Chapter 69: A Reward for the Tenth Prince's Lazy Aunt...

The palace was shrouded in a low atmosphere for the rest of the year, which was the main reason why the Fifth Prince and the Seventh Prince were unable to come to Yongshou Palace to celebrate Yin'e's birthday.

Besides, they each had their own reasons for only sending gifts and not coming in person.

The Fifth Prince needed to stay in Cining Palace to accompany the Empress Dowager, so it was inconvenient for him to leave Cining Palace at this time.

The Seventh Prince was already studying in the Imperial Study, so it wasn't easy for him to ask for leave. In the past, it would have been understandable for the Seventh Prince to ask for half a day off to celebrate his younger brother's birthday, but now it would be a bit conspicuous, and there was no guarantee that he wouldn't run into Emperor Kangxi, who had been in a bad mood for the past few months.

Compared to the quiet celebration this year, Yin'e's birthday two years ago was much more lively. Not only did the Ninth Prince prepare a surprise gift for Yin'e, but the Fifth Prince and the Seventh Prince, who had gradually become acquainted with Yin'e, also came to Yongshou Palace to celebrate his birthday.

Not only that, that year the Imperial Concubine also took the initiative to invite the Fourth Prince on behalf of Yin'e.

The Fourth Prince testified in the Imperial Garden for Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, proving that the Third Prince had indeed bullied them.

At the time, Yin'e thanked him sincerely and even said he would treat the Fourth Prince to snacks in the future. But those were just polite words that Yin'e said casually. He didn't take them to heart at all and didn't take them seriously. The Fourth Prince himself didn't take them seriously either, and just listened to them as a joke and moved on.

Yin'e could act childishly and say things he didn't mean, but the Imperial Concubine couldn't pretend nothing had happened. She thanked the Fourth Prince for his righteous words, inviting him to Yongshou Palace and later, on his birthday, quietly increasing the gift list considerably.

Although Yin'e's birthday celebration two years ago was very lively, the twenty-fourth year of Kangxi's reign was a turbulent time, with constant unrest.

That year, not only did the Sixth Prince die unexpectedly in May, a month considered unlucky, but smallpox also broke out in the palace at the end of the year.

At that time, the most severe smallpox outbreak in the Forbidden City was in the Eastern Six Palaces, with palace servants in Zhongcui Palace, Chengqian Palace, and Yanxi Palace contracting the disease. However, Consort De, who had focused on her pregnancy and refused visitors after becoming pregnant, miraculously escaped the outbreak, and no epidemic occurred in Yonghe Palace.

Smallpox spread through the Eastern Six Palaces, and the most dangerous case was the birth of the 21st prince, Yin Tao, who had just been born to Consort Wanhali in the twelfth lunar month.

Wanhaliu was only a concubine, and she and several other concubines lived in Zhongcui Palace with Consort Rong. She had just given birth to Yin Tao and, because he was not yet a month old and had not yet chosen a foster mother, she was still living with Consort Rong in the rear hall of Zhongcui Palace, right in the middle of the area where smallpox was rampant.

Yin Tao was in danger of contracting smallpox less than a month after his birth. Infants are weak and have insufficient resistance. If Yin Tao were unfortunately infected in this smallpox epidemic, the chances of him surviving the outbreak and ultimately escaping unscathed would be very low.

Two years ago, a sudden outbreak of smallpox caused widespread panic in the Forbidden City.

However, the imperial physicians in charge of smallpox gave everyone a great surprise. They came up with a complete set of protective measures and taught the palace servants how to prevent smallpox, keeping it firmly under control in the Eastern Six Palaces and preventing the epidemic from spreading within the palace to other areas.

Moreover, the vaccination technique in the smallpox department has also made a qualitative leap, with the success rate of vaccination approaching 100%.

As a result of misfortune, the Eighth Prince and Yin Tao, who lived in the Eastern Six Palaces at the time and were within the scope of the smallpox epidemic, were both successfully vaccinated during that smallpox outbreak and were no longer afraid of contracting smallpox.

The smallpox department's performance pleased Emperor Kangxi greatly, but he knew who the real heroes were.

A year after the Imperial Concubine presented the new variolation method to Emperor Kangxi, and after several rounds of trials and real-world testing, the imperial physicians of the Smallpox Department finally confirmed the feasibility and correctness of the new method.

