near miss pregnancy
The incident involving Xiao Liu really made the palace quiet for a long time, and things didn't get better until the Chinese New Year.
The fifth year of Yongping.
I won't dwell on the political complications of the previous dynasty, as many of them didn't affect the harem. However, shortly after the start of the new year, news of a snowstorm arrived in the north, and Emperor Yongping dispatched an envoy to provide disaster relief.
In the capital, the fourth daughter of the emperor, Princess Yong'an, Yuzan, was married in February.
Not long after Princess Yong'an's wedding, the fifth daughter, Princess Huaishuo, arrived. Since Emperor Yongping ascended the throne, he had also held weddings for several princes and princesses, but none as grand as Princess Huaishuo's.
But no one said anything. After all, Princess Huaishuo was the legitimate daughter of the empress, and she had a brother who was the crown prince, so it was always different.
In the harem, Concubine Wan gave birth to the twelfth prince He Qing, and Concubine Qi gave birth to the thirteenth prince He Wei.
October 26th is a good day for marriage.
Princess Long'an Yuxi married Zhou Tiansheng, the commander of the Beijing Guards.
If we consider the many princesses before us, such as Princess Mingjing Yujin, the eldest daughter of the emperor, whose status was superior and who was highly favored, and Princess Huaishuo Ping'an, the legitimate princess, whose noble status and frail health inevitably attracted the attention of Emperor Yongping, then Princess Long'an Yuxi was the princess who truly won the emperor's favor. For a long time, this princess was the youngest daughter of Emperor Yongping, but even the birth of the seventh princess Yujun later did not match the affection she held in Emperor Yongping's heart.
This can be seen from the princess's maiden name and title.
Furthermore, despite being clearly not the Empress's daughter, Princess Long'an's dowry and wedding were all accorded to a legitimate princess. This superior treatment was comparable to that of her biological mother, Concubine Ding. It was rumored that Emperor Yongping privately gave Princess Long'an a slightly higher subsidy than Princess Huaishuo.
The most important point is that Princess Longan's consort is the highest-ranking among all the consorts. In the future, there will be a first-class marquis waiting to be inherited in the family.
It can be said that no princess is more grand than Princess Long An.
When Yuxi got married, Li Qingping wept so hard she couldn't face anyone. Only then did she understand how Concubine Ke felt when she saw Princess Shuhui, Yulang, get married. Although she had experienced Yujin's wedding before, it was completely different then. Outside the palace, she could return to her parents' home anytime, anywhere. At that time, the gap between information outside the palace and inside the harem was unfathomable. Yuxi was Li Qingping's first child, born after ten months of pregnancy. She had raised her by her side the entire time, spending the longest time with her, and naturally, they had a deep affection for her. She lost her composure for a moment.
But she couldn't keep crying. Anyway, when Yuxi and her husband returned to the palace to pay their respects on the third day, Li Qingping's eyes had already subsided.
This went on until the sixth year of Yongping.
This year, Emperor Yongping had originally planned to go to the frontier to escape the summer heat. This was his first time leaving the capital since ascending the throne. Everything was in place, and it just so happened that good news came from Kunning Palace at this time.
That day, Queen Li felt unwell, dizzy and had her eyes blurred. She asked the imperial physician to see her, and found out that Queen Li was pregnant!
The pregnancy of the Empress was a great joy, and soon everyone in the six palaces knew about it.
Emperor Yongping was very surprised and happy when he heard this. He generously rewarded many palace servants. He even gave up his original plan to go to the frontier to escape the summer heat in order to take care of Empress Li who was feeling unwell during her pregnancy.
Everyone had packed their bags, but suddenly they couldn't go. I don't know how many people secretly grumbled and complained, but they didn't dare to show it.
Some people outside were happy, some were jealous, but when it came to Li Qingping and Concubine Ke, most of them were worried.
It was simple. Although Empress Li looked young due to her careful care, she was in her forties, a well-deserved mother of advanced maternal age. Any inappropriate handling could have harmed Empress Li's health. Furthermore, they all knew that Empress Li's last pregnancy was twenty-four years prior, when she gave birth to the Crown Prince. After such a long absence, Empress Li felt that every aspect of her pregnancy was a hundred times more arduous.
