"She gave birth? She gave birth!"
Upon hearing the baby's cries, the first thought of everyone standing outside the palace was that the Empress had given birth.
Indeed, after many hardships, Hesheli Fangyi finally gave birth to her precious baby.
While the child is born, such a long delay is not a good thing for him.
The midwife didn't even dare to bring the baby out; she could only stand at the doorway of the room and let Kangxi take a look first.
Although the child was round and chubby, his cries were not as loud and deep as I had imagined.
Upon seeing this, Kangxi's heart skipped a beat, and he quietly asked Li, the old nanny who was standing beside him, "How is the child's health?"
He had also witnessed the birth of imperial heirs, and the volume of a baby's cry was a great indicator of the child's condition.
Granny Li bent over and explained in a low voice that, in general, the little prince's health was fine, he was just a little short of oxygen because he had been in the Empress's womb for too long, and he would recover with proper care.
Of course, these words could only alleviate Kangxi's unease, but could not completely eliminate it.
Later, a royal physician, who was specifically responsible for diagnosing the baby and delivering the baby, explained the baby's condition to Emperor Kangxi in detail. The explanation was similar to that given by Granny Li, which finally put Emperor Kangxi at ease.
"In that case, you will continue to be responsible for the health of the Empress and her son in Kunning Palace, and you must ensure their well-being."
With a wave of his hand, Kangxi turned to tell the Empress Dowager and others the good news, then smiled and waved his hand to bestow rewards.
He even named the newborn prince Chenghu on the spot.
The character "祜" means "blessing," and the fact that Emperor Kangxi chose this name shows his high expectations for him.
Upon hearing the name, everyone offered their congratulations, but inwardly they were seething with envy.
Especially Consort Nara, who was only three years younger than the Empress.
Supporting her five- or six-month pregnant belly with one hand, Consort Nara muttered, "Hmph, what's there to be proud of? Once I give birth, it won't make a difference if I have a name."
The voice was very soft; if Xiuning hadn't had such keen hearing, she really wouldn't have been able to hear what the person was saying.
Well, everyone was unhappy, but they only complained in their hearts. Unexpectedly, Consort Nara went against the grain. She really got cocky after getting pregnant and dared to say such things in public, relying on the fact that the child in her belly was a boy.
Inwardly admiring Consort Nara's recklessness, Xiu Ning moved closer to the side once again.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Kangxi told Xiuning and the others to go back.
"This concubine/imperial concubine takes her leave."
Xiuning took Chunyu's hand and turned to leave without hesitation.
"System, quickly retrieve the information about Kunning Palace."
Once seated in the sedan chair, Xiu Ning invoked the system in her mind to continue observing the aftermath of the Kun Ning Palace incident.
As her points dwindled, a blue screen that only Xiu Ning could see appeared in front of her.
The screen showed the Emperor and Empress Dowager, who were still in Kunning Palace.
Before them, a woman dressed as a matron knelt, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly, as if she were saying something.
Not far away, a woman dressed as a midwife was escorted out of the delivery room and sent directly behind Kangxi.
'You can put it away now.'
As Xiuning finished speaking, the screen in front of her quickly disappeared.
Xiu Ning leaned back on the chair behind her, a pleased smile playing on her lips.
Well, I have to say, Consort Shu's days are about to become difficult.
Back at Qixiang Palace, Xiuning instructed Chunyu to keep a close eye on Eunuch Kang and the others, saying, "The Empress is probably going to blame Consort Shu for her difficult childbirth to prevent Consort Shu from shifting the blame onto us. We must protect Qixiang Palace."
"Oh, and there's also Consort Nara. I've been calling her 'elder sister' for quite some time now; it's time she learned the responsibilities that come with it."
It's not easy to take advantage of her, especially since Consort Nara has always liked to make blatant provocative remarks since she became pregnant.
Xiuning couldn't keep watching Consort Nara act so arrogantly, so she decided to take this opportunity to teach her a lesson.
"It's not that I'm targeting Consort Nara; she herself has impure intentions, so she has no reason to be manipulated by others."
This is just like Consort Shu, who insisted on taking action against the Empress at this critical moment when her family was losing power, instead of taking the opportunity to lie low and bide her time. Isn't this obviously giving the Empress an excuse to rise to power?
Xiuning could already imagine what the Empress would do after her confinement period ended.
...
Because of the long delivery time, Hesheli Fangyi had to spend half a month longer in her postpartum confinement period. By the time she came out of Kunning Palace, it was already February of the ninth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign.
The cold winter has gone, and spring, when all things revive, has arrived on this land.
Consort Nara was more than seven months pregnant. Every time she dragged her heavy body out to pay her respects, it would startle everyone around her.
However, if the Empress does not speak up and the Empress Dowager does not mention it, Consort Nara has no right to stay in the palace to rest.
As she boarded the sedan chair bound for Cining Palace, Xiuning coldly watched Consort Nara slowly following behind, thinking that this person probably couldn't understand why she was acting this way.
'This is what happens when you overthink things. The Empress has found out about her and will definitely punish her.'
Furthermore, paying respects to the Empress Dowager every day is a sign of filial piety. The Emperor did not even grant Consort Nara a sedan chair for transportation. If the Empress does not care about her own concubine, she has a reason not to care either (although such behavior is very unethical and easily leaves room for gossip). But who can blame her for holding a grudge? She had a lot of trouble during childbirth. If Chenghu hadn't had no major problems in the end, the Empress would definitely be even more insane than she is now.
There's almost nothing new about coming over to pay respects; all we can talk about on a daily basis is idle chatter.
The Empress Dowager always liked to repeat herself. First, she inquired about the two children raised in the princess's residence and the prince's residence, then about Chenghu and the two pregnant concubines, Xiuning and Nara. She asked about almost everyone.
"By the way, I heard that Consort Shu is quite ill. The imperial physician said that Consort Shu often talks nonsense, probably because she misses her family too much."
"Your Majesty, the Emperor has likely told you that Consort Shu's relatives will be entering the palace on a chosen date. You will be responsible for making the arrangements."
As soon as the Empress Dowager finished speaking, the Empress immediately smiled and nodded, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I have already communicated with those outside the palace and there will be no delay."
"Yes, you are the Empress, I am at ease," the Empress Dowager said, glancing outside the palace. "As you get older, your memory is not so good."
"Your Majesty, you no longer need to come to Cining Palace to pay your respects for the time being."
ah?
The Empress, unaware of the situation, asked, "Grand Empress Dowager, your health..."
The Empress Dowager shook her head calmly. "I have matters to attend to."
What could possibly take up this little bit of time for morning greetings?
The Empress thought to herself, but if they didn't invite her, so be it. She didn't want to run back and forth all the time anyway.
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