premature death
"What's going on?!"
Princess Xuan was shocked and furious. She had no idea what this Yang had done. The man had just come to her house after paying his respects when the accident happened. If anything had happened to him, Princess Xuan would have been the target of the wrath as well.
Although the little girl who came to report the news was so frightened that she could not speak clearly, Huixin still sent a little eunuch who was fast and eloquent to find out the whole story.
Concubine Yang was on her way back to the courtyard, her thoughts growing increasingly indignant. She was, after all, a concubine bestowed upon her by Concubine Xian; Zhang had merely been lucky enough to have given birth to a son. And yet, Princess Xuan had publicly humiliated her for a mere concubine! In her anger, she twisted her ankle and fell to the side. Although her maids, Jin Biao and Jin Huan, tried to help her, Concubine Yang was so heavy and the suddenness of the incident made it impossible for two little maids to support her. Ultimately, the three of them, master and servant, fell together.
Although the two maids loyally served as a cushion to protect her from falling down, Concubine Yang had been taking pregnancy-maintaining medicine like food during this pregnancy, and she immediately started bleeding after the fall.
"Stupid woman!" Princess Xuan couldn't help but curse. She knew Yang was petty, but she had never imagined she could be so petty!
Even Li Qingping and Concubine Li cursed inwardly.
Zhang's physical injury and even her fertility were affected during childbirth, which was already a sad thing. Concubine Yang couldn't help but rub salt into her wounds. Everyone present at the time, whether they had given birth or not, knew that childbirth was a nightmare for women. Concubine Yang's words made anyone feel uncomfortable.
If Princess Xuan hadn't spoken at that time or had played Tai Chi and passed it over, it would have chilled the hearts of everyone in the backyard. Didn't you see that everyone looked unhappy at that time?
When Li Qingping and the others arrived, the others were already waiting.
They didn't want to come either, after all, because the one inside was a concubine. It was true that the higher the rank, the more powerful the person. They, the younger concubines, had to wait outside while she gave birth. They used to get up early every five or ten days to pay their respects to the main courtyard, but now, with the chill of spring still lingering, everyone was eager to say goodnight and return to the courtyard to relax and sleep in. Now, everyone was forced to endure the hardship of waiting for Concubine Yang to give birth.
The baby inside had already started giving birth, and the cries of pain were getting louder and louder.
"If you keep calling me like that, I hope you won't have enough strength to give birth when the time comes." Madam Wan said with concern, covering her lips with a handkerchief.
Princess Xuan glanced at her and said with dignity, "Sister, be careful with your words."
Madam Wan stopped pretending and sneered, "Anyway, both the Empress and I have had experience with childbirth, so what I said is true."
After what happened this morning when she paid her respects, and after the previous dirty tricks, Madam Wan completely lost her good attitude towards Concubine Yang. She sneered in her heart: It would be best if Concubine Yang also ended up in a bad situation this time, otherwise it would be unfair to her, and she would have to experience the feeling of not being able to give birth herself.
Although Princess Xuan did not like Concubine Yang, she still did not want anything to happen to her during her pregnancy.
But everyone knew that Concubine Yang's baby was not in good condition. She was only eight months pregnant, which was considered premature. She also looked unwell during her pregnancy. Even if she could give birth safely, it was clear that the baby would be weak and sickly.
Of the six children now living in the mansion, which one wasn't born safely? Even the second daughter, Yuzhen, and the second son, Heluo, who are more fragile than their siblings, can grow up healthy with careful care. The Crown Prince has lost several children, and countless more have died in the palace. Doesn't this make the Prince Xuan's family stand out? Everyone outside says Prince Xuan is a man of good luck with his children! Now that there might be an "outlier," who wouldn't curse the Yang family for being unlucky?
As expected, a few hours later, the midwife came out trembling with fear, saying that Concubine Yang had given birth to a daughter. However, the third girl had been in the womb for too long and was afraid that she might be in trouble.
No wonder there was no crying inside.
Princess Xuan's heart skipped a beat, but she still asked, "How is the concubine?"
