Consort Tong's surprise lasted only a moment before she calmly said, "Eunuch Su, please rise. Why hasn't His Majesty come over?"

Liang Jiugong explained, "Unfortunately, His Majesty just received a secret report and needs to deal with it quickly. He was worried about Consort Shu, so he sent this servant to keep an eye on her. It is thanks to Consort Shu for taking the trouble to watch over her."

Consort Tong wanted to say that she didn't want to stay overnight either. It was late at night, the weather was quite cold, and a child isn't something that can be born just like that; she might have to wait all night!

But since she was a concubine, she really couldn't do without this.

Consort Tong: "As a consort, it is my duty to take care of the concubines."

After exchanging pleasantries, Liang Jiugong went to find Eunuch Xi of Changchun Palace to find out the specific situation. In short, everything was going smoothly in the delivery room.

Anning was in so much pain in Changchun Palace that she wanted to kill someone, and Kangxi was in so much pain in Qianqing Palace that he also wanted to kill someone.

It hurts so much!!!

Anning was well cared for, and the baby was in the correct position. Emperor Kangxi secretly investigated the ancestors of the midwife for eighteen generations to ensure that there would be no problems.

Two imperial physicians skilled in gynecology stood guard outside the delivery room, while inside, a skilled nanny named Ulan kept watch.

Anning gave birth in the middle of the night.

Upon hearing this, the pain in his lower body made Kangxi feel that he would never love again in his life.

Seriously, it's a physical pain in my testicles! It's a pain that no human being could bear.

It was at this moment that Kangxi truly understood the difficulty of childbirth for women. His first reaction was not to understand the difficulties women faced, but to feel fortunate that he was born a man.

It can only be said that Emperor Kangxi was a capable man, but he certainly didn't respect women enough.

A feudal emperor is destined not to be considerate of others; his position dictates that he needs others to be considerate and tolerant of him throughout his life.

In Changchun Palace, the delivery room opened, and Granny Wulan came out carrying the baby to announce the good news: "Consort Shu has given birth to a little prince, and the little prince is very healthy."

Consort Tong looked at the baby crying loudly in the swaddling clothes. The baby did look healthy, which made her feel a little envious. It was a pity that she was destined not to have her own child.

"Consort Shu, you've worked hard. It's getting late, so I'll head back now. The reward will be sent to you tomorrow."

The crowd said, "Respectfully seeing off the Imperial Concubine."

Before this, many concubines had come to Changchun Palace to "watch the excitement." As it grew darker and Emperor Kangxi did not come, the Imperial Concubine sent them all away. Now that the Imperial Concubine was gone, Changchun Palace became much quieter.

Liang Jiugong then spoke up: "Granny Wulan, I've come to see the Sixteenth Prince. I still need to return to the Qianqing Palace to report to the Emperor later!"

Granny Wulan carefully handed the child to Liang Jiugong. Liang Jiugong looked at the Sixteenth Prince and couldn't help but exclaim with delight, "The Sixteenth Prince is well-cared for. His skin is so smooth right after birth. He will definitely grow up to be a handsome prince."

Of course, this smoothness is relative; it doesn't mean his skin is as smooth as a newborn baby's, just that it's not as wrinkled as a typical child's.

Granny Wulan nodded with a smile: "Both the Emperor and Consort Shu are beautiful, and the little prince has inherited the best features from the Emperor and Consort, so naturally he is very handsome."

After the two praised the young prince, Liang Jiugong remembered that there was another master in the Qianqing Palace, so he quickly took his leave.

Anning in the delivery room was not as disheveled as one might expect; in fact, she was still conscious and called for Granny Wulan to bring the baby in, as she wanted to see the child.

Anning: "Granny, let me hold the baby! I only glanced at him just now, and I haven't held him yet!"

Granny Wulan said, "Your Majesty has just given birth and should rest well. You shouldn't overexert yourself during your postpartum period. Holding a baby is too tiring."

Upon hearing this, An Ning did not continue to ask to hold the child, but still said, "Granny, bring him here so I can take a good look at him."

Ulan Granny naturally wouldn't refuse this request, and brought the child closer for her to see.

The child wasn't particularly good-looking, but Anning suddenly felt at ease, because she had a child of blood in this dynasty.

This child embodies her yearning for freedom and her hopes for the future. For a moment, Anning was both happy and confused. After a long while, she heard the child crying and came back to her senses. She hurriedly asked, "What's wrong with him?"

"He must be hungry. I'll take the little prince to breastfeed him."

An Ning breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you for your trouble, Granny."

She didn't mention that she would breastfeed, which is unscientific. It's impractical for concubines to breastfeed their children. Not only would they have too many dietary restrictions, but it would also affect their ability to serve the emperor after the confinement period.

Anning didn't think there was anything wrong with not feeding the animals herself.

After the child was taken away, Anning finally felt tired and her eyelids closed involuntarily.

When Liang Jiugong returned to the Qianqing Palace, he saw Emperor Kangxi lying in bed. How can one describe his state?

Half-dead, I guess!

When Kangxi saw Liang Jiugong return, he could tell from his expression that everything was going well at Changchun Palace, but he still asked, "How is Consort Shu? Did she give birth to a prince or a princess?"

Liang Jiugong: "Your Majesty, Consort Shu is doing well. She has given birth to a healthy little prince."

Kangxi nodded: "That's good. Prepare hot water, I want to take a bath."

It hurt so much that he was sweating profusely. His body was covered in sweat, which made the fastidious Emperor Kangxi feel very uncomfortable. But he was in so much pain that he was afraid of falling while taking a bath alone.

He didn't want too many people to notice his discomfort, since the imperial physicians probably wouldn't be able to find anything wrong. If too many people were alerted, Kangxi was afraid that people would suspect something was amiss, so he simply endured it. Now that Liang Jiugong had returned, Kangxi no longer needed to endure it.

Liang Jiugong immediately went to prepare.

The next day, despite feeling unwell, Emperor Kangxi attended the morning court session. Hearing the endless clamor from his officials below, he was so angry that he wanted to kill them, but he managed to restrain himself.

Then, for a long time afterward, the court officials found that Kangxi became easily angered, finding fault with everything, and would be criticized for even the slightest mistake.

For a time, the efficiency and quality of the court officials' work improved.

It can be said that Kangxi's return to court during his postpartum period was a difficult experience for him, and he didn't want others to feel comfortable either.

Compared to Emperor Kangxi, who was unwell and still had to work, Empress Anning was much more comfortable during her postpartum confinement.

It's certain that she's not feeling well, but she's not busy, and everyone around her goes along with her. The child is also well-behaved, doesn't cry much, and doesn't need her constant care. When she has a spare moment, she lets the wet nurse hold her and play with her.

I spend most of my time reading.

She reads a wide variety of books. During her postpartum period, she read history books and was able to get into them, mainly because there were not many entertainment activities in ancient times. Gradually, she also found some enjoyment in reading history books.

Because Emperor Kangxi was unwell and could not reveal it, he did not visit the inner palace during his confinement period in Anning.

In other words, from the time Anning gave birth until she finished her postpartum confinement, Emperor Kangxi did not visit Changchun Palace even once.

Although the Emperor's Palace kept bestowing gifts, the Emperor's birth was always accompanied by a constant stream of gifts. The concubines in the harem were secretly wondering if Anning was about to fall out of favor.

It's not impossible, otherwise how would you explain why Kangxi didn't go to Changchun Palace? That's not the treatment one would expect from a favored concubine.

An Ning had her own guesses about why Kangxi wasn't coming, so she wasn't worried. She remained calm, and so did the people around her.

Changchun Palace is still the same Changchun Palace.