Because she behaved herself well after entering the palace, Emperor Kangxi finally allowed her to become pregnant. She was overjoyed, knowing that the Hesheli family, Emperor Kangxi, and the Crown Prince would not allow her to give birth to a prince. So she prayed day and night that it would be a princess.
Fate played a cruel joke on her. She gave birth to a son, but he was weak. She tried everything she could, praying to Buddha every day, but three months later, the child still passed away. She sat there blankly, holding the child's cold little body, for an entire night.
The imperial physicians in the palace can usually determine the sex of a child after five or six months. It is likely that her brother-in-law and husband already knew it was a prince, but never protected him, relying only on the meager strength of Consort Hesheli.
There were too many people in the palace who did not want her to give birth to a prince, the crown prince, or the four consorts. The emperor chose to stand by and watch, and for a time, Consort Hesheli was heartbroken.
What's even more heartbreaking is that suicide was a grave crime for concubines, and once they entered the palace, they couldn't even die. Could there be anything more despairing? Her children weren't even seen by their father, the Emperor; their names were only given to them after their deaths.
She didn't know who to resent.
Having an empress as her elder sister was not a blessing for her, but a curse.
And so another flower withered. A few years later, on June 20th of the thirty-fifth year, Hesheli passed away, and only then did she feel relieved.
Emperor Kangxi posthumously conferred the title of Consort Ping.
The women in the palace were pitiful, whether they were as noble as Empress Xiaoyiren or Consort Ping, the younger sister of Empress Yuan.
Back at the funeral, the mourning period lasted a full 27 days before the mourning clothes were removed.
Everyone was exhausted and took a few days to rest and recover.
Consort Hui, worried about the health of the Grand Princess, specially excused herself from paying her respects and brought a large amount of tonics.
"How are the Third Princess and the Fourth Princess?" He Zhuo asked.
Yes, the Third Princess and the Fourth Princess were born on October 17th of the 29th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, during the mourning period for the late Empress.
The day we remove the mourning clothes on the 27th happens to be the third day after the baby's first birthday, so we can't do that. We can't do the baby's third-day celebration or the full moon celebration for these twins. We can only do a simple celebration when they turn one year old.
To be fair, this Consort Fan was quite capable. It's likely that even during her childbirth, the emperor's men were present to supervise her – perhaps more likely, than any of the princes' concubines. On the day of Consort Fan's delivery, officials from Kangxi, Consort Hui, and Yinzhi were present to oversee the process.
He Zhuo only glanced at the scene symbolically before going to mourn, leaving Granny Shi behind to handle any unexpected situations.
Previously, the Second Princess was taken to Zhilan Courtyard for childbirth, and naturally the Third and Fourth Princesses were the same.
But Fan Gege didn't want that. If she raised the child, the master would come to see the child and enter her room.
Because the two children were girls, and Consort Hui considered them and Consort Fan to be a scourge, she disliked them and did not give them any gifts.
Since the child was his own, Yinzhi decided to give each of the younger princesses the same things he had given the second princess: a small gold lock and some cloth. He also went to take a look at the child.
He Zhuo also gave gifts on the third-day celebration, all according to the standards previously given to the Second Princess. Because the Empress's funeral was being held in the palace, no one could say anything about it.
Because Princess Fan gave birth to twins, He Zhuo gave the second princess twice the reward after the birth.
The master came to see the baby after the baby was born. She was sleeping at the time. When she found out, she made a small scene, saying that she wanted to see the master and the wife and wanted to raise the baby herself.
Unfortunately, it was the day of the end of mourning, and the couple were exhausted. The prince was very impatient, and the princes had to take turns keeping vigil. He Zhuo was also tired, but seeing the prince's expression, he didn't say anything.
Her plan failed.
The twins were thus moved into Zhilan Courtyard to keep the Second Princess company.
As before, the nanny who took care of Princess Fan during her pregnancy took care of the older twin, while the maid Hongliu, sent by Emperor Kangxi, was also left in the prince's quarters to take care of the younger twin.
Because Fan Gege was in good health and her pregnancy was going well, and the twins were born after a full nine months, both little princesses weighed more than 5 pounds each.
According to the rules, each princess had two wet nurses.
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