Chapter 99 When Kangxi arrived...

When Kangxi arrived, he happened to meet Yinzhen, who was also on his way, and the father and son traveled together. They also happened to meet Yinsi and Yinxiang, who were visiting their newborn nephew and niece, outside Chonghua Palace.

When Wen Shan saw them coming together, she quickly told Pearl and Amber to take the two children out first, while she stayed a little longer to take care of Fucha.

When Wenshan went out, she saw Kangxi holding one child in his arms, and Yinzhi holding another child and playing with them.

Judging from the swaddling clothes, it should be that Kangxi was holding his older brother and Yinzhi was holding his younger sister.

Yinzhi's way of holding the child was quite skillful, while Kangxi's was rather stiff. Wenshan watched with fear that he might drop the child.

Yinxiang couldn't compete with Yinsi, so he had to take turns running around to see his nephew and niece.

"This child may look a bit thin, but he's quite strong." Kangxi couldn't stop smiling. His grandson kicked around in his arms, but he wasn't angry. Instead, he thought it just showed how strong the child was.

In contrast, the younger sister was much quieter, obediently blowing bubbles in Yinzhi's arms.

Yinzhen, the father, was the calmest of them all. When he saw Wenshan come out, he hurriedly asked how Fucha was doing.

"She's fine, she's just too tired and fell asleep after taking some tonic," Wen Shan said softly.

Yinzhen was relieved. There were rules in the palace that the delivery room was a bloody place and he could not enter. He had just heard a palace maid say that Empress Fucha seemed to be having a postpartum hemorrhage, which frightened him so much that he almost fell off his chair.

Kangxi sat down holding the child, looked at Wenshan and said with a smile, "Now that Yinzhen has both a son and a daughter, you can rest assured."

When Wen Shan chatted with Kangxi, she often expressed her concern that Yinzhen's personality was too aloof and that he would not live a lively and fulfilling life in the future. Kangxi always said that she was worrying unnecessarily. Yinzhen was a prince and one of the most noble people in the world. He was destined to live a fulfilling life from birth.

Wen Shan disagreed, but of course she didn't dare to refute it.

"Bring the little princess here for me to see." After doting on his grandson, Kangxi set his sights on his granddaughter. Yinzhi reluctantly handed his little niece to Kangxi.

Emperor Kangxi rarely saw such an open expression on Yinzhi's face. He laughed heartily and said, "You little rascal, if you like it, go have a child yourself after your wedding next year."

Yinzhi pursed his lips, thinking to himself, "Father Emperor, you have quite a few daughters of your own, but I haven't seen you like them that much."

Emperor Kangxi was a typical grandparent who loved his grandchildren dearly, and naturally he also loved his own children very much. However, he was mostly strict with the princes and princesses other than the crown prince, and rarely showed the doting expression he had today.

"The little princess is born beautiful; she will surely grow up to be a beauty."

When her younger sister was born, Wenshan noticed that she was indeed much fairer and prettier than other newborns. Perhaps she had absorbed more nutrients in the womb, as her little arms and legs were chubby and she looked delightful.

That's why Yinzhi was unwilling to let go when he was holding on.

Now, even Emperor Kangxi was quite fond of them. He held his granddaughter and played with her for a while before saying, "I have named these two little ones. What do you think?"

Who would dare say it's not good?

As expected, Yinzhen also lowered his hands and said, "It is a blessing for these two children to receive names from their father."

Kangxi: "How about naming the girl Yi'an?"

Wenshan pondered the name and concluded that it was auspicious and lucky, and that if the Imperial Household Department were to come up with a name for her, it would probably be the same few characters, nothing special.

Kangxi thought for a moment and continued, "As for whether this little one is my first grandson and born of the legitimate wife, I will name him Hongxi, which means 'not sun but not scorching.'"

The character 晞 (xi) means the rising sun and the revival of all things, which is indeed a good name and auspicious meaning. However, it sounds the same as the reign title of Emperor Kangxi.

Both Xuan Ye, his given name, and Kangxi, his reign title, were characters that the entire country had to avoid using. Even if they were not the same character, they were homophones and had to be avoided.

The eldest grandson whom Emperor Kangxi loved most in his previous life, who was also the son of the crown prince, was named Hongxi by Emperor Kangxi. It was the same name but with different characters.

So Wenshan was speechless for a moment after hearing this. Why did she like to give her eldest grandson this name so much?

Yinzhi and Yinxiang naturally thought of it as well, and exchanged a glance with a hint of "I knew it."

“I should not refuse a name bestowed by my father, but the character Xi clashes with my father’s reign title, and I’m afraid the child cannot bear it,” Yinzhen said according to custom.

