Chapter 60 Becoming a Father for the First Time
A few days later, at Kunning Palace.
Narcissus stepped into the main hall, led by the palace servants. The hall was filled with a strong medicinal smell, the curtains were drawn low, and the light was dim, making it feel somewhat oppressive.
Empress Liu, dressed in a dark red satin cross-collar dress, leaned against the phoenix chair. Her face was pale and her cheeks were thin, giving her the appearance of someone who was bedridden.
"Your humble servant, Consort Jin, greets Her Majesty the Empress. May Her Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."
Narcissus curtsied, with Silver Pearl supporting her from the side.
Empress Liu slowly raised her eyelids, looked at Narcissus for a moment, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Consort Jin... get up."
"You're quite heavy-set, no need for such formalities. Please sit down."
The palace maids brought over an embroidered stool, and Shui Xian thanked them and sat down, while Yin Zhu stood quietly behind her.
"What brings you to see me today?"
Empress Liu was frail and had to catch her breath after speaking only a few words; she looked sickly.
Whether in her past life or in this life, Narcissus had little interaction with this sickly empress.
However, Consort Li pressed on relentlessly, and Emperor Zhaoheng's attitude was not very clear. She might as well ask the most honored woman in the harem.
Shui Xian got straight to the point: "Your Majesty, I have come here today without asking for your help."
She lowered her eyes slightly and gently touched her slightly protruding belly. "I am unfortunate, but I am blessed by the Emperor to be able to conceive a child of the dragon."
"However... I know that I come from a humble background and have limited knowledge. I fear that in the future I will be unable to bear the heavy responsibility of raising the imperial heirs and will fail the trust placed in me by Your Majesty and our ancestors."
She looked up at Empress Liu and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty is the head of the six palaces and a model of virtue for the nation."
"Your Majesty, I dare to say that if I am fortunate enough to give birth to an imperial heir, I... am willing to send the imperial heir to Kunning Palace so that Your Majesty may raise and educate him personally."
Upon hearing this, Empress Liu glanced at her with slight surprise, clearly not expecting that Shui Xian had come to Kunning Palace today for this matter.
Empress Liu coughed violently a few times, and the nanny beside her quickly stepped forward to pat her back and attend to her.
After a long pause, she finally spoke, panting, her voice heavy with exhaustion: "Consort Jin, you are so kind."
"But look at me now... cough cough... I can barely take care of myself, how... how can I possibly shoulder the heavy responsibility of raising the imperial heir?"
A helpless smile crossed her pale face, as if she had only two years left to live.
But Shui Xian knew that although the Empress had been ill in her previous life, she had never heard of the Empress's death until Shui Xian died tragically at the hands of Shan Cha.
Now, she is about to give birth, and Consort Li is eyeing her covetously. Meanwhile, she is still in the early stages of her career, and the forces from humble backgrounds like Lian Chenxi are still budding. They are too far away to help her in her immediate needs.
Living deep within the palace, where every step is fraught with danger, Narcissus is willing to take a gamble.
She said confidently, "Your Majesty is too kind. Kunning Palace is quiet and peaceful, and there are capable palace maids and nannies to take care of the prince's daily life."
"Your Majesty only needs to remain in the palace; with your status and prestige, you will provide the greatest protection and guidance to the princes. As for Your Majesty's health..."
"Your Majesty, I believe that with His Majesty's great blessings, Your Highness will surely enjoy a long and blessed life."
Empress Liu no longer refused. She lowered her eyes and studied Narcissus's expression, as if trying to guess her meaning.
The hall fell completely silent, save for the occasional soft cough from Empress Liu.
Finally, Empress Liu gestured to the maid beside her.
Soon after, the old woman brought a wooden box to Narcissus and respectfully opened it.
Inside lay a delicate and lustrous pearl and grape hairpin, exuding an air of nobility.
"This hairpin... is the one I wore when I was made empress."
Empress Liu's voice was still weak, but it carried a deeper meaning: "I bestow this upon you. I hope you... will have a safe delivery and give birth to a healthy imperial heir for the Emperor."
She gazed intently at the narcissus, a gentle light passing through her eyes.
"I... am the legal mother of all the imperial heirs in this harem. If you encounter any difficulties, you can use this hairpin to knock on... the door of Kunning Palace... cough cough..."
Narcissus accepted the wooden box containing the gold hairpin with both hands and solemnly knelt down to perform a grand salute.
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace!"
This hairpin represents Empress Liu's promise.
Empress Liu, who was always frail and did not concern herself with the affairs of the inner palace, at least stood with her on the issue of imperial offspring!
——
After leaving Kunning Palace, Shui Xian had Yin Zhu hold the wooden box containing the gold hairpin, and felt a little more at ease.
She walked slowly along the palace path, pondering her next move.
Unexpectedly, not far from the Kunning Palace, they bumped into Consort Li, who had been standing there at some unknown time.
Consort Li was surrounded by palace servants, and even from a distance, she could see the narcissus.
Her gaze swept coldly between Narcissus and the Kunning Palace behind her, her eyes cold and gloomy, revealing a hint of anger.
Following protocol, Shui Xian stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your humble servant greets Consort Li."
Consort Li is wearing a bright red, high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) today. The peacock pattern on the hem is woven with gold thread and gleams brilliantly in the sunlight.
Her fierce gaze swept over Shui Xian's slightly protruding belly, and she spoke in a cool voice.
"Consort Jin...well done...truly well done."
