mesbooks Chapter 93 The Fourth Prince's High Fever Remains
Chapter 93 The Fourth Prince's High Fever Remains
At dawn, sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the exquisite bronze mirror on the dressing table. Su Nuannuan sat before it, watching Jinse comb her silky-smooth hair. Just then, a slight noise came from the doorway. Su Nuannuan looked up and saw Li Quan limping in.
Li Quan approached and respectfully bowed to Su Nuannuan, then lowered his voice and said, "Your Majesty, I just received news that Yunhe Palace summoned the imperial physician for the Fourth Prince this morning. It is said that the Fourth Prince has a persistent high fever, and his condition seems rather serious."
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan paused in her actions, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. After a moment's thought, she said, "I understand. Go and make your preparations. After breakfast, I will personally visit the Fourth Prince at Yunhe Palace."
Li Quan quickly replied, "Yes, this servant will arrange it immediately." After saying that, he carefully withdrew.
Watching Li Quan's departing figure, Su Nuannuan felt a pang of worry and muttered to herself, "It seems that someone in Yunhe Palace really did try to harm the Fourth Prince last night..."
Seeing Su Nuannuan's solemn expression, Jinse quickly stepped forward to comfort her, "Your Highness, there's no need to worry too much. We've already reminded Consort Qin before. At least the Fourth Prince is still alive, isn't he?"
Su Nuannuan gently shook her head and sighed, "That's true, but the Fourth Prince is only a six-month-old child. If he has a high fever at such a young age and it can't be brought down in time, he could very well lose his life."
Thinking of this, Su Nuannuan's mood grew even heavier. She knew that if anything happened to the Fourth Prince, Consort Qin would be heartbroken and might even go mad.
Before long, breakfast was served. Su Nuannuan quickly finished eating and then got up to visit her two children. She went to the children's room, gently stroked their lovely faces, and softly instructed Su Yueniang and Honglian to take good care of them. After everything was settled, Su Nuannuan, accompanied by her personal maid Yaoqin, boarded a sedan chair and slowly headed towards Yunhe Palace.
Jinse was thus left in Cuiwei Palace by Su Nuannuan to guard the palace. At this moment, who dared to lay a hand on the Fourth Prince, and whose motives were utterly baffling? Therefore, Su Nuannuan knew she had to be vigilant, lest this be a terrible conspiracy specifically targeting the princes.
Currently, there are five princes alive in the palace, three of whom are healthy, and one of them is the Crown Prince. If this turmoil is truly a conspiracy targeting the princes, then logically, the Crown Prince should be the first to be attacked. What's puzzling is why the Fourth Prince has been the victim this time. Perhaps the reason lies in the fact that the defenses of Yunhe Palace are relatively weakest.
On the other hand, the Empress's side was heavily guarded and impenetrable. Everyone employed by the Empress herself, as well as those around the Crown Prince, were trusted confidants. Such tight security made it impossible for ordinary people to get even a step closer to the Crown Prince.
As for the second and third princes, due to their congenital disabilities, unless all the other able-bodied princes unfortunately die young, it is practically a pipe dream for them to ascend the throne and inherit the throne; there is absolutely no possibility of it.
Their defenses were extremely tight and impenetrable. Although Su Yueniang and Honglian themselves were not skilled in martial arts, they were fortunate to have Zhixiang and Tingxue assisting them. Furthermore, the two hidden guards remained steadfastly guarding the children's location even without orders. Therefore, for the children to meet with misfortune, it would be impossible without internal treachery.
With a solemn and grave expression, she once admonished Su Yueniang and Honglian that no matter what hardships and changes they might encounter in the future, the most important and paramount thing was to ensure the safety and well-being of their two children. For her, her children were the most priceless treasures in her life, while worldly riches and vast fortunes were utterly insignificant and fleeting compared to their safety.
Just as Su Nuannuan was lost in thought, the sedan chair came to a steady stop in front of the gates of Yunhe Palace. Yaoqin hurried forward and gently knocked on the palace gate, producing a clear and melodious sound. The young eunuch guarding the gate, upon seeing that the visitor was none other than Consort Zhuang, was startled and dared not hesitate or delay for even a moment. He turned around hastily and ran like the wind towards the inner palace, eager to report the news to his mistress inside.
In stark contrast, Su Nuannuan herself appeared calm and composed. She moved gracefully and slowly behind, her lotus-like steps light and elegant. Just as she stepped across the threshold of the inner palace, she immediately heard Consort Qin's slightly tired and languid voice: "Consort Zhuang has arrived."
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan quickened her pace and walked straight ahead without hesitation. Once she reached him, her pretty face was filled with worry, and her eyes revealed deep concern. She quickly asked, "Sister Qinfei, how is Xu'er doing? Has he improved at all?"
"I've already given the child fever-reducing medicine, and he's finally sleeping peacefully now," Consort Qin said slowly, gently rubbing her throbbing temples.
"Why did she suddenly develop a high fever out of nowhere?" Su Nuannuan frowned and asked with a worried expression.
However, when faced with this question, Consort Qin simply lowered her head silently, her lips tightly pressed together, and remained silent. Seeing this, Su Nuannuan understood that there was probably more to the story, but since Consort Qin was unwilling to speak, she naturally didn't press the matter further.
“Sister Qinfei, please don’t worry too much. I didn’t bring anything particularly valuable this time, just some common tonics. I’ll have the imperial physician take a look later to see if these tonics are suitable. If they’re not, you can keep them for yourself.” As she spoke, Su Nuannuan gestured to her maid Yaoqin beside her.
Yaoqin obediently stepped forward and gently placed an exquisite wooden box on the table. Inside were various precious medicinal herbs, emitting a faint herbal fragrance.
After putting everything away, Su Nuannuan looked at Consort Qin with concern and said softly, "Sister, you look so tired. You must have been exhausted taking care of Xu'er last night. Now that Xu'er is asleep, you should rest as well. What if you fall ill again? Then there will be no one to take good care of Xu'er."
As soon as she finished speaking, Su Nuannuan stood up, preparing to bid farewell to Consort Qin. Seeing this, Consort Qin quickly stood up as well, and the two exchanged a bow. Then, Su Nuannuan turned and left with Yaoqin, leaving Consort Qin alone, watching their departing figures, her heart filled with gratitude and exhaustion.
When Su Nuannuan returned to Cuiwei Palace, she was still preoccupied with the Fourth Prince's persistent high fever. Upon entering the palace, she summoned Li Quan and anxiously instructed him, "Li Quan, quickly go and find out what happened at Yunhe Palace last night, and why the Fourth Prince's high fever persisted! This matter is of utmost importance; there must be no delay!"
Li Quan nodded in understanding and replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant will take care of it immediately. I will do my utmost to get to the bottom of this matter." With that, he hurriedly left Cuiwei Palace and headed towards Yunhe Palace.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I have already sent people to inquire, and I expect to have news soon."