Chapter 103 The Arrival of This Child...

The arrival of this child caught Yinzhi somewhat off guard.

In his previous life, he and Guo Luoluo had never been able to have children. Guo Luoluo was naturally anxious and sought out famous doctors to treat her. In the end, the conclusion was that Guo Luoluo was perfectly healthy.

Several doctors hesitated, none of them daring to say that not having children might simply mean they were not destined to have offspring.

This was a huge blow to Guo Luoluo. If she really had some kind of infertility problem, she could take medicine to treat it, but if she was destined not to have children...

At that time, Yinzhi did not care about these things. He and Lady Guoluo had a good relationship and he also had concubines to continue his lineage. Therefore, he comforted Lady Guoluo in every way. Even so, the fact that they had no children became a knot in Lady Guoluo's heart.

Not to mention that after he lost power, Kangxi once reprimanded Lady Guoluo for this matter, saying that Yinzhi's lack of a son was due to his wife's control, and that Lady Guoluo was jealous. This undoubtedly made Lady Guoluo feel inferior among the princes' wives.

Yinzhi knew that this was just his father's way of implicating Guoluo because he disliked him. However, Guoluo felt guilty and thought that it was because she could not bear children that Kangxi had a reason to humiliate Yinzhi.

The couple supported each other during that period. Although life was difficult, they did not blame each other. Now, when Yinzhi thinks back on it, he feels that it was a rare time of genuine friendship.

So when Wen Shan asked him who he wanted to marry in this life, he did not hesitate to want to rekindle his relationship with Guo Luoluo.

He thought that in this life he would definitely protect Guo Luoluo and not let her suffer such criticism again. Even if they didn't have children, it didn't matter. Their relationship wasn't maintained by having children.

Therefore, Lady Guoluo's pregnancy surprised and delighted Yinzhi. He never thought that heaven would be so kind to him, allowing him and his beloved wife to have a child.

After learning about it, Wen Shan went to Yuqing Palace to visit Lady Guo Luoluo. Lady Guo Luoluo's pregnancy was not very stable. She found out she was pregnant when she accidentally slipped and fell while admiring flowers in the courtyard. Fortunately, the fall was not serious and a palace servant cushioned her fall. After being helped up, Lady Guo Luoluo felt a dragging discomfort in her lower abdomen, so she asked the imperial physician to take a look.

The imperial physician diagnosed that Guo Luoluo was almost two months pregnant. She had just fallen and had slightly disturbed the fetus, so she needed to rest in bed for a few days. It was nothing serious.

When Yinzhi received the news, he was discussing matters with Emperor Kangxi, Emperor Yinzhen, and a group of ministers in the Imperial Study. The river works on the Yellow River and Huai River were completed, and Emperor Kangxi wanted to make another southern tour to inspect the river affairs. As usual, Yinzhen was left to oversee the country. However, this time Emperor Kangxi wanted to take Yinzhi with him on the southern tour, so that the third prince could assist Yinzhen from the side.

The ministers attending this council were all shrewd and capable, especially since the Crown Prince had been deposed. Kangxi's attitude towards Yinzhen and Yinsi had been ambiguous. Sometimes he seemed to rely on them heavily, but at other times he was very wary of them. Moreover, he never brought up the matter of establishing a Crown Prince again.

Especially Ma Qi and Tong Guowei, these two are now the most important ministers in the Imperial Study. One is the father-in-law of Prince Yong, and the other has openly supported Prince Lian. Unlike Suo'etu and Mingzhu, these two are not openly hostile to each other, but on the surface they seem to have a good relationship.

After Zhang Tingyu entered officialdom through the imperial examination, he was highly regarded by Emperor Kangxi. In just a few years, he was appointed to the Imperial Study and his position among Han officials was almost replacing that of Li Guangdi. Tian Wenjing served as the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture for several years, and Emperor Kangxi also thought he was a good person, so he transferred him to the position of Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion. Today, the two of them are discussing matters together in the Imperial Study.

Thus, Yinzhen and Yinsi became opposing sides. Yinzhen held the title of Prince, which was higher than Yinsi's, but Yinsi was arranged by Kangxi to live in the former Crown Prince's Yuqing Palace. Both sides seemed to have a good chance of winning.

"The most important part of this southern tour is to inspect the river works. Yinzhi has managed the Ministry of Works quite well these past two years, and you have made a great contribution to this."

