Chapter 47: Smallpox

Chapter 47: Illness

Fang Yu wanted to see Yin Zhen, so she asked Yin Zhu, who was going to school, to pass a message to Yin Zhen, saying that he should come to pay his respects to her, his mother, and that Yin Zhu should bring his fourth brother back after school.

Unexpectedly, Yin Zhu actually managed to do it. The two of them returned together after class, and when Yin Zhen saw her, he properly bowed and paid his respects.

"Greetings to De Consort. I hope you are well."

Fang Yu sometimes felt that the six-year-old Yin Zhen was too rigid and lacked the liveliness a six-year-old child should have.

"Yin Zhen, what's wrong with your arm?"

She had just noticed that when Yin Zhen raised his arm to bow and pay respects, his movements were somewhat slow and difficult, and his face had slightly frowned.

"Is there somewhere you're not feeling well?"

Yin Zhen replied that there wasn't, but Fang Yu didn't believe him. She went over and pressed on his arm and shoulder. When she pressed on his shoulder, she saw Yin Zhen's face frown even more.

Fang Yu directly started to remove Yin Zhen's outer garment. Yin Zhen was a bit shy and tried to avoid it but couldn't. After his outer garment was taken off, she saw several bruises on Yin Zhen's upper arm, and his shoulder was somewhat swollen.

"What happened? How did it get like this?"

Yin Zhen said he was fine, but Fang Yu didn't believe him. As it happened, Xiao Shunzi had come with Yin Zhen today, so she called Xiao Shunzi in and asked what had happened. After questioning, she found out that the Empress had demanded he practice archery every day for half an hour, which had caused his shoulder to end up like this. Continuously drawing the bow required strength, and Yin Zhen had never learned before. Suddenly using so much force so frequently, a child certainly wouldn't know how to properly use his arm and shoulder strength, and over time, it had strained him like this.

"Does your Empress Mother know?"

Yin Zhen said he hadn't told the Empress Mother.

"De Consort, don’t worry, I applied some ointment."

How could the Empress not know when he was injured like this? She would see it when he changed clothes. If he applied medicine, the servants would definitely report it to the Empress.

"Was it because your Empress Mother was dissatisfied with your performance that day?"

Yin Zhen answered truthfully, "I really didn't perform well. Imperial Father didn't praise me; he praised Crown Prince."

At this, Yin Zhen clearly showed disappointment.

Fang Yu realized that the Empress was being a bit of a "pushy parent." How could the Crown Prince and Yin Zhen be compared? The Crown Prince was currently the Emperor's favorite. Whatever the Crown Prince did, the Emperor would praise him. The Crown Prince was raised by the Emperor himself—a child he had poured his heart into was different from a child raised by others. Moreover, the Crown Prince was ten years old. How could a six-year-old child compare to a ten-year-old? And why compare with the Crown Prince? Could it be that the Empress harbored intentions for Yin Zhen to surpass the Crown Prince?

"Your Crown Prince is four years older than you. You can't compare yourself to him. Would you compare yourself to Yin Zhu to see who is better?"

Yin Zhen shook his head.

"Exactly. You can't compare yourself to people older than you now because they are taller and stronger than you. When you are as tall as them, then you can compare yourself to them. Since you're injured, you shouldn't continue practicing archery."

"But Empress Mother says practice makes perfect, and only constant practice leads to improvement."

The Empress just wanted Yin Zhen to bring her glory. She wasn't genuinely doing it for Yin Zhen's sake. If she truly cared for Yin Zhen, how could she ignore his injury and force him to practice?

Fang Yu asked Pan Liu to summon the accompanying imperial physician. The physician applied bruise-reducing ointment to Yin Zhen and, under Fang Yu's instructions, bandaged him with several layers of thick gauze.

"When you go back, if your Empress Mother still asks you to practice archery, tell her your shoulder is injured. Yin Zhen, you can't always listen to everything your Empress Mother says. Sometimes your Empress Mother is wrong, and you need to judge for yourself. Understand?"

Yin Zhen felt that De Consort spoke very gently. In fact, De Consort wasn't just gentle with Sixth Brother; she was also gentle with him. Under De Consort's encouraging gaze, he nodded.

After he returned, the Empress indeed did not make him practice archery. From then on, the Empress no longer forced him to practice archery, and his shoulder gradually improved and no longer hurt.

