"Your Majesty, this is the midwife that I asked the Imperial Household Department to send. Why don't you just give her to me? I will definitely give Consort Chen an explanation!"
The Empress never expected that a mere midwife would pull such a stunt. She thought to herself that it was better to take the blame herself than to let others investigate.
"Very well, I trust the Empress!" Whether Kangxi truly believed her or not remains unknown.
"It's getting late, everyone disperse!" Kangxi looked at the silent crowd and suddenly realized that it was pitch black outside, only then remembering that it was getting late!
"Your Majesty, tonight you will be..." Consort Tongjia looked at Kangxi expectantly. These words were originally meant to be spoken by the Empress, but Consort Tongjia spoke first, which was also an overstepping of her bounds!
"It's getting late, I'll head back to the Qianqing Palace! It's closer!" Kangxi rarely spoke so frankly, but actually he was happy and thinking about going back to consult books to come up with a good name for the little prince.
"His Majesty has been working hard all night, so it is only right that he returns to the Qianqing Palace to rest. The Noble Consort should understand!"
The Empress generously offered her words of comfort, but inwardly she was overjoyed, for her happiness stemmed from Consort Tongjia's displeasure.
"Your Majesty, I was only concerned about you!" Consort Tongjia looked distressed, but Kangxi ignored her completely and kept instructing Furong to take good care of Wanyi.
"Hasn't the young prince returned yet?" Wanyi yawned. When would her Yinzhen come in? She was sleepy and wouldn't feel at ease until she saw him.
"Your Highness, it should be soon!" Ye Ming was called in by Granny Kong and told Wan Yi that the baby had gone to nurse!
"Mmm!" I really want to take a nap.
"Your Majesty, the little prince has arrived!" Just as Wanyi was about to close her eyes, Yinzhen was carried in by Granny Kong. Her voice was gentle and her movements were tender, making Wanyi feel that Granny Kong was the mother of the child.
"Put him next to me to sleep! Sleep with me." Wanyi's sleepiness vanished instantly. Seeing the sleeping Yinzhen, she asked Granny Kong to place him on the inside.
"This is against etiquette!"
One of the wet nurses who followed in disagreed, saying, "It's one thing that the prince didn't drink her milk, but how can she sleep with him in the same bed? Although there's no explicit rule against it, no concubine has ever done that before!"
"Granny Kong, send her back to the Imperial Household Department!" In Yongshou Palace, there is always absolute obedience; no one dares to question or disagree!
"Your Highness, Consort Chen, spare my life!" the wet nurse immediately knelt down and pleaded.
"Wow..." The wet nurse's pleading voice startled the little prince, causing the guards to glare at her. Granny Kong even personally dragged her away, her rudeness making Wanyi unable to bear watching.
Once the room quieted down, Wanyi held her child and fell asleep, creating a warm and beautiful scene.
The life of a new mother was both boring and interesting. It was boring because the Fourth Prince was asleep, and interesting because he was awake. Every day, Wanyi would play with the baby and listen to gossip, and the days would pass by without her noticing. Nothing major happened in the harem, except for all sorts of people trying to win the emperor's favor. Today it was this person, tomorrow it was this person.
"Your Majesty, I heard that the Empress is unwell and has relinquished all palace authority to Consort Tongjia, Consort Duan, Consort Hui, and Consort Rong. I don't know how serious it is; Kunning Palace only says that she has caught a cold."
Furong took out several snacks, which were afternoon tea items that Wanyi had requested to order from the imperial kitchen.
"Go to the storeroom and select some of the best medicinal herbs to send to Her Majesty the Empress!" After all, she is an ally, so it's only right to put in a little extra effort.
"Yes, my lord, the little prince will be one month old in a few days. The third-day celebration was canceled because of the cold weather. People below are saying that the fourth prince is not favored by the emperor, and it is feared that even the full-month celebration will be canceled!" She was furious when she heard this, but she held back so as not to cause trouble for her lord and did not go forward to argue.
"The people below? Why bother with them? If the Emperor really dislikes the Fourth Prince, the Imperial Household Department hasn't cut off our food and clothing allowances. What does that mean?" The Imperial Household Department is the most sycophantic and opportunistic. If She loses favor, the Imperial Household Department will be the first to suffer.
"Then why would they say that? What was their purpose?" Furong didn't want to cause trouble at the time, so she ignored them, but now she thinks there must have been some kind of conspiracy involved.
"They probably want to get rid of you. You are my right-hand woman. If they can't touch me, surely they can't touch a mere servant like you?"
If Furong were to step forward and argue, things would get out of control. Once you're involved, how could you possibly escape unscathed?
"Luckily, I was alert!" Furong patted her chest in lingering fear. She had been getting a little carried away lately, and hadn't even seen through such a subtle motive.
"It's alright. They were just trying to scheme against you. Just be more careful in the future." Furong is someone we've worked hard to cultivate; we can't let her be ruined by such trivial matters.
On the morning of February 5th, Wanyi took a comfortable bath and attended her son's full-month celebration in her imperial concubine robes. The Empress was not present due to illness, but Emperor Kangxi invited the Empress Dowager to attend as if she were the Empress. Because it was a small event, only members of the imperial family were invited.
"The Fourth Prince is so chubby and fair-skinned, he's really adorable!" Consort Rong said with some envy. Her son, Yinzhi, was rather thin, and after a minor illness a few days ago, he had lost even more weight.
"Why should Consort Rong envy the Fourth Prince? We envy you more than Consort Rong!" Consort Yi said quickly, trying to lighten the mood when she saw Consort Rong looking sad. After all, if Emperor Kangxi saw them all at the same table, he might think they were bullying her.
"Yes! Having both a son and a daughter, she's the first in the palace to do so!" This remark stirred up some jealousy, which was exactly the effect Consort Hui wanted.
"There, my sisters are still young, they can have several children in the future without any problem, but I can't!"
Consort Rong realized that this was an attempt to take advantage of her vulnerability, so she immediately became extremely attentive when the topic of children came up.
"I am in a good mood today, so let's bestow a name upon the fourth prince! Zhen means good health and stability, so let's call him Yinzhen!" Kangxi said suddenly after a few rounds of drinks.
"On behalf of the Fourth Prince, I thank Your Majesty for your grace!" Wanyi stood up, her body visibly fuller.
"Since it's such an auspicious day, Liang Jiugong, announce the decree!" This was the honor he wanted to bestow upon her.
"I, the Emperor, believe that the teachings of the palace begin with dignified and solemn conduct, and that the rites and titles bestowed upon you are truly meritorious in your service. Therefore, I hereby bestow upon you this imperial decree to glorify this noble tradition. You, Lady Suozhuolun, are renowned for your virtuous conduct, your refined manners, your prudent and prudent character, your peaceful and harmonious nature, and your virtuous character. Your exemplary conduct has earned you renown in the palace; your respectful and cautious conduct has established your fragrant name within the inner palace. I have received the Empress Dowager's benevolent decree, and hereby confer upon you the title of Imperial Consort. May you be gentle, respectful, and humble in the face of this auspicious decree, so that we may forever enjoy abundant blessings. Respectfully yours."
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great favor!" Wanyi was overjoyed. Before, it was just a verbal decree, which was not yet legitimate. Now that the imperial decree was issued, she was definitely the Consort Chen.
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