Chapter Seventy-Four
: The story ended as dramatically as it should have. Jia Luo hadn't expected things to turn out so unexpectedly.
The Guarjia clan murdered Consort De?
Oh, so she was framed. Consort De had committed numerous evils and even implicated the White Lotus Rebellion, an anti-Qing movement?
Wow… this is even more thrilling than watching a TV drama.
Indeed, people say that watching TV dramas and reading novels requires a logical chain, but reality is often far more absurd because there's no need to consider whether it's reasonable or not.
Can you imagine that in the palace, a high-ranking consort's palace would be targeted by an anti-Qing force through collusion from within?
It's said that it's because the Fourteenth Prince is favored, and the Emperor frequently visits him, leading to his targeting of Yonghe Palace, where he intends to use this opportunity to assassinate the Emperor. "Really…" Jia Luo stammered, unable to finish her comment, lest she say something wrong.
Lately, she'd rather stay home with the child and avoid going out to prevent getting into trouble.
"Mother, Mother, little brother wet the bed again." Little Hongyao was also confined to Yuqing Palace, and his bedpan activities were suspended. Kangxi hadn't found the culprit and dared not let Hongyao wander around,
fearing he might be harmed.
Recently, the harem was being purged. In court, Kangxi angrily berated the incompetent ministers, asking if they were colluding with the White Lotus Sect. He even sent people to investigate.
If anyone was found guilty,
their entire family would be wiped out. This was far more serious than supporting a prince's struggle for the throne; colluding with the White Lotus Sect was an attempt to ruin his Qing Dynasty.
Yinreng and the other princes were extremely busy, even the Ninth and Tenth Princes were summoned to court to help. The wedding and such… Consort Yi dared not bother Kangxi with that.
"Then let the wet nurse change him," Jialuo, being an irresponsible mother, thought it best not to worry about such trivial matters; let the wet nurse handle it.
"Oh." Xiao Hongyao had been spending time with his younger brothers lately, watching them grow increasingly plump and healthy. The wet nurse had strictly adhered to a small, frequent feeding schedule.
It didn't matter that they were small at birth; as long as they survived, that was fine. Now
that they were soft and chubby, Xiao Hongyao loved his brothers more and more. After
changing their bedding and pants, Xiao Hongyao went over to his three adorable brothers, looking down at them with a wide grin. "Mother, my brothers are smiling at me so happily; they must like me."
"Yes, yes, yes, my brothers love you the most, their older brother," Jia Luo replied with a smile, applying her beautiful nail polish and admiring it.
She couldn't help it; she had nothing to do now and was a little bored. They say women take pride in pleasing their partners, and that was certainly true. She now found her nails quite beautiful.
Little Hongyao, unaware of his mother's perfunctory reply, looked at his chubby little brothers and said in a soft, sweet voice, "Brother loves you both the most too."
Then, as if realizing he hadn't quite said it correctly, he hurried over to Jialuo with small, quick steps. "Mother, Mother, Hongyao loves Mother too!"
His father and mother loved to be jealous, and whenever he brought up this topic, he always insisted on loving both of them.
Sigh, he had to shoulder the responsibility of caring for the family at such a young age.
Looking at little Hongyao nestled on her lap, his eyes sparkling brightly, his chubby, delicate face utterly adorable,
she said, "Mother loves our Hongyao the most too." She gently rubbed his cheek, her voice soft and tender.
Little Hongyao chuckled. She knew it; Hongyao was the cutest and most lovable child in the world. "Mother should love your little brothers too!" She
couldn't just love Hongyao because he was so cute; his brothers would be heartbroken if they knew.
The three little ones lay unconsciously kicking their tiny feet in their cradles, babbling incoherently—it was all they understood.
Little Hongyao claimed to be playing with his three younger brothers, but in reality, he was just watching them, then lying there talking to his mother, or sitting there with a small book, reading and reciting in his childish voice.
He managed his time perfectly, leaving Jialuo in awe. "My little one," she exclaimed, "is a high-quality, excellent human child! Mother loves you!"
When Yinreng returned, the family of six was harmonious and happy. Yinreng, in particular, was relieved to see his women and children safe and sound, healthy and well. With the purging of the harem, things were much more peaceful.
Kangxi's rage lasted for a long time. Good news came from the Imperial Hospital: the smallpox vaccine, after four or five years of experimentation, had become remarkably stable—the quality was excellent.
The process had taken so long; initially, death row inmates were used, but later, young and strong men were selected, followed by women, the elderly, and children…
of course, all were people hired at a cost.