"The concubine fainted from exhaustion. Fortunately, there was no heavy bleeding. She needs to take good care of herself."
Hearing this, everyone present had different expressions. Especially Zhang, although she appeared to be indifferent, she was actually cursing in her heart, "You deserve it."
Before they could say anything more, another old woman's sad voice came from inside, saying that the third young lady was gone.
Everyone had expected it, and there weren't too many surprises.
When Prince Xuan came back from court and heard that Yang's child had died, he sighed and did not go to the backyard. He just asked Princess Xuan to handle the matter according to the rules.
Li Qingping was raising a young girl, so when he heard that a little life had been lost, he said with regret and grief, "Poor thing, let's find a good place to bury it."
Even in the royal family, there was no tomb for such a young child. They could only be buried in a good feng shui site. Some unfavored ones were even buried in a small mound.
The others who had children couldn't help but nod. This was the first time in the mansion that a child had died within a quarter of an hour of birth. No matter how much Concubine Yang hated her, the child was innocent. Thinking that they might not be so lucky every time in the future and might encounter such a thing, it was inevitable that they would feel even more heartbroken.
Princess Xuan ordered that the little dead baby be buried properly, and then opened the warehouse to bestow many rewards and precious medicinal herbs so that Concubine Yang could take good care of her health.
After two days of coma, Concubine Yang finally awoke. Upon hearing that she had given birth to a daughter who had died within a quarter of an hour, she frantically cried out, "Give me back my son!" Overwhelmed with grief, she passed out again. Upon waking, she continued to repeat the phrase "my child." Concubine Xuan, fearing she would be too devastated, sent Concubine Luo to accompany her, and she managed to calm her down.
After that, Concubine Yang was quiet for a while and no longer mentioned her deceased daughter.
In April, the emperor decided to take the empress dowager on a tour to the frontier.
The six princes, all married and crowned, accompanied the emperor: Prince Xuan, the Crown Prince, Prince Su, Prince Yue, Prince Ling, and the Sixth Prince Zhao, who had just married and been allowed to leave the palace to set up his own residence. The emperor's brothers, Prince Shan and Prince Jian, were stationed in the capital to oversee the country.
This time, Li Qingping and Liu were unable to go with them. They were accompanied by Princess Xuan, Concubine Yang, Madam Wan and Zhao.
The eldest girl went along anyway, and after learning that Li Qingping wasn't going, she felt quite lost for a while. But she was a child, and she could be coaxed into submission. Li Qingping made a promise to her that when she returned, she would not only bring gifts but also tell him about the customs and practices of the outlying world. The eldest girl, feeling she had taken on a huge responsibility, happily and solemnly nodded in agreement.
As for Concubine Li, she was found to be two months pregnant, so she happened to stay in the palace with Li Qingping to keep him company.
Everyone in the harem was filled with mixed emotions about Concubine Li's pregnancy. Previously, Concubine Li had been so favored, yet she had yet to conceive. It was assumed that she would have a difficult time conceiving, but who would have thought that after giving birth, things would improve. Before the third son was even a year old, Concubine Li was pregnant again. Furthermore, everyone had witnessed that Concubine Li, already a beautiful woman, had not lost her beauty after giving birth. Instead, she had become significantly plumper, as soft and smooth as water, with a woman's charm, which further endeared her to Prince Xuan.
In short, I am better than everyone else.
However, after being in the frontier for so long, without the comparison with the most beautiful woman in the backyard, Concubine Li, they had plenty of opportunities to get pregnant again.
Of the five children left in the palace, the third son and Xian, the fourth son and Yun's mother were all by their side, so there was no need to worry. The second son and Yan were safely left in the care of Li Qingping by Princess Xuan. As for the second daughter, Yuzhen, and the eldest son and Yan, Prince Xuan intended to leave them in the care of two of his trusted maids, asking Concubine Li and Li Qingping to keep a close eye on them. After all, the two children were in the palace, so nothing would happen to them.