Holding the little guy, Yinzhi thought to himself that this seemed to be a blessed child.

Emperor Kangxi waved his hand dismissively, saying, "What's the harm in that? There's no need to worry about it. I think this name is good, so let's go with it."

Yinzhi said from the side, "Hongxi is a good name. Since it was personally bestowed upon you by Father, Fourth Brother, you shouldn't refuse."

Kangxi held Yi'an and liked her more and more. Although Yi'an had just been born, she was exceptionally well-behaved. Her little hands grabbed Kangxi's clothes randomly and then she smiled with her eyes narrowed.

Looking at his well-behaved and beautiful granddaughter, Emperor Kangxi felt a long-lost joy from the bottom of his heart. This kind of emotion brought about by blood ties is truly wonderful.

“Hongxi and Yi’an are your eldest son and daughter, and they were born today when you were conferred the title of Prince. They are two blessed children.” Kangxi smiled and looked at Yinzhen and said, “How about I add some more joy to your life today? Hongxi will be conferred the title of Prince Yong’s heir, and Yi’an, who should have been conferred the title of Princess, will be conferred the title of Princess Heshuo.”

This did indeed surprise the three of them, including Yinzhen.

Whether Yi'an is a princess or a county princess is not really that important. It's just that it seems a bit too hasty to appoint Hongxi as the heir apparent right after his birth, given Kangxi's usual style.

If Emperor Kangxi truly favored Yinzhen as the next emperor, then this heir apparent would essentially be the crown prince personally appointed by Emperor Kangxi.

Logically speaking, a crown prince should not be appointed now. Yinzhen should be given some room to choose, since he is young and this is his first son. Moreover, he was just born and it is impossible to tell what qualities he has.

Yinzhen, Yinsi, and Yinxiang exchanged glances, both sensing that something was amiss.

Does Father Emperor have other ideas?

“Your Majesty, it’s one thing to bestow the title of Princess upon Yi’an, but Hongxi has just been born and we don’t even know if he can shoulder the responsibilities of a prince. You’re being too hasty,” Wen Shan said as she stepped forward and took Hongxi in her arms.

While Yinzhen and the others found it difficult to speak, Wenshan's words seemed much more natural and reasonable.

Wen Shan didn't think that much about it; she simply felt that Kangxi's decision was a bit hasty, and given Kangxi's previous good judgment of Hongli, well... that was still debatable.

Wen Shan also felt that this would make Hong Xi a target of public criticism at such a young age, since the number of people in Yin Zhen's harem would only increase, which was really inappropriate no matter how she thought about it.

The two babies became uncomfortable after being held for a long time and started to whimper. The wet nurse quickly took them and took them away to breastfeed.

After listening, Kangxi looked at Yinzhen with a half-smile and said, "Yinzhen, what do you think of what your mother said?"

“Mother is worried that this boy will be useless and disappoint Father’s love.” Yinzhen said, “Father, you can decide. Your son will listen to Father.”

Kangxi nodded in satisfaction and said, "Your mother's concerns are not without merit. It is indeed a bit early to establish an heir. Let's leave it at that for now."

Seeing that Kangxi seemed to have had enough and wanted to return to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Wen Shan quickly stopped him.

"Your Majesty, today Empress Fucha suffered a dangerous and hemorrhaging childbirth. It was thanks to the skillful hands of the two female physicians that she was saved. Just now, when I came out, Empress Fucha asked me to ask you for a decree to reward them with something."

Although Emperor Kangxi had never seen what childbirth looked like, he had heard of postpartum hemorrhage. He said that if postpartum hemorrhage occurred during childbirth, nine out of ten women would not survive, and in some severe cases, even the child could not be saved.

"Oh, such a miraculous doctor?" Emperor Kangxi also became interested and asked them to come out and meet him.

The two female doctors had already cleaned themselves of the blood and changed their clothes. They came out of the inner hall, bowed to everyone in the hall, and greeted them.

Emperor Kangxi raised his hand and said, "You have done a good job in saving Prince Yong's wife and child, so there is no need for such formalities."

"I've heard that you are skilled healers from the common people. You look quite young. May I ask your names and where you come from?"

Both female doctors were indeed quite young. The older one looked to be around thirty years old, while the younger one looked to be only in her early twenties. Wen Shan knew from their conversation in the hall that they were a master and apprentice.

"The woman's surname is Wang, and her husband's surname is Xue. They are from Luoyang. This young apprentice's surname is Li, and he is from the capital."

Wen Shan then asked them for their names and learned that the master was named Wang Ying and the apprentice was named Li Huiyan.