Fang Yu knew that after she had called the physician to bandage Yin Zhen, the Empress probably wouldn't force him to practice archery again.

The Empress was also afraid of others saying she treated Yin Zhen poorly. To some extent, the Empress was a stepmother, and stepmothers most feared others saying they treated their children badly. After all, the child wasn't her own, and she had to show others that she genuinely treated the child well to earn a reputation for virtue.

Life at the traveling palace was very relaxed. Fang Yu spent her days wandering around the traveling palace with Consort Duan and others, enjoying the mountains and waters.

However, this relaxed life ended because Yin Zhu fell ill. Once Yin Zhu got sick, she had to devote her attention to taking care of him. Yin Zhu also liked to cling to her when he was sick.

Naturally, he couldn't go to school when he was sick. During the day, the mother and son stayed in the room. Yin Zhu was listless, without his usual liveliness. His face was slightly pale, and he looked pitiful. Fang Yu kissed his cheek.

"Do you want to drink some goat's milk?"

"Don't want to."

"Then what do you want to eat?"

"Want to eat watermelon."

Fang Yu hesitated. Eating watermelon might not be good for his condition. He was still feverish and coughing. Watermelon had a cooling property and was not suitable for a sick child with a fever.

"Mother will peel a longan fruit for you, okay? Longan is also sweet."

Pan Liu quickly peeled the longan, removed the pit, and brought it to Yin Zhu's mouth. After eating something sweet, Yin Zhu's eyes brightened slightly.

"Alright, you can't eat too much. When you get better, you can eat anything."

"Then, Mother, when will I get better?"

"If you take your medicine obediently, you'll get better soon."

At the mention of medicine, Yin Zhu's face scrunched up, and he said he didn't want to take medicine.

While they were talking, the Emperor arrived.

"I heard Yin Zhu is sick and came to see him."

"Imperial Father…"

Kang Xi touched Yin Zhu's face. Yin Zhu had been weak and sickly since childhood. Because of this, Wuya Shi doted on the child, and he turned a blind eye to it.

"What did the physician say?"

"It's just a cold and fever. He'll be fine once the fever breaks."

Kang Xi acknowledged with a nod and told Wuya Shi that he would take Yin Ti and the others hunting in the nearby woods the next day.

"Is Yin Zhen going too?"

"Yes, he's going too."

Fang Yu said, "Yin Zhen injured his shoulder before. He can go, but Your Majesty, don't let him draw the bow and shoot arrows, lest he injure himself again."

Kang Xi was surprised and asked when Yin Zhen had injured his shoulder.

"It was that time when you taught them archery. Yin Zhen felt he hadn't learned well and practiced in secret, ending up straining his shoulder. It should be almost healed now, but if you're going hunting tomorrow, Your Majesty, better not let him touch the bow and arrows. He's still young and really can't draw those bows."

Kang Xi retorted, "Yin Zhen isn't that young. Men of the Qing Dynasty should learn horseback riding and archery at five or six. Our Aisin Gioro clan is a horseback-riding people. I learned horseback riding and archery at four. How could my son be inferior to me?"

Fang Yu glared at him and said irritably, "Anyway, I don't care. Yin Zhen's injury has just healed; he simply cannot ride horses or shoot arrows. Your Majesty, you must give them time to learn gradually instead of expecting them to become experts overnight."

"They're too pampered. I've already hired tutors to teach them. You're too lenient. If Yin Zhen were raised by you, he'd end up as delicate as Yin Zhu."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yu was so angry she didn't want to speak to him. She turned her back and carried Yin Zhu into the inner room.

Kangxi knew he had spoken wrongly and silently followed her.

Fang Yu still handed Yin Zhu over to the wet nurses, instructing them to take the child to the neighboring room to avoid him hearing the adults argue.

After everyone had left, Kangxi went over to take Consort De's hand, but she shook him off.

"I was wrong, I shouldn't have said that. Yin Zhu is very good; he's not pampered. You've raised Yin Zhu very well—he's obedient and sensible."

Fang Yu sat on the bed, still with her back to him.

Kangxi turned her around and noticed her eyes were reddening, tears about to fall. He had no choice but to coax her, "I was really wrong, I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean it."

