Chapter 84: The Ninth Prince is a Troublemaker

Not only the memorials that Xuanye needed to review were sent to the southern suburbs, but also the two little girls, the Fourth Princess and the Fifth Prince.

The two little guys had been told by Aunt Xiao Tao that their mother was not feeling well, so when they entered the warm room, they deliberately lowered their voices for fear of disturbing their mother's rest.

At that time, Xiu Yu was leaning against a beauty chair, reading a book, her long hair hanging down her back. Her complexion had improved significantly compared to a few days ago. Seeing Ke Jing and Yin Qi, Xiu Yu's eyes were filled with surprise. "Why are you two here?"

Kejing and Yinqi walked to the bedside and politely bowed to Xiuyu. Then, Kejing stepped forward and held Xiuyu's hand first. "Mother, Aunt Tao said you were sick. Are you feeling unwell?"

Yinqi stood beside his fourth sister, his eyes full of concern: "Aunt Tao said that we can come to see mother, but we can't disturb her rest."

Xiu Yu touched the backs of the two children's heads and smiled sweetly, "Mother is fine now, but what about your studies if you two come here? Or should you go back tomorrow?"

"Let Feng Heng and the others teach the subjects. After all, their academic performance is the best among all the princes and princesses in the harem. It won't be a problem even if they take a break for two months." The speaker was Xuanye, who followed Kejing and Yinqi into the room.

Xiu Yu had already received the order that he did not need to stand up to greet the guests. At this moment, the four people in the warm room were like a family of four, with the father and mother sitting on the couch and the two children standing on the ground listening to the lecture.

Xiu Yu said, "Since your Khan Ama has said so, then you should stay in the southern suburbs. If Feng Heng and the others are not available, Mother will teach you herself."

"That's great!" Kejing and Yinqi said almost in unison.

Xuanye's face darkened: "Your mother is still sick, what good is there!"

As a boy, Yinqi was not good at acting like a spoiled child to his father. The one who acted like a spoiled child was naturally the fourth princess, Kejing. "How about, father, teach us? How about you teach us horseback riding and archery?"

Xuanye usually doted on Kejing, but this time he deliberately darkened his expression: "You mean, Father can only teach you horseback riding and archery? And not math?"

"Of course it can be taught." There was still some hesitation in Kejing's words. After all, he and Yinqi were taught arithmetic by Xiu Yu. Although the level of his mother and father could not be said out loud, it was also obvious.

Xuanye himself was very clear about the level of his and Xiuyu's knowledge of Western learning, and he no longer had to compete with Xiuyu on this matter. However, the imperial physician said that Xiuyu needed to take good care of herself. In order to minimize Xiuyu's work, Xuanye planned to take his two children to the training ground to practice horse riding and archery more often.

So, after Kejing and Yinqi had just learned One Page of Book from Xiuyu, Xuanye rushed in and took the two children to the training ground on the grounds that the two children were young and could not always sit and study.

In the warm room, Xiu Yu put down the math book she'd written for Ke Jing and Yin Qi and picked up another chess manual. Before she'd even looked at a few moves, she looked up and asked Xiao Tao, "Has our emperor changed his temperament since arriving in the southern suburbs? Back in the palace, didn't he always complain that Ke Jing was lazy and not working hard enough?"

Xiao Tao sat at the end of the bed, rubbing Xiu Yu's calf and laughing, "The Emperor still cares about his mistress. After all, our Fourth Princess and Fifth Prince are quite clever. Even if they've been playing in the southern suburbs for the past two or three months, I'm afraid the other princes won't be able to catch up with them when they return to the Forbidden City."

When Xiuyu was educating Kejing and Yinqi, she hadn't given any thought to the other princes. She simply followed her own plan, writing a beginner's education textbook step by step. But now it seems that while she didn't force their progress, she was a little too far ahead of the times. Thinking of this, Xiuyu focused on the chess records and casually said, "Let them play in the southern suburbs for two months. I'm a little tired, so I won't teach them for these two months."

Xiao Tao also knew what her master was thinking. She sat forward and began to massage Xiu Yu's thighs: "So, I am also taking the princess and the prince to play?"

"Let's play." Xiu Yu looked up at Xiao Tao and said, "Take out all the picture albums you prepared and look at them with them."

With Xiuyu's intentional, free-range care, Kejing and Yinqi enjoyed two truly blissful months. Xuanye feared the little ones might misbehave and disrupt Xiuyu's self-discipline, so whenever he had free time, he took the children horseback riding and archery. He had chosen the two ponies specifically for them. It was summer, and the constant running around outside naturally darkened the skin of the once delicate little creatures by several shades. By the time Xiuyu was about to give birth, the two little ones had already developed a tan.

By August, the ice stored in the cellar in the southern suburbs had already been used. Xiao Tao made iced fruits. After the horse racing, the two little guys, Kejing and Yinqi, finished running and ran back to their mother's land, one after the other. They saw their mother sitting in a rocking chair under the eaves, rocking back and forth.

Kejing ran to Xiuyu first and picked up the iced tea with a signature on it that was placed on the tea table. He didn't eat it himself, but gave it to Yinqi who followed closely behind him.

