Chapter 94 Hongyan Vaccination: Cheng Qianyue seemed to have returned to the days when she and...
Cheng Qianyue felt as if she had returned to the time when she and her sister were getting vaccinated against smallpox.
The two sisters went to the smallpox clinic hand in hand, and they shared a room and slept in the same bed.
The smallpox clinic had several courtyards, each with dozens of rooms. However, the windows of each room were sealed tightly, and sunlight could only penetrate through the paper-covered windows during the day when the sun was at its strongest.
Her older sister, Cheng Wanyue, sat on the bed, looking at her gently and saying, "Little sister, don't be afraid."
Cheng Qianyue wasn't afraid at all. It was just a vaccine, and besides, the vaccine here didn't involve injections; they just blew scabs into your nose. She turned back from the window and said, "Sister, I'm not scared. I just wanted to see if anyone was coming."
In that single moment of turning around, the scene of the memory changed.
In the south room of the west wing of the house, Cheng Qianyue pushed open the door and went in, only to find her sister still asleep in bed. After putting down the bowl and chopsticks, she tiptoed to the bedside and stealthily pulled back the bed curtains, intending to scare her sister. But she quickly changed her expression, because Cheng Wanyue lay on the bed, pale-faced, and no matter how much she called, she couldn't wake her.
Cheng Qianyue trembled as she brushed her breath away from her nose, then collapsed to the ground. A short while later, Xitala came over, the bowl of porridge and small dish slipping from her hands with a snap. When Cheng Qianyue came to her senses, white cloths were already hanging all over the courtyard.
It was only then that Cheng Qianyue learned that smallpox vaccination could be fatal. And now, this life-or-death situation was about to fall on her child's shoulders.
Cheng Qianyue's lips trembled as she said, "Couldn't it be later, later..."
Yinreng held her hand and said, "The children are all grown up and it's the right age for smallpox vaccination. Besides, the Imperial Hospital is very selective in selecting smallpox vaccines; they only use those with mild and controllable outbreaks. You can relax."
How could she possibly relax? Cheng Qianyue panicked, her face pleading, "Hongyan's fourth birthday hasn't even passed yet, can't we let him grow up a bit more?" Although she knew she couldn't avoid it, she could at least postpone it. Couldn't she at least get some mental preparation?
Although Yinreng was also worried, he hardened his heart, looked at Cheng Qianyue and shook his head: "Hongyan will start his studies next year. If he is vaccinated against smallpox in the autumn, he will only have a few months to recover before going to study outside. His body will be weak and it will be cold, making him more prone to accidents."
Cheng Qianyue bit her lip until it turned white, and after a long while, she said, "Then I'll call Hongyan over and give him a few words of advice." She was about to get up when Yinreng didn't let go of her. Seeing that Yinreng's expression was a little off, she frowned and asked, "Your Highness?"
Yinreng hesitated for a long time before slowly saying, "I plan to send both Hongchao and Moyaqi."
These words were like a bolt from the blue! Cheng Qianyue's eyes widened suddenly, her voice shrill, her face contorted in a grimace: "What did you say?!"
Yinreng pulled Cheng Qianyue over and forced her to sit down in his lap. “Listen to me,” he said, “Listen to me! Hongchao and Moyaqi are two years old this year. They are both very healthy, so let’s take this opportunity to get them vaccinated against smallpox so they won’t have to worry about it in the future.”
Cheng Qianyue's face turned pale with anger, and she interrupted him without caring about anything else, saying, "What do you mean two years old? They're not even two years old, they're not even a year and a half old at most!"
Yinreng stroked her back repeatedly, letting out a long sigh: "Then let Hongyan go for smallpox vaccination first, and let Hongchao and Moyaqi go in the fall, okay?"
Cheng Qianyue took a deep breath, carefully considering the option he had given her. In the fall, the two children would be almost two years old, and getting them vaccinated would definitely be much safer than now. Thinking this, she hesitated, about to nod in agreement, when suddenly a thought flashed through her mind: "Have you already decided to have the two children vaccinated in the fall?"
