Chapter 42 The Epidemic Crisis 3

"Consort Hua, Consort Duan..."

Yi Xiu sat in her seat, looking at the message coming from her hands. She was somewhat alarmed, but she couldn't help but feel excited.

Regardless of whether Consort Hua discovered the secret of Huan Yi Xiang, or whether Consort Duan was determined to fight to the death before her demise, Yi Xiu felt that it was indeed a perfect storm of favorable timing, location, and people. If she hesitated and dared not take action, she would have wasted this golden opportunity.

“Jianqiu,” Yixiu said, supporting her forehead with her hand, her expression indifferent, “tell the outside world that I have been overworked during the epidemic and have suffered a headache, so I have handed over the affairs of the palace to Consort Hua.”

"Yes, I understand."

"Give Consort Duan a push, and with Consort Hua recuperating, Consort Wan should stand out from the crowd," Yi Xiu said with a faint smile. "If Consort Wan were to unfortunately contract the plague and infect the Emperor, thus causing both of them to lose their children, I imagine the Emperor would not hold it against her."

Having already known about the Empress's plan, Jianqiu quickly accepted it after a moment of panic. Therefore, upon hearing Yixiu's bold words, Jianqiu was able to cooperate by showing a smile.

"Your Majesty is right. His Majesty is a wise ruler and will certainly not hold it against us."

...

"My lord, I have made you a sachet to ward off disease."

Gao Xiyue's face was flushed. She had been living comfortably in Hongli's courtyard for some time and had long since lost her spoiled and lively nature. Today, she showed a rare hint of shyness.

"My skills are not good, please don't mind, my master."

Hongli took the sachet from Gao Xiyue's hand, looked at the crooked green bamboo embroidered on it, and smiled slightly, "It's alright, Xiyue's sentiments are what matter."

Gao Xiyue breathed a sigh of relief, gave Hongli a sweet smile, and thought to herself that her father was wrong. The Fourth Prince was clearly easy to serve and easy to please. Sure enough, no one could dislike her.

"You're not feeling well, so you don't need to overwork yourself. Don't go out unless necessary to avoid getting infected."

"Yes, I understand."

Hearing Hongli's concern, Gao Xiyue happily agreed. At this moment, Wang Ren, who had gone out to do errands for Hongli, returned.

"How about Mother?"

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, Consort Jing is doing well. There are also plenty of medicines in Xianfu Palace to fight the plague. This servant and Imperial Physician Wei have checked everything, and there are no problems."

Wang Ren respectfully replied, "Before leaving, Consort Jing instructed me to convey her message, telling you to rest assured, not to worry, and to take good care of yourself."

“Then I’m relieved,” Hongli nodded. “Wei Lin has also worked hard. Remember to give him a generous reward later.”

"This servant understands."

To be honest, Wei Lin's arrival was just a whim of Hongli's, a casual stroke of the pen, and he inadvertently discovered that Wei Lin wasn't Wen Shichu's apprentice. So, Hongli used the excuse of treating cats and dogs to approach Wei Lin, who was still a low-level physician, and easily won him over.

In fact, it was when Hongli recalled the plot that he felt the imperial physicians in "Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace" were far inferior to those in "Empresses in the Palace".

Although he didn't need to use it due to his abilities, Hongli's attitude has always been: I may not need it, but I cannot be without it.

Therefore, one of Zhen Huan's greatest helpers later on became his people.

After everyone had left, Hongli petted the cat. Oh, and as for the dog, Hongzhou had tricked him into giving it away under the pretense of being scared. Well, actually, Hongli couldn't help but think of the fat, orange-haired emperor when he looked at Shuangju, and in a moment of displeasure, he gave it away.

Observing the commotion in each palace, Hongli sighed slowly, adopting a compassionate expression, and pretended to ponder: "Should I save them or not? Shouldn't my reputation for filial piety be spread?"

As for why he could see the movements in each palace despite his limited mental strength, he knew about hidden cameras. He used his points earned from exchanging them for high-tech cameras in Jingren Palace, Yikun Palace, Shoukang Palace, Yanqing Hall, Yangxin Hall, and so on—he didn't miss a single one.

Once everything was in place, Hongli finally realized the benefits of this fully automated, lazy-free technological recording method, and instantly found it incredibly appealing.

With the help of these cameras, Hongli could see through the plans of Consort Hua, Consort Duan, and the Empress. This "mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind" drama made Hongli extremely happy, and he was eager to get involved.

...

Recently, Consort Hua has been ill and confined to her palace, while the Emperor has been spending much of his time in Yanxi Palace and Suiyu Pavilion.

Consort Fucha, who was pregnant, lived in Yanxi Palace. The Emperor usually visited her for the sake of the imperial heir and never stayed overnight. Therefore, everyone knew that Consort Wan of Suiyu Pavilion was the truly sought-after person, the one whom the Emperor doted on.

"Even the Emperor has lost weight."

Zhen Huan looked at the Emperor, who had made time to visit her, her eyes filled with heartache. She personally handed him a teacup, saying, "I know Your Majesty is worried about the epidemic, but you must still take care of your health."

"Is this chrysanthemum tea?" Yongzheng opened the tea lid, looked at the chrysanthemum floating inside, and smiled.

Zhen Huan nodded, her smile gentle: "Yes, chrysanthemum tea dispels wind and clears heat, soothes the liver and improves eyesight. There's nothing I can do to help Your Majesty, so I can only put my heart into this small matter."

"I am very pleased that you have such a kind intention." Yongzheng and Zhen Huan smiled at each other, their eyes filled with tender affection.

"Huanhuan is ingenious; she used this set of celadon chrysanthemum petal cups very cleverly."

Hearing the Emperor's praise, Zhen Huan smiled slightly: "The teacups newly sent by the Imperial Household Department, I immediately thought they were perfect for chrysanthemum tea..."

Emperor Yongzheng rarely had a moment of leisure, and thus he loved visiting Suiyu Pavilion even more. To express her feelings, Zhen Huan would serve him different teas with various newly arrived teacups.

The two lived a blissful life, and Zhen Huan naturally did not notice that Huan Bi never took over the teacup whenever a new one was used.

...

Just as the epidemic in the palace was gradually brought under control and everyone was about to breathe a sigh of relief, news suddenly broke that Consort Wan of Suiyu Pavilion had developed a high fever, clearly indicating that she had been infected with the epidemic. Everyone was on edge.

Just as Suiyuxuan was sealed off, the palace was suddenly placed under full lockdown under the pretext of preventing the spread of the epidemic, and no one in the palace was allowed to go out.

"How is the Emperor?"

Yi Xiu looked grim and hurriedly arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Your Majesty, the imperial physicians are examining the patient, but there are no results yet."

Su Peisheng looked worried, clearly also very concerned.

Yixiu glanced at Yongzheng, who was surrounded by imperial physicians and lying on the bed in a deep sleep. Her gaze paused for a moment, then turned to worry as she looked at Su Peisheng and questioned, "How have you been taking care of the Emperor? How did he contract the plague?"

Su Peisheng's face fell, and he knelt down with a thud, "It's all my fault, I'm incompetent."

Jianqiu, seemingly unable to bear it any longer, spoke up: "Your Majesty, it's not mainly due to Eunuch Su. This servant thinks His Majesty was infected."

"Who infected the Emperor?"