Three years later, not long after the mourning period ended, Jiaming brought good news. The Fourth Prince, who was reviewing memorials, was overjoyed.

Jiaming's pregnancy stirred up the ambitions of the other women in the harem. Since Jiaming, who was the emperor's favorite, would no longer be able to serve him after becoming pregnant, their opportunity had arrived.

As a result, various kinds of soups and broths were delivered to the Hall of Mental Cultivation every day.

When Jiaming heard this, during one of the Fourth Master's visits, she touched her still-not-so-obvious belly and teased, "Master, with so many soups and broths delivered to you every day, is there not a single one that you like?"

Fourth Master raised an eyebrow. "No, Su Peisheng and the others divided it up. But Ming'er, I want to drink the soup you cooked. I guess I won't be able to drink it for a while."

Jiaming smiled and said, "Sir, you're exaggerating. The baby isn't even showing yet. How could you not be able to go into the kitchen and make a soup?"

Fourth Master shook his head and said, "Forget it. You're not young anymore, you still need to take care of yourself."

Jiaming: "..." What do you mean I'm not young anymore? I'm only in my thirties!

Fourth Master continued to add insult to injury: "Don't always think that just because you have a baby face you're young, a teenager. Xuan'er is already married and has children, and you're already a mother..."

Jiaming: "..." Don't you know you shouldn't mention old age to a woman?!

Seeing that the Fourth Master was still inclined to continue rambling, Jiaming immediately changed the subject, saying, "My lord, I'm hungry, it's time to eat."

After dinner, Fourth Master accompanied Jiaming for a walk to aid digestion.

"The weather is getting hotter and hotter. How about I take you to the Old Summer Palace to escape the heat?"

Jiaming isn't afraid of the heat, but it would be nice to be able to go somewhere else to relax instead of staying in the palace all the time and seeing familiar scenes.

So he happily nodded and said, "Okay!" Then he asked, "Where are the princes?"

Fourth Master: "Go, all of you."

After a pause, the Fourth Prince added, "Bring the two imperial grandsons as well. As for the Empress, it depends on her wishes. As for the rest of the harem, don't bring any of them."

Jiaming was stunned. She didn't expect that Fourth Master would specifically tell her this, and what exactly did he mean by that?

The Fourth Prince stopped and looked at Jiaming, then said, "Also, this year's imperial concubine selection will not include any new members, and from now on, no more will be added."

Jiaming felt a sweet feeling well up inside her. Was this what she was thinking?

Fourth Master remained silent, as if everything was understood without words.

Ultimately, after visiting the Old Summer Palace once, the Empress returned to the palace not long afterward and never went back to the Old Summer Palace.

Jiaming gave birth to the Seventh Prince Hongxi at the Yuanmingyuan. During the time Jiaming was giving birth, the Fourth Prince did not favor any other woman.

As he promised, no new concubines entered the harem. As the days and years passed, the old man also came to understand the emperor's favor towards Consort Guarjia. After understanding this, he gradually reduced his targeting of Consort Jiaming, and eventually, he even gave up on it.

In the previous dynasty, Emperor Yongzheng delayed in establishing a crown prince, and as his grandson Yongcheng grew up day by day, the empress's ambition also grew.

But before he could even mention it to Yongcheng, he had only shown a slight hint of his attitude when Yongcheng brought it up and expressed his opinion.

"Mam, what kind of person do you think Uncle Four is?"

"Mam, what kind of person do you think your grandson is?"

Do you think your grandson can compare to your fourth uncle?

After asking three questions in a row, before Empress Ulanara could answer, he continued, "My fourth uncle's character is evident to all. There are countless members of the imperial family who admire him, and I am one of them. I know I am no match for my fourth uncle, so even if the throne were in my hands, I probably wouldn't be able to hold onto it. It would be different if my fourth uncle took over."

"And then there's Third Uncle, who also tried to compete with Fourth Uncle, but when he ran into Fourth Uncle, he had to back down."

"Besides, Fourth Uncle has Fifth Uncle, Sixth Uncle, Seventh Uncle and other brothers to help him. Not to mention Fourth Uncle's grandson can't beat him, even Fifth Uncle and Sixth Uncle's grandson can't beat him."

...

"In short, your grandson will not compete with his fourth uncle for that position. Otherwise, it would be like an old man hanging himself, courting death!"

The Empress wanted to fight for it, but her grandson Yongcheng wouldn't cooperate. Although she understood that what her grandson said made a lot of sense, she still felt unwilling and frustrated.

She is an empress, and a reborn one at that, having been empress twice in a row. With such great fortune, the throne should belong to her grandson.

On the one hand, he understood, but his pride prevented him from backing down, so he remained resentful and fell ill.

The illness was not originally very serious, but Empress Ulanara suddenly remembered that she had died in the ninth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign.

Now, it is not far from the ninth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign.

The immense pressure of her impending death in her previous life caused Empress Ulanara's already mild illness to worsen.

The imperial physician said she was burdened by too many worries, but she just couldn't relax. She kept scaring herself, and what was originally a minor illness turned into a serious one. In the end, she was bedridden and couldn't get up.

And so, just as in the original history, in the ninth year of Yongzheng's reign, Empress Ulanara passed away.

In the tenth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, Jiaming was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort.

In the eleventh year, Hongxuan became the crown prince, and Jiaming became the empress.

Thanks to Jiaming's excellent medicinal cuisine, her persuasion had some effect, and with the help of his son Hongxuan, the diligent Yongzheng Emperor lived through the thirteenth year of his reign without illness or disaster.

In early 15 years, Emperor Yongzheng fell ill.

Jiaming personally took care of the ailing Fourth Master, who obediently drank the medicine Jiaming handed him.

"My lord, you must take better care of your health in the future. Please don't take my words to heart." Jiaming took the medicine bowl that the Fourth Prince handed back and then handed it to the waiting palace maid beside her.

Fourth Master held Jiaming's hand but did not agree.

He had a premonition that his time was running out.

Seeing that Fourth Master did not answer, and since she also knew medicine, Jiaming understood what his silence meant.

Grandpa, there's no future, so there's no need for you to take good care of your health or anything like that.

For a moment, the two held hands and remained silent.

After a long while, the Fourth Master waved for the servants to leave, then pulled Jiaming into his arms and muttered to himself, coughing occasionally.

"I am so glad that I met you and had Hongxuan and the others. I am so glad that I seized the opportunity to be with you in this life. It's just that the time was a little short."

Jiaming gripped Fourth Master's hand tightly, nuzzled his head against him, and said, "If you weren't so diligent, perhaps you would have more time, and our time wouldn't be so short."

Fourth Prince: "I once promised Father Emperor that I would be worthy of the world, and I will keep my word. The court has too many accumulated problems that urgently need to be addressed, and the sooner they are dealt with, the better. Ming'er, I'm sorry, if there is a next life, I will not be the emperor, but I will travel with you everywhere, play around for a lifetime, and be with you for eternity!"

...

Fifteen years later, Emperor Yongzheng passed away.