Gu Wenxing had already stepped down from his post as Chief Eunuch of Qianqing Palace and become the head eunuch of the newly established Jingshifang*. (T/N: 敬事房 [Jingshifang] — Office of Reverent Service, an administrative bureau handling eunuchs, palace maids, and the palace libraries.)

When Yinreng heard that the Jingshifang had been established, a look of shock crossed his small face.

That legendary department in charge of the emperor's bedroom affairs had finally been set up?!

But once he learned what the Jingshifang actually did, his interest deflated immediately.

What? It turns out the Jingshifang manages eunuchs and palace maids, and oversees the palace libraries in Manchu, Mongolian, and Chinese?

Boring, boring.

No wonder Gu Wenxing was put in charge. He was the most learned eunuch in the palace.

Zhao Chang finally got his wish and became Chief Eunuch of Qianqing Palace, and was quite pleased with himself.

Yinreng recalled the last news he had heard about Zhao Chang in his past life. Just after the Emperor passed away, before the Fourth Prince had even ascended the throne, Zhao Chang had been hastily executed by the Fourth Prince.

Thinking it through, Zhao Chang must have been his emperor-dad's most trusted eunuch, loyal only to Kangxi, and maintained strict neutrality all his life. That was why the Fourth Prince killed him in such haste.

As Yinreng stared at Zhao Chang, lost in thought, cold sweat began to bead on Zhao Chang's forehead.

Could His Highness the Crown Prince be dissatisfied with me?

Kangxi noticed Yinreng staring at Zhao Chang while being helped into his shoes, and asked curiously, "Why do you keep staring at Zhao Chang?"

Yinreng casually made something up. "I was just staring blankly in one direction."

Kangxi: "……" This brat.

Zhao Chang: "……" That nearly scared me to death!

Caught between laughing and crying, Kangxi pinched Yinreng's cheek. "Go look at your cows and stop scaring Zhao Chang."

Yinreng jumped to the ground, bared his teeth and claws at Zhao Chang, and roared, "Scaring you! Rawr, super fierce!"

Zhao Chang: "……" Should I pretend to be scared?

Kangxi laughed so hard that he could barely breathe. "Stop being naughty, go now. If you don't go, I won't let you go at all."

Yinreng immediately grabbed Gu Wenxing's sleeve and ran towards the door.

Gu Wenxing called after him helplessly, "Your Highness, careful, careful… ah…"

Watching Yinreng drag Gu Wenxing away, Kangxi laughed even harder, with tears coming to his eyes.

Wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes, he said to Zhao Chang, "This child of mine is really too mischievous. So lacking in composure, how can someone so unreliable be a good Crown Prince of the Great Qing?"

Zhao Chang smiled politely along, not daring to answer.

His Majesty was complaining about His Highness while wearing an uncontainable doting smile. Who would dare to say a word?

——————

"Can I go a bit closer to look? I want to touch the cow." Yinreng looked up with the eager expression of a mischievous child.

The palace cows were all very docile. They could be milked, butchered for meat, and even used to pull carts. After consulting the eunuchs who tended the cows, Gu Wenxing escorted Yinreng forward.

"Your Highness, please be careful," Gu Wenxing said.

Yinreng carefully examined the cow. Seeing that its skin was completely intact, he couldn't help feeling disappointed.

This one doesn't have cowpox.

"Next one. I want to look at every one of them," Yinreng said, reaching out a hand so Gu Wenxing would carry him from cow to cow. He deliberately asked some naïve, childish questions, pretending to be genuinely interested in the animals.

Gu Wenxing was indeed knowledgeable and could answer most of them. For the questions he couldn't answer, he turned to the eunuchs who tended the cows.

As Crown Prince, it wasn't unusual for Yinreng to learn some basic knowledge about the people's livelihood, things like farming, weaving, and animal husbandry.

The palace had ceremonial fields where the emperor and empress would plow and weave. Though mostly used for rituals, wise rulers would also bring their heirs there to learn.

If an emperor didn't understand how arduous farming, weaving, and animal husbandry were, he wouldn't understand the hardships of the people's lives.