Fang Yu looked up at the Emperor, tears welling in her eyes, and directly accused him, "Your Majesty, you know full well how much I wanted Yin Zhen to be raised by me. You know how many conflicts I've had with the Empress over Yin Zhen these past few years. Yin Zhu is the apple of my eye, and so is Yin Zhen. You handed Yin Zhen over to the Empress to raise, causing us mother and son to be separated. Now, if I want to see Yin Zhen, I have to consider the Empress's mood. And yet you say such things—you're stabbing my heart. Does it make you happy to see me so upset?"

"The Empress treats Yin Zhen very well. This is what I owe her."

"Why is it something you owe her? If it's your debt, why use my child to repay it? Yin Zhu has been frail since childhood, and yet you say he's pampered. Do I want Yin Zhu to be sick? Did I cause Yin Zhu to fall ill?"

Fang Yu was truly angered to tears. She didn't even stop to think about what the Emperor meant by saying he owed the Empress. When he tried to embrace her, she directly hit him. In her fury, she grabbed his hand and bit down hard, leaving deep teeth marks.

"It's my fault, I shouldn't have said that. I apologize to you, I know I was wrong. I truly didn't mean it. Yin Zhu is not pampered at all. I also hope Yin Zhu remains free from illness and disaster. Yin Zhu is also my son; I hope they all grow up safe and sound."

Fang Yu couldn't be bothered to listen to him and directly chased him out, saying she didn't want to see him.

"You're driving me away?"

"Yes, I don't want to see you."

Kangxi had no choice. Seeing how truly angry she was, he could only leave.

The next day, Fang Yu heard that the Emperor had taken the princes hunting. Neither Yin Zhu nor Yin You went—one was sick, and the other was too young and had difficulty walking.

During the day, Fang Yu continued to care for Yin Zhu. Only when she saw that Yin Zhu had an appetite did she feel slightly relieved.

By evening, the imperial kitchen sent over some roasted meat—venison and rabbit—saying it was from the hunt that day, and the Emperor had specifically instructed some be sent to her.

Fang Yu, however, wasn't used to eating wild game. She found the meat too strong and gamey, the kind of flavor that even seasoning couldn't mask. So she didn't eat much, but Yin Zhu had two pieces of rabbit meat. The rest was given to the servants to eat.

Yin Zhu hadn't taken a nap during the day, so after dinner, he grew sleepy. Fang Yu had the wet nurses put him to sleep.

For three days in a row, the Emperor took the princes hunting, and Fang Yu received wild roasted meat for three days straight.

When the Emperor and the others weren't out, Fang Yu called Yin Zhen over to check his shoulder. Only when she saw that his shoulder was fine did she relax.

"De Mother, Imperial Father didn't let me shoot arrows. I wanted to hunt a rabbit, but Imperial Father wouldn't allow it."

"Your shoulder has just healed. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

"Is Sixth Younger Brother better? Can I go see Sixth Younger Brother?"

Fang Yu was afraid Yin Zhu would pass his illness to Yin Zhen. They were both children, and their immune systems weren't that strong, so she hadn't allowed them to interact during this time.

"Fourth Brother..."

Before she could refuse, Yin Zhu ran over excitedly, pulling his Fourth Brother's arm and asking if he had seen any rabbits.

Yin Zhu also knew that his Imperial Father had taken his older brothers hunting. He had been chattering about rabbits all day, wanting Yin Zhen to bring one back for him.

But even if Yin Zhen did bring one back, she wouldn't let him keep a wild rabbit. If he really wanted to raise one, after returning to the palace, she could have the Imperial Household Department send a domesticated rabbit. That would be cleaner, and she would feel more at ease letting Yin Zhu touch it.

"I saw rabbits, wild deer, and many birds. Next time, when you're better, we can go together."

The two brothers chatted affectionately, and Fang Yu didn't interrupt them. Yin Zhu had been bored these past few days and directly pulled Yin Zhen outside to play.

Fang Yu left them to it, but not long after, Yin Zhu returned. She asked him where his Fourth Brother was.

"Fourth Brother said he had to go back to practice calligraphy and couldn't play with me for long. He said he'd play with me next time."

Whether he really had to practice calligraphy or the Empress didn't want Yin Zhen to stay with her for too long, Yin Zhen never stayed long whenever he came. Fang Yu sighed inwardly, patted Yin Zhu's head, and said they'd wait until next time.

"Can I go play with Seventh Younger Brother then?"

"Not yet. Wait until you're better."

Yin Zhu said disappointedly, "Oh."

That evening, the Emperor summoned her to his quarters. Fang Yu directly told the servant who came to relay the message that she was feeling unwell and wouldn't be going.

