Cining Palace.
It was only one night, but the Empress Dowager looked much older. Her hair was gray, as if she was in her twilight years. Her hands were trembling as she twisted her Buddhist beads. She sat cross-legged on the kang for a long time without moving.
Seeing this, Su Malagu's eyes suddenly turned red: "Grandfather!"
"I cannot fall down until the emperor returns to the palace." The Empress Dowager took a breath, and after a while, she spoke in a deep voice, "Rong Fei... since she is worried about Yinzhi, then let her go. The master has to take care of the palace, so the servants can relax a little."
She wanted to rush to Xuanye's side overnight, but her body couldn't support it anymore.
"Yes." Su Malagu nodded with tears in her eyes, and seemed to remember something, she took a few steps forward and whispered: "Grandfather, the emperor wants to see-"
"She is pregnant, how can she endure the hardship along the way." The Empress Dowager slowly shook her head, "Besides, malaria can be transmitted to humans, Concubine Yi must not get into any trouble. If something happens, it would be like cutting off the emperor's flesh..."
Su Malagu tried hard to hold back her tears.
Yes, the Emperor would definitely not want Concubine Yi to go into danger.
"She has Xiaowu, Xiaojiu, Xiaoyi, and the prince's filial piety. Even if she becomes a concubine, she can live comfortably." The Empress Dowager closed her eyes and spoke vaguely, feeling a ball of cotton stuck in her throat, "That's good, that's good."
After a pause, she said word by word, "Please ask Baocheng to come over for me. There are some things that cannot be delayed."
The prince knelt on the ground, his hands and feet weak. His usual restraint and composure were gone, and his lips trembled. How could this be possible
"Malaria..." His eyes were rarely blank, "Emperor Father?"
After receiving the news, the Empress Dowager had no other reaction except fainting. She suppressed her grief and arranged various matters.
Seeing him like this, she finally couldn't hold back her tears, and tremblingly hugged the prince into her arms: "Good boy! I know that he wants to see you without your father telling me. Rather than waiting until the last day, when the emperor receives an imperial edict from Rehe... why not have you and your son talk while the emperor is still awake? Go quickly."
They knew exactly what this final day meant.
The prince was shocked and shouted in a hoarse voice: "Grandfather!"
Rather than announcing the news to the world and causing chaos, it was better to delay it. The longer she could delay, the better. Only when the prince arrived in Rehe safely could she truly relax. By then, the news of the emperor's serious illness would no longer be concealed.
"Don't be afraid. I am here to take care of the palace." The Empress Dowager thought so, wiped away the turbid tears on her face, and patted his shoulder gently and slowly, "And there are capable ministers left by your royal father, the court will not be in chaos."
"Yesterday I issued an imperial decree to secretly recruit famous doctors from all over the world. You should take them with you. They may find a cure!" The old lady didn't know whether she was comforting the prince or herself, "Baocheng, don't be afraid. Your father will live longer than me."
The prince walked out of the hall in a daze, and it felt like every step he took was a thousand pounds. His eyes were red, and his heart was in turmoil. Waves of panic surged up, sticking to his chest. The bright sun outside could not dispel the chill in his heart.
Despite Yi'enniang's advice, he did not dare and could not treat the emperor's father as his own father, and gradually understood the limits of the relationship between the prince and the crown prince, but now -
Yinreng stood with his hands behind his back, staring at the dazzling sky motionlessly, until he saw bursts of white light in front of him and his eyes became extremely sore, then he slowly closed them.
As long as the Emperor is in good health, I would be willing to be the Crown Prince for the rest of my life.
These words are spoken sincerely and are absolutely true.
After an unknown amount of time, the prince calmed down a little, and walked away quickly with a solemn expression.
Passing the corner of the Cining Palace garden, the prince caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye and was slightly stunned. It was Zhang Youde, the general manager of the Yikun Palace
The scorching sun was blazing, and Zhang Youde was sweating on his forehead, as if he had been waiting for a long time. When the apricot-yellow skirt came into view, he breathed a sigh of relief and said quickly, "Prince, the Imperial Concubine Yi wants to see you."
Yunxiu dismissed the palace servants who were serving her.
Even though the prince half-closed his eyes and tried hard to control his expression, he could not suppress his anxiety, excitement and sadness.
Remembering that the Cining Palace summoned Chen Yuanpan to see a doctor yesterday, Su Malagu hurried to the Zhongcui Palace. This morning, only a few inexperienced people were on duty at the Imperial Hospital... Yun Xiu curled her fingers and asked him directly, "The emperor is seriously ill? What's the disease?"
The prince looked up in surprise, his heart skipped a beat, and he moved his lips but was unable to speak for a long time.
Concubine Yi just looked at him quietly. The prince felt a sore nose and tears welled up in his eyes again. He took a deep breath and thought he could no longer hide it.