When the poor heard that each person could receive ten taels of silver, some families of nine eagerly volunteered.
It wasn't simply a matter of using cowpox; there were significant risks. Through continuous experimentation and the addition of various medicinal materials, a truly effective treatment was developed.
Even young children with pre-existing illnesses or weak constitutions could recover after using it, and even after being infected with smallpox scabs, they wouldn't develop the disease.
In any case, the imperial physicians had to ensure a 100% success rate, as this was for the Emperor, who intended to use it on his sons and grandsons.
If something went wrong, they might face not only the extermination of their entire clan but also eternal infamy. The imperial physicians weren't worried; as long as they succeeded in defeating smallpox, that alone would be enough to ensure their lasting fame!
When reporting to Emperor Kangxi, they also handed over a stack of test results lists, which recorded the subsequent outcomes of their trials.
With such a large sum of money at his disposal, Kangxi, having reaped enormous profits from the glass workshop, could naturally afford it. Hearing this good news, his rage of the past few days subsided slightly.
Looking at the lists and records of the experiments, he flipped through page after page. "Really? Is this true?"
Kangxi was an ambitious monarch. He diligently strived to be a wise and benevolent ruler, all for the sake of being remembered
for generations. But many things had already been accomplished by previous emperors. No matter how hard he tried, he seemed no different from the emperors of the past, only able to earn a place in posterity as a wise ruler—that reputation… was enough.
But who knew that smallpox, a historically insurmountable problem, could actually be prevented? Using cowpox instead of human variolation greatly reduced the danger, even increasing the survival rate to over 95%!
"Your Majesty, I dare not lie. It is true. I have spent four or five years comparing everything, and it is absolutely true and reliable." The imperial physician was also delighted; he had discovered cowpox himself… oh, he had personally verified it.
"Good! Good! Reward! Reward!" Kangxi was overjoyed and immediately selected someone to test it out, wanting to personally oversee the process.
Emperor Kangxi had initially considered sending Hongyao and the others immediately, but after some thought, he shelved the idea. The imperial physicians advised against taking the risk, as the experiment hadn't been personally tested.
After all, they were his sons and grandsons. More than
half a month later, the experiment succeeded; all dozens of children survived. Kangxi finally breathed a sigh of relief and appointed the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Princes, along with Hongyao, Burhe (the eldest prince's eldest daughter), and Erlinzhu (the first princess), to be vaccinated against smallpox.
Few could escape the danger of smallpox; only strong willpower and physical strength could protect them, but many died from it.
Vaccination?
Upon receiving this order, the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Princes' mother, Lady Wang, burst into tears and immediately tried to rush to the Qianqing Palace to kneel and beg the Emperor for mercy.
Who didn't know the horror of smallpox? No one cared that cowpox was safer than smallpox; this was her precious child, her very lifeblood!
The nanny beside her desperately tried to drag Consort Wang away, "Your Highness, you can't go! If you go, you and your two sons will fall out of favor."
"But...but...favor is nothing compared to my two sons!" Consort Wang cried, tears streaming down her face. The Emperor's favor was utterly useless; she had given birth to two sons, yet they remained consorts.
Among all the princes, her sons held the lowest status.
“But you’ve already pleaded, and the Emperor has issued an order. His word is law, and he can’t change it. It’s better to take this opportunity to prepare clothes for the two princes…”
“Yes, yes, Your Highness, the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Princes are also the Emperor’s sons. How could the Emperor disregard the safety of his own sons?”
“Yes, isn’t there Prince Hongyao?”
“The Emperor’s favor towards Prince Hongyao is evident to everyone in the court and the harem. He wouldn’t ignore Prince Hongyao’s safety.” The maidservant quickly pulled at Consort Wang. The fact that the Emperor allowed Prince Hongyao to be vaccinated meant he wouldn’t stop because of others’ pleas.
To put it bluntly, in the Emperor’s heart, the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Princes combined might not be as favored as Prince Hongyao.
Consort Wang, persuaded by the nanny and maidservant, slowly stopped crying, her face streaked with tears, and she sobbed with some grievance.
Although it wasn’t pleasant to hear, it was the truth.
Upon learning that his two children were to be vaccinated against smallpox, the eldest prince, Yinti, immediately stood up in shock. "What? Impossible! No way!"
How could they be vaccinated against smallpox?
In Yinti's view, vaccination was almost the same as variolation. Even if his father, the Emperor, spoke eloquently, he believed it was tantamount to deliberately infecting smallpox, which could be fatal! No, no way.
The First Princess Consort also frowned, deeply worried about the vaccination. What was the Emperor doing? Did he want their children, Bulhe and Erlinzhu, to die?
