician frantically kowtowed on the ground.

“Please, Third Miss, have mercy! I spoke nonsense—I am guilty! Please, for the sake of my elderly mother and young children at home, spare my life.”

His entire family relied on his medical practice to survive.

If his hands were ruined, his whole family would starve on the streets.

But Liu Mei paid no attention to his desperate pleas.

A mere commoner—his life was worthless.

“Hurry up and drag him out. What are you all waiting for? The carpet is getting dirty!”

Blood from the physician’s forehead had stained the expensive carpet as he kowtowed, yet all Liu Mei cared about was her luxurious flooring.

The servants were unfazed by this scene.

With their heads lowered, they dragged the physician away.

Not long after, the imperial physician from the palace arrived, his tone carrying a hint of disdain. “Is it for Third Miss’ diagnosis? Show me your hand.”

The imperial physicians only treated members of the royal family, unless an official had achieved immense merit.

When had they ever left the palace to take the pulse of some young noblewoman?

The world was truly changing—now that the Prime Minister’s estate held power, even a former imperial consort, who had never borne a royal heir, had managed to erase the empire’s only princess. The entire palace was in chaos.

Alas, they were powerless to change anything.

He only wondered if the little princess was still alive somewhere.

Liu Mei despised the arrogance of those in the palace and sneered, “What’s this? Is Imperial Physician Su unwilling to treat me?”

Imperial Physician Su stroked his beard and smiled. “From what I see, Third Miss is in good health, speaking loudly and clearly. You hardly seem like someone who is ill.”

“You—!”

Liu Mei almost raised her hand to slap him, but then she recalled her mother’s warning earlier—people in the palace couldn’t be touched for now.

“Fine, then. Let’s see if the Imperial Physicians’ Hall is truly as skilled as the rumors claim.”

With a taunting look, she extended her hand. After resting in bed for the past couple of days, she had mostly recovered. She refused to believe this old physician could diagnose anything serious.

Imperial Physician Su placed a handkerchief over her wrist and pressed three fingers down.

After a few moments, his brows furrowed.

Without hesitation, he stated her condition: “Third Miss suffered an internal injury recently. You will need at least three to five years of careful recuperation before considering childbirth.”

“Childbirth?”

Liu Mei’s face darkened as she fixed an ominous glare on the physician. “Imperial Physician Su, you had better take responsibility for your words.”

Before she could say anything more, the Prime Minister’s wife entered the room.

She took the initiative to greet the physician with a smile.

“Imperial Physician Su, it has been quite some time. I remember the Empress Dowager speaking highly of your medical expertise. Today, I thought it best to invite you to examine my daughter.”

Her words were clearly an attempt to win him over, causing Liu Mei to swallow her anger.

A mere physician!

Her father controlled the entire Liang Dynasty now!

“Mother…”

Liu Mei had just begun to speak when the Prime Minister’s wife cut her off with a sharp reprimand:

“Silence! This is not your place to speak.”

Liu Mei stared at her mother in disbelief.

As the youngest daughter of the Prime Minister’s wife, she had been spoiled since birth and had never been scolded so harshly. A mix of anger and grievance surged in her heart.

But her mother refused to meet her gaze.

Instead, she gestured for a servant to hand a pouch of gold ingots to Imperial Physician Su.

“Imperial Physician Su, my daughter has had some minor health issues recently, but it’s nothing serious. Just a small token of appreciation—your son must face many hardships in the military, and I’m sure this will be of use to him.”

Her eyes held a polite smile, but there was no warmth in them.

Her gentle tone carried the most lethal threat.

“You…!”

Having spent years in the imperial palace, how could Imperial Physician Su not understand her meaning?

Using his son as leverage—clearly, today’s examination was a mere pretense. What she truly wanted was for him to falsify a medical record, ensuring Third Miss’ “purity” remained unquestioned.

“There is no need for an immediate answer, Imperial Physician Su. When you return to the palace and write the medical record, take a look at the letter from your son on the table. Then, decide.”

With that, the Prime Minister’s wife turned to her maid. “Qiao’er, see the physician out.”

As if all the pleasantries from before had been nothing but an illusion.

Imperial Physician Su left, his heart brimming with suppressed fury.

Liu Mei, who had been watching everything unfold from the side, finally let out a delighted laugh. “Mother, it all comes down to you in the end.”

The Prime Minister’s wife dotingly tapped the tip of Liu Mei’s nose.

“You should stop causing me unnecessary worry. That Jiang Qingqing is nothing more than a pitiful orphan with no one to back her up. Why bother competing with her?”

So what if Bai Wan had once stunned the entire capital with her beauty?

In the end, she had disappeared without a trace, her fate unknown—neither alive nor dead. And her only daughter had been discarded like a tattered rag, abandoned in the desolate mountains.

—

After the Prime Minister’s wife left, Liu Mei, supported by her maid, stepped out of the courtyard.

Her mood was exceptionally pleasant.

Now that she had the Imperial Physician’s medical record as proof, no one would ever know what had truly happened to her. It was a flawless cover-up. As for childbirth, the physician had said it was only a matter of time.

A cool evening breeze brushed past, and Liu Mei took a deep breath.

If only the gossiping servants chattering in the bushes weren’t ruining the moment, the night would have been perfect.

Liu Mei signaled to her maid to drive the troublesome servants away.

The maid stepped forward and scolded them, “How dare you? Do you think the Prime Minister’s residence is a place where you can spread idle gossip? If you disturb Third Miss, you’ll suffer the consequences.”

The servants, who had been whispering in the bushes, were shocked.

“Third Miss?”

“Third Miss is here!”

“Quick, leave! The Young Master said this matter must never be revealed to Third Miss!”

The group scattered in panic, their strange behavior catching Liu Mei’s attention.

She immediately called out, stopping one of the fleeing servants.

“Wait! What were you talking about? What matter must not be revealed to me?”

The servants hesitated, stammering.

In the end, Liu Mei learned the truth.

“Impossible! You’re all lying!” Her voice trembled with disbelief. “I’ll go ask Mother myself! If any of you dared to deceive me, I swear I will have your lives!”

Ignoring the dull ache in her body, she stumbled in a panic toward the Prime Minister’s wife’s chambers.

But just as she reached the door, she overheard a conversation between her mother and the trusted nanny.

“My lady, you went through great effort today for Third Miss.”

The Prime Minister’s wife sighed. “The entire capital already knows that Mei’er’s purity has been ruined. All I can do is keep that medical record safe. Years from now, when people’s memories fade, I will restore her reputation.”

“I still don’t understand why the Young Master—”

Before the nanny could finish, the Prime Minister’s wife cut her off.

“Say no more.”

The sudden revelation struck Liu Mei like a thunderbolt.

She couldn’t accept it.

Malice twisted her face into something almost unrecognizable. The thought that she had lost face in front of those lowly commoners was unbearable.

They would laugh at her—mock her!

She was the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister’s household!

Jiang Qingqing!

It was all that wretched woman’s fault!

Liu Mei stormed off, her sleeves billowing with fury.

She turned and summoned all the guards in the courtyard.

Her gaze, filled with venomous cruelty, flicked to the sharp blades at their waists.

Her voice was cold, chilling.

“At dawn tomorrow, you will follow me out of the city.”