Chapter 89 Postpartum, even more voluptuous...
When she regained consciousness, before she even opened her eyes, Narcissus felt weak and powerless all over her body.
She struggled to open her eyes, and the first thing she saw in her blurry vision was a handsome face filled with worry.
Emperor Zhaoheng stayed by her bedside. His voice was slightly hoarse as he called for water and personally moistened her lips.
"Xian'er, I almost lost you."
The cool water relieved her thirst, and her chapped lips stung slightly as she spoke.
But she couldn't worry about that, and asked in a low voice, "My child...my child...is he alright?"
This is her most instinctive concern after she, as a mother, had just escaped death.
A smile appeared on Emperor Zhaoheng's face when his daughter was mentioned.
"Don't worry, our daughter is well."
"I have named her Xiao Yuanzhao and bestowed upon her the title of Princess Yongning. She is currently in Kunning Palace, being personally cared for by the Empress. You can rest assured."
He added in a low voice, "Xiao Yuanzhao is very healthy and beautiful, just like you."
When Narcissus heard the word "daughter," she paused for a moment.
In her previous life, her first child was a prince.
She didn't even get to hold the child before Yi Guichun forcibly took him away, and from then on, she had nothing to do with him anymore.
She only had a vague impression of that child; she had never even held him, so there was naturally little to no motherly affection between them.
Unexpectedly, in this life, my first child is a daughter.
Perhaps the difference is due to the timing of the pregnancy... which is why it is different from the previous life.
Narcissus knew all too well how difficult it was to be a woman in this world, and the princess was no exception. But since her daughter had chosen her as her mother, she was determined to protect her well!
Narcissus recalled the name Emperor Zhaoheng had just mentioned... Yuan Zhao.
Zhao was his imperial title.
From this name, Shui Xian could clearly sense Emperor Zhaoheng's extraordinary regard for his eldest daughter.
At this moment, Yinzhu, who had been standing guard to the side, stepped forward and said:
"Your Majesty, the Emperor is very fond of you and has promoted you to the rank of Imperial Concubine! He has also granted you the power to assist in managing the six palaces!"
Shui Xian was truly stunned. "Your Majesty... Your Majesty's previous promotion to the rank of Consort was already an act of great imperial grace and an exceptional honor."
"How can she be promoted to Imperial Concubine now? This... is against the rules..."
Emperor Zhaoheng raised his hand and gently brushed away the strands of hair on her forehead that were damp with sweat.
"If I say you can, then you can."
"You gave birth to my eldest daughter, which is a great service to the royal family and the country! You are worthy of the title of Imperial Concubine."
"As for assisting in managing the six palaces..." He paused, "The Empress is frail, and Consort Li is not up to the task. The affairs of the harem are complicated, and I need a caring person like you to help me share the burden."
Emperor Zhaoheng held her hand tightly, "You should focus on recovering your health. Once you are fully recovered, this power of assisting in governance will be your responsibility."
Emperor Zhaoheng was about to give a few more instructions when he heard Feng Shunxiang quietly report from the outer room: "Your Majesty, Imperial Physician Pei is waiting outside for Consort Jin, and he wants to take her pulse."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhaoheng spoke gently to Narcissus:
"I still have some urgent state affairs to attend to. Please let Pei Jichuan take a look. I will come to see you later."
He bent down and gently kissed Narcissus's cheek before getting up and leaving.
As soon as Emperor Zhaoheng left, Pei Jichuan respectfully entered.
He is now a high-ranking imperial physician of the eighth rank, wearing a brand-new blue official robe, and his demeanor has become much more composed.
"Your humble servant pays respects to Your Highness, the Noble Consort."
"No need for formalities."
Narcissus gestured for him to come closer.
Pei Jichuan then stepped forward and carefully examined Shui Xian's pulse.
After a long while, he withdrew his hand. "How does Your Majesty feel?"
Narcissus frowned slightly: "After waking up, I felt weak all over, as if all my energy and spirit had been drained."
This extreme weakness was something I had never experienced when I gave birth to a child in my previous life.
Pei Jichuan's expression was grave: "This postpartum hemorrhage was extremely dangerous. Although her life was saved, the amount of blood and energy she lost far exceeded that of an ordinary woman who had given birth."
"Your Majesty must take good care of yourself and must not overwork, otherwise you may develop chronic illnesses that could shorten your lifespan."
Narcissus asked softly, "I remember you said that I have a special constitution, so my childbirth should be smoother than others... Why did I suddenly experience such a dangerous hemorrhage this time?"
When this was mentioned, Pei Jichuan's face also showed confusion.
"Your Majesty, this is precisely what I cannot understand."
“Since Your Majesty became pregnant, I have personally inspected all your belongings, and I have been especially careful with silver beads. In all matters, there should be no way that anything sinister or poisonous should come near Your Majesty!”
He sighed softly and continued, "After careful consideration, I believe that the Empress's hemorrhage worsened and was likely related to a medicine called the Epiphyllum oxypetalum."
"This flower has extremely mild medicinal properties. When used alone or in long-term contact, it does not cause any obvious harm to pregnant women and may even have some nourishing and calming effects."
"But... if a pregnant woman holds a ginseng slice in her mouth during childbirth, the Ephemeral Flower will react with the medicinal properties of the ginseng slice, turning into a deadly poison! It will violently stimulate blood and qi, causing uncontrollable massive bleeding!"
