The candlelight suddenly lit up in the imperial tent. Kangxi felt powerless and struggled to wake up from his deep sleep. He grabbed the edge of the bed and retched a few times, then coughed heart-wrenchingly. The next moment, a familiar sweet and fishy smell came from his mouth. His face changed drastically. He touched his lips with a trembling hand, then spread his palm and stared at the bright red on his fingertips.
Blood.
The emperor actually vomited blood!
Not only was Doctor Yang disheartened, but Liang Jiugong was also frightened out of his wits. His legs and feet went limp, and he cried out "Your Highness" in a crying voice.
"water… "
The noise was so loud that everyone who was paying attention to the emperor's tent was immediately awakened and thought something was wrong.
Doctor An was taking a nap on the side while waiting for his turn. He got up and looked at the blood on the carpet in horror: "How could it be... How could it be..."
Doctor Yang responded too quickly just now, so he had a bad premonition, and at this moment, the bad premonition came true.
The same thought emerged in the minds of all the imperial physicians: this disease could not be a combination of cold and heat.
The announcement from outside was extremely sharp: "Your Majesty, Prince Yu, Prince Gong, and the eldest prince want to see you—"
Kangxi finally stopped coughing. He took a few breaths, struggled to get up, and moistened his throat with warm water to wash away the bloody smell in his mouth. The symptoms of heaviness in the head and alternating hot and cold came over him again.
"It's all cleaned up..." He closed his eyes, his brows drooping with a cold expression. After Liang Jiugong wiped the blood tremblingly, he forced himself to say, "Announce."
In the eyes of Prince Yu and Prince Gong, veins popped out on the emperor's forehead, his lips turned purple, his face was extremely red, and his body was twitching slightly.
How can this be some ordinary cold or heat? !
The eldest prince Yinzhi drew his sword from his waist with a gloomy face, which shocked the two princes. Without waiting for them to stop him, he took two steps forward and held the sword across the neck of Doctor Yang, squeezing out a sentence from between his teeth: "Quack, you deserve to die!"
Doctor Yang's legs were trembling, tears were streaming down his face, and he couldn't even utter the words "eldest brother, please spare my life" clearly.
The eldest prince was so angry that he wanted to kill the quack doctor who had wronged his father on the spot. Then he heard Kangxi's eyes sternly say: "Yinzhi, put away your sword. Don't be unreasonable."
There was an undisguised weakness in his voice, and the eldest prince's eyes turned red as he answered "yes" reluctantly.
Prince Yu was well aware of the seriousness of the situation, and Prince Gong was impatient. He glared at him with his tiger eyes and shouted, "What disease does the emperor have?!"
Doctor Yang collapsed and couldn't get up, so only Doctor An in the corner could make the final conclusion.
The overwhelming force of a mountain pressing down on him was overwhelming. Doctor An dragged his heavy steps and staggered forward. He felt that those few steps were very long, as if they had taken him a lifetime.
The moment he took hold of his hand, he was mentally prepared and had already put life and death aside.
Even so, after identifying the pulse, tongue coating and systemic symptoms, Doctor An's heart still couldn't help but fall, as if it had fallen into an icy cold pond. Unstoppable despair enveloped his whole body and cold sweat dripped down his back.
He said in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, it's not a fever, it's malaria—"
Malaria can only be delayed but not cured.
At the shortest, they can last a few days, at the longest, two months. Since ancient times, there has been no cure for this disease.
As soon as he finished speaking, the imperial tent fell into deathly silence. Kangxi's chest rose and fell for a moment, and he closed his eyes as if he sensed something, then opened them again.
Glancing around, he clenched his weak fingers and slowly said, "Fuquan, Galdan... I leave all my power to you. You should not stay here any longer. Keep the news secret and return to Rehe immediately. Urgently summon the imperial physician..."
"The Third Prince will be staying with the Emperor in the palace to recuperate for the time being. As for Fulu's whereabouts..." The Emperor's voice gradually faded, "Yinzhi, you will make the arrangements. Remember, take good care of him."
If I can't protect her well, Xiuxiu will come to settle the score with me.
******
The urgent message was sent in eight hundred miles, and the horses were galloped to the capital overnight.
Over there, in the small Buddhist hall of Zhongcui Palace, Rong Fei clenched her palms and suddenly narrowed her eyes: "Are you telling the truth?"
"Your Majesty, it's absolutely true." The head maid whispered, "Soetu was sentenced to immediate execution, and the Soni clan was defeated. Pingpin is no different from a madman. You said that we should always pay attention to that end. Just yesterday, someone from Chuxiu Palace came to me and said that their majesty has the handle on Concubine Yi..."
"Handle? Imperial Concubine Yi?" Rong Fei's eyes were somewhat strange, and she smiled gently after hearing this, "Suo Etu is really a good uncle. He didn't forget his niece who was seriously ill in the palace before he died. By the way, when did he hold a grudge against Guo Luoluo?"
The guy from Yikun Palace has so many enemies.
It's not her fault. Being so arrogant and domineering, she will not be able to get through this smoothly.
Concubine Rong suddenly recalled that some time ago, she had not yet figured out how to deal with the situation, but Concubine Yi took the initiative to attack for no reason.
The maid named Ruizhu told the kitchen that Empress Rong was devoted to worshipping Buddha and was a compassionate living Bodhisattva, and that she was not allowed to have any meat or fish in the food in the main hall of Zhongcui Palace. Such a ridiculous statement was actually accepted by those servants in the kitchen!
The emperor was not here, and it was useless to complain to the two queen dowagers. Guo Luoluo, that bitch, chose the time to pay respects, and said with a clever smile: "Sister Rongfei told me that we should pray for the soldiers who fought in the bloody battles. If they touch meat, their hearts will not be sincere, and I can't persuade them."
