Chapter 49 Cheng Qianyue, during her postpartum confinement, was awakened by the smell of incense. Perhaps…
Cheng Qianyue was awakened by the smell of incense. Perhaps the servants thought the delivery room smelled too bloody, so they lit incense. But it was a hot day, and the room was small, so the incense was incredibly strong.
Oh dear, my stomach and lower body were suffering just now, and now it's my nose's turn?
Cheng Qianyue couldn't help but frown and said softly, "Did you light incense? The smell was too strong, so you should put it out. Let's open the window to let some fresh air in."
At this moment, Ruoyun was guarding the bedside. Upon hearing her speak, she immediately exclaimed with delight, "Princess, you're awake!" She leaned closer to listen and hurriedly asked someone to open the window, but fearing that a draft might blow in and irritate their princess, she only opened it halfway.
After a while, Cheng Qianyue felt her nose was a little better and asked softly, "Where's the baby?" Before she fell asleep, she seemed to have heard Granny Shang say that she had given birth to a prince.
Ruoyun said, "The little prince has just been fed by the wet nurse and is now being taken to the main room to be seen by the Crown Prince."
The wet nurse was readily available; the Imperial Household Department had already selected someone from the wet nurse's residence. As soon as Cheng Qianyue took her first step, the Imperial Household Department sent the wet nurse over.
Has the Crown Prince... Yinreng arrived?
Cheng Qianyue said "Oh," and then said, "Bring the child over so I can see him." Ruoyun agreed and hurriedly ran out. A moment later, Grandma Shang and the others brought the child in.
Cheng Qianyue looked at the wrinkled baby in the wet nurse's arms and thought speechlessly: What is this thing? Aren't babies supposed to be fragrant, soft, white, and chubby? How come her child is wrinkled like a little monkey? Is it really hers? She can hardly believe it.
Grandma Shang smiled and said, "This is the princess's first child, but the delivery was extremely smooth. She gave birth to the little prince in just an hour and a half. It's clear that the princess is a blessed person."
Huh? Three hours in labor and you call that a natural birth? Cheng Qianyue thought to herself. But then she thought, it's my first child and it was a natural birth, so three hours doesn't seem like a long time, does it? After the thought went through her mind, she found her son extremely pleasing to the eye.
"Grandma and the female doctor below have worked hard," Cheng Qianyue said. "Take the reward money to share in the joy." She had given instructions early on: twenty taels each for the two grandmas, and five taels each for the two female apprentices they brought.
Granny Shang and the others hurriedly knelt down to express their gratitude. In fact, the Crown Prince had already given rewards to everyone in the courtyard for the safety of the mother and child. Now, receiving the princess's reward was like receiving double the money, so how could they not be happy?
Cheng Qianyue reached out to tease the child, and then she heard Yinreng's voice from outside the window, "Why did you open the window?" She cleared her throat and quickly replied, "I felt stuffy in the room."
Yinreng asked her through the window if she was in pain and if she wanted to eat something.
Cheng Qianyue leaned against the headboard, able to see his apricot-yellow robes by the window. She wondered why he wasn't coming in. Then she remembered, this was ancient times; men weren't allowed in the delivery room, as it was said the mother's yin energy was heavy and unclean. Then she cried in frustration.
Everyone in the room was stunned. Everything was fine just a moment ago, so why did Cheng Gege suddenly start crying?
Yinreng was waiting outside for a reply when he heard silence from inside, followed by the sound of sobbing. Ignoring his subordinates' attempts to stop him, he went straight into the room and saw Cheng Qianyue's tear-streaked face, her eyes brimming with tears that were streaming down her face.
Yinreng quickly sat down on the edge of the bed, bypassing the others, and asked, "What's wrong? Do you still feel pain?"
Cheng Qianyue burst into tears, feeling both wronged and angry. She sobbed, "I risked my life to give birth to your child, and you won't even come to see me."
Yinreng was stunned for a moment, then he was both amused and exasperated. He coaxed her, "I'm here now, why are you crying, hmm?" He reached out and wiped away her tears, then said, "I am the Crown Prince, and my yang energy is naturally stronger than others, so I am not afraid of the filth in the delivery room."
"Pah!" Cheng Qianyue cursed angrily, "What filth is there? Everyone is born from their mother's womb, what filth could there be?"
When Yinreng heard her say this, he suddenly sighed and said, "You're right." Then he continued to coax her, "There are gods in the Forbidden City, and there is also a fetal spirit in the delivery room. How can evil spirits get in?"
Cheng Qianyue's expression softened slightly after hearing what he said.
Seeing that she was still sobbing, Yinreng asked her softly, "Do you still want to cry?"
Cheng Qianyue: ...How can she cry when she's already been asked that? She shook her head and whispered, "I won't cry." She thought that she hadn't had a difficult childbirth, the baby had been born safely, and she was still alive and well, so what was there to cry about? Yes, she shouldn't cry; she should smile. Thinking this, she grinned.
Yinreng was truly exasperated by her. She had just been crying her heart out, but in the blink of an eye, she was all smiles again. He continued to wipe away her tears, thinking to himself, "She's truly a precious little thing that can't be treated too lightly or too harshly."
However, as it turned out, Cheng Qianyue was too optimistic. The baby was born, but the suffering she was about to endure was yet to come. The day after giving birth, Grandma Shang and others came over and said they would massage her to help expel lochia. Cheng Qianyue agreed, and then she was in excruciating pain.
