Three months later, at Huangzhuang on the outskirts of Beijing.
Grand Minister of Agriculture Wang Yueting stood on the edge of the field, looking at the endless golden cornfield and the mountains of potatoes before him, his hands trembling so much that he could barely hold the potatoes.
He squatted down, parted a corn stalk, and saw that the heavy ears of corn had bent the stalk, the kernels so full they were almost bursting out.
The agricultural official standing nearby loudly announced the figures: "Corn yield is 1,200 jin per mu! Potato yield is 1,800 jin per mu!"
"May God bless the Qing Dynasty... May God bless the Qing Dynasty!" Wang Yueting murmured to himself, his eyes welling up with tears.
He grabbed a handful of soil and then held up a potato as if it were a rare treasure.
These crops thrive in the arid and barren sandy soils of the north, producing yields far exceeding those of rice and wheat.
He turned abruptly and shouted to his attendants, "Prepare the horses! We must proceed to the palace immediately to meet the Emperor!"
---
Meanwhile, inside Yanxi Palace.
Lin Yun was leaning against the soft couch eating bird's nest when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her abdomen, and the spoon in her hand fell to the ground with a "clatter".
Her face turned deathly pale, and she clutched her stomach, crying out, "Quick, quick, call the imperial physician..."
My water broke...
The palace maids were thrown into chaos. Granny Li grabbed Lin Yun and shouted sternly, "What's the panic! Go and fetch the Emperor, and call the midwife! Quickly!"
The delivery room had been prepared in advance, located in a side room. Li Mama and Xia He helped Lin Yun inside.
Granny Li comforted Lin Yun, saying, "Your Highness, don't be afraid. You're in good health, so you'll definitely have a safe delivery."
Lin Yun initially felt a surge of panic, but she calmed down a bit. She had the spiritual spring water and was raising her child exceptionally well. If something really did happen, perhaps she could return to the modern world, which wouldn't be bad either.
So he smiled at Granny Li and said, "Don't worry, Granny, I know. Thank you for your hard work."
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Emperor Yongzheng had just finished reviewing memorials when Su Peisheng stumbled in, shouting, "Your Majesty! Consort Shu is about to give birth!"
The vermilion brush in Yongzheng's hand snapped with a "crack," and ink splattered onto his dragon robe.
He stood up abruptly, his voice hoarse: "Isn't there still half a month left?" Before anyone could answer, he strode out of the hall and shouted sternly, "Send everyone from the Imperial Hospital over there!"
Along the way, Yongzheng's palms were sweating profusely. Childbirth was a dangerous affair for women; how many concubines in his previous life had perished because of it... not to mention that Yun'er was carrying twins. He dared not think any further, and his pace quickened until he was almost running.
As soon as Yongzheng arrived at the palace gate, he heard Lin Yun's heart-wrenching cry of pain. His heart clenched, and he was about to rush into the inner palace.
Su Peisheng vehemently stopped him: "Your Majesty! The delivery room is bloody; you mustn't rush in!"
"Get out of my way!" Yongzheng's eyes were bloodshot as he kicked Su Peisheng away.
Just as she was about to push open the door, a heart-wrenching scream suddenly erupted from inside, followed by the midwife's panicked voice: "Your Highness, push! The baby is stuck!"
Yongzheng's hand froze in mid-air, and he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
He then tried to rush inside, but Su Peisheng clung tightly to Yongzheng's leg and cried out, "Your Majesty...you can't go in!"
In the delivery room, Lin Yun heard Su Peisheng's voice and shouted, "Your Majesty, please don't come in!"
She looked too ugly at that moment and didn't want the emperor to see her.
Upon hearing Lin Yun's voice, Yongzheng immediately stopped what he was doing and shouted, "Yun'er, don't be afraid, I'm here."
Palace maids carried hot water in and out, and the midwife's voice could be faintly heard: "Your Highness, push!"
At this moment, he suddenly didn't want children anymore. What would he do if something happened to Yun'er? Thinking of this, his hands began to tremble uncontrollably.
At that very moment, a sudden burst of rosy light filled the sky outside the window, and auspicious seven-colored clouds appeared in the previously clear sky, enveloping the entire Yanxi Palace like a phoenix spreading its wings. As if auspicious purple clouds were coming from the east, a pair of red-crowned cranes circled above the Yanxi Palace, lingering for a long time.
The palace servants knelt down and exclaimed in surprise, "Auspicious omens have descended from heaven! This is a lucky sign!"
Just then, a loud baby's cry suddenly rang out from the inner hall, followed by another cry.
"They've been born! Twins, a boy and a girl! Mother and children are safe!" The midwife cried tears of joy, her voice carrying through the doors and windows.
Yongzheng didn't bother to look out the window. He slumped into the chair as if all his strength had left him, and after a long while, he trembled as he touched his chest—it was pounding so hard that it felt like it was about to burst out of his chest.
Fifteen minutes later, the midwife finished preparing Lin Yun, and Yongzheng rushed in impatiently.
Lin Yun's long hair was soaked, her face was deathly pale, and her nails dug deeply into the mattress. Seeing him enter, she forced a smile: "Your Majesty..."
Emperor Yongzheng's eyes were red-rimmed. He stepped forward and took her hand: "I'm here, Yun'er, you've worked so hard..." His hand was still trembling uncontrollably.
He trembled as he took the two infants from the swaddling clothes, then bent down and kissed Lin Yun's sweaty forehead, his voice choked with emotion: "Yun'er..."
It seems I have a thousand words to say, but I can't utter them at this moment.
Lin Yun smiled weakly, but before she could speak, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall.
Grand Minister of Agriculture Wang Yueting knelt outside the door, sweating profusely, and proclaimed loudly, "Your Majesty! The potatoes and corn have had a bumper harvest! Potatoes yielded 1,800 catties per mu, and corn yielded 1,200 catties per mu. The people will no longer have to worry about famine!"
Yongzheng was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.
Holding the child in one arm and pointing to the sunset outside the window with the other, he announced loudly to the kneeling crowd in the palace: "By imperial decree—an additional imperial examination will be held this year, a cause for universal celebration! Consort Shu is promoted to the rank of Imperial Noble Consort and bestowed with a golden book and golden seal! Her father, Lin Rushan, is known for his loyalty and dedication to the country and is granted the title of Earl of Loyalty and Diligence, a hereditary title!"
In the glow of the sunset, Lin Yun gazed at Yongzheng's ecstatic profile and quietly squeezed his fingers.
He looked down at her, his eyes seeming to hold the stars and the sea.
His voice was hoarse beyond recognition, "I almost..."
Lin Yun pressed her fingertips against his lips: "I am a fairy, how could I leave so easily?"
She winked mischievously, "But the Emperor's robes are stained with ink; they look awful."
Yongzheng looked down at his disheveled robes and suddenly burst out laughing.
He bent down and buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling the faint scent of blood and medicine, and whispered, "My beloved concubine, you must not frighten me again."
The baby girl in his arms was awakened by the laughter and kicked her little legs in dissatisfaction, while the baby boy babbled and grabbed the buttons of his father's dragon robe.
Emperor Yongzheng looked at the two children with doting eyes, then at Lin Yun, feeling enveloped in immense happiness.
Having been given a second chance at life, he felt his life had not been in vain.
Meanwhile, people both inside and outside the capital were gazing up at the strange celestial phenomenon and discussing it animatedly.
In the teahouse, the storyteller struck his gavel: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is a once-in-a-century 'double stars accompanying the sun, purple aura soaring to the sky'! Our Great Qing Dynasty is about to be blessed with great fortune!"
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