When the epidemic in Lantian and Luonan counties had been pacified, the queen mother in the palace came to malaria. And her illness was ferocious, and the hospital hurriedly learned Taohua's method of soaking the juice with Artemisia annua cold, but it was like water splashing on a stone, useless.

"The Queen Mother, when the Queen Mother was in the palace, she was bitten by mosquitoes. At that time, because Cheng Enbo was seriously ill, the Queen Mother was bored, and she went out for a walk at night...... "Qingyu knelt in front of the emperor, trembling all over. The Queen Mother has begun to have intermittent high fever, vomiting and diarrhea from time to time, and even occasionally falling into a coma. Qingyu really couldn't understand that malaria had not been transmitted to the capital at all, why did the Queen Mother Dudu get it?

If it was in the past, the emperor didn't understand. If it is said that it is invaded by evil energy, why is Qingyu who is waiting for him fine? However, after watching Shen Shu's recital, he had already figured it out - the palace was closer to Lantian and Luonan County than the capital, and by chance, a mosquito that had bitten a malaria patient flew to the palace and bit the queen mother.

If the Queen Mother was willing to go back to the capital with him at that time, maybe she would still be safe and sound now.

"Let's see if anyone in the palace has malaria." The emperor calmly ordered, "Send someone to Lantian and urgently announce the return of the Jiang family to Beijing!" ”

So Taohua was relieved of the breath she had been carrying these days, and she was urgently recalled to the capital. It was the little chamberlain who had to be used by the emperor's side to summon him, and Taohua asked him about the details in the carriage, and couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart - the queen mother's disease is so ferocious, I am afraid that it is malignant cerebral malaria.

"The people in the Tai Hospital also made that artemisia water, but the Queen Mother drank it and it didn't work." The little chamberlain conveyed the emperor's words, "The emperor is afraid that they are not doing well, so he asked Miss Jiang to return to Beijing to make medicine herself." ”

Momoka smiled bitterly. Artemisia annua extract is not difficult to make, not to mention that these imperial doctors are all good at pharmaceuticals, and their skills are much stronger than her, how can they not make it well.

The carriage was bumpy all the way, and when she arrived in the capital, Taohua had been turned upside down, but she didn't have time to rest, so she was taken into Shouxian Palace by a fast sedan car.

The emperor and empress were waiting in the palace. There has been news from the palace that two more people have malaria, it can be seen that the epidemic has indeed passed, and the emperor has sent someone to deal with it, but the situation here is the most urgent and the worst.

"Hurry up and make that medicine!" Tao Hua just entered the door, and the queen ordered sharply, "If you can't cure the queen mother, this palace will cure you of the Jiang family's crimes!" ”

"Shut up!" The emperor's expression was gloomy, "When have you been playing your queen majesty!" If you can persuade the queen mother to return to the palace that day, why not! ”

"The queen mother has always had an idea, how can I persuade it......" The queen was about to argue unconvinced, but the emperor ignored her and turned his head to look at Taohua, "You go and see, is there something wrong with the medicine they made?" ”

There was a lot of yellow artemisia piled up in the imperial pharmacy, and Taohua made a bowl of medicine to pour it into the Queen Mother, but an hour later, the Queen Mother had a high fever, and the medicine still did not work.

"How's it going?" The Emperor asked, frowning.

Old Mrs. Yu Ge also came, with her daughter-in-law and several nephews, all staring at Taohua in the hall and waiting for her answer.

Taohua shook her head: "Artemisia water has no effect on the Queen Mother's illness. The Queen Mother is the most dangerous of malaria, and it was discovered several days after being bitten...... "The malaria parasite has multiplied in large numbers.

The queen was stunned and screamed: "You, have you not tried your best? Why does this medicine work outside, but it doesn't work in the palace! Although she sometimes feels that the Queen Mother is restricted, she often asks the Queen Mother for advice on weekdays, and at this moment she thinks that people may be gone, as if she has lost her heart, and her heart is in turmoil.

"If the Queen Mother had just been bitten by mosquitoes and took medicine, the disease would have been cured. If the queen mother suspects that the people are not doing their best and planning for the queen mother's well-being, it is better to ask a more experienced imperial doctor to come for diagnosis and treatment. Taohua annoyed the family of a patient like the queen, and went back, but she was thinking in her heart. Now it seems that artemisinin is completely useless, so it can only be changed. Traditional Chinese medicine is actually not as good as Western medicine for malaria, and the problem is that she does not have Western medicine in her hands now.

