Chapter 30 Rumors

rumor

Perhaps it was a dream, or perhaps it was a major life event, but Chen Guanxue's state of mind was clearer than ever before.

She cried in Kangxi's arms and then felt hungry.

Emperor Kangxi ordered someone to bring the soup that the small kitchen always kept on hand, and sat by her bedside to feed her by hand.

Watching Kangxi lower his head and scoop up a fragrant meatball with a spoon, carefully blowing on it before bringing it to her lips, he even cautioned, "Be careful, it's hot."

Chen Guanxue felt a pang of bittersweet emotion welling up inside her, and her restrained feelings burst forth like a waterfall as she opened her mouth and ate the meatball with tears in her eyes.

When Kangxi saw her crying, he quickly put down his spoon and used a handkerchief to wipe her tears.

"You can't cry during postpartum confinement."

If you cry now, who knows how much suffering you'll endure in the future.

Chen Guanxue nodded and finished a bowl of meatball soup. She was very energetic, even though she hadn't been able to sleep for the past two days.

Seeing that Kangxi looked like he had only slept for a short while, she pulled him down to lie down and let him sleep.

As for the child, Kangxi said that there was a wet nurse watching over him in the next room, and that he would bring the child to her to see tomorrow when he woke up.

She turned to look at Kangxi, who was breathing heavily beside her.

At this time, Emperor Kangxi was in his prime, and she was still young; they would be together for a long time.

She couldn't sleep and felt unwell, but her mind was clear.

Is the connection between them neither deep nor shallow?

The fact that she met him twice in her time travel suggests they were a match made in heaven.

Forgive her for not reading many novels; even now, she doesn't dare to hope that they are the protagonists of the world. They are just dust in the torrent of history, and meeting them a second time would be an extraordinary stroke of fate.

Seeing that his brows were slightly furrowed, Chen Guanxue reached out to smooth them out, her fingers resting on his eyebrows and eyes, and then touching the faint wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

Time may be merciless, but it leaves its mark on people.

By candlelight, Chen Guanxue watched Kangxi all night, and the two familiar faces gradually merged in her memory.

Until Liang Jiugong's voice calling Kangxi to get up could be heard from outside.

Kangxi opened his eyes and saw Chen Guanxue looking at him. He couldn't help but laugh. "Didn't sleep all night?"

She nodded, watching him get out of bed to wash up, then change into his undergarments behind the screen before coming out to have Liang Jiugong help him put on his dragon robe.

As he was arranging the court beads, he said to her, "I'll have Runxi get you some food and drink in a bit, and when Fushou wakes up, I'll have someone bring it over for you to see."

Seeing that he had gone out to court, Chen Guanxue lay down for a while longer, and only washed up and ate when she got a little hungry.

When Chen Guanxue got out of bed and stepped onto the ground, she felt her legs were a little weak. In addition, she felt some pain in her waist and abdomen, and she frowned in pain with every step she took.

However, it's not unbearable.

According to Runxi, this is the normal state after childbirth, and the imperial physician said she would recover in less than a month.

Chen Guanxue is sensitive to pain and feels that it might not be healed for a month.

Anyone who breaks a bone has to lie in bed for several months. Childbirth is almost as painful as a bone fracture, so can't you lie in bed for a few more months?

She unilaterally decided to extend her postpartum confinement period to three months.

After thinking about it, it's March now, and I can't stay in bed for three months. It will be too hot by then. So I'll just have two months of postpartum confinement, and then I'll still follow the standard of recuperation for the next month.

The imperial physicians arrived at the Qianqing Palace before the children.

There are cases where the hospital makes a judgment, and there are also cases that are common throughout pregnancy.

"May Your Highness be well." Several imperial physicians bowed.

Chen Guanxue was taken aback for a moment when she heard this address, but then she realized what it meant.

The imperial physicians took turns taking the patients' pulses, and after exchanging information for a while, the chief physician spoke up.

