Chapter 59 He was afraid
The Imperial Medical Academy mobilized its entire staff once again, with everyone on high alert.
This time, it was the Emperor's beloved son who was involved in the incident. You must know that this epidemic came on fiercely, and even a healthy adult might not be able to survive for long. Let alone the Fifth Prince, a mere four-year-old child, who is only six years old by the traditional Chinese age reckoning.
If something unexpected happens... it's another matter if I can keep my own head, but my whole family might suffer.
A group of imperial physicians, led by Zhang Mi, knelt before Hongzhao's bed. Their faces were covered with thick white cotton cloths soaked in medicine, almost obscuring most of their faces. Even so, one could still see that they all looked worried and distressed.
Zhang Mi looked at the Fifth Prince lying on the bed, his face flushed red from the fever. His eyes were tightly closed, as if he was enduring some unbearable pain. His once rosy lips were now dry and pale, and he slightly parted his mouth to let out a few unbearable moans.
He looked back with a bitter expression. From his eyes, which were barely visible, it was easy to see that his colleagues behind him were thinking the same thing. They looked at each other, and no one dared to speak first in the crowded room.
Zhang Mi was the first to stand up. He looked at the dazed Fifth Prince, who was still half asleep, sighed, shook his head, and turned to leave. The people behind him quickly got up as well. Just as they were about to take a step, they heard Hongzhao, who had been quiet on the bed, suddenly speak.
"Imperial Physician, how am I?" Hongzhao asked hoarsely as he slowly opened his eyes. His once clear and bright eyes were now bloodshot. As he spoke, he pressed his hand against his abdomen, as stomach pain was one of the complications of the epidemic.
Zhang Mi turned around, cupped his hands, and bowed his head, gently reassuring him, "Your Highness has always been in good health, and you will surely be safe and sound this time as well."
But Hongzhao wasn't so easily fooled. He let out two soft hums, and his unusually red face showed a hint of self-mockery—"Liar, all you Imperial Medical Academy people ever say is that."
Zhang Mi knew that the Fifth Prince was precocious, and seeing this, she pursed her lips and stood there with a conflicted expression.
Hongzhao coughed twice, took a breath, and then said in a breathy voice, "We can't let Father Emperor worry. Just say whatever sounds nice, like... just like you're trying to fool me."
...
Yinzhen barely managed to suppress his emotions and led Lü Yingfeng and the group behind her to a small palace next to the Prince's residence to wait. He watched as Zhang Mi and the others went through several rounds of fumigation and disinfection outside, stopping when they were eight zhang away.
Even from this distance, Yinzhen could still see the stammering of each of the imperial physicians as they lowered their heads. The knot between his brows deepened, and his face became frighteningly gloomy.
"How about the Fifth Prince? So many people went in, yet not a single one of them could speak properly." He narrowed his eyes, his tone calm but containing a sharp chill.
Zhang Mi gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince... his condition is not optimistic."
Lu Yingfeng, who had been biting her lip and eagerly waiting for the imperial physician to come out, suddenly couldn't hold back when she heard these words. Even though she covered her mouth, her sobs could still be heard intermittently by everyone.
Zhang Mi paused for a moment, then continued, “On the first day of the epidemic, the symptoms should be the mildest, but the Fifth Prince’s condition is more severe than most people in the palace. Strong medicine should be used to treat the symptoms, but the palace does not yet have a prescription for the epidemic. The existing strong medicines are too potent, and the Fifth Prince is too young to be harmed.”
Yinzhen's face was ashen—"I raised such a group of imperial physicians just to hear you tell me there's nothing I can do?"
Zhang Mi had anticipated the Emperor's dissatisfaction, and he skillfully knelt down, saying, "Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince is too young, and we dare not administer the medicine."
Yinzhen glanced at Lü Yingfeng, who was sitting beside him with teary eyes, and then at Zhen Huan and Nian Shilan, who were looking worried on the other side—"Which imperial physician was taking care of her inside before?"
The imperial physicians looked at each other in bewilderment. Seeing this, Xiao Dezi lowered his head, stepped forward, and reported, "Your Majesty, it was brought from the Yuanmingyuan Garden. It was Zhou Qi, the former physician of the Prince's residence."
“Zhou Qi…” Yinzhen repeated the name. He remembered him; back in the Prince's residence, he was the one who served Lü Yingfeng, Hongzhao, and Hongjin, though he was just a physician in the household…
Perhaps sensing the hesitation and disapproval in the Emperor's expression, Lü Yingfeng spoke up: "Your Majesty, what could be more important than our You'er's health right now? This Physician Zhou Qi is someone You'er has known since childhood, so he will likely feel more at ease."
Yinzhen's brows relaxed slightly, clearly somewhat swayed by his words. Seeing this, Zhang Mi knelt and crawled forward—"Your Majesty, just now when I took the Fifth Prince's pulse, he asked how he was feeling. I didn't dare tell him the truth, but he said..."
He paused here, then looked up at the Emperor's face as if hesitant.
"Speak," Yinzhen commanded in a deep voice.
Zhang Mi said, “The prince said that the imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital all have mouths, which is a good thing. He told us to report this to Your Majesty as well, so that Your Majesty will not have to worry about him at this time. I think if this Physician Zhou Qi says something nice, the prince will be more willing to believe it.”
"This child is really being silly." Although Yinzhen said this, the emotion in his eyes was genuine. This child was so sick, yet he was still so heartwarming. Every word he said showed his concern for his father, the Emperor.
This wasn't the first time he'd experienced something like this. But when his eldest brother passed away, he couldn't even remember how he felt that day. Was he sad? Perhaps. But back then, he firmly believed that he and Rouze would have a child of their own.
Later, the second prince died shortly after birth, and he could only grieve for his deceased wife who had died with him.
This was the first time he knew his own heart so clearly. He didn't want anything to happen to the child inside, his closest son. He was even afraid.
He clenched his fists, his gaze falling on Lü Yingfeng, who was clutching her chest and staring longingly outside. He slowly reached out and pulled her into his arms. Lü Yingfeng obediently rested her head on the shoulder of the person behind her, and the tears that had just stopped began to fall again in strings.
No one spoke in the hall; at this moment, it was just two parents, heartbroken and worried about their child, cuddling together.
He naturally couldn't attend the morning court session today, and Yinzhen didn't want to go back. He simply took off his hat and court beads and sat in the palace waiting and watching.
Su Peisheng hurriedly entered with a solemn expression, only to find the Emperor unusually absent-minded, his gaze fixed on the Prince's quarters, whose doors were tightly shut.
Thinking about what he had just discovered, he sighed softly and interrupted, "Your Majesty, this servant has investigated the princes' comings and goings over the past two days. Apart from the imperial physicians, the only outsider who has entered is Cuiguo, who serves Consort Qi."
Yinzhen looked at him with a puzzled expression—"It's normal for Consort Qi to send a palace maid to check on the Third Prince because she's worried about him."
Su Peisheng looked up with a bitter expression. "Your Majesty, I'm not here to see the Third Prince... I'm here to see the Fifth Prince."
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