Emperor Kangxi looked at the two women with great interest and asked, "Female doctors are rare. Where did the Noble Consort find two such skilled female doctors to enter the palace?"

Yinzhi stood up and said, “Father, ever since I learned that my fourth sister-in-law was pregnant with twins, Mother has been worried about the dangers of childbirth every day. In order to comfort Mother and to ensure the safety of my two nephews, I opened a clinic in the capital. I thought that it might not be convenient for male doctors, so I only accepted female doctors to study gynecological diseases. These two doctors were selected from the clinic and are the most skilled in childbirth.”

"That is indeed a good thing." Kangxi nodded repeatedly. "Whether it is in the palace or among the common people, if childbirth can proceed more smoothly, it will benefit the country and the people."

Population growth was also a matter of great concern to Emperor Kangxi. Ultimately, it was about minimizing the risks during childbirth. Many women died from complications such as difficult labor and postpartum hemorrhage, which would have cost the Qing Dynasty a significant number of lives.

Therefore, when Emperor Kangxi heard that Yinzhi was going to set up a medical clinic specifically for women's ailments, he was very supportive.

Emperor Kangxi was in a fairly good mood today, and after learning about the origins of these two men, he asked them a few more questions.

"From what I've heard, you seem to be married, and your husband's family is in Luoyang. What made you decide to come to the capital to practice medicine?"

At this time, very few married women in the countryside were actually out in public.

Wang Ying replied neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Your Majesty, my husband passed away from illness three years ago. My family was in dire straits, so I brought my children to the capital to seek refuge with relatives."

Having come to the capital, one must find a job to make a living. Wang Ying's father was a barefoot doctor in their village. Although he was highly skilled in medicine, he did not charge for house calls in order to show compassion to the poor. Sometimes he would only charge a portion of the cost of the medicine. As a result, Wang Ying did not live a wealthy life from childhood, but she learned excellent medical skills from her father.

At the same time, I also learned the benevolent heart of a healer who helps people and saves lives.

Emperor Kangxi praised her after hearing this, and then, seeing Li Huiyan standing to the side, he suddenly seemed to remember something.

"Li...is she Li Jingzhong's daughter?"

Li Jingzhong was one of the wealthiest men in the capital. He made his fortune in small businesses in just over a decade and quickly rose to become a well-known merchant in the capital and even throughout the Qing Dynasty.

Although merchants were considered the lowest class among scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, Emperor Kangxi had heard of the Li family's level of business acumen. In particular, when Emperor Kangxi personally led an expedition against the Dzungars, he opened up some official positions for donations to raise military funds. Li Jingzhong donated 100,000 taels of silver to buy his son a seventh-rank county magistrate position.

Li Jingzhong was a clever man. He knew that his son was not very capable and had never studied hard for the imperial examinations. When the opportunity of war came, he seized the chance to spend money to buy an official position for his son. He deliberately did not buy a high-ranking position, but spent a large sum of money. This was also a subtle way of expressing his loyalty to Emperor Kangxi and showing that he was willing to contribute his modest efforts to this expedition.

Such a strange event naturally reached the ears of Emperor Kangxi. Although he had never paid much attention to merchants, he was quite impressed with such a knowledgeable and sensible person.

So Kangxi asked a few more questions about Li Jingzhong. At that time, Liang Jiugong jokingly told an interesting story, saying that Li Jingzhong had a daughter who was originally being carefully raised as a lady of a prestigious family, learning music, chess, calligraphy and painting. But for some reason, this Miss Li suddenly insisted on going to practice medicine, causing a huge commotion with her family, which spread throughout the capital. In the end, Li Jingzhong severed ties with this daughter and kicked her out of the house.

At the time, Emperor Kangxi only took it as a bit of fun and didn't pay much attention to it, but seeing Li Huiyan today reminded him of the matter.

Li Huiyan hadn't expected the Emperor to know about their merchant family, but having severed ties with her father, she didn't know how to respond.

“My daughter’s biological father is indeed Li Jingzhong, but she stopped having any contact with the Li family half a year ago.”

This was the first time Wen Shan had heard of this, and she couldn't help but sigh in her heart, "What a Qing Dynasty Wang Baochuan! Except Wang Baochuan did it for men, while Li Huiyan did it to practice medicine and save lives."

Emperor Kangxi was quite interested in this headstrong and somewhat unconventional girl, and immediately said, "Raise your head."

When meeting the emperor, one cannot look directly at his face, so Wang Ying and Li Huiyan lowered their heads when they spoke, and Kangxi could not see their faces clearly.

