Chapter 184 Advocating War and Peace
"Huiyi, have you asked the imperial physician? You've been pregnant for eleven months already. People say it's ten months, so why is there still no sign of labor?"
Lu Jiayingfeng sat at the head of the table, leaning forward with concern to look at Huiyi, who was heavily pregnant, below her. Because the Third Prince had not established his own residence outside the palace, Huiyi would come to Xianfu Palace and Yongshou Palace to pay her respects almost every day when she had nothing to do. The midwife and all the necessary arrangements had been made well in advance, but the longer they waited, the less likely the child was to come.
Huiyi stroked her belly, her worry growing stronger each day. It wasn't that the baby was bad; rather, the baby was perfectly healthy. The imperial physicians all said there was nothing wrong with the baby, and after repeated pulse examinations, they could only come to one conclusion—the time hadn't come yet.
No one expected the Empress Dowager's illness to progress so rapidly. It seemed like she was dying just like that; the child really didn't know how to pick the right time. If, by some unfortunate coincidence, these two dates happened to coincide, aside from the potential criticism the child might face, he wouldn't even be able to properly celebrate his birthday every year.
Thinking deeper, the matter of observing mourning was even more difficult, as she was the only consort of a prince. She would naturally have to attend, and the scene would inevitably involve kneeling, weeping, and keeping vigil day and night. Huiyi was truly afraid that her body would not be able to withstand it.
"Your Majesty, the imperial physician examined the child and said that the child is too slow to move and has not yet started labor."
Seeing her like this, Lü Jiaying knew without guessing what she was worried about. She could only sigh that it was too coincidental. She could only hope that the Empress Dowager could hold on for a few more days so that Huiyi could give birth properly and see her great-grandson. That would be a perfect ending.
Perhaps it was their daily nagging that had an effect, or perhaps the child simply couldn't stand it any longer, but that very night the prince's quarters became lively, and Hongshi hurriedly sent people to Xianfu Palace and Yongshou Palace to report the situation.
It must be said that Huiyi was in good health. Although it was her first time giving birth, she didn't suffer much. The entire process, from the start of labor to delivery, took only two or three hours. Just as dawn was breaking, a cry pierced the morning.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Prince!" The nanny, carrying a red swaddled blanket, came out of the inner room beaming. "The Third Princess Consort has given birth to a little princess, and she's perfectly healthy!"
The Third Princess Consort had not given birth by her due date, and everyone in the hall was filled with anxiety. If anything were to happen to her, they would not only lose their rewards but could also be punished. However, the birth was unexpectedly easy, and everyone in the hall breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good, good, good! How is Huiyi?" Hongshi spun around happily and pulled the nanny to go inside.
Lü Jiaying smiled and patted Consort Jing's hand, who was equally happy. "Good. Now that the Empress Dowager is seriously ill, such a happy event is just right to cheer her up. Maybe when the Empress Dowager sees this chubby great-granddaughter, she will recover from her illness."
She stood still and waved her hand – “You have served your master well, and I will reward you handsomely. Everyone in the Prince’s quarters will be given two months’ salary. Let’s all share in the joy.”
As she spoke, she glanced at the sky outside, then remembered something and grabbed Xuexin's hand—"Tell Hong Xihai to quickly go to the Emperor's court and report that the Emperor and the Crown Prince haven't attended the morning court session yet. The Emperor is waiting for news, so let him be happy when you receive it."
"Yes, this servant will go right away."
...
The Emperor did not receive the news before the court session. The reason was simple: a more urgent memorial was placed on his desk before dawn.
The Dzungar Khanate is in turmoil.
"Your Majesty, I believe this is a golden opportunity. We have reinforcements in the Dzungar Khanate, giving us the perfect advantage of timing, location, and popular support. I urge Your Majesty to send troops to pacify the Dzungar Khanate!"
"Your Majesty, I believe this matter should be considered carefully. Since the Dzungars formed an alliance with our Great Qing through marriage, they have not engaged in any large-scale provocations. We should keep our promise and show the magnanimity and tolerance befitting our Celestial Empire. How can we take advantage of their misfortune?"
The court was divided into two factions, each sticking to their own arguments and arguing fiercely.
"You speak so lightly, sir. You talk about tolerance with just a few words, but the Dzungars have been harassing and causing trouble on our Qing borders for so many years, burning, killing, looting, and taking countless lives. We've only been peaceful for less than two years now because we have strong troops and improved firearms. Have you already forgotten all of that?"
"You! You're taking things out of context! That's not what I meant at all. It's only been a few years since His Majesty pacified the Northwest. Now that the war is finally over, we should be focusing on recovering our strength. I think there's absolutely no need to fight another battle!"
Yinzhen sat silently on the dragon throne, supporting his knees, looking down at the group of people below who were practically pointing their fingers at him and cursing. Most of them were civil officials who advocated peace, while the military generals advocated war. When they got angry, their voices were as loud as if they were in a market, which made Hongzhao, who was standing next to him, rub his ears.
The more Yinzhen listened, the more his brows furrowed. Finally, he simply stood up, shook his clothes, and said, "Alright."
As soon as the sound came out, the people in the hall who were arguing heatedly gradually quieted down.
Yinzhen paced back and forth, his eyes catching sight of a tall, elegant figure in sapphire blue standing ahead. "What does Thirteenth Brother think?"
Prince Yi remained calm even when his name was called. He bowed and said what he had been thinking for a long time: "I believe that the debate at this time is not about whether to fight or not. If we believe that the ambitious Dzungars can turn to good and seek peace, we should think carefully about how to fight this battle and who to use to achieve a great victory."
His words clearly indicated a willingness to fight, and half of the civil officials fell silent. After all, Prince Yi was undoubtedly among the most favored by the Emperor, and perhaps he had guessed the Emperor's intentions. They couldn't be foolish enough to continue opposing the Emperor.
Yinzhen nodded at the lowered heads of the crowd without saying whether he agreed or disagreed. Instead, he turned to Hongzhao, who was listening attentively, and asked, "What does the Crown Prince think?"
In that instant, images of many great figures flashed through Hongzhao's mind.
He stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I think there's some truth to what that official said." As he spoke, he pointed directly behind him to the very civil official who had spoken so vehemently.
"This gentleman said, now that there is no more war, why should we go looking for war to fight ourselves?"
The civil official pointed at by the prince felt his knees buckle. He sensed from the literal meaning of the words that the prince seemed to agree. But this agreement was too blatant, and he felt uneasy about it.
Even the Emperor was quite surprised and frowned slightly – “So you mean to advocate for peace?”
But to everyone's surprise, Hongzhao shook his head with a straight face – "No, it's just that I want to answer this gentleman."
He slowly turned to face the assembled officials, his body originally facing his father, and spoke with a resounding voice that reached the ears of everyone present.
"This battle isn't for our own sake, but for the sake of our descendants. Just as Uncle Thirteen said, the Dzungars are wolves in sheep's clothing and have gone back on their word several times. If we let them off so easily this time, who can guarantee they won't turn their backs on us when they regain their power?"
"Only if we win this war can our descendants be free from war in the future, and the people of the Great Qing can live in peace and prosperity. Under the rule of our wise rulers, the Great Qing is a celestial empire and a land of propriety, not a fat sheep in the eyes of others!"
"We will neither forcibly seize an inch of land from other countries, nor will we cede an inch of our land to others without cause."
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