"Uya...did she agree to die?"

"Consort Wuya was hit by the collapsing bricks and died on the spot. It's quite pitiful." Empress Niohuru said with a sorrowful expression. She wiped her eyes and then ordered the palace servants to give away the things Consort Wuya had left behind to her parents, and then she dismissed the matter.

Do the imperial concubines believe it?

They certainly didn't believe it, and their hearts were filled with countless doubts. But seeing that Her Majesty the Empress had already explained the outcome, they assumed that Consort Uya was no longer alive. The concubines smiled and echoed her sentiments, praising Her Majesty the Empress's benevolence.

Uya agreed and then disappeared.

Those rumors circulated briefly among the palace ladies and servants during their leisure time, and then quickly dissipated, with everyone's attention once again focused on the earthquake.

On the eighth day of the eighth lunar month, another earthquake struck.

On August 19th, torrential rain fell for three consecutive days.

On August 25th, another earthquake struck, and the disaster has continued for a full month. Rumors spread everywhere, and the Three Feudatories' army, which had been suppressed, regrouped and won several impressive victories.

Emperor Kangxi could no longer remain silent. He issued an edict ordering his ministers to reflect on their actions and take responsibility for their own conduct. The edict was posted in the capital and distributed to various regions.

While the atmosphere in the imperial court was heavy, the atmosphere in the inner palace was also becoming increasingly somber. Everyone was copying scriptures, chanting Buddhist prayers, and worshipping in the Buddhist hall, hoping that the natural disaster would pass soon and that the common people could live in peace.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.

On September 18, another earthquake occurred.

This time, Emperor Kangxi led princes, civil and military officials to the Temple of Heaven to pray.

People in the Forbidden City were filled with unease.

No one knew when the next earthquake would strike, and everyone was filled with apprehension. So much so that the Empress decreed that each palace should have more guards on night watch to prevent a sudden earthquake from occurring during the night.

Wan Anran sat at the table.

Even though she knew that this historical calamity would eventually pass, she never imagined that the earthquakes in the capital could continue for so long, and that countless people would die as a result.

Wan Anran was not sleepy and stared at the book in the candlelight, lost in thought. Just then, she heard a familiar gurgling sound in her ear.

Wan Anran turned around and looked.

Then, Granny Zhao pushed open the door and entered, carrying the eleventh prince. Yinzhen was full of energy, his eyes wide open, and his hands outstretched: "Mother—Mother!"

Granny Zhao smiled broadly: "Young Master and Master are of one mind. They knew you couldn't sleep, so they insisted on coming to see you!"

Wan Anran's lips curled up in a smile.

Even the worst mood was calmed down by having her adorable little dumpling by her side. Wan Anran reached out and hugged her son, unable to resist gently kissing his forehead—thank goodness you're safe and sound.

Yinzhen's face flushed slightly.

Under Wan Anran's expectant gaze, he still suppressed his shyness and leaned forward to leave two wet kiss marks on his mother's cheeks.

Wan Anran instantly banished her melancholy thoughts. Confined within the vast harem, she had no other way to change more people but to protect the small piece of the world around her.

For example, Yinzhen.

Wan Anran held him in her arms: "Mao Tao, do you want to sleep with your mother?"

Yinzhen shook his head.

He just came to see his mother who was feeling uneasy, not because he wanted to sleep with her!

Wan Anran pretended not to see it.

She clung tightly to Yinzhen, humming a little tune as she walked towards the bed: "Mother knows, Mother will sleep with Yinzhen in her arms tonight!"

Yinzhen's little face scrunched up in a frown.

Looking at his mother, who was unusually happy, he thought for a moment and finally sighed and nodded helplessly.

I finally got a good night's sleep.

After that, everything seemed to be over, and no more earthquakes occurred until mid-October.

Everyone was finally relieved.

Wan Anran began preparing diligently for Yinzhen's first birthday celebration. The last time, the full-moon celebration coincided with the twelfth prince's birthday, making it somewhat awkward. This time, Wan Anran was determined to make proper arrangements for Yinzhen.

With the earthquake over and Yinzhen's first birthday approaching, Kangxi took the opportunity to remind the Empress to hold a grand celebration to sweep away the bad luck in the palace.

Empress Niohuru smiled and agreed.

With the Emperor and Empress's instructions, the Imperial Household Department did its best.

A guest list also gave Wan Anran a headache. Originally, her idea of ​​creating a lively atmosphere was to have the concubines gather together to chat, laugh, and eat. But looking at the list sent by the Empress, the sheer number of invited guests was enough to make her dizzy.

Wan Anran spun around like a top.

Consort Xuan and Noble Lady Nara also came to help. Besides making a register and counting the number of people, the most important thing was to determine their positions.

In this era, there was no such thing as equal exchange. The concubines in the imperial harem would never yield an inch, and the same was true among the women of the court.

People of different statuses sitting together.

It's important to know which surnames represent relatives and friends, and which represent strained relationships. This requires careful consideration and can be quite challenging.

For example, some of the Consort Xuan members were helpful, while others were completely lost. In the end, it was only after the Empress sent Lian Nan and a few others to help that the preparations for the baby's first birthday celebration were successfully completed.

October 30th.

The day before, snowflakes were falling heavily, but today was a rare beautiful day. The sky was azure, the sun was shining brightly, and a golden-red carpet was laid out in the center of the main hall of Chuxiu Palace, on which various items for the baby's first birthday celebration were displayed.

The palace has prepared a lot of things.

The items mainly consisted of writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, abacuses, account books, bows, arrows, swords, and spears. When the Emperor came, he specially added a jade pendant. As for Wan Anran, she chose to put a wooden sailboat on the boat.

