Chapter 63: The lazy bum who produced the tenth son is speechless...
In summer, it would only get hotter if many people gathered together. In the side hall, where ice was placed, besides Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, there was only one nanny guarding them.
At this moment, they said they wanted to eat watermelon, so the nanny watching over them called out to the palace maids waiting outside to come in and receive instructions. She herself did not go out, so as to ensure that someone was always looking after the two princes, instead of leaving them alone indoors.
Whether Consort Yi was lucky or unlucky is unknown, but in any case, she got what she wanted and did not go into labor on May 5th, nor did she give birth to her unborn child on the Dragon Boat Festival, the first of the nine poisonous days.
The bad news was that, just after the Dragon Boat Festival, on the morning of the 6th, Consort Yi suddenly felt abdominal pain and went into labor without warning.
Fearing that the Ninth Prince would be affected by the tense and anxious atmosphere in Yikun Palace, and also fearing that he might accidentally wander into the side hall where Consort Yi was giving birth and be frightened by seeing the scene of Consort Yi giving birth, the Ninth Prince's wet nurse almost fled with the Ninth Prince to Yongshou Palace.
This was Consort Yi's third childbirth, but this time it was still not going smoothly.
Her belly wasn't actually that big compared to other pregnant women, but Consort Yi was exhausted both physically and mentally after becoming pregnant, and lost a lot of weight in a few months. Her limbs and waist were too slender, which made her belly look huge and gave people a shocking feeling.
When the Ninth Prince was first brought to Yongshou Palace by his wet nurse, he didn't know what was going on—he came to Yongshou Palace every day, which was normal for him, and there was nothing to worry about or doubt.
But after the Ninth Prince had spent the whole day in Yongshou Palace, and when his wet nurse decided not to take him back to Yikun Palace in the evening, he finally realized that something might have happened to Consort Yi.
The Ninth Prince was naturally impatient. His wet nurse wouldn't let him return to Yikun Palace, but he was worried about Consort Yi and insisted on going back. Even Yin'e couldn't stop him.
The Consort Gui, who stayed in Yongshou Palace to take care of Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, had no choice but to tell the Ninth Prince the truth: that Consort Yi was giving birth to a younger brother or sister for him. She told the Ninth Prince to stay in Yongshou Palace and not to wander around, and especially not to go back to Yikun Palace to cause trouble for Consort Yi.
Having managed to calm the Ninth Prince down, the Imperial Concubine raised her hand and gently rubbed her temples, a hint of weariness and well-hidden worry showing in her beautiful brows.
She wasn't bothered by the Ninth Prince; rather, the news coming from Yikun Palace was very bad.
Consort Yi is still fine. She is young and experienced, and after drinking ginseng tea, she still has enough strength to persevere and will not become exhausted or faint during childbirth.
Consort Yi was strong, but she couldn't give birth. She had already started labor, but the baby was stuck inside her and wouldn't come out—this was not good news.
If this continues, not only will Consort Yi's pregnancy be fraught with difficulties and she not be well cared for, but even a healthy child will have problems if kept in this state, and the probability of the child being weak and sickly after birth is very high.
Consort Gui was worried about Consort Yi's safety, but she also had to keep the truth from the Ninth Prince and prevent him from running back to Yikun Palace to cause trouble. She was indeed overwhelmed and exhausted.
Yin'e could see the Consort's worries that she was trying to hide, and he could also see that she was trying to keep it from the Ninth Prince and trying to find things to distract him so that he wouldn't worry too much about Yikun Palace.
To prevent the Ninth Prince from throwing a tantrum and causing trouble, Yin'e nodded to the Consort, pulled the Ninth Prince to the side hall, and left the Ninth Prince, who was pursing his lips and keenly aware of what was going on, to stay temporarily in Yongshou Palace.
Who knows how long the commotion at Yikun Palace will last? If Ninth Prince goes back now, he will only cause trouble for the palace staff. It would be better for him to stay with him for a few days. It doesn't matter if he can't help, the important thing is not to cause trouble for others.
