Chapter 84. The children and Emperor Kangxi are ill. Cheng Qianyue knows…
Emperor Kangxi is ill.
Cheng Qianyue learned of this matter rather late. At first, she only heard from people in the outer courtyard that they saw the head of the Imperial Medical Academy leading several imperial physicians hurrying along the east side of Xiefang Hall. Later, news gradually spread that the Emperor had fallen ill from overwork day and night. Then came the news that the Crown Prince was leading many princes to attend to the Emperor in Qianqing Palace.
Taking care of an ailing person is a tough job. One aspect is taking care of the patient's basic needs, and another is that the sick person is the emperor, the highest leader of the country. If he is sick and recuperating, what will happen to the affairs of state? Nine times out of ten, the burden will fall on Yinreng.
Cheng Qianyue thought to herself, "Yinreng must be very tired right now! What can I do?"
Ruoyun suggested that they could follow the example of the Crown Princess and pray for the Emperor by chanting sutras day and night in front of the Buddha.
To be honest, Cheng Qianyue wasn't really keen on doing this. She even had the audacious thought that if Kangxi were to die, Yinreng, as the crown prince, could rightfully ascend the throne, and she wouldn't have to worry about when he might be deposed. Of course, such thoughts were utterly heinous, and she couldn't utter a single word about them.
Cheng Qianyue then said, "Then I will recite scriptures for the Emperor and the Crown Prince for an hour every day in front of the Buddha." After saying that, she ordered someone to instruct the kitchen to prepare a nourishing soup, and then asked Lin Quan'an to send it to Yuqing Palace.
To everyone's surprise, Lin Quan'an returned and reported: "The Crown Prince stays by the Emperor's side every day and does not return to Yuqing Palace. So I asked the eunuchs in the Imperial Tea Room to send the tonic soup to Qianqing Palace."
"Huh?" Cheng Qianyue immediately asked him, "Where does the Crown Prince sleep at night? Does he also stay in the Qianqing Palace?"
Lin Quan'an said, "I heard that the Crown Prince has prepared bedding next to the Emperor's bed and is taking care of him day and night." As he spoke, he suddenly sobbed, and the servants around him all looked worried and moved.
Cheng Qianyue: ......
Having spent so long in the palace, she had learned to change her expression. Her lips drooped, and she feigned wiping away imaginary tears with a handkerchief, saying with a sigh, "The Crown Prince is so filial." Then she instructed the kitchen to add a stewed mutton dish to every meal—mutton stewed with goji berries, mutton stewed with radishes, mutton stewed with lotus seeds—prepare it in various ways, and send it to the Qianqing Palace.
Although there must be a heated kang (a traditional heated platform bed) in the Qianqing Palace, I wonder if it will be cold sleeping on the floor. Let's have some mutton soup; it's nourishing and warming. Hopefully, it will replenish Yinreng's energy and prevent him from getting sick from taking care of him.
They sent him soup for about ten days in a row, and then they heard from outside that the emperor's condition was improving. A few days later, they heard that the emperor was cured and was able to review memorials.
In front of everyone in the room, Cheng Qianyue said, "May Buddha bless His Majesty and restore his health." Then, behind his back, she thought to herself, "I knew Kangxi wouldn't die so easily."
Even so, Yinreng did not set foot in Xiefang Palace for the next few days. Cheng Qianyue thought he was probably tired, so she continued to prepare nourishing soups and meals, only changing the destination from Qianqing Palace to Yuqing Palace. After that, she stopped focusing on the outside world and thought she should take a good look at the children.
Cheng Qianyue barely saw the Second Princess and the Fourth Prince throughout the winter. She had no choice; initially, she was in postpartum confinement, but then she fell ill after a two-day trip during the New Year holidays, developing a slight fever and spending half a month in bed. After that, the Emperor fell ill, and she had to feign reciting scriptures, kneeling in the morning and soaking her legs and feet in the afternoon, so she didn't have much time to care for her child.