"The Imperial Concubine is just weak after childbirth and is also in pain, so she will feel a little weak. She needs to drink some tonic soup to replenish her qi and blood, and supplement it with medicinal food. She will recover completely in less than a month."

Take those words with a grain of salt. She knows her own body perfectly well; even if she's weak, she wouldn't be this weak.

Imperial physicians often exaggerate the severity of illnesses to give themselves room to maneuver.

After seeing off the imperial physician and drinking a bowl of medicine to replenish her qi and blood, Chen Guanxue finally saw the child she had given birth to with great difficulty.

The little one was placed beside her by the wet nurse; she was fair-skinned and tender, but somewhat thin.

According to Runxi and Granny Chana, she was born all red, but she's only getting prettier as she grows up.

"What did the imperial physician say?" she asked.

Even if she was ignorant, she knew that she was young when she became pregnant with him, and Kangxi was old, so it was highly unlikely that the child would be as healthy as a normal child.

Judging from his small size, he might be somewhat frail.

"The imperial physician said the young prince is fine, he just needs to be careful not to get too cold or too hot," Chana replied.

Chen Guanxue felt somewhat fortunate at this moment, fortunate that he was born into an imperial family and had many servants. If he had been born into a commoner's family, he would have inevitably died young.

Being unable to tolerate cold or heat can indicate a lot; perhaps it makes one prone to illness during seasonal changes, or perhaps one needs to take medicine when it's too cold or too hot.

"Granny Chana, I'll have to trouble you to take care of the young prince from now on," Chen Guanxue said.

Granny Chana smiled broadly, "Don't worry, Master."

Even disregarding her future prospects, the bond of childhood friendship between a prince's personal nanny would ensure her a comfortable retirement.

After making the arrangements, Chen Guanxue reached out and touched his little face. It was so soft and tender that she was afraid of leaving a mark if she touched it too hard.

Fu Shou obediently opened his eyes and stretched his neck to look at her, but his vision was not clear, so he could only move his mouth.

She had no experience raising children and didn't know if she could raise them well. Kangxi's choice of people was always right, so she trusted the wet nurses.

For her, perhaps all she needs to do is look after her child every day.

Children always have less energy, and Fushou was a bit weak, so after being teased by her for a short while, he closed his eyes and fell asleep again.

Even if it's not nighttime, she feels comfortable leaving the child beside her.

When Emperor Kangxi returned from court, he saw the two people lying on the bed. He walked over lightly, not daring to disturb Fu Shou's sleep, and touched the top of Chen Guanxue's head.

"Children need a lot of sleep. In a few months, when they're more energetic, they'll probably be quite restless."

Chen Guanxue had never witnessed a child's antics before, and she didn't quite agree with what he said. "Our Fushou children never make a fuss; they look very well-behaved."

Emperor Kangxi suppressed a laugh when he saw that she did not agree with him.

He didn't know what Chen Guanxue was like when he was a child, but he himself was not well-behaved as a child. Judging from the personalities of other princes and princesses when they were young, not many of them were well-behaved either.

He figured Fu Shou wouldn't be an exception either; they'd just have to see how annoying he would be.

The two were talking quietly when Fu Shou woke up and started whimpering for milk. So, Granny Chana took him to the next room to find a wet nurse.

"Once you finish your confinement period, the investiture ceremony will be held. This month, I'm afraid people from all the palaces will come to see you." Kangxi held a cup of tea. "The Chen family will also have to send a letter to the palace to pay their respects. If you don't like them, send them to Chengqian Palace. Don't let them upset you."

Chen Guanxue wouldn't be angry; she was more worried about the Chen family members getting angry.

"Where will I live from now on?" Chen Guanxue asked.

"Of course you should stay in Chengqian Palace. Where else can you stay?" Kangxi would not let her live alone in the inner palace. "The only empty palace now is Kunning Palace. I would like you to stay there."

But she refused.

A mere imperial concubine could cause chaos in the court and the harem; if she moved into Kunning Palace, the entire court would probably go crazy.