Li Huiyan is eighteen years old this year, the prime of her youth. She should have been of marriageable age long ago, but she didn't want to get married and was focused on practicing medicine and saving lives, so she delayed until now. Last year, after she met Wang Ying, she became Wang Ying's apprentice and insisted on practicing medicine with Wang Ying. Li Jingzhong could no longer tolerate it and broke off relations with her in a fit of anger.

Upon hearing this, Wen Shan thought to herself, "This is bad. Could it be that Kangxi has become lustful and taken a fancy to this beautiful young girl?"

"Your appearance is quite decent." Kangxi nodded and said, "Since you are skilled in medicine and have made meritorious contributions in saving lives, why don't I arrange a marriage for you?"

Li Huiyan never expected that Emperor Kangxi would arrange a marriage for her. Naturally, she didn't want to get married, but since the Emperor had spoken, she could only say, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but I am of humble status..."

"You come from a respectable family, and your father did his part in the war against the Dzungars. You have also contributed to the succession of the imperial heir. How about I bestow you upon Prince Chun as a secondary consort?" Kangxi interrupted her.

Prince Chun is the seventh prince who was just conferred the title today.

Wen Shan and Yin Zhen were all taken aback and were quite confused by this inexplicable arranged marriage.

Yinzhen frowned, thinking that although his seventh brother was disabled and his mother's family was not of high status, Li Huiyan was still not qualified to be a concubine, since concubines were to be listed in the imperial genealogy.

Yinxiang was always known for his straightforwardness. Seeing that Li Huiyan did not want to accept the marriage, he immediately said, "Father, although Li Huiyan has done a good job in saving my fourth sister-in-law, her background is too low. I'm afraid she is not suitable to be a concubine."

Yinzhi rarely spoke up, agreeing, "Thirteenth Brother is right. Father, please think it over."

"Li's status is indeed low, but it would be unfair to her to make her a concubine, so I said it was an imperial favor." Kangxi waved his hand and said, "This matter is settled. Yinyou will certainly not mistreat her because of this."

Kangxi's word was law, and once he spoke, it was difficult to take it back. Li Huiyan bit her lip and was about to speak when Wang Ying grabbed her from below. Even though she was extremely unwilling, she could only thank him in a dry voice.

After Emperor Kangxi finished randomly matching couples, he felt relieved and was about to return to the Hall of Mental Cultivation when Wen Shan stopped him.

"Your Majesty, I suppose you haven't had lunch yet. We have prepared your favorite dishes at Xianfu Palace. Would Your Majesty do us the honor of joining us?"

Wen Shan rarely took Kangxi to Xianfu Palace so directly, and Kangxi agreed because he was willing to give her face.

Before leaving, Wen Shan gave Yin Si a wink, and Yin Si understood immediately. He privately told Li Huiyan, who looked visibly depressed, to rest assured that Consort Xuan would try again to see if she could change the Emperor's mind.

Li Huiyan thanked Yinzhi and Wenshan. Yinzhi waved his hand and said, "You have now done a favor for Fourth Brother. My mother and I cannot repay kindness with enmity, can we?"

After listening for a while, Yinxiang saw that Yinsi had finished talking to them, so he immediately stepped forward to ask Wang Ying and Li Huiyan to go to Yanxi Palace to examine Consort Min.

Wang Ying and Li Huiyan would definitely be unable to leave the palace for the next few days and would have to stay in Chonghua Palace, so Yinxiang also thought of taking this opportunity to ask them to see if there was any good way to cure Consort Min's illness.

Wenshan and Kangxi returned to Xianfu Palace. Lunch had indeed been prepared in advance, but it was not for Kangxi. Originally, Wenshan was thinking of having the palace servants bring it over after Yinzhen and the others returned to Chonghua Palace so that everyone would have something to eat so they wouldn't go hungry.

Now the only option is to let Emperor Kangxi benefit.

Wen Shan clearly had something to say to Kangxi. Kangxi, having spent so many years with Wen Shan, naturally knew this. After lunch, he asked, "You've been looking worried since you came back. What's on your mind?"

Wen Shan put down her chopsticks: "Your Majesty, I know that you betrothed Miss Li to Prince Chun because you wanted to have someone knowledgeable in medicine by his side to take care of her. However, Miss Li had already fallen out with her family because she did not want to get married. Now that she has done a favor for Yinzhen, I have no choice but to beg Your Majesty to rescind your decree."

Kangxi picked up a handkerchief, wiped his hands, and looked up at her.

“I knew you understood what I meant, and since you understand, you shouldn’t stop me.”

