Little Liu Liu witnessed the various tricks of the gambling den, and of course, she also witnessed her mother's "bamboo board beating." She went to her sister-in-law to complain about her swollen and red hands.
Lady Fucha listened quietly, feeling a longing for her sister-in-law's life. How wonderful! She could go out and play whenever she wanted, and even if she went to a gambling den, she would only get a few slaps on the hand before being let off lightly.
Even so, the little girl still felt very wronged.
In the future, her children can also be just as carefree, without having to worry about what others think or live in constant fear of dying, just like she did when she was a child.
"Sister-in-law, do you think I'm right? Isn't the Empress Dowager awful?" Liu Liu rambled on and on, finally coming to a conclusion.
Lady Fucha wiped the sweat from her forehead: "How is the eldest princess? I haven't heard from her these past few days. Judging by the days, it'll be long before she passes away."
"My older sister's belly is growing so fast. The imperial physician said she has less than a month left. I was just causing trouble for her, so I came back." Liu Liu said dejectedly, "Sister-in-law, is Liu Liu really useless?"
"Nonsense." Madam Fucha chuckled. "How about we prepare some pretty outfits for our future baby? When the child grows up, they'll know which ones were given by their aunt. It'll be so cute."
Liu Liu thought for a moment and nodded: "Then I want to draw the patterns myself."
"Of course." Fucha took out a sewing kit, paper, and pen, and the two sisters-in-law huddled together to start thinking about gifts for their soon-to-be-born child.
The imperial physician estimated the eldest princess's due date very accurately. Twenty days later, the head official of the eldest princess's residence knocked on the palace gate late at night, saying that the eldest princess had gone into labor. It just so happened that she was not at the princess's residence that night, but had gone back to the Zhu family with her husband to stay overnight. Unexpectedly, she went into labor just like that. All the arrangements in the princess's residence were no longer needed. Fortunately, the Zhu family had made thorough preparations.
Neither Yinzhen nor Yihua could sleep. Both wanted to see for themselves, but in the end, Honghui rode out of the palace and was escorted to the Zhu residence by a group of guards.
The delivery room was brightly lit, and all the masters of the Zhu family were there. When Honghui came in, everyone hurriedly came to greet him.
"Your student greets you, teacher. It's getting late, teacher, you should go back and rest. With me and Brother Zhu here, things won't get chaotic." Honghui had frequented the Zhu family since childhood and had a teacher-student relationship with Mr. Zhu Shi, so his words were casual yet warm.
Zhu Shi didn't want to come either, since it was his daughter-in-law giving birth. But since she was a princess of the imperial family, he had to stay and watch over her. Now that Honghui had arrived, he could indeed step back.
So only Madam Zhu and the prince consort remained.
Honghui sat near the door, and could vaguely see the situation inside the room. He didn't hear his older sister calling out, which made him feel a little more at ease.
"You're the one who serves the eldest sister?"
"Yes, this servant Liu'er greets Your Highness the First Prince."
"Yes, rise and answer: how is the eldest princess now? Did the delivery go smoothly?"
"Your Highness, the imperial physician just arrived from the princess's residence. He said that the time is ripe for the baby to be born, and if the princess recovers well, both mother and child will be safe and sound."
“That’s well said. Go in and tell the eldest princess that Honghui has arrived, and that she can rest assured.”
"yes."
The cool moonlight illuminated half of Honghui's face. The prince consort had known Honghui for many years, but this was the first time he had ever seen him so serious.
No one knew the fear in Honghui's heart. His mother had problems when she gave birth to him. In his eyes, childbirth was like walking through the gates of hell. He was afraid that even if his older sister gave birth smoothly, she would also have problems like his mother, which he could not accept.
Honghui sat upright all night until dawn, when he heard the cry of a newborn baby in the delivery room. He never heard the voice of the eldest princess.
A midwife came out of the house, holding the baby in her arms, and lifted the curtain: "Congratulations, Prince Consort, the princess has given birth to a healthy baby girl. Mother and daughter are both safe."
"How is the eldest princess?" Honghui asked.
"The eldest princess glanced at the child and then fell asleep. She can have some food when she wakes up."
"Very well, reward him!" Honghui stood up, gently shaking his legs which had gone numb from sitting, and looked at the prince consort. "Congratulations, prince consort, on the birth of your noble daughter."
"Your Highness, you are being too kind to me. I love any child born to a princess."
"Father and Mother are waiting for the good news from Eldest Sister in the palace. I'll go back and deliver the good news first. Eldest Sister shouldn't move around right now, so please take good care of her, Brother Zhu." Honghui glanced at the sleeping Eldest Princess through the curtain, then turned and left.
The prince consort breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the princess leave the courtyard. Fortunately, everything went smoothly for the eldest princess. If the child had been difficult to give birth to, he had no doubt that the eldest prince would make the Zhu family pay with their lives for the princess.
"This is imperial power," the prince consort thought to himself, reflecting on his past intimacy with Honghui.
Upon receiving the news, Yinzhen was overjoyed. He generously bestowed cartloads of gifts upon the princess's residence. He also excitedly pulled Yihua aside and said, "This is our first grandson. We need to give him a good-sounding and meaningful name. Please give me your advice."
Yi Hua suppressed a laugh. As expected, parents really have no say in the matter of naming their children.
******
The peach blossoms have faded, spring's beauty gone, and another year has slipped away unnoticed.
Yinzhen put the inspection tour of Jiangnan on the agenda. It had been a year since the eldest princess gave birth, and it was the perfect time for them to travel together.
Fucha was somewhat apprehensive. She had been married into the family for over a year, and her husband's elder sister had already given birth, while her own belly showed no signs of pregnancy. She was afraid that one day she would wake up to find that there was another concubine in her room.
Honghui noticed her anxiety and offered her some comfort before the trip: "Having a child is a matter of fate. The fact that the child hasn't arrived yet means that we, as parents, haven't tried hard enough."
"Your Highness!" Lady Fucha was annoyed.
"Besides, Mother said that we are still young and there is no rush to have children. Look at how dramatic it was for our eldest sister to give birth at her age. We can wait two more years."
"This trip with Father Emperor to the south is a rare opportunity to travel. Don't let your mind wander or get distracted. Go to sleep, we have to get up early tomorrow."
Fucha leaned against Honghui's chest and slowly calmed down.
The next morning, Yi Hua got up very early. Fortunately, the weather cooperated and the sun rose as scheduled. With the Thirteenth Prince leading the way, Yin Zhen's carriage started moving. Yi Hua sat in the imperial carriage, lifted the curtain and looked at the outside world, unable to suppress the smile on her lips.
"Are you that happy?"
"Yes, I feel very happy to be able to do happy things with the right people." Yi Hua looked at Yinzhen, who was wearing a yellow robe, and she felt that happiness was about to overflow. She was a wandering soul from another world, but because of Yinzhen, she had children, family, and friends.
Yinzhen smiled without saying a word as he looked at her excited expression.
The carriage carrying the most distinguished couple of the Qing Dynasty slowly moved forward, as if heading towards their shared future!
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