"Consort Jing, of the Wang family!" Wanyi pondered, seemingly lost in thought, perhaps plotting something wicked.
"My lady, is there something wrong with this vase?" Furong asked anxiously as Wanyi touched and smelled it.
"Nothing's wrong now, but who knows what will happen in the future!" Wanyi suddenly revealed a strange smile, startling Furong.
"Go and have Granny Kong come here. I have something to discuss with her. As for the other New Year's gifts, register them and send them to the storeroom!" Wanyi kept only the pair of vases.
"Yes, sir."
On the evening of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Consort Tongjia was delighted that she had intercepted Emperor Kangxi in the Empress's Kunning Palace. She was taking a bath in a wonderful mood, thinking that she must use all her skills tonight to make Emperor Kangxi satisfied with her both physically and mentally.
"Is this medicine bitter?" Wanyi frowned as she looked at the labor-inducing medicine that Granny Kong brought over, her mind starting to waver. She suddenly felt that natural childbirth was quite good!
"Your Highness, whether you stick your neck out or not, you'll still get stabbed. It's all the same. I've prepared some candied fruit for you!"
Originally, Granny Kong did not approve of Wanyi giving birth prematurely. She was already nine months pregnant, so what difference would another month make? However, after learning that the Empress only had one month left to live, and that if she gave birth then, it would be during the national mourning period, which would not only be inauspicious but also cause chaos. Wanyi would not be able to properly recuperate after childbirth, and the child would basically be ruined. Therefore, she was now more eager than anyone else to give birth.
"Give me the candied fruit first!" So that it won't be like last time, when she drank the medicine but they took away the candied fruit, leaving her with a bitter taste all day.
"Here, Your Majesty, take this!" It's alright, let's just sweeten the deal for now! There'll be more pain later.
Not long after Wanyi drank the labor-inducing drug, her stomach began to hurt. It was still quiet outside, and Wanyi tried her best not to make a sound.
"Greetings, ladies!" Furong greeted the four grandmothers sitting in the room, followed by several eunuchs carrying food boxes.
"Miss Furong is here. What delicious food is this? Miss Furong brings me things every day. This old servant feels quite embarrassed."
The midwife, who was leading the delivery, was polite in words, but her actions were not so honest. She had already stepped forward and taken the food box on her own initiative.
"With Consort Wan about to give birth, you, as midwives, naturally need to eat and drink well so that you will have the strength to deliver the baby. Our master has said that as long as you do your best to ensure the safe delivery of the prince, you will be richly rewarded and even given more opportunities. I think you understand that!"
Hibiscus spoke politely to them, and laid out food and even juice for them.
“We understand, we understand. Consort Wan is so kind to us, she will surely give birth to a healthy little prince. We are just waiting for the reward from the Consort!” another midwife assured her.
"We are relieved to hear your words, Grandma. Your Highness could give birth at any time, so we have fruit juice for now. We will give you wine after Your Highness gives birth."
Furong knew that the head midwife didn't have any particular hobbies, except that she liked to drink alcohol.
"No problem, no problem!" The midwife leading the delivery even drank some juice first.
"This juice was specially prepared for you, it's delicious, everyone should try it!" Furong urged.
"It's really good, you should try it!"
The midwife leading the delivery also chimed in, saying that the food was indeed delicious. She wondered what Consort Wan was thinking, always coming up with different dishes. These two had both gained quite a bit of weight.
Led by the grandmother, the other three picked up the juice and drank it, praising it enthusiastically. Unfortunately, they soon seemed sleepy and slumped onto the table.
"Let's get started! They're really getting off easy; they can't even use such good food."
However, this was their last supper, and they didn't even eat their fill. It was such a waste, Furong thought regretfully. She didn't know whether to waste the food or the four midwives. After all, childbirth is a skill!
Several eunuchs worked together to force-feed the four midwives a very strong liquor, making a mess of the food in front of them, and then pretending that they were drunk.
"Let's go!" After checking that nothing had been missed, Furong went to the back hall to meet the two midwives newly sent by the Empress.
"Ugh...! Granny, I have a back cramp!"
Wanyi was on the verge of tears. She had thought that the contractions would be very painful, since she had also suffered excruciating pain to give birth to the Fourth Prince in her previous life. However, although she did experience pain at first, her lower back started to twitch, and the contractions were almost nonexistent.
"This servant will massage you again. Your Majesty is very fortunate. This servant has heard that some women do not experience pain during childbirth, and their labor is very quick. They do not suffer at all. I suppose Your Majesty's constitution is like that."
Granny Kong thought to herself, with such a constitution, she should have more children, otherwise it would be a waste to have such a good constitution.
If Wanyi knew what Granny Kong was really thinking, she would definitely say, "Thank you!"
"But my back hurts!" That's still pain, okay?
"Your Majesty, the two midwives have arrived. For some reason, the four midwives in the side hall have become greedy and are drinking at this important moment. I don't know who ordered them. Fortunately, Your Majesty the Empress is wise and has arranged two more for us in the back hall. Otherwise, I don't know what to do."
As soon as Furong entered, she launched into a long, drawn-out complaint, making the two women feel that if they didn't deliver the baby properly and ensure the safety of both mother and child, they would be letting down the Empress.
"Let's ignore that for now! Let's take the two of them downstairs to get ready!" So Granny Kong led Furong to the side room, where the midwife had to take a bath, have her nails trimmed, and change into the clothes prepared here.
"Miss Furong, this servant thinks Her Highness is about to give birth! Why do we still have to come here? If something happens, who can bear the responsibility!"
There were two midwives, one was Granny Li, and the other was Granny Chen. Granny Li was the one speaking.
"Does Grandma Chen think so too?"
Furong felt a chill in her heart. Her master had indeed guessed correctly. Anyone who raised questions or refused to do as required must be someone with ulterior motives.
"This servant obeys Her Majesty the Empress's orders and will follow Consort Wan's instructions in everything. Whatever Miss Furong says, this servant will do!"
She was the Empress's person, and the Empress ordered her to protect Consort Wan's child in exchange for Consort Wan protecting Noble Lady Wen, Niohuru.
"Guards, take Granny Li away!" Furong said expressionlessly.
“Miss Furong, this old servant was sent by Her Majesty the Empress to deliver Consort Wan’s baby. If you suppress this old servant like this, what will happen if something goes wrong? How will you explain this to Her Majesty the Empress?”
Granny Li panicked a little. On the surface, she was indeed sent by the Empress, but she didn't have the Empress as her only master.
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