Last night, while Liu was sleeping soundly, the commotion in the east courtyard had not yet subsided. Liu woke up very early this morning and asked the maid about it. She heard that the concubine in the east courtyard had not yet given birth and did not make much of a fuss.
After the maids went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, Madam Liu sat in front of her dressing table. Her embroidered shoes swayed slightly, indicating her good mood. She hummed an unknown tune, and as she drew her eyebrows, her smile seemed to deepen as she looked at herself in the mirror.
When the maid returned with breakfast, Madam Liu had already dressed and was pruning the bonsai branches in the inner room with silver scissors.
"Princess, I heard that the concubine in the East Courtyard gave birth... It was a difficult time; she gave birth for a whole day and night..." The maid's voice was tinged with a sigh.
Upon hearing this, Liu was stunned, and even the snip of the silver scissors seemed to become jarring.
"What? Consort Li has given birth?"
The maid's voice almost startled her; her hand holding the food box trembled, but she dared not complain and proceeded cautiously.
"Yes, I heard it from someone on my way back from fetching food from the kitchen."
"Is it a prince or a princess?" Liu asked, her expression troubled.
The maidservant glanced at Liu's face and sighed first: "It's a prince, and both mother and child are safe. Consort Li is truly blessed."
After hearing this, Liu remained silent for a long time. The muscles on her face twitched slightly, as if she wanted to say something auspicious, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. In the end, she could only weakly raise her hand to signal the maid to leave.
Liu lowered his eyes, and even the pair of flowers and butterflies on his embroidered shoes seemed to become an eyesore. He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, but remained silent.
She thought that after a day and a night, the concubine would definitely have a difficult childbirth.
I never expected the primary wife to be so useless, allowing the secondary primary wife to give birth to the fourth prince of the mansion so peacefully.
Yes, having both a son and a daughter is a great blessing, isn't it?
Liu bit her lip, forcing a smile, knowing she would be going to the East Courtyard later to congratulate the concubine.
Since she couldn't become the Princess Consort, she would have to rely on herself.
However, the presence of a favored concubine with children ahead of her was indeed a considerable obstacle for Liu, but she had the advantage of being young.
A woman looks her worst during her postpartum period, which is her perfect opportunity to look her best.
Thinking of this, the smile on Liu's lips finally became a little more genuine.
However, Liu forgot one thing: when Li Chenjiao was pregnant, the Fourth Prince didn't pay any attention to her or Niohuru. Could it be that the Fourth Prince's heart would be reversed after just one month of confinement?
If Fourth Master were truly such a person, given how difficult Li Chenjiao's childbirth was, his household would probably already be filled with the same merriment and revelry as Third Master's former residence.
...
The good news that the concubine of the East Courtyard had safely given birth to the Fourth Prince of the mansion quickly spread throughout the entire mansion. It was said that the Fourth Prince was overjoyed and not only rewarded the servants of the East Courtyard, but also gave all the servants in the mansion a bonus equivalent to three months' monthly allowance.
This is enough to show how happy the Fourth Prince was.
When Fourth Master entered the East Courtyard, the delivery room had only been slightly tidied up. Li Chenjiao couldn't stand the scent of the sandalwood incense burner and forbade Qiuhu from lighting any incense.
Li Chenjiao had just given birth, so the windows couldn't be opened. In the end, it was Granny Zhong who suggested bringing a few medicine packets and hanging them next to the screen at the entrance to the delivery room, and also hanging a few in the inner room.
When Fourth Master entered, he was concerned about Li Chenjiao's health, but he didn't even frown when he smelled the faint smell of blood in the room.
Li Chenjiao was still conscious, but her complexion was not very good. She hadn't slept all night, and all the energy she had been saving up had been completely worn away.
When Fourth Master came in, she was conscious, but she couldn't even open her eyes.
She listened as Granny Lin told her how much the Fourth Prince weighed: six pounds and nine ounces, which made him a robust child.
Then she heard the Fourth Master talk about the rewards. Surprisingly, she didn't try to dissuade him. She slightly lifted her eyelids and saw that the Fourth Master's face in front of her was blurry.
Fourth Master did not sit on the edge of the bed. He was originally standing, but when he saw that Li Chenjiao had opened her eyes, he slowly lowered his body and squatted down in front of Li Chenjiao's bed.
He raised his hand and covered Li Chenjiao's exposed hand: "Are you alright?"
Slowly, Li Chenjiao noticed the bloodshot in Fourth Master's eyes. She didn't vent her resentment at that moment, but when she spoke, her voice still carried a sob.
"No...nothing is good..." Before she could even open her mouth, Li Chenjiao's eyes reddened.
Li Chenjiao didn't suffer like this when she gave birth to the second princess, but this time she truly felt like she had walked through the gates of hell.
Qiu Hu went outside to fetch warm water. When she returned to the inner room and saw her mistress like this, and then glanced at the Fourth Master who was half-kneeling, her pupils contracted slightly: "My mistress, the nanny said you shouldn't cry after giving birth, or you'll damage your eyes..."
Fourth Master noticed that Li Chenjiao's lips were completely bloodless when she spoke, so he took the cup from Qiu Hu's hand and fed Li Chenjiao some water first.
Li Chenjiao rarely showed such a vulnerable side in front of the Fourth Master. Tears streamed down her face silently, and when she was helped up to drink water, the tears fell into the cup...
She was helped back to lie down, her eyes still red, but when she looked at the Fourth Master again, her face showed a hint of fierceness.
"Your Excellency just rewarded them. But the reward and punishment are fair. I beg you, bring those two wet nurses to me. I want to question them myself."
Li Chenjiao used my name, but Fourth Master would never blame her for that.
His wrist was now gripped tightly by Li Chenjiao, and the strength of her grip said it all. Even the Fourth Master's voice was a little hoarse when he spoke.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
