Chapter 68 (None)

Yuan Changsheng was keen and alert. He noticed Jiang Ling's scrutiny and, taking advantage of getting up and the cover of night, glanced over discreetly.

Jiang Ling suddenly felt a chill, as if he had encountered a lurking beast in the night. Those eyes were as still as a deep well, cold and calculating as they scrutinized their prey.

However, Jiang Ling's discomfort was fleeting, and Yuan Changsheng quickly nodded in greeting. A smile appeared on his handsome face, like a tree full of blossoms in spring, pure white and beautiful.

Emperor Yuanming had already entered through the gate, and Yuan Changsheng had led his guards away. Jiang Ling secretly let out a breath, suppressing his emotions, and followed him inside.

Consort Zhuang lived in the main house of Huaqing Pavilion, where four other lower-ranking concubines originally lived with her. After she became pregnant, Emperor Yuanming ordered the other two to move out so that Consort Zhuang could have a quiet place to rest during her pregnancy.

Two noble ladies came out to greet her, and Yingying curtsied and said, "Your Majesty, I greet you, Consort Shu."

Emperor Yuanming glanced at them and asked, "What are you doing here?"

One of them stepped forward and replied, “Your Majesty, I came to the main house to keep watch over Sister Zhuang after she fell ill. I don’t think I can be of much help, but I can do my part by running errands and lending a hand. I’m just doing my bit and not letting down Sister Zhuang’s usual concern for me.”

There were many concubines in the harem, and Jiang Ling rarely went out, so he didn't recognize the two people. The person speaking was dressed in a bright green palace dress, and her appearance was as fresh and lively as a tender bud in spring. She was about fifteen or sixteen years old, and she was charming and beautiful.

The other person was about the same age. She was dressed in a light purple palace dress, had a slightly plump figure, and a round face that made her look charming and innocent.

Emperor Yuanming grunted and said, "You are all quite sensible. Go and rest."

The two women curtsied and took their leave. Emperor Yuanming looked at them for a moment, then said to Jiang Ling, "Go inside and take a look. I'll be waiting in the house."

Jiang Ling agreed and followed Yun Hui into the delivery room. As soon as they entered, a strong smell of fish mixed with the smell of medicine hit them, almost making Jiang Ling stumble.

"My lady, Consort Shu has arrived," Yun Hui whispered as she approached the delivery bed.

Gao Meiren, her eyes slightly closed, leaned weakly against the mattress. Hearing the sound, she opened her eyes and, supporting herself with her hands, tried to get up to greet him.

"Be careful, beauty." Yun Hui and another maidservant, Yun Xia, quickly helped Gao Meiren up.

Jiang Ling could no longer hold back and could only breathe a sigh of relief, saying, "Madam Zhuang is in poor health, there's no need for such formalities, please lie down and rest."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Zhuang Meiren replied in a barely audible voice, then lay back down on the mattress with the help of Yun Hui and Yun Xia. The brief movement left Zhuang Meiren exhausted, and she gasped for breath several times as she lay there.

The doors and windows of the delivery room were tightly closed, and the smell inside was unbearable. Jiang Ling wanted to ask someone to open them to let in some fresh air. But after a moment's thought, she held back and asked, "May I ask what business Consort Zhuang has with me?"

Consort Zhuang reached out and placed her hand on Yun Hui and Yun Xia's arms, saying anxiously, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid I won't live much longer. After giving birth, I have no breast milk to feed my child. Your Majesty, with my frail body, I'm afraid I won't live much longer. It's pitiful that the Fourth Prince lost his mother so early..."

She spoke too hastily, her words were incoherent, and she couldn't catch her breath for a moment, so she hung her head and breathed rapidly.

The room was brightly lit, and Zhuang Meiren's breathing echoed, creating an eerie and terrifying atmosphere.

Jiang Ling stared blankly at Zhuang Meiren, who looked like a frightened bird, her tense expression seeming as if it would shatter at the slightest touch.

Although he didn't know why Zhuang Meiren had become like this, Jiang Ling sighed inwardly and said, "Zhuang Meiren, you have just given birth, please don't think too much about it. Rest well and take good care of your health."

"Your Majesty!" Consort Zhuang cried out, her voice urgent and shrill. "I'm not stupid. Consort Xu's baby is gone. The Fourth Prince was originally Consort Duan's son, but even Consort Duan doesn't count; several others before her have died. Ever since I became pregnant, I've had nightmares constantly, not a single day has passed peacefully. Everyone says Your Majesty is a blessed person, kind and generous. Your Majesty, please give me some advice. I want to live, to watch my son grow up..."

Jiang Ling saw Zhuang Meiren's tears slowly streaming down her cheeks. Her eyes were sunken, her face was pale and bluish, and she was clearly out of her mind.

