Yikun Palace.
Mrs. Nian was in a fit of anger, and Hongfu, who was in the wet nurse's arms, kept crying and wouldn't stop no matter what she did.
"Crying, crying, crying... all you do is cry... what are you all good for? Can't you even soothe a child?" Madam Nian roared, slamming her fist on the table.
The wet nurse glanced timidly at Madam Nian, not daring to speak.
A maidservant poured a cup of tea for Madam Nian and brought it to her. Madam Nian picked it up and drank it, but it was so hot that she grimaced and threw the cup down, angrily shouting, "Are you trying to scald me to death?"
The maid was so frightened that she lay prostrate on the ground, trembling.
Lady Nian gritted her teeth and said, "None of them give me a moment's peace. That vile woman from the Yuanmingyuan is not only alive, but the Emperor is about to make her a Noble Consort. Wan Quan is just going against me..."
"And you all... you're all useless, all you know how to do is flatter and fawn, you don't have a single idea when it matters..." Nian pointed at everyone in the room and cursed angrily.
Startled by Nian's loud voice, Hongfu cried even harder. A maidservant, worried about him, took Hongfu from the wet nurse and patted him while stroking his forehead.
Hongfu's face was flushed, and his voice was hoarse from crying, but there wasn't a single bead of sweat on his forehead. The moment the maid touched Hongfu's forehead, she was terrified and knelt down.
"Your Highness, the young prince seems to have a fever again..." The maid dared not hide it and said tremblingly. The wet nurse behind her changed her expression and could not stand steadily.
Startled, Lady Nian immediately snatched Hongfu back from the maid and tested his temperature with her hand; it was indeed burning hot.
Lady Nian panicked and said to the maid who was lying on the ground, "What are you all standing there for? Go and fetch the imperial physician..."
The maidservant quickly got up and ran out.
Madam Nian held Hongfu tightly, her heart aching, and said anxiously, "This is the third time already. The imperial physician said it's just a minor cold, so why isn't he fully recovered yet?"
A maidservant soaked a towel, wrung it out until it was half-dry, and placed it on Hongfu's forehead. Hongfu closed his eyes, his hands flailing wildly in the air, crying and refusing to let the maidservant cool him down. Madam Nian could not hold Hongfu and almost slipped from her grasp, trembling with fear as she tried to comfort him.
Lady Nian was furious, but she couldn't bear to vent her anger on Hongfu, so she scolded the wet nurse who served Hongfu: "How did you take care of the little prince? You didn't even notice that the little prince was sick and had a fever?"
The wet nurse, terrified, kowtowed repeatedly, crying, "Your Majesty, spare me! I have served the young prince with all my heart and dared not neglect him in the slightest. I beg Your Majesty to see the truth..."
Nian kicked the wet nurse and shouted, "Wholeheartedly? I think you're up to no good... Guards... Drag her out... Beat her!"
The guards at the door immediately rushed in, dragged the wet nurse out, and the wet nurse struggled and cried out, "Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me..."
Lady Nian waved her hand irritably and said, "Give them a good beating! Yikun Palace is becoming more and more unruly. It's all because I've spoiled them... I'm giving you all a reminder today..."
Outside, the wet nurse's screams echoed, one blow after another falling from the stick. Having finally calmed Hongfu down, Lady Nian had no time to deal with what was happening outside. Soon after, the imperial physician arrived, examined Hongfu, prescribed some fever-reducing medicine, and was about to leave when a guard rushed in, panicked, to report: "Your Majesty, the wet nurse has fainted and is unresponsive..."
Mr. Nian said impatiently, "Bring it in..."
Two guards carried in the wet nurse, who was covered in bruises. The imperial physician stepped forward to examine her, touched the tip of her nose with his finger, and exclaimed in shock, "Your Majesty, she...she's dead..."
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