Actually, Cheng Qianyue had a bad feeling when Grandma Shang started to do it, but she didn't expect it to hurt so much. It was even more painful than childbirth, and she couldn't help but kick.
Grandma Cai quickly stepped forward and held her legs, saying in a deep voice, "Princess, you can't move like that." Grandma Shang kneaded and pressed her stomach from top to bottom with her hands, saying, "Princess, please bear with it. It will help you recover after the massage."
Cheng Qianyue felt every cell in her body trembling, but she couldn't move. She was like a fish on a chopping board, forced to endure being scraped and chopped.
After massaging for about half an hour, Grandma Shang finally stopped, her forehead covered in sweat. She said, "Just a few more times and it'll be done."
Cheng Qianyue burst into tears, realizing there was more to come! So, over the next two days, Cheng Qianyue suffered twice more, even developing lingering effects—feeling a pang of pain whenever she saw the two midwives arrive. However, this time the midwives weren't there to "torture" her; they were there to say goodbye.
Before leaving, Granny Shang and the others said, "Your Highness is very fortunate. If you think we served you well, please let us serve you again in the future." Just look at how much the Crown Prince dotes on you; this Princess Cheng is sure to have a few more children!
Cheng Qianyue had someone escort them out safely, thinking to herself, "Having one child is enough; what's the point of worrying about the future?"
Although the midwife had passed away, the postpartum confinement period still had to continue. However, unlike before, when Cheng Qianyue wanted Yinreng to come and see her in the first few days after giving birth, she didn't want him to come at all now because she felt she was too dirty.
Just imagine, it was June, unbearably hot. Although there was ice in her postpartum room, the ice basin was placed a considerable distance away, yet she was still unbearably hot and sweating profusely. Afraid of catching a chill, she dared not wash her hair, let alone take a bath; at most, she would dampen a cloth with warm water and wipe herself. Within a few days, she felt utterly disheveled.
She didn't want Yinreng to see her looking so unkempt, so when he came over again, she pushed him outside, pulled back the curtain, and told him to go see the children.
Yinreng reached out to lift the curtain, but Cheng Qianyue gripped it tightly, preventing him from doing so. Yinreng said, "Be good, let go. Let me see."
Cheng Qianyue said, "I'm fine, but I won't let you see me. Go see your brother next door."
Yinreng knew she felt uncomfortable and didn't want him to see her, but he had come in on the day she gave birth, so what was there to hide? Besides, she looked like this because she was giving birth to his child; how could he possibly dislike her?
Yinreng then said, "I've seen everything I should and shouldn't have seen. I need to see your expression to know if you're alright."
Cheng Qianyue hesitated for a moment, then peeked out from inside the tent.
Yinreng: ......
He was amused by her antics; she really only showed her face, the rest of her body completely covered. With a sudden movement, the curtains were completely pulled back. Cheng Qianyue, caught off guard by his surprise attack, stared blankly at him.
Yinreng sat decisively on the edge of the bed, cupped her face and looked her over from all sides. He thought her complexion was quite good, rather rosy, unlike the paleness she had shown on the day of childbirth. He stared at her for a long while, then kissed the corner of her lips.
She went through so much hardship to give birth to his child.
Cheng Qianyue thought rather unpleasantly: He has no sense of hygiene at all.
Yinreng first asked her how she had been sleeping these past two days and if she was feeling unwell, and then he asked about the little prince's eating and sleeping habits.
Cheng Qianyue said that she was fine, the little prince was fine, and the wet nurses were very attentive. She then asked the wet nurses to bring the child over from the south room.
There are three rooms in the east wing. The one on the north side was used as a delivery room, and the one on the south side was where the little prince lived. She knew everything the wet nurse did on a daily basis, and she also knew whether the little prince was hungry or wet.
To be honest, Cheng Qianyue was only able to be so comfortable thanks to the wet nurse. She couldn't help but think that it was no wonder that wealthy people were so eager to have children. After the baby was born, there was a wet nurse to feed it, and a wet nurse to soothe it when it cried. Every time the baby was brought to her, Cheng Qianyue saw a well-behaved child who didn't cry or fuss.
Yinreng was overjoyed to see the Third Prince, whose eyes were still closed, and couldn't help but reach out and touch his little face. Then the little prince's lips twitched, and he burst into tears.
The wet nurse said, "The Third Prince is hungry." After saying that, she went to the south to breastfeed the young prince.
Yinreng smiled and said to Cheng Qianyue, "Listen to how loud our son cries. He'll definitely be a strong child in the future."
Cheng Qianyue nodded and said, "The wet nurse also said that the Third Prince is very strong, and he exerts a lot of effort every time he nurses."
Yinreng said with great satisfaction, "How wonderful, being able to eat is a blessing." He reached out and patted Cheng Qianyue's shoulder, saying, "You gave me a wonderful child, I'm so grateful to you, don't overthink it and think I'm looking down on you."
Cheng Qianyue tilted her head back happily and said, "Mmm!"
Cheng Qianyue did not refuse Yinreng's request to come see her, but Yinreng could not come because the Emperor was going to the Mulan Hunting Grounds for the autumn hunt, and he had to go with him. The departure was only a few days away.
Cheng Qianyue was stunned when she heard the news. She hadn't even finished half of her postpartum confinement period, and her husband was already leaving? But there was nothing she could do; the Emperor had spoken, what could she do but stop him?
Oh my goodness, what kind of situation is this!
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