"It's been more than 40 years. It's been more than 40 years since that happened." When Ah Xiu talked about the past, tears welled up in her eyes.
"What happened back then?" Yan Funing poked her head out from Concubine Yun's arms. "Grandma Yun, Madam Xiu, what on earth happened back then?"
Concubine Yun shed tears, and her tears fell on Yan Funing. She smiled and said, "It's all in the past, it's all in the past. Fortunately, I'm not alone now. I'm content to have you two visit me often."
Seeing that she was unwilling to say more, Fu Ciyi asked Ah Xiu: "Madam, please speak."
Yan Funing nodded and said to Concubine Yun, "Grandma Yun, we want to know what happened in the past." She softened her tone as much as possible. "Although what happened back then was painful, my husband and I feel that things are not that simple."
After all, there are many intrigues and deceptions in the palace. What if there is some hidden secret or conspiracy?
"I also suspected that there was something fishy, so I talked about it many times with the emperor, Wen Yu's grandfather. He probably got tired of me talking, so he sent me to the cold palace." Concubine Yun shook her head and motioned for A Xiu to speak.
A Xiu handed over three cups of hot water.
Fu Ciyi sat down and motioned Ah Xiu to sit down as well.
"Back then, when the queen was giving birth, she had very long labor pains. The midwife said that the fetus was in an abnormal position, and the head was a little big, so she was afraid that the delivery would be painful." Ah Xiu said slowly.
"The queen did go through a lot, but the baby was born safely, and it's a boy."
"Giving birth to a prince is a great honor in the palace. You know, a mother's status is elevated by her son. Furthermore, the emperor at the time was already quite old, probably in his forties, and he already had many princes before him, the eldest being the late emperor. Under such circumstances, the fact that he was still able to give birth to a prince meant that he was in excellent health, and the queen's status would definitely be elevated."
"At that time, I thought that Your Majesty could be promoted from a concubine to a concubine."
"But something happened later, and not only did the Empress's rank not rise, but she even lost her original position and was directly banished to the cold palace."
"A woman who had just given birth was thrown into the cold palace and didn't even have time to rest for a few days..."
Ah Xiu cried, "My queen has really suffered a lot."
Yan Funing's eyes turned red.
She sat up straight, wiped Concubine Yun's tears, and said to Ah Xiu, "What happened?"
Ah Xiu looked at Concubine Yun, and seeing her master nod in agreement, she continued, "Coincidentally, Concubine Li at that time, who is now the Empress Dowager, also gave birth."
"She also gave birth to a prince. After she gave birth to the prince, the emperor immediately promoted her from Lipin to Lifei."
"They were clearly born on the same day, and our queen gave birth first. They both gave birth to princes, but the emperor only promoted one, Lipin."
"At that time, I even advised Her Majesty that the Emperor might come and promote Her Majesty in a few days."
"At that time, there was a rule in the palace that after concubines gave birth, their babies would be taken away by their wet nurses. This was done under the pretext of allowing the concubines to focus on recovering."
"The queen's little prince was also taken away as soon as he was born."
"Every time we asked about the little prince, someone always told us that he was fine and asked His Majesty to rest well. In fact, it was only two days ago, and we asked many times in those two days."
"Her Majesty was concerned about the little prince, so I secretly went to check on him, but he was nowhere to be found. Before I could tell her the news, someone hurried in to report that the little prince had died."
"For a woman who has just given birth, this is like a bolt from the blue."
"The queen fainted on the spot."
"I suddenly lost my backbone and could only keep shouting for the queen to wake up."
Concubine Yun patted Ah Xiu's arm and said, "Let me tell you."
Ah Xiu nodded and took out a handkerchief to wipe her master's tears.
"I was unconscious at the time, but I was actually aware of everything going on around me. I also knew that the Emperor came to see me. He only glanced at me once and left quickly. It was Ah Xiu who kept calling me that finally woke me up. Otherwise, I really wanted to die right then and there."
"After waking up, I sat on a chair and had someone carry me to see the emperor."
"I begged him to show me my child's body."
"I told you I never held the child since he was born, he never drank a sip of my milk, and yet he died just like that? I don't believe it."
"The Emperor said he would never lie to me again. He was very determined and refused to show it to me."
"The Empress at the time, who is now the Empress Dowager, advised me that the Emperor didn't agree to let me see him because he was afraid that I would be upset and hurt my body. How could I believe it? I insisted on seeing him."
"Just at that moment, I heard my child crying, and I started crying too."
"The Emperor said I was unlucky."
"And you said Concubine Li is not as difficult to talk to as me."
"I mean Concubine Li? Concubine Li became Concubine Li, but what about me?"
"He asked in return, 'Where's your son?' His implication was that Concubine Li's son was fine."
"I was stunned."
"The baby's cries were heartbreaking and painful. I was bewildered. I wondered why my child died while Concubine Li's child was still alive and well. Did Concubine Li take my child?"
"The Emperor is furious when he hears this."
"I don't care about that. I'll just make a scene in front of him and the Queen."
"In order to appease my anger, the Queen suggested inviting Concubine Li and her son."
"Concubine Li was brought in on a sedan chair, holding a child in her arms."
"The child's eyebrows and eyes resembled the emperor. When I saw a child who looked like my son, I excitedly stepped forward and said, 'This is my child.'"
"The Queen said that babies are all alike from birth, let alone brothers who were born on the same day, so they look even more alike."
"I couldn't believe my child was gone from me, and I insisted on having a blood test done."
"The emperor's face darkened. He said I was a vicious woman. How could I have the heart to prick the finger of such a young child?"
"Just when I felt hopeless, Concubine Li said she agreed to a blood test. After all, I had just lost my child, and as a mother herself, she felt sorry for me and sympathized with me."
"The imperial physician arrived quickly and took a blood test on Concubine Li and the child in her arms. The results confirmed that they were biological mother and child."
"The baby was pricked with a needle and kept crying."
"The emperor rebuked me and threatened to banish me to the cold palace."
"Without my child, I am heartbroken. I will banish him to the cold palace. Before I do, please allow me to see my child."
"The emperor then asked Concubine Li and her child to leave, and then ordered someone to bring a cold baby to me."
"The baby was wrapped in a blanket I had embroidered myself. I held him in my arms with trembling hands and fainted again."
"When I woke up, I was already in my own palace."
"A Xiu leaned over and whispered in my ear that when I woke up, we would have to move to the cold palace."
When Concubine Yun said this, she wiped her tears with a handkerchief.
Yan Funing burst into tears when she heard this.
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