Oh no! Taohua suddenly remembered, she still has a medicine - cinchona bark, quinine!

The queen's screams caused a low commotion among the ladies of the Yu family in the palace. Of course, they also hope that the Queen Mother will be safe, but the Queen Mother's words are really unreasonable. The medicine is the same medicine, and the medicine made by other doctors in front of it, isn't it the same as if the Queen Mother drank it? It really doesn't make sense to say that Jiang doesn't do his best.

However, they are all members of the Yu family, and they always have to support the queen, and the old lady of Yu Ge coughed dryly and said: "Jiang Yuanju, you have been given an official position by the emperor, and you should do your best." ”

Taohua didn't bother to say more to them, so she only turned to the emperor: "Your Majesty, the folk girl once got a medicine from the West, which is also specialized in treating malaria, but I don't know if it will be too ......late to give it to the Queen Mother at this time."

"What kind of medicine?" The emperor's eyes lit up, "Anyway, use it first." "The Queen Mother's current situation is that the group of doctors are tied up, so naturally the dead horse is regarded as a live horse doctor.

Taohua immediately said: "It was received by my father from a Western merchant in Guangzhou, please send someone to the people's daughter's house to get it immediately." ”

I had my own little waiter who went out to arrange it, and it was sent over in less than half an hour. The queen looked at the packet of black powder, and her face was not good-looking: "What is this?" Take a dose of it yourself and show it to me. ”

Taohua glanced up at her: "Queen Mother, although medicine can cure diseases, it is not eaten casually, how can people who are not sick use medicine indiscriminately." If you really can't believe this medicine, then you should use the old medicine. ”

"Shut up!" The emperor stared at the empress fiercely with a calm face, "It will only add to the chaos." If you can't be quiet, go back to your Fengyi Palace! "If the old medicine works, do you still need to call Taohua back?

At this moment, the daughters of the Yu family are here, the emperor blames the queen like this, he really doesn't leave any face for the queen, but he is reasonable, even the old lady of Yu Ge does not dare to refute, so she has to reluctantly laugh and say: "Niangniang is also afraid that this medicine is poisonous, and if you take it, it will hurt the queen mother......"

As she spoke, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said, "Aren't there still two people who have malaria like the Queen Mother?" It is better to give them this medicine first. ”

The queen's eyes lit up: "Okay, this is a good idea!" She really thinks this medicine looks weird, and said that it came from the West, what if the Queen Mother doesn't eat it well?

The palace is now closed, and the emperor sent people to kill mosquitoes and insects there. And the two who got sick were taken to the Huimin Pharmacy for treatment, saying that they were in the capital, but in fact they were still outside the palace, if they waited for the medicine to be sent to them to eat, and then came back to take medicine for the Queen Mother, I am afraid that the cucumber dishes will be cold.

Taohua didn't want to carry this pot, so she turned to the emperor and said: "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager's illness has been delayed for some time, and if it is delayed any longer, the people will not dare to heal it." "It's critical.

The emperor thought for a moment and said decisively: "Give the queen mother medicine immediately." ”

The queen had nothing to say. A palace person had already brought warm water, so Taohua took out a little powder and washed it with warm water, so that the queen mother poured it down. This pack of medicine is enough to treat three or five people, so Taohua took out half of it and said, "Let's give these to those two." ”

Old Madam Yu Ge couldn't help but say: "After giving so much, the rest of the Queen Mother is enough?" ”

"Didn't Mrs. Ge just say that she wanted to heal those two people first?" Tao Hua was surprised, "I thought that Old Madam Ge knew how much this medicine was going to take." "Horizontal is also you, vertical is also you, you don't understand anything and you have to point fingers on the side, you can do it.

The emperor glanced at the old lady Yu Ge and stood up: "The matter of malaria treatment, listen to your arrangement, and idlers are not allowed to interfere!" ”

The old lady Yu Ge's face was swollen red, and the idler the emperor said obviously meant her and the queen. Since she became the old lady of the pavilion, although she always felt that the elder Yu pavilion did not treat her with enough respect because she was a step-family, if she went outside, everyone would have to stammer, even if the emperor was polite, there had never been such an embarrassment. But the Queen Mother is seriously ill, and the emperor is worried, even if she speaks seriously at the moment, she can only listen to it with patience.