For the next two days, she refused the Emperor's summons in the same way. After three refusals, the Emperor stopped sending people over.

...

More than ten days later, at the beginning of August, Yin Zhu finally recovered. Perhaps because he couldn't see his other brothers while he was sick, as soon as he got better, he clamored to go to school.

Fang Yu didn't stop him. After Yin Zhu left for school during the day, she found herself with free time.

Noble Lady Qin and Consort Duan came to her room to chat, bringing up the matter of the young Lady Hesheli's first night attending upon the Emperor a few days prior.

"Actually, when the Emperor allowed her to accompany him this time, I knew she would definitely attend upon the Emperor. Otherwise, the Emperor wouldn't have let her come along," Consort Duan said.

This time, the Emperor was really robbing the cradle—the young Lady Hesheli was only fifteen, while the Emperor was already thirty-one, a difference of sixteen years. The Hesheli family was still highly regarded by the Emperor. Suo Etu was now the Minister of the Imperial Guards, so it was only a matter of time before the young Lady Hesheli attended upon the Emperor.

Noble Lady Qin added, "After returning to the palace, she should be conferred a title and move into the imperial harem."

Everyone knew that once the young Lady Hesheli was conferred a title, it would likely be a high rank. While living in the consort quarters, she enjoyed the allowances of a Noble Lady.

Fang Yu used a silver pick to place a piece of watermelon in her mouth, listening as Consort Duan and Noble Lady Qin discussed the young Lady Hesheli's potential rank.

"Enough about her. Younger Sister, have you had some disagreement with the Emperor recently? I heard the Emperor summoned you for several days in a row, and you didn't go."

Consort Duan turned the conversation to her. Fang Yu naturally replied, "Just because the Emperor summons me doesn't mean I have to go. Besides, with Younger Sister Hesheli attending upon the Emperor, why would he still think of me? Younger Sister Hesheli is young and beautiful. I'm afraid the Emperor has long forgotten about me, his old acquaintance."

Consort Duan and Noble Lady Qin exchanged a glance, both thinking that only Consort De would dare say such things, only Consort De would dare act petulantly with the Emperor. Anyone else wouldn't dare refuse the Emperor, yet the Emperor indulged Consort De.

Fang Yu, thinking back to what the Emperor had said that day, still felt fuming with anger. Yin Zhu had been sick so often since childhood. Instead of feeling sorry for the child, he called him pampered. Aside from the Crown Prince, which prince in the palace had he personally raised? At most, he would glance at them when he had time. Without raising them himself, how dare he say she hadn't taken good care of them? What mother doesn't want her children to be healthy and safe? He said he didn't mean it, but perhaps that was truly what he thought. He found Yin Zhu pampered—did he expect a four-year-old child to lead troops into battle? To be so demanding of a four-year-old child, and he was the child's father! So what if she ignored him? She still felt angry inside.

After Consort Duan and Noble Lady Qin left, Fang Yu took a nap. When she woke up, Yin Zhu had already returned. She asked him what he had learned, and Yin Zhu could say three or four characters, which made her very pleased. Raising children occasionally gave you a sense of achievement.

Before nightfall, the Emperor arrived. Having not seen him for over ten days and still not over her anger, Fang Yu acted as if she didn't see him. She spoke with Yin Zhu, not looking at him.

Yin Zhu voluntarily called out, "Imperial Father."

The Emperor smiled, came over, and touched Yin Zhu's face, asking if there was anything he wanted to eat.

"Hmm..." Yin Zhu thought for a long time before saying he wanted to eat watermelon.

The child was still constantly thinking about eating watermelon. During the half-month he was sick, she hadn't allowed him to have any. But now it was almost dinnertime, and she was afraid he wouldn't be able to eat his proper meal if he had watermelon first. So she told him he could have it after he finished his dinner.

Yin Zhu looked directly at his Imperial Father: "Imperial Father, E-niang won't let me eat it. Imperial Father, I want to eat it."

"Imperial Father says you can eat it. Someone, bring a plate of watermelon."

Kangxi granted his son's wish and sent someone to fetch watermelon. In summer, watermelon was plentiful, and the servant brought iced watermelon. Seeing that Lady Uya did not strongly object, he allowed Yin Zhu to have a couple of pieces.

"Alright, Yin Zhu, don't eat too much. It's cold. If you eat more, you'll have to take medicine," Lady Uya reminded.

