Wan Zhen’er crouched at the foot of the bed, looking at the crown prince tenderly. His face was thin and delicate, with a melancholic beauty. His eyebrows were thick, his nose prominent, his lips thin, and his chin pointed.
Because of his lonely and difficult childhood, the crown prince rarely smiled and was not talkative, always appearing gloomy and giving a sense of bone-deep loneliness.
Strangely, the crown prince’s face was red, almost as if blood would drip from it. His expression was painful, as if struggling with something. Wan Zhen’er was puzzled and felt something was wrong. She quickly reached out to touch his forehead. His forehead was hot, like fire.
In his dream, the crown prince continued to cry: “Aunt, don’t leave, leave me! Aunt, don’t leave me!”
Wan Zhen’er was anxious and shook him forcefully: “Crown prince! Crown prince! Aunt hasn’t left you, aunt is here.”
The crown prince slightly opened his eyes and called her: “Aunt.”
Wan Zhen’er said: “Aunt is here.”
The crown prince said: “Aunt, I feel terrible! I miss you!”
The crown prince was sick, and seriously so. His whole body was burning, his consciousness gradually blurring, and his body was twitching intermittently.
Outside, the rain grew heavier. Lightning split the night sky, and rainwater poured down. There was no way to call a royal physician immediately. Wan Zhen’er remained calm, ordering the palace maids to bring basins of cold water and towels. She repeatedly wiped the crown prince’s forehead and limbs with cold, wet towels to help him cool down.
When the crown prince was still the Prince of Yi, he occasionally fell ill, always with a fever.
The royal physicians were snobbish, bowing to the high and stepping on the low. They would come to treat him if they wanted, and not come if they didn’t. When the physicians didn’t come, Wan Zhen’er often used this method to cure the crown prince’s illness.
Once, the crown prince had a fever for two days and nights, burning so badly he could barely call out “Aunt”. Wan Zhen’er tried everything, but nothing worked. She decided to immerse him in water, changing the water frequently.