The new variolation method not only benefits the present but also future generations. According to the imperial physicians in charge of smallpox, as long as the new variolation method is spread throughout the country and everyone in the Qing Dynasty is vaccinated with cowpox, smallpox will no longer threaten people's safety, and hundreds of thousands of people will no longer die from smallpox every year.

Emperor Kangxi knew that the new smallpox inoculation method had nothing to do with Empress Xiaozhao; it was the Consort Gui who presented it to him, and it was the Consort Gui's achievement.

But this truth could not be publicized. This was not only because the Consort was not the Empress, but merely a concubine in the harem; it was also because the Consort had a son, and behind them stood the Niohuru clan, a top noble family of the Manchu people.

After the smallpox outbreak in the palace was brought under control thanks to the efforts of the imperial physicians specializing in smallpox, Emperor Kangxi visited Yongshou Palace to personally express his apologies to Consort Gui. Since he could neither publicize her contributions nor openly reward her, he could only offer her and Yin'e compensation discreetly.

Because of this, Emperor Kangxi felt even more pity and guilt towards Consort Gui and Yin'e.

Moreover, as the new inoculation method gradually spread and played a greater role in curbing the spread of smallpox, Emperor Kangxi felt increasingly guilty towards Consort Gui, because despite her immense contributions, she did not receive the honor and reward she deserved.

But what Kangxi didn't know was that this was exactly what the Consort wanted; she was even less willing than Kangxi to let the truth be revealed.

Firstly, she was not the inventor of the new smallpox inoculation method. If this honor were truly bestowed upon her, the Imperial Concubine would only feel unworthy of it and would not be able to accept it with equanimity.

Secondly, it was Yin'e who told the Consort about the new smallpox inoculation method. The Consort would keep this inside story from Kangxi and would never reveal the truth to him.

Consort Gui was satisfied that she could use the new inoculation method, which was of great help to Yin'e in inoculation, to gain Kangxi's guilt and pity.

The Imperial Concubine had no ambition whatsoever, nor did she ever intend to use the new smallpox vaccination method to gain immense prestige, glory, and praise, and then use that as leverage to support Yin'e's bid for the throne.

The Imperial Concubine had only one wish: that Yin'e would grow up safely and live a prosperous life.

Taking advantage of Kangxi's guilt at the time, the Consort made a request to him: she hoped that the credit for the new smallpox inoculation method could be attributed to her sister, Empress Xiaozhao, and that all those who successfully inoculated using the new method could sincerely thank Empress Xiaozhao and recite a blessing for her.

The Consort and her sister had a very good relationship, and the untimely death of Empress Xiaozhao was her greatest regret and pain. The Consort did this in order to bring good fortune to her deceased sister.

Moreover, the fact that Consort Gui dared to present the new smallpox inoculation method directly to Emperor Kangxi was also thanks to her sister, Empress Xiaozhao. Over the years, Consort Gui had lived a peaceful and smooth life in the palace, not only successfully giving birth to Yin'e but also raising him successfully, all thanks to Empress Xiaozhao's excellent connections and relationships in the palace in her early years.

Emperor Kangxi readily agreed to the Consort's request.

Not only that, but it seemed that this was not enough to reward the Consort for presenting the new smallpox inoculation method. Emperor Kangxi also generously bestowed upon Aling'a the title of First-Class Earl and ordered him to move out of the Guoyi Duke's Mansion and separate from Faka, thus completely eliminating the hidden danger of the Consort's brothers fighting for the title.

Because Empress Xiaozhao and Consort Gui entered the palace one after another, becoming high-ranking concubines in Emperor Kangxi's harem, Faka, as their brother, even though he was only the son of a secondary consort and a son of a concubine, successfully inherited Ebilun's title of Duke of Guoyi.

However, Fakaguo Yigong's position was not very secure. He was only able to avoid being dethroned by Aling Ala, who was the legitimate son of the second wife, thanks to the support of Empress Xiaozhao and Consort Gui.

Aling'a had always coveted the title of Duke of Guoyi, but had kept quiet because of the imperial concubine in the palace. However, Aling'a was like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, ready to strike without hesitation if Faka showed the slightest weakness.