After much deliberation, Zhao finally made up her mind and suggested to Prince Xuan, "Master, why don't we let Yuzhen live in Sister Li's courtyard for a while?"
The Li sister here refers to Li Qingping. There are three Lis in the backyard. Zhao usually calls Princess Xuan "Niangniang"; because Concubine Li dislikes her, she doesn't want to curry favor with the cold butt, so she calls Concubine Li "Concubine Li"; and if she can talk to Li Qingping, she calls her Sister Li.
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone looked at Zhao in surprise.
Princess Xuan could confidently hand Erlang over to Li Qingping without hesitation because they were close sisters, and they had their own faction in the backyard, so they were trustworthy. But why did Zhao Shi do that?
Concubine Li clutched her handkerchief tightly, her almond-shaped eyes glaring at Zhao with displeasure, as if warning her not to cause trouble. If Prince Xuan hadn't been there, she would have definitely said something.
Li Qingping was also surprised and didn't agree immediately. He smiled faintly and said, "I do have a vacant house in my yard, so it wouldn't be a problem for the second young lady to move in. But why did Sister Zhao suddenly suggest this? Master just said that he would send a nanny to take care of her. The concubine and I will also check on her from time to time, so don't worry."
Zhao glanced at Prince Xuan, seeming to realize she had said something inappropriate. She waved her hand awkwardly and said, "Forgive me, sir. It's not that I don't trust Nanny. It's just that the second young lady is about to start her education and will have to go to the clan school in two years. I know that Sister Li is well-read and proficient in Western arithmetic, while I only know a few characters and can't teach her much more. So I thought of letting the second young lady get closer to Sister Li so she can embody some of the culture. Besides, the excellence of the eldest young lady is obvious to all, and I think Sister Li has contributed to this. I know I'm dull and confused myself, but I didn't expect the second young lady to be like this. If she could learn a little bit from the eldest young lady, I would be satisfied."
Simply put, Zhao wanted to find a good role model for the second girl.
Prince Xuan, with his motherly love for his daughter, couldn't refuse. Furthermore, the eldest daughter was indeed his most beloved child, both academically and socially, earning praise from even the palace. Even after Princess Xuan's birth, the eldest daughter didn't move back to the main courtyard, remaining under Li Qingping's care and guidance. This demonstrates Li Qingping's skill in adopting daughters.
The second daughter was also his own daughter, and Prince Xuan certainly didn't want her to be too inferior to her older sister. Zhao's occasionally timid nature certainly wasn't suitable for raising such a generous and well-mannered girl.
"Qingping, what do you think?"
After thinking about it, Prince Xuan decided to let Li Qingping make the final decision. After all, it was her courtyard that would be inhabited.
Li Qingping didn't think it was a big deal. He nodded and said, "Since my sister trusts me, I'll let the second young lady come and stay for a while."
Zhao smiled happily: "Thank you, sister!"
Mrs. Wan looked at it and thought that Zhao's move was really brilliant.
This was done in public, with the permission of Prince Xuan and Princess Xuan, and the second young lady was sent over openly. Even if something happened to the second young lady, there would be no need to worry about finding a culprit. Although Li Qingping's temperament was not enough to poison a child. But in any case, with a legitimate master like Li Qingping taking care of him, those servants dared not neglect him, and he was no match for a nanny! And Zhao herself also had a good reputation. Besides, the second young lady was the legitimate son, and he would temporarily live with Li Qingping. A trip to the frontier would take at least four or five months. After a few months of living together day and night, the second young lady could also become much closer to the second young lady. Although the legitimate son may not necessarily inherit the throne, it is always right to build a good relationship! Zhao Shi killed three birds with one stone!
It was a pity that Zhao had spoken first. It would be inappropriate for Madam Wan to speak up now. There was no reason to cram all the children into one courtyard. Besides, unlike Zhao, she wouldn't humble herself so much. The eldest son was only two years old and had a bad memory. She was afraid that Li Qingping would raise the child so well that he would no longer recognize her as his mother!
Madam Wan could only glare at Zhao. Look at the stupidity of this man!
Zhao pretended not to see it.
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