If the acting isn’t enough, just turn up the volume.
Embarrassingly, Yun Jiao learned this technique from doctors.
As long as you spend enough time in a hospital, you’ll inevitably witness medical disputes up close. Yun Jiao once saw an uncle wailing, "My son died so tragically—" as he knelt down. Before the person behind him could remind him, "Uncle, it was a daughter," her doctor had already quickly slid in, screaming loudly to interrupt the spellcasting, breaking the cycle of confrontation, and by the time they realized, security had already arrived.
"It hurts, it hurts too much."
Poorly written lines, full of flawed acting: "It seems my arm is broken."
Die’er was utterly dumbfounded.
She really just wanted to push someone aside, she didn’t even use much force!
The palace maids are all thin, and she practiced dancing, so she had some strength, but her weight had long been under eighty pounds. How could she push someone to the ground, let alone break an arm? She must be acting!
But when she clearly saw the face of the woman on the ground, her mind buzzed, and she thought to herself that she was in trouble.
Even if Concubine Lan was favored, she couldn’t protect a maid who injured a concubine.
She was done for, absolutely done for!
Die’er was just about to argue, thinking how could they not see that it was all an act? Just then, Xue Ya lifted the curtain and saw the scene, dropping the food tray in shock before rushing in to the ground to cry mournfully, "Lady, what’s happened to you!" She glared up at the flustered Die’er, "Vicious woman, how heartless can you be, daring to attack Concubine Xi!"
She wasn’t aware of Yun Jiao’s plan, but her genuine outburst surpassed her mistress’s performance, instantly elevating the situation to heights it shouldn’t have reached.
Even Die’er started feeling a flicker of doubt, wondering if she inadvertently developed the Iron Mountain Lean, lightly pushing and making Concubine Xi crippled?
Yun Jiao rolled her eyes heavily, then closed them and let her head fall back, sticking out her tongue.
"My Lady—"
Xue Ya cried out in anguish.
Things happened so quickly that the palace maids at the back couldn’t see clearly how the collision occurred. They only knew that Die’er from Youlan Garden pushed Concubine Xi hard, causing her to fall to the ground and then start screaming!
"Oh my goodness, what’s all this about, quickly fetch the Imperial Physician." The eunuch from the South Fruit Room stomped anxiously, worried about getting implicated for an incident on his watch.
Meanwhile, Yun Jiao decided to save this moment of feigned unconsciousness.
She wasn’t sure which physician would arrive, nor if they would be on her side.
No matter, reload the save a few times, and she could eventually play out a perfect outcome.
"I’m not, I didn’t, I only gave a gentle push..."
Die’er cried in fear, her previous arrogance and smugness completely gone.
"Our mistress doesn’t compete for anything, she just wanted to eat a melon eagerly, what’s it to you? Why use so much force against her?"
Xue Ya yelled sharply, then held Yun Jiao, sobbing loudly.
Tears dripped onto Yun Jiao’s cheek, and she began to worry this girl might cry so sincerely that snot would soon follow.
Luckily, before Yun Jiao’s concern became reality, she was carried to a nearby couch to lie down.
"Doctor Zhang arrives!"
This was one of the Empress’s people, no good.
"Doctor Jiang arrives!"
The surname itself was a rival, not suitable either.
"Doctor Zhang arrives!"
Yun Jiao’s fingers trembled as she listened closely to what he would say.
Her favor might not be what it once was, but Doctor Zhang had capitalized on her before; they were in the same boat, surely he wouldn’t dare speak against her.
Doctor Zhang examined and inquired as he furrowed his brow, "Hmm..."
Xue Ya grew anxious: "Don’t just hmm! What’s wrong with the Lady? Please, don’t keep us in suspense."
"I know you’re worried, Xue Ya, but don’t panic yet."
Doctor Zhang felt bitter internally.
He wasn’t intentionally delaying, he was recalling all he had learned to figure out how to fabricate a sufficiently serious injury on Concubine Xi, whose arm wasn’t even bruised.
"The Lady’s in this state, how can I not be anxious!"
Xue Ya shed tears.
"You don’t understand, just wait a moment." There he is, really making it up.
The Imperial Physician was an external male, he had to diagnose concubines with multiple people present and the doors open.
Thus, Doctor Zhang also couldn’t directly suggest Concubine Xi hurt herself further to create injuries.
External injuries, visible to the eye, were hard to lie about.
"Allow me to take the Lady’s pulse."
Doctor Zhang changed his approach, deciding to focus on internal injuries. But at this point, he truly furrowed his brow.
What he felt was...
It seemed oddly like a pregnancy pulse?