@cerbykerby: today's thought is omega wwx d...

today's thought is omega wwx defying the odds and becoming a imperial physician—a position usually reserved for betas and alphas.

so imagine his stress when he's tasked with caring for emperor lwj's concubines and maximizing the chances of an heir.

wwx is fully aware that he's given the task because others want to see him fail. well, he's not going to! yes, fertility is a tricky issue, but so long as there's a chance, anything is possible.

he does so many tests and brews so many new medicines—all with little effect. the concubines are in good health (albeit a bit frantic with the race to conceive first), so nothing really should be hindering the process.

wwx suspects something is up with the emperor.

but the moment he even *hints* that mayhaps the problem lies with the emperor, wwx gets scolded to high heaven. how dare he insinuate that the emperor has issues! doesn't he realize that he could be executed for even considering it?

it also doesn't help that lwj has his own small circle of personal physicians who, for both safety and status reasons, will Not let anyone close to the emperor.

wwx is at his wit's end. he has put these poor concubines on every kind of bitter fertility medicine, with no results.

the issue Must lie with the emperor. wwx needs to personally check on him. but wwx can't get close to him.

soooo obviously the solution is to secretly switch spots with a concubine in the carriage that brings the emperor's choice of nightly companion to his palace.

obviously lwj doesn't appreciate finding a complete stranger in his bed. he reaches to draw bichen, but not before wwx is like, "Helloooo Your Majesty, don't mind me, just gonna do some tests…" and shoves a wooden stick in his mouth to check his health 😭😭

lwj's fighting for his life against this stranger and wwx just keeps going, "Stop moving, stop moviiiiiing shhhh I'm a doctor, just gotta check one more thing…" and subjects lwj to an entire litany of physical checkups.

by the time lwj kicks wwx out, wwx only has more questions. from whatever tests he managed to squeeze out of lwj, lwj seems fine. if anything, he seems healthier than most. why would he have trouble putting heirs in his concubines?

more tests are needed—and, ideally, samples.

wwx has a bit of an unconventional (and sketchy, tbh) background. he doesn't rely only on pulse-reading for health diagnosis. he has an unusually thorough knowledge of anatomy (from his time in yiling after being kicked out by madam yu *cough*) and built a microscope for himself.

usually, someone of his background (and an omega, no less) has no chance of becoming a recognized physician—much less an imperial physician. but wwx is nothing if not determined, and his patients (no matter how unwilling they originally are) cannot deny his efficacy.

obviously the emperor ends up asking around on who the intruder is. the other imperial physicians are eager to rat wwx out in hopes that lwj will severely punish him for trespassing.

instead, lwj asks wwx what he does and what it is that he wants.

wwx explains that he's in charge of ensuring the birth of an heir. lwj asks what wwx was doing in *his* room when he's supposed to be working with the concubines.

"Oh, I was just checking up on you," wwx grins. "Gotta make sure your imperial body is healthy too."

"You could have asked my physicians," lwj replies, unimpressed.

"I know." wwx kicks at a pebble. "But I was sort of hoping for some… samples?"

"Samples," lwj deadpans.

"You know… blood, hair, urine…" he waves his hand. "Could I cut a chunk out of you?"