Chapter 81 Long Live the Emperor! Yinreng returned just as the sun was rising in the early morning…
When Yinreng returned, the sun was just rising in the early morning. Looking at the fiery red sunrise on the horizon, he couldn't help but think to himself that it was a good omen. When he arrived at the west front courtyard of Xiefang Palace, all the servants in the courtyard knelt down to him with joyful expressions.
Yinreng first went to the west wing to see the two newborn children. The three rooms in the west wing had been tidied up since he returned. Originally, it was planned that one of the north and south side rooms would be used as a delivery room and the other side would house the two children. However, plans changed and the delivery room was not used. So the wet nurse thought of separating the little prince and the little princess, taking care of one on each side.
The two children had just finished nursing, and their faces were wrinkled, red, and swollen, but in Yinreng's eyes they were both extremely cute.
The midwife and others came to the main room to report, their faces beaming with joy, "The little prince came out first, followed by the little princess. The prince weighed five jin and three liang, and the little princess weighed four jin and seven liang. The two imperial grandsons came out very smoothly."
"Good, good." Yinreng stroked the two children's thick baby hair, his face beaming with joy. "This is a joyous occasion for the Crown Prince. Reward them all generously."
With just one word from the Crown Prince, the midwife and the servants were all relieved.
After checking on the child, Yinreng went to the main room. He knew that Cheng Qianyue was asleep from exhaustion, so he walked slowly and quietly. When he arrived at the inner room, Yinreng tiptoed to sit on the bed. Just as he was about to lift the curtain, a small head peeked out from inside. It was the Third Prince.
Yinreng was surprised to find the Third Prince inside. He lowered his voice and asked, "What are you doing in bed?"
The Third Prince mimicked his soft reply: "I'm taking care of my mother."
Yinreng was both amused and exasperated. He reached out and lifted the Third Prince off the bed, patted his head, and said, "Don't disturb your mother's rest. Go back to your room and catch up on your sleep." He patted the Third Prince's shoulder and said, "Go ahead."
The Third Prince didn't rush to leave. He looked up and asked, "Is Grandmother still protecting Mother?"
Yinreng's eyes stung with tears. "Yes, your Imperial Grandmother has always been here."
Cheng Qianyue woke up at noon. As soon as she woke up, she felt hungry. Then she thought, "Hey, the baby is born now, so I don't need to watch my diet anymore." She was overjoyed and pulled back the curtain, saying softly, "Someone come here."
Ruoyun quickly walked in from the outer room, lifted the curtain halfway and hung it on the gold hook, and said with a smile, "Your Highness is awake. Are you hungry? This servant will send someone to the kitchen to bring you food right away."
Cheng Qianyue, having had a long nap, was now full of energy. "Hurry up. Also, I'm tired of eating bland food. Tell them to make something more flavorful."
Lunch was served shortly afterward, filling the inner room with food. Although Cheng Qianyue had said she wanted something with strong flavors, the kitchen staff didn't dare serve only salty and spicy dishes. So what was served included stewed and steamed dishes, as well as braised and stewed dishes.
Cheng Qianyue has such sharp eyes! The moment the braised pork knuckle was placed on the table, she saw it and hurriedly said, "Give me a piece of that pork knuckle with a good balance of fat and lean meat."
Ruoyun quickly agreed, picked up her chopsticks, and used the pork knuckle to separate the lean meat wrapped in the gelatinous skin, placing it in front of Cheng Qianyue. Cheng Qianyue opened her mouth and swallowed it; the rich, dark sauce and the fatty yet not greasy taste instantly won her over.
If Ruoyun wanted to serve her more, Cheng Qianyue thought it was too slow, so she simply told her to bring the pork knuckle to her. Then Cheng Qianyue went wild and devoured the whole pork knuckle.
Ruoyun held the plate and watched her eat with gusto, then gently reminded her, "Please slow down, Master, there are other dishes as well."
After finishing the braised pork knuckle, Cheng Qianyue immediately felt alive again. Ah, it's so good to be alive! Long live life! Putting everything else aside, with so much delicious food in the world, she wouldn't want to die.
Ruoyun put down the plate and then ladled out ham and chicken soup to feed Cheng Qianyue. As Cheng Qianyue drank the soup, her eyes glanced at the pastries on the table. Judging from their golden-yellow, flaky exterior, they were deep-fried, but she wondered what the filling was.
