Chapter 69 Fortunately, the vaccination process was not...
Fortunately, the vaccination process went very smoothly, and news came back in just a few days that all the princes and princesses except for the eleventh prince, who had a high fever for a day, had woken up safely and could return to the palace in two more days.
When Consort Yi received the news, she was extremely anxious and cried to Wen Shan several times. Wen Shan could only comfort her. Fortunately, the Eleventh Prince recovered in a few days and was able to return to the palace soon.
The successful smallpox vaccination prompted the concubines in the harem to not only offer thanks to the gods and Buddhas, but also to send a number of genuine gifts to Xianfu Palace.
"Amitabha, I knew my worries weren't unfounded." Consort Yi hugged the newly returned Eleventh Prince, showering him with concern and tenderness, unable to let go of his arms.
Before the eleventh prince was vaccinated, she always felt uneasy. Sure enough, there was a small problem when Yinzhi was vaccinated, but fortunately he returned safely.
"Your mother has been worried sick every day and can't sleep, but I've been looking forward to your return." Consort Yi held the Eleventh Prince tightly and kept chanting Buddhist prayers.
The eleventh prince was obediently held by Consort Yi, who gently comforted him, "Mother, don't worry, I'm back now."
The Ninth Prince ran over and said, "Mother, the Eleventh Brother is back, so please don't be sad."
Consort Yi wiped away her tears and said with a smile, "Good, it's great news that your brother is back. Let's have a lively meal together later."
No sooner had she finished speaking than a palace maid entered and said, "Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince has arrived."
Consort Yi was overjoyed to hear that the Fifth Prince had arrived.
"Quickly, let Yinqi in."
The Fifth Prince is twelve years old this year and has grown into a young man. However, his appearance is still the same as when he was a child. He is still kind and gentle, and always has a smile on his face.
"Mother, I heard that my eleventh brother has returned. My grandmother specifically instructed me to come back and visit him."
Consort Yi pulled the Fifth Prince over and looked him up and down. She really didn't see this son often, especially after he grew up and moved to the Fifth Palace in Ganxi, it became even more difficult to see him.
Fortunately, the Empress Dowager's temperament has changed somewhat in recent years, and she no longer keeps such a close eye on the Fifth Prince. She also often invites him to visit Yikun Palace.
The Ninth Prince wasn't particularly close to his Fifth Brother, and they didn't talk much in the Imperial Study. However, since Yinzhi and the Fifth Prince had a good relationship, the Ninth Prince would occasionally exchange a few words with him.
The eleventh prince was quite close to the fifth prince. They were both relatively unknown members of the Imperial Study and often played together with the seventh prince.
"Fifth Brother!" The Eleventh Prince ran up to the Fifth Prince with a smile, looking up at him. "Fifth Brother, didn't I say I would prepare a gift for you before I left?"
"I definitely prepared one for you." The Fifth Prince mysteriously pulled a box out from behind his back. "Open it and see, you'll definitely like it."
Although the Ninth Prince didn't come closer, his eyes kept glancing in this direction.
The eleventh prince opened the box with great joy, and inside lay an exquisitely crafted horsewhip.
"You'll be practicing riding and archery with us soon, so your fifth brother specially prepared this riding whip for you. What do you think? Do you like it?" The fifth prince said, clearly delighted.
He put a lot of effort into making this whip; he set each of the gemstones on it himself.
Consort Yi was happy to see her sons getting along so well. The Fifth Prince had been pampered by the Empress Dowager since he was a child and didn't put much effort into his studies. The Eleventh Prince was not particularly talented, especially compared to the Crown Prince, Yinzhen, and Yinsi, who were among the more outstanding princes. So Consort Yi never forced them. She only hoped that they could grow up healthy and live a peaceful life as members of the imperial clan.
The Ninth Prince snorted as he watched the two brothers' affectionate gesture.
"Ninth Brother, you have one too." The Fifth Prince chuckled and pulled out another box as if by magic.
The Ninth Prince awkwardly accepted it: "Thank you, Fifth Brother."
The Fifth Prince patted his two younger brothers on the head and said proudly, "I'm the older brother!"
Consort Yi also smiled broadly.
"Alright, now that we've delivered the gifts, let's have dinner together."
While waiting for the food to be served, the Eleventh Prince and the Fifth Prince played together, studying the horsewhip on the couch. The Ninth Prince sat alone on the other side, tossing the box containing the horsewhip aside and flipping through a book irritably with his hands in his pockets.
Seeing his appearance, Consort Yi sat down and spoke quietly to the Ninth Prince.
"If you want to go and play with your older and younger brothers, then go."
The Ninth Prince said awkwardly, "I don't want to play with them."
Consort Yi sighed, "You, you, why do you always like to be with the Eighth Prince and the Tenth Prince? I never see you being so close to your own brothers."