Now that she has some free time, she can finally take good care of her two newborn babies.
Sure enough, both children had already grown up, their little faces delicate, tender, and rosy. They were babbling incoherently, but it was unclear whether they recognized their mother. Although the wet nurses reported daily on how many meals and sleeps the little princess and prince had had, and how their urination and defecation were, it wasn't until she saw the two tiny swaddled babies that Cheng Qianyue felt a real sense that she had gained two more children.
Thinking about it, the bond between parents and children is built up day by day. It's not good for her to only see her children every few days. With that thought in mind, Cheng Qianyue put both children on the bed, took off her shoes, and went to hug them.
"My good children, Mother." She kissed both her children and said tenderly and lovingly, "Mother hasn't come enough. How about Mother comes to see you every day from now on?"
The two babies made little noises, their arms twitching outside the swaddling clothes, and then they grabbed her hand, as if they wanted to make a pinky promise. Cheng Qianyue smiled, thinking that this meant they had agreed.
Cheng Qianyue played with them for a while, and only left the west wing after they had finished their milk and were ready to sleep. As she walked east from the west wing, she could faintly hear the sound of reading coming from inside. Lifting the cotton curtain to block the wind, she heard the Third Prince reciting his lessons even louder.
"Mother!" the Third Prince said with delight upon seeing her.
Cheng Qianyue walked in and said, "Mother has come to see you." She hadn't seen the Third Prince much in the past few months, so she asked, "Is he reciting his lessons?"
The Third Prince said he had already memorized half of the Thousand Character Classic, and then recited a passage to her in a very fluent manner.
Cheng Qianyue patted his shoulder and said, "Don't always stay indoors reading, or you'll ruin your eyes. Now that your mother is feeling better, I can play with you. When the weather gets warmer, we'll take your younger siblings to the yard to bask in the sun and see the forsythia."
At first, the Third Prince was quite happy to hear her say that, but as he listened, he seemed less happy. His emotions were so obvious that Cheng Qianyue noticed them immediately, but she didn't ask him anything right away. Instead, she talked to the Third Prince for a while longer before leaving.
After leaving the room, Cheng Qianyue gestured to the side and returned to the main room. A short while later, the eunuch serving the Third Prince came to pay his respects. This was a literate eunuch that Yinreng had chosen for the Third Prince, and she had later made him fill the vacancy of the Third Prince's head eunuch. Cheng Qianyue asked him, "What has the Third Prince been doing lately?"
Jiang Zhong nodded and said, “Reporting to Your Majesty, the Third Prince has recently taken a liking to reading and recognizing characters. After breakfast, he reads the Thousand Character Classic, pausing after recognizing four or five sentences. After his afternoon nap, he reads it a few more times, and then plays with the ornaments sent by the Imperial Household Department.”
Cheng Qianyue paused and then asked, "Has the Third Prince gone to the West Wing to see the Second Princess and the Fourth Prince?"
Jiang Zhong hesitated.
"Never even once?" Cheng Qianyue was somewhat surprised. When she first became pregnant, the Third Prince was very happy to be a big brother, so why didn't he even bother to visit his younger siblings after they were born?
Jiang Zhong spoke with unusual tact, "The young master's mind is entirely focused on studying and learning to read, so..."
Cheng Qianyue sighed and then waved to him. From the beginning, she had a vague feeling that the Third Prince was unhappy because she had mentioned the two younger children. Could it be that the Third Prince felt she was neglecting him now that she had a little princess and a little prince?
Cheng Qianyue felt she needed to ask him properly.
A while later, it was lunchtime. Cheng Qianyue ate with the Third Prince. Not long after they finished eating, she had her servants bring over dessert. Cheng Qianyue and the Third Prince sat together on the kang (heated brick bed), enjoying a bite of sweet and soft pastry followed by a sip of savory milk tea.
The Third Prince looked particularly happy, kicking and stomping as he ate the leg.
