When the Noble Consort issued a summons, a Changzai had no choice but to go.
Unless she feigned illness.
But as fate would have it, Nanny Yusu had been accompanied by none other than Doctor Ding, sent by the Emperor himself to take Shu Changzai's pulse for a routine check-up. The results nearly knocked the Imperial Physician's socks off. His exact words were: "Her deep pulse is steady, smooth, and strong. It's a pulse full of vitality, indicating a constitution resistant to illness. Your Ladyship's health is so robust, I have rarely seen its like in all my years of practicing medicine!"
Young ladies of noble birth were often cooped up indoors, avoiding the sun to cultivate a cool, pale complexion in an era with only physical sun protection. Even without the practice of foot-binding, athletic exercise was not in vogue. Someone like Ma Wanyi, who hailed from a family of martial artists and was skilled in riding and archery, was a rare exception.