The Queen Mother was in critical condition, and Taohua naturally had to stay in Shouxian Palace for diagnosis and treatment day and night. Because she was not qualified to bring the maid into the palace, the emperor specially pointed out a small palace person to her, and placed a room in the side hall of Shouxian Palace in order to take care of the queen mother nearby.

The queen mother's illness, the harem concubines have to take turns to serve the sick, and the queen is indispensable every day, so she is also placed in the side hall of Shouxian Palace. She has been on guard for several days, and she is indeed very tired, so she went back to the side hall to rest as soon as it was dark, leaving a few concubines and Taohua to keep vigil next to the Queen Mother.

Today, Concubine Yuan Shufei brought Jiang Jieyu and Wu Cairen to be on duty. Taohua gave the queen mother medicine for the night, checked her pulse again, felt that it seemed to be slightly better, and turned her head and ordered the palace people to make some soup porridge to feed the queen mother. Although the Queen Mother is drowsy and reluctant to eat now, since there is no intravenous infusion, she can only provide nutrition from her diet, and she has to eat if she doesn't want to.

When she was doing these things, she always felt that Concubine Yuan Shu was secretly watching her from the side. If everyone in the hall has to listen to her command at this moment, it is normal to pay attention to her, but Yuan Shufei's sneaky look always makes people feel uncomfortable.

"What do you have to say?" Taohua arranged for someone to go down, and turned to this concubine who was said to be the favorite of the sixth palace.

To say that this king's favor is indeed elusive. In Taohua's opinion, Concubine Yuan Shufei is not good-looking at all, but she just gave birth to a pair of apricot eyes, and she is a little charming between the streams. But she is said to have had two miscarriages, and she is nearly thirty years old, her waist is no longer slender, and her face is a little dull, although she is not as full of melasma as Jiang Meihua after her miscarriage, but it is not as pale as a young concubine, and she is delicate from the inside out.

If there is a poem that says, "Cheng'en is not in appearance, if the concubine is tolerant", not to mention that women's hearts are needles, even men's hearts are also needles under the sea. Taohua sighed in her heart, and felt a little puzzled. It is said that Concubine Yuan Shufei is so favored, why does she always look a little preoccupied, not to mention her face, but to say that the few thin Sichuan lines between her eyebrows are obviously caused by frowning from time to time. Could it be that it was because he failed to save the child twice, so he was sad and depressed?

"No, no, Hongu doesn't have anything to say." Taohua asked so bluntly, Concubine Yuan Shu seemed to be a little flustered, and hurriedly shook her hand and said, "This palace just thinks that Miss Jiang is so young, but she has such good medical skills, and she is so thoughtful, it's really not easy." ”

Wu Cairen sat with his eyebrows lowered on the side, but his fingers stirred the light gauze handkerchief. Ever since she had studied the ink for the emperor in the Hunting Garden, the queen's attitude towards her had changed sharply, that is, the queen mother was seriously ill, and it didn't prevent her from giving Wu Cairen a look.

Wu Cairen knew that the queen was jealous, and she took advantage of the queen's jealousy to rise to talent, but she didn't expect that the queen's jealousy was not divided into friend or foe, even if she followed the queen's wishes everywhere, and even did not hesitate to do something stupid on behalf of the queen, the queen still did not allow her to approach the emperor.

This really makes it difficult for Wu Cairen, who has always been shrewd. If you are close to the emperor, you will inevitably be tormented by the queen, and the concubines who have had a miscarriage in front of you are role models. But if she only pleases the queen, but the queen can't give her a child, if the emperor is a big deal in the future, the concubines who have no concubines can only live a lifetime with green lanterns and ancient Buddhas, where is the future?

But no matter what, Wu Cairen has absolutely no good impression of Taohua. It's hard to say what the reason is, because Taohua doesn't actually have any conflict of interest with her at all, but Wu Cairen just doesn't like it. Maybe it's because Taohua always seems to be confident, as if she has a firm grasp of her future, and doesn't have to fight among a group of women like her, just for that little hope......

