Chapter 19 The Rank of Imperial Concubine
"Oh no! Her Majesty is hemorrhaging!"
This was also the first thing Yinzhen heard as he rushed to Yongshou Palace after court.
"What happened? Where is the imperial physician?"
Yinzhen strode into the hall, ignoring the kneeling concubines and servants, and rushed straight into the inner hall.
"Your Majesty, you dare not go in!"
"emperor!"
Two sounds of obstruction came from behind, interrupting Yinzhen's steps.
Seeing this, Consort Hua got up and walked to the Emperor's side, saying anxiously, "I have brought Jiang Cheng with me. He is most skilled in childbirth. Let's wait for his reply, Your Majesty." She gripped the Emperor's sleeve tightly, as if afraid that if she let go, he would rush inside.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Su Peisheng followed in, slightly out of breath, and added from the side, "There is bloodshed inside; it would be bad if we caused any disturbance."
Yinzhen remained silent, his eyes lowered, standing silently before the screen. At this moment, for some reason, the room fell silent, the entire room eerily quiet, with only the soft rustling sound of the jade beads in Yinzhen's hand rubbing against each other gently striking everyone's hearts.
Yinzhen's chest rose and fell slightly. "Ying'er, it's me. Don't be afraid. Just focus on giving birth."
A deep voice came through, its tone unusually gentle and reassuring for an emperor. Although Lü Yingfeng had long since given up hope for the emperor's love, she couldn't help but shed tears the moment she heard that voice.
Lu Yingfeng felt as if she had just walked through the underworld in an instant, and when she opened her eyes again, she was in the celestial realm. She heard the midwife and maid shouting that she had suffered a postpartum hemorrhage, but for some reason, she could not feel any pain. On the contrary, a faint power from her dantian spread continuously to her limbs and chest, giving her the strength to continue pushing.
She didn't know if this was good or bad, but she had no time to think about it now; having the strength was a good thing. If she couldn't give birth, the child would be lost, and she herself would likely not survive.
She gripped the pillow tightly again, gritted her teeth, and exerted all her strength as the midwife had instructed. But to the midwife and the imperial physician, it seemed like a final burst of energy before Consort Xin's death.
The more she strained, the more blood she bled; but if she didn't strain, the only outcome would be the death of both mother and child.
Seeing that things were not going well, Jiang Cheng hurriedly walked out of the inner hall and came face to face with the emperor who was standing very close to him. He knelt down with a thud. "Your Majesty, the Empress is in a bad situation. If it really comes to that, may I ask Your Majesty, should we save the imperial fetus or save the Empress?"
Yinzhen looked down at him, his gaze devoid of any emotion, and said in a cold voice, "What do you mean by 'protect'? Consort Xin and the imperial heir must be safe, or I will have the Imperial Hospital buried with them."
The emperor's imposing aura spread out, making Jiang Cheng almost unable to lift his head. He hunched over and answered tremblingly, "Yes," before lifting his robe and turning to enter the inner palace.
The two of them were talking quite loudly, and Lü Yingfeng inside naturally heard them as well. Although she felt that her problem wasn't serious at the moment, the imperial physician had already made a diagnosis, so she wasn't entirely without fear.
Taking advantage of the fact that the contractions had not yet started, she took a breath and stopped straining. She turned her head to the side and said in a hoarse voice, "Your Majesty, if anything happens to me, You'er will be taken care of by the Emperor, the Empress, and the Empress Dowager. I am at ease. Please entrust our Shu'er to Consort Jing's care."
Her words were lifeless, and coupled with her tired and hoarse voice, it really gave the feeling that she was about to die. Yinzhen frowned and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? With me here, you will definitely be safe and sound."
Lü Yingfeng didn't heed his words. If, as the imperial physician said, this was truly a final burst of energy before death, then sacrificing the mother for the child was the most common outcome in the royal family. Besides, Aunt Zhuxi was still there; Lü Yingfeng could foresee her own fate. But before she left, she wanted to pave the way for her child's future.