On the night of the 6th, Yin'e, who had left the Ninth Prince to stay overnight in the side hall of Yongshou Palace, did not sleep well.
The Ninth Prince, who usually sleeps soundly and curls up in a corner as soon as he gets into bed, tossed and turned in bed like a pancake tonight, not settling down for most of the night.
Finally, as night deepened, the Ninth Prince fell asleep with tears in his eyes.
In the middle of the night, the Ninth Prince suddenly started sobbing in his sleep, startling Yin'e, who was sleeping next to him, awake from his deep sleep. Yin'e thought it was a ghost and almost screamed in the middle of the night, waking up everyone living in Yongshou Palace.
"Ninth Brother, Ninth Brother—" Yin'e called out to the Ninth Prince, who was bowing his head and not speaking, with dark circles under his eyes that could rival those of a panda. He then nudged the Ninth Prince's shoulder. "Breakfast is ready. Today, the kitchen made your favorite sesame shortbread and longan buns."
The Ninth Prince raised his head, his delicate phoenix eyes and small, pretty nose were all red, and he looked like he was about to cry. His features were all scrunched up, and he said in a sobbing voice, "Tenth Brother, I'm scared."
"Don't be afraid, it's alright!" Yin'e sighed inwardly and patted the Ninth Prince's shoulder forcefully. "Mother Consort Yi will definitely be alright, Ninth Prince, don't worry."
Yin'e knew that his words of comfort were ineffective for the Ninth Prince, but he had no other good options.
We can't very well take the Ninth Prince to Yikun Palace to visit Consort Yi! Not to mention Consort Yi's current state and whether she can put the Ninth Prince at ease; taking the Ninth Prince to Yikun Palace rashly will only cause trouble there and make the people at Yikun Palace even busier.
It's already the morning of the 7th, but there's still no good news from Yikun Palace. On the contrary, the palace lights were on all night yesterday, and the footsteps of palace servants could be heard all night long, clearly indicating that Consort Yi has been causing trouble until now.
Consort Tong, as the secondary empress but with the de facto authority of an empress, arrived at Yikun Palace yesterday to guard it, mobilizing imperial physicians and palace servants to assist. Consort Tong, however, has been unable to return to Chengqian Palace, remaining trapped in Yikun Palace for a full day and night without emerging.
Given the friendship between Consort Gui and Consort Yi, if it weren't for the need to take care of Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, Consort Gui would have gone to Yikun Palace to keep watch over them to feel at ease.
Clearing her throat with a slightly trembling voice, the Imperial Concubine forced a smile and said to Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, "Consort Yi will be fine, we don't need to worry too much. Let's have breakfast first."
We can't just focus on Yikun Palace. Yin'e and the Ninth Prince are still young. The Consort loves her own son and has been entrusted with the Ninth Prince by Consort Yi, so she also has an obligation to take good care of the Ninth Prince.
Of the three, Yin'e was the calmest and least nervous. Firstly, he knew that Consort Yi had lived a long time in history, and he was 70-80% certain that she would be alright. Secondly, Yin'e had no real relationship with Consort Yi; at most, he simply hoped for her safety out of affection for her.
Seeing that both the Imperial Concubine and the Ninth Prince were very worried, especially the Ninth Prince whose delicate little face was drooping and he was about to cry, even his favorite sesame shortbread and longan buns could not distract him. He didn't even want to eat breakfast. Yin'e couldn't help but feel a little helpless.
Breakfast was eaten slowly and deliberately. Two of the three people had no appetite at all and had to be forced to eat a little bit. Only Yin'e enjoyed the breakfast carefully prepared by the small kitchen.
Yin'e glanced at the Consort who had no appetite, and then at the Ninth Prince who had barely touched his favorite food. He couldn't help but feel ashamed. Should he try to fit in and not have such a good appetite?
