TPNCQ CHAPTER 29
Heat Stroke
"The Empress Dowager is clearly trying to make things difficult for me and is supporting her. The day before yesterday, at the Eight Prince's third-month celebration, she seemed timid and fearful. But yesterday, she unexpectedly went to seek favor from the Empress Dowager without a word. It's just my bad luck to be confined to my chambers during the confinement period, unable to see the wind or go out." Jia Fei's eyes narrowed, revealing a sharp glint.
"Niangniang, please take good care of yourself during your confinement period. Didn't the Empress suffer from many ailments because she didn't take good care of herself during her confinement? Let Chun Guifei run wild for this month. In my opinion, even if she has the Empress Dowager's support, it will be in vain if she can't catch the Emperor's eye. Just look at Shu Pin. Didn't the Empress Dowager deliberately cultivate her a few years ago, and she still promotes her from time to time? How is she doing? Isn't the Emperor still lukewarm towards her? It's meaningless." Lamei comforted her, paused, and continued, "This servant will also keep an eye on things for niangniang this month."
"Keep a closer eye on things," Jia Fei continued to lie down, raising her hand to signal Moli to continue. She needed to focus on recuperating during her confinement period.
She thought that Chun Guifei couldn't stir up much trouble. If she had this ability, she would have been successful long ago.
*
The news of the Emperor visiting Jingren Palace soon spread throughout the six palaces. Others didn't mind as much as Jia Fei; they just listened and moved on. Chun Guifei had both a son and a daughter, and the Fourth Princess was also raised in Jingren Palace, so it was nothing out of the ordinary for him to visit.
*
After visiting Jingren Palace that day, the Emperor didn't enter the inner palace for five or six consecutive days. He was busy with state affairs and mostly stayed in the Yangxin Palace.
That afternoon, Su Limo was playing mahjong with the palace maids in the hall. Her luck was bad, and she had lost two rounds in a row. Just as she was about to deal another round, she heard Bai Lu report, "Niangniang, the Third Prince has fainted from the heat in the martial arts field. This servant is afraid he has a heat stroke. He must have been carried back to the Prince's Residence by now."
Su Limo's heart tightened, and she dropped the red middle tile with a snap, "Has the imperial physician been summoned? Shuangjiang and Dong Xue, accompany me to the Prince's Residence. Bring the Ren Dan pills that the Empress Dowager rewarded us a few days ago."
Dong Xue quickly took the Ren Dan pills from the small drawer and followed Su Limo and Shuangjiang to the Prince's Residence.
The heat was unusually intense these few days, with high temperatures for many consecutive days. Even at You hour (around 5 pm), the heat wave was still scorching, and the floor tiles were hot. Despite the scorching heat, the third and fourth prince Yongzhang and Yongcheng continued to go to the study at 3 am every morning and practice archery in the martial arts field until 7 pm, without a single day of rest.
When they arrived at the Third Prince Yongzhang's bedroom, they saw that Imperial Physician Luo was already taking his pulse and attending to him. Su Limo showed Imperial Physician Luo the Ren Dan pills she had brought, who said that they were better than ordinary pills and were suitable for the Third Prince. Su Limo then handed the Ren Dan pills to Shuangjiang to serve them to the Third Prince.
Because the Prince was either in the study hall or the martial arts field during the day, no ice had been placed in his bedroom. The room was exceptionally stuffy. Su Limo instructed Shuangjiang to go and collect the Prince's daily share. The Imperial Household Department, knowing that the Third Prince had fainted from the heat in the martial arts field, had specially ordered people to carry two large vats of ice and a fan wheel to facilitate ventilation and cooling.
The wet nurse also fetched warm water to wipe the Prince's body to lower his temperature, going back and forth to fetch water three or four times.
Imperial Physician Luo wrote a prescription and had someone go to boil the medicine. He also gave detailed instructions to the wet nurse before returning to the Imperial Hospital.
The Third Prince Yongzhang's bedroom was not large, and there were already seven or eight people standing inside. Ventilation was also a problem. So, leaving two maids to wipe the Prince's body to lower his temperature, she took the rest of the people to the outer study. As she was giving detailed instructions on how to take good care of the Third Prince, she heard someone announce from outside, "His Majesty has arrived."
Su Limo quickly got up to greet him, "Chenqie greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty enjoy eternal happiness and good health."
"Get up," Qianlong said as he entered the bedroom. Seeing the maids busy, he walked to the outer study and sat at the desk, asking, "Has the imperial physician seen him? What did he say?"
