Chapter 14: The Art of Wiping
Because Princess Shunde was ill, the memorial was written by Huai'en, who simply stated that Princess Shunde was unwell, and attached Xu Wangzhi's diagnosis and prescription.
Xu Wangzhi's medical skills are obvious to all. He was by the eldest princess's side at the time. Logically, he would not let Zhu Yuhuan become so seriously ill. It can be seen that this illness was indeed serious.
Such sudden news surprised Zhu Qizhen. If this memorial was not written by Huai'en, he would have suspected that someone had forged it.
Not only Wang Zhen, but even Zhu Qizhen had the impression that Zhu Yuhuan was strong and healthy. He had almost never seen Zhu Yuhuan sick, not to mention that Zhu Yuhuan was able to ride a horse to fight and patrol the border, which made Zhu Qizhen almost forget that his father, uncle and aunt all died young.
It was hard for Wang Zhen not to connect the eldest princess's illness with Liu Qiu, but the eldest princess was far away in Yunnan, so how could information flow as smoothly as in the capital? Even if he wanted to save the situation, not only was there too little time, but his methods were also not very clever.
What's more, Liu Qiu is just a minor official. Why would the princess care about the life or death of such a person?
Therefore, both Zhu Qizhen and Wang Zhen were skeptical about the news and waited to verify it carefully before passing it on to Hu Shanxiang and Zhu Youtong.
However, in order to be prepared for any eventuality, Zhu Qizhen also ordered people to select a few people from the Imperial Hospital to rush to Yunnan as soon as possible to treat Princess Shunde.
Just a few days after Princess Shunde's memorial arrived in Beijing, Wang Ji's memorial also arrived in Beijing, proving that the princess was indeed ill.
The imperial physician has already set off for Yunnan, and Zhu Qizhen naturally cannot hide the news from Hu Shanxiang. He needs to tell Hu Shanxiang as soon as possible.
Unexpectedly, Hu Shanxiang was also ill. Her condition was not as serious as Zhu Yuhuan's, she was just a little weak.
Both mother and daughter fell ill, and the pressure immediately fell on Zhu Youtong's shoulders. Especially when he heard that Zhu Yuhuan was also ill, Zhu Youtong could not help but stay where he was, and felt his heart suddenly jump.
For some reason, she suddenly thought of the time when she was sick as a child. She suddenly fell ill for some unknown reason, as if her life would be taken away in an instant.
But since that illness, Zhu Youtong has been in very good health and has rarely suffered from even minor illnesses like colds.
After thinking about this, Zhu Youtong's originally vague memory became clearer. She vaguely recalled that she seemed to have told her sister about it at that time. She dreamed of water drops falling on her face, like tears.
She still remembered that after she said that, the expression on her sister's face changed unpredictably... Could it be that the world in the dream was real?
Seeing Zhu Youtong's silence, Zhu Qizhen thought she was just frightened and said, "Don't worry, Second Sister. I've already sent the Imperial Hospital to Yunnan as fast as possible. Pharmacist Xu is there."
Zhu Qiyu also nodded repeatedly. Seeing that Zhu Youtong was a little distracted, he said in a gentle voice, "Don't worry, second sister, elder sister is a lucky person. God will protect her. Nothing will happen to her."
Zhu Youtong suddenly said, "Sister has always been in good health, there must be something strange about this..."
This remark struck a chord with Zhu Qizhen. He pondered for a moment and asked, "Second sister, are you saying that someone in the area is plotting to murder you, eldest sister? Wang Ji's memorial already mentioned that while there are some strange people and events in central Yunnan, most of them are just sophistry and have no real effect. Furthermore, ever since you took over the land reform, there has been a military presence in central Yunnan. Even if someone dared to plot against you, it would be difficult to succeed against such a large military presence."
When Zhu Qiyu heard him say this, he immediately understood that Zhu Qizhen had been asking Wang Ji to monitor his sister and did not trust Princess Shunde as much as he seemed.
As for him, it would be difficult to dispel Zhu Qizhen's suspicion and vigilance no matter whether he stayed in the capital or went to a fiefdom.
Zhu Youtong said solemnly, "But this time, both mother and sister are sick. It's definitely not a simple poisoning. Otherwise, how could they have been poisoned at the same time?"
Zhu Qizhen had to admit that what Zhu Youtong said did make some sense. The fact that Empress Dowager Cihui and Princess Shunde fell ill at the same time did not seem like a coincidence at all.
He was just thinking about the strangeness of it when Zhu Youtong seemed to have figured something out and said with certainty, "Someone must be trying to murder my mother and sister using the art of evil spirits!"
Zhu Qiyu was startled when he heard this, and hurried to check on Zhu Qizhen's expression. Seeing that he was just stunned by Zhu Youtong's sudden idea, he quickly said, "Second sister, you're overthinking..."
Zhu Youtong said confidently, "Sister is a Taoist priest. Isn't it unreasonable for someone to murder her in this way?"
Before Zhu Qiyu could say anything, Zhu Qizhen spoke up, "Anyone who can perform the art of warding off evil is no ordinary person. If he can do this to my elder sister, he can probably do it to other members of the royal family as well. We must be careful."
Zhu Qiyu said cautiously: "Yan Sheng is not a trivial matter, it must not be easily publicized..."
Zhu Qizhen pondered for a moment and said, "Let the Jinyiwei handle this matter secretly. As for the selection of the person..."
Wang Zhen, who was listening nearby, quickly said, "Your Majesty, how about letting Ma Shun do it?"
For some reason, he always had a vague sense of foreboding in his heart. Being involved in evil spirits was no small matter. If he didn't let his own people handle it, Wang Zhen would never feel at ease.
Zhu Qizhen saw that he was showing a bit of panic. He was silent for a while, then said: "Leave this matter to the former commander Xu Gong and Ma Shun. They must give me a reply as soon as possible. Also, this matter must not be leaked to the outside world."
He naturally knew that Ma Shun was the person arranged by Wang Zhen to join the Jinyiwei, and he would definitely obey his orders, but he was also well aware of Ma Shun's arrogance. Only with Xu Gong watching over him at all times could he ensure that this matter would not be easily leaked.
If such a thing were to come to light, it would not be a good thing for Zhu Qizhen and the royal family.
Wang Zhen's heart skipped a beat, realizing that Zhu Qizhen didn't completely trust him and Ma Shun either. However, Wang Zhen maintained a respectful expression and replied, "Yes."
Zhu Youtong also stood up and said, "I go to the temple every day to burn incense for my mother and sister!"
Zhu Qiyu also hurriedly said: "Second sister and I will take turns to go. With the help of good doctors and the help of gods, mother and elder sister will definitely be safe."
Zhu Qizhen only nodded slightly and said, "That's very good."
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