Chapter 57 Real-name Registration
The plague first spread from Yikun Palace, and soon caused panic among the palace residents.
When Hongzhao learned of this news, he was doing his homework with his two brothers from the Fucha family. After hearing the nervous report from the eunuch outside, he frowned slightly, looked up at the sky outside, and then looked at Fu Yu and Fu Liang, who were on high alert.
"You should leave the palace before things escalate!"
As he spoke, he immediately stood up, and Xiao Dezi followed closely behind, packing up all the books.
Fu Yu and Fu Liang exchanged a glance, then said solemnly to Hong Zhao, "Fifth Prince, we servants cannot abandon you at this moment. We will not leave."
Hongzhao shook his head, his tone firm—"I don't want you to hide away, I want you to do something for me."
He lowered his voice, revealing a hint of mystery—"Only you can accomplish this at this time."
Fu Qing and Fu Liang were said to be mature beyond their years and quite steady, but they were still children whose combined age was not even twenty. Upon hearing this, their hearts were filled with passion—"Brother, please give your orders!"
"There is a royal physician in the Yuanmingyuan Garden named Zhou Qi. Go out and bring him in to see me. Be quick! If you wait any longer, no one will be able to get in!"
Ever since the day Doctor Wen passed away, he had been planning what to do if a sudden epidemic broke out. Fortunately, he had already reached a consensus with the system during these days of preparation.
"System, activate the Nightmare Cheat Tool. Character: Zhou Qi"
"Beep—Used." Hongzhao seemed to have gotten used to the system's cold voice, and now hearing the familiar sound felt especially warm.
The Imperial Medical Academy is a complex place with many powerful figures, and one could easily fall into someone else's trap if one is not careful. Hongzhao dared not entrust it to anyone easily. The only person he was somewhat familiar with was the physician Zhou, who had delivered his mother's baby in the Prince's mansion and had taken care of him for three years.
Zhou Qi was a person who was quite independent of the Three Realms and did not attract much attention. If there was any interaction between him and his mother, it was only with his mother. He had nothing else.
His plans were meticulous, but Zhou Qi's side was completely different.
Zhou Qi has been practicing medicine for quite some time. Now over fifty, he was planning to retire in the Yuanmingyuan Garden. While taking a nap, he suddenly felt his body sinking into an abyss. In a panic, he struggled to open his eyes, only to find that he did not know where he was.
The surroundings were a crimson red. The sticky, warm liquid that touched him sent a sensation through his body. He jerked his hand back, raised it high, and hid his head under his sleeve. He trembled and tried to beg for mercy but couldn't utter a complete sentence.
Just as they were at an impasse, a tattered, yellowed piece of silk paper floated down in front of him. But with his eyes closed and head turned to the side, his large sleeves covering his head, he struggled for a while before finally covering his eyes as well, desperately telling himself to go to sleep! It's a dream! It's all fake!
The system's electronic voice remained silent, but the system's electronic screen subtly moved, matching a voice to itself.
“Pick it up and look at it.”
The child's innocent voice, carrying a sense of authority, seemed to drift down from the horizon and enter Zhou Qi's ears. He shuddered again, hesitated for a long time, and then, with gritted teeth and on the verge of tears, lifted a gap in his sleeve, half-closing his eyes, and picked up the silk paper soaked in blood. When he saw the black and red characters written with silver hooks and iron strokes on it, he shuddered again, almost throwing the thing in his hand away again.
"You have half an hour to memorize it, or else... you know the consequences."
Hearing such a deadly threat, Zhou Qi slowly opened his eyes and tentatively looked at the words on the silk paper. He was immediately captivated by them. It might be difficult for the old man to memorize anything else in half an hour, but this was clearly a prescription.
Or rather... it's a fragmented prescription.
He was so engrossed in watching that half an hour passed in a hurry.
Before I could even come to my senses, I felt the silk paper in my hand being suddenly pulled away, leaving my hand empty. Before I could even look up to look for it, I felt myself suspended in mid-air and upside down again. At the same time, the noisy voices of my colleagues around me were amplified countless times.
"Zhou Qi! Wake up! Someone from the palace has come and specifically asked for you!"
——
Zhou Qi's entry into the palace went relatively smoothly. The emperor is currently troubled by the epidemic, and having more physicians is better than having one less.