Xiu Yu said, "You two little heads are covered in sweat. Why don't you drink water first and eat ice watermelon after coming back?"

Kejing stuck out her tongue, snatched back the signature from Yinqi's hand, put it back into the fruit box, then took Yinqi's little hand, sat down next to Xiuyu, and began to rock back and forth in the rocking chair.

Xiao Tao brought two cups of warm water to the two young masters, then picked up a round fan and gently waved it for Xiu Yu.

"Mother," said Yinqi, "today, my son was able to hit the bull's eye during archery practice. Father praised him for his steady hands at such a young age. He will definitely become Baturu of the Qing Dynasty in the future!"

"Why, Yinqi, do you want to be Baturu?" Xiu Yu asked casually. Today she always felt a little heavy and not in a very good mood.

"Not really." Yin Qi finished his water and was finally able to eat the ice watermelon. "Actually, my son still prefers watching Master Feng Heng and the others make firearms."

Xiu Yu smiled and gently patted the back of Yin Qi's head with the round fan in her hand: "You? Do you understand?"

"Hehe." Yin Qi chuckled: "I don't understand it now, but Master Feng Heng said that my son will be able to understand it in the future."

"Yeah." Xiu Yu responded, but her brows furrowed slightly, and her waist began to ache. The feeling she had almost forgotten returned. She instructed Xiao Tao: "Go, take Ke Jing and Yin Qi to look at the album."

Xiao Tao noticed that Xiu Yu's face looked strange. She knew her master might be having a fit, so she said to Ke Jing and Yin Qi, "Princess, prince, would you like to go look at the picture album first? Auntie, can you help your mother go in and rest?"

Kejing was more sensible. She pulled Yinqi up from the rocking chair and said, "Aunt, my fifth brother and I will help you to help mother in."

Xiu Yu could still bear it. She forced a smile and let Xiao Tao and the two children help her into the warm room.

Xiao Tao ordered the fastest guard to call the midwife. After finally settling Kejing and Yinqi, he returned to Xiuyu, washed the handkerchief, and wiped the cold sweat from Xiuyu's forehead.

Although Kejing and Yinqi are small, they are little adults and they both know what happened to their mother.

Yinqi said, "Fourth sister, let's go see mother."

Ke Jing also nodded: "Aunt Tao will definitely not allow us to go in, so why don't we go guard in front of Mother's door?"

Yinqi nodded.

When the two little children returned to the door of Xiuyu Warm Pavilion, Xuanye also got the news and rushed over. He sat on the couch, beckoned the two children to sit next to him, and then comforted them softly: "It's okay, mother, we will wait here together."

"Father, your palms are sweating." Ke Jing wiped the sweat off Xuanye's palms with her handkerchief: "We are not afraid, and neither is Father."

Xuanye was nervous. Although Xiu Yu had been well-prepared for two months, the accompanying imperial physician could not guarantee that she would be able to give birth safely and smoothly, so this trip was still dangerous.

Until the sun set and the moon rose, no baby's crying was heard from the warm room.

Xuanye walked back and forth in front of the warm room door, his clenched fists becoming tighter and tighter.

Inside the warm room, the midwives' faces were filled with embarrassment.

The one kneeling at the foot of the bed said, "Sister Wu, it's time, but the child hasn't come down yet. If we delay any longer, Master Yi might run out of strength."

Nanny Wu, who was kneeling in the middle of the bed, frowned tightly and ordered the one kneeling beside the bed, "Go and tell the imperial physician about the master's condition. Ask the imperial physician to ask the emperor whether to use medicine."

The man kneeling beside the bed naturally knew that the situation was urgent. He almost ran behind the screen in his shoes and explained Xiu Yu's current situation to the accompanying imperial physician.

The accompanying imperial physician had anticipated this situation. He first instructed his apprentice to light a fire and boil the herbs he had personally prepared. Then, he left the warm room, knelt before Xuanye, and said, "Your Majesty, I dare to ask Master Yi for a decoction to induce labor."

"Induce labor?" Xuanye still remembered that before Yinreng was born, the Imperial Hospital Director had also used drugs to induce labor. He was extremely reluctant: "I want you to keep Master Yi safe."

The imperial physician bravely said, "Only after Master Yi gives birth to the little prince can I find a way to keep Master Yi safe. Now, please allow me to use the medicine, Your Majesty."

Xuanye said coldly, "I don't care what you use. I want Yu'er to be safe. There can't be any mistakes."

A cold sweat broke out on the imperial physician's back, and he finally kowtowed and said, "I obey your command."

After drinking a bowl of medicine, Xiu Yu's originally confused mind gradually became clear, and her stomach started to hurt again. Soon it hurt so much that she bit her lips.

Nanny Wu immediately said to Xiao Tao, "Miss Tao, quickly put the handkerchief into Master Yi's mouth."

Xiao Tao followed Aunt Wu's instructions and stuffed a large handkerchief into Xiu Yu's mouth.

The sheets beneath Xiu Yu were already soaked with blood. She faintly heard the maid kneeling at the foot of the bed shouting, "Master Yi, push harder, it's almost there, it's almost there." But not long after, she heard the maid shout again, "It's terrible, the little prince's feet are coming out first."