Queen Li found it incredible when she heard the pulse condition described by the imperial physician.
She had suffered from a cold uterus since childhood, and although it was no longer a serious problem after treatment, it was still considered to be detrimental to her offspring. Emperor Yongping always respected her and, in addition to staying in her room on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month as per ancestral rules, he also stayed overnight at other times. However, even so, she had no news of pregnancy in all these years, and only had the Crown Prince and He Xuan as her only child.
In fact, as Empress Li aged, Emperor Yongping rarely had sex with her even when she stayed overnight, and even then, he was not as reckless as he was in his youth. With the increasing number of young beauties in the palace, Emperor Yongping was no longer as interested in the bodies of older women.
But it was under such circumstances that Queen Li became pregnant!
Even when she was pregnant with the crown prince, Empress Li's pregnancy signs were already poor; she vomited everything she ate. Now, at her advanced age, with this child, the situation was even worse. Morning sickness and fatigue were minor issues, but even before her belly showed any signs of pregnancy, Empress Li felt aches and pains all over her body. She couldn't sleep well, couldn't sit comfortably, and couldn't eat. In just a few days, she lost a lot of weight.
Emperor Yongping was furious, but he didn't show his anger in front of Empress Li. However, the people in the Imperial Medical Service were in a terrible state.
But there was nothing they could do. Empress Li couldn't eat anything, and couldn't even drink the abortion-preserving medicine. She would vomit almost immediately, and the old doctors were so worried that they nearly pulled out their beards.
The fetus is not getting enough nutrition and the mother is weak. If this continues, there is a risk of miscarriage!
Li Qingping and Concubine Ke looked worried and anxious, but there was nothing they could do. Empress Li was so weak that she slept most of the day and night, and the two sisters tossed and turned in the palace, unable to sleep.
Fortunately, Doctor Zhang later used medicinal food, and somehow, Empress Li was finally able to eat something. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief that she was no longer in a state of extreme distress.
After Empress Li was able to eat some medicinal food, the atmosphere in the palace finally relaxed a bit. After all, when Emperor Yongping saw the Empress, he would frown and take his anger out on others. No one dared to approach the Emperor, let alone compete for his favor. And with Empress Li lying in wait, the palace couldn't openly indulge in pleasure, and everyone was trembling with fear for making mistakes.
Imperial Physician Zhang would enter the palace at dawn every day to take the patient's pulse and change the prescriptions frequently. If Empress Li hadn't used a certain medicine today, he would not use it tomorrow, but if she had used a certain medicine frequently, he would continue to use it. He adjusted the prescriptions carefully according to the Empress's appetite.
The Crown Prince, Crown Princess, and Princess Huaishuo also frequented Kunning Palace. The children's moods brightened when they were around Empress Li, and their appetites improved, so the younger generations weren't afraid of trouble.
Empress Li seemed to be gradually recovering, so the concubines in the harem began to send more and more invitations to Kunning Palace.
That day, Li Qingping had just sat down in Kunning Palace when a palace maid came in with a tray containing a gift list. It turned out to be the Thirteenth Prince He Wei's hundred-day banquet, and Concubine Qi wanted to invite a few tables for a family feast in a side hall of Chengqian Palace.
Empress Li glanced at it and saw no problem. She said, "It's approved. He's a prince after all, so he should be treated with some respect. Let the Imperial Household Department assist and do their best. Have Huixin personally deliver the gift to Kunning Palace later."
The palace maid accepted the order and left.
Li Qingping had barely finished speaking with Empress Li when someone else arrived to report on other palace matters. Li Qingping frowned and anxiously shouted, "That's enough! The Empress isn't fully recovered yet. She needs to take care of her pregnancy and shouldn't be bothered! Put aside any non-essential palace matters for now, or let Huixin handle them."
The palace servants in Kunning Palace froze in their tracks, especially the maids and eunuchs in charge of palace affairs, who all fell to their knees with a thud.