"Your Majesty, I once saw a similar record in a book on miscellaneous diseases. I boldly used the Dingkun Pill to forcibly reverse the adverse effects of the medicine, which saved Your Majesty's life!"
He lowered his eyes and thought deeply.
"I still can't figure out how Your Majesty came into long-term contact with this Ephemeral Flower. Although it is not rare, it is by no means a common item in the palace."
"Yinzhu!" Shuixian's voice was cold. "Pass on my order: starting today, you will personally lead men to thoroughly search Yongle Palace from top to bottom!"
"Nothing suspicious should be overlooked!"
She was so careful during her pregnancy, how could she have fallen for it!
"Yes! This servant obeys!"
Yinzhu looked stern and immediately accepted the order and left.
However, a whole month has passed...
Under Pei Jichuan's careful care, Shuixian's body slowly recovered.
Yinzhu led a group of palace servants and practically turned Yongle Palace upside down... but they found nothing.
This result made Narcissus even more vigilant.
The enemy is more cunning and more sophisticated than they imagined.
The trail seems to have gone cold.
Narcissus paid no attention to the flowers; the first thing she did after she was able to get out of bed was to visit her daughter at Kunning Palace.
Shortly after Yuan Zhao's birth, the Empress, in accordance with the previous agreement, took the child back to Kunning Palace to raise him.
Narcissus also knew that this was the necessary price to pay in order to protect her daughter and gain the Empress's protection.
But after all, a mother and daughter are of one heart.
The separation immediately after childbirth made this longing all the more agonizing.
When she was finally able to get out of bed and walk around, Shui Xian felt that she had regained some strength and could no longer resist coming to Kun Ning Palace.
The Empress seemed to be in better spirits than before, and her smile was gentle.
"Consort Jin has arrived? Please have a seat."
She examined Narcissus's complexion and said, "She looks much better, but she has lost her vitality and needs to take good care of herself."
Narcissus said softly, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."
"But...I am a new mother and I am truly worried about Yuanzhao. I wonder...if I may visit her?"
Narcissus's gentle expression implied to the Queen that she had no intention of breaking the agreement, but simply wanted to see the child.
The Empress nodded, appearing very understanding.
"I understand your feelings... It's natural for mothers and daughters to be like this, it's just human nature."
“Yongning is doing very well here in my palace. The wet nurses and nannies are very attentive. If your health permits, you can come to Kunning Palace to visit her often in the future.”
"Granny Sun," she called to her trusted nanny, "take Consort Jin to the side hall to see Princess Yongning."
Narcissus felt a little relieved and quickly thanked the emperor. Led by Granny Sun, she headed towards the side hall of Kunning Palace.
The side hall was decorated in a warm and elegant style, and Narcissus immediately spotted the tiny swaddled baby in the exquisite cradle.
Beside the cradle, a well-dressed wet nurse, who had been dozing on a small stool, was startled awake by the noise, her face showing the panic of being caught red-handed.
She instinctively explained, "This servant...this servant greets Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine! Your Highness, please forgive me!"
"The princess has just fallen asleep. I was thinking... that the masters don't come here often, so I'll rest for a little while. I always stay by the princess's side!"
At that moment, Narcissus's heart and eyes were filled with her daughter. She didn't listen carefully to the wet nurse's explanation and casually waved her hand, saying, "It's alright."
In the cradle, little Yuan Zhao was sleeping soundly, his rosy face, long eyelashes, and slightly pouting red lips were so cute that they melted anyone's heart.
In her previous life, the child she had just given birth to was taken away; she didn't even have time to see what he looked like.
At this moment, looking at the little life that was connected to her by blood, the hard corner of Narcissus's heart seemed to be completely melted.
Her daughter was fast asleep, and she didn't want to disturb her. She just gently touched her lovely face with her fingertips and murmured softly.
"Xiao Yuanzhao..."
However, Yinzhu, who was standing behind Narcissus, keenly caught the wet nurse's words just now.
A thought stirred within her, and she secretly made a mental note of it.
After that, whenever her health permitted, Shui Xian would visit her daughter at Kunning Palace every three to five days.
Every time she held that soft little one, she felt an immense sense of peace and warmth in her heart.
The sun was shining brightly that afternoon.
Shui Xian spent half an hour playing with her daughter in Kunning Palace, watching her being taken away by the wet nurse to be breastfed, before reluctantly saying goodbye and leaving.
Her heart was filled with the loveliness of her daughter. With a touch of the satisfaction of becoming a mother for the first time and a faint sadness of parting, she held Yinzhu's hand and slowly walked towards Yongle Palace along a relatively quiet palace path in the Imperial Garden.
The master and servant had just turned past a rockery when they bumped into someone.
This man was dressed in the everyday clothes of a prince, with a somewhat arrogant look on his face. He was incredibly handsome, with a face that resembled the emperor's, but he lacked a bit of the composure of Emperor Zhaoheng.
He was Prince Duan, the younger brother of Emperor Zhaoheng, sharing the same father and mother.
Not wanting to cause trouble, Shui Xian nodded softly and said, "Greetings, Prince Duan."
Having said that, he prepared to step aside and walk around.
Unexpectedly, Prince Duan stepped forward and blocked her path once again.
His narrow eyes swept brazenly over Narcissus's body, finally settling on her breasts, which were now even fuller due to postpartum recovery.
A flippant smile played at the corners of his lips:
"After giving birth, the Imperial Concubine's waist is truly slender and graceful, her curves captivating, and she has become even more voluptuous..."
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