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

On the day Hailan was imprisoned in the Shenxing Division, Consort E and the Eighth Prince had just recovered from their poisoning. Both mother and son were still weak, but fortunately, they would be safe after a month of bed rest. Although the Eighth Prince would inevitably be unable to walk properly in the future, he was fortunate to have survived, which was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

The Empress returned to Changchun Palace very late and only learned of the matter the next day. She then ordered that Consort E and her son be given many nourishing medicinal herbs, and Consort Wan be given fabrics, clothing, and paintings by famous artists as compensation and consolation. She also doubled the monthly wages of the palace servants in Yikun Palace.

But soon, another piece of extremely unfortunate news arrived.

The emperor released Hailan from the Shenxing Division, intending to watch from the sidelines as the evil spirits devoured each other. Suddenly, he felt dizzy and had a headache. Soon after, he developed a fever and rashes appeared all over his body.

After examining the patient, Physician Huang turned ashen-faced: "His Majesty is pleased!"

"Seeing joy" is a euphemism for smallpox. After Emperor Kangxi ascended the throne, the Qing Dynasty attached great importance to the prevention and control of smallpox, especially the imperial heirs and members of the imperial clan who were vaccinated when they reached a certain age.

However, as a marginal prince who grew up in the Yuanmingyuan Garden, the emperor was not vaccinated against smallpox when he was a child.

When he became Prince Bao, he felt that if word got out that he had never been vaccinated against smallpox, it would only make it seem like he had been neglected as a child. So he preferred to cover up the truth and never got vaccinated.

Therefore, the emperor's smallpox outbreak was severe. Not only did he fall ill, but it also triggered his old ailment of erysipelas, causing him unbearable pain and screaming in agony.

Even with such severe illness, the emperor still didn't forget to ask who had given him the disease and why the imperial physicians hadn't noticed it before!

Physician Huang was sweating profusely: "Your Majesty, some people, especially those who have been vaccinated against smallpox, may carry the disease's aura after coming into contact with patients with smallpox. Even if they do not contract the disease, they can still pass on the disease's aura to others."

The Emperor slammed the porcelain pillow on the ground: "It was Ruyi! I know she went to see that Moxin who had smallpox! That's why she was moved to the side hall!"

Physician Huang wailed inwardly, "You knew about this, yet you summoned her to the Hall of Mental Cultivation twice!"

After the emperor finished speaking, he immediately felt a splitting headache and then fainted.

Because the Emperor had been in the closest contact with the Empress, Consort Ling, and Consort Xian before he contracted smallpox, the risk of infection for the Empress and Consort Ling, in addition to Ruyi who was already temporarily residing in a side palace, was greatly increased. At this time, most of the imperial physicians were waiting in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, so the Empress issued an imperial edict sealing off Changchun Palace, Chengqian Palace, and the side palace where Ruyi resided. She moved Yongcong to a more distant side palace within Changchun Palace and kept the main hall's doors tightly shut. She stated that since she herself was at risk of contracting the disease, she should set an example by not daring to leave the main hall, and vowed to spend her days in Changchun Palace worshipping Buddha and observing a vegetarian diet, praying to Buddha and Bodhisattvas to protect the Emperor through this ordeal.

The concubines in the palace responded one after another, saying they would close their doors, copy scriptures, and chant Buddhist prayers to protect the emperor. Even those in the palace who had experienced smallpox, like Consort Wan, dared not go to attend to the emperor, fearing that they might also carry the disease and make the emperor's condition even worse.

Smallpox was a serious matter that could not be concealed, and the previous dynasty soon learned of it.

Some court officials couldn't help but have their doubts: Emperor Shunzhi died young, allowing Emperor Kangxi to ascend the throne at the tender age of eight. Now, the Emperor's eldest and legitimate sons are grown; what if the Emperor suffers the same fate as Shunzhi…?

As a result, some people could not contain their desires and sent visiting cards and gifts to pay their respects at the residences of Prince An, Prince Duan, and even the Fucha family.

Fuheng, however, remained unmoved. Every day he went to court to handle affairs in Jinchuan, and when he returned home he would say that smallpox was rampant and that his two children were too young to handle it, so he declined all invitations to visit him.

Prince Anbele performed rituals at home every day and even submitted a memorial requesting that a ritual be performed in the palace to drive away the plague and pray for blessings, appearing to be seeking divine intervention.

Since the smallpox epidemic spread to the capital, Prince Duan had been busy, spending his days in the suburbs of the capital with other officials overseeing the construction of smallpox shelters. However, he still submitted a memorial requesting to enter the palace to attend to the sick prince.

