Emperor Kangxi was seriously ill for seven days and there was no sign of improvement. Rumors began to circulate not only in the court and among the common people.
Inside the Qianqing Palace, Yinreng felt heartbroken looking at Kangxi, who had become emaciated from illness. Consort Hui, who was attending to the ailing emperor, also wiped away tears.
Yinreng stared silently for a long time before turning to He Yuzhu beside him, "Where is Hongxi?"
He Yuzhu was taken aback at first, then replied, "The Second Prince should be at the palace school."
"Have him come over after school."
At this moment, Yinreng could not bear to see Kangxi suffer so much. All the considerations he had previously made were ultimately replaced by an overwhelming sense of reluctance when facing Kangxi in this state.
When Hongxi arrived at the Qianqing Palace, lunch had already been served.
He knew, of course, that his father hadn't invited him over for a simple meal, but the father and son didn't say a word during the meal.
Knowing that He Yuzhu had cleared away the food, Yinreng then asked while drinking tea, "In your previous life, did your grandfather ever suffer from malaria?"
Hongxi's hand trembled, and the teacup he had just picked up spilled all over him.
But by this time, all the servants around them had already been dismissed, and only the father and son remained in the vast palace.
Hongxi felt cold sweat pouring down his body.
It turns out that Ama knew everything.
It turns out that Ama already knew.
For a moment, Hongxi didn't know how to begin, or where to even begin.
Yinreng was also conflicted.
He didn't really want to confront his son like this; he could even sense his son's emphasis on and fear of being reborn.
"Hongxi, your father doesn't ask about anything else, he just wants to know if your imperial grandfather had malaria in your previous life?"
Hongxi took a deep breath, nodded, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Alright."
Yinreng suddenly looked up, "Has it been cured?"
Because it is uncertain in what year the previous Emperor Kangxi contracted malaria, it is also unclear whether the other party's death was related to this disease.
Hongxi thought about it carefully, "The Emperor was cured by the medicine in the hands of those missionaries. They had a very magical medicine, and the Emperor recovered very quickly after taking it."
"Missionaries?" Yinreng stood up abruptly, his voice trembling with excitement.
Hongxi looked up at Yinreng and nodded firmly, "Yes, those are the foreign missionaries that are very popular in the capital now."
Yinreng turned and left.
Now that he has this clue, all he has to do is find someone to help him find the medicine.
Watching Yinreng's departing figure, Hongxi's eyes held an extremely complex expression.
Amar wasn't as fixated on what happened in the previous life as he had imagined. It seemed that if it weren't for his father's serious illness, Amar wouldn't have bothered to uncover the truth.
"Second Prince, the First Prince has arrived," Zhang Quan, who was guarding the door, announced as he pushed open the door.
Hongxi steadied himself, got up and walked towards the door. As soon as he stepped out, he saw Hongyu standing in the corridor.
"Big brother," Hongxi greeted him.
Hongyu turned around and looked at the little boy in front of him. He was only eight years old, but the occasional look of vicissitude in his eyes puzzled him as his older brother.
"I saw my second uncle leaving in a hurry on the way here. Did something happen?"
Hongxi nodded. "It seems that Father went to find medicine for Grandfather."
"Find medicine?" Hongyu asked, puzzled. "Aren't the imperial physicians all stationed in the Qianqing Palace? Does Second Uncle intend to go to the common people to find medicine?"
Although there are talented people among the common folk, perhaps this isn't the best time? If things really get out of hand, even my second uncle might not be able to handle the aftermath.
"Probably."
Hongxi didn't want to continue this topic, so he rubbed his temples. "Brother, how's your work at the Ministry of Personnel lately? Are you busy?"
Seeing that he had changed the subject, Hongyu naturally stopped pressing the issue.
When asked about his position in the Ministry of Personnel, Hongyu gave a wry smile, “My fourth uncle is really too capable; he doesn’t treat me like a nephew at all.”
Hongxi looked over blankly, only to hear Hongyu say, "Before taking office, I was full of eagerness to do errands; after taking office, I am full of fear of doing errands. Fourth Uncle works himself to the bone without complaint, and he also pushes his nephew to the limit. He wants me involved in everything, and he's really trying to kill me with exhaustion."
Hongyu's words successfully broke Hongxi's defenses, and the sadness and complicated emotions he had just felt with his father vanished in an instant.
Hongxi patted Hongyu on the shoulder, intending to offer some words of advice, but the words that came out of his mouth turned into an uncontrollable laugh.
"I'm sorry... Hahaha... Big brother, don't be sad..." Hongxi couldn't help but burst out laughing.
When Hongyu saw Hongxi laughing like that, he wasn't angry at all; instead, he had a helpless expression on his face.
What can we do?
Even her own father remained silent for a moment after hearing about this, before bursting into laughter.
"Does Uncle know about this?" Hongxi forced himself to stop laughing, otherwise it would hurt the brotherly relationship.
"I understand. My father thinks that my fourth uncle is training me, so he specially sent him many gifts to express his gratitude."
Hongxi really couldn't hold back any longer.
He recalled how his fourth uncle had relentlessly bossed around his thirteenth uncle in his previous life, and couldn't help but clutch his stomach in pain.
This isn't training at all; it's just exploiting anyone who's capable. Uncle Thirteen was practically worked to death.
Good heavens, a prince was worked to death? Who would believe that?
"Brother, why don't you find an opportunity to speak to Fourth Uncle and ask him to transfer Thirteenth Uncle to the Ministry of Personnel as well? That way, you'll have a much easier time."
Hongyu was puzzled. "The Ministry of Personnel is not short of officials, and Fourth Uncle asked me to do things not because there are not enough people. So... even if Thirteenth Uncle goes, I may not be able to relax."
Hongxi chuckled, "Fourth Uncle thinks he's training you now, but after Thirteenth Uncle goes, he'll be thinking about training Thirteenth Uncle more, so naturally he won't have time to look after you."
Hongyu still didn't quite understand, but he remembered Hongxi's words and planned to find a suitable opportunity to mention Uncle Thirteen to his Fourth Uncle.
It just so happens that Uncle Thirteen has reached the age to take on official duties. Currently, he is just following others around on official business, but he doesn't have a proper place. It would be good if he could be transferred to the Ministry of Personnel.
The two were discussing how to transfer Yinxiang to the Ministry of Personnel, while Yinreng had already assigned Yintang to communicate with Catholic missionaries.
The main reason for choosing Yinzhen was that he spoke foreign languages well, and his servant Oqi was also a foreigner. With him leading the way, it seemed easier to communicate.
Two days later, Yinzhen entered the Qianqing Palace with two missionaries.
According to what Yinzhen knew, the two men were Hong Ruohan and Liu Ying, and they claimed to be missionaries from France, among the first Jesuits selected by Louis XIV of France to come to China.
Their main purpose in coming to China was to promote Catholicism, and they hoped that the Qing government would provide support.
Yinreng sat at the head of the table, listening silently until the two fell silent and the hall was completely still, before he spoke: "Do you know about malaria?"
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