"Where is the Fourth Prince?" Jiang Ling asked, closing her eyes briefly.

“The Fourth Prince is in his bedroom, with Yun Duo and Yun Yan watching over him,” Yun Hui replied.

"Consort Zhuang has no breast milk, so let the wet nurse feed the Fourth Prince," Jiang Ling decisively ordered.

Yunxia hesitated for a moment, then hurriedly went out. Jiang Ling pointed to the window frame again and said, "Go open it up to let in some fresh air. Have the kitchen send in a bowl of chicken noodle soup, and we'll talk after Consort Zhuang has eaten her fill."

Yun Hui quickly put down Consort Zhuang and rushed to open the window to let in fresh air, while sending a maid to the kitchen to fetch food.

Zhuang Meiren lay exhausted on the mattress, staring blankly ahead, tears still streaming down her face.

Jiang Ling felt a pang of sadness seeing this. Lady Zhuang was quite ill, and all she could do was say, "Lady Zhuang, you don't have the strength right now. Eat your fill first before thinking about anything else. The smell in the delivery room is too unpleasant; it's not good for your health. It's already late spring, and the weather is getting warmer. Don't worry about catching a cold."

Zhuang Meiren nodded gently and murmured, "Spring is almost over."

“Yes, this year is over, but it will come again next spring.” Jiang Ling quickly added, not wanting Zhuang Meiren to be too sentimental, “If you have breast milk, feed it yourself; if you don’t, have a wet nurse feed it. The eldest prince, the second prince, the eldest princess, and the second princess were all fed by wet nurses, and they are all doing well, so don’t worry.”

Considering that Lady Zhuang was watching the Fourth Prince in the familiar bedroom, it was better than her being in the smelly delivery room, overthinking and worrying.

Jiang Ling then instructed Yun Hui: "Yun Hui, give Consort Zhuang some water. Also, prepare some hot water to wipe Consort Zhuang's body, change her into dry clothes, and then carry her back to her bedroom later."

Yun Hui was already at a loss. When Jiang Ling gave the order, she ignored Zhuang Meiren and agreed to everything. She touched the warm water in the thermos on the table, which was still warm, poured a cup, and held it to Zhuang Meiren's lips: "Beauty, have some water."

Zhuang Meiren turned her head away. Seeing this, Jiang Ling gently comforted her, "Drink some water to calm down. You should also eat the chicken noodle soup later. Don't worry about the medicinal soup for now. Focus on eating your fill."

Yun Hui continued to persuade her, and Zhuang Meiren finally drank a couple of mouthfuls of water. She let out a long breath, and her expression finally relaxed a little.

Jiang Ling added, "You must first take care of yourself and survive so that you can watch the Fourth Prince grow up."

Lady Zhuang sobbed a few times, her eyes blurry with tears, and said, "Your Majesty is right. I want to live and watch my son grow up."

Jiang Ling was somewhat relieved to see that she wanted to live. Yunxia brought chicken soup noodles into the room, and Zhuang Meiren ate about half a bowl. Then Yunxia helped Zhuang Meiren wipe herself down and change her clothes, and then called for maids to carry Zhuang Meiren back to her bedroom to rest.

The fourth prince, though smaller and thinner than the third prince at birth, slept soundly after being fed by his wet nurse.

Lady Zhuang lay on her side on the bed, gazing intently at the Fourth Prince in the cradle, her expression loving and gentle.

Jiang Ling said, "The Fourth Prince's cradle is placed by the bedside. Yun Hui and the others are watching over it. You can get some sleep first. I'll head back now. If you need anything, just have someone come find me."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I'm sorry to have troubled you and made you go to so much trouble," Consort Zhuang said gratefully as she helped herself to her feet.

"Go and rest," Jiang Ling urged her to lie down, then turned and left the room.

Yun Hui followed them out, and Jiang Ling said to her, "Now is a critical moment, so you need to take good care of Consort Zhuang and make sure she gets some rest. Only if Consort Zhuang and the Fourth Prince are safe and sound will the servants of Huaqing Pavilion be safe and sound."

"Yes." Yun Hui shuddered and quickly lowered her head in response.

Jiang Ling added, “Your bodies aren’t made of iron either. Take turns resting and don’t push yourselves too hard. You can only do your job well if you’re well-rested. Once Consort Zhuang recovers, I will go to the Emperor to ask for credit for you.”

Yunhui quickly thanked her, biting her lip, and looked around before whispering, "Your Majesty, Consort Wang and Consort Han often come to keep the Lady company and talk about old stories from the palace. The Lady is a thoughtful person, and she takes these things to heart, so she can't eat or sleep well. When the Lady is giving birth, I'm afraid they'll come, but I'm of lowly status and dare not stop them."

Thinking of the two distinguished guests he had met earlier, Jiang Ling asked, "What did they say when Consort Zhuang gave birth?"

