Before he knew it, the due date was fast approaching. These days, Yinzhen had been busy with official duties and taking care of Rouyin at home. He had lost a lot of weight from exhaustion. When Kangxi learned that the fourth prince's wife was about to give birth, he specially reduced some of her official duties. However, Yinzhen was still so nervous that he could not sleep. He even experienced vomiting and palpitations. After taking his pulse, the imperial physician diagnosed that the wife was experiencing false pregnancy due to excessive tension. She could only take some calming medicine to relieve the symptoms.
Rouyin gave birth on the day of the first day of winter, when the weather was not yet too cold. Yinzhen and Madam Lin sat anxiously outside in the courtyard, getting up every now and then to inquire about Rouyin's delivery.
The physician, Dr. He, sat on a small stool to the side, occasionally watching the movements inside closely. Although he had great confidence in the wife's robust health, childbirth was a life-or-death matter for a woman, fraught with countless dangers. Moreover, the wife was carrying triplets, making multiple births even more perilous. He would pinch himself hard every now and then, afraid that he would fall asleep again due to excessive tension.
Inside the house, Rouyin had already taken the sedative and pain-relieving pills beforehand. If she weren't afraid of giving birth too quickly and attracting attention, she would have already given birth. She even had the leisure to eat a bowl of pumpkin sweet soup to relieve the hunger she hadn't had time to eat that morning.
The midwife waiting nearby secretly admired how patient this princess was. In the past, the noble ladies she had served couldn't even drink soup when they were giving birth, let alone eat anything else.
An hour later, Rouyin felt that the time was almost up and slowly began to relax. The midwife instructed the maid to bring hot water and scissors in an orderly manner, while the wet nurse stood obediently to the side.
Soon, basins of bloody water were carried out, and basins of clean water were brought in. Looking at the bright red blood, Yinzhen felt a burning sensation in his eyes. He frowned deeply and anxiously asked Su Peisheng to inquire about the situation inside. Madam Lin, standing nearby, also nervously wrung out her handkerchief.
Perhaps sensing their anxiety, a short while later, the first cry of a baby rang out. The wet nurse, holding the red swaddling clothes, came out beaming with joy, "Congratulations, Your Highness! Congratulations, Madam Lin! The Princess Consort has given birth to her first little prince."
Less than half an hour later, another baby's cry rang out, and the second little prince was born. The wet nurse, who had been prepared, quickly tidied up the child and took him out to offer congratulations.
The third child didn't even wait for the expected time; he came out right after his brother. This threw the midwife, who thought there would be more time, into disarray. She frantically picked up the third baby, but being a seasoned midwife, she managed to stay calm despite her surprise at how quickly the Fourth Princess Consort had given birth. Thinking it was over, she was about to send someone out to announce the news.
Rouyin grabbed her hand. "Granny, I feel like I have another one in my belly."
Upon hearing this, the midwife was utterly astonished. Wasn't this Fourth Princess Consort carrying triplets?! She forced herself to remain calm and reassured everyone, "Princess Consort, speak less and save your energy to push."
Softly feigning weakness, she called out a few times, and the last baby was born smoothly. The fourth baby's cry rang out.
Standing outside, Yinzhen was somewhat bewildered. How could he have heard four baby cries? He turned around and met the gaze of Su Peisheng, who was also bewildered by what he had heard. An incredulous joy flashed through his heart.
After the door to the warm pavilion in the east courtyard opened, the midwife and three wet nurses each carried a swaddled baby out.
"Congratulations, Your Highness! Congratulations, Madam Lin! The Fourth Princess Consort has given birth to four little princes!" The midwife's face was full of smiles. This princess consort gave birth so well, she would certainly be rewarded handsomely.
"Rewards! Rewards for the whole courtyard!" Yinzhen was so happy he couldn't stop smiling. He and Madam Lin quickly went forward to check on the four little princes. Surprisingly, although the four little princes were born from the same mother, they all looked different.
The physician, He, had already recovered from the shock of the fact that the princess was pregnant with quadruplets. He immediately got up to check on the four little princes. As soon as he placed his hand on them, he felt the strong pulse of each prince. He took their pulses one by one before smiling and saying, "Congratulations, Your Highness and Madam Lin. Although the four little princes are small in size, they are healthy and strong and will surely grow up smoothly."
Yinzhen was relieved, and Madam Lin, standing beside him, was also overjoyed. Counting this pregnancy, her daughter would have five sons and one daughter. Even if her daughter was strikingly beautiful, those with ulterior motives wouldn't dare to touch her. Even if her daughter committed a serious crime, she wouldn't be harmed for the sake of the young prince and princess. She could now completely put aside her worries about her daughter's appearance.
Yinzhen intended to go inside to see Rouyin, but was stopped by Lady Lin, who was equally anxious. His mother-in-law, bound by ancestral rules, was worried that her father would reprimand her for this, so he could only obediently stay outside. He would feel at ease if his mother-in-law went inside anyway, and besides, she would be leaving in a few days; he couldn't very well fight with her for his daughter.
Although Rouyin took pain-relieving pills, it wouldn't completely eliminate the effects of childbirth. At most, she could only feel about 10% of the pain. Although she was a little tired, this made it easier to avoid the possibility of her faking being discovered.
When Madam Lin entered, she saw her daughter resting with her eyes closed and tenderly stroked her head. Rouyin had already sensed someone entering, but assuming it was Granny Wang, she continued to close her eyes to rest until she felt someone gently pat her head, at which point she opened them.
She said with some surprise, "Why did you come in, Mother? You've been working so hard lately, you should get some rest."
"How could I, as your mother, rest alone after giving birth to Yin'er? Don't worry about me. As long as you children are well, I'm fine!" Madam Lin looked lovingly at the somewhat tired and weak Rouyin, her eyes filled with heartache. This was the little girl she had carried for ten months, nurturing from a tiny bundle into the beautiful and intelligent girl she was today.
"Yin'er now has six children. As long as she raises them well, things will be fine for her in the future. There's no need to worry about anything else."
“Okay, Mother, I understand,” Rouyin replied obediently.
Rouyin knew that Madam Lin was completely on her side and thinking of her best interests. She shouldn't care too much about other things like favors. If Yinzhen changed his mind, she would still have children to rely on. Rouyin sighed, thinking that the original owner of this body had forgotten that she had a mother who was genuinely worried about her because she had lost Honghui. Perhaps she was too proud and dared not face her loving mother. The two had not seen each other since Yinzhen ascended the throne. It was a pity that Madam Lin, who was thinking of her daughter until her death, had such a loving mother's heart.
Madam Lin stayed with her daughter a little longer, and after seeing her daughter yawn, she prepared to leave quietly. Before leaving, she reminded Liu Qing to heat up food every hour so that Rouyin could eat as soon as she woke up.
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