mtl008 Chapter 38: I'd rather be the emperor's son than his brother.
Chapter 38: I'd rather be the emperor's son than his brother.
Even after confirming that the malaria was a fever and chills syndrome, Imperial Physician Wang dared not administer the medicine directly to Emperor Kangxi. After stammering for a long time, he could only say that he dared not and could not make the decision. As a result, everyone's eyes turned to Emperor Kangxi on the other side of the bed.
Although Kangxi was physically weak, he was at least still conscious. Now, he was clearly not feeling well again. He was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, mumbling incoherently. This reminded Yinzhuo of a symptom of late-stage malaria: delirium.
"Sixth Brother, this medicine is of unknown origin. How can Father Khan, who cares for the health of all people, take such things of unknown origin? If something goes wrong, we brothers cannot bear the responsibility. It would be safer to leave it to the imperial physicians for treatment."
To be honest, the allure of the throne is considerable. What about not being able to bear the responsibility, or leaving the treatment to the imperial physicians? If they had a solution, would they have let Kangxi's illness drag on until now? Moreover, while Yinreng's words sound like he was thinking of Kangxi's health, the real meaning was simply that he didn't want the current situation to change.
"Second brother, what you're saying is wrong. What time is it now? Why are you still talking about the preciousness of life? To put it bluntly, Father might live if he takes this medicine, but he will definitely die if he doesn't. I don't know what you're thinking, but I won't lie to you. I'd rather be the emperor's son than the emperor's brother."
Yinzhuo no longer cared how ugly the Crown Prince's expression was. What he said was the truth. He would rather be the Emperor's son than the Emperor's brother. Even if he had to be the Emperor's brother, then the one who ascended the throne should be Yinzhen, with whom he had a better relationship.
Now that Yinreng's position is secure, if something were to happen to Kangxi at this time, there would be no doubt that the Crown Prince could immediately ascend the throne before his coffin. Once the matter is settled, unless Yinzhen rebels, he will never have the chance to ascend the throne in his lifetime. So, as I said before, Kangxi cannot die, at least not now.
"As for the medicine you mentioned, you can rest assured, Second Brother. I'm here and won't go anywhere. Father Hong Ruohan is in the Imperial Observatory and can't escape either. Physician Wang, do you have a way to wake up Father? Whether or not to take this medicine is not up to me, nor is it up to Second Brother. It's all up to Father himself."
From the moment the two brothers started arguing, the imperial physicians and Liang Jiugong had been standing by, pretending to be weak and timid. It was only when Wang Taiyi was called out by Yinzhuo that he had no choice but to step forward.
"Sixth Prince, there is certainly a way, but..."
Yinzhuo had dealt with these imperial physicians for several years and knew that they sought only to be safe and secure. After all, any of the influential people they came into contact with in the palace could easily take their lives.
"Stop arguing, go and wake up Khan. If Khan punishes me afterward, I will take full responsibility."
Yinzhu didn't know when the historical Kangxi Emperor had taken quinine, nor did he know how much longer the current Kangxi Emperor could hold on. But since he had already brought the medicine, he had to give it to Kangxi. In any case, he couldn't let his efforts go to waste.
With things having come to this point, and seeing Yinzhuo insisting that Imperial Physician Wang look up at Yinreng, what could Yinreng do now? Even if he was reluctant, he dared not stop the physician from going. After all, if his father couldn't hold on and had to go, that would be fine, but if he survived...
"Go."
Physician Wang's medical skills were indeed excellent. He used silver needles to prick Kangxi's head several times, and Kangxi quickly woke up. At this moment, Yinzhuo could no longer care about Yinreng standing to the side and quickly walked to Kangxi's bedside, bowing and saying.
“Father, I have a medicine called quinine, which is said to be able to treat malaria, the chills and fever you are currently suffering from. However, I have only heard that some people have been cured of malaria by taking this medicine, but I have not had anyone verify its efficacy. The medicine is here now, and it is up to you whether you take it or not.”
After speaking, Yinzhuo placed the medicine bottle he had been holding in his hand into Kangxi's hand, then stepped back and remained silent, awaiting Kangxi's decision.
"Liang Jiugong, bring me a cup of water..."
Kangxi did not hesitate for long. He poured the medicine out of the bottle, examined it for a while, and then ordered Liang Jiugong to bring water. His thoughts were similar to Yinzhuo's. Since the situation was already so bad, taking this medicine would give them a glimmer of hope, while not taking it would mean waiting to die. He did not want to die, nor did he want to die like this...
Kangxi fell into a deep sleep again shortly after taking the medicine, but neither Yinreng nor Yinzuo, nor the imperial physicians, moved. They did not want to leave, could not leave, and dared not leave.
"Eunuch Liang, could you have someone bring me a couch over here? I haven't slept for two days, and I really can't hold on any longer."
Liang Jiugong, of course, would not refuse Yinzhuo's request. He not only had someone move a couch over for Yinzhuo, but also for Yinreng. Kangxi's imperial tent was very spacious, so Yinzhuo simply had someone find a place to set up the couch and lay down on it without caring about anyone else.
"Eunuch Liang, please keep a close eye on things. Feed Father Khan his medicine every two hours, and call me immediately if anything happens..."
When Yinzhu said he was tired, he really was. His usual amount of exercise was just the riding and archery lessons in the afternoon and spending some time with the Ninth and Tenth Princes in the cloth storehouse. These past two days, traveling day and night, he felt like his body was about to be shaken apart by the horse. Now that he lay down on the bed, his mind relaxed, and he fell asleep in no time.
If it weren't for the fact that Emperor Kangxi's life was spared, his condition would have stabilized quickly after taking the medicine several times. When Yinzhu woke up from a good night's sleep, he was already able to sit up and chat with Crown Prince Yinreng.
"Father, when did you wake up? Why didn't you let Eunuch Liang wake your son? What time is it now? How long did your son sleep?"
When Kangxi saw that Yinzhuo had woken up, he beckoned him over and lovingly touched his shiny forehead.
"Father Khan was able to wake up this time thanks to the medicine that Yinzhu brought; otherwise, Father Khan would likely have met with a grim fate..."
Every time Kangxi thought of this, he felt incredibly fortunate. He was glad that he had asked Yinreng to bring the child with him; otherwise, he might have really died on the grasslands this time.
"Sixth Brother, you slept for quite a while. You fell asleep yesterday afternoon and it's almost dark now. Are you feeling better now? Is there anything else that's bothering you?"
Looking at the Crown Prince who seemed completely unaffected, Yinzhu thought to himself, "Good heavens, I never expected that my second brother, the Crown Prince, is so flexible and adaptable. Judging from his expression and tone, he seems to have completely forgotten the unpleasantness they had yesterday."
"Thank you for your concern, Second Brother. I feel much better now. Actually, there's nothing wrong. It's just that I've gotten used to being lazy over the years and I've never ridden a horse for such a long time before. This sudden movement has made me feel very uncomfortable. Have you had a rest, Second Brother?"
Since the other party was trying hard to pretend nothing was wrong and play the role of a good older brother, Yinzhuo naturally wouldn't cause trouble for himself. He would just play along. After all, he was good at playing the innocent, and his acting skills were guaranteed to be top-notch.