3. Cowpox

After the Wu family finished their formal tea ceremony to the Primary Consort, it was considered that they had officially met and she became the fourth acknowledged woman in the Fourth Prince’s residence.

Li Shi, however, was somewhat disinterested. The Fourth Prince had promised to visit her courtyard today, but suddenly a newcomer from the Wu family appeared—a young maiden newly bestowed by the Virtuous Consort. For the sake of propriety, the Fourth Prince would naturally visit the newcomer first tonight.

Yu Yan clicked her tongue, watching as a woman hurriedly entered from behind the crystal curtain with her head lowered. She bowed respectfully before whispering a few words to the Primary Consort.

Visible anxiety flickered across the Primary Consort’s face. She forced herself to exchange some polite words with the Wu woman before sending them away shortly after.

Nurse Chen, holding Yu Yan, walked out. She vaguely overheard a few maids mention “Eldest Brother” and “rash.” The “Eldest Brother” they referred to was likely the Primary Consort's son, Honghui, and it sounded as though he had contracted some contagious disease.

Yu Yan wanted to listen more, but Nurse Chen quickened her pace and soon they left the main hall.

Returning to her original chamber, Yu Yan saw Yue Tao and Shan Zhi busy changing her bedding, while the other maids placed her belongings out to dry in the sun.

“What’s happened?” Nurse Chen frowned.

Yue Tao shook the new bedding slightly and whispered, “It’s something with Eldest Brother.”

“They said he broke out in large patches of red rashes. The imperial physician hasn’t arrived yet, but Eunuch Su sent Little Shengzi to order us to throw everything from the Second Princess’s room out and burn it all, replacing everything with new items.”

Nurse Chen was alarmed and quickly rolled up Yu Yan’s sleeve. Seeing her skin was still fair and smooth, she felt a momentary relief.

When it came to rashes, everyone’s first thought was smallpox, a deadly and terrifying illness. The Shunzhi Emperor had died in his twenties from smallpox, and even the current emperor had survived it as a child, earning the Empress Dowager’s favor.

If this really was smallpox affecting Eldest Brother… Nurse Chen sighed deeply, fearing new conflicts in the inner court.

The Primary Consort’s main chamber was silent, but at the lower steps knelt a large crowd led by Honghui’s wet nurse, Madam Hong, and his personal maidservants.

The thought of her son covered in rashes and crying in pain twisted the Primary Consort’s heart. She snapped harshly, “I entrusted you with Eldest Brother’s care, and this is how you’ve done it?!”

Two maids turned pale with fright, trembling as they knelt and shook their heads. Madam Hong was also terrified, but being older and steadier, she prostrated herself and said, “Mistress, I have personally inspected all of Eldest Brother’s belongings, especially his clothes. Everything was checked thoroughly and found to be fine.”

“Then how did Honghui catch this illness?” The Primary Consort rubbed her temples and glanced aside. “What did the imperial physician say?”

“Without doubt, it is smallpox,” whispered Bai Su, the Primary Consort’s attendant. “The Prince is currently suffering in the front courtyard. All items from Eldest Brother’s room have been moved up front, and Eunuch Su is personally inspecting everything one by one.”

“Alright, everyone may leave for now.”

After the crowd dispersed, Wintergreen whispered, “How could he suddenly contract smallpox? Primary Consort, do you think it could be Li Shi’s doing…?”

So far, the Fourth Prince had only two sons. The Primary Consort’s body was damaged after giving birth to Eldest Brother and could bear no more children. If Eldest Brother were to perish, the greatest beneficiary would be clear.

“Li Shi is spoiled but not malicious. If it weren’t for Aunt Xie’s constant guidance behind the scenes, her two children wouldn’t have survived safely,” the Primary Consort said, anxious but maintaining a calm front.

“On the other hand, if it really were her, that would be too blatant. The Fourth Prince and Master are not fools. If they grew to dislike him because of this, Li Shi’s position would be lost. Besides, her own son is frail—who knows if he’ll survive,” analyzed Madam Zhang, the Primary Consort’s wet nurse.

The Primary Consort was desperate. If she could, she would personally care for her son in the front courtyard, but she had never had smallpox herself and could only send maids who had previously recovered from the disease to tend to Honghui.

The Primary Consort’s chamber was brightly lit, but Li Shi’s room was no better.

She rocked the just-awakened Hongfen, worried to the point she felt her hair might all fall out.

Though Li Shi was slow-witted, she understood basic principles. With Eldest Brother’s illness, the only beneficiary was herself. If the Primary Consort and the Prince blamed her for this, she would be unable to explain herself.

“Yuming, tell me, did you have anything to do with Eldest Brother’s illness?”

Aunt Xie sat straight in front of Li Shi, frowning and staring at her niece intently. “Be honest, or I won’t be able to protect you.”

“Aunt! Am I that kind of person?!” Li Shi jumped up anxiously but lowered her voice, considering Hongfen was still asleep. “Everyone in the household suspects me, but if I had any sense, I wouldn’t do something so foolish!”

Aunt Xie breathed a sigh of relief, afraid her niece might have been incited to do something harmful without benefit.

“Aunt, do you think Eldest Brother’s illness could really be an accident?” Li Shi hesitated.

Aunt Xie shook her head. “Smallpox isn’t something easily caught in the palace. Unless someone wicked deliberately caused it. The Primary Consort is so attentive to Eldest Brother’s needs—how could he catch smallpox so easily?”

Li Shi’s eyes widened. “It can’t be Song Shi, right?”

