Meanwhile, in the main courtyard.
Just as dawn broke, the Princess Consort woke up because she was thirsty and asked for a glass of water, but then went back to sleep.
The Fujin's mother-in-law hadn't been sleeping well these days. Every time the Fujin finished drinking water before going to sleep, Aisin Gioro would wake up.
After asking Yu Ru Fujin whether she slept well last night, he talked with the midwife in the outer room.
The Fourth Prince found an experienced old nanny for his wife from the Imperial Household Department. However, Aisin Gioro knew that the wife's pregnancy was fraught with danger, so she brought along the midwife who had delivered her when she gave birth to the wife.
Aisin Gioro gave birth to one daughter and four sons for Ulanara Feiyanggu throughout her life, all of whom were delivered by this midwife, which put the Fujin (wife's wife) at ease.
However, when Aisin Gioro spoke to the midwife, her eyes betrayed her worry, and she slowly looked toward the inner room.
By the end of April, the Princess Consort was starting to feel hot. There was a small amount of ice in the ice chest in the room, but the imperial physician said that there shouldn't be too much, otherwise the Princess Consort might catch a cold.
Yu Ru gently fanned Wei Shi through the curtain. Outside the small screen, Granny Qian stepped forward and whispered to Aisin Gioro Shi that they would have to call the Fujin (wife of the deceased) to get up in a quarter of an hour at most.
By mid-April, the Fujin had reached nine months of pregnancy, and her due date was fast approaching. Recently, following the instructions of the imperial physician and the midwife, the Fujin had to walk around for a while after breakfast every day, and then the midwife would massage and soothe her.
Aisin Gioro nodded and instructed the servants to quietly prepare everything for the new wife's departure, but then she heard Yu Ru's panicked cries from behind the screen.
"Madam!"
Hearing the commotion, Aisin Gioro, the midwife, and Granny Qian, who had not yet gone far, hurriedly went to the bedside.
Even before you get close, you can smell the fishy odor that wafts into your nostrils.
Granny Qian, being more experienced, said, "Quickly, fetch the imperial physician! The Princess Consort is about to give birth. Is the hot water ready? Also, check if anything we prepared has been forgotten."
As Aisin Gioro carefully lifted a corner of the veil, faint, weak moans could be heard coming from within.
The once serene face of the princess had turned deathly pale with unbearable pain, and she lay sprawled on the embroidered pomegranate pillow, her forehead covered in sweat.
Her facial features and the small red silk handkerchief beside her had been unconsciously crumpled into a mess, completely out of shape.
During the time it took to summon the imperial physician and inform the Fourth Prince, who had already left the mansion, the excruciating pain caused the Fujin to alternate between lucidity and confusion.
All she could hear were cries and calls. Then she was forced to swallow a mouthful of thick, dark medicine. A ginseng slice was pressed under her tongue to keep her breathing, barely keeping her conscious.
The princess could no longer hear what the midwife was saying; she had no strength left, and her vision was blurred, whether from tears or sweat, she couldn't tell.
She called out hesitantly, "Mother, you must—you must protect the child in my womb—the child—"
The princess had waited so long for this child that all the suffering she had endured seemed insignificant in comparison.
The midwife had examined her a few days ago and said that her belly was pointed this time, indicating it was definitely a boy.
My lord, it is good that none of the many princes who have already married have yet given birth to a legitimate son.
Even the Crown Princess had never done so. If she could give birth to a legitimate son for the Fourth Prince, she would be the first among all the legitimate wives.
Suddenly, the princess seemed to see a glimmer of light amidst her helplessness, and suddenly felt as if she had regained some strength.
Her damp clothes clung tightly to her body, and in her drowsy state, the Fujin heard the midwife's voice.
"My lady—we're almost there! Give it your all! Give it your all, my lady!"
The princess gritted her teeth and tried her best to suppress the painful cries that were coming out of her mouth.
Fourth Master returned to the mansion just before noon.
The Ministry of Revenue still has many things to do lately, such as finishing up the construction of the Rehe Imperial Palace last year.
Perhaps because he had just recovered from a serious illness in the spring, the Emperor had mentioned a few days ago that he would go north in the summer to escape the heat, and had the Ministry of Works prepare to build the Chengde Mountain Resort.
The Minister of Revenue was so worried that his hair was turning white, and he was also having a headache over the matter of building mansions for the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince.
After leaving the mansion, the Fourth Prince went to the Ministry of Revenue. After arriving at the Ministry of Revenue, he went to see the Fourteenth Prince, who had been ill for the past two days.
This conveniently coincided with the time when Wang Jinzhong, the chief eunuch of the main courtyard, went to the Ministry of Revenue to look for the Fourth Prince.
The Fourth Prince finally had time to return to the Ministry of Revenue before he had even had lunch.
Before he even reached the entrance of the household registration department, he was hurriedly summoned away by Wang Jinzhong, the head of the main courtyard.
——
Li Chenjiao didn't sleep well last night either, but she woke up hungry in the middle of the night, so she got up a little late this morning.
When the news of the main wife's childbirth reached Li Chenjiao, she had just finished breakfast. Li Chenjiao could not make the trip to the main courtyard at this time.
Elsewhere, it seems that either Lady Song or Lady Wu went, but Li Chenjiao doesn't know whether Lady Xie went or not.
Just before lunchtime, Qiu Hu told her that after the Fourth Prince returned to the mansion, he had instructed everyone not to go to the main courtyard, so that the Fujin could focus on giving birth.
Upon hearing this, Li Chenjiao frowned slightly, knowing that the Fujin's childbirth had been difficult.
When Li Chenjiao last saw the Fujin, the baby in the Fujin's belly was somewhat sickly, but it should have been able to be delivered safely. However, Li Chenjiao really didn't know if the Fujin would have a difficult time giving birth this time.
Li Chenjiao suddenly became a little worried about her own pregnancy.
She slowly touched her stomach, and the images in her mind flashed back again.
As the months progressed, the images in Li Chenjiao's mind also changed.
From a healthy little girl in her wet nurse's arms to a lovely little girl with a small jade bell tied in her hair and eyes that crinkle into crescent moons when she smiles.
Judging from the pictures, they are getting cuter and cuter.
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