When the emperor was lucid, he still had to spare some energy to be suspicious of his two adult princes, fearing that they would take advantage of his illness to contact the court officials and sideline him. So he readily approved their memorials and ordered Yonghuang and Yonglian to enter the palace to serve him, keeping watch in the Hall of Mental Cultivation every night.

This imperial decree made things even worse for the palace staff and imperial physicians. There was an emperor who was ill, an empress and a concubine who might be carrying the plague, a nobleman and a young prince who had just recovered from their illness. Three palaces were sealed off, and now two adult princes and a large group of eunuchs and palace maids were coming. The arrangements for their accommodations, the possibility of them contracting the disease while attending to the emperor, and all sorts of other problems were simply overwhelming.

Fortunately, both masters were easygoing and didn't cause trouble. After entering the palace, they requested to live in the currently vacant Xiefang Palace. They also followed the advice of the imperial physicians and only took turns keeping watch at night to inquire after the emperor's health, without ever getting close to him.

On this day, the two went to pay their respects as usual, but they encountered Xian and Rong Pei carrying food boxes.

Although the two were puzzled as to how Consort Xian had managed to get to the Hall of Mental Cultivation despite the heavy blockade, and felt it was inappropriate for her to be wandering around here while bearing the reputation of having passed her illness on to her father, the Emperor, they still bowed from afar out of respect for their elders and said, "Greetings, Consort Xian."

Ruyi looked at Yonghuang and smiled, "Yonghuang, it's been years since I last saw you. You've grown taller and stronger."

Yonghuang's deep-seated fear was instantly awakened, and he hurriedly said, "Your Highness, if there is nothing else, my second brother and I will take our leave now." He then left with Yonglian in a hurry.

As Ruyi watched the two figures depart, she turned and headed to enter the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Yu Hu stepped forward in time to stop him, saying, "Consort Xian, His Majesty is ill and it is inconvenient for him to see you."

When Ruyi saw that the person who came was Yu Hu, she unusually did not force her way in. Instead, she solemnly took out a piece of paper from her sleeve, on which were written the words "poisonous heart".

Yu Hu asked in surprise, "What does 'Xian agreed' mean?"

Ruyi said in a low voice, "Aunt Yuhu, you are the Emperor's personal nanny. Now that the Empress Dowager is not here and the Empress is hiding in Changchun Palace, only you can be trusted."

Then she whispered a few more words, and Yu Hu's face grew uglier as she listened. Finally, she waved her hand coldly and said, "Xian, if what you said today gets out, it will be considered treason and plotting to seize the throne. I think the Emperor still has feelings for you, so I will pretend I didn't hear it. You should leave now, lest you end up like the one in Jingren Palace back then."

Ruyi's expression turned cold, and Yuhu felt a sudden daze before Ruyi disappeared from his sight.

From inside came Jinzhong and Jinbao's exclamations: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, what's wrong!"

Yu Hu composed herself and hurriedly went inside.

The emperor's condition suddenly worsened on this day, and he went from being in and out of consciousness to being unconscious all day.

Huang Yuan examined the Emperor repeatedly, but found it very strange. He quietly told Yu Hu, "The Emperor's condition doesn't seem to be worsening; it's more like he's taken an excessive amount of sedatives. But all the medications that come and go are carefully examined; this shouldn't be the case..."

If it is confirmed that the Emperor did indeed take the wrong medicine, it might be the responsibility of the Imperial Pharmacy and the Imperial Hospital, so Physician Huang dared not say anything more.

Yu Hu exclaimed in surprise, "What about the Emperor's health?"

Huang Yuanyu said, “Generally speaking, calming decoctions contain ingredients like cinnabar, which have the effect of calming the mind. However, if too much is used, it will damage the Qi of the heart and lungs. Your Majesty is so weak now, and the Qi of the five internal organs is already insufficient. Therefore, I dare not prescribe calming medicine. If you really take such medicine, even if you can wake up, the consequences will be unimaginable.”

Yu Hu made a firm decision and secretly went to Changchun Palace to request an audience with the Empress.

The trio was troubled because the VCR and live broadcast in the Hall of Mental Cultivation had all gone dark, but when they heard the news that the emperor's condition had worsened, they dared not act rashly and sent Yingluo to refuse Yuhu.

Yingluo brings back news that Ruyi wants Yuhu to give the emperor a drug that will make him fall into a deep sleep, creating the illusion that the emperor is seriously ill, so as to take the opportunity to test who will take the chance to peek at the secret edict of succession behind the plaque of "Upright and Bright" and who has the ambition to seize the throne.

