The cruel little princess

As they walked towards the Queen Mother's Palace, Shen Youyou and His Royal Highness Prince Jin walked side by side. As they chatted, the topic naturally turned to the current plague incident.

"I think it's more serious this time. I see that father looks unwell and his eyes are red. He must have not had a good sleep for a long time since hearing the news." His Royal Highness Prince Jin said worriedly.

"I don't know the specific situation... I couldn't ask about the situation just now..." His Royal Highness Prince Jin continued.

Shen Youyou's heart tightened when she heard this, and she couldn't help but frowned: "I wonder where the plague broke out? Are there any corresponding countermeasures? Has the epidemic been brought under control? I don't know which imperial doctors went there. If it can't be controlled, it will be bad if the epidemic breaks out on a large scale."

His Royal Highness Prince Jin patted her shoulder gently and comforted her, "Don't worry, I'll come and ask father alone before leaving the palace." His voice was low and gentle, as if giving people an inexplicable sense of security.

Shen Youyou nodded, but she was still worried. The word "plague" always made people feel terrified and helpless. If it couldn't be controlled and a large-scale outbreak occurred... She couldn't help but feel a surge of fear.

Whether in modern society or in ancient times, the arrival of a plague often means a massive storm of death. The 2002 SARS epidemic and the COVID-2019 outbreak at the end of both dealt a heavy blow to the Chinese nation!

However, today we have powerful and advanced technology, which allows us to conduct research day and night, quickly develop vaccines and find solutions. But what if we go back to the past? Faced with the threat of plague, people would inevitably be terrified and choose to flee.

However, among those infected by the plague virus, everyone's resistance is different. Those with stronger resistance may not show symptoms at first and be no different from ordinary people. But over time, when their immune system completely collapses, the disease will suddenly break out of control!

By then, this person would have probably already left his hometown and traveled to other places. In this way, he would spread the plague virus everywhere during his journey, and she knew very well that once the plague spread, the consequences would be unimaginable!

I hope the imperial doctors can find a solution as soon as possible and control the development of the epidemic.

They walked in silence, and the atmosphere became somewhat heavy.

Shen Youyou prayed silently in her heart, hoping that the plague would pass soon and people could return to their peaceful lives.

Shen Youyou followed His Royal Highness Prince Jin to the Queen's palace. His Royal Highness Prince Jin held her hand, and the two of them bowed respectfully to the Queen.

The Queen Mother sat in the main seat and accepted their gifts with a smile, expressing her great satisfaction with her daughter-in-law.

Afterwards, His Royal Highness Prince Jin and Shen Youyou knelt together and offered tea to the Queen.

The Queen took the teacup, took a sip, and then placed the cup on the table beside her.

Then, she began to lecture His Royal Highness Prince Jin and Shen Youyou, expressing her blessings and expectations for their marriage, hoping that they could support each other and live in harmony.

The Queen also emphasized the importance of mutual respect, understanding and support between couples, and encouraged them to face the difficulties and challenges in life together.

Finally, the Queen Mother bestowed some precious head jewelry as gifts to express her blessings and care for them.

His Royal Highness Prince Jin and Shen Youyou were moved to tears and bowed to the Queen once again to express their gratitude.

However, not long after, the Queen Mother used the excuse that she was tired, served tea to the guests and signaled that they could leave.

His Royal Highness Prince Jin and Shen Youyou slowly stood up, saluted the Empress, and then left Fengyi Palace together, walking towards Showa Palace where His Royal Highness Prince Jin's mother, Empress Defei, lived during her lifetime.

As the two entered Showa Palace, a simple yet familiar atmosphere greeted them. Looking around, they found that everything in the palace remained the same as before, as if time had stopped.

The entire palace is spotlessly clean, and every detail reveals the emperor's deep remembrance of Consort De. It is conceivable that the emperor must have frequently visited here to commemorate Consort De, which is why he preserved the place so well.