"No, Your Highness, go find the Emperor. How can you let our Bulhe and Erlinzhu be vaccinated against smallpox?" Yinti was unhappy. He didn't know if it was safe; what if something happened?
The First Princess Consort opened her mouth, but ultimately didn't try to dissuade Yinti. She didn't want to…
Qianqing Palace.
After issuing the order, Kangxi knew they would certainly be unhappy.
Sure enough, Baoqing arrived shortly after.
As soon as he stepped into the palace, he shouted in his loud voice, "Father, how could you let Bulhe and Erlinzhu be vaccinated against smallpox?"
"Why not?" Kangxi retorted sternly, thinking Baoqing deserved a beating. As the imperial grandfather, would he possibly harm the children?
"Of course not! It's too dangerous! Father, no matter how much you want political achievements, you can't use our Erlinzhu and Bulhe to cause trouble!" Yinti retorted angrily, his neck stiff.
He and his wife had finally had their daughter, and because she accompanied him in martial arts practice every day, their bond had deepened considerably. How could he bear to let his daughter be vaccinated against smallpox?
"Baoqing, the people at the Imperial Hospital have been researching this for four or five years. Smallpox is indeed much safer than human smallpox. Last time, dozens of children were vaccinated, and they all survived."
Out of consideration for his son and his concern for his granddaughter, Kangxi patiently explained to Yinti.
Yinti wouldn't listen, "No, no, that won't do either. I just don't think it's appropriate."
This immediately extinguished Kangxi's temper. Yinti hadn't listened to him at all and was trying to argue unreasonably. "My mind is made up. No need to ask further. Go back and prepare. Send the child over tomorrow."
He then sent Yinti away, but remained seated to wait. Since Yinti was here, Baocheng would likely arrive soon.
Hongyao wasn't young anymore, and he was usually healthy and lively; how could he not survive?
Compared to smallpox and variolation, cowpox was indeed much better…
However, Kangxi waited a long time, but Baocheng didn't come… Hmm? What was going on?
At this moment, Yinreng, who was being worried about, heard the news and was still in the main courtyard, his face slightly grim. It was true that the Fucha family discovered cowpox and had had the imperial physicians research it for so many years, but Yinreng was still worried.
Other people's children and his own children always had different statuses.
“That’s great! Didn’t Father Emperor say that after four or five years of research, it must be even more perfect now?” Jialuo, who seemed to have noticed Yinreng’s bad mood, spoke up to remind him.
[Vaccination with smallpox! That’s amazing! Smallpox is almost always fatal, but with vaccination, you’re immune to it for life.]
[Father Emperor must have tested it and confirmed its safety before letting the princes and grandsons go.]
[Our Hongyao won’t be afraid of smallpox in the future.]
[He must go, he absolutely has to go.]
Hearing Jialuo’s thoughts, Yinreng glanced down at his son, Hongyao.
Hongyao looked at them with wide, round eyes, seemingly not understanding what they were discussing. His soft, childlike voice asked, “Vaccination with smallpox? What is that?”
“It’s a method to prevent smallpox. Father Emperor specially had it researched and tested. As long as you’re strong, you can survive. It’s a very difficult task, and Father Emperor wants to entrust it to our Hongyao.”
Yinreng coaxed Hongyao softly. Indeed, Father Emperor wouldn’t joke about Hongyao’s situation, especially considering the time he had spent researching it.
I heard that some time ago, there were still people stationed at Father Emperor's estate, and many young children were there...
"Hongyao can definitely do it!" Upon hearing that it was a difficult task, and only Hongyao could complete it, Hongyao patted his little chest and made a firm promise.
At this moment, Hongyao had already heard it as 'only he can do it,' and he was very determined and not afraid at all.
The three little ones listened to their discussion in their small cradle not far away, swinging their little feet and babbling, but unfortunately, no one paid attention to them at this time.
That evening, Yinreng was still discussing with Jialuo for a while about Hongyao's vaccination.
"Jialuo, don't worry, I'll ask Father Emperor tomorrow. We won't do anything without a guarantee." Yinreng didn't want anything to go wrong either. If Father Emperor couldn't guarantee it, he would really fight to the death!
"Okay." Jialuo nodded solemnly. Wasn't it someone who discovered smallpox again? "I forgot, but anyway, before there was a vaccine, the discovery of smallpox could have saved many people who might have died from smallpox.
" Yinreng understood. The smallpox vaccine might not have been discovered by the Fucha family, but by the Crown Princess.
