Chengqian Palace returned to silence. Kangxi looked at his little daughter, who was being held and looked like a cat, then looked away, unable to bear to look at her any longer.
He doesn't want to waste his energy on children who are certain they won't live to adulthood; he doesn't want to experience the pain of losing children again.
Emperor Kangxi sat in his seat, waved his hand weakly, and ordered people to go and take good care of Consort Tong and the little princess.
Liang Jiugong was already kneeling on the ground. The black cat seemed to have appeared out of thin air, and no one could find out how it entered the palace.
Just like today, the sudden appearance of the soft palanquin startled the Imperial Concubine, causing her to have a difficult childbirth.
Liang Jiugong knelt on the ground, cold sweat pouring down his face. He had tried every possible method, but still couldn't find out the origin of the black cat.
He cursed inwardly, thinking that if his family found out who it was, they would make sure he got away with it.
Liang Jiugong lowered his head further and further, as if he were about to bury it in the ground.
Emperor Kangxi finally spoke up: continue the investigation. No matter what, his cousin must be given an explanation.
The kneeling Liang Jiugong instantly understood Kangxi's meaning.
"This servant obeys. I will go and investigate thoroughly and find out the truth for Her Highness the Imperial Concubine."
Liang Jiugong's legs trembled as he left the palace, his back bent. Only when he was out of Kangxi's sight did he dare to slowly straighten his back.
His face was grim; he was determined to expose the person and show him what power our family had.
Emperor Kangxi stayed in Chengqian Palace for a while, looked at his cousin who was still unconscious, and his eyes flashed with tenderness.
A fleeting hint of tenderness crossed Kangxi's eyes before he reverted to being the monarch who was fair in rewarding and punishing, and who treated all his concubines equally.
Emperor Kangxi did indeed show some favoritism towards Consort Tong, whether due to their childhood friendship or because she came from his maternal family.
Emperor Kangxi's feelings for Consort Tong were indeed different among the many women in his harem.
If it were one of the less favored concubines, who was pregnant and instead of staying in the palace, went to stroll in the small garden, causing harm to the imperial fetus, Emperor Kangxi might not even bother to look at her, and she might even be punished.
A accusation of neglecting the unborn child has been leveled against him, and he has no hope left for the rest of his life.
And needless to say, he is not so lacking in sons now; he already has seven or eight sons who have been born and are alive.
Emperor Kangxi did not stay in Chengqian Palace for long before returning to Yangxin Hall to handle official business. Before leaving, he specifically instructed the Fourth Prince to return to Chengqian Palace for a few days after finishing his studies to spend time with his mother.
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The Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, who had just finished his lessons in the Imperial Study, heard from a young eunuch that his mother had given birth to a younger sister.
At first, the Fourth Prince Yinzhen didn't realize what was happening. His mother was only seven months pregnant. Later, he heard from a young eunuch that she had been startled by a black cat and had gone into premature labor.
The Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, hurriedly rushed to Chengqian Palace, no longer displaying the composed demeanor he used to project as a young adult.
On the way, I kept asking how my mother was feeling and how my sister was.
I heard that my mother is doing well, but she needs to take good care of herself in the future.
My little sister was born crying as softly as a kitten, so she needed to be cared for with great care.
Hearing this, the Fourth Prince Yinzhen felt a little relieved. He was afraid that his mother would also leave after giving birth, just like the Crown Prince's mother.
The Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, knew very well that his elder brother, the Crown Prince, was favored by his father, the Emperor, a favor that none of the other children could match combined.
If it weren't for his mother, he probably would have seen his father, the Emperor, just as few times as his seventh brother.
His mother is pregnant recently and has been neglecting him, but he can sense it.
But he had no choice but to obediently study diligently in the Imperial Study, striving to earn his father's praise.
At first, the Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, liked the younger brother and sister in his mother's womb very much, but he gradually stopped liking them.
Mother gradually stopped caring about him at all. The nannies around him all said that this was normal and that things would be better after the little prince was born.
When his mother gave birth to a younger sister, the Fourth Prince Yinzhen was overjoyed.
In recent months, he has heard a lot of rumors.
Many people pretended to accidentally tell him that he was not his mother's biological son, but that he was De's mother's child.
His biological mother gave him to her for the sake of status; he was merely an adopted son, not born from his mother's womb.
So now that Mother is pregnant, she doesn't want to see him and wants to send him back to Mother De and abandon him.
When the Fourth Prince Yinzhen first heard this news, he didn't believe it at all. Later, he gradually sensed the change in the people around his mother towards him.
Although his mother's people would occasionally bring him food, he felt something was different; it seemed they didn't value him as much as before.
In particular, his mother refused to see him. He went to Chengqian Palace a few times, but apart from the first few times when he went in and said a few words from afar, his mother told him not to come anymore and to study properly in the Imperial Study.
This made the already worried Fourth Prince Yinzhen even more panicked, as he felt that he really wasn't his mother's biological son.
Although the servants in the harem did not bully him, they were not as attentive as before.
When the Fourth Prince Yinzhen first discovered this, he was extremely panicked, fearing that his mother would abandon him immediately. He was drowsy and listless in class for the next few days.
Later, after finally figuring things out, he was still somewhat worried and fearful, which caused the Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, to become thinner and more emaciated.
Now that I've heard that my mother has given birth to a younger sister, no matter what, my mother definitely won't send me away, even if I'm not her biological daughter.
The Fourth Prince Yinzhen's face grew increasingly resolute. He knew that his mother needed a son and would continue to raise him.
Moreover, he discovered that his mother, De'enniang, did not like him but only liked his sixth brother. He secretly went to Yonghe Palace to see De'enniang and wanted to play with his sixth brother.
At that time, De'er's mother was full of resistance and did not give him a kind look. Instead, she advised him to go back and not to come to Yonghe Palace.
The Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, initially thought that his mother was afraid he would be discovered and punished by her, and a hint of joy even flickered in his heart.
Later, it was discovered that Mother De simply disliked him as her son; she treated her sixth brother differently.
He had overheard his mother calling his sixth brother her darling, and at that time he hid behind a big tree, too afraid to move.
The nanny serving De's mother asked if she should send some food to the Fourth Prince in the Imperial Study to ease the tension between mother and son.
The Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, can still clearly remember those emotionless words.
"No need. I will pretend that I never gave birth to him. He is not my son. I only gave birth to the Sixth Prince in my life."
His last vestige of desire for comfort from his biological mother was utterly shattered, leaving him no room for further delusions.
The Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, squatted under that big tree for a long time until Su Peisheng found him. He returned to the Princes' quarters with a blank expression, and hugged Duofu, whispering about his inner struggles that lasted all night.
The Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, walked more firmly and easily towards Chengqian Palace. His mother, Tong, still needed him; she was still his mother, and she would not abandon him now.
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