Chapter 34 Consort Hui's Reaction
Having prepared for any unforeseen circumstances, Yunyun solemnly informed Noble Lady Nara of the bad news.
As she expected, Noble Lady Nara's face turned pale instantly, and her body went limp, making it almost impossible for her to sit up.
Yunyun immediately ordered the imperial physician to examine Consort Nara's pulse.
The conclusion is that the pregnancy has been threatened and the patient needs to rest in bed.
Consort Nara also heard the result. She gripped Bai Lan's hand tightly and looked at Yun Jun with a pleading expression, "I know my own body. I've only had a miscarriage. Going to Zhao Xiang won't be a problem."
Because her child died young, she couldn't even be buried in the imperial mausoleum, nor was there a formal inscription. She could only be hastily buried in an earthen mound or a brick tomb.
But she always wanted to see her child one last time.
That was her only thought during her long time in the deep palace.
Noble Lady Nara covered her face and wept.
Having witnessed countless joys and sorrows, the imperial physicians felt it was inappropriate for them to remain there any longer. They simply prescribed some medicine to help prevent miscarriage and instructed the physicians to prepare it for Consort Nara.
The snow continued to fall heavily outside. Consort Nara insisted on going, and Yunyun could not stop a mother from seeing her child one last time. She could only send several palace maids to carefully serve her. In the end, she went to Zhaoxiang Palace with Consort Nara.
The room was filled with kneeling maids and nannies.
As a high-ranking concubine who effectively held power in the palace, Consort Tong was naturally present at such times.
Yunyun was delayed for a while because of Consort Nara's illness. When she arrived at Zhaoxiang's residence, Consort Tong was already standing inside.
Seeing that Consort Nara was swaying precariously, Consort Tong, unusually, did not say much, but silently made way for Consort Nara.
Consort Nara slowly walked to the edge of the bed, sat down gently, and stared blankly at the Ninth Prince's eyes, which would never open again, as tears streamed down her face.
The room fell silent for a moment, with only the suppressed sobs of Noble Lady Nara.
After crying for a while, Consort Nara suddenly looked up, her eyes fierce as she stared at the kneeling palace maids and nannies. Her voice was chillingly cold, "How could the Ninth Prince have died so suddenly? Did you all shirk your duties and fail to take good care of him?"
The Ninth Prince lay on the bed, his small body thin and frail. When Consort Nara saw him, her heart broke.
The kneeling nanny immediately cried out her innocence, "Your Majesty, please understand! We have taken the best care of the Ninth Prince, but he is weak and sickly even with the finest medicine."
"As Your Majesty knows, the Ninth Prince's health has deteriorated since his last high fever. In winter, he sometimes can't even drink ginseng soup. The imperial physicians come to examine the Ninth Prince every day, and we servants stay by his bedside all night long, not daring to close our eyes. But no matter how many prescriptions we try, they are useless. We... we have really done our best!"
The wet nurse also felt wronged, as being a wet nurse for a prince was originally a very honorable thing.
Putting aside everything else, just look at the Emperor's wet nurse; she is now well cared for, enjoys a high status, and even benefits her family.
But why was she so unlucky? It was bad enough that the Ninth Prince was sickly, but even though her birth mother was a noblewoman, she couldn't give her any rewards. They put in a lot of effort, but not only did they get no benefit, but now that the Ninth Prince was gone, they didn't know what their future held.
Yun Jun watched this scene and sighed softly.
Most people in the palace knew about the Ninth Prince's health condition; it was already quite remarkable that he had managed to hold on until now.
Moreover, the Emperor had just had an attack last time, so the servants were even more careful and dared not make a mistake again.
Now that Consort Nara is overwhelmed with grief, she vents her anger on these servants. But if we really look into it, these palace maids and nannies really have nothing to be ashamed of.
Although it was somewhat immoral to think that way, Yunyun was still very glad that she had transmigrated into the body of a concubine.
