As the moon rose above the willow branches, Consort Tongjia and Consort Xu Lejin sat quietly in the west wing of Zhongcui Palace.
Every now and then, one could hear the cries of pain from the nearby delivery room, a cries filled with helplessness, resentment, and despair, growing louder and louder with each passing moment.
Xu Lejin remained calm, while Consort Tongjia looked at her with fear in her eyes.
After a long while, Xu Lejin smiled slightly, raised her eyes to meet the fearful gaze of Consort Tongjia, and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, childbirth is a woman's life, with one foot already in the grave. Sister Zhaojia is carrying the imperial heir, and the slightest mistake could endanger both mother and child."
"The imperial heir is of utmost importance, yet Sister Zhaojia, for her own selfish reasons, is delaying the birth of the imperial child in her womb. What will happen if the Emperor and the Empress Dowager find out?"
After a pause, Xu Lejin continued, "Not only is Sister Zhaojia to blame, but even Your Highness Chengqian and I will not escape punishment from the Emperor and the Empress Dowager."
Consort Tongjia's face was deathly pale. If it weren't for her maid Lianxing supporting her, she would have already collapsed to the ground.
The palace maids Lianxing and Caiyue exchanged a quick glance.
After a moment's thought, Caiyue spoke softly, "Your Majesty, what Consort Xu said makes sense. Consort Zhaojia, for her own selfish reasons, disregarded the safety of the imperial fetus in her womb. Your Majesty, you cannot be so foolish."
“I heard that Consort Zhaojia had been showing signs of premature labor and had been burning moxa to protect the pregnancy. Now she has fallen and gone into premature labor. It’s only the third day of Her Majesty the Empress’s seventh day after death. Even if Consort Zhaojia wanted to delay the birth of the imperial child, it would be impossible to delay it for three or four days.”
Xu Lejin nodded and gave Caiyue a satisfied look.
Consort Tongjia's lips trembled as she murmured to herself, "Yes, you are right. I only wanted Consort Zhaojia to give birth to the imperial heir smoothly. I did not threaten Consort Zhaojia. I did not..."
Consort Tongjia was rambling incoherently, her nerves on edge.
Xu Lejin sighed and instructed Caiyue and Lianxing, "Caiyue, Lianxing, the Empress of Chengqian Palace is suddenly feeling unwell. Please escort her back to Chengqian Palace to rest."
"I will stay here with Consort Zhaojia to protect your Lady. If the Emperor asks you about it later, just tell him the truth."
Caiyue and Lianxing hesitated.
Consort Tongjia held Caiyue's hand tightly and said repeatedly, "Consort Xu is right. I am not feeling well and will return to Chengqian Palace first. I will trouble Consort Xu with the matter of Consort Zhaojia's delivery."
After saying this, Consort Tongjia grabbed Caiyue's hand and walked straight out.
Lianxing curtsied to Xu Lejin and quickly followed.
Watching Consort Tongjia leave in a panic, Xu Lejin's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, temporarily relaxed. She stared blankly at the bright moonlight outside, lost in thought.
Yingchun lowered her voice and said softly, "Your Highness, why are you doing this? Consort Zhaojia, out of selfishness, refused to cooperate with the midwife and give birth to the imperial child. Why do you have to be the villain?"
"Children are innocent."
Xu Lejin sighed softly and murmured, "The child in Consort Zhaojia's womb is the Emperor's offspring. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager have high hopes for it. How can it be allowed to die in the womb because of Consort Zhaojia's selfishness?"
"Still in the womb," Xu Lejin said in a voice barely audible.
Yingchun and Aunt Chunhua exchanged a glance, then lowered their heads and remained silent. Aunt Chunhua pondered for a moment, and in her heart, she greatly approved of Xu Lejin's actions tonight.
The imperial heir is of utmost importance. If a concubine in the palace experiences a difficult childbirth, it's common practice to sacrifice the mother for the child; moreover,
Moreover, Consort Xu only joined forces with Consort Chengqian to verbally intimidate Consort Zhaojia.
