It was early morning. Yunyi and all the concubines in the harem had been waiting outside the delivery room all night. Kangxi, however, was not there because he was still attending court.
Wei Shuangxue went into labor yesterday, endured a difficult labor for a day and a night, and finally managed to give birth to a son this morning before passing away, leaving behind the newborn baby.
The Empress was a kind-hearted woman, and upon hearing this news, she felt deeply saddened and sighed, grieving for the young woman and the young child.
She rationally instructed the palace maids on how to act, and told the wet nurse to take good care of the Sixth Prince before going to the Qianqing Palace to report the matter to the Emperor.
They also needed to discuss how to handle Consort Wei's funeral arrangements and the issue of raising the Sixth Prince.
Yunyi returned to her bedroom in a daze, unable to believe that a vibrant life had been lost. She took a sip of the tea that Ruoshu handed her and suddenly remembered what Wei Shuangxue had told her the day before yesterday.
Yunyi paused for a moment, then sighed softly. It seemed she had foreseen that she would…
After the court session, Kangxi heard from Liang Jiugong that the Empress had arrived and was waiting for him in the Qianqing Palace.
He was puzzled by the past, but what he didn't expect to hear from the Empress was that Consort Wei had a difficult childbirth and died from postpartum hemorrhage.
"Your Majesty, what do you think should be done about this?"
After a moment of contemplation, Kangxi slowly spoke: "Wei is intelligent and virtuous, and she has also contributed to the birth of imperial heirs. Her funeral shall be conducted according to the standards for a concubine. As for the Sixth Prince, I will think about it carefully."
Lowering her eyes, the Empress responded softly, "Yes."
I felt a pang of regret; it was all for the best, a good outcome for the Wei family.
As for the question of who would become the Sixth Prince, she, as the Empress, was not in a position to get involved, so she remained silent.
After the Empress left, Kangxi pondered for a moment, then got up and went to Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's Cining Palace.
In the evening, Yunyi was taking a walk with her three children. Hutuling'a was a mischievous girl who kept talking. Buyechuk and Yinzhen stood quietly to the side, with faint smiles on their faces, watching their little sister talk.
Yunyi was immersed in this warm atmosphere, looking at the three children with loving eyes and a gentle expression.
When Emperor Kangxi entered Chengqian Palace, he saw this scene of a loving mother and her child.
After everyone paid their respects, Kangxi smiled and asked his children. Yinzhen, being perceptive, knew that his father had come to see his mother because he probably had something to discuss, so he used the excuse that he hadn't finished his studies and returned to his residence.
Hutulinga wanted to say something to Khan Ama, but Buyechuk realized something when he saw his fourth brother leave, so he made an excuse and took his seventh sister back.
Seeing that the children had all left, Kangxi took Yunyi's hand and went into the inner palace.
At this moment, Yunyi realized that Kangxi probably had something to say. The two sat down, and she poured herself a cup of tea, pretending to listen attentively.
"Wei Shi is gone. She was a concubine in your palace. The sixth prince she left behind, why not entrust him to you, my cousin, to raise?"
These words struck Yunyi like a bombshell, causing her heart to skip a beat.
Yunyi understood the principle of moderation; she was now an Imperial Noble Consort, not yet the Empress, with two daughters and a son, and the auspicious blessing of twins.
Given how much Kangxi values the Crown Prince, he would never allow her to threaten the Crown Prince's position.
For the sake of the future, what Yunyi needs to do now is to keep a low profile and hide her talents. How could she possibly take on another prince? That would be too dangerous.
Kangxi knew what those words meant, yet he still said them. Yunyi snorted coldly, understanding in her heart that he was testing her.
Suppressing the sarcasm in her eyes, Yunyi looked up and smiled slightly, a hint of reproach in her expression.
“Cousin, you are joking. I already have three children, and I am simply unable to take care of them all. If you say that, wouldn’t you be working me to death? So, please, cousin, take back your decision. Let someone else raise the Sixth Prince.”
Seeing that his cousin's face showed no other expression, Kangxi felt a little relieved. He patted Yunyi's hand and teased her.
"You are always lazy. You are unwilling to take care of even one more child. If the other concubines heard me say this, they would be overjoyed. But you are not happy at all and even complain."
"Fine, fine. Since you're unwilling, then I'll choose someone else."
Kangxi seemed to ponder for a while, but in fact he had already considered this. He said with some uncertainty, "Cousin, what do you think of Consort Liu in your palace?"
"Hmm?" Yunyi was a little puzzled as to why Kangxi would choose Liu Shuning, so she asked the question.
"With so many concubines in the harem, why did you choose Consort Liu, cousin?"
"Although there are many concubines in the harem, those with children cannot be chosen, and those without children are mostly of low rank. This Lady Liu is now a Noble Lady, which is a suitable position. She is usually well-behaved, simple-minded and does not like to cause trouble. After thinking it over, I think she is quite suitable."
“What my cousin said makes a lot of sense!” Yunyi nodded in agreement, but still had some doubts. “But, Consort Liu is only a Consort. According to palace regulations, those below the rank of Consort are not allowed to raise children…”
In response to his cousin's question, Kangxi smiled and offered his solution.
"It's alright. Lady Liu has served me for five years. Since she has been raised by the Sixth Prince, her rank should be promoted. We can promote her to the rank of Consort."
Since things had come to this point, and Yunyi was good friends with Liu Shuning, she had no reason to object. She praised Kangxi a couple of times and then brought up the matter of Hutu Ling'a, changing the subject.
In fact, Kangxi didn't finish his sentence. In the harem, Consort Hui, Consort Rong, and Consort Yi all had children. This child was a prince. If he were to be raised by them, it would increase their ambition and threaten the position of the crown prince, which was not appropriate.
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