Consort Tong silently prayed for Buddha. Originally, she had planned to find a foster mother for the Ninth Prince, but the Emperor kept delaying and had not made a decision.
In hindsight, the Emperor's procrastination has actually been a good thing.
If the Ninth Prince were to change his foster mother at her suggestion and then die shortly afterward, the Emperor would surely think she was giving bad advice and ruining her image in his heart.
Seeing that Consort Nara was still crying, Consort Tong said, "You are now pregnant with twins. You must take care of yourself and the imperial heir in your womb. Do not grieve excessively."
As for the palace maids and nannies, Consort Tong had no intention of doing anything to them and simply sent them back to their respective places.
Finally, Lady Nara stayed by the bedside for a long time.
Outside, snow was falling heavily. Thinking of the imperial heir in Consort Nara's womb, Consort Tong thoughtfully arranged for a warm sedan chair to take Consort Nara back to Yanxi Palace.
-
The Qianqing Palace also received news of the Ninth Prince's untimely death.
Liang Jiugong bent down even lower.
He knew that his master was in a very bad mood at the moment.
In his early years, many princesses and princes died young, including one of the legitimate sons born to Empress Renxiao. The Emperor had experienced the pain of losing his sons many times. Finally, he had the Fifth Prince and the Crown Prince. He saw the Fifth Prince very clearly. Although the Emperor complained about the two princes, his tone was full of joy.
With the Fifth Prince and the Crown Prince by his side, the Emperor's grief lessened somewhat.
As a result, the Ninth Prince died young just as the first month of the lunar calendar began.
The year has begun with such bad news.
Liang Jiugong became even more cautious.
Emperor Kangxi remained silent for a moment, then said calmly, "Give him a proper burial."
The implication was that he didn't intend to go to Zhaoxiang's place to see for himself.
-
The death of the Ninth Prince was like a drop of water flowing into a lake, causing no major ripples in the harem.
The princesses would at most lament in private that Consort Nara was unlucky. A prince who never truly entered the sight of the concubines was ultimately just a topic of gossip for others.
Aside from the parties involved.
After Consort Nara returned to Yanxi Palace, Yunyun had the imperial physician take her pulse again.
This time, it was Dr. Zhang, an acquaintance, who came, along with another acquaintance, Dr. Li.
After Wuya agreed to give birth, she naturally no longer needed Physician Li to take care of her at all times.
In the field of gynecology, Physician Li was more experienced than Physician Zhang, after all, he had just finished taking care of a pregnant woman and helped her give birth safely.
Physician Li withdrew his hand from taking the pulse and respectfully replied, "Your Majesty's pregnancy has been barely stabilized, but your qi and blood are severely depleted. You must rest in bed from now on, and your diet should consist mainly of warm and nourishing foods. You must not be subjected to any further stimulation, and you should even minimize getting up and walking around, let alone experiencing great joy or sorrow."
He was glad he ran fast.
He was transferred from the Ninth Prince's residence to Consort Wuya's; otherwise, he would be the one who has been demoted now.
This isn't exactly good news, but it's not bad either.
At least the fetus is alright.
Throughout the entire process, Noble Lady Nara did not utter a single word, only staring blankly at the grape vine pattern on the top of the tent.
Yun Jun knew she was upset, so she didn't stay in the East Side Hall for long. She only gave Bai Lan a few instructions to take good care of Consort Nara before leaving.
Back in the main hall, a young palace maid brought a cup of hot tea. After taking a sip to ward off the cold, Yunyun thought of the Imperial Wardrobe again. "The mourning period for the Empress is almost over. Tell the Imperial Wardrobe to keep a tight rein on things and not make any mistakes at the last minute that would displease the Emperor."
It goes without saying that the emperor, who just lost a son, is probably not in a good mood right now.
"Also, make sure there's enough charcoal for Baoqing. Children grow so fast, they change every day. Make him two more sets of thick clothes, using soft fabric so it won't irritate his skin."