He threatened Consort Zhao Jia, saying that if the imperial fetus in her womb was born safely, she would still have a slight chance of gaining wealth and honor; but if something went wrong with the fetus, she would be sent to the cold palace to spend the rest of her life.
Time passed second by second.
As midnight approached, the commotion in the delivery room from Consort Zhaojia grew even louder.
Xu Lejin frowned and said in a deep voice to Yingchun beside her, "It's getting late, why hasn't she given birth yet? Yingchun, go to the delivery room and check on Consort Zhaojia's condition."
Yingchun nodded, preparing to respectfully agree.
Aunt Chunhua stepped forward and looked at Xu Lejin with a smile, saying, "Your Highness, I used to serve Empress Xiaokangzhang. Over the years in the palace, I have seen the concubines give birth."
“Yingchun is more than ten years younger than me, and she may not know what happens in the delivery room. If Your Highness trusts me, why don’t you let me go to the delivery room in Yingchun’s place and check on Consort Zhaojia’s condition?”
Xu Lejin smiled sweetly.
"Of course I trust Aunt Chunhua. Aunt Chunhua has a long history in the palace and is willing to go to the delivery room to see Sister Zhaojia's delivery. I couldn't be happier."
Aunt Chunhua smiled and agreed, folding her hands in front of her chest as she entered the delivery room.
Xu Lejin and Yingchun exchanged a glance, understanding each other perfectly.
A moment later, Aunt Chunhua came out of the delivery room, bowed to Xu Lejin, and said, "Your Highness, Consort Zhaojia's cervix has dilated to nine centimeters. In another half hour, the imperial child will be born safely."
“This servant took a look and found that Consort Zhao’s child is already fully formed and has thick fur, so it must be a healthy child.”
Xu Lejin nodded with a smile upon hearing this.
"Yes, the best thing is that Sister Zhaojia gave birth safely."
Looking up at the night outside, Xu Lejin carefully spoke, "The Empress's sixth daughter was also born at this time. Although Sister Zhaojia's child was born three days later than the Empress's sixth daughter, the time is about the same."
"Sister Zhaojia's child must be a blessed one."
Chunhua lowered her head slightly, smiling faintly without saying a word.
Just then, a shrill voice came from outside the hall: "His Majesty has arrived, and the Consort of Chuxiu Palace has arrived."
Xu Lejin quickly straightened her clothes and, with the help of Chunhua and Yingchun, rose from her seat, curtsied, and said respectfully, "This humble servant greets Your Majesty, may Your Majesty enjoy ten thousand years of good fortune and peace."
"This humble servant greets Your Highness of the Chuxiu Palace, and wishes Your Highness good fortune."
Emperor Kangxi glanced at Xu Lejin with a detached expression, then looked toward the closed delivery room.
After a moment of contemplation, Kangxi spoke in a deep voice, "How is Lady Zhaojia's condition? Why has she not yet given birth to the imperial child in her womb?"
"Your Majesty, Sister Zhaojia is premature and it's her first child, so the delivery will take longer. Aunt Chunhua has already gone into the delivery room and seen Sister Zhaojia. The dragon baby in Sister Zhaojia's belly is already visible. It is estimated that she will be born in about fifteen minutes."
Xu Lejin replied respectfully.
Kangxi looked at Aunt Chunhua beside him, and Aunt Chunhua bowed and nodded.
Just then, the sound of a baby crying came from the delivery room. Although it wasn't very loud, the crying was still quite strong, and Xu Lejin's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally relaxed.
Half a cup of tea later, the midwife came out of the delivery room with a happy expression, carrying a swaddled baby. She respectfully reported to Emperor Kangxi: "Your Majesty, Consort Zhaojia has given birth to a little princess. The little princess has thick hair, weighs five pounds and seven ounces, and is in good health."
Emperor Kangxi was taken aback.
"Princess or not, princess or not!"
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