Upon receiving the news, Consort Jing made a special trip to Yuehua Palace to thank Qingyin. Looking at Qingyin's alarmingly large belly, she frowned and asked, "Your Highness, is your belly too big?"
Qingyin shook her head and smiled, "This is multiple pregnancies. The imperial physician said it's normal for my belly to be big."
"That's good." Consort Jing nodded. She had been visiting Yuehua Palace many times these past few days. She was fond of children. Although she loved Longyue the most, it didn't mean she didn't like other children, especially little Hongche. He was so cute that it melted people's hearts. He was the adorable child from her dreams, and she couldn't resist him at all. Thinking that Consort Xian would have five more equally beautiful babies in the future, she was filled with envy.
Qingyin didn't miss the envy in Consort Jing's eyes. She smiled and said, "If Consort Jing has any free time, please bring Longyue to my place so that the children can play together. If you come, it will save me a lot of trouble!"
Seeing Qingyin not only not refusing but also warmly inviting her, Consort Jing's eyes lit up. The Virtuous Consort is truly a kind and generous person, but she is too unguarded and easily schemed against. Consort Jing smiled and nodded, then looked at Qingyin with concern.
Qingyin felt helpless. She didn't know what was wrong with this world. Everyone seemed to have a halo of kindness and innocence around her, and they all took the initiative to approach her, pretending to protect her.
The two sat quietly for a while, chatting idly for a bit, before Consort Jing took Princess Longyue back.
Nine months had passed, and Qingyin's belly continued to swell. The Empress and Zhen Huan could find no opportunity to vent their anger.
In the night at Yuehua Palace, Hongche gently touched his mother's belly. He knew that his mother was having a hard time carrying his younger brother and sister, so after touching it, he didn't disturb Qingyin and quietly returned to his own courtyard to sleep.
Feeling sleepy, Qingyin was helped back to the inner room by Yulan, where she lay down on the bed and fell asleep.
During this time, war broke out in Tibet, and Yongzheng was so busy that he didn't return until 9 PM. He quietly climbed onto the bed, checked Qingyin's complexion and the condition of her calves before he felt relieved and accompanied Qingyin into sleep.
Before long, it was time for Qingyin to give birth. The weather changed from hot to cool, and the lush leaves began to turn yellow, or gradually fell to the ground with the cool autumn breeze.
Emperor Yongzheng and his concubines gathered at the courtyard gate, each with a different expression, waiting for the commotion inside. Looking at the emperor standing before them, the concubines had no words to express their grievances.
The emperor was standing, so who would dare to sit? As a result, a huge crowd gathered outside the courtyard, and not a single person, from the imperial physicians to the concubines, was sitting.
Emperor Yongzheng would occasionally go over to inquire about Qingyin's labor progress, which displeased the Empress and Zhen Huan, among others, who wished that the people inside would die in this courtyard along with their unborn child.
The Empress feigned concern and said, "Your Majesty, this Consort Xian is not a first-time mother, she should be fine."
Ye Lanyi sneered, "Heh, some people probably wish Consort Xian were in trouble, but unfortunately our Consort Xian is blessed with good fortune and a long life, and she probably won't live up to everyone's wishes!"
Hearing Ye Lanyi's merciless words and the Emperor's dismissive and tacitly agreeable attitude, the Empress's face stiffened, her cheeks burning as she retreated to her seat.
Seeing this, the concubines became even quieter, afraid that the fire would spread to them. The emperor favored Consort Xian, and Ye Lanyi was a shrewish and biting woman with no weaknesses. What could they possibly do against her?
Amidst the eerie atmosphere at the courtyard entrance, loud cries of infants echoed from inside the courtyard, stimulating Yongzheng, who was already standing there, to run over with even greater joy.
The other concubines stared at each other wide-eyed. The concubines without pregnancy experience looked at the experienced concubines with doubt, "Is childbirth so easy? Did Consort Xian give birth in more than an hour?"
Seeing the bewildered concubine, the one with experience in childbirth shook her head in shock, "Impossible! How could it be so fast! If Consort Xian has such a striking face, does that mean she's also good at giving birth?"
The group exchanged glances for a long time. Regardless of their shock, Qingyin had safely given birth to a pair of twin sisters and three little princes.
The twin sisters are: the fourth princess Jing Shu, the fifth princess Jing Xi, the sixth prince Hong Chen, the seventh prince Hong Xuan, and the eighth prince Hong Zhou.
Emperor Yongzheng bestowed upon Qingyin the title of Imperial Noble Consort on the spot. This was the first time in history that an Imperial Noble Consort was present while the Empress was still alive. Ye Lanyi laughed and said to Qingyin, who was lying down, "You have no idea how ugly that old hag Empress's face is, hahaha, it's hilarious. She even told the Emperor about when you were pregnant with Xiao Hongche, just to upset you. Now look what happened, she must be feeling choked up, hahaha."
Qingyin frowned slightly. "Alright, you can't speak so harshly. The Empress is the Empress after all. She has to be careful on the surface. She can't be disrespectful to her superiors."
Ye Lanyi cupped her face in her hands, looking at Qingyin, who was still stunningly beautiful even after giving birth. She smiled wistfully, "That's right, I shouldn't have talked about other people. Looking at Sister Xian's face, I can eat an extra bowl of rice every day."
An Lingrong sat to one side, embroidering a little hat for children. She rolled her eyes at Ye Lanyi, who dared to say anything, and said softly, "Lanyi, please be quiet. Xian also needs to rest more."
Ye Lanyi fell silent, then secretly glared at An Lingrong. An Lingrong was full of cunning and talkative, always going around in circles with her words. She was really difficult to deal with.
Qingyin watched An Lingrong and Ye Lanyi bickering, one delivering precise blows and the other launching direct attacks. She couldn't understand why the two of them loved to argue so much, and Qingyin found it somewhat amusing.
These days, the identical twin sisters Jing Shu and Qing Xi are the most popular, as evidenced by the way a bunch of women are vying to hold them. The fair-skinned, soft, and cuddly little dumplings that smile at you are already adorable, but having an identical little dumpling staring at you with a "hehe" laugh is irresistible. No one can resist them. You see, Emperor Yongzheng has completely become a slave to his own daughters, showing them off openly and secretly in court every day, which makes the Duke of Pei, who hasn't seen his nephews, envious and looking at the Emperor with a mixture of resentment and expectation.
Yongzheng was speechless. Oh dear, he had shown off in front of his own father-in-law. He avoided the Duke of Pei's gaze. Returning to his parents' home was out of the question for the time being, but inviting his mother-in-law to the palace was an option.
When Qingyin was sitting in her double postpartum confinement, she saw a familiar figure.
"Mother?" Qingyin called out to Madam Meng in surprise, and hurriedly tried to get down, but Madam Meng, who was startled, ran over and stopped Qingyin.
"You child, you're already a mother of several children, why are you still so loud and boisterous?" Madam Meng gently stroked Qingyin's shiny hair, which was not dull at all. Looking at Qingyin's slightly rounded and rosy face, she was completely relieved.
She had been worried about Xian'er ever since she entered the palace, fearing that she would be abandoned by the emperor when she grew old and lost her beauty. But now it seemed that the emperor was protecting her very well, and she had given birth to auspicious quintuplets. No matter what, those with ulterior motives could not touch Xian'er's position, so she could finally rest assured.
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