Aunt Xie said no more, only patting her niece’s head. “Don’t think too much. Since you didn’t do it, the Fourth Prince and the Primary Consort won’t wrong you. Until Eldest Brother recovers, don’t linger around the Primary Consort. Focus on taking good care of the Second Princess and Second Young Master in the courtyard.”

Li Shi glanced at Hongfen, still pale and frail. The comfort Aunt Xie had given her soon faded.

...

Yu Yan woke and dozed intermittently, finally fully awakening the next afternoon. She needn’t pay respects to the Primary Consort today, and Nurse Chen was luckily out of the room. Only Yue Tao and Shan Zhi sat diligently sewing on the embroidered stool.

All her undergarments were made by them now. Perhaps influenced by Eldest Brother’s illness, they carefully unraveled every garment, inspecting every thread.

Nurse Chen carried some satin fabric, placing it in the cabinet, then smiled as she took Yu Yan to Li Shi’s courtyard.

Yin Zhen happened to be seated there. Strangely, his face showed no worry.

Logically, with Honghui’s smallpox uncertain in outcome, Yu Yan’s “adoptive father” should be concerned. Could it be that Honghui’s illness had improved? Yu Yan couldn’t understand, but that didn’t stop her from crawling onto Yin Zhen’s lap.

“When I was little, I ran about the village with my brothers, but never paid close attention to the cows and sheep people raised,” she said.

“Hm? Cows and sheep?”

Yu Yan looked up to hear Yin Zhen’s cold, clear voice above her: “Don’t mention you, I didn’t notice either.”

“Then how did the Governor of Huguang discover the concept of ‘cowpox’?” Li Shi was puzzled. How could cows get smallpox like humans?

Cowpox?!

Yu Yan was stunned. No matter what, cowpox wasn’t something invented in her current era! And wasn’t it first discovered by a foreign doctor?

“I heard his daughter was playing in the village when she noticed cows with smallpox-like pustules. Being clever, she asked the village overseer if those who came into contact with such cows ever caught smallpox.”

Li Shi admired, “What a clever girl.”

“So what? Perhaps Erlinzhu will grow up to be even smarter,” Yin Zhen laughed, lifting their plump daughter.

Yu Yan’s shock lingered as she stared at Yin Zhen. Had this world been thoroughly pierced by time?

“People say daughters resemble their fathers. Erlinzhu will surely be a clever child,” Li Shi giggled.

Yin Zhen chatted briefly with Li Shi, and from their conversation, Yu Yan finally understood Honghui’s condition. Though smallpox began ferociously, the Primary Consort had cared for him well, and he had now turned from danger to safety.

Soon after, Yin Zhen rose and left the room.

“That direction... must be towards Wu Gege’s chamber.”

Li Shi absentmindedly watched Yin Zhen’s departing figure, feeling a quiet sadness. When there were only three women in the courtyard, the Primary Consort was dignified, Song Shi taciturn, and the Fourth Prince came to her courtyard for over ten days each month. Now with a newcomer, her time in favor would surely diminish.

“Miss, please don’t lose your temper,” Nurse Chen warned sharply. “The Prince is such a noble man. Several concubines in the courtyard is normal. Even commoner families with some wealth buy warm-bed maids.”

“The Primary Consort as the legal wife hasn’t said anything. You mustn’t show jealousy before the Prince—that’s truly improper,” Nurse Chen earnestly advised, handing Yu Yan to Li Shi. “If you take good care of your two little masters in the courtyard, your future is assured. Why waste your energy on those unrelated matters?”

To Nurse Chen, a man’s affections were unreliable; it was far more important to bear and raise children.

Li Shi bit her lip. The Fourth Prince had been unusually kind to her these past two years. Though partly out of respect for Aunt Xie, she felt her temperament and looks suited him. Otherwise, Song Shi’s beauty was not lacking, so why did the Fourth Prince favor her more?

“Now it’s Wu Gege, and later there will be Wang Gege and Zhang Gege,” Nurse Chen knew her niece’s heart was heavy but spoke plainly. “Miss must set her heart straight and bear more children. Apart from the side primary consorts bestowed by His Majesty, no one will surpass you.”

Yu Yan listened, feeling sorry for her mother. A perfectly fine girl forced to be a concubine, yet forced to appear magnanimous and not jealous, swallowing all bitterness.

If this were modern times, forget concubines—if she knew her husband had someone else, she wouldn’t hesitate to strike the scoundrel. Though it sounded irresponsible, Yu Yan’s old nature was somewhat extreme.

Thankfully, in this life she had a doting father who would be emperor someday, so it might not be so oppressive.

Yu Yan climbed onto Li Shi’s lap, eyes shimmering with tears like lotus blossoms weeping pearls, heart-rending to see.

Li Shi held her daughter, feeling bitterness in her mouth that she could neither swallow nor spit out.

Everyone knew the truth, but her heart ached. The Fourth Prince treated her so well; whatever was good in food, drink, or comfort, he thought of her. She truly regarded the Fourth Prince as her husband.

Yet her sister-in-law’s meaning was that she should treat the Fourth Prince as her lord, not grow too close.

Still grieving, a warm, chubby hand touched her cheek. Erlinzhu opened her dark, shining eyes and gave her a radiant smile.

“Mother!” Yu Yan wiped the tears from her eyes and pouted, “Don’t cry!”

In this world, there were not so many things worth tears. Such precious tears should only be shed for those worthy.

“Erlinzhu knows how to comfort Mother,” Li Shi’s eyes were misty as she hugged her daughter tightly, caressing her plump face as the shadows in her heart seemed to gradually lift.

Nurse Chen watched this scene and suddenly felt a pang in her nose. As the wet nurse to the Second Princess, she had a son of similar age at home... but they rarely saw each other.