After the business was over, the atmosphere became less serious, and Kangxi casually picked up an orange from the side and tossed it to Yinzhi.

"I remember you've always loved sour things since you were little. These tangerines that were sent yesterday tasted a bit sour to me, but I think you'll like them."

Yinzhi smiled and said, "Father Emperor still remembers my preferences."

"You are all my sons, so of course I care about you." Kangxi nodded, then looked at Yinzhen beside him and asked, "I heard you went to see your second brother a few days ago. How is your second brother's illness?"

Even though Kangxi didn't speak, Tong Guowei, Ma Qi, and the others didn't leave. When they heard Kangxi mention the deposed crown prince, their eyelids twitched.

In recent years, the deposed crown prince has been very well-behaved, not doing anything wrong and rarely going out. He has been staying in his mansion, enjoying himself peacefully, and has already had three children.

The deposed crown prince, now known as Prince Li, fell ill a few days ago. Emperor Kangxi was very concerned but did not visit him personally. Yinzhen, due to his childhood friendship with Prince Li and his understanding of Emperor Kangxi's intentions, still went to visit him and brought some tonics.

"Second brother just caught a cold and it's nothing serious. When I went there, second brother was already able to get out of bed and walk around, but he still had a cough."

Emperor Kangxi addressed Prince Li as Yinzhen's second elder brother, and Yinzhen readily followed suit.

Kangxi nodded: "That's good. Yinreng has been diligent and cautious these past two years. I think he has reflected on his mistakes enough. Let's not let him stay in the mansion all day. Yinsi, you should arrange for your second brother to go on the southern tour with us."

Ma Qi and Tong Guowei exchanged a glance privately.

Is the Emperor still unable to let go of the deposed crown prince?

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will certainly make the arrangements." Yinzhi's expression remained unchanged, still smiling as he replied.

Kangxi nodded in satisfaction. Just as he was about to wave his hand and call everyone to have lunch to announce the good news to Yinzhi, the little eunuch arrived.

When Yinzhi heard that Lady Guoluo had fallen and was having some trouble conceiving, he became very anxious. When Emperor Kangxi learned of this, he was naturally pleased and quickly sent Yinzhi back to check on her.

For several years after Yinzhi's marriage, Lady Guoluo had not borne any children, yet Yinzhi still doted on this wife. Emperor Kangxi was initially somewhat dissatisfied, but now that Lady Guoluo was pregnant, he finally accepted her as his daughter-in-law.

“Yinzhen, now that your eighth brother has a child, you need to pay more attention. Since Yi'an and Hongxi were born, there has been no news from your palace. This will not do.”

Seeing that Yinzhi had already achieved success, Kangxi then urged Yinzhen to succeed.

Having only one son is certainly not enough for Yinzhen now.

However, Fucha's reputation for virtue had spread widely both inside and outside the palace in recent years, and she often urged Yinzhen to visit Ulanara and Magiya, but neither of them had conceived yet.

However, as the principal wife, Lady Fucha was beyond reproach, and Kangxi would not be as dissatisfied with her as he was with Lady Guoluo. He could only think that Lady Magiya and Lady Ulanara were not blessed, and he was planning to have Wenshan choose a few more fertile concubines for Yinzhen during the next imperial concubine selection.

Emperor Kangxi sighed and said that, in truth, Yinreng was indeed the most fortunate, having given him three grandsons in just a few years. It was just a pity...

After learning of Kangxi's plan, Wen Shan rolled her eyes.

Yinzhen's family is currently living in harmony, but he just can't resist getting involved.

Yinzhi sat by the bed and carefully asked Guoluo if she was still feeling unwell anywhere. Guoluo shook her head and said that she felt fine after taking the medicine.

"How could he have slipped and fallen in the courtyard?" Yinzhi frowned and looked at Xiaoshunzi: "Go and find out what happened."

Xiao Shunzi accepted the order and withdrew.

Guo Luoluo said, "It's just that one of the blue bricks is a little loose, Your Highness doesn't need to worry about it."

Wen Shan smiled and said, "You are the most precious person now, so of course you have to be careful with the things in the palace."

Guo Luoluo stroked her lower abdomen shyly. She and Yinzhi had been married for several years, but they only consummated their marriage last year. She was actually a little anxious because there had been no news for a whole year. Fortunately, the Eighth Prince never mentioned these things.