Concubine Yuan seemed to be very interested in talking to Taohua, and after the Queen Mother used a bowl of soup and fell asleep, she repeated the old words: "Is Miss Jiang and Xuan?" ”

"Not yet." The atmosphere in the dormitory was depressing, and Taohua was not averse to talking to people, but thinking of Yuan Shufei's unclear secret look before, she was still a little wary, "It won't be until next year." ”

"Oh--this palace thought that Miss Jiang was already over. Miss Jiang is tall, but she doesn't look like a person from the south. I don't know if I can talk about my family? ”

Taohua was very vigilant when he mentioned family affairs: "This matter is decided by my father, and it is not for me to ask." ”

Yuan Shufei touched a soft nail, smiled slightly awkwardly, and stopped talking. However, Jiang Meihua took the opportunity of Taohua to relieve her hands and followed, and grabbed Taohua under the corridor: "Third sister, does this medicine work?" ”

"I don't know." Taohua didn't want to talk to her at all now, "The medicine from the West is the first time I use it." ”

Jiang Meihua was taken aback: "You have never tried it for anyone, so you dare to use it on the Queen Mother?" ”

Taohua looked at her sarcastically: "Jieyu Niangniang is so loyal to the Queen Mother, why don't you go and get malaria, and then try this medicine for the Queen Mother first?" ”

Jiang Meihua's face was swollen and red, and she was a little annoyed and angry: "Third sister, I'm here for your good!" If this medicine doesn't work, you can also see the queen's appearance-you and I are always sisters, one is prosperous, and the other is lost-"

Taohua interrupted her words with a wave of her hand: "I don't dare to say anything sister to Jieyu Niangniang." Niangniang can rest assured, if the queen mother's illness cannot be cured, the emperor will deal with it himself, and it will not affect Jieyu Niangniang. If the queen mother's illness can be cured, Jieyu also has the credit for serving the sick, and the emperor is also clear in his heart. ”

This means that it is equivalent to saying: Whoever is with you is both prosperous and lossy, you are you and I am, I will not affect you, and you don't expect to touch my light!

Jiang Meihua's face turned blue, her original reason was crushed, and a sentence that was originally intended to be buried deep in her heart rushed out: "Third sister, do you think that if you are born a little like the princess of Emperor Xia, the emperor will be able to protect you?" ”

"What?" Taohua was already about to leave, when she suddenly heard this, she immediately stopped, "Who do you say I look like?" ”

Jiang Meihua sneered: "Don't pretend, I don't believe you don't know!" Originally, I really thought you were a good person, and I looked like I didn't want to enter the palace, and I had to find a way to invite you! It turned out that he knew that he was born like Xia, which is what he looked like! In order to curry favor with the emperor, he even dared to go to places like the epidemic area. Do you think you can imitate Xia in this way? Bah, stop dreaming! ”

She was not qualified to go to Nanyuan with her this time, so the news she got was also a little distorted.

This is also a deliberate cover-up by the people in the palace, and it is not easy to say that the emperor has ill intentions and takes the opportunity to force King Anjun to the epidemic area - although everyone thinks so, but they only say that King Anjun asked Ying to treat the epidemic on his own, and even with it, Taohua also became a self-recommendation.

Therefore, when the news reached Jiang Meihua, she suspected that Taohua was in order to be in the limelight, not only went to the epidemic area herself, but also supported the Jiang family to help her.

Xia's matter, Jiang Meihua was still heard when she first entered the palace and was taken care of by the Queen Mother. has only been the eldest princess for two years, and when her husband is about to ascend the throne, she is dead, which shows that she has no such blessing. It is said that the Xia family has a generous temperament, and every year they have to give porridge in winter and medicine in summer, and they love the people the most.

Tao Hua was born like Xia, Jiang Meihua didn't know at the beginning, after all, she hadn't seen Xia, or Agarwood happened to hear the palace people in the queen's palace talking, so she came back to tell her - the queen's Fengyi Palace management is not as strict as Shouxian Palace, and there are many news.

In such a contrast, Jiang Meihua suddenly felt that the rumors in the palace were very reasonable-Taohua, this is wanting to enter the palace, and it is not as she arranged at the beginning, to be a low-ranking concubine and attach herself to her cousin. Taohua wants to take advantage of the east wind of the Xia family to seek a high position in one fell swoop!

The epidemic was successfully cured, although the Taohua people did not come back, it was rumored in the palace that the emperor was going to reward Jiang Xi. If Taohua has a background, and then uses the work of curing the epidemic, maybe the nine concubines have hope. Jiang Meihua was full of jealousy, but when she thought of her future, she had to play a trick to please her. Who knew that this cousin didn't eat oil and salt, but he wanted to draw a clear line, so he couldn't hold back his anger for a while, so he poured out everything.