"Imperial Physician Luo has examined him and said he's suffered from heatstroke. He has prescribed a medicine to be boiled. I have given Yongzhang some Ren Dan pills to relieve the heat." After reporting this, Su Limo paused and asked, "Since Yongzhang has heatstroke, can he be excused from the study hall for a day to rest? He can return to the study hall the day after tomorrow."
"Mm," Qianlong nodded and turned to instruct Li Yu, "The weather is too hot. Instruct the Imperial Household Department to keep up the supply of ice for the Prince's Residence. Tell them to deliver as much as they request, without any deduction. The wet nurses and maids should also pay extra attention. Especially to the Seventh Prince. And pay more attention to the Eighth Prince and the Sixth Prince as well."
"I understand. I will instruct the Imperial Household Department upon my return." Li Yu replied.
"Mm, I'll return to the Yangxin Hall to review the memorials. There are wet nurse and maids here to take care of him. Chun Guifei, you should return to your palace. Don't break the rules." Qianlong glanced at Su Limo's flat-soled embroidered shoes and said, his expression unchanged.
"Chenqie understands. I will take my leave, Your Majesty." Su Limo stood up and bowed, rolling her eyes secretly when she saw Qianlong staring at her flat-soled embroidered shoes.
Rules, rules. Could they be eaten? Although palace rules stated that flat-soled embroidered shoes could only be worn in the bedroom, and other times one must wear flower-pot-soled shoes, when she received the news that Yongzhang had fainted from heatstroke, she, as his mother, was so anxious that she couldn't wait to come and see him. Could she have taken the time to take off her flat-soled embroidered shoes and put on flower-pot-soled shoes before coming? That was ridiculous.
Su Limo gave detailed instructions to the wet nurse and maids, had a few words with Yongzhang, and then went to see the Sixth Prince, Yongrong. She told the people attending to the Sixth Prince that since the weather was so hot, they should not take him out during the day and should keep him playing in his bedroom. If they ran out of ice, they should just ask someone to get more from the Imperial Household Department and make sure he didn't get too hot.
After finishing all this, Su Limo was helped back to the Jingren Palace by Shuangjiang and Dong Xue. After going back and forth, she had worked up quite a sweat. She asked Shuangjiang to bring some water to wash up and changed into a clean set of casual clothes. She then sat on the brocade couch and asked Shuangjiang to bring her a plate of iced honeydew melon. The weather was truly too hot.
Qianlong returned to the Qianqing Palace from the Prince's Residence and reviewed several memorials. He picked up the teacup beside him, took a sip, shook his head, and put it down.
Li Yu, who was serving him, noticed something was amiss and stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, is the tea not warm enough? I'll go and prepare another cup of warm tea."
Qianlong paused with the teacup in his hand, then took a few shallow sips, lost interest, and put it down.
It was exceptionally hot, and what was the point of drinking hot tea.
Never mind.
Qianlong picked up the memorial and continued to review it, but soon felt restless.
"Can't you hear those noisy cicadas outside?" Qianlong put down his imperial pen with a snap.
Li Yu didn't notice anything unusual compared to usual, nor did he feel anything was wrong. The tea was of the same taste and temperature that the Emperor usually drank. However, as a servant, he couldn't question his master. He could only quickly go outside and instruct people to remove all the cicadas, leaving none behind.
The heat was stifling, and the Emperor was in a bad mood. Li Yu and the other eunuchs serving him were all very careful, afraid of making a mistake and being punished.
The next day, the Third Prince Yongzhang was allowed a day off to rest in the Prince's Residence. His symptoms of heatstroke had gradually subsided, but he still felt weak.
After breakfast, Su Limo instructed Shuangjiang to personally cook a large pot of mung bean and lily soup with honey, let it cool, and then serve three bowls in small ice containers to the Prince's Residence for the Third Prince Yongzhang, the Fifth Prince Yongqi, and the Sixth Prince Yongrong.
Although it was not the first or fifteenth day of the month, and palace concubines were usually not allowed to visit the Prince's Residence, Su Limo managed to enter with the food after giving a small gift to the managing eunuch because of the Third Prince Yongzhang's illness. Moreover, in recent months, the Empress had often visited the Prince's Residence during the day to take care of the Seventh Prince Yongcong, so the managing eunuchs turned a blind eye and accepted the money, pretending not to know. Besides, yesterday, the Emperor had come and only said a word to Chun Guifei, and had not reprimanded her.