Chapter 95: Xiaoyi is saved from danger
Yinzhen's illness broke out suddenly. Not only was the imperial physician in charge of Xiao Shiyi's daily care at the Imperial Hospital caught off guard, but even Xiao Tao, who was with Yinzhen every day, didn't know where the illness came from.
After Tong Jia Zi Fu returned to Chengqian Palace, she first settled the children in Yikun Palace, and then locked herself in the study, carefully calculating who had gone to Yikun Palace in the past few days and who might be related to Xiao Shiyi's illness.
"Mother." Yinzhen, who had just finished taking a shower, pushed open the door of the study and poked his little head in. However, without Tong Jia Zifu's permission, Yinzhen didn't dare to just walk in and disturb Tong Jia Zifu's peace.
Tong Jia Zi Fu, who was originally in deep thought, saw Yinzhen and waved to him with a smile.
With his mother's permission, Yinzhen pushed open the door and entered the study. He walked over to sit next to Tong Jia Zifu and said, "Mother, are you thinking about my eleventh brother?"
Tong Jia Zifu didn't answer Yinzhen immediately. She just picked up the wooden comb at hand and untied Yinzhen's braids, combing his long hair one by one: "You can't braid your hair until it's dry. You can't catch a cold, otherwise you will get a headache."
"I understand, son." Yinzhen agreed obediently and closed his eyes to enjoy it.
Tong Jia Zifu was combing Yinzhen's hair when she said, "Mother was indeed thinking about Yinzhen just now. What do you think about this?"
Yinzhen said, "I believe that with Mother looking after my eleventh brother openly and covertly, the ladies in the harem wouldn't and wouldn't dare to have any other thoughts. So..."
"So, it was destined?" Tong Jia Zifu thought Yinzhen's explanation made sense. "But, you were already several years old when you got the smallpox."
Yinzhen opened his eyes and looked back at Tong Jia Zifu: "My son still remembers that time when mother took care of him without taking off her clothes. After he recovered, you fell ill and had to lie down for a long time."
"You are a person with a conscience." Tong Jia Zi Fu glared at Yinzhen with a smile.
Yinzhen sighed, "I hope Little Eleven will recover soon, so that Concubine Yi's mother can rest assured sooner, and Khan Ama will also be at ease."
"Yes." Tong Jia Zifu touched the back of Yinzhen's head and said, "In the next few days, you should take good care of your fourth sister and fifth brother."
"Son understands." Yinzhen nodded seriously, "Even if it's that little kid Xiaojiu, I will take good care of him."
Tong Jia Zifu was amused by Yinzhen: "You said Yinzhen is a little radish head, aren't you a little radish head yourself?"
But in the Yiku Palace, Xiu Yu and Xuan Ye had just returned from outside the Great Wall and were taking care of Yin Zhen without taking off their clothes. Before the first night was over, both of them had bloodshot eyes.
Yinzhen kept crying for the first half of the night until Sun Zhiding brought him a pill. Xuanye pried open Yinzhen's mouth and forced the pill into his mouth. Only then did Yinzhen gradually stop crying and was coaxed into sleep by Xiu Yu.
Early the next morning, Xuanye looked at Xiu Yu's haggard expression and simply asked Liang Jiugong to convey the oral order to suspend court for seven days.
Before Liang Jiugong could even leave the main gate of the Yikun Palace, he ran into Empress Xiaozhuang. He quickly knelt down and said, "Grandfather, please forgive me. I was so anxious."
Empress Xiaozhuang looked at Liang Jiugong and asked, "What are you doing in such a hurry so early in the morning, you little monkey? You don't act like a chief steward at all. How disrespectful!"
Liang Jiugong quickly replied, "I am going to the front court to deliver the emperor's oral instructions, so..."
Xiaozhuang was so astute that she knew without asking what her grandson would say in this situation. As she walked inside, she said to Liang Jiugong, "There's no need to pass on the order. Go prepare the emperor's court robes."
Liang Jiugong said: "Yes."
In the warm room, Xuanye and Xiuyu saw Xiaozhuang coming and stood up to greet her.
Xiaozhuang walked to the bedside, looked at Yinzhen, and said, "Yinzhen has smallpox. Has Sun Zhiding come to see him?"
Xuanye replied, "I made some medicine, but Xiaoyi couldn't drink it, so Sun Zhiding made some pills for him, and he finally swallowed it."
"You and Yu'er's children are both blessed. Little Eleven will surely recover from his danger. Xuanye..." Xiaozhuang looked at Xuanye and said, "It's time for you to attend to government affairs. You've been away from the Great Wall for so long, and you haven't seen Suo'etu, Mingzhu and the others face to face. What do you think the ministers of the previous dynasty will think? Yinzhen, Yu'er and I will watch over him together. With me, the ancestor, praying to the Buddha and the God of Wealth for Little Eleven, you, as his father, can rest assured."
Xiu Yu regained some of her composure when she saw Xiao Zhuang. She also looked at Xuan Ye and said, "Your Majesty, please go and attend to the government affairs. I will take care of Xiao Shiyi. He will be fine."
"I..." Xuanye still wanted to stay in Yiku Palace, but Xiu Yu tugged at Xuanye's sleeve and shook her head at him.
Xuanye finally decided to go to the former court to be his emperor. He bowed to Xiaozhuang and said, "Grandpa, I entrust Yu'er and Xiaoyi to you."