His Royal Highness Prince Jin took Shen Youyou's hand, gently pushed open the door, and walked into the main hall. Looking up, he saw a solemn and majestic statue of a bodhisattva. The bodhisattva's face was kind and gentle, as if silently guarding this place. Beside the bodhisattva, a tablet for Consort De was engraved with her name and life story, expressing the emperor's deep longing and admiration for her.

A palace maid, sweeping the floor, respectfully informed Prince Jin that the Emperor had been obsessed with Concubine De's memory ever since her passing. Therefore, he had specifically ordered that fresh tributes be brought in every other day as a sign of respect for Concubine De. Furthermore, the Emperor would regularly visit the room, sit in the seat once occupied by Concubine De, and share his heartfelt condolences with her.

Moreover, the Emperor had ordered that His Royal Highness Prince Jin and his wife would come to burn incense for Empress Defei today, so they needed to redecorate the Zhaohe Palace.

When Prince Jin saw the tributes on the table were all fresh fruits and vegetables, he knew at a glance that these were his mother's favorite foods. So, he and Shen Youyou respectfully offered incense to his mother and introduced Shen Youyou to her, emphasizing that this was her favorite daughter-in-law!

After paying respects to Empress Defei, Prince Jin enthusiastically took Shen Youyou on a stroll through the Shōwa Palace. He stopped at every corner and patiently explained every detail of the place to Shen Youyou. His face shone with happiness and pride, as if transported back to his childhood. Shen Youyou listened quietly, a knowing smile occasionally breaking into her lips.

As he walked, Prince Jin spoke incessantly about the wonderful times he had spent here as a child. He told Shen Youyou that every stone and pillar in this palace held memories of him. He had played and studied here, and experienced countless joys and sorrows here.

However, Shen Youyou was a bit distracted at the moment. She'd barely slept the previous night, and today, being dragged around the palace by Prince Jin, she was already exhausted. She tried hard to stay awake, but her eyelids grew heavier, and her vision began to blur.

Prince Jin noticed something was wrong with Shen Youyou and looked back. She was pale and staggering, as if she might faint at any moment. His heart tightened and he hurried forward to support her. Looking at her haggard face, Prince Jin felt distressed and secretly blamed himself for not considering her physical condition.

Prince Jin gently patted Shen Youyou's shoulder and said softly, "Youyou, you're so tired. Let's take a break." Shen Youyou forced a smile and nodded in agreement. Prince Jin helped her walk to a stone bench and sat down. He asked with concern, "How do you feel? Do you want some water or something to eat?"

Shen Youyou shook her head, indicating no need. She leaned on Prince Jin's shoulder and closed her eyes, hoping to regain some strength as soon as possible. Prince Jin looked at her silently, his heart filled with guilt and self-blame. He decided to take better care of Shen Youyou in the future and never let her suffer any harm again.

After a while, Shen Youyou felt a little better, so she opened her eyes and said to His Royal Highness Prince Jin, "I'm much better. Let's keep going." His Royal Highness Prince Jin looked at her, his eyes full of love and concern, and said softly, "Okay, but let's walk slower this time. If you feel uncomfortable, be sure to tell me."

Hand in hand, the two slowly strolled through the grounds of Showa Palace. They passed through palace after palace, admiring the beautiful scenery and feeling the passage of time. His Royal Highness Prince Jin would occasionally stop and point to a building or object, recounting the story behind it to Shen Youyou. Shen Youyou listened with rapt interest, a warm feeling welling up in her heart.

Seeing that Shen Youyou still looked tired, His Royal Highness Prince Jin simply picked her up sideways.

"Ah?!" Shen Youyou couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, "What are you doing? Put me down! This is in the palace! It's immoral!" Her two slender, round and white legs kept shaking in the layers of skirt.

His Royal Highness Prince Jin looked at Shen Youyou in his arms, his lips curled up slightly, and he said gently: "Okay! I see you are too tired, let's stop here today, and when we are free another day, we can come to see mother again!" After that, he walked out of Showa Palace with Shen Youyou in his arms.