Knowing that the servants wouldn't dare not serve Consort Shu well, Situ Rui headed towards the Qianqing Palace. He wanted to give his precious son a proper name and, incidentally, establish his official status.
Tang Baozhu stayed up until her son returned before she could finally relax and go to sleep; otherwise, she would always worry if he wasn't there.
I slept soundly until it was dark outside before waking up. When I woke up, my hand instinctively touched my stomach, and I was startled to find it flat.
I sat up instinctively, probably pulling at my wound, and felt excruciating pain all over my body. Then I came to my senses and realized that the baby had already been born. I felt completely drained and lay back down on the bed.
Tang Baozhu hadn't expected her whole body to hurt so much. She took out a rejuvenating pill from her ring, and after swallowing it, all her discomfort disappeared instantly. Even the wrinkled skin on her stomach had disappeared.
This startled her. It was over so quickly? Even a ghost would know there was something wrong, let alone those shrewd palace maids. It seemed she couldn't let them serve her for a while; she'd better stay out of their sight.
Tang Baozhu was quite satisfied with her flat stomach. She knew that the skin on her stomach was really scary right after giving birth, and now that it had recovered, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
I feel fine anywhere now, and I feel like I can start jumping around again, but I still have to pretend. I'm really hungry, so I quickly call someone to wash up and eat.
"Someone come and help me wash up."
Tang Baozhu was quite pleased to hear that the emperor had bestowed upon her the title of Consort Shu. After all, for a peasant girl to rise to the position of Consort Shu was only thanks to the emperor's lack of sons; if he didn't need sons, she wouldn't have even dreamed of it.
However, Consort Shu was not her goal; her goal was to become Empress. After all, the Emperor was in good health, and she didn't want to become Empress Dowager so soon. She hoped that he would live a long life and enjoy more comfortable days.
Upon hearing that the Empress had woken up, the palace maid waiting outside quickly brought in toiletries. "Is Your Highness feeling unwell? I'll go and call the imperial physician."
"No need, I'm not feeling unwell, just a little hungry. Tell the kitchen to prepare a meal in advance."
Wouldn't the imperial physician's arrival give her away? She wouldn't call for the imperial physician, but it wouldn't matter if it were Physician Zhang, since the two of them are on good terms.
After washing up, a palace maid brought a small table and placed it by the bed. Was she supposed to sit by the bed to eat? Wasn't that a bit too much?
I said I was washing up, but really I just rinsed my mouth and washed my face with a towel. I couldn't do anything else. I'm going to have to hold it in for the rest of the month. I don't know if I'll smell bad in this hot weather. That would be so embarrassing.
"How about we eat outside? It seems a bit strange to leave it in the bedroom."
In particular, the windows are all tightly closed, and not a breath of wind can get in. I'll have to eat indoors from now on, and just thinking about the smell makes me horrified. I'm trying to see if we can eat out.
Yu Mei looked troubled. "Your Majesty, this is what the midwife said. To recover better, you can't be exposed to drafts, otherwise you'll develop postpartum illnesses. The Emperor also said that Your Majesty should take good care of your body. You'll just have to endure it this month. Fortunately, a month will pass quickly, and then Your Majesty will be free."
Tang Baozhu couldn't say that she was cured, so she could only reluctantly agree. She figured that this was how normal postpartum care should be, but she didn't know any better and could only listen to those who had experience.
"Alright, stop looking so gloomy and hurry up and bring in the food. I'm starving."
Upon hearing that the Empress was not angry, Yu Mei immediately beamed with joy. "Your Majesty, please wait a moment. The food in the small kitchen has been kept warm. I will have them bring it in right away."
Tang Baozhu waited less than five minutes before all the dishes were served. As expected, they did not exceed her expectations. Judging from their bland and watery appearance, it was clear that they were without salt or oil.
"Your Majesty, have a bowl of chicken soup first to nourish your body. You've suffered a lot this time. Eat more to recover your health so that Your Majesty can give birth to a little prince. Then Your Majesty will have nothing to worry about in the future."
As a result, Yu Mei handed me a sip of chicken soup, and sure enough, there was no salt added. I could only grit my teeth and drink it down in one gulp. Although my body had recovered, who knew if I would need any more nourishment? Anyway, drinking it wouldn't cause any problems.
After eating a tasteless meal, she felt like she was dying. Although she wasn't someone who couldn't live without spicy food, the lack of flavor still made her feel very sad. The thought of having to eat this kind of food for another month made her feel like the sky was falling.
"I'm full. Bring the little prince over here so I can take a look."
"Your Majesty, please wait a moment. I will have someone remove the table and then have the wet nurse bring the little prince over."
Yu Mei, along with several maids outside, quickly removed the table, and the wet nurse was also waiting outside.
"This servant greets Your Highness."
The wet nurses, Yang and Li, paid their respects to the Empress. Tang Baozhu looked at the two kneeling women, then glanced at her son in her arms.
The two wet nurses looked kind and gentle, and were not very old, only about 20 years old. They thought that their son was still young, and it would be fine for the wet nurses to take care of him. When he was eight months old, they replaced the wet nurses.
I suppose it's unlikely that someone will treat their wet nurse better than their own mother anymore.
"Get up! I have only one request for you: take good care of the young prince, don't have any improper thoughts, and think about your family before you do anything. Alright, you may leave now. I will stay with the young prince for a while."
"This servant will obey Your Majesty's orders."
Lady Yang and Lady Li respectfully withdrew from the bedchamber. After leaving, they exchanged glances, neither understanding what the Empress meant. They simply stood at the door and waited until the Empress wanted to rest before bringing out the little prince.
Yu Mei watched her mistress playing with the little prince and thought about what her mistress had said. Could there be something wrong with the wet nurses? It seemed she should report this to the Emperor and have the two wet nurses thoroughly investigated. Although they had already been investigated, it wouldn't hurt to investigate again, just in case.
Tang Baozhu looked at her son in her arms, who was sleeping very soundly. She kept trying to move his little hand, but it seemed like she couldn't wake him up, so she didn't disturb his sleep.
"Yu Mei, you need to take good care of the young prince when you have time. I'm worried about him. You can arrange for someone else to serve me here. Normally, you should stay with the young prince and not let him out of your sight. Can you do that?"
"Your Majesty, I will obey your command. Rest assured, I will take good care of the young prince."
Yu Mei was originally the emperor's woman, so her current goal is naturally the young prince.
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