Chapter 228 Contracting the Plague
As soon as the eldest princess and her entourage left the princess's residence, Princess Fu'an and Xie Guidu hurriedly followed.
Princess Fu'an stepped in front of the eldest princess, beads of sweat forming on her forehead, her voice cold, "Mother, are we going to the East Palace?"
The princess's face turned frosty, and a sharp glint flashed in her narrow eyes. "Fu'an, this is the Emperor's will, and it is not your place to interfere."
She glanced sideways at Xie Guidu, "Young Master Xie, I thought you could at least advise Fu'an!"
Xie Guidu subconsciously tugged at Princess Fu'an's arm and whispered, "Princess..."
Princess Fu'an flung his hand away, her voice trembling uncontrollably, "Mother, it has nothing to do with him. The Crown Princess is my best friend, please, for my sake, forgive her, okay?"
"As long as she cooperates well, I will naturally not make things difficult for her."
How can Princess Fu'an be trusted?
From Xie Guidu, she learned that the Dou and Zhang families had all been imprisoned by the emperor, leaving only Dou Wenyi. Their underhanded tactics, taking advantage of the crown prince's absence on campaign, were utterly despicable.
She choked back tears, "Mother... I beg you, please stop. What are you fighting for all this time? Isn't your wealth and status enough? Even if you bring down the Crown Prince, will Prince Duan really make you happy?"
"If you really harm him, when my brother the Crown Prince returns... he will never let this go."
She had regarded Pei Siyan as her elder brother since childhood, and never imagined that one day she would be caught in the middle between her closest relatives. Whether it was hurting her mother or the crown prince, it pained her to the core. They were, after all, family members connected by blood.
Princess Fu'an murmured, "Mother, you taught me to distinguish right from wrong since I was a child, so why are you being so cold-blooded today?"
Every word is piercing to the heart.
The princess's heart sank deeper and deeper. She could tell right from wrong. Did she really want to wait for Pei Siyan to devour all the power in her hands? Before he went to war, in order to raise funds for the army, he ruthlessly confiscated the Mu State Duke's mansion!
He was a veteran of three dynasties, a man of merit for generations, and related to him by blood. How could he have ever cared about that blood ties?
The eldest princess's eyes were unfathomable. How could she have given birth to such a foolish and naive daughter? "Do you want your mother to defy the imperial decree?"
Tears welled up in Princess Fu'an's eyes. "Mother, please stop. I just don't want to lose you."
A mocking expression appeared on the princess's face as she coldly ordered, "Young Master Xie, take Fu'an back at once."
The Imperial Guards surrounded the Eastern Palace, and the Princess, surrounded by the crowd, stepped straight into the palace.
Outside the Wutong Garden, palace servants had already gathered, whispering among themselves:
"...Has the Crown Princess really contracted the plague?"
"Doctor Hu is inside."
"Just now I saw that her arms were covered in red rashes..." The palace maids looked at each other, all of them in shock.
"No wonder, the Crown Princess instructed us all not to come to Wutong Garden to be on duty, leaving only Cuizhi to serve her closely."
"Should we report this to His Majesty?"
"The Crown Princess has already sent the eunuchs."
"I heard that once you get infected with the plague, you will develop a red rash in the early stages. If your body can't withstand it, you will die within a few days... There is no cure. I don't know how many people have died outside the city."
Upon seeing the princess leading her guards in, everyone fell silent and knelt on the ground.
At this moment, Physician Hu came out of the house carrying his medicine box. Upon seeing the Princess, he bowed respectfully and said, "Your Highness, the Crown Princess has suddenly fallen ill, suspected to be an epidemic... Your Highness should not enter."
"After all, we should be cautious about the plague."
A hint of surprise and doubt flashed in the Princess’s eyes. Could it be that Dou Wenyi had anticipated her coming to the East Palace and deliberately arranged this scene?
The area around the East Palace was already filled with spies. As soon as Dou Wenyi returned to the East Palace, she chased all the palace servants out and immediately sent someone to invite the imperial physician. If this was really an act, her mind was far too meticulous!
