The Changchun Palace team travels back in time to Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace

The emperor appointed Prince He as the chief minister in charge of the funeral arrangements, to oversee the funeral of Consort Huixian. The Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Works, and the Imperial Household Department were responsible for the arrangements, ensuring the highest level of mourning and honor.

Prince Anbe was the only prince who married a princess consort, and at this time he was the only one who could wear mourning clothes. He wore mourning clothes with his primary consort, Lady Ilari, and assisted Prince He in handling various affairs.

Xi Yue's body was placed in a bright yellow nanmu coffin, and silk books and treasures were laid out. Felt was laid out, and a curtain was hung to separate the body. The encoffining was then completed. Since the emperor's mausoleum was not yet completed, the coffin was temporarily placed in the funeral palace at Shilizhuang outside Fuchengmen.

Although Yongcheng had already been adopted out of the family, Prince Lü still ordered someone to make him a set of mourning clothes called "Zhan Cui" for his parents, and made him wear them for three days. He also cut off his braid and instructed the servants not to shave his head for a hundred days. He then had someone take him to Xianfu Palace to kowtow.

This mourning garment is made of raw linen, with exposed, unhemmed edges that can easily cause it to get caught on.

Yongcheng felt a little uncomfortable wearing it. After being carried into Xianfu Palace, he walked unsteadily in the courtyard.

The two peacocks suddenly saw Yongcheng and were immediately reminded of unpleasant memories, so they flew away to the side.

Upon seeing the peacock, Yongcheng disregarded the fact that his clothes were holding him back and ran after it.

The peacock was startled and darted to the other side.

Yongcheng continued the pursuit.

The eunuchs and palace maids, fearing he might fall, followed closely behind.

The peacock flapped its wings and jumped onto the railing. Yongcheng chased after it for a couple of steps, then suddenly froze in place and burst into tears.

He sobbed uncontrollably, his voice choked with emotion: "Empress Hui... will never stop me again!"

In Changchun Palace, Rongyin summoned Aruo and Bai Ruiji to convey the Imperial Concubine's last wishes.

The two fell silent as they looked at the jewelry and pipa brought by Moxin and the other palace maids.

After a long pause, A'Ruo said, "I don't want them. Please, Your Majesty, use these jewelry pieces as burial goods for Consort Huixian, or give them all to her third sister. Anyway, her third sister probably doesn't know how much dowry she had back then."

Bai Ruiji also said, "I am a musician, and I have my own standards. I know that my skills are not as good as those of Consort Huixian. Even if I used her pipa, I could not play the same tune as that Mid-Autumn Festival. It would be better not to use it. If Your Majesty feels it is a pity, please put these pipas in the Qinde Pavilion of Xianfu Palace."

Rongyin then dismissed the two and said to Moxin, "Then give all these jewelry to the Third Princess of the Gao family, and keep the pipa in Qinde Pavilion."

Before leaving, Mo Xin hesitated for a moment before asking, "Your Majesty, should we really keep the news of the mistress's passing from the old master? Although it was the mistress's last wish, can such a momentous event be kept secret?"

Rongyin looked tired: "Yes, whether it's for the sake of etiquette or social customs, we can't be unaware of Consort Huixian's family."

Next, Rongyin went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, offered a distant salute, and reminded the Emperor that, according to etiquette, upon the death of the Imperial Noble Consort, the Emperor should suspend court and wear mourning clothes for ten days. Furthermore, although the scabies outbreak at Xianfu Palace had subsided, the Emperor had already visited with his entourage. He cautioned against taking any of the palace servants with him, and instructed the imperial physicians to examine each of them. Quicklime was also sprinkled throughout the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and the imperial physicians prepared a preventative remedy for everyone to drink, to prevent anyone from contracting the disease and then reporting it to the Emperor.

Seeing that the Empress was standing a little further away, and that her attitude, while respectful, seemed to have a hint of coldness, the Emperor felt a little uneasy, considering that the Empress and the Consort had known each other for many years. In addition, Xi Yue had told him before her death that Yan Wan's bracelet was inappropriate, thus averting a tragedy. So he said to Jin Zhong, "Do as the Empress wishes. Tell the people in the Imperial Household Department not to present any green plaques for the next ten days."

He considered it for a moment and said to Rongyin, "Also, Empress, I know that Consort Xian has falsely conveyed the imperial edict and offended Imperial Noble Consort Huixian, but Consort Xian has been my friend for many years. I will punish her a little and demote her to a lower rank. Empress, please do not punish her any further."

