Chapter 148 Birth

The New Year's Eve banquet in the thirteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign was not particularly lively. Since Wu Sangui's rebellion against the Qing Dynasty in November of the previous year, the atmosphere in the court had been far from pleasant. Therefore, even on such a significant occasion as the New Year, there was little joy.

That night, with Empress Heseri's comforting words, Emperor Kangxi finally managed a smile, and the two slept together in the Kunning Palace.

Inside the Cining Palace, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, persuaded by Su Ma, had just stepped out of the Buddhist hall and, with a furrowed brow and worried about the situation, drifted off to sleep.

That same night, in their dreams, the three of them saw a six-tusked white elephant carrying a delicately carved baby with a touch of vermilion between its brows. The baby's smiling face filled them with joy and affection.

The frown that had been bothering me about the current situation gradually relaxed, and after a good night's sleep, I felt refreshed and extremely comfortable.

At breakfast, Kangxi was about to share his dream with his beloved wife when he noticed that Empress Hesheli was vomiting incessantly. He quickly summoned the imperial physician to treat her, only to receive the good news that the Empress was three months pregnant.

Emperor Kangxi was overjoyed and couldn't help but think of his dream from the previous night. With tears in her eyes, Empress Hesheli touched the little life growing inside her and told Emperor Kangxi that the white elephant in her dream was a pregnancy dream.

When the two got together, they discovered they had the same dream, which made them even more excited about this pregnancy.

When the Empress Dowager recounted the same dream, the two most esteemed figures in the palace, grandmother and granddaughter, took the Empress's pregnancy extremely seriously.

Not only did he increase the number of people protecting the Empress, but Kangxi also spent almost every day by her side. The concubines in the palace were envious and jealous, but they could only silently endure it because they found that even the Empress Dowager, who was always wary of his exclusive favor, did not speak up.

If so, Kangxi's initial emphasis on this child stemmed from a miraculous dream about the child's birth. Because of his status as the legitimate son, and with each passing day spent with his wife, watching her endure the various discomforts of pregnancy for the child's sake, and seeing her belly gradually grow, Kangxi's affection for Empress Hesheri and the child deepened.

When he first felt the baby move, it was as if the child was greeting him through the mother's belly, and Kangxi couldn't help but tear up.

Although the child had not yet been born, at this moment, Emperor Kangxi seemed to empathize with the feelings his father had when he said "my first son".

From then on, Emperor Kangxi visited the Kunning Palace even more frequently. If he missed the little one's movements even once, he would be disappointed for the entire day. But if he happened to catch the little one's movements, he would be so happy that he wouldn't even be angry when he saw news of Wu Sangui.

His heart was overflowing with paternal love, and this continued until June 5th of the thirteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign.

On this day, Emperor Kangxi was handling state affairs in the Qianqing Palace, thinking of having lunch with the Empress, when he saw Liang Jiugong looking unwell and rushing over to report that the Empress had given birth prematurely.

Because he was concerned about the Empress's pregnancy, Kangxi learned a lot about gynecology from the imperial physicians. The phrase "seven months to live, eight months to die" suddenly popped into his mind, and for a moment, Kangxi's legs went weak and he couldn't stand up.

He refused the help of those around him, disregarding all imperial etiquette and image, and rushed all the way to Kunning Palace.

"Your Majesty, push harder..."

"ah--"

Inside the delivery room, Hesheli's hair was already soaked with sweat. Under the midwife's guidance, she endured the pain and pushed, but gradually lost her strength, and her life force dwindled.

"Your Majesty, you can't sleep!"

The commotion coming from the delivery room made Kangxi want to rush in, but he was stopped by the people around him.

"Emperor! You'll only cause trouble if you go in!" Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang was also worried, but she couldn't let Kangxi go in no matter what. "Su Ma, you go."

Watching Su Ma La Gu enter the delivery room, Kangxi was finally calmed down. Hearing his wife's cries of pain, he couldn't calm down and paced back and forth in the courtyard.

Looking at the group of flamboyant concubines, he felt annoyed no matter how he looked at them, so he waved his hand and sent them all back.