Wen Shan sighed: "I know Your Majesty is saddened by the passing of the Eleventh Prince, and I understand that you are worried about Prince Chun, who is also unwell. However, it is best not to force matters of marriage. If we are betrothed, we fear that we will end up as a couple who are at odds with each other."

"If Your Majesty truly wishes to have someone take care of Prince Chun, you might as well place a few more doctors around him, or select another girl who understands medicine and is willing to enter the household."

Kangxi stared at her, thinking to himself, "Where else could I find such a suitable girl?"

Daughters from ordinary wealthy families rarely study medicine. Nowadays, most women who practice medicine and save lives come from ordinary families. It is extremely rare for someone like Li Huiyan to come from a wealthy family. Fortunately, her father has done his best for the country, and she herself saved Lady Fucha. Considering all these factors, Kangxi felt that she was a good candidate to be betrothed to Yinyou.

It's probably going to be hard to find someone like that again.

However, Wen Shan's words also made sense. Lady Li had been kind to Yin Zhen and did not want to marry. Wen Shan was also speaking up for her, so it was indeed inappropriate to force her to be given to Yin You.

So Kangxi rinsed his mouth and said, "Alright, since you've brought it up, I can't very well refuse. Let's call off the marriage for now and just give them some gold and silver."

Wen Shan breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, Kangxi was relatively easy to talk to today.

The mere mention of the eleventh prince inevitably plunged Emperor Kangxi into grief. This son died during his personal campaign, and he did not see him one last time. By the time he returned, the eleventh prince had already been buried.

Not many people even mentioned the eleventh prince in front of him.

"I haven't been to Yikun Palace since I returned to the palace," Kangxi said with a self-deprecating laugh. "Fortunately, no one has mentioned Yinzhi."

Wen Shan thought to herself, "Who would dare to bring this up?"

The death of the eleventh prince was a funeral, and it had already been held. Now that Kangxi had returned victoriously to the capital, it was a joyous occasion, so naturally no one dared to mention it.

Moreover, with the Crown Prince's rebellion looming ahead, naturally even fewer people paid attention to the Eleventh Prince.

“His Majesty has the heart of a loving father; the Eleventh Prince can rest in peace now,” Wen Shan said softly.

"Alright, I'll go see Consort Yi tonight. Let's not talk about this now." Kangxi waved his hand and then asked, "I heard that Consort Min is also bedridden?"

Although Emperor Kangxi was not in the palace, he was still well-informed and naturally knew about what had happened that night.

In a way, Wen Shan was one of the victims, since the Fourteenth Prince was trying to harm her through the Fifth Princess.

Wen Shan nodded: "Consort Min's health is deteriorating day by day, and Yinxiang visits her every day."

"Wen Xian is not young anymore. I have already found a few suitable young men from Khorchin for her. After discussing it with the Empress Dowager in a few days, I will arrange a marriage for her."

Emperor Kangxi thought that the Fifth Princess was in a very awkward position in the palace, so he might as well marry her off as soon as possible.

The Fifth Princess was one of the few princesses who did not receive the title of "Princess of the Mongols." She married Shun'an Yan, the son of Tong Guowei. In addition to Emperor Kangxi's love for this daughter, the Fifth Princess was also raised by the Empress Dowager, who loved her just as much as the Fifth Prince. Naturally, the Empress Dowager wanted to keep this granddaughter in the capital.

However, there really isn't anyone who can help the Fifth Princess these days.

"Moreover, I thought that since the princes have all been granted titles, why not also promote the ranks of the women in the harem, so as to dispel the bad luck of these past few days," Kangxi said.

Wen Shan naturally agreed. There hadn't been any changes in rank within the palace for several years, but frankly, the number of people who could be moved was limited.

Emperor Kangxi kept Wenshan in suspense, saying that the imperial decree would be issued that evening and he would not tell her yet.

Wen Shan: "..."

What's so hard to guess? Apart from Consort Tong, who might be promoted to Imperial Noble Consort, the others in the Consort rank should remain unchanged. It's also unlikely that anyone in the Concubine rank will be promoted to Consort. At most, Consort Min will be promoted to Consort due to her illness and the joy of the occasion, and Consort Mi will be promoted to Consort because of her favor with the Emperor over the years and the birth of two princes. The rest will be those who are at the level of Noble Lady or something similar and will be promoted one rank.

When the imperial edicts came down that evening, most of them were roughly in line with Wen Shan's predictions.

Consort Tong was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort, and the positions of Consort Tong and Consort De became vacant, so Consort Min and Consort Mi were promoted to the rank of Consort.

What surprised Wen Shan the most was that she was also promoted.

She was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort.