In the capital, before the festive atmosphere of the Emperor's birthday celebrations had completely faded, a letter announcing good news was delivered to the palace.
On this day, Emperor Kangxi was sitting in the Hall of Mental Cultivation reviewing memorials when a man in black suddenly appeared in the hall. He knelt down silently, and Li Dequan walked over, took the letter from his hand, and respectfully presented it to Emperor Kangxi.
Kangxi opened the letter, glanced at it quickly, smiled, and said "good" three times in succession.
"Come again the day after tomorrow!" Kangxi insisted that the people from the Imperial Observatory should properly calculate the birth chart of this young prince.
Qingyan was indeed blessed; her second son was born on the same day as her.
"Go to Chengqian Palace." Kangxi wanted to tell Consort Tong the good news.
Li Dequan quickly followed Kangxi to Chengqian Palace. Consort Tong was still telling the nanny that she would bestow gifts upon Qingyan when she gave birth.
"Xuan Ye, why are you here so early?" Consort Tong was quite surprised to see Emperor Kangxi stride into the palace.
"Qingyan gave birth to a little prince for the fourth prince, and he even shares the same birthday as me!" Kangxi was very happy.
What? !
Consort Tong quickly calculated the time. Had Qingyan gone into premature labor?
"Xuan Ye, this child was born prematurely. Is he alright?" Consort Tong was a little worried. It is normal for twins to be born prematurely, but this time, Qing Yan only had one child. Why was he born prematurely?
With Consort Tong's prompting, Emperor Kangxi came to his senses. According to the imperial physician's report, Qingyan should give birth next month!
He clapped his hands in mid-air, and soon, the Dragon Guards appeared silently inside the hall.
"Why was the fourth prince born prematurely?!" Kangxi was so overwhelmed by the news of the birth of his second grandson that he completely forgot to keep track of the time.
"When the Fourth Prince held his birthday banquet, the Prefect's wife, Lady Liu Yang, prepared two very beautiful maids. One of those maids took a fancy to the Fourth Prince and pushed her down in the corridor, causing her to go into premature labor!" Long Wei spoke without a trace of emotion, briefly stating the matter.
Emperor Kangxi was furious. He had encountered such a person and was determined to deal with him severely.
"Investigate who dares to harm my grandson!" Kangxi was furious. A mere prefect's wife would never take such a risk. Someone must have given them some hints, otherwise, such a disaster would not have occurred.
Thousands of miles away, Qingyan was in her room recovering from childbirth. She looked at her son beside her and was very happy.
She was worried that her child, being born prematurely, would be weaker, as the medical conditions here were not as good as those of the late emperor. However, seeing her son looking healthy put her at ease.
"Master, Liu Yangshi's mother has arrived." Su Lan entered the inner chamber and reported to Qing Yan.
Qingyan was slightly taken aback. Liu Yangshi also came from an official family.
“She’s the illegitimate daughter of the deputy commander of the Liangguang Camp!” Yin walked in from outside and said directly to Qingyan.
"Fourth Brother, what brings you here?" Qingyan was taken aback. "Mother said that I can't see you during my postpartum confinement!"
Jue Luo suggested that the Fourth Prince couldn't come to see her during her postpartum period. She had a plan in mind. It was her first time having a postpartum period, and she had gotten through it without Jue Luo's help.
"Can't I come over?" Yin asked, sitting down next to Qingyan. "Is Hafeng'a asleep again?"
Yin had been there for several days, always daring to arrive while the mother and son were sleeping, so Qingyan was unaware of it.
"Mother said that Fourth Prince can't accompany me during my postpartum period, and I'm a little annoyed. What exactly does that Liu Yangshi want?" Qingyan asked curiously.
Doesn't the wife of the Deputy Commander know that harming the royal offspring can implicate nine generations of one's family?
"This person must be someone important!" Yin sneered.
Qingyan looked at Yin with a gossipy expression. Could there be more to the story?
"What's their background?!" Qingyan quickly asked.
"The Deputy Commander's wife is also from the Tongjia clan, and is Tong Guowei's illegitimate daughter." Yin said with some emotion, "A teenage girl married a man in his forties."
ah? !
"How old is this person?" Qingyan calculated the age, but it couldn't possibly be that old.
“He’s over thirty!” Yin sighed. “This deputy commander was favored by Tong Guowei, so he brought his mother’s half-sister over. At that time, that official was already 40 years old. And the Liu Yangshi you see is the daughter of the first wife. When Tong Jiashi entered the mansion, this daughter was about to get married.”
Qingyan stared blankly at Yin, wondering how he could sell his daughter so easily.
In her opinion, Consort Tong was probably the happiest of Tong Guowei's daughters, at least because Emperor Kangxi doted on her.
What about the others?
"This is acceptable? She didn't resist at all?!" Qingyan couldn't understand why these people wanted Yu Xiao.
“Who would have the courage to resist? These concubine daughters have high aspirations now that Mother has entered the palace. They all hope to serve in the palace. This person even made things difficult for Mother at her residence. Father Emperor specially recommended her for a place during the imperial concubine selection. Who would have thought that Tong Guowei would actually marry her off here?” Yin and Qingyan muttered.
Tong Guowei's eldest son is a wastrel, so he can only use his daughters to pave the way for Longkodo. Therefore, Longkodo is the one Tong Guowei values most now.
"Let her in. We can see through the screen what Tongjia's demands are!" Qingyan was very curious about how this woman would address Yin after she came in.
"Su Peisheng, let Tongjia Shi in!" Yin quickly ordered after hearing Qingyan's mutterings.
Soon, Lady Tongjia entered, wearing flowerpot-shaped shoes. Looking at the folding screen placed outside the inner chamber and living room, she felt somewhat uneasy.
"Your subject, Lady Tongjia, greets the Fourth Prince and the Fourth Princess Consort!" Lady Tongjia knew in her heart that Yin would definitely investigate her identity.
Inside the mansion, her relationship with Consort Tong was not good; she often competed with Consort Tong. Now, one was the high and mighty Consort Tong, and the other was a mere "woman" of a courtier.
"Rise and kowtow!" Qingyan's clear voice came from behind the screen. "Madam Deputy Commander, what brings you here?"
Tongjia opened her mouth awkwardly, unsure how to plead for mercy. She knew that it would be difficult to speak to Yin, as Liu Yangshi had harmed the imperial offspring. If this were in the capital, she would definitely face confiscation of her property.
"This humble woman wishes to plead for Lady Liu Yang," Lady Tongjia said softly. Yin was very displeased. What was this woman trying to say?
"Having harmed the Crown Prince of the Royal Family, I have no idea anyone could escape unscathed!" Yin Na activated.
"Fourth Prince, I am also from the Tong family and am related to Consort Tong as sisters. Even though I have been married for many years, please give me some face for the sake of the Tong family!" Lady Tongjia believed that as long as she made the situation sound serious, Yin would not pursue the matter.
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