The Empress Dowager's gifts stirred up an undercurrent in the Fourth Prince's inner quarters, such as among the restless Lady Nian.

"Your Highness, it seems the Fifth Prince has smallpox!" Granny Zhou suddenly burst into Madam Nian's main room and said.

Lady Nian was holding her daughter, Snowball, while a maid trimmed her toenails. Since moving to the East Courtyard, the number of servants she had had doubled. Because of Nian Gengyao's prestige in the army, the Fourth Prince was on good terms with him and was quite lenient with Lady Nian. Besides Lanqin, this was the place she visited most frequently. Therefore, when Lady Nian heard that Lanqin had received a reward from Consort De, she was displeased. When her own Fifth Prince was born, Consort De only rewarded her once, unlike Lanqin who received a reward during her pregnancy, another when she was close to giving birth, and yet another after the birth.

"What!" Lady Nian kicked the maid who was helping her trim her nails to the ground, staring in surprise at Zhou, the wet nurse of the Fifth Prince.

"Your Highness, please go and see! The Fifth Prince has developed some red bumps on his face." Granny Zhou looked at Madam Nian with fear.

Lady Nian glared at Zhou Si, then threw the cat she was holding to the ground and immediately headed towards the Fifth Prince's bedroom. The Fifth Prince had been sickly since birth, and Lady Nian had worried about him a lot, which was the main reason why she hadn't had any conflicts with Lan Qin this year.

When Lady Nian arrived at the Fifth Prince's room, she saw him lying on his small bed. The maids who served the Fifth Prince knelt before the bed, none of them daring to speak.

Lady Nian rushed to the bedside and saw that the Fifth Prince was already unconscious, with some small red blisters on his face.

"This, quickly go and fetch Doctor Lin! When did he start getting smallpox?" When Lady Nian saw the Fifth Prince like this, she was so frightened that she shouted loudly.

“It happened this morning. The Fifth Prince started feeling unwell yesterday. I thought he had caught a cold, so I waited all night, and today he started to develop a rash,” said Nurse Zhou with a bitter face.

After Cuiling brought Doctor Lin over, Madam Nian grabbed Doctor Lin's arm and said, "Doctor Lin, please take a look at the Fifth Prince. What's wrong with him?"

"Please be patient, Consort Nian. This servant will go and take the Fifth Prince's pulse immediately," Doctor Lin said hastily, bowing his head.

Lady Nian was so anxious she was almost in tears. She had no choice but to release Doctor Lin and point at Granny Zhou, scolding, "You careless lot! If anything happens to the Fifth Prince, you'll all be buried with him!"

The maids in the room became even more frightened. Ignoring Madam Nian's threats, Doctor Lin placed his medicine box in front of the Fifth Prince's bed, then took out his medical towel and began to take the Fifth Prince's pulse.

Lady Nian paced anxiously back and forth in the room. Looking at the Fifth Prince, she was truly afraid that he might have a life-threatening disease like smallpox.

"Baizhi, go to the front yard. As soon as Fourth Master returns, immediately inform him that you know about Fifth Prince's situation. Hurry!" Madam Nian could no longer calm herself down. Her first thought was to ask Fourth Master for help. However, Fourth Master hadn't come much for several days, either in the front yard or the south courtyard.

Bai Zhi dared not persuade her any further and immediately turned around and left.

"Doctor Lin, how is my son?" Seeing Doctor Lin sitting on the embroidered stool in silence, Madam Nian became increasingly worried and went forward to ask.

Doctor Lin was focused on taking the Fifth Prince's pulse when he heard Nian ask this question. He replied, "Please wait a little longer, Consort Nian. I am still taking the Fifth Prince's pulse."

Ms. Nian already felt that Doctor Lin was too close to Nan Xiaoyuan, so she distrusted him and even doubted his medical skills. Seeing him say this, she had no choice but to stand aside.

Doctor Lin carefully took the Fifth Prince's pulse for a while before taking the consultation fee. He then solemnly said to Consort Nian, "Consort Nian, the Fifth Prince is very likely infected with smallpox and should be isolated immediately! I humbly request that you invite another doctor to take the Fifth Prince's pulse, and then immediately disinfect this room. All those who have served the Fifth Prince should be taken medicine and isolated."

Doctor Lin's words struck like a bolt from the blue, startling Lady Nian so much that she almost thought she had misheard. The wet nurse and the maids serving the Fifth Prince had already knelt down in terror; their lives were now inextricably linked to the Fifth Prince's.

"Impossible! How could my Fifth Prince have smallpox!" Madam Nian had thought that by staying in the East Courtyard and not going out, the Fifth Prince would grow up well. Therefore, she had rarely gone out this past year and had not argued with others, all for the sake of ensuring the Fifth Prince's healthy growth. However, Doctor Lin's words ruthlessly shattered all of Madam Nian's efforts over the past year.

“Consort Nian, I have taken the Fifth Prince’s pulse for a long time and examined the red rashes on his face. It should be smallpox,” Doctor Lin insisted.

Lady Nian glared fiercely at Doctor Lin, then turned to look at Nurse Zhou, and said sternly, "How have you all been taking care of the Fifth Prince for me? How could he have contracted smallpox?"

The wet nurse, Zhou, was already terrified and trembling as she said, "Please forgive me, Consort, I truly didn't know. We servants have always taken meticulous care of the Fifth Prince. Please forgive me, Consort!"

The other maids also followed suit and begged for mercy from Consort Nian.

Remembering what Doctor Lin had just said, Madam Nian turned away, ignoring the people's arguments, and said to Bi Rou, "Bi Rou, take them all away and lock them up. No one is allowed to wander around!"

"Please forgive us, Consort!" The women refused to leave, all fearing punishment for their actions.

“Didn’t you all hear what Dr. Lin said? You all have to go down and take your medicine, and you have to be isolated. You’re not allowed to move around freely anymore,” said Madam Nian.

No one dared to disobey, so they got up and followed Birou downstairs. The maids who served the Fifth Prince had all left, and the room couldn't be left unattended, so Madam Nian had to call over her own servants to attend to him. However, none of them dared to directly touch the Fifth Prince again; they all wore veils covering their mouths and noses. The Fifth Prince's room was also sealed off.

As soon as Fourth Master returned, he saw Bai Zhi waiting at the front gate. After asking the reason, he immediately went to the east courtyard.

Lady Nian and her maids stood guard at the Fifth Prince's door, while Doctor Lin went to prepare the medicine.

"How is the Fifth Prince?" The Fourth Prince walked to the front of the Fifth Prince's room and saw Lady Nian pacing back and forth at the door, looking completely lost.

"Master, you're finally back! Fifth Prince is in trouble!" Madam Nian cried as she rushed up to the Fourth Prince upon his return.

The Fourth Prince frowned and said, "I'll go in and take a look. Don't cry yet; maybe the Fifth Prince doesn't have smallpox."