Whether things are going well or not, we must do everything we can to save these three imperial heirs.
The imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital simply lived there, and the three women who were the birth mothers of the imperial heirs also took great care of them. Emperor Kangxi would visit them whenever he had the chance.
The tense atmosphere was heightened, causing the once peaceful Forbidden City to become tense once again.
Under these circumstances, Xiuning reached her due date.
To be honest, Xiu Ning is only eight months pregnant and has not yet reached the stage of full pregnancy and delivery. However, thanks to the system, Xiu Ning has been taking good care of herself during pregnancy, and now that she is about to give birth, it is a natural outcome.
Only Xiuning and the system knew the truth about this matter. Everyone else thought that Xiuning was nine months pregnant. This led to the situation where the imperial physician checked her pulse the day before and said there was nothing wrong, but the next day Xiuning suddenly experienced unbearable abdominal pain and her water broke, requiring her to give birth.
At this time, most of the Imperial Medical Academy staff were still guarding the imperial heirs in the Princess's and Prince's residences, and the doctors who could come to examine Xiuning were mostly inexperienced new doctors.
Fortunately, Xiuning didn't have much trouble. Following the instructions of the midwife and the imperial physician, she safely gave birth to her healthy baby girl, which was a happy ending for everyone.
Xiu Ning's efficiency not only surprised Emperor Kangxi, but also pleased the Empress Dowager.
Compared to the troubles that have been brewing in the palace these past few days, the fact that Xiu Ning and her daughter are safe and sound is a cause for celebration.
Happy occasions should be celebrated. Although it was a princess, the third-day celebration was conducted in a very meticulous manner, with the rules and arrangements being comparable to those for the previous princes. If Xiu Ning hadn't actually given birth to a daughter, even the Empress would probably be furious.
Of course, that's not all.
Originally, when it came to the issue of raising imperial heirs, they were sent to the princes' quarters or princesses' quarters according to ancestral rules.
However, both places are currently experiencing an epidemic, so it is definitely not possible to send the child there in the short term. But entrusting the child to Xiuning to raise personally does not meet the standards (under the premise that the rules have not been officially changed). After much thought, Kangxi decided to entrust the child to the Empress Dowager for upbringing.
There are two reasons for this consideration. First, Consort Hui has passed away, and she was raised by the Empress Dowager since childhood. Giving Xiuning's child to the Empress Dowager would help to alleviate the pain she felt due to Consort Hui's death. Second, there is the issue of palace power. Kangxi did not want to return palace power to the Empress Dowager. Giving her a child to raise would be a way to take the opportunity to suppress the Empress's power in the palace.
"Ha, the Emperor always likes to add benefits to himself in everything he does."
While resting in bed after giving birth, Xiu Ning remained unusually calm after receiving the news that her daughter was to be given to the Empress Dowager for upbringing. She knew in her heart that the Empress Dowager would not take her in and would most likely hand Ning Chuge over to the Empress Dowager at Shou Kang Palace.
"My lady, you..." Chunyu glanced at Xiuning cautiously, her expression conflicted.
"I'm fine. In any case, the Emperor won't allow me to raise the child myself. It's better to hand the child over to the Empress Dowager's line than to send him to the Princess's residence, where he might die at any time."
Previously, Xiu Ning planned to make a concerted effort to make the Emperor realize that these two places were unsafe by taking advantage of the continuous deaths of imperial heirs in the Princess's Residence and the Prince's Residence, so that he could abolish these outdated ancestral rules in advance.
Unexpectedly, Kangxi was stubborn and inflexible in this regard.
She even heard that, because of this incident, Chenghu would have to live in the Prince's Residence from now on.
Tsk, they won't stop until a few children die.
Chunyu agreed with her mistress's words, but she also had concerns. Raising a child under her mother's care meant being closer to her, and if the princess were to become too close to the Cining Palace line in the future, wouldn't that be a waste of her mistress's maternal love?
"It's too early for you to think about these things. Besides, given the current state of the harem, the emperor is too wary of the Mongol concubines, but the Mongols still need to be appeased and stabilized."
Throughout history, the means of maintaining stability have been nothing more than marriage alliances and alliances.
Who knows what fate awaited these Qing Dynasty princesses when they grew up?
The Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager had the natural advantage of Mongolian identity. If their daughters could be raised by them, they wouldn't have to worry about being harmed after marrying into Mongolia. Otherwise, what use would it be for most concubines to raise their daughters in the future, since they would die within two years of marrying into Mongolia? It would be painful and there would be no way to help them.
"The Empress Dowager sent an imperial edict saying that everything should wait until Ning Chuge is a month old, so let's wait until the full moon."
After saying that, Xiu Ning waved her hand and simply lay down to continue resting.
A month passed quickly. Not only did the newborn Ning Chuge reach his one-month milestone, but the epidemic that had broken out in the prince's and princess's quarters was also successfully contained.
The eldest princess, Chenghu, and Chengqing were affected to varying degrees. Even the youngest, Chengqing, suffered from shortness of breath as a sequela, which made Consort Nara hate the mastermind behind the trouble.
After Ning Chuge's one-month celebration, the Empress Dowager discussed the matter with the Emperor and not only completely relinquished palace power to the Empress, but also handed over Ning Chuge, whom she had previously intended to raise, to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager naturally accepted with delight. Moreover, when this person came to hold the child, he also told Xiuning that she could visit the child at Shou Kang Palace at any time in the future, and could also take the child back to Qi Xiang Palace for a short stay.
Xiu Ning was overjoyed and thanked the Empress Dowager profusely until the Empress Dowager took Ning Chuge away, at which point the smile on Xiu Ning's face finally faded.
"Help me back to rest."
With a calm expression, Xiu Ning said something to Chun Yu, then sat back down on the couch in the inner room, closing her eyes slightly and rubbing her head with both hands.
'The host doesn't seem unhappy,' although the atmosphere is very tense, and even the palace maids who serve her closely, like Chunyu, don't dare to speak much.
'Why be unhappy?' Xiu Ning felt that the Empress Dowager's attitude today was enough to show that she did not have any possessive feelings for Ning Chuge.
That's true. In such a feudal society, princes were more precious than princesses who were destined to marry out.
The fact that the Empress Dowager entrusted Ning Chuge to her and then gave the power of the palace to the Empress to curry favor with the Emperor suggests that she intended to raise a prince.
With the case of the late Emperor Shunzhi as a precedent, and given the limited number of imperial heirs, it was highly likely that only one of the princes or princesses could be handed over, which the Empress Dowager was still unwilling to accept.
As it turned out, Xiuning's guesses were all correct.
As summer approached, Xiuning, having finished her postpartum confinement, began to visit Shou Kang Palace frequently.
Sometimes, the Empress Dowager would not see her, but she did not stop Ning Chuge from visiting. Even when Xiu Ning tentatively carried Ning Chuge back to the palace for a night, the Empress Dowager did not send anyone to urge her.
Seeing that the Empress Dowager had kept her promise, Xiuning immediately showed more affection for Shou Kang Palace.
Even under the scorching sun, they would go to Shou Kang Palace to chat and relax with the Empress Dowager.
However, such an attitude easily aroused gossip among the women in the harem. Many people said that Xiu Ning was too obsequious, especially since Xiu Ning herself had just heard these words.
"My lady, they've gone too far!" Chunyu stomped her foot in anger.
As they left Shou Kang Palace, Xiu Ning suddenly felt like taking a stroll in the Imperial Garden, but unexpectedly overheard gossip about herself.
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