"What do you think your father is thinking? Yi'an and Hongxi are only three years old, and he's already trying to put people in your fourth brother's palace." Wen Shan waved her fan, completely bewildered as to how Kangxi developed this habit of meddling in his sons' harem.

Moreover, it's not like Yinzhen didn't have children; he already had both a son and a daughter.

"Fourth Brother's two concubines have not had any children. Father Emperor probably feels that this is not a good thing," Yinzhi said, patting Guo Luoluo's hand reassuringly.

After Guo Luoluo married into the palace, she got along very well with her sister-in-law, Fucha. However, she was somewhat worried after hearing that Emperor Kangxi wanted to assign Yinzhen a few more concubines.

"Fourth Sister-in-law is virtuous and kind and never jealous. It's just that her health was a bit weak after giving birth to Hongxi and Yi'an, which is why she hasn't been able to conceive in recent years. As for the two concubines, they are both in good health. Perhaps it's just that their time hasn't come yet."

Guo Luoluo herself had been somewhat anxious about having children recently, so she could especially understand Ulanara and Majia at this time.

Speaking of this, Yinzhi smiled and said, "I also have to thank my fourth sister-in-law for the Guanyin statue that she gave us back then. Now it seems that it is indeed a rare and spiritual treasure."

Yinzhi had never really believed in these supernatural tales, but it seemed that the Guanyin who grants children could indeed grant children. Lady Fucha gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, and Lady Guoluo was also pregnant.

Guo Luoluo nodded and said she would prepare a proper gift of thanks and return the statue of Guanyin who grants children.

Now, Chonghua Palace may need this statue of Guanyin who grants children even more.

To Wen Shan's surprise, this Guanyin Bodhisattva who grants children seems to be quite effective.

Just two months after Guo Luoluo was returned to Chonghua Palace, Ulanara was diagnosed with pregnancy.

Wenshan: ...This is too effective!

The fact that Ulanara was pregnant also relieved Fucha. The two concubines, Majia and Ulanara, were both easy to get along with and honest. Even if they had children, Fucha would not mind at all. But if a few more women were chosen to enter the palace just to continue the Fourth Prince's lineage, their Chonghua Palace would be in chaos.

Therefore, after Ulanara became pregnant, Fucha took meticulous care of her, making sure that she could give birth to the child safely.

At this time, Emperor Kangxi had already set off on his southern tour, taking only two princes with him: Yinzhi and Prince Li.

Yinzhi hesitated for a while, thinking it best to decline the southern tour, as Lady Guoluo was newly pregnant and he was somewhat worried about her.

Yinxiang even mocked him, saying, "When did my brother become so sentimental?"

Yinzhen told him to go without worry, as he and Lady Fucha would take good care of the affairs at Yuqing Palace.

Guo Luoluo also reassured him that she was fine, and besides, her fourth brother, fourth sister-in-law, and mother were all in the palace and nothing would happen to them.

Prince Li's presence during the southern tour did indeed require Yinzhi's supervision, so Yinzhi ultimately set off with Emperor Kangxi.

Wen Shan stayed in the palace to take care of the six palaces this time. Consort Tong Jia was going on Kangxi's southern tour for the first time and was very excited. She also brought Consort Mi and Consort He along, so she brought quite a few concubines with her.

Emperor Kangxi originally intended to take Consort Yi with him so she could go out and relax, but Consort Yi politely declined.

Consort Yi complained to Wen Shan in private that she was too lazy to go out and travel in this hot weather, and that she was just asking for trouble by having to squeeze together with a boat full of young concubines.

Moreover, the Ninth Prince had already married two years ago, and coincidentally, the Fifth and Ninth Princes' wives were pregnant around the same time, both due to give birth in two or three months. Consort Yi was also worried about her two daughters-in-law.

Emperor Kangxi agreed with this reasoning and did not force Consort Yi to go along.

With Emperor Kangxi leaving, he also took several young concubines with him, and the Forbidden City suddenly became much quieter.

Consort Yi often comes to talk to Wen Shan, and their conversation has now shifted from palace gossip to their grandchildren.

Wenshan couldn't help but sigh, "Time waits for no one; we're both grandmothers now."

"Hongxi and Yi'an are both three years old, and you're only now realizing you're a grandmother?" Consort Yi teased.

In recent years, Consort Yi and Wen Shan have become increasingly disrespectful to each other, unlike a few years ago when they would still address each other as "Your Highness".