Rongyin curtsied and said, "I leave it to His Majesty's wise decision."

Unexpectedly, within just a few days, the emperor developed smallpox, which was itchy and painful. He initially thought it was not a serious illness, but the disease progressed rapidly. A few days later, large patches of the skin ulcerated and oozed fluid, causing unbearable pain. He also developed a low-grade fever and collapsed onto his dragon bed in a daze.

After careful diagnosis, Physician Huang discovered that the Emperor was suffering from two diseases at the same time: scabies and erysipelas.

Rongyin came to inquire, feigning ignorance, and said, "I know about scabies, but what about this 'waist-encircling fire rash'?"

Physician Huang said with great concern, “Both of these illnesses originate from toxins accumulating in their respective meridians, exacerbated by wind and dampness. This scabies is caused by mites, resulting from excessive wind in the liver meridian and infection by scabies mites. This shingles, also known as snake-like sores or snake-like welts, is caused by damp heat in the spleen and lung meridians, leading to excessive liver fire. Scabies at most causes itching and a low-grade fever, which is not dangerous. However, this shingles develops rapidly and has already spread to the waist and ribs. If it forms a ring around the waist, the toxins will enter the navel, which would be dangerous. But because there are two symptoms at the same time, each must be treated accordingly. We must be careful to prevent the medicines from interacting, and we must treat it slowly. It will take at least four or five months, and we cannot guarantee that the shingles will be completely cured. In addition, Your Majesty, this illness is extraordinary, and you must take extra care of your daily life.”

Rongyin said, "A few days ago, Consort Chun was diagnosed with pregnancy by the imperial physician, and now Consort Ling is also quite far along in her pregnancy. There are now two pregnant women in the palace, and so many children. We cannot be careless." After saying this, she ordered, "Jinzhong, convey my imperial decree: the palace servants who have been serving the Emperor these past few days shall remain in the palace for the time being, and the imperial physicians shall examine them one by one. Once their illness has passed, they shall be moved out immediately and given medicine for treatment. The palace servants who originally served the Yangxin Hall shall be assigned to two shifts for day and night duty. Others shall not enter or leave the Yangxin Hall. The concubines of the six palaces need not come to Changchun Palace to pay their respects these past few days, and the concubines, princes, and princesses are also not allowed to enter the Yangxin Hall."

She took a deep breath: "And there's Imperial Physician Huang. A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Therefore, in treating the Emperor, we must first ensure that he regains his senses as soon as possible. For now, we'll tell the public that it's scabies. Once the Emperor wakes up, he can make his own decision. Jinbao, Yingluo, and Mingyu, go and prepare the side hall. From today onwards, I will move into the Hall of Mental Cultivation and personally take care of the Emperor. The affairs of the six palaces will be managed by Consort Shen and Consort Wan."

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines and went to carry out their orders.

Physician Huang then said he needed to discuss the Emperor's care with the Empress, avoiding the unconscious Emperor, and said nervously, "The other day, there was an outbreak of scabies in Xianfu Palace. The Emperor went there once and it's like this now. If the Emperor asks about it..."

Yingluo said, "Since the outbreak of scabies in Xianfu Palace, everything handled by the sick palace servants was burned, and the palace was sealed off for a long time. Quicklime was sprinkled everywhere, and the palace gates were only opened after it was confirmed that there was no danger. Previously, Her Majesty the Empress had the Imperial Hospital examine all the palace servants who accompanied the Emperor that day, and no one was infected. To put it another way, even if Xianfu Palace was not clean, besides the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress and Consort Ling also went to Xianfu Palace. But only the Emperor was affected. If this were to spread, wouldn't it mean that the Emperor's health was worse than that of Consort Ling, who was pregnant? This would also damage the Emperor's reputation."

Physician Huang bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

The Empress's decree elicited varying reactions from the concubines in the six palaces.

Yanwan was relieved that she didn't have to attend to the Empress during her illness, but she was also worried that the Empress would be unable to manage many things without help. So she suggested to A'ruo that with so many things happening in the palace, perhaps her mother and brother should not be allowed to enter the palace to accompany her during childbirth, so as not to cause trouble. Su Luyun knew that she was not favored and that all her hopes were on the imperial heir. She couldn't wait to have a peaceful pregnancy, but she still sent someone to tell the Empress that she was very ashamed that she could not attend to the Empress during her illness. A'ruo was busy with palace affairs, while Consort Yi, Bai Ruiji and the other concubines took care of the children and took turns visiting Su Luyun and Yanwan. They never mentioned attending to the Empress during her illness.

