Xu Lejin coughed lightly, exchanged a glance with Consort Que and Consort Duan, and said softly, "If Consort He hadn't mentioned this matter, I would have forgotten. Consort He was appointed to the palace by imperial decree and is a legitimate concubine in the harem. Consort He need not worry too much."
"As for the matter of serving the emperor and the green-headed plaque, I will instruct the Imperial Household Department later."
With her head bowed, He Fei blushed and mumbled a low, hushed "Yes."
Two weeks later
On October 19th, Xu Lejin was awakened from her sleep by a familiar sticky feeling in her lower body.
Startled for a moment, Xu Lejin suddenly realized that she was about to give birth.
That's right. I conceived this pregnancy at the end of February, and now it's mid-October, almost eight months along. My due date has already passed by four or five days.
"Entering the painting, playing with shadows,"
She called out towards the outside of the palace, and the Yikun Palace immediately sprang into action. Xie Shi, who had been summoned to the palace to accompany the birth, and her eldest sister Xu Chujin, were all familiar with the process, keeping a close eye on the imperial physicians and midwives.
After an hour and a half of painless labor, Xu Lejin safely gave birth to twin girls.
The older sister is taller and has features resembling Emperor Kangxi's. The younger sister is slightly smaller, with cherry-like lips, bright eyes, and a white nose, and combines the best features of both Emperor Kangxi and Xu Lejin.
The two sisters were born within five minutes of each other.
After the morning court session, Emperor Kangxi rushed to Yikun Palace and was overjoyed to learn that the Imperial Noble Consort had given birth to two more daughters. He exclaimed, "Excellent! Excellent! The Imperial Noble Consort has given birth to two little princesses; I am overjoyed!"
"Throughout Yikun Palace, the monthly allowance has been doubled. The twenty-ninth imperial daughter has been given the name Jianing, and the thirtieth imperial daughter has been given the name Youyao, according to their order of birth..."
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