Chapter 22: Developing a Rash

Chapter 22: Red Rashes

It was July, with the scorching sun blazing overhead, making the bluestone pavement hot.

The Imperial Household Department sent over a bronze double-layered ice container, with ice blocks in the outer layer and chilled fruits in the inner compartment. A faint chill drifted from the container, yet the room remained unbearably stuffy.

Fang Yu fanned herself with a round fan inside her room, occasionally flipping through the storybook in her hand.

Hong Ye was outside, sprinkling water along the eaves to cool things down.

Noticing that her mistress was still sweating, Pan Liu brought over another bamboo fan to help cool her. She glanced at the ice container and saw that the ice had almost completely melted.

Xiao Fangzi quietly entered from outside, exchanged a look with Pan Liu, and the two stepped outside to talk before returning to the room.

Seeing this, Fang Yu set down her book and asked, "What are you two up to? Hiding something from me? Is there something you can't say in front of me?"

Xiao Fangzi was so frightened he immediately dropped to his knees. Pan Liu shot him an exasperated look—having served her mistress for a long time, she knew her lady didn’t usually punish servants and was generally kind and tolerant. Calmly, she replied, "Mistress, seeing how hot it is and that you’re sweating so much, I asked Xiao Fangzi to go to the Imperial Household Department to request more ice. But he said they told him the ice was running low and they couldn’t spare any more, so he came back empty-handed."

"I failed in my duty. I’m useless. Please punish me, mistress."

Fang Yu motioned for Xiao Fangzi to rise. It wasn’t a big deal. The Imperial Household Department had already provided her with the ice allotted to a noble lady and had even given her an ice container. With the heat, everyone in the palace wanted ice, and it melted quickly. Though she was favored, she was still only a noble lady. The Imperial Household Department would naturally prioritize the emperor and other higher-ranking individuals. It was understandable that they wouldn’t provide extra ice.

"If there’s none, then there’s none. We’ll just have to bear it. Xiao Fangzi, get some water and sprinkle it in front of the door. Place a few more basins of water inside the room as well. Pan Liu, open the windows, and take the watermelon out from the ice container to cut and eat."

The two set to work.

Fang Yu, feeling the heat, had already dressed as lightly as possible. She couldn’t help but roll up her sleeves. After the watermelon was cut, she invited Xiao Fangzi and Hong Ye to join her in eating it.

The four of them—mistress and servants—soon finished the watermelon.

Although the Imperial Household Department didn’t have enough ice for her, they had sent plenty of fresh summer fruits. Compared to those less favored and lower-ranking ladies, her situation was already much better.

Still, at times like this, she couldn’t help but miss modern air conditioning and electric fans.

By evening, Xiao Fangzi came to inform her that the emperor had chosen the empress that night.

The ice from the day had been used up, and as Fang Yu settled down for the night, she had no choice but to endure the heat. Though her bed was spread with a bamboo mat, it still felt as if it were radiating warmth. Even wearing only a dudou, she was sweating. She tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep until well past midnight.

After several consecutive days of intense heat, Fang Yu suddenly broke out in red rashes all over her body, alarming Pan Liu and the others. They hurriedly requested a palace pass from Consort Duan to summon an imperial physician.

Consort Duan and the others came to check on her.

"Sister, did you eat something wrong?" Consort Duan asked, sitting on a round stool.

Fang Yu shook her head, saying she hadn’t eaten anything unusual these past few days—just her usual fare.

"Then how could this happen? It looks truly frightening, even on your face. Sister, you mustn’t scratch it. The more you scratch, the itchier it gets, and it may leave scars."

Consort Duan, seeing how alarming Wuya Shi’s rashes were, felt genuine concern. As the only favored one in Yonghe Palace, she didn’t want her to end up with a ruined complexion. There was sincerity in her worry.

"Sisters, please don’t get too close to me. We don’t know what caused these rashes or if they’re contagious. Please keep your distance."

Consort Duan thought this made sense and instinctively leaned back, shifting slightly on her stool.

Imperial Physician Chen from the Imperial Hospital arrived quickly. After taking her pulse, he asked in detail what she had eaten over the past few days. Even Fang Yu herself thought she might have eaten something that caused an allergic reaction.

Imperial Physician Chen wrote her a prescription and gave her two jars of ointment to apply, advising her to change her diet for the next few days.

In this condition, Fang Yu naturally couldn’t serve the emperor. Her green plaque was withdrawn. The cool ointment provided some relief from the itching, and she drank a bowl of the prescribed medicinal decoction daily. She also kept her meals as light as possible. She had assumed the rashes would fade, but after five days, instead of improving, they grew worse.

Imperial Physician Chen and Imperial Physician Zhangjia came together to examine her. After detailed questioning, Imperial Physician Zhangjia concluded that the extreme heat had caused her to sweat excessively, leading to the rashes. Put simply, her sweat was the allergen—her skin was irritated from being constantly damp.

Fang Yu had never been so affected by heat before. In modern times, her home’s air conditioning maintained a constant cool temperature, running all day. She rarely sweated and had never experienced anything like this—feeling as if she were in a poorly ventilated furnace, sweating constantly, her body feverish.

Knowing she couldn’t stand the heat, Pan Liu and the others fanned her almost around the clock. At night, they took turns keeping watch. Consort Duan kindly shared some of her own ice allotment, while Attendant Li and Answering Attendant Fu Cha gave her all of theirs. After a few days, her rashes began to subside slightly, confirming Imperial Physician Zhangjia’s diagnosis.

…

Qianqing Palace, daytime, 1:15 p.m.

After reviewing memorials, Kangxi summoned Yin Reng’s wet nurse to inquire about how the child had been eating lately and whether he cried at night. Once the wet nurse had detailed everything, he felt reassured and asked her to bring the child over.

Yin Reng, now one year and two months old, had grown sturdier. Kangxi could feel the child’s weight as he held him. Yin Reng babbled incoherently, as if trying to speak.

The wet nurse mentioned that Yin Reng was on the verge of speaking.

Kangxi tried to teach him to say "A-ma" (father), but Yin Reng continued to babble. Kangxi smiled faintly, realizing he was being impatient—a one-year-old couldn’t truly speak yet. Still, seeing the child healthy and well, he was in good spirits. He only handed Yin Reng back to the wet nurse when the child began to cry.

After a moment of silence, Kangxi said solemnly, "Liang Jiugong, summon Noble Lady De."

Liang Jiugong hesitated, then replied cautiously, "Your Majesty, Noble Lady De... she is ill. I’m afraid she may not be able to attend."

Having served the emperor for many years, Liang Jiugong didn’t dare claim he understood Kangxi’s thoughts completely, but he had some insight. In the current harem, neither the empress nor Noble Consort Tong was the most favored—that was Noble Lady De. The emperor genuinely held some affection for her.

Since the emperor favored her, Liang Jiugong, as a servant, made sure to keep tabs on Noble Lady De’s situation so he wouldn’t be caught unaware if the emperor asked. Noble Lady De’s green plaque had been withdrawn from the Office of Imperial Rituals several days earlier.

"Ill? What illness?"

"I heard Noble Lady De has broken out in red rashes all over her body."

Upon hearing this, Kangxi immediately ordered Liang Jiugong to have the imperial carriage ready for a visit to Yonghe Palace.