35 Care
Why should I be a good person?
"It's time to take the medicine."
Rong Qianyu would personally prepare medicine for him every day. Doing this was nothing more than fulfilling her wifely duties. As the Crown Princess, it was her job.
But Fu Hua found her annoying. She was always stubborn when taking medicine and didn't want her to take care of her. "Why do you do this?"
The two of them were obsessed with each other's thoughts, and they were fed up with each other, but there was nothing they could do. "The Empress is in poor health, and His Majesty is busy with his duties in the court. The only people left in the Eastern Palace are me, Tan Liangdi, Cui Cairen, and Liu Cairen. Tan Liangdi has to take care of Shu'er and has no time to spare, and Liu Cairen is pregnant and can't bear the hardship. I was an orphan in my childhood, and I'm also the Crown Princess, so it's natural for me to be by her side."
"Where is Mei'er?" he asked.
Rong Qianyu really didn't understand whether he was truly stupid or just pretending. Being able to be served by someone in his current environment was already quite good, yet he was still being picky. Cui Rumei, Cui Rumei, what kind of drug had this woman given him to blind him to such an extent?
She thought their love was stronger than gold, but at the critical moment, it was always her, the unwelcome wife, who had to step forward.
She put the bowl aside and smiled helplessly, "Your Highness, do you think I have to take on this job alone? I took the initiative to ask the Empress for it. The Empress has never said anything to forbid anyone from attending to the sick. If Concubine Cui is loyal, she can also ask the Empress for permission. Why do you make me play the good guy?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Hua fell silent. The brightness on his face instantly turned cold. He turned his back reluctantly and refused to pay attention.
"Don't bother with me, it's boring. Take the medicine first. Only by taking the medicine can you see your Cui Cairen sooner."
But Fu Hua didn't care about all this. During the argument, he knocked over the medicine bowl in Rong Qianyu's hand, and the medicine soup spilled on her soft dress. She had no choice but to clean up the stain silently and boil another bowl of medicine.
"What are you doing?" Fu Hua asked in confusion.
"Boil the medicine. I've signed a military order with His Majesty's mother. If you can't take good care of the prince, I'll bring him to you with my head."
She had been treated like this for days, and Fu Hua still complained bitterly, refusing to speak to her. Rong Qianyu didn't say anything either. Several times when Fu Hua had a high fever, she cleaned his body without taking off her clothes, sometimes falling asleep beside him from exhaustion. She always had to taste his medicine before giving it to him.
After being alone like this for many days, Fu Hua's heart was not made of iron, and he still felt a little grateful. Whenever he wanted to say something soft, Rong Qianyu ignored him.
The two of them lived under the same roof, and they rarely even exchanged glances. This was what Fu Hua said himself, so he should stop thinking about his own things. Then Rong Qianyu simply stopped talking.
When I had some free time, I looked at the lush greenery outside the house and couldn't help but worry about Xue Ji. I didn't know what was going on outside, nor did I know what happened to that guy. I was afraid that he would get excited and kill someone again. I also didn't know how Pan'er was doing now. I didn't know whether he was doing well or not.
None of the women in the palace were easy to get along with. She had just dealt with Nanny Fang, but now there was some trouble from somewhere unknown, and she had to solve all of these problems by herself.
She wished Xue Ji could talk to her at this time, or even give her some advice.
She also recalled all the instructions Xue Ji had given her that day.
"Your Majesty, you can't do this. You are at the mercy of others. Don't you want them to pay the price? If it were me, and they dared to bully me like this, I would make them pay the price, ten times or a hundred times, so that they would never dare to attack me again."
Rong Qianyu looked at Xue Ji helplessly, not knowing what to say. In the past, she just wanted to live a peaceful life and never thought about these things.
"When Fu Hua bullies you, make him feel the same way and return the favor. Isn't Liu Zhaoyi a gossipmonger? Then poison her to silence her voice, and if she still refuses, kill her to vent your anger and silence her. Cui Rumei is known for her ability to use her power differently depending on who she supports. So, let her become her enemy."
A lack of patience will ruin a great plan. For the sake of the people of my motherland, I have to endure it.
"The medicine is ready, take it."
"How's your pox vaccine?"
"With a generous reward, I found thirty palace maids to test the poison on themselves. Six have died, and I've ordered a proper burial. The test will be over in three days, so it shouldn't be a serious problem."
"Thank you for your hard work." Rong Qianyu was still wondering what was wrong with him today. He was so considerate. This was the first time she heard him say thank you for your hard work.
She didn't want anything personal between them, so she said in a high-sounding manner, "I'm the Crown Princess. This is what I should do. It's just my job."
"You're not just that." He was in good spirits today and was willing to say a few more words.
"No."
He looked at Rong Qianyu's delicate features, her long dark brown hair cascading down her chest. Despite her delicate appearance, she possessed a proud character that made her difficult to discipline. "Don't you have any other thoughts at all, Rong Qianyu? I can see now that you're not the dull, indifferent type. You have big ideas."
Rong Qianyu lowered her brows as she packed up the medicine and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is not well yet. Don't worry too much, it will hinder your recovery. The imperial physician said that you'll start to get scabs in the next ten days, so don't scratch them."