"Consort Han said to the beauty to rest assured that the delivery would be smooth and the fourth prince would not be pulled out. Consort Wang said that all women have to give birth, and there are always fewer women who cannot give birth or who bleed profusely after giving birth."

Yunhui was furious at the thought and said, "At the critical moment of childbirth, to say that the baby was being pulled out and bleeding profusely is just scaring people and bringing bad luck. Besides, the lady is prone to overthinking, and upon hearing this, she was so frightened that she kept crying and asked me to come and find Your Majesty to save her life."

Jiang Ling paused for a moment, then asked, "What color clothes are they wearing today?"

Yun Hui answered, "So the one in the emerald green palace dress is Consort Han." Jiang Ling pondered, based on their previous conversations and behavior, they certainly didn't seem like people who lacked discernment.

Whether they lacked understanding of the appropriate tone or harbored ulterior motives, given Zhuang Meiren's current state, they could no longer offer their "help."

Jiang Ling couldn't give the order directly, so after thinking for a moment, he said, "Consort Zhuang needs to rest after giving birth, and it's not appropriate for others to come and disturb her. I will speak to the Emperor so that Consort Zhuang can have a peaceful postpartum period."

Yun Hui breathed a sigh of relief and thanked him repeatedly. Jiang Ling asked her to stay and led her to the main room, which was empty.

"Where is the Emperor?" Jiang Ling asked.

Qingtan, who was attending to the emperor, hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, the Emperor waited for a while, but seeing that Your Majesty had many matters to attend to and could not leave immediately, he returned to the Chuigong Palace first."

Jiang Ling paused, his anger rising from the bottom of his heart, and silently cursed Emperor Yuanming's ancestors for eight generations.

It was almost Chenshi (7-9 AM), and Jiang Ling had not yet had her dinner. The Third Prince needed to nurse and go to sleep, so she returned to Fanying Pavilion first.

After a quick meal, the Third Prince got sleepy and started whimpering. Jiang Ling fed him and coaxed him to sleep, finally able to catch her breath.

Knowing that Consort Zhuang's matter was of utmost importance, Jiang Ling went to the Chuigong Hall. The palace was brightly lit. Huang Liang, who was guarding outside the door, was startled when he heard Zhang Shan's report. He hurriedly came out to greet her: "Your Majesty has arrived. Has something happened to Your Majesty?"

Jiang Ling said, "It's about Consort Zhuang. Has His Majesty not rested yet?"

An awkward expression flashed across Huang Liang's face as he whispered, "Your Majesty, the Emperor just summoned Consort Han to his bedchamber."

Jiang Ling was taken aback and asked, "Consort Han? Is it Consort Han from Huaqing Pavilion?"

Huang Liang said, "It is indeed Consort Han from Huaqing Pavilion."

You bastard!

Jiang Ling was consumed by rage, cursing incessantly, wishing she could cut off the limp man's penis and feed it to the dogs! Her face was ashen, and she rushed inside without a care.

Huang Liang was stunned for a moment, but quickly came to his senses and grabbed Jiang Ling, earnestly advising, "Your Majesty, please don't act impulsively."

He had been busy working for his concubines, but he left first to rest and have a meal. Jiang Ling wasn't angry that he didn't care about anything; after all, he was the emperor, and emperors are always best with their mouths, while their hands and feet are basically crippled.

Jiang Ling was disgusted by Emperor Yuanming's cold-heartedness; in his heart, Consort Zhuang was not even as good as a dinner!

Even when he visited Huaqing Pavilion, his mind was on the three inches below his navel!

Jiang Ling got angry, raised her hand to break free, and said, "Don't worry about it. I'll take responsibility if anything happens, and I won't let you get involved."

Huang Liang panicked and dared not make another move. He could only stand in front of Jiang Ling and earnestly persuade her, "Your Majesty is in a fit of anger. If you go there, you might say something wrong and displease the Emperor. Your Majesty is a wise woman; why be so insistent on this matter? Your Majesty should go to the Duo Palace to rest and have some tea, and wait until the Emperor has some free time..."

He seemed to sense something was amiss, hesitated for a moment, and then changed his words, saying, "After a while, this servant will take Your Highness to see the Emperor."

Jiang Ling understood Huang Liang's good intentions perfectly. However, she was so indignant that she remained silent for a moment, her face ashen.

At this moment, Yuan Changsheng, leading his guards, came windingly from a distance.

Huang Liang quickly straightened up and smiled at Yuan Changsheng, "What, are you still on duty?"

Yuan Changsheng nodded to Huang Liang, raised his hand to bow to Jiang Ling, and said respectfully, "This is the Emperor's palace. If Consort Shu does not summon you, you shall not linger here."

He raised his hand and said politely, "This servant is sorry, Your Highness, please return to Fanying Pavilion."