Fu Ling responded with a "Yes."
-
Inside Qixiang Palace, two plum trees are in full bloom.
It was the time of heavy snowfall, and the crimson petals were covered with snowflakes. Occasionally, a few petals were blown by the wind and drifted down onto the veranda.
Consort An and Consort Jing, wearing cloaks and carrying hand warmers, stood under the eaves admiring the flowers.
Consort Jing's fingertips touched a petal blown by the cold wind, feeling icy cold. "Your plum blossoms are quite stubborn, refusing to wither even in the snow."
Consort An followed her gaze and said in a somewhat nonchalant tone, "The flowers and plants in the palace are always more resistant to frost than those outside. Although the flower room did not send any new flowers to the palaces this year due to the mourning period, the ones we grow in our own palace are still quite presentable."
She paused, then added, "It's better than just staring blankly at the furniture and objects in the room."
They were all unfavored concubines; the emperor neither favored them nor liked to visit their palaces.
Although they have a certain rank and are not lacking in food and drink, with their family background, they will not lack these things regardless of whether they enter the palace or not.
The truth is, there's really no entertainment or leisure to do.
She has no access to palace power, no children, and her rank as a concubine is likely to remain so. She can't compete for the emperor's favor, so what hope does she have?
They were in the same situation and felt the same way.
The truth is the most hurtful thing. Consort Jing was speechless for a moment and just quietly looked at the plum blossoms.
A palace maid dressed in a light blue cotton coat looked hurried, with a thin layer of snow on her hair and shoulders, making her look particularly disheveled.
Seeing that she was unfamiliar, Consort An stopped her and asked, "Why are you still walking outside in the dead of winter with heavy snow?"
Any concubine in the palace with a modicum of dignity would not make her servants work in the wind and snow.
Firstly, palace concubines also need a good reputation. If a servant gets sick from the cold, they will be labeled as harsh towards their servants.
Secondly, it's also good to have some peace and quiet. Working in the heavy snow will only cause complaints from the people below.
The palace maid was in a hurry, and it was a snowy day, so she didn't notice the two mistresses under the eaves. She quickly came over to report, "Your Majesty, something has happened at Zhaoxiang's residence. The Ninth Prince has died."
"What?"
Both of them were very surprised.
They paid little attention to Zhaoxiang; what was there to care about a sickly prince?
It was snowing heavily again today, and very few palace maids and eunuchs were out and about. So by the time the news reached them, Consort Nara had already made her round trip.
This is still the reason why Yanxi Palace receives special attention.
Those who are out of the loop will probably find out in a day or two.
"What was Consort Nara's reaction?" Consort Jing asked.
The Ninth Prince wasn't the focus; what they were concerned about was Consort Nara's pregnancy.
"The imperial physician has been summoned from Yanxi Palace. It seems that Consort Nara's condition is not good," the palace maid said, recounting what she had seen. "The imperial physician went to Yanxi Palace twice."
Consort An and Consort Jing were no longer in the mood to appreciate flowers.
Although they are each other's biggest competitors, if Nara Guiren's pregnancy goes wrong, what will they still be fighting for?
Consort An suggested, "Why don't we go and take a look at Yanxi Palace?"
No matter what, I can only feel at ease if I see it with my own eyes.
Consort Jing shook her head, "We don't have any dealings with Yanxi Palace, and going there now would make us too conspicuous."
Their original plan was for them to rely on their own abilities after the child was born.
I never intended to harm anyone, since anything done would leave a trace, and things are not as lax now as they were when the emperor first ascended the throne.
“But Consort Nara’s pregnancy…” Consort An hesitated before continuing.
She wanted a healthy child, not one that might die at any moment.
It can be said that the death of the Ninth Prince completely disrupted their plans.
What if the Emperor takes pity on Consort Nara and lets her raise the child herself?
It's not impossible.
Consort An was overwhelmed by all the possible possibilities. Why did the Ninth Prince have to die at this particular time?
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