Kangxi doted on Yinreng and hadn't yet included this in his education. But since Yinreng himself had asked to see the cows, Kangxi simply went along with it and let Gu Wenxing fill in the gap.

The palace cows were extremely well cared for, bathed almost daily, and lived more comfortably than the eunuchs and palace maids.

Yinreng went through every cowshed, but didn't find a single cow with cowpox. He felt deeply disappointed.

Probably any cow that had even a touch of illness or an imperfect condition had already been hauled out and dealt with.

Yinreng's whole purpose in coming was to come into contact with cowpox.

Next year, he would catch smallpox anyway. Better to catch cowpox first. Cowpox would only cause mild discomfort. Even though he was just a child, with imperial physicians watching over him, his symptoms wouldn't be severe, and he'd also gain immunity to smallpox.

This way, he could contract an illness that looked very frightening, recover quickly, and not endanger the attendants around him.

After a whole day with no luck finding a cow with cowpox, Yinreng didn't give up. For several days, he insisted on going out to look at the cows, hoping to catch one freshly infected before it could be hauled away.

Fortunately, heaven rewards persistence. After seven days of going to inspect the cows, Yinreng finally found one with cowpox.

But another problem arose. How was he supposed to infect himself?

Early cowpox inoculation was different from variolation*. Instead of blowing powdered scabs into the nose, one had to introduce the cowpox pus into a wound so it could enter the bloodstream. (T/N: 种人痘 [zhongrendou] — Chinese precursor to vaccination, using dried smallpox scab powder blown into the nostrils.)

Quietly making a small wound on his finger was easy. But how was he supposed to extract the pus and apply it?

With no other option, Yinreng went into his bratty mode again.

"I want to milk the cow myself, for Father and great-grandma to drink," Yinreng said, tilting his head up, and his big eyes blinking innocently.

I'm being so filial, you can't bear to refuse me, right? Right?

Gu Wenxing said, "Your Highness, milking is dangerous. If the cow injures you, His Majesty and the Grand Empress Dowager would be very upset."

Yinreng pointed at the other eunuchs. "Have each of them hold one of the cow's legs. Then it can't kick me."

Gu Wenxing thought about it. That… actually could work?

"Your Highness is truly clever," he agreed.

Helping the Crown Prince fulfill his filial piety, His Majesty and the Grand Empress Dowager would surely not be angered.

He summoned four strong eunuchs to securely hold the cow's legs, had the cow attendants tie the reins, and only then allowed Yinreng to start milking.

As the milking eunuch was demonstrating to him, the eunuch noticed cowpox lesions on the cow's teat and was about to speak. But Yinreng impatiently reached out, grabbed the cow's teat, and scratched a fingernail across one of the pustules, smearing the pus onto his palm.

While milking, he used the metal piece on his belt to slice a small cut into his palm. The pus seeped into the wound, and the pain was sharp enough that Yinreng nearly cried out.

The cow, surprisingly tolerant, didn't even react to having its skin scratched. It didn't even make a sound.

If you're going to act, act all the way. Enduring the pain, Yinreng forced himself to finish milking.

Pulling back his hand, he let out a breath. "Pack it up for me. I'll deliver it to Father and great-grandma personally."

The eunuch who had wanted to mention the cowpox saw that the milk had already been collected, and held his tongue.

Cows with cowpox were common. The nobles in the palace often drank milk from such cows. He had only wanted to speak up because he was worried that His Highness might be put off by the cow's appearance. Since the Crown Prince himself didn't seem to mind, he certainly wasn't going to play the smart one.

When Yinreng washed his hands, the cut on his palm became visible.

The wound was shallow, and after soaking in milk, it had been reduced to a faint line.

Pretending he hadn't noticed it, Yinreng said with disgust, "Father's book pages must have cut me. I'm going to tear up Father's books."

Gu Wenxing laughed helplessly. "Your Highness, didn't it hurt? Paper edges can be sharp. You should be more careful."

He didn't tell Yinreng not to tear up the books in Kangxi's study.

Kangxi himself wouldn't care. It was even possible that Kangxi himself would be the one who would hand Yinreng the books to tear up just to play with him.

