The doctor looked haggard and his eyes were sunken. It was obvious that he had been having a hard time in the past few days.

But, none of this matters. At this moment, he is vaccinating the eldest prince with cowpox with trembling hands.

Life or death depends on this.

He didn't dare to ask anyone else to do it, so he did the whole process himself. His whole body was tense and beads of sweat oozed from his forehead.

In the next few days, he stayed by the eldest prince's side day and night, keeping an eye on him at all times.

On the first night, a cry of alarm suddenly rang out in the middle of the night, "Oh no! The eldest prince has a rash."

Mu Wanqing was awakened, and when she got up, she saw that everyone in the room was running around like ants on a hot pan.

"Why are you panicking?" Mu Wanqing shouted softly, "Only a few servants should stay in the room, and everyone else should stay outside. Master Yizheng, you will be in charge of how to deal with this situation."

The doctor was very panicked. Although he had discovered the cowpox, he was still unsure and he only had time to find a few people to test the medicine in such a short time.

It’s not perfect yet, but time waits for no one.

"I will prescribe a decoction first. The eldest prince is still running a low-grade fever."

He pondered for a while and wrote out a prescription. The other imperial doctors praised it for its exquisiteness and just the right dosage, after all, he was the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Everyone worked all night, and at dawn, the eldest prince became somewhat sober, but kept complaining of headaches, back pains, and pains all over his body.

The rash slowly spread all over my body, it was shocking, and then it turned into pus. The whole process was extremely painful.

Mu Wanqing sat by the bed, comforting him, coaxing him to eat, and telling him stories.

Whenever she told a story, the eldest prince would look at her quietly, his pale little face serious and focused.

He didn't have the strength to speak, and his hands were wrapped in cotton cloth to prevent him from scratching himself.

But when he hears a gripping story, his expression becomes vivid and his eyes sparkle.

A week later, his condition gradually stabilized and scabs began to form, and everyone felt relieved.

This shows that things have improved.

The eldest prince became more energetic and started to order food. "Sister, I want milk tea and fried chicken."

Mu Wanqing's mouth twitched. "Fried foods will leave scars. Do you want to become pockmarked? You will become ugly."

The eldest prince: ...Forget it, I still have to save my face.

"Then I want to eat mung bean and lily porridge, with more rock sugar." This is for clearing away heat and detoxifying.

"That's fine, and make some mashed potatoes and minced meat and stewed eggs." Everything Mu Wanqing made was easy to digest and nutritious.

"Okay." The eldest prince's eyes narrowed with a smile. He loved mashed potatoes and never got tired of them. Mu Wanqing's cooking was especially special and more to his liking than that made by the imperial chef.

Mu Wanqing stood up, and suddenly her vision went dark and her body swayed.

Before she fainted, she only heard a terrified voice, "Sister."

Everyone was terrified and rushed forward.

In the Yangxin Palace, the emperor and the empress dowager's faces changed drastically. "What did you say?"

The palace maid was trembling, not daring to raise her head, "Princess Qingping has fainted."

"Is she infected? Didn't she already have the smallpox vaccination?" The Queen Mother was at a loss, her mind was in turmoil, "Could it be that she lied? How could that silly child be so stupid?"

He must have seen that the mother and son were in trouble, so he took the risk to help them. He is such a loyal and silly child.

There was a flash of surprise in the emperor's eyes. "What did the imperial physician say?"

The palace servant replied tremblingly, "We are just observing."

The Queen Mother was at a loss, "Your Majesty, what should I do? I promised Shaoxuan that I would take good care of his fiancée. If something happens to the Lord of Qingping County, how can I explain it to him?"

She was so excited that she called herself "me".

The emperor felt helpless. In the face of illness, power and wealth were nothing.

Even though he was the emperor, he could not save his loved ones and could only rely on God's will.

"Send a message to the chief physician. They will come out whenever the eldest prince and Princess Qingping come out safely. If anything happens to them, they will apologize themselves."

"yes."

The Queen Mother felt heavy-hearted and said, "We shouldn't have let her in in the first place."

The emperor stroked his forehead and sighed. It was too late to say anything now. "I believe that Mu Wanqing is the lucky star sent by God to Da Qi. She will be fine."

The Queen Mother sighed softly, "Yes, it's a lucky star."

When Mu Wanqing woke up, she felt a splitting headache and pain in her limbs. What happened?

A surprised voice sounded, "The princess is awake, the princess is awake."

A group of people rushed in, held up her hands to feel her pulse, and kept talking to her.

It was so noisy with so much chatter, like raising five hundred ducks. Mu Wanqing frowned uncomfortably.

Seeing this, the doctor's heart sank and he raised a finger, "What's this?"

Is she stupid? That would be a pity for her smart little head.

Mu Wanqing: ...

"What's wrong with me?"

The doctor breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her eyes gradually clear up. "You are ill from overwork. You are too exhausted. In addition, you were hurt while escaping. The evil wind attacked your body. All these factors combined have caused it to break out. You need to take good care of your body."

Overwork? Mu Wanqing suspected that there was something wrong with her ears. Was that an exaggeration?

"How long have you been on the run? Why is it only erupting now?"

However, it rained heavily that night in the cave, and she ran in the rain for half the night.

The doctor has been terrified these days and has not had a moment of peace. When Mu Wanqing fell down, he was completely stunned.

I just felt that I couldn’t save my head this time.

"Before, I relied on my youth to suppress it, but this time it broke out because I was too tired and my body was weak. In fact, this is a good thing. It completely eradicated the cause of the disease."

