The atmosphere at Xianfu Palace was peaceful and joyful, while the atmosphere at Chengqian Palace was far worse than before the full moon celebration. The imperial physicians, their faces grim, went in and out, breaking out in a cold sweat when faced with the Emperor's questions. Everyone stammered, and no one could guarantee that the Twelfth Prince was alright.
The same applies to the most senior imperial physicians.
Physician Wu used acupuncture to stop the twelfth prince's convulsions. He wiped away his cold sweat and replied in a low voice, "Your Majesty, the twelfth prince's condition... is probably not good."
Kangxi's heart sank.
His gaze swept over the young prince on the soft couch, his lips trembling: "I saw that the Twelfth Prince's health had improved a lot in the past month, and he had become much stronger. How could he have suddenly fallen ill again?"
Imperial Physician Wu glanced at Consort Tong without making it obvious.
After a moment's hesitation, he replied in a low voice, "Your Majesty, the Twelfth Prince is already in poor health. He was probably frightened, which caused him to suddenly fall ill."
Perhaps it was this ill-fated full-moon celebration that hadn't been held, though that wasn't the cause of the illness. Before Physician Wu could finish speaking, he saw the Emperor's face stiffen, his eyes clouded with gloom.
As for Consort Tong, everything went black.
She had a vague premonition, but when Physician Wu confirmed it, all her strength vanished, and she fell backward.
Granny Zhao exclaimed in alarm and quickly reached out to support her mistress, pinching her philtrum and applying acupuncture until Consort Tong regained consciousness. The first thing she did upon waking was to grab Imperial Physician Wu: "Imperial Physician Wu, you must save Ah-Mou, save Little Twelfth! He's only a month old, he's only a month old!"
Imperial Physician Wu frowned deeply.
He hesitated, wanting to speak but then stopping, and after a moment, Imperial Physician Wu replied in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, please forgive this servant for his sins."
As soon as he finished speaking, he knelt heavily on the ground. Physician Wu's reaction made both Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong's hearts leap.
Emperor Kangxi immediately ordered the palace servants to leave, then shouted sternly, "Imperial Physician Wu, tell me the truth, what exactly is wrong with the Twelfth Prince?"
Physician Wu took a deep breath, then steeled himself, answering in a low voice with the resolve to die: "The Twelfth Prince likely has 'big-head plague.' Big-head plague, also known as 'skull dislocation,' is recorded in the *Sui Tang Chao Yuan Fang*. It causes children with heads larger than normal, unbearable pain, spasms, convulsions, and incessant vomiting. Unless the sutures in the skull can be opened… the rest can only be controlled with traditional Chinese medicine. Only one or two out of ten survive, and most are mentally impaired or demented…"
Dementia!?
Consort Tong felt as if she had been struck hard by a hammer, or as if a thunderclap had exploded in her ears. Her head was buzzing, and she wished she could just faint.
Consort Tong was even more frightened. She pleaded, clinging to Kangxi's arm, "Your Majesty, cousin! Twelve won't get the plague, right? Right? He won't, right?"
Her cries were incredibly heartbreaking.
For the past month, Consort Tong had been wholeheartedly caring for the Twelfth Prince, a fact that Emperor Kangxi was well aware of. Even if the Consort was somewhat proud and wanted to show off a little at the full moon banquet, it could only be described as a mother's loving heart.
As for the twelfth prince...
Looking at the twelfth prince, whose head was large and body small, Kangxi felt as if his heart was being tightly gripped by a giant hand, making it extremely difficult to breathe. At the same time, he also understood the immense panic that the birth of a prince with intellectual disabilities within the palace would cause the Qing court if word got out.
But this is his child!
Emperor Kangxi embraced Consort Tong, and after a long while, he sighed deeply: "Imperial Physician Wu, I entrust the Twelfth Prince to you. Do your utmost to save him. If you cannot save him... then it is the child's fate."
Imperial Physician Wu bowed deeply: "Your humble servant... obeys the imperial decree!"
