A few days later, the medical clinic affiliated with the Eastern Palace suffered an accidental fire in the night, once again drawing the attention of those with ulterior motives.
Although the fire was discovered and extinguished in time by the clinic’s patrolling guards, the sharp-nosed court officials all realized what this incident portended. Throughout the event, Tingnan, the commander of the Eastern Palace guards, never once made an appearance. It was only after the fact that he sent a letter to Chen Hui, requesting a thorough investigation. As for the Crown Prince, he had not even stepped outside his door; spies occasionally caught glimpses of the imperial physicians, their attitudes restrained and trembling. It seemed the Crown Prince had truly contracted the epidemic, his life hanging by a thread, kept tethered only by the all-out efforts of the Imperial Hospital. If a cure for the epidemic were not found soon, it was feared the Crown Prince would not escape his fate.
Regarding this, the head eunuch Chen Hui suppressed news of the fire and pushed the Imperial Hospital relentlessly to develop a remedy. Emperor Taifeng, the Empress Dowager, and even the Empress seemed to have abandoned the Eastern Palace, not sending a single person to inquire after him. However, rumors circulated in the shadows that when the first signs of the epidemic appeared, Emperor Taifeng had written to the great aristocratic families, ordering them to cooperate fully by providing doctors from t…
Chapter 83