Chapter 42 The First Prince Dies, Nara Gives Birth
"Has the Emperor gone?" Fanghua was busy organizing the affairs of the inner palace when a servant came to report that something bad had happened to the First Prince Chengrui.
Upon hearing the news, she immediately stopped what she was doing, got up, and went to change her clothes.
He is, after all, a royal heir; he has to put on a show.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor has not yet gone there, but the Empress Dowager has set off."
Upon hearing this, Fanghua didn't delay any longer, changed her clothes, and went straight to the prince's residence.
Yes, after Lady Magiya died, Chengrui was sent by Emperor Kangxi to the Prince's Residence, where he was taken care of by special personnel.
I thought I wouldn't make it through last year, but the palace servants who took care of me were so dedicated that it's been going on until now.
When Fanghua arrived, she ran into Emperor Kangxi outside the Prince's residence.
"Your Majesty, you've arrived. Let's go inside together." Kangxi's face was filled with sorrow, showing that Chengrui held a certain place in his heart.
Fanghua nodded, followed half a step behind Kangxi, and entered the Prince's quarters together.
Just as the two entered, the sound of servants crying came from inside the room.
Fanghua knew that the poor child was gone.
This scene reminded her of the sadness she felt when Chenghu left her in her previous life.
Unconsciously, her eyes reddened and her face became wet.
The emperor stood still, his fists clenched tightly. His eldest son was gone, gone.
Just as the Emperor and Empress were both immersed in grief, the Grand Empress Dowager came out of the room with her entourage.
As soon as I came out, I saw the Emperor and Empress standing there.
"You've arrived. Go in and see Chengrui one last time." The Empress Dowager also had feelings for this great-grandson, but because of his humble origins, she had paid him less attention on a daily basis.
But after all, he was her great-grandson, and now that he had passed away, how could the Empress Dowager not be saddened?
"Yes," Fanghua replied after curtsying.
Seeing that the emperor remained motionless, she walked past him and went inside from the side.
The room was filled with kneeling servants, who were crying loudly.
It's unclear whether they were crying for their master sleeping in bed, or for their own uncertain fate.
Fanghua walked past them, step by step, and when she saw Chengrui lying dead on the bed, she felt a little guilty for some reason. She turned her head away and closed her eyes.
She was responsible for the child's death. If Ma Jia had behaved herself, would Cheng Rui have been able to end his life according to his previous fate?
But she intervened, causing him to leave this world prematurely.
When Zhang Mama, who had been following the Empress, noticed that her mistress was not feeling well, she immediately stepped forward to help her up. "Your Majesty, the prince's body is of utmost importance. You should go and ask the Emperor how to arrange the young prince's funeral."
Such a young child is considered to have died young, so a grand funeral cannot be held. In the end, the child can only be carried out of the palace in a small coffin for burial, and cannot even be buried in the ancestral grave.
Fanghua leaned against the old woman for support. "Alright, let's go out and have someone come in to collect Prince Chengrui's body."
Once the Empress spoke, the people from the Imperial Household Department naturally sprang into action.
When Fanghua came out, the Empress Dowager and Emperor Kangxi had already suppressed their grief. The two sat in the head seats and calmly drank tea.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Prince Chengrui passed away peacefully. Please send someone from the Imperial Observatory to make arrangements for his funeral."
The grief in Fanghua's eyes was genuine, and the Empress Dowager was very pleased to see her like this.
"I will obey the Empress."
The Empress Dowager nodded, and then gave instructions to the servants below her.
It was obvious that she didn't intend to let the Empress handle this matter, and although she didn't know why, Fanghua didn't care.
Just as the Empress Dowager was arranging for the Imperial Observatory to find auspicious burial sites for Chengrui, Emperor Kangxi spoke, uttering his first words upon arriving at the Princes' Residence.
"Grandmother, let Chengrui be buried with Lady Magiya."
This favor was unprecedented in the history of the Qing Dynasty.
Fanghua was only slightly surprised. She glanced at the Emperor, a hint of confusion and bewilderment flashing in her eyes.
But I quickly felt relieved.
He must have been thinking of Ma Jia Shi. That woman was very favored, but unfortunately, she was a bit too complicated.
Emperor Kangxi and the Empress Dowager naturally noticed the Empress's changes and were very satisfied with her silence.
"Then let's listen to the emperor; it will be a relief for the mother and son."
Cheng Rui's funeral arrangements have been finalized.
Next came the taboos of the palace, which Fanghua was indifferent to.
However, the time for the new concubine to enter the palace was postponed once again.
In February, Lady Nara gave birth to Emperor Kangxi's third son.
Fanghua went to see her, and after staying for more than an hour without giving birth, she returned to the palace to wait for news.
During this period, the imperial physicians on duty stayed in Chuxiu Palace the entire time.
It wasn't until after dusk that Lady Nara gave birth to a weak prince, who was Kangxi's third son.
Upon receiving this news, Emperor Kangxi and the Empress Dowager were overjoyed and bestowed honors upon Chuxiu Palace.
As a concubine of the Nara clan, she could not be given a grand reward in the harem for giving birth. Fanghua saw that the two men were still mindful of her reputation as the Empress, so she was willing to give the Third Prince some face.
After bestowing rewards upon the three individuals mentioned above, he also sent them his own rewards.
However, due to Nara's past actions, when she sent the gifts, she had someone bring the imperial physician along, and the physician had to examine each item in front of Nara's people.
The Empress's behavior was imitated by everyone in the harem. Niohuru also sent a royal physician to accompany her to deliver the reward.
Needless to say, Consort Hui had only been in the palace for a short time, so she simply followed what her superiors did.
Although the Empress Dowager was dissatisfied with this, she knew that the Empress had set a good precedent.
One should not have the intention to harm others, but one must be wary of others.
This also shows that the Empress is becoming more composed and comprehensive, making it less likely for her to manipulate things in the future.
Nara's childbirth dispelled the gloom of Prince Chengrui's death, and the harem began to liven up again.
Emperor Kangxi also began to enter the palaces of his empresses and concubines.
The most favored among them was Consort Hui, who lived in Jingren Palace.
Since everyone knew that a new concubine was going to enter the palace, everyone valued favoring her. After Consort Hui won first place, some people began to get restless.
For example, the Zhang family that Fanghua gave up.
Perhaps Fanghua's words made her feel threatened. Whether for her own sake or for the sake of the eldest princess, she began to take the initiative.
Fanghua laughed ironically when she found out.
Humans are just like that, so base.
The more you give her, the less she cherishes it; when you stop giving her, she'll start to panic.
Fanghua realized that none of the women in the harem were simple.
Zhang's attentiveness was successful, and the others naturally followed suit.
Now Emperor Kangxi is going to be very busy, dealing with this person today and that person tomorrow.
Niohuru was probably driven to desperation and began taking fertility drugs.
Upon learning this, Fanghua sighed and called Xiaofeng over, saying, "Let's help her out; it'll be the last bit of compassion I have left."
She remembered the affection that both Niohuru and Tongjia had for Yinreng.
She wouldn't mind giving them a favor, but only if it didn't threaten her own children.
Xiao Feng looked at the pills her master handed her, a look of confusion in her eyes. "Master, her body is already damaged. Even if we give her the pills, she won't be able to have a normal child. If we want the child to be healthy, we have to exchange her life for it. Master, do you think she would be willing to do that?"
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