Chapter 60 (None)
After feeding the baby, Jiang Ling called Wen Juan and A Ruo to change the Third Prince's diaper and clean him up before placing him in the cradle. Soon, his little mouth moved a few times before he drifted off into a sweet dream.
Wenjuan and Aruo left the room. Emperor Yuanming glanced at the Third Prince in the cradle, subconsciously lowered his voice, and laughed, "A tiny little thing like you, he really takes after you, able to eat and sleep well."
"It's good that you can eat and sleep well," Jiang Ling replied casually, then said, "Your Majesty, please sit down. I'll go to the washroom."
Emperor Yuanming glanced at Jiang Ling and, seeing her preparing to get off the bed, quickly stopped her, saying, "Have the palace maids come in to serve you. Don't move."
The washroom was just a few steps away. Jiang Ling, who had recovered well, said, "I'm fine."
Seeing that Jiang Ling had already gotten off the bed, Emperor Yuanming instead supported her arm and said with concern, "Be careful."
Jiang Ling slipped on her shoes and went to the washroom. When she came out, Emperor Yuanming was poking the Third Prince's cheek. Seeing this, she quickly reminded him, "Your Majesty's fingernails are long; be careful not to poke him."
Emperor Yuanming reluctantly withdrew his hand, looked down at his own hands, and said, "I heard you had the midwife cut your nails too?"
"Their fingernails harbored filth and dirt, so I had them all cut off," Jiang Ling replied, guessing that Emperor Yuanming was about to talk about the rumors surrounding the Third and Fourth Princes.
Emperor Yuanming said slowly, "According to the rules, princes and princesses are all fed by wet nurses, but you are different."
“A baby’s breast milk is like our meals. Poor families eat coarse food and vegetables, while rich families eat meat. Compared to a wet nurse, I am rich, and I am not weak and unable to produce milk, so of course I will feed the baby myself.”
Jiang Ling explained succinctly, calmly saying, "It's said that childbirth is a life-or-death ordeal for women. Some women vomit after becoming pregnant, sometimes so badly that they even vomit to death. During pregnancy, there are all sorts of accidents, such as miscarriage or stillbirth. During childbirth, delivery is difficult, there is excessive blood loss, lochia doesn't clear up, and there are high fevers, and so on. The fetus is held in for too long, is in an abnormal position, and is forcibly pulled out, plus various illnesses in the mother's womb. Regardless of size, they are all going through a life-or-death ordeal."
Emperor Yuanming listened intently. Jiang Ling looked at him and said sarcastically, "Your Majesty, if a child is born smoothly and grows up to be someone else's lucky star, then you've taken away someone else's fortune. I'm thinking, if there really is such a thing as the ability to take away someone else's fortune, then why don't those children born and raised in poor families simply be born into noble families or into the royal family?"
Even among royalty, many infants died young. Emperor Yuanming had thirteen siblings, but only seven survived to adulthood.
According to Consort Duan, Emperor Yuanming was able to grow to adulthood by stealing the fortune of his other siblings. Even his ascension to the throne was illegitimate.
Emperor Yuanming's expression gradually darkened, his eyes filled with gloom, and he remained silent for a moment, his lips pressed tightly together.
Jiang Ling observed Emperor Yuanming's reaction and said, "The Third Prince was born with the inexplicable reputation of having stolen the fortunes of others. If I cannot seek justice for him and allow him to be bullied and slandered, I might as well quit being his mother!"
Emperor Yuanming said fiercely, "My son, are you saying he should be bullied for no reason?!"
Jiang Ling lowered his eyes and said, "The Emperor can kill the imperial physician with just a word, but it will only chill the hearts of doctors throughout the land. If a woman gives birth and the baby survives, the doctors of the Great Yin Dynasty will have to pay with their lives. If this happens, I'm afraid there will be no doctors left in the world."
After the Empress's death, Emperor Yuanming, in a fit of rage, killed the imperial physicians, causing widespread fear within the Imperial Medical Academy. Many, fearing for their lives, used various pretexts to feign illness and retire, leaving the Academy nearly deserted.
Zheng Ze claimed that his mother was old and he wanted to retire and return home to take care of her, but Emperor Yuanming forced him to stay.