They waited from day to night, and no matter how much Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang tried to persuade him, Emperor Kangxi refused to leave. Similarly, no matter how much Emperor Kangxi tried to appease her, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang was unwilling to leave.

As dawn broke, the first rays of sunlight fell upon the eaves of Kunning Palace, and to everyone's astonishment, they transformed into a halo that enveloped the birthing room where Hesheli was, radiating a warm and mysterious soft light.

The palace servants knelt down and couldn't help but shout "miracle!"

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang and Emperor Kangxi exchanged a glance, but before they could say anything, the sound of a newborn crying came from the delivery room.

"It's born! It's born!"

Joyful sounds reached outside, and Kangxi got up and eagerly went to the door.

Soon, the delivery room door opened, and Su Mala Gu walked out with a smile, holding a golden swaddled baby. "Congratulations, Your Majesty, congratulations, Empress Dowager! Her Majesty the Empress has given birth to a little prince."

"Haha, great!"

Emperor Kangxi laughed heartily, looking at the baby in swaddling clothes with eyes closed and a faint pink mole between his eyebrows, and felt a surge of affection in his heart.

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's first reaction was that this was indeed a divine child sent by the Eternal Heaven. But Emperor Kangxi's first reaction was that this was his and Empress Heseri's beloved son, his "first son".

"How is the Empress?"

Before Kangxi could finish speaking, a terrified scream suddenly came from the delivery room: "Oh no! Her Majesty has suffered a postpartum hemorrhage!"

Kangxi's vision went black, and ignoring everyone's attempts to stop him, he rushed inside.

Looking at Empress Hesheli lying on the bed, barely clinging to life, Emperor Kangxi couldn't help but shed tears and sternly ordered the imperial physicians to treat her.

"Your Majesty...wants to see...the child..."

"good."

Kangxi wiped his face and realized that he was already in tears. Breaking the Manchu custom of holding grandchildren but not children, he directly held the child in his arms and carefully placed him next to Hesheli's bed.

The others quietly left on Xiaozhuang's orders, leaving the family of three to their own devices.

Hesheli looked at the tiny baby in the swaddling clothes beside her and managed a weak smile. This was her child, but sadly she could no longer accompany him. She was too tired; she had to go find her Chenghu.

Perhaps sensing her mother's sadness, the baby in the swaddling clothes opened her eyes. Usually, a newborn's eyes are blurry and she can't see clearly.

But the child's eyes were exceptionally clear, so clear that it seemed to see her grievances, her exhaustion, and her torment.

Seeing this, Hesheli couldn't help but feel heartbroken, but then she felt a surge of courage to fight for her youngest son's life.

"emperor……"

“I’m here.” Kangxi quickly took her hand.

"Let...the imperial physician prescribe medicine...I cannot, I cannot...die today..."

Losing her mother is pitiful enough; we can't let her child bear the stigma of being "born to bring misfortune to her mother."

"No... Jing Shu, you'll be alright..." Kangxi choked up, unsure whether he was trying to convince himself or Hesheli Jing Shu.

Hearing her own name again after so long, Hesheli Jingshu was momentarily dazed, but still managed a faint smile as she insisted, "Xuan Ye... please... prescribe the medicine."

Emperor Kangxi nodded with tears in his eyes.

Finally, the imperial physician prescribed a potent medicine that could prolong Hesheli's life by a few more days. But the price was that she would suffer excruciating pain every moment.

Hesheli Jingshu endured for seven days, and after a final, wistful look at her youngest son, she turned to Kangxi, who had been watching over her for seven days and looked haggard.

"Xuan Ye... Jing Shu can't be with you anymore... From now on, let our children be with you in my place..."

“Jing Shu…”

She could no longer hear what Kangxi was crying out in pain; her soul began to drift away. In this moment of truly experiencing death, she was actually at ease.

She married the emperor at the age of 11, and for ten years she was the empress, of the Hesheli clan, but only after her death did she finally become Jing Shu again.

"A quiet and beautiful maiden awaits me at the city corner." In her next life, she doesn't want to be an empress, nor does she want to be the virtuous and beautiful maiden. She'll just be a gust of wind, wandering freely between heaven and earth.