Cheng Qianyue began, "It seems that your mother hasn't been eating or having snacks with you much these days." Seeing the Third Prince nod, she continued, "It's because your mother needs to take care of her health, so she's neglected you. But your mother won't do that anymore."
The Third Prince said solemnly, "Mother, I know, and I've grown up now, I can't follow you anymore."
Cheng Qianyue pretended to be angry and said, "No, that's not true. Even if you're seventy or eighty years old, you're still your mother's child. If your mother doesn't see you for a long time, she will definitely miss you."
The Third Prince blushed upon hearing her blunt words, looking extremely embarrassed, and replied somewhat awkwardly, "I miss Mother too."
Cheng Qianyue touched his little braid. She always spoke frankly to those close to her, never beating around the bush. She asked him softly, "Have you gone to see your younger brother and sister?" As soon as she finished speaking, she saw the Third Prince's face fall and his legs stop kicking.
Hmm, it seems that's the problem.
Cheng Qianyue said gently, "Do you feel neglected now that you have a younger brother or sister? Actually, your mother hasn't seen them much these days either." So it's not just you who's been neglected; you're all the same.
The Third Prince lowered his eyes and said, "Mother, I know, and I don't blame you."
"Then why don't you go see your younger brother and sister?" Cheng Qianyue asked疑惑地, "Besides, you don't seem happy when Mother mentions them."
The Third Prince was so angry that he refused to speak.
Cheng Qianyue didn't urge him, waiting quietly. The Third Prince pursed his lips in dissatisfaction, and after about a minute or two, he resolutely uttered a few words: "Because they are bad!"
? ? ?
Cheng Qianyue was completely bewildered. "How did they break?"
The Third Prince said with tears in his eyes, "Because they caused Mother pain, and made Mother lie in bed for a very long time." As he spoke, he suddenly burst into tears.
Cheng Qianyue's heart skipped a beat, and then her own eyes welled up with tears. She hadn't expected the Third Prince to say that, and she was deeply moved. She got up and sat down beside him, hugging him to comfort him. After he calmed down, she said, "You've grown up now. Shall I talk to you about things that adults talk about?"
The Third Prince nodded, his voice trembling with tears.
Cheng Qianyue took a handkerchief and wiped away his tears, asking softly, "Do you know what life and death are?" She slowly said, "Life is living. It means you can see flowers and plants, eat, drink, and have fun, and you can read and write. But if a person dies, they can't do anything anymore. So your mother hopes to live on forever. Your mother is afraid of death. Your mother still has many things she wants to do, and your mother is also afraid that she will never see you again."
"Mother..." the Third Prince murmured, holding her tightly in his arms.
Cheng Qianyue stroked his back and continued, "There are many things in this world that can kill people, such as getting sick or giving birth. So whether it was when I was pregnant with you or when I was pregnant with your younger brother or sister, I was always afraid and terrified."
“But Mother isn’t afraid anymore.” Cheng Qianyue’s tone shifted. “Because neither you nor your younger siblings caused Mother any trouble; you all came out of Mother’s belly obediently.” She said gently but powerfully, “I’m so glad that you care about Mother. But the scary things are over now. Mother doesn’t dwell on the fear of giving birth to you, and you shouldn’t dwell on it either, okay?”
The Third Prince thought for a long time before obediently agreeing.
Cheng Qianyue patted his head and said, "Good boy." After they finished talking, she urged the Third Prince to go back for a nap. After the Third Prince finished his nap, she led him to the west wing and let him touch the Second Princess and the Fourth Prince.
The Third Prince was still just a child. With his younger brother and sister right in front of him, he put aside his previous feelings of disgust. His fingers were held by the Second Princess, and he excitedly looked up and said, "Mother, look, my sister likes me."
Cheng Qianyue said with a smile, "You used to whisper to them all the time, so they all remember you."
"Really?" The Third Prince looked delighted. He looked at the two tiny swaddled babies and said seriously, "I'm your older brother, you know? I won't hold what happened before against you. You must grow up quickly and listen to your mother and me in the future."
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