Faka and Aling'a were at odds and were secretly fighting over the title of Duke Guoyi. Kangxi not only knew about these things, but also deliberately condoned them. His intention was simple: to make Faka and Aling'a fall out and cause the entire Niohuru clan to break apart.

Emperor Kangxi allowed Faka to inherit the title of Duke of Guoyi, but promoted Aling'a to the rank of First-Class Imperial Guard and made Aling'a his confidant, thus helping Aling'a to compete for the title.

Kangxi did this because he didn't want the Niohuru clan to unite as one, nor did he want Faka to secure his position as Duke Guoyi and clan chief, becoming the strongest support for the Consort and the Tenth Prince, thus fueling their ambition to seize the throne.

However, after Consort Gui presented the new smallpox inoculation method that would benefit future generations, Emperor Kangxi, on the one hand, confirmed that Consort Gui had no intention of vying for the throne, and on the other hand, felt guilty towards Consort Gui. Therefore, he abandoned his original plan and called off the struggle between Aling'a and Faka for the title ahead of schedule.

However, Emperor Kangxi still had a backup plan. He made Aling'a move out of the Duke of Guoyi's mansion and separate from Faka. While this helped Faka firmly establish himself as the Duke of Guoyi, it also further divided the Duke of Guoyi's power.

Furthermore, Emperor Kangxi bestowed upon Aling'a the title of First-Class Earl. While this title undoubtedly strengthened the overall power of the Niohuru clan, it also gave Aling'a the reliance and confidence to compete with Faka for the position of clan leader.

If the Imperial Concubine's original intentions remained unchanged and she never thought of instigating the Tenth Prince to seize the throne, and her brother Faka had no ambition to gain merit in supporting the emperor, then Aling'a's separation from the Duke of Guoyi's mansion and moving away would only bring benefits to the siblings.

Conversely, if the Imperial Concubine changes her mind and becomes ambitious enough to have her son vie for the throne, then Aling'a will become a pawn for Kangxi to counter Faka. Aling'a will have Faka firmly in her grasp, making it difficult for him to provide much help to the Tenth Prince in his struggle for the throne.

Consort Gui was fully aware of the deeper meaning behind Kangxi's move. Kangxi did indeed help her elder brother Faka, but at the same time, he used Aling'a to check and balance the siblings, limiting the power behind her and Yin'e and preventing it from expanding.

Consort Gui was quite happy about this—she was actually more worried than Emperor Kangxi that Niohuru would drag Yin'e into the struggle for the throne.

On the issue of vying for the throne, the Imperial Concubine's stance was not necessarily entirely aligned with that of her maternal family, the Niohuru clan. Compared to the Niohuru clan, which was already a top-tier noble family with no further advancement to be made, the Imperial Concubine was more concerned about Yin'e's safety.

Therefore, the Imperial Concubine also needed Emperor Kangxi to warn Faka and restrict the Niohuru clan, so that the Niohuru clan would give up their ambition to seize the throne and not implicate Yin'e.

Two years later, the new vaccination methods have been implemented in many places. Both the water vaccination method and cowpox vaccination are widely used, which has made vaccination no longer extremely unsuccessful and prevented smallpox from claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of people every year, thus ending its constant threat to people's safety.

Because the credit for the new smallpox inoculation method was officially given to Empress Xiaozhao, the people who had been successfully inoculated and freed from the threat of smallpox in the past two years were grateful for Empress Xiaozhao's dedication and good deeds.

Even without Emperor Kangxi's order, the people silently prayed for Empress Xiaozhao, built shrines to commemorate her, and spontaneously and sincerely worshipped her.

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Author's Note: Historically, after the death of Consort Gui, Aling'a falsely accused Faka of having an affair with his brother's wife, causing Faka to lose his title of Duke of Guoyi. Although it was later proven to be a false accusation, rumors can be deadly, and Faka remained unemployed and never rose again. Later, Aling'a also supported the Eighth Prince's struggle for the throne, dragging the Tenth Prince into the Eighth Prince's faction. Although not a core member, he still embroiled the Tenth Prince in the succession struggle, and later, he was feared by Emperor Yongzheng, resulting in a rather unfortunate end. Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2023-03-17 11:56:20 and 2023-03-17 18:09:14!

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Xiaoxiaoxiaoxiao (10 bottles); Mango Daifuku and Today I Still Want to Quit (1 bottle);

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