She took a few sips of soup and pointed over there: "I want that too."
Before long, the fried glutinous rice and red bean paste cake was in her mouth, and Cheng Qianyue was so moved she almost cried. She hadn't eaten a single fried pastry during her pregnancy. Waaah, fried snacks are so much sweeter!
Ruoyun was afraid that she would overeat, so she picked up some stir-fried vegetables and fed her half a bowl of millet and jujube rice before ordering someone to remove the table. She said softly, "Master, please slow down and don't eat so much, or your stomach will feel uncomfortable."
Cheng Qianyue had actually eaten enough, but she just couldn't control her cravings; even when she felt full, she kept stuffing herself with food. She let out a long sigh and said, "Only now do I feel like I'm still alive."
Before he could finish speaking, Yinreng's voice came from outside, "You, you really have no restraint with your words." He quickly walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, saying seriously, "From now on, you are not allowed to say anything about death or life."
Cheng Qianyue was surprised that he heard her mutterings and pretended to cover her mouth. But she quickly thought, why shouldn't she be allowed to complain a little? So she gave him a disgruntled snort.
Yinreng looked at Cheng Qianyue, who was pale and sweating, and waved for everyone to leave. After the servants left, he suddenly hugged Cheng Qianyue. As he held her in his arms, the indescribable fear of the previous night vanished instantly, replaced by gratitude for having regained what he had lost.
Cheng Qianyue didn't know what was wrong with him, but she could quickly sense the mix of worry and joy in Yinreng's expression. She placed her hand on his back, rested her head on his shoulder, and whispered, "I'm fine. Look, I'm still alive. The children are all very well-behaved; they're just eager to see the world."
Mentioning her children, Cheng Qianyue realized that while she had indeed given birth, she didn't even know what they looked like. To be honest, she was quite grateful to her two children because giving birth to them hadn't been too difficult.
She had heard before that an ancient queen suffered a difficult childbirth and thus deeply resented the child. At the time, she didn't understand, but now she was starting to. No one would have a pleasant expression towards someone who nearly caused their death, even if it was just a child who didn't understand anything, even if the victim was the mother. In short, a person can only fulfill other roles while alive; if they die, then everything is gone.
Yinreng breathed a sigh of relief and raised his head, saying, "The wet nurse took them to the west wing. They are all very strong and have thick baby hair."
Cheng Qianyue asked, "Is it a boy or a girl?" She was so sleepy after giving birth to them that she didn't hear what the midwife was saying at all.
Yinreng replied, "One boy and one girl."
Cheng Qianyue looked intently at Yinreng and pleaded, "How about one older brother and one younger sister? I'm the youngest, so I'll have two older brothers to dote on me."
Yinreng said, "Since the prince was born first, one is the older brother and the other is the younger sister." He stroked Cheng Qianyue's cheek and said, "You gave birth to twins for me, a boy and a girl, you've really gone through a lot. Now everyone outside says this is a great joyous occasion for the Forbidden City."
Cheng Qianyue didn't care what others said. All she wanted now was to have a peaceful postpartum period. She said softly, "Giving birth to these two children has almost drained me. I'm thinking of taking two months of postpartum confinement to recuperate properly." That way, she wouldn't have to go out for social engagements during the New Year. Hehe, it would be a good time to relax.
Yinreng could tell what she was thinking from the sly look on her face. Sometimes he thought she was rather unambitious; there were plenty of people in the world who would rather show off at that moment. But then he thought that her personality was also good. After all, external fame is just empty talk; only what you actually have is real. Moreover, by doing this, she avoided gaining a flamboyant reputation while still earning praise for her composure.
Later, he felt somewhat guilty towards her. If Lady Chengjia truly became arrogant and complacent because of her overshadowing others, then for the sake of peace in Xiefang Palace, he would have to take action to suppress her, just as the Emperor had done to him.
Yinreng felt wronged for her. She was clearly his most beloved woman, she had borne him several children, but to avoid the reputation of favoring a concubine over his wife, and for the peace of the Eastern Palace and Xiefang Palace, he had no choice but to do this. He thought, "Let's wait a little longer. One day when I stand at the edge of the sky, I won't have to worry about anything anymore."
