"Princess, the wet nurse has come to report again that the young prince is still not well," Chun Tao said, not daring to look at Yan Yu's face. She didn't quite understand some of the things the princess had asked her to do. But she did whatever her mistress said.
"I understand. He's physically weak and his illness is recurring, so he'll naturally recover more slowly." Yan Yu only lets Chun Tao give the little princess her medicine each time, while she either reduces the amount of medicine for the little prince by half or dilutes it by half.
Chun Tao, unaware that the young prince wasn't Yan Yu's biological son, naturally couldn't understand her psychology behind this behavior. This child was brought into Yan Yu's harem to gain favor, and since he hadn't helped her achieve her goal, there was no need to treat him well. Moreover, the child's birth mother was just an ordinary woman, whose health wasn't as good as Yan Yu's to begin with, and she had been given labor-inducing drugs, giving birth a few days early. Therefore, the young prince's health was naturally not as good as the young princess's. The two children were together every day, and if either of them fell ill, the young princess would usually recover first. Gradually, the impression that the young prince was weak formed.
If Yan Yu doesn't give the child his medicine properly, his illness will naturally relapse. Sure enough, the wet nurse rushed into Yan Yu's room in a panic, telling her that the little prince had a fever again.
"Chuntao, go and invite the Princess Consort. If the Fourth Prince is there, tell her that the young prince's condition has relapsed, and ask the Princess Consort to make the decision." Yan Yu wasn't worried at all. After all, it was just a cold and fever, not a serious illness. It was just the child suffering a little, and it wasn't her child anyway.
Sigh, these women in the inner quarters can be truly ruthless when they want to be.
When Chuntao arrived at the main courtyard, the Fourth Prince was discussing matters with his wife. Remembering Yan Yu's instructions, Chuntao specifically told Chunliu, who had led her inside, "Sister Chunliu, our young prince has a fever again. The princess is panicked and wants to ask the princess to come and see him."
Seeing that the Fourth Prince had finally arrived at the main courtyard, and that Princess Yu had sent someone to invite him again, Chunliu wanted to ask her to wait a while. However, Chuntao refused, deliberately saying loudly, "Sister Chunliu, the young prince is frail and often catches colds and fevers. The princess is extremely worried; please, Your Highness, go and see him."
“Master, the eldest princess will be twelve years old at the end of the year, we need to make plans for her soon.” The princess consort had already made up her mind when she saw that the fourth master had come to discuss the eldest princess.
"According to the Princess Consort's wishes, the marriage of the eldest princess should be arranged as soon as possible." The reason why the Fourth Prince brought up the marriage of the eldest princess so early was actually because he was worried that Kangxi would arrange another marriage for her. The princess no longer had any eligible women, and the eldest princess of the Prince Zhi had been married for a year, and the letters she sent back said that things were not going well.
Suddenly, Chun Tao's voice came from outside. Fourth Master frowned slightly, and after hearing something from the young prince, he gestured for the person speaking outside to come in.
The princess nodded to Li Momo, who understood, bowed, and withdrew. A moment later, she brought Chun Tao in.
Both the Fourth Prince and his wife recognized her; she was Yan Yu's maid, and they must have been talking about the two children.
"Tell me, what's wrong with the young prince?" Fourth Prince couldn't help but ask.
"Your Majesty, Madam, the young prince and the young princess both caught a cold a few days ago. Doctor Wu prescribed medicine, and after two or three days, the young princess recovered, but the young prince's condition has been recurring and he has started to have a fever again. The princess is worried and has specially ordered me to invite Your Majesty to come and take a look," Chun Tao said.
"Why don't you go and invite Doctor Wu?" the Fujin asked anxiously, though she wasn't actually that worried. It would be better if that child died, as that would remove a weight from her heart.
"We've already gone to fetch him, but Doctor Wu couldn't diagnose the cause of the young prince's relapses either. The princess is there alone, and she's really unsure what to do, which is why she wanted the princess to go and take a look." Chun Tao looked at her with a helpless and troubled expression, but she completed Yan Yu's instructions very well.
"Let's go take a look!" Fourth Master couldn't help but say.
Seeing this, the Fujin naturally had no choice but to get up and go to Yan Yu's room with the Fourth Prince.
Yan Yu watched over the two children. The little princess was happily drinking milk, while the little prince, though a few days older, already had a rosy face.
Sure enough, when the Fourth Prince and his wife entered, Yan Yu had already prepared her words. Upon hearing the Fourth Prince's footsteps, she began to cry to the young prince, saying between sobs, "You poor little body, suffering so much. If I could, I would rather your illness be on my body, so I could bear it for you."
After saying that, she picked up the handkerchief from her chest and began to cry.
"Why hasn't Doctor Wu arrived yet?" As Fourth Master approached the house, he overheard Yan Yu's words and felt a pang of guilt. Because of Yan Yu, he rarely came to see the two children.
"Reporting to Master, we have already gone to fetch them," a young woman said.
"My lord, the young prince has always been unwell, and I am truly afraid of losing him. I cannot live without him. Please, Fourth Master, save the young prince!" Yan Yu had already been crying with tears streaming down her face. Seeing the Fourth Master approach, she quickly pleaded with him.
Alas, Si Si is only a mortal, how could he possibly resist the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death? But these women in the inner quarters are used to regarding him as a god, as the sovereign who rules over the lives of everyone in this inner quarters.
"Don't cry, the young prince is blessed with good fortune, he will definitely be alright," the princess said quickly.
"But I'm really scared. The young prince's condition keeps fluctuating. Right now, the medicine is just suppressing it. Once the effects wear off, he'll be gone." Yan Yu grabbed the Fourth Prince's arm and said.
At this moment, Doctor Wu arrived carrying his medicine chest. After exchanging greetings with the Fourth Prince and his wife, he began to take the pulse of the young prince, just as he had done that day.
After repeatedly taking the pulse in one hand and then the other, Dr. Wu remained frowning. He tried the other hand, but still could not make a diagnosis.
"Doctor Wu, what's wrong with the young prince?" Fourth Master couldn't help but ask.
Doctor Wu bowed and raised his hand, saying, "Your Highness, the young prince is simply weak. He caught a cold and hasn't fully recovered. He may have caught another cold along the way, which has worsened his condition."
Upon hearing this, the several women present immediately began to tremble.
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince's expression indeed turned quite unpleasant.
"How exactly are you all taking care of the young prince? I was only gone for a short while, and you've already let him catch a cold. Do you expect me to stay here every night for you to be truly attentive?" Yan Yu interrupted the Fourth Prince before he could say anything, deliberately speaking in this way because she was afraid he would blame her for not taking good care of the young prince and princess.
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