The cause of the Twelfth Prince's illness remained hidden. Apart from the fact that the Twelfth Prince had suffered a seizure, which led to the hasty end of the full-moon celebration, the other concubines were unaware of the inside story. They generally either lamented the Twelfth Prince's misfortune or gloated over the Consort's bad luck.
Some people also wanted to go to Chengqian Palace to check on the situation.
Unfortunately, Chengqian Palace was closed, and Consort Tong had no intention of entertaining other concubines, focusing all her energy on the Twelfth Prince.
Why hasn't news of the Twelfth Prince's illness reached them? Yesterday's guests quickly noticed something amiss and, being careful with their words, didn't mention the Twelfth Prince's unusual condition to anyone except their own husbands.
Apart from Consort Tong's birth mother, Empress Hesheli.
She was preoccupied and started nagging Tong Guowei: "What are we going to do? It's just a child born to a mere concubine, yet she's so concerned about it. She's really, really foolish!"
Tong Guowei waved her hand, much calmer than Hesheli's reaction: "Let her be. A child with big head disease is definitely not going to survive. Let the Emperor see my daughter's loving motherly heart, and we can adopt a healthy one later... no, it would be best if she gave birth to a good one herself."
Tong Guowei paused for a moment, then hesitated.
He instructed his wife, Lady Hesheli, "Later, you should take Jingwan back to the main courtyard for further education."
Jingwan is Tong Guogang's illegitimate daughter.
Sensing the implication in her husband's words, Lady Hesheli's expression also turned somewhat unpleasant. She couldn't help but whisper, "Master, it's only been a few years... is that really necessary?"
Tong Guowei disagreed: "It's always better to be prepared than to wait until the last minute. She'll have to go through the talent show eventually, so it's good for her to start learning the rules early."
If the Imperial Concubine were to give birth to her own child, the concubine's daughter could find a good family through arranged marriages. If the Imperial Concubine still didn't have a child by then, the concubine's daughter could be sent in to help out. Tong Guowei's calculations were meticulous. Before Hesheli could refuse again, he made up his mind: "My mind is made up, let's do it this way."
After speaking, Tong Guowei left in a hurry.
Empress Hesheli slumped into a chair, clutching her forehead and crying out in pain. Thinking of her daughter in the Chengqian Palace and that wretched Twelfth Prince, she could do nothing but sigh repeatedly.
The palace was in turmoil both inside and outside because of Chengqian Palace, but Xianfu Palace remained peaceful and serene.
Wan Anran sighed for the little twelfth prince, then turned all her attention back to Mao Tao in front of her. The knitted clothes were already taking shape, and Wan Anran excitedly dressed Mao Tao in a cute sheep-ear hat, a little shirt and pants. Of course, she couldn't leave out a little cloak.
Yinzhen touched the yarn he had just picked up with a hint of curiosity.
This is softer and smoother than wool, and it doesn't have the unpleasant smell of mutton. The soft and fluffy texture is very comfortable. Most importantly, Yinzhen had never seen such a material in his previous life. With a puzzled look on his face, he tilted his head and struggled with it, making confused noises.
"The young master seems to like it very much!"
"Yes." Wan Anran hugged Mao Tao in her arms with satisfaction, kissing her left and right.
Yinzhen was used to his mother's various kisses and remained calm. He even knew that as long as he didn't resist with his little hands and feet, such kisses would usually end after one round.
If it's resistance? Heh.
Consort Wan insisted on pressing him into the cradle and kissing him from head to toe—don't ask Yinzhen how he knew, because these were his blood and tears.
This was the scene that Kangxi saw as soon as he entered.
His heavy heart, heavy with the thought of the Twelfth Prince's serious illness, eased slightly. He smiled and said, "Look at Mao Tao, you've made him so expressionless."
Yinzhen responded with a soft "ya ya".
Wan Anran was completely unfazed by Kangxi's sudden appearance. To put it another way, the entire Forbidden City was Kangxi's domain; he could do whatever he wanted.
Wan Anran, holding a peach, squatted down and bowed.
Kangxi stepped forward, but unfortunately, instead of helping her up, he casually took the peach away.
Wan Anran: ...
That man is so unreliable.
Emperor Kangxi carefully observed the eleventh prince.