For the past two days, Hongzhao arranged for him to stay at the place where Imperial Physician Wen used to live, but he did not study prescriptions at the Imperial Hospital. Instead, he came to the Imperial Study every day and never took his manuscripts or notes with him. Instead, he kept them all at Xiao Dezi's place.
Although the dream had frightened Zhou Qi quite a bit, he had memorized the prescription quite well. He could easily tell that it was a prescription for treating an epidemic. It was missing a few ingredients and needed to be tested more. However, there was one thing he didn't understand.
If this happened elsewhere, it would be considered a divine revelation in a dream, but when it happened to me, it felt as terrifying as entering the Yama's Palace.
But you can't really blame Hongzhao for that. After all, the Nightmare cheat device can only be a nightmare. The system shop also has things like the Golden Boy's Gift, but... he doesn't have enough points.
——
Jingren Palace Yixiu stood in front of the table with a calm gaze, showing no sign of anxiety. With a flourish of her brush, she wrote the character "福" (fortune/blessing) on the paper.
Jianqiu, who was watching from the side, couldn't help but praise, "Your Majesty's calligraphy is improving more and more. The Emperor will surely be full of praise when he sees it."
Yixiu naturally knew that Jianqiu was just trying to make her happy, and she put down her pen with an indifferent expression—"There is a plague raging in the palace right now, and the Emperor is having a headache. Why would he come to watch me write?"
"How is Consort Rou?" she asked casually.
Jianqiu: "The imperial physician went to see him, but it was just a common cold that had worsened and hadn't gotten better. However, the Emperor still ordered that he be moved out of Yongshou Palace to avoid it. Originally, it was said that he would be moved to the same place as Consort Duan for the time being, but later Consort Xin mentioned it to the Emperor and asked him to move to Zhongcui Palace."
Yixiu nodded without any surprise—"Two imperial heirs live in Yongshou Palace, and the Fifth Prince often goes there, so it's normal for the Emperor to be worried."
“Yes,” Jianqiu echoed softly, but her tone was somewhat thought-provoking—“The princes and princesses are still young. If they really get involved… Consort Xin will probably cry her eyes out.”
Yi Xiu looked up at her thoughtfully, her eyes filled with contemplation.
Of the Emperor's sons, the Third Prince was born to Consort Qi, and the Fifth and Sixth Princes were born to Consort Xin. The Sixth Prince was too young to be considered.
The Fifth Prince was the most intelligent and clever, and thus received the Emperor's greatest favor. The Third Prince, though somewhat dull, was a kind-hearted and filial son.
Compared to Consort Xin, Consort Qi was much more obedient.
If we're talking about taking control and manipulating, this comparison is obvious.
As Yixiu fiddled with the ink in her hand, she pondered. Just as Jianqiu had said, with the current epidemic, everyone in the palace was in danger and there were loopholes everywhere. It was a good opportunity to take action.
"Jianqiu, go and invite Consort Qi over."
——
Hongzhao sat in the room, raising an eyebrow at Consort Qi's personal maid, Cuiguo, who was standing in front of him. He then looked at the teacup that Cuiguo had brought and placed on the table, which was clearly not the kind of teacup used by princes.
Cui Guo's face was covered with a thick silk scarf, obscuring her mouth and nose. Her hands were tucked into her sleeves, and she hesitated, her eyes darting around. She stammered, "Fifth Prince, this is something Consort Qi sent to you to nourish your body. You must drink it."
"Hiss... This method of poisoning under real names is really familiar." Hongzhao's voice was playful. "It was sent by Consort Qi. Does Third Brother have any? I'll go share some with him." He picked up the tray and was about to leave.
Cui Guo hurriedly stopped him, "Brother, you mustn't!"
She closed her eyes briefly. Gritting her teeth, she said resolutely, "Of course the Third Prince has one; this is especially for you, Your Highness."
Seeing that she stopped testing him, Hongzhao was basically certain and silently tapped the system.
"Brother Tong..."
Before he could even speak, the system's cold voice came out directly: "Don't worry, you won't die. Even if the formula isn't developed, I have a special medicine."
"Okay!"
With the system's protection, Hongzhao felt relieved. This was an opportunity that Consort Qi had presented to him. He turned around to face Cuiguo, his eyes fixed on her with unwavering determination. He picked up the pure white porcelain cup and slowly drank the ginseng soup inside.
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