Yinreng was stunned when he realized that she had seen through his intentions.
He was taken aback, and Cheng Qianyue immediately saw through his scheme: it turned out he had planned everything all along, but he was afraid she wouldn't agree, so he suggested that Moyaqi and the others go with Hongyan to get vaccinated right now! What a negotiating expert.
Seeing that Cheng Qianyue was about to get angry again, Yinreng said, "I'm doing this for our own good. As we get older, the ties become stronger. If something were to happen to you, how could you bear it?"
Compared to Cheng Qianyue, Yinreng had already experienced the pain of losing a child several times. Previously, there were six children in the Eastern Palace, but only three survived to adulthood. Of those who had died, only one was born prematurely, and the other two died from smallpox. The two-year-old children, who had not yet reached the order of their teeth, were all very well-behaved. He personally placed their bodies in small coffins, and had them carried out for burial.
However, after repeated grief, he began to have other thoughts. It was better that the children left early. If they were older, their father-son bond would have deepened, and how heart-wrenching would he have been when he received the devastating news? Later, he thought that perhaps the children were not meant to be with him, which was why they left early. He lit a few eternal lamps for them to pray that they would be reborn in a good place, thus fulfilling their limited fate.
Afterwards, the Crown Prince gave birth to three more children. To be honest, if it weren't for the rarity of mild smallpox vaccines, he would have sent Hongyan to be vaccinated two years earlier. So, taking advantage of the fact that the Imperial Medical Academy had selected the appropriate vaccines, he planned to send all his children to be vaccinated. Hongyan was a given, and Hongchao and Moyaqi would be almost two years old by autumn, just the right age for vaccination.
Only three of my children have been vaccinated against smallpox this year; that's when I truly have a deep bond with them.
Cheng Qianyue understood what Yinreng meant; as the saying goes, a short pain is better than a long one. But in her opinion, all pain is pain, so it's better to delay it than to suffer it sooner. She looked up at Yinreng, hoping to say something to move him, but Yinreng reached out and covered her eyes.
"His Majesty has already issued the decree. Do you intend to defy it?" Yinreng didn't want to look at her wet eyes, so he simply covered them and used the Emperor to pressure her in a deep voice. After a long while, he said softly, "Don't worry, everything will be alright. Hongyan is naturally strong, and the other two children have been well cared for since birth. They will all pull through, they definitely will."
Cheng Qianyue froze. She suddenly realized that she was nothing. Yes, even though others called her Master Cheng every day, in front of the real master, she was nothing. When the master was in a good mood, he might be willing to listen to her idle chatter, but when it came to their decisions, you had no choice but to obey, or you would be disobeying orders.
Her lips were white from biting them so hard, and from the initial pain to the numbness, she finally said in a hoarse voice, "I understand."
Yinreng breathed a sigh of relief, then removed his hand and patted her shoulder reassuringly. But as soon as he took his hand away, Cheng Qianyue jumped up and quickly walked outside.
Chen He and Jing Shun were serving in the outer room. They had just breathed a sigh of relief after hearing no more movement inside when, in the blink of an eye, the Crown Princess had dashed out, her figure as swift as the wind. Chen He quickly kicked Jing Shun, who, having received his order, immediately went out with his hands at his sides, returning in a few moments. Just then, Yinreng came out from the inner room and asked, "Where is your Consort Cheng?"
Jing Shun hurriedly replied, "This servant saw Master Cheng enter the east wing."
Yinreng knew she must have gone to the east wing to see Hongyan, so he sighed and followed her. Just as he stepped into the room, he heard Cheng Qianyue say to Hongyan, "Don't be afraid, everyone has to get vaccinated. When you get to the clinic, the imperial physician will blow foam into your nose..."
Yinreng interrupted her, saying, "In the past two years, the imperial physicians have developed the Water Seedling Method. They no longer blow the scab powder into the child's nasal cavity. Instead, they mix the scab powder with water, soak cotton in the mixture, and insert it into the nose."