Empress Li, already feeling annoyed, was taken aback. Then, she smiled faintly and said, "Concubine Ding is right. I'm truly in poor health, so let's put palace affairs aside for now." She looked at the kneeling maids and eunuchs, her voice gentle yet commanding. "Go back to your respective palaces. Anything not immediately pressing should wait until after this period. If anyone acts unruly, tell them it was my fault. If you're dissatisfied, I'll punish you according to palace rules."
"Your servant obeys your order." The palace servants were as if they had been pardoned. After paying their respects, they hurriedly left the hall to take care of the palace affairs.
Li Qingping came to his senses and realized he had lost his composure, but he was also so heartbroken that he didn't know what to do. He couldn't help crying, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I overstepped my bounds. But you really must take good care of your baby."
Empress Li's condition was so terrible a few days ago that Li Qingping and Concubine Ke were both afraid that something might happen to her.
"Why are you crying? You're doing this for my own good." Empress Li raised her hand to wipe Li Qingping's tears and sighed, "It's true that I haven't let go. Things in the palace are so busy that I'm always worried. It seems like it won't work if I don't deal with it for a few days."
Li Qingping wiped his face with a handkerchief and said, "How can these be more important than your health? When you were in so much pain a while ago, Concubine Ke and I wanted to suffer with you."
Queen Li said angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
But having these two sisters who always cared about her was indeed a great blessing. Empress Li caressed her belly and sighed, "I don't ask for anything more for this child. I just hope he'll be born safely."
Li Qingping responded: "Yes."
Empress Li felt sleepy again after drinking the medicine, so Li Qingping did not want to stay any longer. Before leaving, he warned the palace maids of Kunning Palace again: "Everyone, hold on tight to me. The most important things now are the Empress and the heir. Everyone else must step back."
The palace maids naturally responded without hesitation.
Empress Li watched with a smile. Although she felt sleepy after Li Qingping left, she did not rush to sleep. After thinking for a while, she ordered Huixin: "Please ask the emperor to come over."
Later, Liang Pei'an delivered Emperor Yongping's oral instructions to all the palaces: Until the Empress's safe delivery, no one except the Crown Prince, Crown Princess, Princess Huaishuo, and the two main consorts of Chengqian Palace and Yonghe Palace were allowed to disturb Kunning Palace. Furthermore, Consort Yi of Yongshou Palace was promoted to Noble Consort Yi, and Consort Ding of Yonghe Palace to Consort Ding. Noble Consort Yi, Consort Ke, and Consort Ding would assist the Crown Princess in managing the affairs of the six palaces.
When the decree spread throughout the six palaces, everyone fell silent for a while before reacting in any other way.
Especially in Yongshou Palace, Concubine Yi, who became a noble concubine, sneered, and did not seem to be very happy about the promotion and the involvement in palace affairs.
From the Qiandi Palace to the present, Empress Li has held on tightly to power for so many years, refusing to let go. Only the one in Yonghe Palace has touched it. It is obvious that Empress Li is wary of the concubines under her. This time she is willing to give up power, it is obvious that it is paving the way for Yonghe Palace.
Although she was promoted to Noble Consort now, the Emperor's meaning was very clear - the Queen's pregnancy was more important. The Emperor wanted the Li family to stabilize the harem, but was also afraid that the Li family would become too powerful, so he specifically brought in Noble Consort Yi to share power.
This imperial concubine was not happy at all after being given the title.
Moreover, the imperial concubine in Yongshou Palace is no match for Concubine Ding now, as the Li family has another concubine.
With one queen and two concubines, the Li family is so proud now.
Yonghe Palace.
Li Qingping took the imperial edict and instantly understood what Emperor Yongping and Empress Li meant. She sighed.
Now she has become one of the four concubines.
It was unprecedented for a family to have one queen and four concubines in the same dynasty, so the promotion of Concubine Yi was expected in order to balance the harem.
But… looking at the imperial edict placed on the rosewood table, Li Qingping's thoughts suddenly wandered, and he smiled helplessly. Knowing that Concubine Yi had been promoted to Noble Concubine first, Concubine Ke was probably going to be sulking again. And judging by the situation, she probably wouldn't be able to become Noble Concubine Ke for a while.
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