Anning: "Go and summon the imperial physician."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Emperor Kangxi was reading memorials when Liang Jiugong entered with a smile. He first poured Emperor Kangxi a cup of tea before explaining his purpose: "Your Majesty, a maidservant from Consort Shu's side has reported that Consort Shu is more than a month pregnant."
Liang Jiugong's words startled Kangxi: "You mean Consort Shu is pregnant?"
"Yes, that's what Miss Chunlan just reported."
Kangxi showed no joy, and Liang Jiugong then realized something was wrong. He suddenly thought of how childbirth was like passing through the gates of hell for a woman, and then he stopped talking.
"emperor?!"
Kangxi waved his hand: "Alright, it is indeed a joyous occasion. Have Granny Wulan take good care of Consort Shu and ensure her safety. Go to my storeroom and pick out some good things to send to Consort Shu. Tell her that I will visit her later."
He needs some quiet time now.
It's true that Emperor Kangxi didn't expect Anning to be pregnant, mainly because he was already quite old, and the Fifteenth Prince had been born just two years prior. He never imagined that Anning would become pregnant.
Emperor Kangxi did not have the habit of killing his own children, and forcing women to miscarry for no reason was extremely harmful to their health.
Liang Jiugong also breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes."
After Liang Jiugong left, Kangxi thought that after Anning gave birth to this child, he would have the imperial physician prescribe some contraceptive medicine for himself to take.
As for why he didn't let Anning take it, Kangxi actually knew that Anning probably had a trusted palace maid who knew medicine. If he used it to prevent pregnancy for a concubine from a prominent Manchu family, even the slightest word could make his empire unstable.
Sometimes, Anning's background doesn't mean much, but what she has can also mean a lot.
As for not favoring Anning in the future, Kangxi did not consider this option.
In Kangxi's view, women who were not favored were sickly all day long, and the records in the Imperial Hospital showed that they were always depressed.
Emperor Kangxi had some knowledge of medicine and naturally understood the harm of unresolved emotional distress, so he could not sever Anning's favor.
Kangxi then secretly gave orders to have contraceptive drugs prepared.
That evening, Anning was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) reading a book when Kangxi came in. He was so engrossed in the book that he didn't even notice Kangxi's arrival.
"What is my beloved concubine looking at?"
An Ning feigned surprise and looked up at Kangxi, immediately standing up: "Greetings, Your Majesty. What brings you here, Your Majesty?"
Kangxi helped her up: "My beloved concubine is pregnant, so I had to come no matter what. Is the baby bothering you?"
An Ning shook her head: "It's only been a month, the child is still young, and doesn't cause much trouble for me."
Kangxi looked at her belly and laughed, "It seems to be a good child. Most of my princes are mischievous, so it's good to have a well-behaved one."
Anning: "It could be a princess. If it's a daughter, I think that's fine too. Everyone says daughters are more considerate."
Anning didn't know whether the baby in her belly was a boy or a girl. Her medication could only increase the probability of pregnancy and improve the child's genes; anything else was uncertain.
Emperor Kangxi didn't care whether the child in her womb was a boy or a girl. He had no shortage of sons and daughters, so he liked them both, as long as nothing happened to her.
Pregnant women tend to overthink, so Emperor Kangxi decided to comfort Anning more during her pregnancy.
"A daughter is fine. If she is a princess, I will bestow upon her the title of Princess Gulun when she gets married."
Kangxi's words left Anning completely bewildered. The title of Princess Gulun was reserved for the emperor's legitimate daughters or palace maids who had made significant contributions to the Qing Dynasty.
"Your Majesty! I'm afraid Princess Gulun is not suitable."
Emperor Kangxi waved his hand and said, "I think it's very suitable. After you give birth to the child, I will confer upon you the title of Consort."
What he didn't say was that if Anning really gave birth to a princess, Kangxi wouldn't mind letting Anning become a Noble Consort before the princess got married. When the princess got married, she would be a Princess of the First Rank, and no one would object to that.
If the child is a prince, then the position of Imperial Concubine will be difficult to bestow.
However, it's impossible to say what the future holds.
An Ning accepted with a look of delight: "On behalf of the child in my womb, I thank Your Majesty for your grace."
She didn't expect that Emperor Kangxi would be so generous, giving her the title of a concubine so readily.
The news of Anning's pregnancy only spread widely throughout Changchun Garden the next day. Unlike the palace, no one in Changchun Garden was as well-informed about the news.
If we're talking about who was the most unhappy about Anning's pregnancy, Consort Yi and Consort Wang are both among them.
Well, how should I put it!
When Consort Yi first entered the palace, she tried to win Anning over, but her methods were subtle and Anning had no interest in getting involved. She was just throwing her charm at a blind man.
Furthermore, Consort Yi's attempt to use Anning as a scapegoat backfired spectacularly, and to make matters worse, Anning became pregnant at this critical juncture. It would be strange if Consort Yi were happy.
Since giving birth to the eleventh prince, Consort Yi has rarely been truly angry or lost her temper, but this time she couldn't help but break down.
The sound of porcelain shattering was a rare occurrence in Consort Yi's room: "Consort Shu, she's really lucky, she's pregnant."
The old nanny said, "If Your Highness dislikes the child in Consort Shu's belly, I will think of a way to make sure she can't give birth."
The nanny dared to say that because she was truly confident. Consort Yi had been cultivating her power for many years, and Consort Shu was favored, but there were many intricacies in the harem. The nanny felt that getting rid of a child was not a big problem.
Consort Yi also wanted to do so, but she was ultimately still somewhat rational, and shook her head helplessly: "Forget it, let her give birth, let's see what she can produce. I just had a little sullen argument with Consort Shu, and I guess someone is watching me! I can't make a mistake. Give the order to have our people keep an eye on Consort Shu, so that she won't be used. Otherwise, I won't be able to explain myself."
Despite her anger, Consort Yi felt it was unnecessary to take the risk of harming a child who posed little threat to her, all for the sake of a moment's anger.
The old woman replied, "Yes, Your Highness."
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