Cheng Qianyue didn't even glance at Yinreng, and continued to say to Hongyan, "These past few days, Mother has had people stew nourishing soup for you to drink. If you stay strong, you won't have to worry about getting smallpox."
Hongyan was a little stunned. To be honest, he hadn't reacted yet. After all, he had just been reading and recognizing characters when his mother suddenly came in from outside, hugged him, and babbled a bunch of things like how she was reluctant to part with him and that he shouldn't be afraid. But now that he had come to his senses, he immediately grasped the key point: they were going out to get vaccinated against smallpox.
But what is smallpox vaccination?
Hongyan then asked, "Father, Mother, what is smallpox vaccination? Do they put powder in the nose or something?"
Cheng Qianyue was about to say that this was the Qing Dynasty version of the smallpox vaccine, but she didn't know how to explain the word "vaccine," and her throat suddenly choked.
At this point, Yinreng continued, "There is a disease in the world that causes blisters and smallpox. Vaccination involves taking the scabs from someone who has had the disease and putting them into your nose, so you will also get the disease. But don't worry, there will be imperial physicians and eunuchs to take care of you until you are fully recovered. This way, by intentionally getting the disease, you will not get it again."
Hongyan thought for a moment and said, "I just learned a term called 'once and for all,' which is very similar to smallpox vaccination, isn't it?"
Yinreng smiled and nodded, saying, "That's right, it's a one-time solution." Then he walked over and sat down next to Cheng Qianyue. It was unclear whether he was speaking to Cheng Qianyue or Hongyan, but he said, "The smallpox clinic is located three miles outside the garden at Wufutang. There are five or six small courtyards there, and each courtyard has a responsible imperial physician, nanny, and eunuch."
“After you go there, you might live in a courtyard by yourself, but if there are many people getting vaccinated this year, you might also live in a courtyard with your cousins. Then you will have your own room, fully equipped. Once all the smallpox on your body has disappeared, your father will send someone to bring you back.”
Hongyan was completely unaware that this was a big deal, and said fearlessly, "Well, I'll come back after I'm vaccinated against smallpox outside." He turned his head and saw that his mother's complexion was still a little off, and that his mother seemed to be at odds with his father since he came in. So he said, "Mother, don't worry, I'm as strong as a calf." He gestured with his arm as he spoke.
Cheng Qianyue then gave Yinreng a resentful look, feeling that he had said both good and bad things. However, she didn't say anything unlucky in front of the child.
Three days passed in this way. A messenger came from outside saying that Wufu Hall had been prepared and the imperial grandson could be sent there. Cheng Qianyue forced a smile as she saw Hongyan off, but before leaving, she couldn't help but remind him: "If you feel uncomfortable inside, don't hold it in. Be sure to tell the imperial physician. The smallpox may itch and you may feel feverish, but don't scratch it, or it will leave scars. If you get bored in the room, play with your toys. Your mother has packed a whole box of toys for you and will carry them all over."
For the first time, Hongyan felt that his mother was a little nagging, but this was also the first time he had left his mother to go to another place. He was a little excited and a little sad, but in the end he patted his chest and promised, "Mother, I remember everything clearly. You and your younger brother and sister stay at home and wait for me to come back, okay?"
The mother and her children walked several dozen steps from Donglizhai, and when they were almost at the small bridge leading to the front courtyard, Jing Shun finally spoke up, saying, "Master Cheng, please wait. This servant will take the Third Prince to the front now."
Cheng Qianyue had no choice but to stop and watch Hongyan leave. He even waved happily to her before he left. But once he was out of sight, her tears finally streamed down her face.
After a while, Cheng Qianyue hurried back to Donglizhai. As soon as she returned, she knelt down in front of the statue of the Goddess of Smallpox and kowtowed devoutly.
She prayed silently in her heart: Goddess, please bless my child and help him return safely.
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Author's Note: I've revised the text; I feel it's clearer and more insightful this time.
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