Chapter 173 Yinreng gave birth to his infant son. When he learned that Cheng Qianyue had gone into labor…
When Yinreng learned of Cheng Qianyue's actions, he was speaking with Hongxi. The past few months had been turbulent in the court. While the recovery of owed silver was progressing smoothly, it inevitably involved official dereliction of duty and corruption, resulting in the downfall of many princes, nobles, and high-ranking officials. Of course, these actions were at his behest. Although the fourth and thirteenth princes had contributed significantly to this matter, the other children had also performed admirably, so Yinreng summoned Hongxi to express his appreciation.
At first, the father and son had a good chat, but when they talked about the Fourth Prince, Hongxi said, "Fourth Uncle is very diligent in his work, especially recently when he was sick but still insisted on coming to review the files. I think Fourth Uncle is not feeling well and should rest."
Yinreng initially thought he was just concerned about the Fourth Prince, and said with a smile, "That's just how your Fourth Uncle is. I've told him off a few times, but he always says it's just a minor illness and he can't let important matters interfere with his duties." The Fourth Prince was indeed like that, so he sent medicinal herbs to the Yong Prince's residence and ordered the imperial physicians to check on the Fourth Prince's pulse at the Ministry of Revenue daily, after which he let the Fourth Prince do as he pleased. However, he could understand the Fourth Prince's thoughts. Years ago, when the Fourth Prince was chasing after outstanding debts at the Ministry of Revenue, his eldest son, Honghui, died mysteriously. This matter had always been a source of pain for the Fourth Prince, and now he was finally able to vent his old grievances.
Hongxi said yes, then hesitated for a moment and said, "However, I have recently heard some gossip."
"Oh?" Yinreng looked over and asked, "What did you say?"
Hongxi mentally prepared his reply for a moment, then said, "Recently, there have been some rumors circulating outside, saying that Fourth Uncle is stubborn and abusive of his power..."
Yinreng interrupted him abruptly, sneering, "When they openly criticize your fourth uncle, aren't they implying that I am cruel and ungrateful?"
Hongxi remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Your Majesty, I am only concerned about the reputations of Fourth Uncle and Father. To cause criticism from the court over old matters... is truly a loss that outweighs the gain..."
In the past few months, he had heard far more rumors than these; he had even heard that some people openly reminisced about the days when the late emperor was alive. How could he allow such a bad reputation to be tarnished on his own father? If his imperial father was harsh and ungrateful, then what kind of person was he, the eldest son of the emperor who had been sent to the Ministry of Revenue to assist Prince Yong?
"Hongxi." Yinreng frowned, wanting to get angry, but he held back. After a long while, he said to him, "Slanderers ruin scholars like a cloud obscuring the sun; flatterers fawn over others like a breeze invading the skin. Hongxi, you must understand that right and wrong lie with Heaven and Earth, not with people. I have done this in a way that is in the best interests of Heaven and Earth, so I do not care about the petty words of villains."
"Furthermore, they criticize me for being cold-blooded and ruthless, unaware that I find them insatiably greedy." At this point, Yinreng's eyes darkened. Since his ascension to the throne, he had increased the stipends of officials, such as first-rank officials who received an additional ten thousand taels of silver in addition to their regular salaries. Was he merely seeking their gratitude? He intended to purify the court while avoiding harming the innocent. Yet, when they received these stipends, they cried out to the heavens, proclaiming the Emperor's wisdom, but now, when asked to repay years of debt, they secretly curse him for being cruel? Ha, utterly absurd!
These scheming and despicable people are the ones he wants to completely suppress.
Seeing that the Emperor was angry, Hongxi stopped trying to persuade him and bowed, saying, "This is just my humble opinion. I believe that a gentleman does not promote a person based on their words, nor does he reject a person's words because of their character."
"Then you should also see who said it." Yinreng couldn't help but sigh as he looked at Hongxi bowing. He thought Hongxi wasn't usually that kind, so why would he show kindness in this matter? Was it for the sake of reputation? He continued in a deep voice, "I hope you won't be burdened by empty fame." Just like the Eighth Prince, was the Eighth Prince truly virtuous in the eyes of others? No, it was because the Eighth Prince was "virtuous" to them. They hoped for a monarch with a "virtuous reputation" so they could do wicked things.
Yinreng slowly shook his head.
He hoped that Hongxi would bestow his benevolence and competence more upon his brothers and sisters. Thinking of Hongxi's actions in recent years, he couldn't help but feel a growing sense of disappointment. Had he ascended to the throne solely because of those opportunistic officials outside? He relied on himself, and even more so on his loyalty to his brothers. Therefore, he hoped that his lineage of Aisin Gioro descendants could also unite as one.
However, Hongxi seemed to harbor thoughts of disregarding his own brothers. Was this his own thought, or was someone influencing him? And then again, how did Hongxi know about and care about these rumors?
The Li family...
Yinreng narrowed his eyes.
Just then, Jing Shun received a message from behind and hurriedly stepped forward to report: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine has gone into labor."
Upon hearing this, Yinreng immediately stood up and said, "Go to the back." However, as he passed Hongxi, he patted him on the shoulder and said gently, "Hongxi, you're going to have another brother or sister."
Hongxi had just noticed the Emperor's unpleasant expression, but in the blink of an eye, it had completely changed. He was filled with mixed emotions: You were just reprimanding me, but then you immediately showed joy because the Consort had given birth... Am I not even as good as an unborn child?
After respectfully seeing off the emperor, Hongxi slowly raised his head to look behind him, his hands unconsciously tightening.