The Ninth Prince turned his head and pouted, saying, "Mother, don't talk about Eighth Brother and Tenth Brother. We just share the same interests. Eighth Brother is good to us, so it's natural that we're close."
"Your mother didn't say anything bad about the Eighth Prince and the Tenth Prince." Consort Yi chuckled. "Alright, alright, your mother is too lazy to care about you anymore. You brothers can do whatever makes you happy."
At least the three brothers didn't become enemies; they just weren't that close anymore.
When talking about this, Consort Yi couldn't help but sigh, "They all have three sons, so how come the three princes under Consort Xuan's tutelage are so close?"
The Ninth Prince curled his lip, showing considerable disdain for Consort Yi's words.
"Mother, you don't know that Fourth Brother and Thirteenth Brother are very close, but it's not necessarily the same with Eighth Brother."
Consort Yi poked his head: "How many times have I been to Xianfu Palace? How could I not know how close these people are?"
The Fifth Prince and the Eleventh Prince were having so much fun that they didn't notice them. The Ninth Prince had often heard Consort Yi say that when his Fifth Brother was a child, his Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother often went to walk the dog and stroll around the garden with him. So at that time, Consort Yi had a good impression of these children in Xianfu Palace.
That's why I didn't comment on the Ninth Prince following the Eighth Prince around all day, and just let him be.
The Ninth Prince thought for a moment and muttered, "That was all in the past, and how can a private relationship be the same as that matter..."
Upon hearing this, Consort Yi's expression changed, and she grabbed the Ninth Prince's ear, frowning as she did so.
"Why do you always talk about these things?"
Consort Yi was well aware of where the Eighth Prince's heart lay. With the Crown Prince currently under house arrest and the Fourth Prince being favored by the Emperor, the two brothers were indeed not as close as they had been when they were children.
Then she thought about how close she, the Ninth Prince, was to the Eighth Prince, and that gave her a headache again.
This child is very stubborn, and once he's older, you can't persuade him anymore.
"Mother, when is dinner ready? I'm starving!" the Fifth Prince shouted from the side.
Consort Yi smiled helplessly and said, "Alright, it'll be ready soon."
These two sons are completely absorbed in eating, drinking, and having fun; I must have owed them something in my past life.
During dinner, the Eleventh Prince mentioned that when they were at the villa, Yinxiang always took special care of him.
“The thirteenth prince recovered the fastest. He was able to get out of bed and walk around the afternoon after being vaccinated against smallpox the night before. He was supposed to be fully recovered and able to return to the palace the next day, but instead of going back, he came to see me,” the eleventh prince said obediently.
Consort Yi was busy serving food to her three sons when she heard this and said with a smile, "The Thirteenth Prince has always been a very loyal and affectionate child. I really need to go and thank him properly another day."
"The method for smallpox was actually suggested by my brother, Mother. You should thank my brother properly too." The Ninth Prince said while eating his rice, making sure to show his affection for his dear brother.
It now seems that the reaction to smallpox vaccination is indeed much milder than the previous human variolation method. Consort Yi couldn't help but think that if the eleventh prince had been vaccinated using the human variolation method, it would probably have been a matter of life and death.
He nodded and said, "What Yinzhen said is true, we should indeed express our gratitude."
"And what about Fourth Brother? He and Eighth Brother presented it together!" Fifth Prince also tried to win over his in-law, Yinzhen.
Consort Yi was both amused and exasperated.
"Alright, they are all benefactors of our Yikun Palace. Mother will personally go to Xianfu Palace to express our gratitude another day. Are you three satisfied now?"
The next day, Consort Yi went to Xianfu Palace with generous gifts.
"Why did you bring so many things?" Wen Shan was a little shocked. She and Consort Yi had a good relationship for many years, and this was the first time she had seen her give gifts so solemnly.
"This time, I can't go without a generous gift." Consort Yi smiled as she recounted how the three brothers had been vying to have her come and express their gratitude the day before.
Wen Shan didn't know what to say: "Then you don't need to bring so many gifts. I already have so many that I can't fit them all."
Consort Yi shook her head: "Even if I send more, it is only right. I am truly grateful to these three princes in Your Majesty's palace this time."
The Thirteenth Prince took care of Yinxiang in the villa, while the Fourth and Eighth Princes developed a smallpox vaccination method, which almost saved the Eleventh Prince's life.
At this time, none of the three princes, including Yinzhen, were in Xianfu Palace. Yinzhen and Yinsi were having classes in the Imperial Study, while Yinxiang had no classes in the afternoon but had just taken Fuqi and Laifu for a stroll in the Imperial Garden.
After delivering the gifts, Consort Yi noticed a sewing basket next to Wen Shan and asked curiously, "Why is Your Highness doing needlework today?"