Holding the chubby, round-faced Yinzhen in his arms, his heart finally settled. Look at those bright, big eyes, look at that doughy face, those strong little arms and legs—the Eleventh Prince was indeed healthy!
A question mark appeared on Wan Anran's forehead.
Why was the Emperor smiling foolishly at Xiao Maotao? She didn't bother to pay attention and casually took a ruler to measure Kangxi's hand.
Great, the size hasn't changed.
Wan Anran's calculations were in full swing. If she could make another pair of woolen gloves, the Emperor's New Year's gift would be secured. For someone as skilled at knitting small clothes as her, this was a piece of cake, a piece of cake!
At that moment, Kangxi also noticed Mao Tao's clothes. He exclaimed in surprise and rubbed them, "This is..."
Wan Anran smiled warmly: "This is a ball of yarn made of wool. I instructed the Imperial Household Department to work on it last year, and it took a whole year to complete."
She paused, glanced at Kangxi, and added, "I will also present Your Majesty with a portion during the New Year."
"Gloves?" Kangxi frowned, recalling Wan Anran's earlier act of secretly taking measurements. "You're sending gloves again this year, the same gloves you gave me last year?"
There's a limit to how lazy you can be.
Wan Anran was not happy. She pouted and said, "What do you mean by being lazy? Your Majesty, I had the Imperial Household Department start working on this a year ago, and the raw materials were only delivered this year. I studied it repeatedly and finally achieved the results..."
Kangxi looked Mao Tao up and down, admiring his new hat, clothes, trousers, and cloak. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is this an experimental...sample?"
It looks much more refined than gloves.
Wan Anran felt guilty for a moment, then said confidently, "Mao Tao is the little prince, so of course it has to be made with extra care."
You're right about everything.
Kangxi ignored Consort Wan. After examining the fabric for a moment, he turned his gaze to the woolen balls in the basket, picked one up and studied it closely: "Could this woolen fabric be mass-produced?"
Wan Anran shook her head.
Under Kangxi's disdainful gaze, her voice grew softer and softer: "This concubine also knows nothing about this..."
Kangxi's eyes held a hint of disdain, which displeased Wan Anran. She retorted angrily, "After all, this concubine is foolish; I only came up with an idea. The details were all devised by the Imperial Household Department. If Your Majesty doesn't understand, perhaps it would be faster to consult the Imperial Household Department!"
stupid.
To ponder.
don't know.
It sounded plausible, but upon closer inspection, it seemed as if Consort Wan was mocking me. Kangxi stared at Consort Wan for a long time, the tense atmosphere making Yinzhen somewhat uneasy. He made some incoherent sounds and grasped his father's hand with his chubby hand.
Emperor Kangxi lowered his head to look.
The eleventh prince looked at him with his dark, bright eyes filled with longing, and with the fluffy lamb hat he was wearing, his cuteness was off the charts.
Kangxi's stiff smile suddenly relaxed, and he took the little prince's chubby little hand in his own: "Mao Tao, don't be like your mother, be as smart as your father, understand?"
"Your Majesty, what are you saying?"
"What's wrong? Didn't you just say you were incredibly stupid?" Kangxi looked at Consort Wan with a half-smile—"That's not what I said," he said, then he pulled the little prince's finger and shook it: "Isn't it, Mao Tao?"
Yinzhen: …………
He let out a weak, feeble groan.
"Stupid is stupid, but not so bad, is it?" Wan Anran's cheeks puffed up with anger, and a flame burned in her eyes as she looked at Kangxi.
Having witnessed the interactions between Consort Tong and the Khan in his previous life, and also the interactions between Consort De and the Khan, Yinzhen couldn't help but admit that the interactions between his mother and the Khan in this life were truly unique—Yinzhen inexplicably felt a deep respect for his mother.
Despite his teasing, Emperor Kangxi still greatly praised and encouraged Consort Wan's idea of processing wool into yarn, and decided to summon officials from the Imperial Household Department to inquire about it.
If it could be mass-produced...
Kangxi felt a slight stirring in his heart, sensing that he had grasped a new industrial chain.
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