After a moment of stunned silence, Yinzhen immediately ordered Su Peisheng to summon the midwife who had been prepared for childbirth. He then picked up Rouyin and placed her in the pre-prepared delivery room. Only after doing all this did he leave the delivery room. It wasn't that he didn't want to stay with Rouyin, but rather that the Qing Dynasty's ancestral rules forbade princes from accompanying their wives during childbirth. If he stayed inside, his father would definitely become disgusted with his wife.
Meanwhile, Granny Ma Jia, who was guarding the delivery room, also played her role. She brought over a bowl of stewed meat porridge that was soft and tender. "Madam, there's still a while before delivery. You should drink some porridge to conserve your strength and build up your energy!"
Rouyin obediently finished her porridge. Actually, she felt she could eat a chicken leg or something, but judging from what Granny Ma said, she probably couldn't. Rouyin also secretly took the pain-relieving pill and recovery pill beforehand, and swallowed them along with the porridge.
Just an hour later, Rouyin pretended to cry out in pain. With the loud cry of a newborn child, another child followed. The midwife carried the two children out.
"Congratulations, Your Highness! Congratulations, Your Highness! Your Highness, Congratulations, Your Highness! You have successfully given birth to twins, a boy and a girl, and both mother and children are safe and sound." Upon hearing this, Yinzhen, who was guarding outside the door, relaxed a little. He then noticed that his inner robe was damp from nervousness. He carefully examined the two infants in their swaddling clothes and asked, "Are the two children alright?"
The physician immediately stepped forward, took their pulses, and replied confidently, "The young prince and princess are twins, so although they are slightly smaller than normal full-term babies, they are very healthy and there will be no problem."
Hearing the physician's delighted tone, Yinzhen knew that the physician would not be so happy unless he was in excellent health. He said with satisfaction, "Reward him. The monthly allowance for those in the East Courtyard and those present will be increased fivefold."
Upon hearing this, the servants in the midwife's courtyard were even more delighted and uttered auspicious words.
Yinzhen asked happily, "Which one was born first?" His face was filled with the joy of becoming a father for the first time.
A nanny carrying a black swaddled baby came out and said, "Reporting to Your Highness, the baby I'm holding is the older brother." Another nanny carrying a pink swaddled baby then said that the baby she was holding was the younger sister.
Overjoyed, Yinzhen disregarded the Qing Dynasty custom of holding grandchildren but not sons. He first held the newborn princess, and then the little prince, looking at the two newborn babies with an eight-fold filter, finding them both incredibly beautiful.
In accordance with regulations, the news of Yin'er giving birth to twins was sent to the palace. Twins are rare in themselves, and as an auspicious sign, and being the first of their kind in the history of the Qing Dynasty, they are even more highly regarded. Soon, the palace sent a series of expensive gifts, and Emperor Kangxi personally bestowed names upon the two imperial heirs: the eldest prince Honghui and the eldest princess Yilejia.
After Rouyin finished expelling her lochia, she lay on the bed in the East Courtyard's sleeping quarters. Yinzhen immediately entered, tenderly touching Rouyin's pale face after childbirth, and said affectionately, "Yin'er, you gave birth to twins for me, a boy and a girl, and have shown me so much love. I will never let you down." (Rouyin took pain-free pills and fertility pills, so she would not experience any pain during childbirth, and normal postpartum conditions would be displayed.)
"Your Majesty need not say more. I believe you will definitely treat me and the child well," Rouyin said softly, feigning weakness.
She said softly and tenderly, "Sir, I want to see our child."
Yinzhen instructed Su Peisheng to have the wet nurses bring the child over. After a while, he carefully took the little princess and leaned close to Rouyin, saying, "Yin'er, look how much our little princess looks like you. She will definitely be a beautiful girl in the future."
Rouyin said helplessly, "Master, the children have just been born, how can we tell what they look like?" She gently touched the little princess and the little prince in front of her with her hand. Perhaps it was the bond between mother and child, but the two children's little mouths curved slightly.
Yinzhen exclaimed with delight, "Yin'er, the two children are smiling! They must be feeling the love of their biological parents!" The shameless Yinzhen hadn't thought about how he hadn't smiled when he was looking after the two children alone earlier, but now that he saw the children smiling, he included himself in the praise.
Rouyin obediently praised him and the child a few times. Seeing that it was almost time, Yinzhen asked the two nannies to take the child away, and then he stayed with his little wife for a nap.
The next day, the jubilant appearance of the Fourth Prince at court surprised the ministers who were attending the court diligently. They secretly wondered if the Fourth Prince had received a good job or acquired some talented person. After all, Rouyin gave birth to twins in the evening, and the imperial edict for the Fourth Prince was only issued in the early morning, exactly half an hour after the morning court session. So, only a minority of the ministers knew about this news.
After the court session ended, the Crown Prince and several princes congratulated the Fourth Prince on the birth of twins, a boy and a girl. Only then did the officials learn of the situation and also offered their congratulations to the Fourth Prince. After dealing with several troublesome brothers and ministers, Yinzhen slipped away and returned to his residence.
While Rouyin was in her postpartum confinement period, her mind was completely focused on her two little babies. The two children grew faster and faster every day. In just one week, the two wrinkled babies became chubby and cute. Rouyin's current joy was watching the two babies. Perhaps because they were twins, the eldest prince and the eldest princess were in sync. If one cried, the other would cry too. The eldest prince's appearance was also clearly very similar to Yinzhen's. The eldest princess had a seven-tenths resemblance to Rouyin. It was precisely because of this resemblance that Yinzhen's doting fatherly love for his daughter became even stronger. He would hold the eldest princess for two full hours every day.
Fortunately, Honghui is calm and doesn't like to compete for his sister's affection, but they are the most obedient in Rouyin's arms.
Time flew by and the full moon arrived. Yinzhen held a grand full moon banquet, and guests rushed to offer their congratulations. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess, as well as the Thirteenth Prince who was on good terms with the Fourth Prince, also came. Emperor Kangxi actually wanted to see the twins, but after thinking about it, he decided to wait until the two children were older and entered the palace before seeing them, so as to avoid others taking notice of the children.
The banquet table was laden with a dazzling array of dishes. Rouyin, who had just finished her postpartum confinement, wore a crescent-colored cheongsam paired with a matching jade pendant. She was elegant and poised, holding the chubby Honghui in her arms, exuding a maternal tenderness. The nanny beside her held the little princess and followed her.
The Crown Prince looked at Rouyin, who had given birth after a long time, and pretended to look at Honghui, but his eyes were actually glancing at Rouyin. He didn't even notice the pain of his fingers digging deep into his flesh from his sleeve.
Standing to the side, the Thirteenth Prince looked at his exceptionally beautiful Fourth Sister-in-law with some melancholy, filled with envy that his Fourth Brother had married such a beautiful wife and had also been blessed with a pair of auspicious twins.
After exchanging pleasantries with those around him, Yinzhen began the third-day bathing ceremony for the day's main characters, Honghui and Yilejia. The nannies in charge of the ceremony were several former wives of the Prince's family. Although they were old, their hands were still very steady as they picked up the two chubby babies and gently sprinkled hot water on them, symbolizing the dissipation of bad luck and the blessing of their birth.
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