Between eating watermelon and avoiding medicine, Yin Zhu chose to avoid medicine, so he stopped eating.

When dinner was served, Yin Zhu ate quite a bit. His meals were separate from the adults', with less oil and salt, focusing on light flavors.

After he finished eating, Lady Uya had the nanny take him back to his room. Once she finished her meal, she went to bathe, ignoring the Emperor.

By the end of the You hour, the sky was completely dark, the inky darkness spreading across the heavens. Several candles were lit in the room, illuminating it brightly.

While Lady Uya was wringing out her hair, the Emperor, having finished bathing and carrying a faint scent, stood behind her unnoticed.

He placed two pieces of paper in front of her.

Lady Uya had no intention of looking, but when he said it was Yin Zhen’s handwriting, she immediately picked them up to examine.

Yin Zhen’s writing was neat and orderly, with bold, powerful strokes, unlike that of a six-year-old child.

"Isn’t it better than yours, his mother?"

Lady Uya only felt that Yin Zhen must have put in great effort to write so well. She could imagine the Empress supervising his practice.

"Still don’t want to speak to me? Still angry?"

"Your Majesty, don’t think showing me two pieces of Yin Zhen’s writing will make me less angry."

"I truly spoke carelessly that day."

"Does Your Majesty really think Yin Zhu is delicate?"

Kangxi shook his head. Admitting it would likely mean Lady Uya ignoring him for months. He said seriously, "Yin Zhu is still young; all children are like that. But sometimes I feel you worry too much about him. Whenever he falls ill, you act as if facing a great enemy. Sometimes, because he is young, his emotions come from the adults around him. The more anxious you are, the more anxious he becomes, thinking he’s seriously ill, which isn’t helpful for his recovery."

Lady Uya fell into deep thought. Was it really like that? Was it a case of an outsider seeing most clearly? She hadn’t realized she had this problem. Because she knew the Sixth Prince in history died young, whenever Yin Zhu fell ill, she couldn’t help but feel anxious. Even for minor illnesses, she was overly nervous, fearing ancient medical technology was insufficient, that a minor illness could become serious, afraid Yin Zhu would be caught in the vortex of history and not live past six.

Had her emotions unconsciously affected Yin Zhu?

But it was true that Yin Zhu was often sick. Even the younger Yin You didn’t fall ill as frequently as Yin Zhu. After all, Yin Zhu had been born prematurely by over ten days.

Still, Lady Uya took what he said to heart. Over the next year or two, whenever Yin Zhu fell ill, she would appear relaxed in front of him, treating his illness as a minor matter, no longer frowning or being overly anxious.

But that was later.

At this moment, Lady Uya retorted stubbornly, "Your Majesty, don’t think saying this will make me forgive you."

Kangxi chuckled, "Then you can punish me tonight. I’ll do anything you ask."

Lady Uya rolled her eyes. He was still thinking about intimate matters. She said deliberately, "I heard Your Majesty had Consort Heseri serve you. What, didn’t she satisfy you?"

"You jealous thing, you’re the one who serves me most in the palace. Why care about others?"

Lady Uya said irritably, "I don’t care. Don’t accuse me falsely, Your Majesty."

"Alright, shouldn’t we rest?"

Lady Uya snorted at him and got up to walk toward the bed.

Kangxi followed and personally helped her undress.

"Don’t be so forward. I said I’m still angry with you."

"Who dares hold a grudge against me like this? I merely misspoke carelessly, and you’ve been angry for half a month. What am I to do with you? You’re not just jealous, you’re a barrel of anger."

"You can say I’m delicate, but not Yin Zhu. He’s young and doesn’t understand anything. What if he takes your words to heart? He already suffers when he’s sick. As his father, how can you say such things? Do you think you’re in the right?"

"Wrong, wrong. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s my fault. Yin Zhu is a good child; I really shouldn’t have said that. It won’t happen again."

"Hmph."

Kangxi held her and kissed her cheek. "Alright, don’t be angry. Let me serve you tonight, okay?"

"Your Majesty is getting on in years. Can you still manage?"

This touched on a man’s dignity. Kangxi had to make her submit. He pressed her down, covering her mouth, not letting go when she struggled. From top to bottom, inside and out, he covered her with many kiss marks.

Her voice grew softer until only moans and panting remained. He didn’t truly let her go until after two rounds.

...