After all these years, the Imperial Medical Academy has barely managed to fill its staff. The Imperial Physician is merely a fifth-rank official, and fifth-rank officials are commonplace in the capital. If Zheng Ze and Wu Shishan were killed, it's feared no one would dare serve as Imperial Physician again.
Emperor Yuanming was rendered speechless by Jiang Ling's words and felt utterly disgusted with Consort Duan. He summoned Huang Liang and said, "Zheng Ze and Wu Shishan have performed their duties well and won my favor. They deserve to be rewarded. By my decree, Zheng Ze is appointed Fengzheng Dafu, with a jade ruyi and ten gold ingots. Wu Shishan is promoted to Yuanpan, with a jade ruyi and eight gold ingots."
Fengzheng Dafu was the highest honorary title for imperial physicians in the Imperial Medical Academy, with the rank of sixth grade. Wu Shishan, who was an eighth-grade imperial physician, was promoted two grades in one leap.
Although Huang Liang had guessed that with Jiang Ling around, Zheng Ze and Wu Shishan should be safe, he never expected that the two would be promoted and rewarded.
Emperor Yuanming glanced at Jiang Ling and said, "Consort Jiang has rendered meritorious service in giving birth to the Third Prince, and is hereby granted the title of Consort Shu. The Ministry of Rites is to prepare an imperial edict, and the celebration will be held together after the Third Prince's one-month birthday."
Once she rises to the rank of Consort, the next step is Empress. Now that Jiang Ling has given birth to a son, she can no longer act discreetly. The higher her rank, the better for both her and her son.
Before Jiang Ling could react, Huang Liang had already bowed down and congratulated her with a beaming smile, "Congratulations, Consort Shu! Best wishes to Your Highness, Consort Shu!"
"You're not feeling well, please sit down." Emperor Yuanming saw that Jiang Ling looked stunned and was about to get off the bed to express her gratitude, so he smiled and stopped her.
“Now, your Fanying Pavilion is a bit too small,” Emperor Yuanming said, looking around and frowning.
Jiang Ling hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, Fanying Pavilion is spacious enough for me. The Third Prince is still young, and I'm afraid he won't be used to moving around and will cry."
Remembering how she often scolded him for being stingy, Emperor Yuanming asked suspiciously, "Do you really think that's enough?"
"That's enough, that's enough," Jiang Ling said firmly, thinking to herself, "I don't want to move anywhere else unless I'm allowed to live in the Imperial Garden."
Emperor Yuanming ignored Jiang Ling's thoughts and immediately changed his expression, continuing to order: "Consort Duan has gone mad. Move her into the Imperial Temple immediately, where she can eat vegetarian food, chant Buddhist scriptures, and quietly recuperate."
Jiang Ling was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, Consort Duan has just given birth and is still weak. I beg Your Majesty to consider her grief over losing her child and to allow her to recover before punishing her."
"She slandered you and defamed the Third Prince, and you still pleaded for her," Emperor Yuanming said displeasedly.
Duan Meiren nearly died during childbirth. Given her physical strength, energy, and intelligence, Jiang Ling concluded that she couldn't have thought of these things at the time, and someone must have instigated and directed her behind the scenes.
Jiang Ling, having been promoted in rank, imitated the manner of Consort Lin and the others, saying, "Your Majesty, I am not being magnanimous; I only wish to accumulate merit for the Third Prince. If Consort Duan were to come and apologize in person, claiming that she had gone hysterical and slandered me and the Third Prince, I would no longer hold it against her."
Emperor Yuanming grunted and nodded, saying, "You are absolutely right. Since it came from her mouth, she should personally apologize and clear the Third Prince's name."
Jiang Ling said, "Moreover, I believe that Consort Duan probably heard the rumors and that's why she said those things. Consort Duan certainly deserves it, but the person who instigated her behind the scenes is the one who is unforgivable."
Emperor Yuanming paused for a moment, then said to Huang Liang, "Go and investigate secretly. I want all those who are stirring up trouble behind this to have their tongues pulled out and fed to the dogs!"