Strangely enough, when Hongxi and Yi'an were born, Wenshan didn't feel old at all. But it was only when Guoluo was pregnant that Wenshan suddenly realized that she was already a grandmother.

"Having children and grandchildren around one's knees, three generations under one roof, is a blessing that many people would rather die for." Consort Yi sighed, "In the blink of an eye, Yinqi and Yintang have already started their own families and have children, which can be considered a perfect life."

"Is this what you call perfect?" Wen Shan said. "In a few years, we'll leave all these kids behind and go wherever we want, do whatever we want. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

That is true perfection.

Consort Yi laughed heartily, taking Wen Shan's joke as the reason. They were all palace concubines; how could they possibly have such a carefree life?

Wen Shan was indeed seriously considering that it was time to get Kangxi down quickly, otherwise they really wouldn't be able to walk around much longer!

"How are Wen Ke and Dun Ke doing lately? I haven't seen those two girls much these past few days," Wen Shan asked.

Consort Yi: "She's doing well. Lately, she's become obsessed with listening to operas and goes to Shufangzhai whenever she has free time."

Influenced by a certain popular TV series, Wen Shan still felt that Shu Fang Zhai was a bit strange. Of course, no princesses or noblewomen lived there yet; it was just a stage where many concubines liked to go to listen to operas, but Wen Shan had never been there.

When it comes to these two young girls, Consort Yi can't help but worry about their marriages. Unlike princes, princesses, except for the Fifth Princess, all the other princesses were married off to Mongolia.

"The Sixth Princess's marriage has been arranged; she will marry into the Khalkha Mongol tribe. Wenke is only two years older than the Sixth Princess, so it should be within the next couple of years," Consort Yi said.

Consort Yi naturally did not want Wen Ke to marry far away. If possible, which mother would not want her daughter to marry in the capital like the Fifth Princess, so that she could see her often and take care of her so that she would not be bullied by others thousands of miles away?

However, the Fifth Princess was an exception, and if it happened again, Emperor Kangxi probably wouldn't agree.

Wen Shan calculated that if Yinzhen could successfully ascend the throne in the next three or four years, Wen Ke and Dun Ke would not have to marry far away. So she just smiled and said, "Marriage is preordained. Perhaps Wen Ke and Dun Ke's destiny lies in the capital."

As they were talking, Pearl came in to announce that the Princess Consort of Prince Li had brought several children to pay their respects to Wenshan.

"The Princess Consort of Prince Li, of the Guarjia clan?" Wen Shan asked, somewhat puzzled. "Why is she here?"

She hadn't met Guarjia much, only a few times at the grand banquet in the palace. Her impression of her was that she was a very quiet and gentle girl.

The crown princess carefully selected by Emperor Kangxi was naturally not bad.

Consort Yi thought for a moment and said, "You are the Imperial Noble Consort, so it is only right that she comes to pay her respects. It's just that she doesn't usually come, so I don't know what to do now that she's here."

Since the person had come with a child, Wen Shan couldn't refuse her entry, so she asked Pearl to invite her in.

Consort Yi: "Why don't we send someone to invite the wife of Prince Yong over as well? It would make things more lively among the sisters-in-law."

Wen Shan pondered for a moment and nodded, instructing Amber to go to Chonghua Palace.

Wen Shan was always very self-aware. Guarjia was clearly up to no good, so she asked Fucha to come over and listen to what kind of trap she had set.

When Lady Guarjia led the children in, she was surprised to find Consort Yi there as well. After greeting Wen Shan and Consort Yi, she said, "I originally intended to bring these children to the palace today to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Noble Consort, but the Empress Dowager is currently worshipping Buddha and not receiving guests, so I have come to bother the Imperial Noble Consort."

Of Prince Li's three sons, the eldest and youngest were born to Consort Zhang Jia, while the second son was born to Consort Guarjia. Wen Shan had only heard Yinzhi mention that Consort Zhang Jia was more favored, and consequently, her sons were more popular in the household than the legitimate sons.

Consort Yi said with a half-smile, "I suppose the Fujin is busy with matters in the household and hasn't seen us much, which is why she's a little reserved."

Guarjia replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, “My father has decreed that the Prince should reflect on his mistakes. I cannot enter the palace at will. I hope the ladies will forgive my negligence.”