Yi'er Niang has deep feelings for her father, the Emperor. How could she bear such a blow
He spoke in a low, almost inaudible voice: "Malaria."
The hall was silent for a long time.
The prince slowly clenched his hands, feeling that he could not hide his sadness. He forced a smile on his handsome face and said with lowered eyes: "Don't worry, Yi'er Niang. The emperor is the true dragon emperor, immune to all evil..."
Yun Xiu suddenly interrupted him and raised her eyebrows slightly: "Why should we rely on the illusory belief? I only know that the prince found the magic medicine for the emperor and traveled thousands of miles to Rehe, not hesitating to break the law—"
The prince's words of comfort were stuck in his throat, and for a moment he thought he had misheard.
Miracle medicine? What miracle medicine
Seeing his extremely shocked expression, Yun Xiu burst out laughing and said with a smile, "Cinchona."
The prince still couldn't come back to his senses, and even became a little stuttering: "Gold, Golden Rooster—"
"This is a miracle drug used by missionaries to treat malaria. Foreigners call it quinine." Yun Xiu explained to him briefly, her peach blossom eyes still smiling. After a long silence, she said softly, "The emperor's illness cannot be delayed. You should leave the palace as soon as possible and take someone with you on the way."
*******
Two days later.
The curtain of the green-roofed carriage was opened, and Rong Fei got out of the sedan chair with unsteady steps and a pale face.
She hurried here from the capital, and the journey was smooth. Compared to the bumpy ride of the fast horse, the carriage did not shake much, mostly because of the fatigue from not being able to sleep well, but she really couldn't raise a gentle smile, and the haze in her eyes was not even concealed.
The Empress Dowager agreed to her request and sent Su Malagu to her house again to tell her the devastating news that the Emperor had malaria.
Even though Concubine Rong didn't understand pharmacology, she knew how terrible malaria was. It was not something that could be cured by human power, and if you got this disease, the only thing you could do was die.
Yinzhi's scarred face lingered in her mind, and her eyes were red all day long, as if she was in a frying pan. The emperor was suffering from such a terminal illness and would die soon. Her life was turned upside down in just a few days. How absurd!
Besides feeling absurd, Rong Fei suddenly felt disheartened.
The emperor has malaria and will not live long. The prince's ascension to the throne is a foregone conclusion, it is only a matter of time.
As Rong Taifei, she had to move out of Zhongcui Palace and make way for the new emperor's concubines; from then on, she could not compare with Guoluo, who was close to the crown prince, or Niuhuru, who came from a prominent family, and would wither away in the palace. Rongxian left her, and Yinzhi didn't know when he would be granted a title. Who could endure such a life
As for Concubine Yi, she was promoted to Imperial Concubine Dowager with great fanfare and was highly respected by the Emperor and Empress. Even if she was tortured to death, no one would stand up for her.
The night was pitch black, and the palace steward was waiting by the side with a candle in his hand. He covered his mouth and nose with a white veil, and after performing the ceremony, he respectfully called out "Empress Rong".
Rong Fei responded calmly and asked him, "How is the emperor?"
The palace steward lowered his head and bowed without answering. Rong Fei stopped asking and said slowly, "I will see the emperor tomorrow. Is the third prince resting?"
"In reply to your Majesty, the Third Prince needs to rest for a while, so he retired early."
Rong Fei clenched her palms tightly and said, "Take me to have a look."
“This…” The steward suddenly looked up, wanting to say that this was against the rules, but then he was startled by her fierce gaze and immediately responded with a trembling heart.
The moonlight came in through the window. Rong Fei sat in front of the couch and touched the Third Prince's intact left cheek with a trembling hand.
Her right cheek was covered with gauze, and a few traces of blood were faintly visible. She withdrew her hand, met the extremely worried gaze of the head maid, and just looked at her quietly for a long time.
The next day.
In the Yanbo Zhishuang Palace, palace maids came and went in a hurry, keeping silent, with their faces covered with white gauze.
Liang Jiugong's voice was light but extremely sharp: "Burn this piece of cloth... Have you cleaned the medicine bowl? Everyone, please be quick and don't disturb the emperor..."
The imperial doctors gathered in the side room of the bedroom, with Chen Yuanpan standing in the front, whispering something. Their faces were filled with anxiety, fear, and many other emotions. They were in a stalemate for a long time and could not come to a conclusion.
The emperor was awake for most of the day, but his symptoms worsened. In addition to the occasional coughing, convulsions, palpitations, thirst, and long-lasting high fever, even they were helpless, and a shadow loomed in his heart all the time.
What is even more alarming is that five palace servants have been infected with malaria, including the white-haired Imperial Physician Qin.
Now, except for Liang Jiugong, a fearless servant, no one dared to enter the bedroom. If they went in, they would die. If the emperor didn't get better, they would also die.