To outsiders, her intention was simply to ensure her child's smooth sailing. But after listening to his mother's long ramblings yesterday, Yinzhen realized that his mother harbored such a grand dream.

Want to sail the seas and travel the world?

Yinzhen's lips curled up into a sweet smile. Dressed in a red palace gown, the eleventh prince was exquisitely beautiful, with a charming and lovely appearance. His smile made the eyes of all the noblewomen light up.

Most importantly, he showed no fear whatsoever.

Yinzhen blinked his big, dark eyes and looked around at the newcomers with great interest and curiosity, which amazed the many wives and noblewomen.

"The Eleventh Prince is so adorable!"

"That's right, Consort Qi is so blessed!"

The wives looked at the healthy and robust eleventh prince, their eyes brimming with envy.

Consort Hui and Consort Rong could not hide the bitterness on their faces.

Their fifth/ninth princes were healthy and strong back then, but unfortunately they were raised outside the palace for the past few years. Their mothers never even saw them on their first birthday, let alone held a first birthday banquet. They didn't even know what their sons picked during their first birthday celebration.

Thinking about it that way, it seems like the eleventh prince's status was a bit too much...

Especially when they discovered that the Emperor, Empress, Grand Empress Dowager, and Empress Dowager had all sent lavish gifts, Consort Hui and Consort Rong felt as if their hearts had been filled with jealousy, and their gazes toward Wan Anran turned cold.

Yinzhen sat on the plush carpet, looking around.

He first picked up the wolf-hair brush, then grabbed a gold ingot, and finally climbed all the way to the sailboat, trying to hug it as well.

The Empress Dowager couldn't help but laugh.

She reached out and pinched Yinzhen's chubby little face: "Look at this child, he really is greedy."

As soon as she finished speaking, Consort Miao, who was following behind Consort An, clutched her chest, feeling nauseous.

The laughter inside the hall abruptly stopped.

Everyone's expression was somewhat strange, including Consort An's.

Wan Anran was stunned for a moment. She immediately had someone help Consort Miao to sit down and rest, and at the same time ordered someone to fetch the imperial physician. Before long, everyone received good news—Consort Miao was pregnant!

The concubines looked at each other in bewilderment.

Consort An, who should have been the happiest, didn't show a single smile. She chose this exact moment to react, perhaps because the original joyous occasion...

Sure enough, the next second, everyone heard the Empress Dowager's cheerful laughter: "Our Yinzhen is so lucky!"

Miao Changzai's smile almost faltered.

How could this be considered a blessing for the Eleventh Prince? Miao Chang was very unhappy about it.

Consort An was also not very happy.

Even after leaving Chuxiu Palace, she was still happy, since she would raise whatever Consort Miao gave birth to, whether it was a boy or a girl, which also proved that the prescription was indeed correct!

Maybe I can try it myself?

Consort An pondered this in her heart, and then instructed the palace servants to take good care of Consort Miao.

This is the first child born after the earthquake.

The fact that the Emperor, Empress, Grand Empress Dowager, and Empress Dowager bestowed upon her three more times than usual proved this point, which greatly angered Consort Yi, who was about to give birth.

The previous calamities vanished without a trace, and some subtle antagonism arose among the palace concubines once again.

Wan Anran, on the other hand, minimized her presence.

The news that she had told the Emperor about the possible earthquake had not spread, but it was clear that the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager knew about it. In recent days, the two women had become increasingly kind to her, and Wan Anran had become more and more cautious, rarely venturing out of the Chuxiu Palace.

However, Tachibana often talked about matters concerning other palaces.

The most bustling place now is Yongshou Palace—where Consort An and Consort Jing live together. Nominally, Consort Miao belongs to Consort An, but whether her child should be raised by Consort An or Consort Jing ultimately requires the Emperor's permission.

Therefore, in their struggle to win the favor of Consort Miao, Consort An and Consort Jing's relationship deteriorated day by day, almost to the point of a physical fight.

As for Miao Chang himself.

Ju Bai can be summed up in one sentence: "Perhaps her mind has become less sharp since she got pregnant, and she's always making a fuss."

The dishes each day require a lot of careful selection.

The food couldn't be too meaty, nor could it be all vegetables. One minute they'd say they wanted noodles, the next they'd say they wanted rice. This went on and on three, four, five, or six times, practically driving everyone in the imperial kitchen crazy.

What's most infuriating is that she also took a fancy to Chef Zhao, who often cooked for Wan Anran, and insisted that he make some of the food that Consort Qi ate during her pregnancy.

His wolfish ambitions are common knowledge.

Wan Anran was also speechless: "What Chef Zhao made... can she even eat it?"

Most of the meals were prepared in the small kitchen of Chuxiu Palace.

Nowadays, the only thing Chef Zhao helps with... aside from a series of desserts, is pig intestines.

Chef Zhao secretly groaned.

He casually prepared two dishes to try and appease Consort Miao, but unexpectedly, Consort Miao filed a complaint with the Emperor, leaving him completely dumbfounded.

Fortunately, Emperor Kangxi knew the inside story.

Instead of blaming Chef Zhao, he had someone severely reprimand Consort Tongmiao.

Later, Emperor Kangxi came to Chuxiu Palace to complain: "Look at you, you're just making up all sorts of fancy tricks. Chef Zhao doesn't dare to say a word, it's really pitiful."

Wan Anran smiled and curtsied, saying, "Yes, yes, Your Majesty, I thank you for standing up for Chef Zhao and saving our pig intestines!"

It's as if you don't eat it.