Although she tried to stop Ruyi, she didn't know what kind of magic Ruyi used, but the emperor really began to fall into a coma, and his pulse seemed to be caused by taking medicine.

The three of them were speechless for a moment, but since things had come to this point, they had no choice but to discuss what to do.

While Yonglian was in the Xiefang Palace, he suddenly heard a woman speaking outside: "Now that the Emperor is seriously ill, the eldest prince is the eldest son and the second prince is the legitimate son. It is still unknown who will become the crown prince."

Yonglian shouted, "Who's talking nonsense outside!"

The palace maids and eunuchs on duty outside the room scrambled in to apologize, saying that no one dared to chat while on duty and that they hadn't heard anyone speak.

Yonglian ordered his men to search for the person who had lingered outside the window, but they couldn't find him anywhere. After thinking for a moment, he sent his personal eunuch to Changchun Palace.

The next day, the Empress issued an imperial edict: the Emperor was unconscious, and for the sake of his health, the shaman was to perform rituals in the Kunning Palace to pray for his well-being. Every day, eunuchs were to deliver the talismans and other items obtained from these rituals to the Yangxin Hall, making sure to select knowledgeable and experienced individuals who had served nobles. Two amulets were also sent for the two men to wear.

This night was Yonghuang's vigil.

In the middle of the night, the emperor woke up. Jinbao, who had almost dozed off, saw the emperor awake and immediately ordered someone to summon the imperial physician.

The emperor stopped him, saying, "Don't spread the news that I've woken up yet."

The emperor hadn't actually been truly unconscious these past few days. One day, while he was sleeping, he suddenly heard a whisper in his ear:

"You must understand! Everyone is plotting against you! Plotting against you! None of them truly care about you! Only I will always love you! Love you!"

Then he felt liquid flowing into his mouth. He tried to struggle, but he had no strength. He tried to call for help, but he couldn't make a sound.

Then he heard Jinzhong and Jinbao scream, but although his mind was clear, his eyes were as if they were glued shut and he couldn't open them at all.

He could only hear the noises outside with his eyes closed, hear what Physician Huang said, hear the palace servants say that the Empress had a ritual performed and had two older princes keep watch at night, and sometimes he could hear Yu Hu's suppressed sobs.

After the empress sent over talismans and protective charms, he suddenly felt that his eyelids were no longer sticking so tightly together.

He mustered his strength and finally opened his eyes, seeing the candlelight outside the bed curtains.

He knew that Ruyi was using a curse again, but he didn't know what the situation was this time. Now that he was seriously ill, he could only remain still and try to protect himself first.

Jinbao agreed and went to get him some water to drink.

Just as Jinbao was leaving, he suddenly heard a slight noise, as if something had fallen out.

When Jinbao returned, he asked Jinbao to go and take a look.

Jinbao went to the palace, his face ashen: "Your Majesty, this servant deserves to die! The secret box somehow fell out!"

The emperor was startled. He knew what Jinbao was referring to: the late emperor had implemented a secret system of designating an heir apparent, writing the name of the heir in a secret document and hiding it in a box, which was placed behind the "Zhengda Guangming" plaque in the Qianqing Palace. Before writing the edict of succession, this box, along with the blank edict inside, was placed behind a scroll in the Yangxin Hall.

He suppressed his emotions and said weakly, "Never mind, go and get that box."

Jinbao brought the box, which the emperor opened. He took out the edict and saw that the originally blank edict had the words "The throne is passed to the Fifth Prince" written crookedly on it.

He slammed the imperial edict shut, slammed his hand on the bed, and took several deep breaths to barely keep his composure and prevent himself from fainting again.

But the sudden surge of anger made him abandon the idea of ​​remaining calm and waiting. He immediately asked Jinbao to bring him a pen, crossed out the "five" and filled in the "two", and then asked Jinbao to put the box back as it was and to have someone keep a close eye on it for the next few days.

On the second night, it was Yonglian's turn to keep watch.

Because of the smallpox epidemic in the palace, Yonghuang and Yonglian brought mostly older palace women who had been vaccinated against smallpox to prevent the younger and weaker women from contracting the disease.

That night, Baizhi led several palace maids and eunuchs on night duty. Because Baizhi came from the Empress's palace, she was not only a servant to Yonglian, but also an elder who had watched him grow up. Therefore, Yonglian treated her with more respect and kindness, and she had considerable prestige among the servants in the Prince's mansion.