All the necessary medicines had been boiled, and they could only pray to the gods and Buddha for God's blessing, but they knew in their hearts that the emperor's hope of recovery was very slim.
They can't cure it.
In a few days, when the emperor's consciousness gradually decreases, it may be time for them to be buried with him.
…
Kangxi half-leaned on the kang, closing his eyes tiredly.
How is the war going in Moxi
The decisive battle is not far away.
The deployment of troops passed by one by one in front of him, and soon disappeared. The heat and cold mixed together, and he had no strength at all. In his drowsiness, he seemed to see a face that could be happy or angry, smiling and calling him the emperor.
Not being able to return to the Forbidden City may be a lifelong regret for him.
"Liang Jiugong..." He raised his weak right hand and called out weakly.
It's time to order the prince to come to Rehe.
It's just that everything happened too hastily and he fell ill too suddenly. If he was given another half a year, no, a year, he would be able to safely hand over the throne to Baocheng.
As I thought this, there was no response from outside for a long time.
Kangxi gradually frowned, and the next moment, Liang Jiugong pushed open the palace door with a "creak" and walked quickly, a little out of breath.
There was a screen in front of him. Liang Jiugong stopped behind it and said with a sad face, "Your Highness, Concubine Rong wants to see you."
The emperor knew that Rong Fei was worried about the Third Prince, so she went to Rehe. He coughed softly and said, "Just pay your respects outside the palace."
"Empress Rong said that she has something important to tell the emperor, about... Master Yi." After Liang Jiugong finished speaking, there was a long silence.
Kangxi: "Announce."
Rong Fei was covered with a white veil, revealing an extremely dignified look. Seeing Liang Jiugong following closely behind her, she said nothing, but when the large fan screen came into view, she stopped.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you," she said calmly.
Without waiting for Kangxi to express his opinion, Rong Fei sighed softly, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for not being able to come in to serve you while you are ill."
As she spoke, she smiled and said slowly, "Your Majesty, do you know that Concubine Yi has been lying to you from the beginning to the end?"
A stone stirs up a thousand waves. Kangxi took a deep breath and was about to scold her for being "insolent". Liang Jiugong was like a cat whose tail was stepped on. He suppressed his anger and whispered: "Empress Rong, be careful with your words!"
"Be careful with your words?" Rong Fei sneered, "I have been careful with my words all my life, but I can't beat Guo Luoluo's sweet talk. I am not going to be careful with my words today! Your Majesty, please open your eyes and take a good look. Is she sincere to you?!"
After that, Rong Fei unfolded the folded papers in her hand and said with a smile: "Even the letter to you has to be written by someone else. This is a crime of deceiving the emperor punishable by immediate death."
"Every word and sentence in it moved me deeply." Rong Fei smiled and covered her mouth, then handed the paper to Liang Jiugong, whose body was extremely stiff. "This is the writing brush of those talented 'outside men'. Your Majesty, I will ask Eunuch Liang to hand it to you. Take a look. Does it look familiar to you?"
Liang Jiugong took the paper, his hands trembled, and his feet seemed to be rooted to the ground and did not move.
"You are really a good servant under the command of Concubine Yi, and you are very loyal." Rong Fei laughed, and her cold eyes cut Liang Jiugong, "The emperor got malaria, and you were the only one willing to stay with him. What about your master Concubine Yi? I'm afraid she has forgotten about it a long time ago? She hopes that the emperor will die, live happily and happily, and live together with this ghostwriter..."
Liang Jiugong’s face turned extremely pale and he almost collapsed.
"Shut up!" Kangxi angrily interrupted her, and as if he had used up all his strength, he coughed heartbreakingly, "... Ma Jia, you are so outrageous!"
Rong Fei shrank subconsciously, but her smile became even more intense.
Just as she was about to continue speaking, a shocking announcement came from outside: "The Crown Prince has arrived, and Concubine Yi has arrived—"
Rong Fei's smile suddenly froze.
"Empress Yi, you can't come in..." Outside the bedroom, the voices suddenly became noisy, mixed with Chen Yuanpan's frightened persuasion, "Even if you don't care about your body, you have to care about the little prince and the little princess, Empress!"
"… "
After a few breaths, the noisy sound suddenly disappeared.
After a few more breaths, the door of the bedroom slowly opened with a creak.
Liang Jiugong's eyes widened gradually, and he suddenly lost his voice. He looked at the person who came, dusty and exhausted, no longer wearing gorgeous silk and satin, with dust on his cheeks and only a cork hairpin in his hair.
Yun Xiu frowned slightly, placed her hands on her lower abdomen, closed her eyes and slowed down her breathing.
Ignoring Concubine Rong standing beside her, she slowly walked around the screen and slowly came to Kangxi's bed.
"Your Majesty," she smiled at him, "I am here to accompany you."