The guard looked grave and suggested in a low voice, "Princess, I'm afraid she's up to something again... Why don't we send a maid in to investigate?"
The princess's face was cold and stern. She glanced at her trusted maid and parted her red lips slightly, "Go."
The maid took a few steps back, her face pale. Despite her immense fear, she had no choice but to drag her heavy legs into the house.
A strong, bitter smell of medicine permeated the Wutong Garden.
"who--"
"Aren't you going to get out of here? Don't you want to die?" Cuizhi shouted sternly.
The maid's shoulders trembled slightly, and her back was already covered in cold sweat. She tried to look at Dou Wenyi on the bed and said timidly, "The Princess is worried about the Crown Princess and specially ordered me to come and check on the situation."
A faint voice came from the bedside, "Cuizhi, she's just following orders, don't make things difficult for her."
The maid looked flustered and walked step by step toward the bed.
Cuizhi raised her hand and pulled back the brocade quilt, rolled up Dou Wenyi's sleeve, revealing a snow-white arm, but it was already covered with red rashes.
"See!"
Dou Wenyi's arms, neck, and even face were covered in red rashes.
The maid's body went limp, and she turned to run outside, but was stopped two zhang away. "Your Highness, the Crown Princess has developed large patches of red rashes all over her body. It is undoubtedly the plague."
The eldest princess was slightly taken aback, then suddenly looked up at her, "You're not mistaken?"
The maid shook her head vigorously, "This servant would not dare to utter a single falsehood."
The princess narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly, her sharp gaze once again fixed on the tightly closed palace doors.
Physician Hu rarely spoke up, but said, "Your Highness is of noble birth; it would be best if you did not go in."
"I know," the princess interrupted coldly. She didn't want to barge in, but she couldn't disobey the imperial decree.
"His Majesty has issued a secret decree that I must speak with the Crown Princess alone."
The eldest princess solemnly ordered, "Open all the doors and windows in the sleeping quarters for ventilation. Go to the Imperial Hospital and get some sachets and medicinal liquid for epidemic prevention. Everyone who enters the main hall must wash their hands with the medicinal liquid, wear the sachet, and put on a silk handkerchief."
Before long, the sleeping quarters in Wutong Garden were all set up.
The air was filled with the scent of medicinal dew. The princess covered her mouth and nose with a silk handkerchief before slowly walking into the main hall and sitting down on the rosewood chair under the window.
She raised her hand, and after all the bystanders had left, only she and the faintly visible figure behind the screen remained in the room.
The eldest princess covered her mouth and nose and spoke in a muffled voice, "Dou Wenyi, I will only ask you this once."
"His Majesty has shown mercy and spared the life of your Dou family. If you are willing to write a letter of denunciation and report to His Majesty that the Crown Prince had treasonous intentions before going to war, His Majesty can spare your life, and the entire Dou family can also be spared from being implicated."
A violent coughing fit erupted from behind the screen, as if the person's heart and lungs were about to cough them out.
Dou Wenyi said sarcastically, "Your Highness, as you can see, Wenyi is afflicted with a serious illness and is on the verge of death. What reason does a dying person have to seek to live?"
She gasped for breath, and after a long while, she replied weakly, "As for the Dou family, to be precise, I haven't even married into the Eastern Palace yet. Even if it's a matter of punishing nine generations of relatives, the Dou family shouldn't be involved. If you want to kill, then kill. Everyone has their own fate, and I can't control that."
The eldest princess gripped the armrest of the chair tightly, her knuckles turning white. She had never expected that the woman would be so heartbroken and completely disregard the life and death of the Dou family.
She risked entering the house filled with "epidemic energy," only to find it was like punching cotton.
"Dou Wenyi!"
Her face darkened with anger, and she shouted sharply, "Don't think I can't do anything to you! I have plenty of ways to make you wish you were dead!"
"Why go through all this trouble, Princess? Why not just give me a cup of poison... to spare me the torment of this plague!"
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