The young prince's room was in a side hall next to the main hall. Consort Ping was still in her postpartum period, but because the young prince had suddenly contracted a serious illness, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and exhaust herself.
The palace maids had tried to subtly remind her of this, but they couldn't persuade Consort Ping, who was so devoted to her son.
Therefore, they could only let Consort Ping do as she pleased. Even though the Emperor didn't say that leaving her confinement period early was uncivilized, it meant that it didn't matter.
The closer Consort Ping was to the side hall, the more she could hear the little prince crying.
It felt as if her heart was being ripped out. Consort Ping thought of how the little prince had been crying and making a fuss before, and compared it with his current miserable state, she felt as if someone was tearing her heart out.
The gait became somewhat unsteady, a symptom of anxiety.
Consort Ping quickly walked into the side hall and saw the pitifully crying little prince curled up in the wet nurse's arms. The wet nurse was trying to comfort him with a troubled expression, and there was a maidservant beside her holding a cup of squeezed human milk waiting to be fed.
Upon seeing Consort Ping enter, everyone quickly bowed and greeted her, but Consort Ping stopped them with her hand, saying, "Quickly hand the child to me. What happened? Wasn't he asleep just now? Why did he wake up at this hour?"
Before anyone could react, Consort Ping had already blurted out a string of questions she had been holding back.
Just as he had held Consort Ping countless times, the young prince also had a natural affection for her.
The little prince, who hadn't been soothed by his wet nurse, became incredibly well-behaved in Consort Ping's arms.
However, the young prince was already extremely thin at this time, and the flesh on his cheeks had long since disappeared.
Why
Consort Ping sighed and carefully made the child more comfortable.
"Your Majesty, the little prince woke up suddenly. I fed him some milk when he woke up, but he only drank a few sips and then refused to eat any more."
The wet nurse bowed, her face cautious, afraid that if she gave a wrong answer, she would be kicked out of the palace by Consort Ping.
It's no wonder the wet nurse was so cautious, because there are precedents for this.
The wet nurses around the young prince have changed several times over.
Even if the Emperor doesn't care, the Imperial Household Department has to send new people in accordance with Consort Ping's request.
If it weren't for the fact that the wet nurse who answered was quite capable of taking care of the young prince, she would have been expelled from the palace long ago.
Hearing the wet nurse's words, Consort Ping frowned as expected. "From last night to today, the young prince hasn't said how many hours he's been up. How can his health improve like this?" He's only getting better because he's been taking expensive medicine. Once those medicines stop working, even a miracle won't save him.
No one knew how the young prince could get better, because they had no idea what illness he had.
No imperial physician gave a clear answer; when asked, they would stammer and say a lot of things, but without any central point.
Consort Ping has lost faith in the imperial physicians and now places her hopes on her family outside the palace.
After all, she had already written to her family, and if they processed it quickly, she would receive the news soon.
Not expecting any constructive suggestions from the maids around her, Consort Ping carried the little prince and walked around the open space twice until the little one in her arms drifted off to sleep.
Of course, the young prince didn't sleep soundly, and would move his hands and feet from time to time.
At this time, the presence of the surrounding maids became very necessary. They needed to keep a close eye on the young prince to prevent any incident from happening to him without Consort Ping's knowledge.
"Your Majesty, it's time for your medicine."
Consort Ping stayed in the side hall for a long time until she felt dizzy and had to leave.
After listening to the maid's words, Consort Ping nodded. Before leaving, she reminded everyone to take good care of the young prince and to inform her of any unusual activity.
The servants naturally wouldn't disobey; after all, the young prince was a ticking time bomb, and they were all afraid that if he exploded, he would be the one to suffer the consequences. So how could they dare to hide it from Consort Ping?
Satisfied, Consort Ping returned to the main hall, took the arm of her maid, and supported her forehead with one hand. "Go, bring the medicine."
"Yes, I understand."
The maid turned around and soon brought over a bowl of bitter-smelling medicine.
The medicine was prescribed by the imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital. Because Consort Ping did not complete her postpartum confinement period, even though there were no visible health problems, she still had to continue taking the necessary supplements.
Suppressing her nausea, Consort Ping drank the entire bowl of medicine in one gulp and then gestured for her maid to help her to her inner room to rest.
The maid nodded immediately, helped the person to the bedside, and changed them into clean clothes. She didn't make any unnecessary movements throughout the whole process.
"Has there been no news from the family yet?"
Sitting on the bed, by the light of a candle lit not far away, Consort Ping asked anxiously.
The maid shook her head. "Perhaps we have to wait for the right time."
Sometimes the family moves quickly, and sometimes it moves excessively slowly. But since they are in the palace, it is too difficult for them to leave. They are unaware of the family's movements and can only wait for the family to contact them, which puts them in a rather passive position.
"Wait, wait, wait, how much longer?" If we wait any longer, the young prince will not survive.
Did the family do this on purpose, seeing that the young prince's health was failing, and then abandoning him and his mother?
Consort Ping couldn't help but speculate about them, even thinking of her family members as very sinister, believing that they were the kind of people who wouldn't do anything without personal gain.
Consort Ping's thinking is not wrong, but her current mistake is that she has no way to change things and still has to rely on her family.
Exhausted, Consort Ping waved away the trembling maidservants beside her, rubbed her forehead, and turned to go to bed to rest.
She was exhausted these past few days. Although she felt uncomfortable with her current approach, she had to change it in order to survive.
...
"To be honest, I really feel sorry for Consort Ping," Consort Hui said, holding the letter sent by the eldest prince, her whole being beaming. "Although I can't leave Chuxiu Palace for the time being and can't see the excitement at Consort Ping's place, thankfully, Ti'er knows how to care for her mother," and simply sent the message over.
I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Consort Hui was like one of those smug villains, standing alone at the entrance of the small courtyard, with the gloomy main hall behind her, exuding a sense of madness.
Orange Heart: ...
Chengxin breathed a sigh of relief, calming herself down while advising her master to stay calm.
"Now that the prince has obtained important information, Your Majesty, perhaps we can take advantage of this situation."
We can't be foolish enough to go up there and cause trouble for the Crown Prince and the Hesheli clan.
As a result, Consort Hui rejected Chengxin's kind offer after careful consideration. Consort Hui's reason was simple: others might not have leaked the information.
Moreover, how could she trust someone else to do such a thing? What if they did it poorly? Wouldn't that be a waste of Yinti's 'good intentions'?
Cheng Xinxin thought that Consort Hui's thinking was not wrong, but as for the disadvantages of her own actions, well, she would get used to it.
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