He Xue changed her sitting position, and Emperor Jingning, seeing this, placed a backrest behind her. "Is this better? Is your back hurting again?"

"It's nothing, I'm just a little tired from sitting, I'll move around a bit!" He Xue said, because she was particularly prone to getting tired this time due to her third pregnancy.

He Xue continued speaking to Emperor Jingning: "Today, Consort Yi also came to the palace, saying that it's time for the Eleventh Prince to get married!"

Not only the eleventh prince, but also the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth princes have reached marriageable age!

"Are they getting married?" Emperor Jingning asked in surprise.

“Yes, we’ve been married for almost ten years!” He Xue exclaimed. She had been in the Qing Dynasty for over twenty years.

“You’re still the same as when we first got married!” Emperor Jingning said, looking at He Xue’s face.

"Because I am very happy! Marrying the Crown Prince is truly a blessing!" He Xue said to Emperor Jingning, and for a moment she used the same address she had used before.

"You married me, how could I let you be unhappy!" Emperor Jingning said affectionately.

"I also want to thank my Crown Prince brother for being willing to wait for me to grow up!" He Xue was very fortunate to have met Emperor Jingning.

"I raised you, so of course I'll continue to take care of you for the rest of my life!" Emperor Jingning said, stroking He Xue's hair as he always did.

"By the way, news came from Shengjing: one of the Eighth Prince's concubines gave birth to his eldest son. The Eighth Prince wanted the Emperor to name the child, but the Emperor did not agree."

I named the child 'Hongwang,' hoping that my eighth brother's descendants would prosper in the future.

He Xue was surprised that the Eighth Prince's son was still named Hongwang. "Did Father Emperor say what to do with that child?" She had heard Kangxi say before that the Eighth Prince's child would be sent back to the capital to be raised.

Now that Tana is staying in the capital to guard the Eighth Prince's residence, she'll probably live out the rest of her life like this. It's good to have a child by her side, but it's a hardship for that child to be separated from his birth mother from a young age.

"Father Emperor said that after the baby's full moon celebration, the child should be sent back to the capital and raised under the name of the Eighth Prince's Consort!"

"Your Majesty, the weather is still quite cool. The journey from Shengjing to the capital is long. Why not let that child stay with his mother for a few more days?" Now that He Xue has a child, she can naturally understand the pain of separation between mother and child.

"Alright, let's talk about it when the weather gets warmer!" Emperor Jingning agreed, knowing that Xue Xin was kind-hearted.

The next day, Emperor Jingning announced the selection of candidates for the imperial concubine selection during the morning court session.

Some courtiers exclaimed, "Your Majesty is wise! Your Majesty is sagacious!"

They felt that Emperor Jingning had finally figured it out: how could the entire harem only have the Empress?

Now that the Empress is pregnant, the daughters or sisters in their family have a chance, and they might even be able to gain Emperor Jingning's favor!

The eldest prince, the third prince, and the fourth prince all looked at Emperor Jingning. They knew that Emperor Kangxi had spoken to Emperor Jingning yesterday. Could it be that Emperor Jingning was forced to select candidates because of pressure from Emperor Kangxi?

Jing Shu pulled Shu Yi back and shook his head at him.

Jing Shu felt that Emperor Jingning had something left unsaid. Didn't he see that Emperor Jingning was looking at that group of smug people with a mocking expression?

When Longkodo saw Jing Shu stop Shu Yi, he breathed a sigh of relief. Shu Yi was still too impulsive.

Longkodo was thankful that Suhetai wasn't there today, otherwise who knows what kind of uproar it would have caused!

"This selection of consorts is mainly for the marriage of members of the imperial family; no new women will be added to my harem!" Emperor Jingning said.

Emperor Jingning's words were like a drop of water falling into a hot oil pan, instantly turning the entire court into a bustling marketplace.