"I really didn't know you had such ambitions. No wonder you look down on my Zhaoyang Palace. It turns out you're trying to climb up to Kunning Palace for your child!"
Shui Xian stood up and spoke calmly, "The Empress is the head of the inner palace and the legitimate mother of all the imperial heirs. Compared to others, she has the most rightful claim."
"Consort Li, what do you say?"
Consort Li sneered, "Narcissus, you wait, you'll regret this!"
With that, she turned and left, her back view radiating anger.
Shui Xian watched Consort Li leave. She was now more than halfway through her pregnancy. If, after giving birth, Emperor Zhaoheng truly intended to choose a noblewoman from the palace to raise her child...
Compared to the ruthless and unpredictable Consort Li, Empress Liu was clearly a better choice.
Narcissus looked at the wooden box that Silver Pearl was holding in her arms.
Of course, she still wanted to keep the child with her to raise him, as this would be the best choice for both her and the child.
However, if the situation changes...
Empress Liu was her way out for herself and her child.
On the other side, Consort Li returned to Zhaoyang Palace in a rage. In a fit of rage, she swept all the pure gold toys prepared for the children off the table!
She went up and stomped on all the gold, flattening and collapsing it!
"You lowly servant! You vile wretch!"
Consort Li trembled with rage, pointing towards Kunning Palace and cursing, "I showed her the right path, but she wouldn't take it! How dare she... how dare she try to get close to that half-dead woman?!"
As if she was still not satisfied, she stomped on the goldware several more times to vent her anger.
Fangfei quickly stepped forward, bending down to clean up the mess on the floor while gently comforting the person:
"Your Majesty, please calm down. Why ruin your health over a lowly servant who doesn't know what's good for you?"
"She thinks she can rise to the top just by climbing into Kunning Palace? Ha... Little does she know who holds the fate of Kunning Palace in their hands..."
Fangfei's words seemed to have a deeper meaning.
Upon hearing this, Consort Li took a deep breath, a hint of murderous intent flashing in her eyes.
"No, I can't make a move yet... The more that lowly servant tries to climb up to Kunning Palace, the more I will snatch the child away!"
Consort Li gave a cold laugh, "Since some people don't know what's good for them, they can't blame me for being ruthless."
The anger in her eyes gradually subsided, replaced by a deeper calculation: "Fangfei, it seems that some things that have been prepared for a long time... can be carried out ahead of schedule."
Fangfei lowered her head, revealing a sinister smile: "Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant... will take care of it right away."
——
The warm pavilion of the Qianqing Palace was brightly lit with candles at night.
Emperor Zhaoheng rarely put aside state affairs, and leaned against the soft couch, carefully placing his large hand on Shui Xian's slightly protruding belly.
His brows furrowed with the novelty of becoming a father for the first time, as he held his breath and savored the experience.
"Your Majesty..." Narcissus smiled gently, "My son is still very young, his movements are very faint..."
"Hush!" Emperor Zhaoheng seemed to have caught something, and his eyes suddenly lit up with surprise.
"Xian'er! I can feel it... it seems to be moving... like a little fish blowing a bubble!"
The joy of becoming a father for the first time softened his usually stern features.
Seeing his delighted expression, Shui Xian was thinking of taking this opportunity to casually mention her visit to the Empress at Kunning Palace a few days ago, to test Emperor Zhaoheng's reaction...
However, before she could speak, she was interrupted by a knock on the door.
Knock knock knock!
Emperor Zhaoheng was disturbed. He slightly raised his eyes and said in a deep voice, "What is it?"
The palace door was gently pushed open a crack, and the figure of the Grand Eunuch Feng Shunxiang appeared in the doorway, his voice extremely low:
"Your Majesty, the Cold Palace is on fire!"
"Fire?" Emperor Zhaoheng withdrew his hand from Shuixian's abdomen, sat up straight, and frowned even more deeply.
"In early spring, how could there have been a sudden fire at the Cold Palace? How bad is the fire? Has anyone been injured?"
“Your Majesty,” Feng Shunxiang said, bowing as he entered.
"The fire was discovered early, and the guards and eunuchs are doing their best to put it out. There should be no major problems."
"The cause of the fire is still under investigation; perhaps it was caused by a candle tipping over... I have another matter..."
He paused here, then quickly glanced at the narcissus sitting gracefully on the soft couch.
Shuixian noticed Feng Shunxiang's meaningful glance, and she immediately stood up, as if to avoid him:
"Since Your Majesty has urgent matters to attend to, I shall take my leave now..."
"No need."
Emperor Zhaoheng reached out and pressed down on her wrist, his gaze falling on Feng Shunxiang:
"Go on. Now that the fire is under control, what else is causing you such panic?"
Feng Shunxiang lowered his eyes and said in a deep voice:
"When the fire broke out, the guards of the Cold Palace were thrown into chaos, and the deposed concubine Yi (Yi Guichun)... took advantage of the confusion to escape!"
Having not heard this name for a long time, a dark glint flashed in Emperor Zhaoheng's eyes.
Feng Shunxiang continued, "When the guards found her, Lady Yi was disheveled and talking nonsense. Judging from her appearance... it seemed like... it seemed like she had completely gone mad!"
Emperor Zhaoheng immediately got up, told Shui Xian to wait in the Qianqing Palace, and then hurried towards the Cold Palace.
Watching his hurried departure, Narcissus on the soft couch frowned slightly.
crazy?
Would someone like Yi Guichun go crazy?
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