Consort De fell silent. Kangxi had never said a single word of what the Fourth Prince was saying to her, and she had no idea why Kangxi would keep a nursing baby by his side.
“Your father has never mentioned this matter. How can I persuade you?” Consort De said. “Besides, I think it is a great honor that your father is willing to raise your son personally. Can’t you see the hidden meaning behind this?”
The Fourth Prince naturally understood that this matter was actually very advantageous to him, but when he sat on the edge of Lanqin's bed and heard her softly call him "Master," his heart couldn't bear it. For a mother, the cruelest thing in the world is to be forcibly separated from her child. He himself had been separated from Consort De since childhood and raised by Empress Tongjia. The Fourth Prince didn't want his son to experience the same heart-wrenching pain as he had.
"I don't want my child to suffer the pain of separation from their mother like I have," the Fourth Prince said, looking at Consort De.
This was the first time the Fourth Prince had directly revealed his true feelings to Consort De, which shocked her time and time again. She had never heard the Fourth Prince express his feelings for her before; she realized how much pain he endured!
"You've truly fallen for that Niohuru woman, willing to sacrifice your own advantages rather than let her suffer the pain of separation from her child?" Consort De asked, a mist welling up in her eyes. Niohuru was far more fortunate than herself; the Fourth Prince was willing to defy his own father, the Emperor, for her sake! Meanwhile, she had just given birth, and because she was merely a Noble Lady, she was deemed unworthy to raise her child, and was forcibly separated from him.
“Mother, I have never cared about a woman so much before. Niohuru is the first woman I have cared about so much,” the Fourth Prince said truthfully.
"Sigh, why does your Emperor suddenly want to raise a wet nurse? It sounds very unusual." Consort De was envious of Niohuru.
"Your subject believes there must be a reason. It's just that Father Emperor won't say. Mother, even if you can't persuade Father Emperor to give up that idea, at least give Lanqin and the child some more time. The child has just been born, and I think we should at least wait until the baby is a month old," the Fourth Prince said.
"Alright, I'll go and find out what the reason is. If your Imperial Father insists on raising the child, I've decided you should go back and talk to Lady Niohuru properly. It's an honor for her that the Emperor can raise her child!" said Consort De.
The Fourth Prince nodded and went with Consort De to Kangxi's Qianqing Palace.
Emperor Kangxi was having his evening meal when Liang Jiugong saw Consort De and the Fourth Prince arrive together. He quickly waved to a eunuch inside, signaling him to go and greet them. Liang Jiugong then went inside himself and saw Emperor Kangxi sitting cross-legged, eating his meal.
"Your Majesty, Consort De and the Fourth Prince have arrived together," Liang Jiugong reported.
"Oh? Let them in," Kangxi said.
Outside, Consort De and the Fourth Prince had already entered. Liang Jiugong bowed to them and then gestured for them to eat.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!"
"Your subject greets Your Majesty!"
"Oh, everyone's here. Something must have happened. Let me guess, Fourth Prince, has your concubine given birth?" Kangxi said.
The Fourth Prince's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly said, "Father, you are so insightful! My concubine, Lady Niohuru, gave birth today to twin princes!"
Emperor Kangxi blinked and quickly said, "Good, good, Fourth Prince, you are blessed. Twins are an auspicious sign, and two princes at that, it's extremely lucky. Reward her! Lady Niohuru has rendered meritorious service, I will reward her handsomely!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty! Your son thanks Your Majesty on behalf of Niohuru! Also, your son would like to ask Your Majesty for a favor on behalf of Niohuru." The Fourth Prince suddenly knelt down and said.
Kangxi gradually suppressed his smile and asked, "Fourth Prince, what do you say?"
The Fourth Prince lowered his head and said, "Your subject wishes to plead with Father on behalf of Lady Niohuru to allow the child to stay with her for a few more days. After all, a mother and child are of one heart, and I fear that taking the child away from her now would be detrimental to the child."
Emperor Kangxi stared at the top of the Fourth Prince's head, remaining silent. Consort De observed this, but for a moment, she didn't know how to interject.
"Your Majesty, do you still remember when I first gave birth to the Fourth Prince? At that time, I lost him and was utterly heartbroken! I never want to experience that kind of pain again in my life. Your Majesty, may I, along with the Fourth Prince, ask for this favor from Lady Niohuru?" Consort De also knelt down.
Kangxi's face gradually darkened. He looked at Consort De and the Fourth Prince kneeling on the ground and remained silent for a moment.
Standing outside and witnessing this scene, Liang Jiugong felt quite anxious for the Fourth Prince. In truth, Kangxi's willingness to raise his son was very beneficial for him. However, the Fourth Prince was also right; separating the mother and son at this time was indeed a great harm.
"Fourth Prince, I cannot tell you the reason now. But I can tell you that your brother is also my grandson. I will teach him well. Lady Niohuru just gave birth, so let her stay with the child for another month. After a month, send the older one to my Qianqing Palace. I have already thought of names for your two princes. The older one will be named Hongli, and the younger one will be named Hongzhou!" Kangxi said.
"Your Majesty, I thank you for bestowing this name upon me!" The Fourth Prince kowtowed to Emperor Kangxi. He knew that his father would never compromise easily, and this was already a compromise with him.
"Your Majesty, let me serve you your meal," Consort De said, standing up.
Kangxi nodded, and Consort De gave the Fourth Prince a wink, signaling him to step down.
The Fourth Prince naturally understood that when he left the Qianqing Palace, he saw Liang Jiugong shake his head.
But Fourth Master didn't regret it at all, because if he did nothing and just brought Lanqin's child in, Lanqin wouldn't forgive him, and he wouldn't forgive himself either.
When the Fourth Prince returned to his residence, it was already completely dark. He didn't go to the south courtyard immediately, but instead had dinner in the front yard and took a bath.
"Master, today?" Su Peisheng asked.
"Let's go to the South Courtyard." After thinking for a moment, Fourth Master still went to the South Courtyard.
Meanwhile, Lanqin had already had a good sleep and was now looking after her two well-fed children. Cui Niang and Nianxue each held one child and showed them to Lanqin at the head of the bed.
“Let’s call the eldest Xiao Liu and the youngest Xiao Qi. They don’t have names yet, so let’s call them that for now,” Lan Qin said.
“They all already have names!” Fourth Master said, standing at the doorway.
"Master!" Lanqin called out sweetly when she saw the Fourth Master arrive.
"Why are you sitting up? Lie down quickly." Fourth Master walked to Lanqin's bedside, looked at the two children, and then sat down beside her bed.
“They’ve been sleeping all afternoon, Master. They really are two princes,” Lanqin said.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