Lady Uya placed Yin Zhen’s writing in a brocade box. After three months at the temporary palace, they returned to the Forbidden City.

Shortly after returning, news spread that someone in the Forbidden City had contracted smallpox—a servant. Smallpox was highly contagious, and soon more than one person in the palace was infected.

Fearing the spread, the Emperor ordered all infected servants executed and their bodies burned.

Since the Eldest Prince and the Crown Prince had already been inoculated, they weren’t afraid of smallpox. But the other princes hadn’t reached the age for inoculation, so everyone in the palace was on edge.

Lady Uya also ordered the servants attending Yin Zhu to avoid contact with people from other palaces and not to wander around. She only allowed two people to handle meals; the others were to stay in Jingren Palace as much as possible.

She also instructed the residents of Jingren Palace not to leave casually, maintaining a self-imposed quarantine for now.

Even the Empress suspended morning greetings from the six palaces.

Another half-month passed, and Lady Uya suddenly heard that Yin Zhen had contracted smallpox. Anxious, she rushed to Kunning Palace, but it was already guarded by soldiers, preventing entry or exit. She couldn’t enter.

She knew it might be true that Yin Zhen had smallpox; otherwise, Kunning Palace wouldn’t be so heavily guarded. She went to Qianqing Palace to confirm with the Emperor. When he nodded, her knees weakened, and she fell to the ground.

"I’ve ordered the imperial physicians to do everything they can to treat Yin Zhen. He will recover."

Lady Uya knew smallpox was a severe, highly fatal infectious disease; few survived. Yin Zhen was only six and didn’t have an adult’s resistance.

"The Empress will also take good care of Yin Zhen. What you need to do now is stay in Jingren Palace and not go out unnecessarily."

Lady Uya knew adults were not as susceptible to smallpox, but she was truly worried about Yin Zhen. She said she wanted to enter Kunning Palace to care for Yin Zhen, as she had been inoculated as a child.

Kangxi refused. Yin Zhen had the Empress and imperial physicians caring for him; there was no need for another person. Lady Uya also needed to care for the younger Yin Zhu.

"Take good care of Yin Zhu. His health is weak; he needs your care more. Listen to me, stay in Jingren Palace, don’t go out. I’ll keep you updated on Yin Zhen’s condition. Once we get through this period, it’ll be fine."

From Qianqing Palace to Jingren Palace, Lady Uya was distraught. She didn’t dare imagine what Yin Zhen was going through at six years old. Would this world be different from history? Would Yin Zhu’s fate transfer to Yin Zhen? Would the Empress truly take good care of Yin Zhen?

As his mother, she could only worry and wait, enduring.

Soon, under the Emperor’s orders, all palaces began quarantines. Except for servants fetching meals, no one was allowed to enter or exit freely.

At this time, Fang Yu would rather the Emperor not send her any news, because no news was good news. She had no idea what was truly happening in the Kunning Palace.

She heard bits and pieces of news that several more people had died in the palace.

After a month of such torment and anxiety, the Emperor sent someone to inform her that Yin Zhen had improved. Fang Yu didn’t know what exactly this so-called improvement meant—whether he had fully recovered or if it was just said to ease her mind.

But half a month later, Fang Yu heard that the Empress had taken Yin Zhen to live in the imperial gardens, moving away from the palace. With fewer people around the imperial gardens, this was hardly a sign of improvement.

Fang Yu’s heart was in her throat. She couldn’t even leave the Jingren Palace now. Though not usually superstitious, she began praying to gods and Buddhas every day, hoping only for Yin Zhen’s safety.

Another three months passed, and as the end of the year approached, the palace lacked any festive atmosphere for the New Year. Instead, it felt oppressive and somber.

The Jingren Palace was fortunate—no one had been infected with smallpox. Other palaces weren’t so lucky; several people had died.

The Emperor sent another message, saying that Yin Zhen was slowly recovering.

Fang Yu had no choice but to believe him.

The New Year passed in a tense, fearful calm. After the New Year, the atmosphere in the palace gradually improved. It was said that no one in the palace had smallpox anymore—those infected had all been executed.

As there were no more smallpox cases, the strict precautions in various palaces were relaxed. Consort Duan and Ying Shan came by soon to visit her. They also knew about Yin Zhen’s smallpox and spent a long time comforting her.

In truth, what Fang Yu needed most now was to see with her own eyes that Yin Zhen was safe. Words of comfort did little to help.