Consorts and empresses are ultimately different. It is easier for a Manchu woman to become empress than for a Han woman to become empress, regardless of her surname.

Kangxi thought about it and realized that it was not impossible for her to become empress; it would just take some time.

Chen Guanxue had no idea what he was planning. After lying in the Qianqing Palace for a few days, her body only felt a little sore. Then, the concubines in the harem gradually came to send congratulatory gifts.

The first one is Consort Tong.

Consort Tong has not yet undergone her investiture ceremony, but the imperial decree has already been issued, and all the concubines in the palace have changed their titles to Consort Tong. Now they are wearing and using the clothing and jewelry of a Consort Tong.

"Knowing you like beautiful clothes, I had some fabrics sent back from Jiangnan and other places by fast horses. They are all bright colors." Consort Tong's gift touched her heart.

Chen Guanxue looked at the boxes of fabrics of various colors. The patterns on them were all woven, just like the cloths that were presented as tribute, and even quite novel.

She picked out a few that she really liked and had them sent to the Imperial Household Department to be quickly made into Hanfu (traditional Han clothing). She wasn't in a hurry to make the rest.

Consort Tong stared intently at Fu Shou in the small bed.

Fu Shou was still wrapped in swaddling clothes, wearing an exquisite tiger-head hat on his head, and he would smile obediently when he looked at her.

A child's smile is the most touching thing, and even if it's not her own child, it can still soften Consort Tong's heart.

"Fu Shou is always smiling. I don't know where such a small child gets all the joy," Chen Guanxue said from the side.

Consort Tong shook the rattle drum, looked at Fu Shou and smiled even more happily, replying, "It's good when children are smiling; they can't possibly have any worries at such a young age."

"The young princes and princesses I saw after entering the palace were not as good-looking as Fu Shou. He will definitely grow up to be a handsome man."

Sure enough, when talking about children, their appearance is always a topic of conversation.

"His eyes and ears resemble the Emperor's, but his nose and mouth are even more like yours." Consort Tong examined him closely.

Chen Guanxue hadn't noticed, but upon hearing this, she also went over to take a look.

Those eyes were indeed long and narrow, her ears were very similar to Kangxi's, her nose was not very noticeable, and her mouth was almost identical to hers.

"The princes in the palace all have eyes like the Emperor, while the princesses resemble their mothers," Consort Tong summarized.

Chen Guanxue thought for a moment, recalling the grown-up princes and princesses she had seen, and nodded in agreement.

After talking for a while, Fu Shou wanted to sleep, so she was carried away, leaving them in the room to eat snacks.

“Something’s not right in the palace lately,” Consort Tong said. “Some of the palace maids and eunuchs seem to be on someone’s orders, spreading unpleasant rumors.”

Chen Guanxue was curious, but she didn't continue.

"Your Majesty is unaware yet, but I have already ordered my men to search for you. If anyone has said anything unpleasant to you in the past few days, just have them tell me."

Consort Tong frowned as she spoke, suggesting that her words were quite unpleasant to hear.

After talking for a while, Consort Tong finally left.

Chen Guanxue, having learned of this, did not intend to keep it to herself.

What a joke, she has powerful backers.

She's not even out of postpartum confinement yet, and someone's already trying to scheme against her. Shouldn't she report them?

That very night, Kangxi listened to her whispers and ordered Liang Jiugong to go to Chengqian Palace to ask who was spreading the rumors.

After obtaining the list, Liang Jiugong did not return to the Qianqing Palace but instead ordered his men to arrest these people.

One by one, the eunuchs were stripped of their pants and flogged at the Imperial Household Department. The palace maids, of course, were not flogged; they were simply sent back to the Imperial Household Department and reassigned to the laundry department to do hard labor.

The palace immediately fell silent, and all the rumors vanished without a trace.

Kangxi did not order anyone to investigate the people behind those servants; he simply used swift and decisive measures to thwart the schemes that many people were about to hatch.

[Author's Note]

This chapter makes up for yesterday's update.