"I'll prescribe you a dose of medicine first. Please try a few doses first."

Although smallpox has an incubation period, Mu Wanqing's symptoms are not right, so she should not be infected with smallpox.

Mu Wanqing's pretty face wrinkled, "Can you roll the bitter medicine into balls? And add some sugar."

The doctor flatly refused, "No, the medicine must be taken while it is hot to stimulate the greatest effect."

"Okay." Mu Wanqing felt heavy on her head, her nose was blocked and itchy, "How is the eldest prince?"

"Still sleeping..."

The eldest prince's voice sounded outside, "Sister."

He did get up and was able to walk a few steps, but the servants stopped him and wouldn't let him enter the house.

He was also afraid of infecting Mu Wanqing, so he watched her from afar with red eyes and a pitiful look.

He felt that he was the one who harmed Mu Wanqing.

Seeing that he was in much better condition, Mu Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm fine, don't worry, I just can't cook for you."

The eldest prince's eyes were hot. She was so sick, but she was still thinking about him. She was so good to him.

"I'm not picky, as long as you get better soon."

Mu Wanqing felt uncomfortable all over, as if someone had punched her head a few times, but she didn't show it. She smiled very brightly, "When we both recover, please treat me to a seafood feast."

She never complains or grumbles, and is always energetic, optimistic and sunny. You will feel good when you see her.

The eldest prince was comforted, "What is that?"

Mu Wanqing couldn't help sneezing and rubbed her nose. "It's a big stew of various seafood, including shrimps, crabs, oysters, etc. It's very delicious."

Beijing is not a coastal area, and transportation is not convenient, so it is a bit difficult to eat seafood.

It sounded so delicious that the eldest prince couldn't wait, "Okay, I'll treat you to as many meals as you want."

Mu Wanqing responded with a smile, and suddenly remembered something, "Oh, I didn't write my diary today. I have to ask someone to read it to the emperor at the gate every day."

Just to report safety.

Most of the eldest prince's symptoms disappeared, but he was still a little weak and would sweat when he moved a little. "I'll help you write it."

"Okay, I'll tell you, you write it."

Mu Wanqing lay down for a whole day and was sweating all over. She felt much more relaxed.

During her convalescence, she did nothing but lie down peacefully, opening her mouth for food and opening her hands for clothes, like a millet bug.

After a few days, he recovered and was full of energy, without any signs of infection.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, the imperial doctors repeatedly checked the eldest prince's pulse and said, "Eldest Prince, you are fully recovered now."

The eldest prince jumped for joy. Ahhhh, he survived.

It’s always right to believe in Sister Qingping, she is a lucky star.

The moment the gate of the East Palace opened, countless people were nervous.

The emperor, his concubines and court officials were all guarding the gate. When they saw that the eldest prince was safe and sound, there was jubilation and people's hearts were at peace.

The only prince is alive and well, so there is no need to worry about having no successor.

The Queen Mother hugged the eldest prince and cried with joy, it was so great.

The emperor's eyes also became red, as he only had this one son.

Mu Wanqing walked behind, not stealing the spotlight from the eldest prince. After everyone had calmed down, she stepped forward quietly and said, "Your Highness."

The emperor then noticed her. Her chin was pointed and her face was thinner. "Alright?"

"Okay, that's it."

The emperor's heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally settled down. "That's good. Mu Wanqing will obey your orders."

Mu Wanqing fell to her knees with a thud.

"Appoint Mu Wanqing as the Grand Secretary of Wuying Palace, enter Wenyuan Pavilion, and concurrently serve as the Minister of Revenue."

As the appointment was announced, there was complete silence at the scene. Has she officially joined the cabinet?

Others may call her elder, but she is not even thirty years old.

He was considered a very high-ranking official, and his promotion speed was terrifying.

Mu Wanqing's lips curled up slightly, and she thanked him politely, getting closer to her goal, "Thank you, Lord."

The court officials felt mixed emotions, envy, jealousy and hatred. This was considered a reward for their merit. If they had known earlier, they would have volunteered to take care of the eldest prince.

Little did they know that there was also the merit of cowpox.

The eldest prince smiled and said, "Congratulations, sister. Please treat us to a feast."

His attitude was clear, and the other ministers looked at each other in confusion. Should they stop him or shut up?

But if we stop it, what reason can we give?

"Great." Mu Wanqing was happy. Although she was last in the order of entering the cabinet, she was only one step away from the position of prime minister.

"Your Majesty, Princess Qingping is too young. I'm afraid she won't be able to convince the public."

"I obey." The Queen Mother interrupted him.

The eldest prince also stood up and said, "I also accept it."

Well, the royal family of three generations all obey, but you court officials don't? Are you more powerful than the royal family?

The court officials looked at each other in silence, their mouths bitter. Princess Qingping was so treacherous! She had coaxed the three royal giants to her side.

Just as they were racking their brains to find an excuse, the emperor's steady voice sounded again, "My eldest prince has truly lived up to everyone's expectations. He can serve as Empress Wu Zetian's second son, and he can inherit the throne and rule forever for generations, and bring stability to all nations. He should be made the crown prince, and the relevant authorities may prepare the ceremony and enthrone him..." Note (1)

This is the imperial edict to appoint the crown prince!

The whole place was boiling! This was the most important bomb!

From then on, the crown prince was in power, the next successor was decided, and the Great Qi Empire continued.

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Note (1) Excerpted from the imperial edict of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, enthroning the Crown Prince.