After the agonizing breakfast was over, lunch was not made to suffer as well.
On the morning of May 7th, the 24th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Consort Yi gave birth to the emperor's twentieth son.
Because the newborn prince had not been given a name by Emperor Kangxi, nor had he been ranked in the imperial family by the Imperial Household Department, the harem temporarily used the term "Yikun Palace Prince" to refer to Consort Yi's third son. Yin Tang was also a Yikun Palace Prince, but he had already been ranked in the imperial family by the imperial family, and the palace had gradually changed its address to call him the Ninth Prince.
Consort Yi gave birth to her third son with some difficulty, but thankfully both mother and child were safe and sound. However, the little prince was indeed born with congenital deficiencies, just as Consort Yi had feared before the birth. He was born small and tiny, like a kitten.
Fortunately, the young prince was not as sickly as Yinzhiyu, who was born unable to even be exposed to the wind and had to rely on medicine to prolong his life.
If Consort Yi had taken good care of him and provided meticulous care, she might have been able to raise her third son to adulthood. Historically, the eleventh prince died at the age of eleven, which meant he was already a teenager. If he had been carefully nurtured, he might have survived his death.
Consort Yi gave birth to a healthy son, and both the Imperial Concubine and the Ninth Prince breathed a sigh of relief, putting their worries to rest.
Especially the Ninth Prince, after confirming that Consort Yi was alright and his mother was well, his lost appetite suddenly returned. He regretted not eating much of his favorite sesame shortbread and longan buns for breakfast, and at the same time, he pestered the Imperial Concubine to let him go back to Yikun Palace to visit Consort Yi.
After much consideration, the Imperial Concubine refused the Ninth Prince's request.
Consort Yi has just given birth, and there are countless things to deal with in Yikun Palace. Things haven't been sorted out yet, and it's probably still a chaotic mess.
It's very possible that the delivery room hasn't been cleaned up yet, that Consort Yi hasn't been moved to a clean room, and that she might not even be conscious right now, having fainted from exhaustion after giving birth.
Now that the Ninth Prince has returned to Yikun Palace, he may not be able to see Consort Yi. Firstly, the room Consort Yi is currently in may not be suitable for others to enter, and secondly, Consort Yi may still be asleep and may not have the energy to comfort and take care of the Ninth Prince.
It would be inappropriate for the Ninth Prince to rush back to Yikun Palace now. The Consort plans to keep him in Yongshou Palace for a few more days, at least until the Little Prince has finished his third-day celebration and Consort Yi has recovered from childbirth, so that she will have the energy to take care of the Ninth Prince.
On the day of the baby's third-day celebration for the 20th prince born to Consort Yi, the Imperial Concubine took Yin'e to Yikun Palace to join in the festivities, along with the Ninth Prince, who had been eagerly anticipating seeing his mother for the past three days.
Yin'e and the Ninth Prince were still children, and although they came to Yikun Palace with the Consort, they could not participate in the third-day-after-birth ceremony.
The two could only stay in the inner room of the main hall of Yikun Palace, waiting for the third-day-old ceremony to end and for the little prince who had been carried out to be carried back.
A short while later, the newborn, who had only been born three days earlier, was taken back to the inner room by his wet nurse after the third-day-after-birth ceremony. The Ninth Prince was finally able to meet his younger brother from the same mother.
Standing on tiptoe beside the cradle, the Ninth Prince stuck his head in and stared at the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes for a long time. His delicate features on his pretty little face scrunched up, and after a while, he finally uttered a sentence: "...He's so ugly."
Yin E: ? When I type this symbol, it's not that I have a problem, it's that you have a problem.
Oblivious to Yin'e's speechlessness, the Ninth Prince, who was clinging to the cradle, reluctantly put down his tiptoes, took a few steps back to Yin'e's side, and asked with a troubled look, "Why does he look different from me?"
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 11:49:16 and 17:52:45 on March 14, 2023!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Mint Cool 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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