She is very good at saying these nice words, but in fact she is just trying to shut people up. She doesn't say it, but her whole body is filled with annoyance.
"How's the smallpox vaccine trial going?" Fu Hua really couldn't find a topic to talk about.
"Seven people died in total," she said, as if reporting to a superior, her words precise and impeccable. "The remaining twenty-three are now well. Eighteen have mild symptoms, while the remaining nine have more severe symptoms, but they are gradually improving."
Bai Yi was very satisfied with the results. "That proves the vaccination is still effective."
"Doctor Sun, why don't we start the vaccination as soon as possible?" Rong Qianyu said.
Doctor Sun hesitated, still having concerns. This was, after all, a matter of life and death, and there wasn't a foolproof solution. "W-Will this cause any..."
Seeing him so vague, Rong Qianyu stood out from the crowd, pointed at his nose and shouted, "Doctor Sun, you have been practicing medicine for over thirty years. You should know that this smallpox epidemic is fatal. I don't know why you are still hesitating. The situation in the palace has stabilized a little, but there are still tens of thousands of people waiting for treatment outside the palace. Patients die every day in the smallpox clinic. I'm sure you are aware of this. Now that this method is effective, it is better than delaying death and fumigating with moxa. Why are you unwilling to try it? Don't the lives of the people matter?"
There was an uncontrollable anger in her eyes. When she was young, she had seen her father dealing with smallpox. This disease was an urgent and critical one. It was necessary to fight it quickly and find a way to save it. There was absolutely no reason to delay and wait for death.
Back then, the imperial physicians of my motherland responded quickly and contained the spread of the disease. Now, these old men in the imperial hospital are relying on their age and the fact that I'm just a girl under 20 to disapprove of my situation. They insist on stepping on me and spouting some high-sounding nonsense when I don't have a better solution.
Being accused by a little girl like this, he was naturally unhappy. "I didn't mean that, but this matter is extremely dangerous after all. What if..."
"What if I die as a way to atone for my crime? Even if I die suddenly by slicing, I am still a man. I earn your salary and I must be loyal to you. What do you have to be afraid of?" Rong Qianyu was very imposing and didn't say a word of politeness.
Seeing this, Bai Yi immediately intervened, "Doctor Sun, the Crown Princess is a little anxious, but after careful consideration by His Majesty, I think this is feasible."
Before he finished speaking, a little maid's anxious voice came from outside the palace, "Oh no! Oh no, Queen!"
"What's going on?"
"News just came from Cuihua Palace: The Fourth and Fifth Princesses have also started to have fevers!"
"What? Tao'er also has a fever?" He almost fainted after hearing the news. He felt guilty and regretful again and again. Not only did his son get sick, but now his daughter was infected because she stayed indoors. His heart was in his throat and he was scared to death.
"My Lady, the most urgent thing right now is to get vaccinated quickly to prevent more people from getting sick from one another. It will be even more difficult then."
Bai Yi blamed herself, covered her tears, and nodded in agreement.
Rong Qianyu stepped back a few steps, knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times. "I, your son, would like to ask for the Empress's decree. Tan Liangdi begs the Empress to allow Shu'er to take the lead in testing the seedlings on her father's behalf as a token of filial piety. Please grant your permission."
"Shu'er?" Bai Yi thought she had misheard. She meant to let Shu'er try the seedlings first.
"yes."
"Shu'er is only a few years old. Is her mother crazy? No way!"
Rong Qianyu said, "Tan Liangdi said that the situation is extremely dangerous right now. Although Shu'er is young, she should also face the national crisis together. Who can be more comfortable than others? In this case, it is only right for her to be filial to her father and loyal to the crown prince. Gu has repeatedly pleaded with me to inform the Empress Dowager, and I hope the Empress Dowager will grant her permission."
"Tan Liangdi is too cruel. She is doing this to such a young child..." Each of her daughters-in-law has her own ideas, and they are all very big ideas.
"Perhaps Tan Liangdi has other reasons. This will set a good example for the people of the world. Besides, a mother would never harm her own child."
Since the two of them had already talked about this, there was nothing more to say. "It's settled. Let Tao'er be the first batch to test the seedlings. You will be fully responsible for this matter. Don't worry about anything, and pay attention to your own safety."
"yes."
After coming out of Fengyi Palace, at one o'clock in the afternoon, he had to rush back to make medicine for Fu Hua.
Yujie saw this with a pang of heartache. He had to take medicine in the morning and afternoon, and also had to take care of the smallpox vaccine. At night, the prince often had a high fever, and she had to wipe his body. "Your Majesty has been working so hard lately."
"I accepted the order in a time of crisis. Besides, this is my responsibility, so it's not hard."
"Your Highness should take medicine."
Fu Hua has started to get better recently and can occasionally get out of bed and move around. He has been waiting for Rong Qianyu for a long time.
It must be said that he looked even more handsome and pleasing than usual with a slightly sick look on his face. He walked awkwardly towards her and said, "I had someone make you some snacks. I don't know what you like, but I guess you haven't eaten yet, so you can eat something first."
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