But why had he never heard the Crown Princess mention it? Perhaps… the Fucha family started researching it before the wedding? That makes sense; Father Emperor had been researching it for four or five years.
The Fucha family couldn't have presented it to Father Emperor without any research; if they failed, wouldn't they be committing the crime of deceiving the Emperor?
"Baocheng, our Hongyao, will he really be alright?" Despite Jialuo's outward appearance of genuine belief, she was still uneasy, grasping Yinreng's hand and asking with some concern.
"It'll be alright. I'll be watching over Hongyao, don't worry," Yinreng reassured Jialuo, changing the subject. "Then you'll have to take care of Hongyang and the others. It'll be hard for you to do it alone."
"I still have the wet nurses and the others, so it won't be too hard for me." Mentioning Hongyang's three sons did calm Jialuo down a bit. "
I thought the three children would look exactly alike, but they're all different, especially Hongtun, he looks quite like Father Emperor." Mentioning his three sons, especially Hongtun, he always had to poke Hongtun's little cheeks whenever he saw him.
Although Hongtun resembled Father Emperor by about half, his personality was completely different. He was always grinning and happy, it was hard to tell who he resembled... well, definitely the Crown Princess.
"Then why do you bully Hongtun all the time?" Jialuo wanted to roll her eyes at the mention of this. If Father Emperor found out, he would definitely scold him.
Yinreng wasn't afraid at all. Hadn't he heard his father's constant scolding since childhood?
"If you can't bully Hongtun, then I'll bully you..." Sensing the Crown Princess's worry and anxiety, he thought, instead of dwelling on that, she should think about him beside her.
He wanted to show Jialuo through his actions that being anxious was useless; they should enjoy themselves.
So...
when Jialuo woke up, Yinreng had already taken Hongyao to the Qianqing Palace...
the Qianqing Palace.
When Kangxi saw Yinreng actually bring Hongyao, he glared and scolded, "Aren't you worried about Hongyao at all?"
What kind of father was Yinreng? At least Yinti would have tried to stand up for his daughter, but Yinreng didn't react at all and just brought Hongyao over?
“Grandpa, it was Hongyao who wanted to come. Such a difficult task, let Hongyao handle it.” Hongyao still remembered what his father had told him yesterday, patting his chest with the same resolute determination.
“Hongyao is truly Grandpa’s good grandson, come here, come here.” Facing Hongyao, Kangxi’s face immediately softened with affection, beckoning him over.
Little Hongyao toddled over, snuggling against his lap, “Grandpa?”
"Our Hongyao is amazing, even better than your father!" Yinreng, the father, was truly incompetent; he had to do it himself.
Hongyao was five years old now, time to start attending the Imperial Study.
Not long after, Yinti brought Bulhe and Erlinzhu over, followed by the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Princes.
They were all about the same age, Bulhe being slightly older by about two years, but in Kangxi's eyes, they were all the same.
A side hall was specially prepared for them. All five children had been vaccinated against smallpox by the imperial physicians, who were there tending to them, with Kangxi occasionally checking on them.
Consort Wang wanted to go, but she wasn't qualified. Yinti, having never contracted smallpox or been vaccinated, was stopped by Kangxi.
Only Yinreng was qualified to see his son. He expected it to be as painful as he had been as a child, but Hongyao was laughing and playing with them… like he was having a blast?
Several rooms had been connected, and they were even playing marbles...
This...
Yinreng had also had people investigate those who had been vaccinated against smallpox, but seeing it with his own eyes still gave him a different perspective. Could this smallpox... really replace human smallpox?
Jialuo, in Yuqing Palace, was also full of worry. Seeing Yinreng return from outside, she rushed over anxiously, "How is it? Is Hongyao alright?"
Yinreng had already gone back to the front courtyard to change and wash, to avoid picking up anything that might infect the three children.
So, he just stood outside and didn't go in. "I've been watching Hongyao the whole time. Nothing will happen, so I won't go in. You take good care of Hongyang and the others."
If he hadn't been worried about Jialuo overthinking, he wouldn't have thought of going in himself.
Jialuo nodded, knowing why Yinreng didn't come in, and she didn't insist on hugging him and saying intimate things.
With Hongyao absent, Jialuo spent her time in the main courtyard eating and drinking, and sitting beside her three little cradles watching her three babies. "Hongyang, Hongxuan, Hongtun, I'm your mother," she
called softly, holding each of their little hands. Children need to be taught from a young age. The little
ones, their hands being held, waved their little paws, wanting to play with Jialuo. Their laughter and babbling echoed throughout the main courtyard.
(End of Chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