Huang Liang hurriedly agreed and went to carry out the task. Emperor Yuanming sat for a while before returning to the Chuigong Hall.
Zheng Ze and Wu Shishan came to kowtow and express their gratitude to Jiang Ling. However, their promotion did not bring them joy, and they did not seem to be in good spirits.
"Please rise quickly, no need for formalities." Jiang Ling told the two to stand up, then hesitated for a moment and said, "You must be tired, go back and wash up and get some rest."
Zheng Ze looked old and tired, and seemed listless. He wiped his face, raised his hand and bowed down, saying, "Your Majesty, I am old and cannot bear such a shock. I intend to resign and return to my hometown. I fear that this parting may be the last time we meet. I have no way to repay Your Majesty's great kindness. I only wish Your Majesty and the Third Prince a long and healthy life."
Jiang Ling understood his feelings. She didn't try to persuade him further, but nodded and said, "As the saying goes, those who survive a great calamity are destined for good fortune. The imperial physician and your family will surely be safe and sound from now on."
Zheng Ze bowed and thanked him. Wu Shishan lowered his head and said, "I also wish to resign from my post and return to my hometown to open a pharmacy to support my family."
“I can understand Physician Wu’s thoughts. But if the two of you resign together, I’m afraid the Emperor will be displeased,” Jiang Ling said truthfully.
Wu Shishan said bitterly, "I have also thought of that. Your Majesty has promoted me and bestowed this favor upon me, but if I do not accept it, it would be to show contempt for Your Majesty and be a great act of treason. I plan to resign in a year or two."
Jiang Ling secretly cursed Emperor Yuanming, blaming him for being utterly despicable and treating human lives as worthless.
"Your Majesty's great kindness is something I will never forget. There is something I feel Your Majesty should know, but I was confused before and failed to tell Your Majesty in time."
Wu Shishan glanced at Wen Juan, who was tending to the cradle, and Jiang Ling gestured for him to stop, so he continued in a low voice: "I am responsible for taking the pulses of the ladies in the harem, and I know most of the palace maids and eunuchs. I am a doctor, and I also know most of the midwives in the city. The midwives selected for the palace are all registered by the government and are well-known in the city. I have dealt with the midwives who delivered the babies for the harem and Consort Duan several times, and I am quite familiar with them."
Zheng Ze, being the chief imperial physician, unlike Wu Shishan, was unaware of these matters. He was greatly surprised and asked, "Doctor Wu, are you saying that the Fourth Prince was truly murdered?"
Wu Shishan shook his head and said, “Consort Duan’s fetus is too large, and it’s her first child. Some babies born like the Fourth Prince even die on the spot. I think the midwife is experienced and knowledgeable, and given the Fourth Prince’s condition, there’s no need for her to take any unnecessary actions. After the Fourth Prince was born, the wet nurse was ordered to come and feed him. I and Physician Zheng were watching over the Fourth Prince at the time. The wet nurse was about to enter the room, but seeing that we were all treating the Fourth Prince, she withdrew. I was focused on the Fourth Prince at the time and didn’t pay much attention to it. I remember that the wet nurse’s surname is also Zhang. Her mother-in-law used to be a midwife, but she passed away a few years ago. Midwife Zhang and wet nurse’s mother-in-law knew each other and became sworn sisters. Wet nurse’s family is in Guanyin Lane, as is Granny Xie, who serves Consort Zhao. They live in the same large courtyard. I heard some gossip about the Empress and the Third Prince. These kinds of rumors are the most vividly spread by the midwives when they go door-to-door delivering babies.”
Consort Duan and Consort Zhao had a falling out over matters concerning the palace. Given the intricate connections between Wet Nurse Zhang, Midwife Zhang, and Granny Xie, it seems those rumors are definitely related to Consort Zhao!
Consort Zhao and Jiang Ling had no prior dealings; she was merely taking revenge on Consort Duan and incidentally striking at Jiang Ling as well.
Jiang Ling was furious, but she held back and didn't make a fuss. Emperor Yuanming had already ordered Huang Liang to investigate; let's see what results he gets.
The power struggle between Consort Duan and Consort Zhao dragged her into it as well. If given the chance to retaliate, she certainly wouldn't hesitate!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
