On the way back, Shunzhi was not in a good mood. He had just gone to see Dong E Wan Ning, thinking she had something important to say, but there was nothing, and he had wasted his time.
After that, he completely ignored Dong E and didn't want to hear anything about her.
Life continued in this uneventful way. Shunzhi had only three things to do each day: handle important state affairs, check on his sons' studies in the Imperial Study, and occasionally visit the harem to favor his concubines.
He lived like an old man, leading a monotonous life with only three things to do each day, except for mealtimes.
One month later, he fell ill and developed a high fever.
He was puzzled, though, because he hadn't caught a chill, so how could he have caught a cold and had a persistent high fever?
After treatment by the imperial physicians, and with the precedent of the Third Prince's case, they quickly discovered that the Emperor had not contracted an ordinary cold, but rather the horrifying smallpox.
This shocked everyone, both in the government and among the people. Everyone knew that the mortality rate of smallpox was extremely high.
Furthermore, the mortality rate for children and adults differs when it comes to smallpox. Shunzhi was an adult who had never had smallpox as a child, and now that he had contracted the disease, the risk to him was even greater than that to the Third Prince back then.
The entire Qianqing Palace was sealed off. Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang had retired to the inner palace for many years, but now that the emperor was seriously ill, she had no choice but to return to the court to stabilize the situation.
All the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy were summoned to the Qianqing Palace to wait. Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang issued a strict order: if they could not cure the emperor, they would all be buried alive with him.
The imperial physicians were now in a distressed state. Smallpox was difficult to cure, and contracting it was almost always fatal. They were just doctors, not gods; how could they possibly save the emperor?
But with the Empress Dowager's order hanging over their heads, the imperial physicians, knowing the difficulties, still had to do their best and dared not slack off.
In the prince's quarters, Xuan Ye didn't know whether to be happy or sad. He knew that his father was about to pass away, and next year would be the time for him to ascend the throne.
On one hand, there was power and status; on the other hand, there was his own father. Xuan Ye's feelings were somewhat complicated.
He lost his husband and mother when he was young, and lacked parental love during his growth. Only his grandmother was by his side.
Although his grandmother cared about him, she cared even more about the world.
His grandmother would teach him the art of being an emperor, how to govern the country, appoint ministers, and balance the power within and outside the court.
Xuan Ye learned a lot from his grandmother and genuinely respected and admired this old lady.
However, the regret from his youth remained deeply buried in Xuan Ye's heart; the regret of wanting to care for his parents but finding them gone was a lifelong one.
Therefore, he loved his children very much and raised each son with great care, which eventually led to the great struggle for succession among his nine sons.
Just as he was gazing out the window in deep thought, a pair of hands suddenly slapped him from behind.
"What are you thinking about? You seem so engrossed in it?" A clear and pleasant voice rang out from behind.
Upon hearing the voice, Xuan Ye knew who it was. He turned around with a gentle expression and asked, "Mother, why have you come?"
Yunyi slapped Xuan Ye on the forehead and said with a laugh, "What, can't I come to your place?"
Yes, that's right, standing behind them is none other than Yun Yi.
A few years ago, when Xuan Ye left the palace to treat smallpox, it was Yun Yi's first contact with this son. She also revealed some information about Xuan Ye's background, but she did not acknowledge him as her son.
After returning to the palace, Xuan Ye kept searching for information about his birth mother, but Yun Yi never appeared.
It wasn't until Xuan Ye was five years old (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning) that he moved to the residence of the princes, and Yun Yi finally recognized him.
For the past two years, Yunyi has been staying at the Prince's residence, taking care of her son, cultivating her relationship with him, and teaching Xuan Ye some things.
Seeing that her son seemed a little sad, Yunyi knew that he was reluctant to part with his father.
Yunyi gently patted her son's shoulder, but didn't say anything to comfort him, after all, her relationship with Shunzhi was not good.
Knowing his mother's meaning, Xuan Ye didn't think anything was wrong. His father had deposed his mother back then, and his mother had chosen to secretly give birth to him without telling his father. She must have been disappointed.
Now that his father has contracted smallpox and is in critical condition, according to Xuan Ye, his mother will certainly not be sad, and it's good that she won't gloat.
It has to be said that Xuan Ye was right; Yun Yi was not sad at all, but rather happy.
After a brief chat with his son, Yunyi, against her conscience, said a few words that Shunzhi would surely be blessed by heaven, which was considered a way of comforting Xuan Ye.
But both mother and son knew that Shunzhi was unlikely to survive this ordeal.
Half a month later, Shunzhi's condition indeed worsened to the point where medicine could not cure him, and no matter how hard the imperial physicians tried, it was to no avail.
Meanwhile, Dong E Wan Ning, who was barely surviving in the cold palace, was also arrested by Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.
Emperor Shunzhi would not have contracted smallpox for no reason. He stayed in the palace and never went out. There was no news from the palace that any palace servant had contracted smallpox. So how did Emperor Shunzhi get the disease?
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang became suspicious and sent people to investigate, only to find out that it was Dong E Wan Ning, who was in the Cold Palace, who was behind the trouble.
Seeing that her son's condition was deteriorating, the furious Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang arrested Dong E Wan Ning and subjected her to severe interrogation.
There was no need for interrogation. When Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang asked, Dong E Wan Ning readily admitted her actions without any attempt to conceal them, showing great openness.
Her actions further enraged Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, who never expected that her son would be seduced by this woman and ultimately harmed by her.
Dong E Wan Ning's fate was predictable; she was tormented by her angry mother, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, and died in the cold winter of the Forbidden City.
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