"Your Majesty, my predicament today is entirely due to my own frail health, which makes me unable to withstand the wind. It has nothing to do with Consort Hua, nor is it related to that plate of crab roe pastries. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly."
Since Consort Hua had mentioned her postpartum hemorrhage, she had stood there with wide eyes, at a loss for what to do. She did not want anyone in the harem to give birth to the Emperor's child, but watching people struggle in the delivery room and basins of bloody water being carried out, she felt a chill run through her body, as if she had returned to the day she had miscarried.
Upon hearing this, Yinzhen turned to look at Shilan beside him, who was staring with wide eyes and saying nothing. He calmed himself down and reassured her, "I know, don't worry."
Hearing this reply, Lü Yingfeng breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that Consort Hua would accept her kindness. If she truly couldn't get over this hurdle, she didn't need Consort Hua to take care of the child; just a little kindness would be enough.
Having said her piece, it was now her turn to fight for her own survival.
Su Peisheng moved a chair so that the Emperor could sit outside and wait.
They waited from dawn until dusk.
Even the midwife inside was too weak to speak, and everyone had gone from anxiously waiting to almost giving up. A faint cry pulled everyone back to reality.
"Wow--"
"It's born! It's finally out!"
The midwife inside was shouting happily, her voice already strained from talking for so long.
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately stood up.
A short while later, the midwife came out carrying a baby wrapped in a red brocade quilt.
"How is Consort Xin?" Yinzhen asked first.
The midwife's face blossomed with a smile as she replied, "Your Highness Consort Xin is well. Your Highness is truly blessed with good fortune and a long life. The imperial physician just examined your pulse and found that Your Highness was simply exhausted and fell into a deep sleep. There is nothing seriously wrong with you."
She then held up the bundle in her arms to the Emperor—"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! It's a little prince!"
Only then did Yinzhen notice the wrinkled little child in the package.
Hmm... her skin is a bit dark and wrinkled, not as good-looking as Hongzhao and Hongjin when they were born.
Aunt Zhuxi also came over to look. Perhaps she could tell what the Emperor meant but didn't say, she smiled and said, "Most newborns are born like this. It's really rare to see one like the Fifth Prince and the First Princess. Please give them names, Your Majesty, so that I can report back to the Empress Dowager."
"Yes, it is time to bestow a name." Yinzhen nodded, gazing at his son, who was still in swaddling clothes with his eyes closed, for a moment. "Let's call him Hongzhou. Zhou means from day to night. In the future, he should remember that when his mother gave birth to him, she stayed up from day to night."
Nian Shilan stood silently to the side, slightly tiptoeing forward to look at the child, her delicate, slender fingers gently parting a corner of the swaddling clothes.
This child is so small, much thinner than Hongzhao and Hongjin. His cries are also weak. So far, we have only heard him cry out once, and the rest of the time it is just the whimpers that belong to an infant.
Such a young child nearly cost two people their lives.
Her usually bright and cheerful eyes were somehow tinged with sadness.
Seeing that the mother and child were safe and sound, Yinzhen's tense emotions finally relaxed after a long day. He finally smiled and looked at Xuexin, who had just come out of the inner palace. He pointed at her from a distance and said, "Tell your master that she has made a contribution in giving birth, and I will promote her to the rank of Imperial Concubine!"
The position of Imperial Concubine was above that of Nian Shilan. Normally, she would have been the first to jump up and down in protest, but for some reason, she seemed not to hear it today.
But while she didn't stop them, others did.
——
The next morning, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor sat facing each other on a soft couch in Shou Kang Palace, separated by a small mahogany table. The Empress Dowager sighed, looked at the Emperor opposite her who was clearly displeased, and still said those words.
"Your Majesty, Consort Xin cannot be granted the title of Imperial Noble Consort."
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