The Crown Princess clutched her stomach anxiously and paced back and forth in the palace.
After Cao Mama entered, she dismissed the palace maids who were serving her.
"Granny, did the Crown Prince go to the Yaoyue Palace?"
"Reporting to the Crown Princess, no. After His Highness the Crown Prince returned to the palace, he went to his study and summoned several ministers to discuss state affairs."
"That's good, that's good~"
Cao Xinrou slumped on the soft couch, her face clearly showing relief.
"I am going to the Yaoyue Palace."
She wanted to see Shangguan Xian'er's expression with her own eyes—disappointment?
despair?
Or do they both?
Haha~
"No, if you contract smallpox, I cannot forgive myself!"
Granny Cao refused outright. Smallpox was no joke; if the Crown Princess were to contract it, the Cao family's hopes would be dashed!
“Granny, I had smallpox when I was a child, and I won’t get it again.”
As soon as Cao Xinrou said this, her lips were quickly covered.
"Your Highness, please be careful with your words and actions."
Granny Cao carefully instructed that one of the requirements for selecting the Crown Princess was that her skin must be as white as snow and without the slightest flaw.
After Cao Xinrou finished speaking, her eyes dimmed instantly when she met Cao Mama's disapproving gaze.
Unconsciously, her right hand touched her right cheek; the acne scars were completely hidden by the powder.
But that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
She was jealous of Shangguan Xian'er, not only because the latter had stolen the Crown Prince's favor, but also because the latter was flawless.
But she was utterly ugly.
She contracted smallpox as a child, leaving a scar on her right cheek that she hasn't been able to remove no matter what folk remedies she's tried over the years...
During the selection of the Crown Princess, the Cao family rigged the process by bribing the nanny who was responsible for the examination. Otherwise, she would have been eliminated in the first round!
God knows how terrified she was that the Crown Prince would discover her unusual behavior when they shared a room...
"Granny, send someone to deliver that century-old ginseng to the Yaoyue Palace."
After calming down, Cao Xinrou regained her usual elegance and grace.
"This old servant obeys."
Granny Cao was very pleased to see that the Crown Princess had recovered her composure.
The key elements today are to use both kindness and strictness, to be a good Crown Princess, and to prepare for the future role of the Empress!
......
After being vaccinated against smallpox, the little princess stopped crying and slept peacefully.
After reviewing all the prescriptions written by the other imperial physicians during this period, Old Master Gu wrote a new prescription for a mild and nourishing diet.
After receiving the prescription, Caixia quickly memorized it and instructed Shan'er to tell the small kitchen to start preparing meals for the young princess that evening.
Shan'er naturally agreed. Sister Caixia was smarter and more capable than her, so she would listen to Sister Caixia!
"Wait, everyone get vaccinated against smallpox before you leave!"
“You’ve been in this room for too long, and you’ve probably contracted smallpox without even realizing it. Plant it now, just in case.”
Jiang Yue stopped the two maids, not because she was being overly kind, but because she was stating the truth.
We'll save as many as we can, and plant as many as we can.
Shan'er and Caixia exchanged a glance, then nodded in agreement.
Shan'er, who was protecting her master, spoke first:
"Please, Princess, bear a child for the Consort first. Her life is more important than this servant's."
"He's loyal enough, don't worry. We have enough smallpox vaccines for now. Let's vaccinate all those of you who have been in contact with the little princess first. The rest will have to wait."
Jiang Yue smiled, and after speaking, gestured for the two of them to come over, rolling up her sleeves.
Disinfect, make a cross, then get vaccinated.
Bandaging complete.
It will happen soon. It will hurt, but my life is more important.
Doctors treat men and women equally.
With his mind focused on inoculating the concubine with smallpox, Old Master Gu left the bandaging to her two maids.
"Alright, let's go out and vaccinate the other volunteers in the East Palace. Little Princess and Consort, please take good care of them."
"This servant, on behalf of my master, thanks the princess for her great kindness and virtue. We will express our gratitude properly once the princess has fully recovered."
Caixia bowed and thanked him, for she would remember this kindness.
"It's alright, there's plenty of time in the future."
Jiang Yue nodded and left the inner hall with her grandfather.
After they came out, the grandmother and granddaughter gestured to the attendant who had brought them to inform the Crown Prince that there were still many cowpox vaccines left and they were willing to vaccinate the entire Eastern Palace free of charge.
Zhang Xianzhong naturally dared not neglect them and ordered someone to take the two distinguished guests to the reception room for proper hospitality.
He then hurried to the study to report back to His Highness the Crown Prince.
Jiang Yue didn't stand on ceremony. After arriving at the reception room, she took the initiative and instructed the palace maids to prepare some food.
She wasn't interested in pastries or similar things.
She's been traveling these past few days, not eating or sleeping well, but she doesn't mind the rich food.
The same goes for Old Master Gu, not to mention he's even older.
However, he doesn't like rich, meaty dishes and prefers a lighter diet.
The palace maids were also seeing someone come to the East Palace for the first time, just like they would order food at home.
But these are distinguished guests, so we dared not neglect them and quickly went down to make preparations.
study--
The emperor is seriously ill, and the crown prince is in charge of overseeing the state.
Just reviewing official documents and memorials takes up most of the day.
In addition, ministers came one after another to the Eastern Palace to discuss state affairs with the Crown Prince.
After Zhang Xianzhong arrived, he naturally did not disturb His Highness the Crown Prince's official duties and waited outside for a long time.
After his leg went numb, Wei Zhi gestured for him to go inside, saying the Crown Prince had finished his business...
"Your Highness, Princess Xiangyun has already vaccinated the young princess with smallpox, and the concubine has also been vaccinated with smallpox."
Princess Xiangyun and the accompanying physician are already resting in the reception hall. They sent me to inquire with the Crown Prince whether everyone in the Eastern Palace should be vaccinated against smallpox.
Baili Youqin lightly tapped the table with her fingertips, and the taut strings loosened slightly.
If Chan'er recovers from danger, then Xian'er will no longer be depressed.
In Jinling, quite a few people have contracted smallpox. If he were to advocate for the introduction of cowpox vaccination...
"Smallpox? I'll go and meet this Princess Xiangyun."
She was just a lowly princess; she wouldn't dare deceive him, the future king of the country!
Reception Room
It must be said that the chefs in the Eastern Palace were very efficient.
Within ten minutes, the dishes ordered by the grandmother and granddaughter were delivered.
No more words, just a rice-eating person, a rice-eating soul, a rice-eating machine!
Grandpa Gu muttered, "Good food but no good wine, it's a bit disappointing."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yue thought that after finishing her business, she would go to the second brother's place and ask him to get some good wine for her grandfather to take away.
Just as I was thinking this, I let out a burp.
Just as I instructed the palace maids to clear away the leftovers, someone announced—
"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"
"Grandpa, I'll tell you later, you just need to pretend you're tired."
"Okay~"
Grandpa Gu readily accepted, then listlessly rose to his feet; without even frowning, wrinkles were already visible...
Well, Grandpa's acting skills used to only work on Grandma, but now, this is the real test!
Jiang Yue wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, composed herself, and focused on dealing with the male lead...
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