Consort Tong looked at the little prince she had risked her life to give birth to with great joy, ignoring the pain she was in.
Despite the unbearable pain in her body, as long as she saw the tiny little person she had just given birth to, Consort Tong forgot everything. She would give anything for this little person.
"Granny, look, how adorable my little prince is."
The wet nurse's eyes were full of heartache as she looked at Consort Tong's pale face, with fine beads of sweat on her face, but she just couldn't bear to let go of the little prince in her arms.
Her face lit up with smiles, and she quickly went over and carefully picked up the little prince.
"Your Majesty, the little prince must be hungry too. We need to take him down to the wet nurse to breastfeed him. Your Majesty should also eat something so you can have the strength."
Under the reluctant gaze of Consort Tong, the young prince was carried by his wet nurse to another room next door.
Consort Tong looked at the bowl of dark medicine that was brought to her, her slender and delicate eyebrows furrowing tightly, full of resistance.
"Granny, I don't want to drink. I have no appetite."
The wet nurse, seeing Consort Tong throwing a tantrum and turning her head to the other side, did not show the usual tolerance. Instead, she frowned seriously and spoke in an unyielding tone.
"Your Majesty, you are not alone now. The little prince has just been born and cannot be separated from his mother. Your health cannot be compromised."
Seeing that Consort Tong still looked unhappy, the wet nurse softened her tone slightly.
“It’s not like before when you were sick and could just refuse to take your medicine. The imperial physician said that you’re not fully recovered, so it’s best not to see the young prince.”
"Although the newborn prince is full-term, the empress had a difficult childbirth, and the prince stayed in her body for too long. His constitution is not as strong as that of a full-term baby, so he needs to be carefully nurtured."
Upon hearing this, Consort Tong looked as if a white snake had been caught in a trap, her face turning dejected.
"I'll drink it myself, but don't try to scare me with those things."
When the wet nurse discovered that Consort Tong had given birth to a little prince, her personality seemed to have reverted to that of the innocent, romantic, and childlike girl she had just entered the palace; she seemed to have come back to life.
This should have been a good thing, but the wet nurse fell silent, remembering the imperial physician's words.
Watching intently, Consort Tong drank the mild tonic medicine prescribed by the imperial physician. From the time the medicine was dispensed to its preparation, she had people watching over it the whole time.
Consort Tong put down her medicine bowl, ate a plate of sweet dates handed to her by a palace maid, and finally masked the bitter taste of the medicine in her mouth before she could ask where Emperor Kangxi had gone.
"Granny, where is His Majesty? I can't see him."
The wet nurse, remembering that Emperor Kangxi had stayed overnight at Chengqian Palace, replied with a smile.
"His Majesty stayed by your side all night until you gave birth to the little prince. Only then did His Majesty go to the morning court. He should be handling state affairs in the Hall of Mental Cultivation now."
"When they left, they said they would come back to Chengqian Palace in the evening."
When Consort Tong heard that Emperor Kangxi had stayed by her side all night, a satisfied smile appeared on her pale, oval face.
“My imperial cousin, you treat me differently from all the other women in the harem. I am special.”
Aside from his principal wife, Empress Xiaochengren (née Hesheli), the birth mother of the crown prince, who stayed up all night to watch over the birth of Crown Prince Yinreng, Emperor Kangxi was also present.
Currently, only Consort Tong holds this honor in the imperial harem.
Upon hearing this, the wet nurse looked at Consort Tong with a face full of agreement and affection.
"How can those concubines in the harem be compared to Your Majesty? Your status dictates that you are special in front of His Majesty."
"Plus, there's the bond you two shared when you were little, how could His Majesty not dote on you?"
"Even if His Majesty were to make the Empress the next person in the world, this old servant would not be surprised."
When Consort Tong heard the word "Empress," her eyes lit up, and she looked at the wet nurse with anticipation.
"Granny, do you think that since I have given birth to a prince for His Majesty, is it possible that His Majesty will promote me?"
The wet nurse pondered for a while, her heart filled with bitterness, but she managed a forced smile.
"The position of Empress is of course rightfully yours, but Your Majesty's health has not yet fully recovered. Perhaps Your Majesty will grant you the title of Empress once you are fully healed?"
Consort Tong failed to notice the wet nurse's distress, remaining preoccupied with the thought that if she recovered, her cousin, the emperor, might make her empress.
The Imperial Noble Consort already held a position equivalent to that of a secondary empress, indicating that the emperor's cousin had originally intended to help her become empress. However, although she held a prominent position at the time, she had no biological children, which was a bit too much to bear if it got out.
But things are different now; she has a little prince.
---
Yonghe Palace.
Consort De, of the Uya clan, held the little dumpling in her arms with a loving expression.
In just over a month, Consort De, of the Uya clan, had raised the Fourteenth Prince to be plump and healthy, just as well as those who had been raised for three or four months.
Those who didn't know might think that the Fourteenth Prince was already three months pregnant.
Since the end of her postpartum period, Consort De, of the Uya clan, has devoted all her attention to raising the Fourteenth Prince.
She had to look at him seven or eight times a day. If she didn't look at him for even a quarter of an hour, Consort De, Uya, would feel very anxious. She wished she could keep her precious child in front of her and never let him out of her sight.
When the news of Consort Tong giving birth to a son arrived at Chengqian Palace, Consort De unconsciously tightened her grip on the Fourteenth Prince's hand.
The fourteenth prince immediately became unhappy and burst into tears.
Consort De, of the Uya clan, had no interest in paying attention to the news that Imperial Noble Consort Tong had given birth to a prince.
She immediately began to gently coax the fourteenth prince, who was crying loudly in her arms.
Although the Fourteenth Prince was young, he had a bad temper from birth. He would cry loudly at the slightest thing, causing a lot of trouble for everyone in Yonghe Palace.
Consort De, of the Uya clan, never got angry. It seemed that she reserved all her good temper for her youngest son.
No matter how much trouble the Fourteenth Prince caused, in Consort De's eyes he was always lively, cute, and strong.
If any of the palace maids or eunuchs serving the Fourteenth Prince made him cry, Consort De, of the Uya clan, would immediately order them to be taken to the Imperial Household Department and replaced with a new batch.
After a month of upheaval, the servants at Yonghe Palace have gone through countless changes.
Fortunately, Consort De, of the Uya clan, had a grandfather who managed the Imperial Household Department; otherwise, who would have given her so many opportunities, always choosing the best ones to go to Yonghe Palace?
Consort De, of the Uya clan, showed no anger on her face, but looked at the fourteenth prince in her arms with loving eyes.
"My dearest baby, my precious darling, don't cry, don't cry, it's all my fault, I was too rough just now."
"My dear Fourteenth, don't cry."
………
Under the gentle voice of Consort De, the Fourteenth Prince slowly stopped crying. He sucked on his thumb, his innocent eyes blinking, with red marks from crying still visible at the corners of his eyes. He looked at Consort De with great heartache.
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