Cheng Qianyue felt that Yinreng's eyes suddenly became extremely complicated, but before she could figure it out, she heard him agree immediately and then say, "It just so happens that Siam recently presented a batch of bird's nests as tribute. In addition to white bird's nests, His Majesty bestowed dozens of bowls of red bird's nests to Yuqing Palace. Red bird's nests are rarer than white bird's nests. I will have someone stew two bowls for you every day to make up for the loss caused by childbirth."
Red bird's nest...that's quite rare...
Cheng Qianyue had never eaten this before; she had only ever eaten the white kind. She nodded and said, "Yes, thank you, sir."
In the following days, Cheng Qianyue focused on her postpartum recovery. Because of the cold weather, she didn't ask the wet nurse to bring the babies over, only instructing them to take good care of the young prince and princess. She also emphasized that the windows should not be kept tightly closed, day or night, because there was a charcoal brazier burning inside, and people could easily suffer carbon monoxide poisoning if they weren't careful. Of course, the people here didn't know what carbon monoxide poisoning was, so she put it another way, saying that if the doors and windows were tightly closed, the air inside wouldn't circulate and people would feel stuffy.
Cheng Qianyue had made up her mind. For the next two months, the baby would be cared for by wet nurses and nannies. She would visit them after she finished her postpartum confinement and recovered.
However, Cheng Qianyue forgot the saying, "The tree desires stillness, but the wind will not cease." She wanted to quietly recuperate after childbirth, but those outside wouldn't allow it.
On the day the children turned one month old, for the first time ever, people came to the Qianqing Palace. The one leading them was none other than Liang Jiugong, the chief eunuch of the Qianqing Palace, followed by many junior eunuchs carrying boxes. It turned out that Emperor Kangxi had bestowed gifts upon the two children, including two strings of eight-treasure bracelets that Kangxi had personally handled, saying they were to calm the children's nerves.
Although Cheng Qianyue didn't get off the bed in the inner room, she knelt down on the bed behind the screen to express her gratitude on behalf of the child. Then she heard that Liang Jiugong had gone to the west wing. The servants inside said that Liang Jiugong had looked very carefully, his eyes were wide open, as if he was afraid of missing even the slightest detail, saying that he was going to report to the Emperor about the appearance of the prince and princess.
No sooner had Liang Jiugong left than Granny Shu from the Empress Dowager's office at Ning Shou Palace arrived. She was there to deliver the Empress Dowager's decree, praising Cheng Qianyue for her merit in bearing children for the Eastern Palace, and rewarding her with two jade ruyi scepters, as well as gold locks for the prince and princess.
Granny Shu went directly into the inner room, bowed to Cheng Qianyue, and then sat down, saying, "After the news of the Crown Princess giving birth to the Second Princess and the Fourth Prince reached Ning Shou Palace, the Empress Dowager was overjoyed and recited scriptures several times before the Buddha. However, she was afraid of startling the two little grandsons, so she didn't send anyone over on the spot. But as soon as the grandsons turned one month old, the Empress Dowager immediately called this old servant to come and see. For the past month, the Empress Dowager has often mentioned wanting to reward you in person."
Cheng Qianyue wore a flattered smile, her lips practically sticking to her teeth, and said gratefully, "It is my duty to go to Ning Shou Palace to express my gratitude. If it weren't for the fact that I had some financial strain from childbirth and the imperial physician said I needed to have a few more days of postpartum confinement than usual, I would be rushing to Ning Shou Palace right now."
"Yes, the Crown Princess is indeed very hardworking," said Granny Shu.
Cheng Qianyue repeated a few more words to her, expressing her gratitude for the Empress Dowager's concern, and then had someone kindly send Granny Shu away.
After Granny Shu left, Cheng Qianyue worriedly wondered if she could avoid having to go out for social engagements during the New Year. But when Yinreng came over that evening, Cheng Qianyue's hopes were dashed. He said, "Both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager have sent people over. You have to make an appearance during the New Year."
Cheng Qianyue asked expectantly, "Does it have to be at that time? Even if it's a little later, after the fifteenth, is that not possible?"
Yinreng sighed, put his arm around her shoulder and patted her: "Just show your face on New Year's Eve and the morning of New Year's Day. After these two days, you can stay in Xiefang Palace under the pretext of the child, okay?"
Cheng Qianyue pursed her lips and thought helplessly, "Alright then."
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