Chen Wanyin did wish to attend to the ailing Emperor, but Yonghuang, accompanied by his primary and secondary consorts, entered the palace to pay their respects and reminded her, "I know you are not afraid of Father's illness, and I would love to serve him at his bedside and personally taste his medicine to fulfill my filial duty. However, Mother's decree prioritizes the greater good. I have been sickly since childhood, and my primary and secondary consorts are both frail. If something were to happen to them when they come to visit you, it would only cause them more trouble. Consort Wanyin should focus on managing palace affairs with Consort Shen; that would be a relief for Father and Mother."

Chen Wanyin thought about it and agreed, so she stopped insisting.

Yi Huan thought that since she couldn't serve him in person now, it would be good to go to Anhua Palace to pray for blessings.

She went to Anhua Palace. After three years of hard work, Zhangjia Hutuktu had finally finished translating Danjur. These past few days, he had been praying day and night in Anhua Palace, firstly to thank Buddha for allowing him to complete this great good deed, and secondly to pray for the Emperor's health.

He heard the lama tell Yihuan that he wanted to hang the prayer flags he had painted himself in the courtyard to pray for blessings. His expression remained unchanged as he said, "The saying goes that sincerity brings results. Ritual is just to keep people sincere at all times. There's no need to be too attached to it. Consort Shu's intentions are already sincere enough. Climbing to such a dangerous place is better left alone."

That very day, he ordered the monks of Anhua Palace to be replaced and instructed them: “As inheritors of Buddhism, we should be wise and respect the true Dharma. How can we use Buddhism as an excuse to order the emperor’s concubines to do this or that? External objects and rituals can only be used for temporary solace, not Buddhism itself. If we are attached to them, we may end up like those people from the Ulanara clan who have gone astray.”

Everything was arranged in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Yuan Yi also arranged for the Divine Craftsmanship to replace the three people and gave the order to "let their bodies rest as much as possible without being discovered."

So, in the intervals between the burning and itching pain and between waking and dozing off, the emperor would always vaguely see a woman, seemingly exhausted, sleeping by the bedside.

Although the palace maids and eunuchs vaguely felt that the Empress seemed to be slacking off more often, ever since the day and night shifts were arranged, the Empress said that everyone had worked hard, so her monthly salary was doubled and there was an additional bonus. Therefore, they all praised the Empress for being so tired that she was dozing off by the dragon bed, and for doing everything herself. She was indeed virtuous.

However, Rongyin did not know what divine intelligence was. Seeing that they could manipulate the body to do various things in a meticulous and appropriate manner, and could also talk to others, she always felt that they were other ghost messengers or living souls. She also felt a little guilty, so she suggested that she could go back to change shifts sometimes.

The mascot explained, "This is technology, uh, yes, as you would say, it's science."

As a result, the three of them became even more convinced that it was a human soul.

Yuan Yi then had the three of them go back occasionally to take turns.

One night, Rongyin regained consciousness and suddenly vaguely heard one or two very soft sobs coming from outside.

She walked outside the palace and saw a young palace maid standing under the eaves, sniffing.

She then sent Yingluo to ask, "Why are you crying here?"

The young palace maid was startled when she saw Yingluo. She knelt down and said, "This servant was worried about His Majesty's health and was overcome with emotion. I did not mean to offend Your Majesty the Empress. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

The three of them immediately knew this was just an excuse, but it was true that no one could punish her for saying it that way. She's quite clever to come up with such a good excuse so quickly.

The next day, Yingluo inquired about the situation and learned that the young palace maid was the daughter of a scribe in the Imperial Stables. She had lost her mother at a young age, and now her father was also seriously ill and probably didn't have long to live.

Rongyin then instructed the Imperial Medical Academy to send someone to examine the palace maid's father.

When Physician Bao returned from his trip, he said that the illness of the calligrapher was incurable and that medicine was now ineffective, at most only alleviating the pain.

Rongyin sighed and said, "It's good if it can alleviate the pain." She then instructed Zhao Yitai to send some money to her family according to the usual reward system.

After Physician Bao left, Jinzhong came to report that Consort Xian had arrived outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"According to Her Majesty the Empress's decree, the masters should not have come, but His Majesty had previously instructed that if Xian agreed to come, she should not be easily dismissed."

Rongyin said, "Instruct the guards to have Consort Xian wait. I will return now."

The emperor has been gradually recovering over the past few days and has actually regained consciousness. However, he is exhausted from the torment of illness and does not even have the strength to open his eyes.