"It's alright, we can visit each other more often in the future." Wen Shan smiled and waved, and Pearl and Amber brought up some snacks.

This was the first time Wen Shan had seen Prince Li's three sons. The eldest and second sons were close in age and could already walk and jump, while the youngest son was still an infant.

Guarjia sat there for a while, chatting about everyday matters. Wen Shan initially thought she had come to the palace to pay her respects, until Fucha arrived. Guarjia then subtly suggested that she wanted to have a private chat with Fucha.

Wen Shan and Consort Yi exchanged a glance but said nothing, allowing Lady Guarjia and Lady Fucha to enter the inner room.

The three children brought by Lady Guarjia remained in the palace. Consort Yi then took Lady Guarjia's eldest son and examined him carefully before turning to Wen Shan and saying, "Lady Guarjia is quite fertile; this child bears a striking resemblance to Empress Xiaocheng."

Empress Xiaocheng was the child's biological grandmother.

When Wen Shan entered the palace, Empress Xiaocheng had already passed away for many years and she had never seen her before, so she couldn't tell anything from her. But then she thought that Consort Yi hadn't entered the palace early either, and Empress Xiaocheng had already passed away by then. How did she recognize her?

“Of course I have seen the portrait of Empress Xiaocheng,” Consort Yi said. “There is a slight resemblance in her features.”

Consort Yi held the child and played with him for a while, then suddenly exclaimed, "Look, doesn't he look a bit like Consort Mi?"

Wenshan leaned closer and took a look; they really did look somewhat alike. It wasn't that their eyes and noses were similar, but rather that their overall faces gave off a similar vibe.

"It seems that Consort Wenxi really wasn't lying to us back then." Consort Yi thought of Consort Wenxi and said with some nostalgia, "Sister Niohuru has been gone for more than ten years now. Time really flies."

The three of them had a very close relationship for a period of time, but no one expected that Consort Wenxi would die young.

The atmosphere became somewhat somber, so Wenshan quickly changed the subject.

"Since you've seen Empress Xiaocheng's portrait, why didn't you recognize that Consort Mi resembled Empress Xiaocheng back then?"

It was Consort Wenxi who told them.

Consort Yi said irritably, "How can a portrait compare to the real person?"

The portrait naturally differs from the real person. Consort Mi and Empress Xiaocheng were only three parts similar in appearance and seven parts in spirit, so Consort Yi did not notice at first. It was only after seeing the child today that she realized how Consort Mi resembled Empress Xiaocheng.

"It seems His Majesty hasn't met Prince Li's legitimate son yet. If he did, I wonder how much he would adore him," Consort Yi said while playing with the child.

Wen Shan thought about it and realized that Kangxi's remembrance of Empress Xiaocheng, coupled with the fact that the grandson of their only son resembled Empress Xiaocheng, was a perfect combination of advantages.

Emperor Kangxi would surely go mad again.

Just then, Lady Fucha and Lady Guarjia came out of the inner room. Lady Guarjia did not stay long and took her children to say goodbye.

Consort Yi knew that these matters were not convenient for her to hear, so she tactfully left first.

"What did the Princess Consort of Prince Li say to you?" Wen Shan asked.

Lady Fucha pursed her lips, somewhat hesitant.

"Mother, my second sister-in-law asked me to pass on a message to the fourth master."

"They said they would invite the Fourth Prince to their residence for a chat after the Emperor returned from his southern tour."

Wen Shan: "?"

What's there to talk about in secret?

Fucha had clearly not finished speaking, and Guarjia also told her some things about Fucha, wanting Fucha to agree to let one of Guarjia's cousins ​​enter Chonghua Palace.

After the news spread that Kangxi wanted to bestow a few more concubines upon Yinzhen, Guarjia clan was also thinking of hedging their bets.

This also indicates to some extent that the Guarjia clan has been abandoned by the family, which makes it difficult for her to speak out.

Wen Shan didn't insist that Lady Fucha didn't want to talk about it, and let her stay for a while before letting her go back.

After returning to Chonghua Palace, Lady Fucha thought long and hard before finally telling Yinzhen about it.

Yinzhen immediately told her not to pay attention to the Guarjia clan, that he would handle these matters, and that the fewer people in Chonghua Palace there were, the better, given the current situation.

More than half a month after Kangxi left, news suddenly came back that Yinzhi had been punished, apparently because of the deposition of the crown prince.