Su Moer said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. When you had smallpox, wasn't it me who stayed with you through it? Now when the Eleventh Prince got the smallpox, I took care of him."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Madam Su."
Even though Xuanye was extremely worried, he still changed into court clothes and left Yiku Palace.
Although Su Moer was no longer old enough to care for little Xuanye, she was experienced after all, and was more skilled than Xiu Yu and Xiao Tao in tending to Yinzhen's pox. As for Empress Xiaozhuang, she naturally wouldn't personally tend to Yinzhen like Su Moer had, but she kept turning the Buddhist beads in her hand, praying for little Eleven.
In fact, Xiu Yu was still glad that Yinzhen had chickenpox, not smallpox. If it was smallpox, I'm afraid the little guy really wouldn't be able to survive it.
Illnesses often come and go quickly. Yinzhen's chickenpox had completely disappeared by the fifth day, and by the seventh, the little guy was already making the adults laugh. The only regret was that Xiuyu wasn't paying attention, and Yinzhen scratched a few of the pox on his face, leaving him with pockmarks like his father.
"Really." Xiu Yu felt regretful no matter how she looked at Yinzhen's little face. "He should have been a handsome little prince, but now he's gone."
Su Moer smiled and said, "It's okay to have a few pockmarks. Our emperor also has a few pockmarks on his face, but it didn't stop him from growing up to be what he is today and marrying so many concubines."
"Su Moer, why are you talking less and less seriously as you get older?" Empress Xiaozhuang joked, but also said, "Young prince, it doesn't matter if you have a few pockmarks on your face. You can still marry a beautiful wife in the future."
"Who wants to marry a beautiful wife?" After Xuanye finished his court session, he immediately came to the Yiku Palace. Xiao Eleven's illness had recovered, and his mood had improved a lot, and he felt much more energetic.
Xiu Yu smiled and said, "Our ancestors said that it's okay for our Yinzhen to have a few pockmarks on his face, and he will be able to marry a beautiful wife in the future."
"Of course." Xuanye held Yinzhen in his arms and said with a smile, "Little Eleven, when you grow up, I will choose the most beautiful one among the noble ladies of the Eight Banners to be your wife. How about that?"
"My cousin is so partial." Tong Jia Zifu heard yesterday that Yinzhen had passed away. This morning, Liu Kejing and the others had breakfast in Chengqian Palace before sending the three children back home from Yikun Palace. As soon as they entered, they heard Xuanye say he wanted to choose a beautiful wife for Yinzhen. "Why is it that we have to choose a beautiful wife for the Eleventh Prince, but our Fourth, Fifth, and Ninth Princes can't marry beautiful wives?"
"Of course we do." Xuanye couldn't let Tong Jia and Zi Fu catch him in the act. "They're not all the same age. By the time Little Eleven gets married, the children of Little Four and Little Five will probably be able to bend a bow and shoot an arrow."
Tong Jia Zifu passed Yinzhen in her arms to Xiu Yu and said with a smile, "Take a look at how these children are being raised in my Chengqian Palace. Are there any missing weights?"
"You're joking, Imperial Concubine." Xiu Yu placed Yinzhen on the bed and bowed to Tong Jia Zi Fu, saying, "It's Yu'er who should say thank you."
"Our Yinzhen still needs to learn some skills from you." Tong Jia Zifu personally helped Xiu Yu up. "Besides, given our friendship, is there any need to thank me? Of course, if you absolutely must, how about the Fourth Prince and I have lunch at your Yikun Palace this afternoon?"
"Okay." Xiu Yu agreed readily, "I'll cook for you myself. Just tell me what you want to eat."
Su Moer also said: "I will go and help Concubine Yi. Although my cooking skills are not as good as hers, I can still make milk tea."
Xuanye immediately went to support Su Moer and said, "Madam Su's skill in making milk tea is far superior to Yu'er's. But for dishes like boiled pork in clear water, you are the best."
Su Moer said, "Yes! Since the emperor has said this, I will also perform my ugly deeds today."
Xiaozhuang also said: "Come to think of it, I haven't tasted Su Moer's cooking for a while. There are many people here today, you must not embarrass my Cining Palace."
Tong Jia Zifu was furious when she heard this: "Grandfather, are you clearly bullying the incompetent cook in Chengqian Palace?"
"Then I'm at my wit's end." Empress Xiaozhuang spread her hands. "But you really don't have to pay for this meal. You've taken good care of Yu'er and the other children. What's the big deal about eating her out?"
Xiu Yu invited Tong Jia Zi Fu to sit on the couch, signaled Xiao Tao to serve tea, and then said, "Royal Concubine, please sit here with the old ancestor for a while and play chess. After the game, we will have dinner."
"Yu'er, you really know how to assign tasks." Xiaozhuang put on a look of disdain: "Ask Xuanye to accompany his cousin. Let's see if Xuanye can give his cousin ten pieces. Can his cousin win?"
Everyone who knew Tong Jia Zifu's chess skills laughed.
Tong Jia Zifu was a little unconvinced: "Cousin, I don't need you to give me ten pieces. Just give me five and see if I can beat you!"
"You think winning is easy?" Xuanye gestured to Liang Jiugong to set up the chessboard. "I promise to let you win this game before you taste Yu'er's specialty."
Tong Jia Zifu was really angry, but Yinzhen tugged at her sleeve and said, "Don't be afraid, mother. This time, I won't be a gentleman. I will compete with you and Khan Ama to see who is better!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