It was common knowledge in the palace that Consort Xuan disliked needlework. The concubines often made clothes and bedding for their children themselves. Wen Shan was not good at needlework and had once asked Consort Yi to make some small things for her, and naturally she returned the favor later.
Wenshan only remembered today when she happened to see the sewing basket that had been gathering dust on the side, and realized that the sachet she promised to make for Emperor Kangxi had been delayed again.
She realized that it was quite absurd that such a small matter had dragged on for almost two years. Originally, she had almost finished embroidering the ground, but after the day she parted on bad terms with Kangxi, Kangxi rarely came to Xianfu Palace, and Wenshan had abandoned it again.
Although Wen Shan is a bit lazy, she is quite persistent in her work. Since she saw it, she picked it up and sewed two stitches.
Although I still don't really want to embroider, I'll do it one stitch today and one stitch tomorrow, and I'll be able to finish it in a year or two.
Consort Yi immediately recognized that the pattern on it looked like a golden dragon.
"Did Her Majesty embroider this for His Majesty?"
Wen Shan didn't hide anything, only saying that it had been delayed for a long time, and although Kangxi didn't urge her, she still felt relieved to have finished it.
Consort Yi seemed to be deep in thought, and after a moment she said, "Now Consort Tong and Noble Consort Niohuru are sharing the limelight in the palace. In my opinion, these two will have more trouble to deal with."
Consort Tong and Consort Niohuru had similar temperaments and backgrounds, so they were naturally at odds.
Consort Niohuru was often so angry with her that she felt that women of the Tongjia clan were born to bring her bad luck.
She was previously overshadowed by her elder sister in terms of status, and now her younger sister is vying for her favor. She has truly stirred up trouble for the Tongjia clan.
Aside from Consort Tong and Noble Consort Niohuru, who accounted for the majority of the emperor's nights with him, the remaining concubines, such as Consort Mi and Consort Rui, shared the remaining time equally. As Emperor Kangxi grew older, he increasingly favored these gentle and graceful women.
Since the last time Kangxi sent her a gift through Yinzhen and she didn't express any gratitude, Kangxi hasn't come to Xianfu Palace again. However, he has shown even greater favor to Yinzhen and Yinsi than before, making them the most favored princes in the palace.
That's because the crown prince is still under house arrest and hasn't been released.
Wen Shan said this was wonderful; if Kangxi didn't come, she wouldn't have to drink so much bitter medicine, which was really killing her.
After another half month, the Crown Prince's confinement finally ended. He obediently handed over the three hundred copies of the "Three Character Classic" and the "Book of Rites" to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Emperor Kangxi didn't look at them much, but just said a few words to him to be diligent in the future before letting the Crown Prince out.
Although the Crown Prince was under house arrest, he was constantly informed and knew that Yinzhen had distinguished himself during this period and become the most watched prince. Therefore, he was holding a grudge and did not give Yinzhen a friendly look.
Yinzhen, as always, treated the Crown Prince with utmost respect, leaving him no room for criticism.
The Third Prince, a staunch supporter of the Crown Prince, saw the situation and had a private conversation with the Crown Prince.
"Second brother, it seems that fourth brother has already harbored treacherous intentions. We must be on guard."
The crown prince was somewhat agitated, feeling that many things were suddenly out of his control.
The Third Prince, who had been keeping a low profile and observing the situation with a cold eye, also felt that things were not going well.
The crown prince thought for a moment and asked, "What is the current relationship between my fourth brother and eighth brother?"
"Father often sends the eighth and fourth brothers to do things together, probably intending for the eighth brother to assist the fourth brother. This is not a good sign," said the third prince.
Among all the princes, besides the eldest prince, the eighth prince was the one whose ambition to seize the throne was the most obvious. Yet, Kangxi insisted on cultivating the eighth prince to be an assistant to Yinzhen. Wasn't that obvious?
"Father Emperor is thinking too simply. Do you think they can be of one mind just because they grew up in the same palace?" The Crown Prince sneered and said, "Eighth Brother is so shrewd. How could he be willing to be subordinate to someone else? In your opinion, has their relationship changed at all?"
The Third Prince thought for a moment and then shook his head: "I can't see anything. Second Brother, you know that Eighth Brother is a deep thinker. Even if he has something, he won't let us see it. As for Fourth Brother, he is as straightforward as ever and will not do anything rash."
"If I can trust my fourth brother to some extent, then my eighth brother..."
Yinsi, who was making a kite with Yinzhen, suddenly sneezed.
In a few days, when the autumn weather is clear and crisp, I plan to take Yinxiang kite flying.
"What's wrong? Did you catch a cold?" Yinzhen asked.
Yinzhi touched his nose: "Probably not. Maybe someone is talking about me behind my back."
"If that were the case, wouldn't you be sneezing every day?" Yinzhen teased.
"..."
He can't be that hated!
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