Inside the Ti Shun Tang clinic, Cheng Qianyue looked radiant. From the moment she realized labor was starting to go into labor to being moved here to give birth, the entire process was incredibly fast. Although the contractions before the cervix dilated were quite painful, because her cervix opened quickly, she didn't suffer much. The midwife inside told her to push, and Cheng Qianyue gritted her teeth and pushed hard. She felt something emerge from her belly, and then she felt a sense of relief. Soon after, the baby's cries echoed through the room.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations on the birth of your little prince!" the midwife hurriedly stepped forward to report.
Cheng Qianyue was full of energy and strength, and said, "Bring this kid over here so I can take a look."
Soon, the little prince was washed, wrapped up, and brought to Cheng Qianyue. Cheng Qianyue reached out and touched the child's wrinkled face, saying, "You're finally out! What a lazy child, always refusing to move." If labor hadn't started soon, she would have suspected the child had died in the womb. Fortunately, he came out in time, otherwise she would have asked the imperial physician to prescribe labor-inducing drugs.
Cheng Qianyue teased Xiao Wu, and seeing his lips move and purse, her heart softened.
"That's wonderful! You've given me another prince!" Yinreng said happily as he strode in from outside.
Cheng Qianyue noticed the sweat on his forehead and said, "Look at you, you're all sweaty. Wipe it off quickly." She gestured for someone nearby to bring him a handkerchief.
Yinreng casually wiped his face with a handkerchief and said, "It's alright." He had been pacing outside for a long time, and his excitement had made him sweat a lot, but hearing the child crying inside made him feel that his heat and anxiety were worthwhile.
Cheng Qianyue said with a smile, "You haven't held Xiao Wu yet, Your Majesty, would you like to hold him?"
Yinreng looked at the tiny swaddled baby, at a loss for words: "It's been so long since I've held such a small child." But he really wanted to hold his infant son. In the end, the wet nurse helped to place the little prince into Yinreng's arms. Yinreng couldn't stop smiling as he looked at the child in his arms, and while holding him, he suddenly said, "I've already thought of a name for the Fifth Prince."
Cheng Qianyue: Isn't it too hasty to name it now?
Yinreng looked out the window and said, "When I came out of the palace, I saw the sun shining brightly, which is a good omen. Let's name our child Yao."
"Yao?" Cheng Xianyue asked.
Yinreng nodded and said, “There is a poem that says: ‘The sun shines brightly on the Purple Palace, the Three Dukes wield their power. Heaven and earth are united, and the four seas are calm and peaceful.’ The character ‘曜’ (yào) is excellent. I hope our child can be like the one described in this poem and achieve great things in the future.”
Cheng Qianyue: "If that's what you say, then this name is indeed good. Let's name Xiao Wu Hongyao."
Yinreng looked tenderly at the newborn Hongyao, then turned to Cheng Qianyue and continued, "I am very pleased and do not know how to thank you."
Cheng Qianyue smiled at him, but didn't say anything.
Seeing that Cheng Qianyue's eyes were a little dazed, Yinreng wondered if she was tired. So he handed the child to the wet nurse and told her to take good care of the little prince. Then he said, "You just gave birth, so you must be tired. You should rest well first."
Cheng Qianyue was indeed a little tired after talking to him for so long, and said softly, "Well, I'm thinking of taking a nap. You don't need to worry about me, go and do your work."
Yinreng hummed in agreement and gently touched her face before leaving. Afterwards, Cheng Qianyue also prepared to rest. She had been full of energy just now, but in just a short while she was extremely sleepy. She whispered, "Have the kitchen prepare the food first. I'll call them to serve the meal when I wake up."
After giving birth, Cheng Qianyue diligently spent her postpartum period at Tishuntang to recover. Everything seemed normal to her, but Yinreng appeared to have an unusually high level of joy regarding Hongyao's birth. Frankly, Cheng Qianyue felt a little awkward about giving birth to Hongyao at her age; after all, with a little effort, she could be a grandmother by now. But Yinreng seemed different; she even had the feeling that he viewed Hongyao as a victory.
Why? Because Yinreng bestowed far too much glory upon Hongyao.
Leaving aside the fact that a name was bestowed upon the newborn, let's talk about the third-day celebration for Hongyao. It was a grand affair. Early that morning, Yinreng summoned many princes and ministers to the palace. Hongyao was bathed in a side hall of the Yangxin Hall, followed by a lavish banquet in the Taihe Hall. The day after the banquet, Yinreng even took a bath and changed clothes before going to the Fengxian Hall to offer incense to his ancestors and joyfully announce the birth of his son.
Afterwards, Yinreng prepared many things to calm the boy's nerves, all of which were tributes from various places. There was warm jade sent from the Northwest and coral offered from the South. Hongyao was not even a month old yet, and he already had quite a lot of possessions. Then, when the boy turned one month old and Cheng Qianyue finished her confinement, Yinreng held a banquet in the palace.
After the full moon celebration, Cheng Qianyue followed Yinreng back. She first went to Tishuntang and hugged Hongyao, muttering, "Look at what your father has done this past month. Don't you think he's gone crazy? Hmm?" But even though she said that, Cheng Qianyue knew why Yinreng had put on such a grand show. Part of it was for his own happiness, and the other part was probably for her.
Cheng Qianyue has already reached the point where she can be bestowed no more titles or rewards.
As Cheng Qianyue patted Hongyao to lull him to sleep, she thought: Why isn't there a place to reward him? As long as she and Hongyao can stay in Yangxin Hall, that would be a reward.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
