The Crown Princess's entry into the Eastern Palace is now a done deal.
After observing for a long time, the various forces gradually withdrew some of their forces to attend to other matters.
The power of the Crown Prince's faction in the court became increasingly stable and was at its zenith, almost able to rival that of Emperor Kangxi.
Of course, many of Yinreng's ministers were loyal to Kangxi, so there was no real conflict between the two.
Moreover, after receiving Tong Wanyan's repeated instructions, Yinreng would always consult Kangxi on important matters, giving Kangxi a sense of accomplishment as a father. Kangxi would not be wary of an outstanding crown prince, and Yinreng rarely disagreed with Kangxi.
The father and son often stood together against external threats, and they also shared a camaraderie that ran deep in the trenches.
Yinti maintained his habit of finding fault every few days, but it was always over trivial matters. When he argued with Yinreng, it was like playing around with a child.
Nalan Mingzhu asked Yinti several times why he had become so gentle with Yinreng, but Yinti remained silent.
Seeing that Yinreng was subtly distancing himself from Suo'etu, Yinti understood everything.
Although Yinti reacted a beat slower than Yinreng, he made timely amends and, after putting a certain distance between himself and Nalan Mingzhu, Kangxi praised him highly.
Kangxi's meaning was very clear: you sons can have your own power, but you cannot have your power eyeing the position below him.
Nalan Mingzhu and Suo'etu were enemies in the court, but in private they had a mutual respect and a kind of witty rivalry.
One night, they met on the outskirts of Beijing. After whispering about some shady matters, they began to slowly plan their abdication and the promotion of a younger member of their family.
A tall tree with only one branch is more vulnerable to the wind. It's better to learn from the Tong and Fucha families, whose branches are numerous and their offspring are all successful.
Leaving aside the turbulent events in the court, everything is now under Kangxi's control. He is now middle-aged, the time when his imperial power is most secure.
On May 22nd, Tong Wanyan woke up in the morning and ate a bowl of shredded chicken noodles, after which her stomach started to ache slightly.
Having given birth once before, she calmly grasped Xia Zhu's arm and said, "I'm going into labor."
Xia Zhu panicked and immediately picked her up, hurrying towards the delivery room.
She is strong and has a stable lower body; she could easily lift up not just one Tong Wanyan, but even one more.
Tong Wanyan's forehead was covered in fine sweat, while the servants in the South Courtyard were making preparations in an orderly manner.
Upon receiving the news, Shi Xiuzhu rushed to the South Courtyard without even having breakfast.
She knew she couldn't cause trouble at this time, so she pulled up a chair and sat down to the side, waiting for Tong Wanyan to give birth.
The person giving birth is Tong Wanyan, and the person who is nervous and scared is Shi Xiuzhu.
After rushing back from court, Yinreng saw Shi Xiuzhu sitting in the South Courtyard and felt superfluous.
"How long has Xiao Yan been inside?" Yinreng and Shi Xiuzhu did the same thing, finding stools to sit down.
Shi Xiuzhu clenched his fists, wishing he could go inside and see Tong Wanyan.
"Master is back? My sister started having contractions an hour ago. The midwife said it's her second pregnancy, so it should be quick. I was so worried!" Shi Xiuzhu's voice trembled with concern.
Yinreng gripped the chair handle with such force that he could almost crush it: "Did the imperial physician say what medicinal herbs are needed?"
"Doctor Chang said that my sister's pregnancy is going well, so just prepare some medicine to replenish her qi and blood after childbirth." Shi Xiuzhu talked too much and couldn't control her emotions for a moment, and tears fell down her cheeks.
Her tears didn't convey a woman's fragility; instead, they evoked a sense that a man doesn't easily shed tears, only when he's deeply moved.
Having ascertained the situation, Yinreng could no longer sit still and got up to pace back and forth at the courtyard gate.
The imperial physician and the midwife both said everything was fine, so there was definitely no chance of anything going wrong.
However, even though they weren't in mortal danger, they still felt the pain as they watched basins of blood being poured out.
At noon, a tender baby's cry came from the delivery room.
Yinreng and Shi Xiuzhu were too excited to speak; the two arrived at the door at roughly the same speed.
The delivery room door was opened a crack, and even though it had been simply cleaned, there was still a strong smell of blood.
"Congratulations, Your Highness! Your concubine has given birth to a healthy baby boy!" the midwife said joyfully.
Needless to say, the tips will definitely be plentiful.
Yinreng glanced at his chubby second son, who was more grown up and looked stronger than when Hongzhao and Tana were born.
"How is the concubine?" Yinreng craned his neck to peer inside.
There was a screen blocking the view inside, so you couldn't see anything.
Chunque came out from behind the screen: "Reporting to Master, the mistress fell asleep after giving birth to the little prince. Both mother and child are healthy and everything went smoothly."
"Take good care of Consort Yinreng and have the imperial physician prepare the best medicine for her to help her recover. I won't disturb her rest any longer; I'll wait outside the door." Yinreng didn't intend to leave after just a quick look.
He needed to hear Tong Wanyan's voice with his own ears before he could feel at ease to do his work.
Yinreng asked Shi Xiuzhu all the questions he wanted to ask and say, leaving Shi Xiuzhu standing there awkwardly.
The little one in the swaddling clothes wasn't shy at all. Although his eyes were still closed, his little mouth was smiling happily.
Both of them were restrained by nature. Now that the person they were worried about was alright, they stopped blocking the doorway.
Returning to his chair, Yinreng said to Shi Xiuzhu, "You should go back now. I will stay here and watch over Xiaoyan."
Shi Xiuzhu glanced at him: "I've taken care of all the internal affairs of Yuqing Palace. There's nothing else I'm too busy to attend to. On the contrary, you're tied up with state affairs. You've been waiting here for almost three hours. You must be busy with state affairs now."
Yinreng raised an eyebrow: "I am the same. I don't need to do everything myself. I will make all the decisions, no matter how small. Don't even think about being seen by Xiaoyan before I do after she wakes up."
Shi Xiuzhu's little scheme was exposed: "The delivery room is dirty and unlucky, you can't go in."
"I am the master of Yuqing Palace, who dares to say anything against me?" Yinreng said domineeringly.
The two of them tore at each other for as long as Tong Wanyan was unconscious.
De Shun kept his eyes and nose focused on his heart, pretending to be blind and deaf, unaware of everything.
Xiao Lian did the same, standing several feet away and not getting involved in her masters' affairs.
At lunchtime, the two of them casually grabbed a few pastries and ate them in the courtyard.
When Tong Wanyan woke up, it was already dusk, and the sky was ablaze with the colors of the setting sun.
Shi Xiuzhu still couldn't win against Yinreng. She was summoned to Ningshou Palace by the Empress Dowager to inquire about Tong Wanyan's situation.
When Tong Wanyan woke up, Yinreng was both pleased and relieved. He brought her a glass of warm water to quench her thirst.
"Thank you for your hard work." These were the first words Yinreng said to Tong Wanyan.
After quickly wiping her body, Tong Wanyan still looked a little exhausted and disheveled.
She exuded maternal love and gentleness, quite different from her usual image.
“The child belongs to the father, but also to me. I’m not tired,” Tong Wanyan said gently with a smile.
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