"Is the baby still bothering you?" Kangxi pulled Wanyi to sit on the dragon throne, his hand stroking Wanyi's nearly five-month-old belly. When she was four months pregnant, Kangxi felt the baby move once, and after that, he couldn't stop, going to Yongshou Palace to touch it every now and then.
"Yes, he's probably wondering who you are! He was quite restless before he heard the Emperor's voice, but now that you've spoken, he's become incredibly quiet. He'll surely be the most filial son to you from now on." Flattery never fails.
"Really? Oh, he moved a little." Kangxi said in surprise. He placed his hand on Wanyi's belly and suddenly felt something bulge.
"Your Majesty, look, your hand is on my stomach, and he moves it so gently, it's like he wants to fight me," Wanyi pouted, feeling wronged.
"Why are you arguing with a child! He's your child, isn't he?" Kangxi looked at the aggrieved Wanyi with amusement.
"No, Your Majesty, I brought some snacks. Please try them and see if they taste the same as before?" Wanyi gestured to Xiao Dengzi beside her to bring out the snacks.
As soon as Consort Chun left Kunning Palace, she went straight to Cining Palace and immediately drove all the palace maids and eunuchs out.
"What's wrong? Is it about your sister Wanpin again? I've already had Sumala Gu secretly protect her. If she still can't keep the child, then it can only be said that she, as her mother, is incompetent."
Last time, Consort Chun came to plead with the Empress Dowager to protect Consort Wan, which caused the Empress Dowager to become somewhat dissatisfied with Consort Wan.
"Uncle, Guozhen also wants to be a mother. You will help Guozhen, right?" Consort Chun looked at the Empress Dowager pitifully, as if to say, "If you don't agree, I'll cry."
"It's not that I don't want to help you, but the Emperor will never allow any prince in the palace to have Khorchin blood." Even if you get pregnant, there are plenty of ways to abort it.
"Guozhen knows, which is why she asked her uncle to help her. Guozhen thinks that Consort Wan's child is very good. It is said that when a woman gives birth, she walks through the gates of hell. It is just a matter of the mother leaving the child."
Consort Chun's words startled the Empress Dowager, but then filled her with joy. Ruthlessness was essential for women in the harem. She thought to herself that even if she were gone, Guozhen could still survive in the harem, but ruthlessness alone was not enough.
"How could you think like that? You should know that you have to fight for what you want yourself, do you understand?" The Empress Dowager did not intend to help, but she would keep an eye on Guozhen's actions and would immediately withdraw if anything went wrong.
"Thank you, Uncle. You're the best. Could you lend someone to Guozhen?" Consort Chun looked at the Empress Dowager with anticipation.
"If you need to borrow someone, just tell Sumalagu later," the Empress Dowager said affectionately.
"Alright, I'll go right away." Consort Chun happily hugged the Empress Dowager before leaving.
"Your Majesty, be careful." Kangxi got up to get a book from the side. Suddenly, the ground shook violently. Kangxi quickly reacted and used his hand to block it, but the bookshelf behind him suddenly fell and hit Kangxi on the head. His eyes rolled back and he fainted.
While protecting her belly, Wanyi pushed the bookshelf aside, and then together with Granny Kong, she helped Kangxi out. Over there, Xiao Dengzi was supporting Liang Jiugong, truly a case of servants following their masters, as they were both hit by the falling objects.
"Your Majesty, be careful." Kangxi was currently in a semi-conscious state. Wanyi felt unwell, so she secretly drank some spiritual spring water to feel better.
"Is His Majesty alright?" The head guard rushed over and, upon seeing Kangxi being supported by Wanyi, felt a pang of anxiety, fearing that something might have happened to Kangxi.
"His Majesty was hit by a bookshelf and fainted. He should be alright. Is there any water?" Wanyi thought to herself. It wouldn't do for Kangxi to remain unconscious like this. He needed to wake up and take charge of the situation.
The first thing Kangxi did after waking up was to make arrangements for Wanyi. Before he fainted, he saw Wanyi running towards him without regard for her own safety. He thought to himself that as long as he was alive, he would treat her well.
Fearing aftershocks, Emperor Kangxi led the way in moving out of the Forbidden City to a nearby imperial palace, intending to move back once the capital was repaired.
"They're all here. I'll arrange accommodations for you right away." The Empress looked at the disheveled people in front of her, some of whom even had wrinkled clothes. They had lost all their former air of high and mighty concubines, and even she herself was like that.
"It seems I haven't seen Consort Fu." Consort Fu was sitting in front of Consort Bu, so she naturally said that she hadn't seen her.
"Oh! Even Consort Shi isn't here!" Consort Zhang exclaimed in surprise.
"Let me arrange accommodations for you first! As for Consort Fu and Consort Shi, I will have someone go and check on them." The others didn't have much time to scheme here, as they were still shaken and hadn't recovered from their fear.
"Consort Wan is not here either. Does anyone know where she went?" Consort Chun suddenly realized that she had her eye on the child in the womb, and she couldn't let anything happen to her.
"She should be here by now! She went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to accompany the Emperor, so she should be with him now." Consort An was well-versed in the affairs of the inner palace, though she didn't claim to know everything. She was quite savvy when it came to gossip.
"That's good." Consort Chun was relieved.
"What's wrong with me?" Wanyi remembered that she could no longer hold back and fainted after Kangxi woke up.
"Your Highness, you've had a miscarriage scare and need to rest in bed for now." Granny Kong carefully helped Wanyi sit up.
"How is the Emperor? Is he alright? Where is this place?" Wanyi asked worriedly after sitting down.
"His Majesty is alright now, he only suffered some minor injuries. This is a side hall of the Zhengda Guangming Hall in the imperial palace. His Majesty personally carried you in," said Granny Kong with a smile like that of an aunt.
"What about the others? Are they alright?" Wanyi was more concerned about whether there were any casualties in the harem. She remembered that a concubine had died in the harem in her previous life.
"The head guard just came to report to the Emperor. I overheard a bit, and it sounded like Consort Fu and a concubine had passed away. I didn't hear clearly which one it was," said Granny Kong, somewhat annoyed.
"It's nothing, it's just a pity for my two younger sisters. They were so young, and they've been gone just like that." Wanyi suddenly saw a figure behind the screen. She turned her mouth and said this, and also gestured to Granny Kong with her eyes.
"That's right! This Consort Fu is pregnant with the Emperor's child! Poor thing." Granny Kong immediately understood Wanyi's gaze and quickly put on a sad face.
"Yes! I was hoping that our child would have a younger brother or sister to keep him company when he was born. As a mother, I can't bear to see this happen." Wanyi said, tears streaming down her face.
"Your Majesty, please don't be sad. Take care of the baby in your womb. Are you hungry? I'll go get you something to eat," Granny Kong quickly changed the subject.
"Alright."
If Wanyi knew that it was Consort Shi who tripped Consort Fu during the earthquake, and that Consort Fu was also ruthless, pulling Consort Shi along so they could be buried together in Xianfu Palace, she wouldn't feel sorry for her.
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