"If I hadn't summoned you to the palace at the beginning, how would you have met the emperor, and how could you let the emperor know that you have medical skills? Now—"

Before Jiang Meihua finished speaking, Taohua turned around and left. Seeing Jiang Meihua's crazy appearance, she won't answer her question well, she might as well find someone else to inquire about Xia's affairs.

Taohua returned to the dormitory, and only after a while did she see Jiang Meihua walk in, her face recovering her usual cold look, but it was not what she looked like just now.

The night passed very long, and in the early morning, the Queen Mother started to heat up again. Taohua estimated that the time was about the same, so she took out another medicine, and was about to feed the queen mother, when she listened to the coaxing outside. It happened that the queen also got up, and when she heard the voice, she said irritably: "Whoever is making noise outside, drag it down and beat it to death!" ”

The palace people beside her hurriedly went out, but they soon came back with a white face: "Niangniang, the people from the Huimin Pharmacy just now, those two people took the medicine of the golden rooster, and one of them was this morning - this morning, Xiaojie was all black!" I can't do it now! ”

At this moment, everything in the dormitory was chaotic, and Wu Cairen was the first to react, and said sharply: "Jiang Shi, what medicine did you take for the Queen Mother?" ”

Taohua stood beside the Queen Mother's bed, holding the medicine that had been prepared in her hand, and her brows furrowed. The urine turns black, which is black urine fever. This is a complication caused by malignant vivax malaria, which destroys red blood cells and leads to kidney failure.

"When I didn't use this medicine before, could the patient pass black urine?"

How did the palace people know, she was just spreading the news. Taohua frowned and said, "Call the person who delivered the news in and ask him when the patient excreted black urine!" ”

Melania fever may be caused by malaria, or it may be caused by taking quinine, if it is the latter, then you must stop taking quinine, otherwise if it causes kidney function to decline, there is no dialysis machine here, it is certain death.

The queen didn't care when the urine was discharged, she pointed at Taohua and shouted: "The Jiang family plotted to kill the queen mother, quickly take it for the palace!" ”

The two palace people immediately stepped forward, but Taohua was not a weak girl in the boudoir who was powerless, so she dodged away in a flash, and said loudly: "I am diagnosed by the emperor's order for the queen mother, if anyone delays the queen mother's illness, what should be the crime!" ”

These two palace people were diehard loyalists of the queen, and although they heard this, they still forced them forward. Taohua was still holding the prepared medicinal soup in one hand, and with the other hand, she picked up a vase on the next few cases, and smashed it head-on towards the palace maid at the front.

Hearing a loud noise, the palace man was smashed to the head and bleeding, the vase fragments flew to the ground, Taohua held the remaining flower bottleneck in his hand, pointed at the other palace man with a sharp stubble, and said coldly: "Do you want to taste the taste of having your throat slit?" "At this time, she can't fall into the hands of the queen, how can she hold on until the emperor hears the news.

The uninjured palace man was quite angry, but he was a little dizzy, and when he saw his companion's blood covered in blood like a ghost, he was so frightened that he rolled his eyes and fell to the ground, not even hearing Taohua's threat.

But she didn't hear it, but the rest of the people did, and a few of them shrank back when they wanted to come forward. No one thought that this Jiang family girl would dare to hurt people, seeing that the two of them were lying on the ground and didn't know whether they were dead or alive, who would not spare their lives? Let the queen be angry, and the palace people just behaved, and they didn't dare to really go up.

The queen was so angry that one Buddha was born and two Buddhas ascended to heaven, and shouted loudly for the eunuchs to come in. Jiang Meihua's face was as white as paper, and she said in a trembling voice: "Taohua, don't be confused, quickly put down the things in your hand, and beg the queen to spare your life!" ”

Tao Huali ignored her, and also raised her voice and shouted loudly: "If the Queen Mother's illness is delayed any longer, once you are not treated, everyone who serves you will not be able to escape the emperor's punishment!" Why don't you go and invite the emperor over, do you want to die? ”

This is a good thing, if the queen mother dies, everyone around her will be unlucky, everyone is hesitating, and the small palace person that the emperor pointed out to Taohua has already run to invite the emperor. It happened that the emperor was about to come to see the Queen Mother before going to court, and when he met someone on the way, he immediately made his steps speed up, and he entered the Shouxian Palace in less than half a moment, only to hear the chaotic shouts inside, and immediately stepped in, and said angrily: "Give me quiet!" ”