That would have been fine, but the Empress Dowager also praised her!
Now, she had to use it even if she didn't want to.
Thinking of this, Rong Fei smiled with a chill. It had been many years since she had suffered such a loss.
"I don't know, but the evidence is real. Pingpin told me..." The maid leaned over and whispered a few words in Rongfei's ear, "Ask the Ninth Prince to write a letter to the emperor... When Zhang Youde was talking to the Ninth Prince, that person heard it with his own ears."
After that, she stepped back a few steps and continued in a low voice: "The nanny who fostered the prince was a good friend of Soni when he became the regent minister. She can be regarded as Soetu's last trump card."
Rong Fei didn't react for a long time, "How old is the Ninth Prince? How can I write for him?"
"My lady, I thought that the Ninth Prince was just providing cover, and there was someone helping him secretly."
"You're right." Rong Fei's heart was moved, and she murmured, "If the people who secretly helped were men, those talented officials and scholars... this would not only be a crime of deceiving the emperor."
She could see that the emperor had long been in love with Guo Luoluo. But the emperor could not stand the fact that the woman he loved had a vicious heart. Didn't she know what kind of person Concubine Yi was
She is as cunning and calculating as she is. Her arrogance may be a cover-up. It's ridiculous that the emperor treats her like a jewel, and only has eyes for her beauty.
As long as we plant the seeds of suspicion in the emperor's heart, why worry that it won't sprout
Even the Golden Immortal could not save her from having an affair with a man outside her family. Even if there was no affair, so what? She would not be able to escape the crime of deceiving the emperor. As for the other charges, even a false one could become true.
Once Guo Luoluo loses the emperor's favor, can she still protect those princes
She will repay the humiliation of the previous day double.
After a moment of thinking, Rong Fei smiled and fiddled with the Buddhist beads in her hand: "Did the nanny steal any evidence?"
"What Pingpin holds in her hand is a piece of waste paper discarded by the Ninth Prince." The head maid recalled carefully and said, "There is the word 'three' written on it, in a sloppy handwriting with many corrections. It must be the source of the third letter."
He even left evidence behind... This is called courting death, and no one can stop him.
Rong Fei smiled softly, with a compassionate look on her face: "Go quietly to Chuxiu Palace and tell her that I have avenged Pingpin."
******
The news that the third prince was injured in the face by a stray arrow and that the emperor was suffering from malaria reached the Forbidden City one after another.
It was said to have reached the Forbidden City, but in fact it reached the ears of the two Empress Dowagers.
The Empress Dowager's eyes went dark and she collapsed immediately. She was extremely anxious and at a loss as to what to do. She followed Nanny Qian's advice and hurriedly summoned Chen Yuanpan to come and treat her.
When the Empress Dowager slowly regained consciousness, her first words were: "Leave four doctors with little experience behind, and the rest of the doctors should rush to Rehe immediately. There should be no delay!"
The smile and kindness were gone, and the old eyes were sharp, and suddenly he had the power and authority that he had when he assisted the young emperor.
The Third Prince was still young, and had a scar at the corner of his eye... The Empress Dowager held back her grief, thought about it over and over again, and finally did not hide it from Concubine Rong.
"After all, she is my biological mother. It is not a good idea to hide it from her." The Empress Dowager chanted "Amitabha" and whispered to Su Malagu, "The scar is very small and will not cause any harm. Just tell me the truth."
…
When Su Malagu arrived at Zhongcui Palace, she smelled the scent of sandalwood. She sighed softly, but because she had so much on her mind, she could only say that Concubine Rong was indeed destined to be with Buddha.
The Third Prince was saved by Master Fulu. Fortunately, it was probably because Concubine Rong’s prayers moved the Bodhisattva.
When the palace servant led her in, Su Malagu's face became solemn. She bowed before Rong Fei could speak, and said quickly: "Madam Rong Fei, urgent news from the frontier, the third prince and his entourage were ambushed, and the third prince was also injured by a stray arrow... Fortunately, Master Lu risked his life to save him, and he is safe and sound, with only a shallow scar the size of a peanut left at the end of his eye."
After a pause, Su Malagu comforted him, "The Emperor has specially ordered the Third Prince to return to the Rehe Palace to recuperate. I believe he will be better within a month. Your Majesty does not need to worry too much."
Rong Fei's gentle smile gradually faded and finally turned into nothingness.
She stood up from the futon, unable to believe what she heard.
Yinzhi was injured? There is a scar on his face?!
Suddenly, the world spun around and Rong Fei struggled to stand still. She was unable to react for a long time and only felt a buzzing sound in her head, which went blank.
Her son had no chance of becoming emperor.
She also had no chance of becoming the empress dowager.
Then what was the point of her planning and working so hard to send Yinzhi to the army, even taking advantage of Rongxian's marriage? !
Peanut sized... a nice peanut sized.
Rong Fei didn't care about the rest. Only the word "fortune" was deeply engraved in her heart. If it weren't for him instigating it, how could Yinzhi be forced to fight the enemy and ruin his future!
Rong Fei was trembling all over as she held onto the altar. Her eyes gradually became bloodshot. All her hopes were suddenly shattered. She felt uncontrollable heartache and worry. Despite her rage and grief, she strangely calmed down.
The aunt and niece are of the same bloodline and are good at acting. Risking their own lives to save each other might just be a setup.
Thinking of this, Rong Fei's soul seemed to be torn into two halves. One half floated in the air in a frenzy, staring at the other half of herself who was extremely calm.
"Su Ma," she saw her eyes turn red and heard herself speak in an extremely anxious voice, "Yinzhi has been so frightened that he must be unable to leave my mother. Please allow me to go to Rehe to take care of him... Please, my ancestor!"