Yinreng had been cut by book pages before. In fact, one of those moments was when Kangxi himself had been playing with him.

Even though Yinreng himself didn't care, Gu Wenxing still reported the milking incident and the supposed paper cut on his palm to Kangxi.

Sure enough, Kangxi didn't care. "Just a tiny wound. Baocheng didn't cry or fuss. Truly brave."

Then, in high spirits, Kangxi had Qianqing Palace's tea-pantry boil the milk Yinreng had collected. He drank most of it in one go himself, leaving only a small cup for the Grand Empress Dowager.

Gu Wenxing didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Just a tiny wound" and "truly brave" rather contradict each other, don't they?

But although His Majesty seemed to dote on the Crown Prince, in reality his treatment of the Crown Prince…

Watching Kangxi finish the milk his son had hand-squeezed with such love, then summon a row of imperial physicians to examine the Crown Prince's hand one by one, Gu Wenxing erased the rest of the thought.

Not doting was impossible. His Majesty was just stubborn about admitting it.

——————

The imperial physicians could find nothing beyond the shallow cut.

Yinreng stopped visiting the cows and instead began eating well, drinking well, ensuring plenty of sleep, and exercising daily to strengthen his immunity, while waiting for the cowpox to take hold.

Day one: Yinreng dashed wildly around Kangxi's study.

Day two: Yinreng dashed wildly around the main hall of Qianqing Palace.

Day three: An exasperated Kangxi banished him to the imperial garden to dash around.

Day four: To keep him from bothering the concubines who filled the imperial garden, the Grand Empress Dowager brought Yinreng to Cining Palace to continue dashing around…

Yinreng counted the days on his fingers.

Why hasn't the cowpox flared up yet? Is the incubation period really this long?

Yinreng wasn't a medical expert and didn't know how long the cowpox incubation period was. He could only keep waiting anxiously day after day, accidentally fattening himself up by a notable amount in the process.

Kangxi lifted the now-heavier chubby Yinreng and joked, "How is it that you run around full of energy every day and still get fatter? Should I cut down on your snacks?"

Hanging in Kangxi's grip, Yinreng leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Father, I have something to tell you, but you can't tell anyone else."

Kangxi smiled. "Oh? Can't tell anyone? Not even your great-grandma?"

Yinreng said, "Great-grandma will worry. Listen, Father, since my brothers left the palace, the curse has come to me! Lately, I've been eating, drinking, and running so much, all to strengthen my body and fight the curse. Grandpa said I'm about to fall seriously ill. Once I win, we can bring my brothers back, and we won't have to worry about the curse for a while! The curse will be weakened for a long time!"

The smile on Kangxi's face slowly faded.

He looked at Yinreng expressionlessly.

Yinreng blinked back with his big, watery eyes.

Kangxi took a deep breath. Another deep breath. Then he pressed Yinreng down across his knee and raised his big palm.

Yinreng: "???"

Wait, no, Father, I just told you I'm about to get sick, and you're still hitting me!

Are you even my real Father anymore?!

Great-grandma, save me!

……

The night after Yinreng was beaten, the dormant cowpox virus finally erupted.

In this era, no one in the Qing court knew the difference between cowpox and smallpox.

News that the Crown Prince had broken out in smallpox spread throughout the court and beyond.

Kangxi suspended court audiences and personally cared for the pox-stricken Yinreng.

In this era, smallpox was a near-incurable terminal illness. For a time, panic gripped the palace, and officials throughout the court harbored their own calculations as they waited for the outcome of the Crown Prince's pox.

 

 

 

 

Author's note:

The incubation period of cowpox can be up to ten days.

The notion that Jingshifang managed the emperor's bedroom affairs comes only from late-Qing author Liang Xi's Unofficial History of the Qing Dynasty, written based on neighborhood gossip. Both official Qing court records and Puyi's The First Half of My Life describe Jingshifang only as the office administering eunuchs, palace maids, and the library. I'm not writing about Kangxi's harem, so I'm keeping Jingshifang dignified, lest you all start… ahem… every time I mention Eunuch Gu Wenxing of the Jingshifang.