Chapter 218 Second Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother
Inside the sleeping quarters of Kunning Palace.
Jiang Nan leaned against the soft couch, Chunlan's fingertips gently massaging her temples.
The days of investiture ceremonies and subsequent audiences made her feel like a modern HR professional working non-stop.
These concubines were job seekers who came to the interview to show their loyalty.
What's most annoying is that they don't come together; they come one by one.
It's as if if you don't show up at Kunning Palace, the Empress will hold a grudge and make things difficult for you.
"Your Majesty, Consort An, Lady Li, is waiting outside."
Zhao Deyi bowed and reported, his voice perfectly controlled.
Jiang Nan raised her eyes, concealing a trace of impatience.
"Pass it on."
Consort An, née Li, entered the bedchamber with her head bowed and performed a proper salute.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects. May Your Majesty live a thousand years and be well."
"Get up."
Jiang Nan spoke calmly, pointing to the embroidered stool to her left.
"sit."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
After expressing her gratitude, Li carefully sat down on one side of the stool, her posture respectful.
Jiang Nan looked at the woman in front of her who had been in and out of the palace for many years and had only recently been granted the title of concubine by chance, and got straight to the point.
"You are a veteran in the palace, and your promotion to the rank of Consort is a great favor from the Emperor. Furthermore, the Third Prince has been entrusted to your care, which is also the Emperor's will and shows his trust in you."
She understood Kangxi's actions. Niohuru, the concubine of Yikun Palace, was now a Noble Consort. What if she had a son?
The Niohuru family of the previous dynasty must be restless.
She paused, and seeing that Li was holding her breath, she continued.
"You have been childless for many years. His Majesty's actions are a kind of compensation for you. Raising a prince is a great responsibility. If there is any shortage or difficulty, you should stand up and ask Su Jing of the Imperial Household Department for help as usual. If the Imperial Household Department neglects you, you can come to Kunning Palace to report to me."
Li hurriedly got up and replied.
"Your Majesty's teachings will be remembered. I will do my best to raise the Third Prince and live up to the trust of the Emperor and Your Majesty."
Jiang Nan waved her hand, gesturing for her to sit down.
"Yes, the Emperor trusts you, so don't let him down. There's really no need for you to come here again to express your gratitude."
There was a hint of weariness in her voice.
"In that case, if there are no other important matters, you may leave. In the future, unless summoned, you do not need to come to pay your respects every day. It is more important to take good care of the Third Prince."
Upon hearing this, a complex expression flashed across Li's face, as if she were relieved but also somewhat uneasy.
But in the end, he still respectfully agreed.
"Your Majesty, I will obey your decree."
After Li bowed and left, Jiang Nan breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed her increasingly sore temples.
Dealing with these trivial matters every day is really exhausting.
"Zhao Deyi!"
She called out softly.
"Who's next?"
Zhao Deyi bowed and stepped forward, replying cautiously.
"Your Majesty, it is Consort Hui, Nara, who is already waiting in the side hall with the Second Prince."
Jiang Nan sighed inwardly, but didn't show it on her face.
"Bring it in."
"Yes, sir."
Before long, Consort Hui, of the Nara clan, led the five-year-old Second Prince into the bedroom.
Empress Nara wore a dignified smile, and the Second Prince was also specially taught by her to be well-behaved.
"Your son greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!"
The second prince bowed and greeted the prince in a proper manner, his childish voice clear and crisp.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
Nara also curtsied in response.
"Rise, all of you. Please take a seat."
Jiang Nan's tone softened; she always showed more patience when dealing with children.
After the mother and son sat down, Jiang Nan asked directly.
"You brought the Second Prince here today, is there something you need?"
Nara smiled broadly, appearing even more respectful.
"Your Majesty, I do have a matter to ask. The Second Prince is now five years old (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning), and according to the rules, he should be able to begin his studies in the Imperial Study. I am but a fool and dare not presume to act on my own, so I have come to ask for Your Majesty's instructions."
Jiang Nan looked at Nara's expectant yet slightly boastful eyes and felt speechless.
While other parents would love to keep their four-year-old child by their side and pamper them, her parents are in a hurry to send her to preschool.
How could she not know the hardships of studying in the Imperial Study?
If she hadn't changed the time of day and added the rule of resting one day every seven days, she could have driven eight-year-old Erhe crazy.
Let alone a four-year-old toddler?
Does this mother truly not know the hardships she has endured?
Or was he eager to make his son give Emperor Kangxi a good impression of being a diligent student?
She was too lazy to worry about whether other people's sons suffered or not; she just felt sorry for the innocent and naive Second Prince.
"Now that he has reached school age, he should go. Starting tomorrow, you will escort the Second Prince to the Imperial Study. Do you know the rules and times for his classes?"
Upon hearing this, Nara's face lit up and she quickly replied.
"Yes, yes, I know. I've found out everything! Thank you for your permission, Your Majesty!"
Jiang Nan gave a soft "hmm" and continued.
"I will inform His Majesty about the Second Prince's enrollment in school. I will have someone keep an eye out for Haha Zhuzi and the eunuchs serving her. If you are not at ease, you can go to the Imperial Household Department to find Su Jing and choose a few that suit your taste. You can handle the daily affairs yourself and do not need to report everything."
This can be considered as giving Nara a considerable degree of autonomy.
Nara was overjoyed and quickly pulled her son to express her gratitude again.
Jiang Nan really didn't want to deal with it anymore, so she interrupted.
"Alright, if there's nothing else, you can leave."
After seeing off the overjoyed Consort Hui and her son, Jiang Nan rubbed her temples and gave instructions to Zhao Deyi.
"Send away all those who lined up to pay their respects. Do you think my Kunning Palace has become a government office? Isn't the daily audience every three days enough? Send word that from now on, unless it's something urgent, there's no need for them to come to pay their respects individually."
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Zhao Deyi hesitated for a moment, thinking of the Empress's attention to Wuya Shi and the slight difference there between them, before speaking carefully.
"Your Majesty, Consort Wuya of Yonghe Palace... has been waiting in the side hall for almost half an hour. What do you think..."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nan's expression shifted slightly, and she pondered for a moment before replying.
"Fine, let her in. Send the rest of you back."
"Yes, sir."
A short while later, Uya lowered her head and carefully entered the bedchamber, where she performed the proper rites.
His face wore his usual gentle smile.
Jiang Nan looked at her and asked directly.
"What new patterns have you embroidered for me this time?"
Upon hearing this, Wuya's smile widened, and she took out an exquisite purse from her sleeve, presenting it with both hands.
"Your Majesty has discerning eyes. I had some free time, so I embroidered a little trinket. The lotus pattern on it symbolizes good fortune. I hope Your Majesty will not find it offensive."
Chunlan stepped forward, took the document, and handed it to Jiang Nan.
Jiang Nan unfolded it and saw that the stitches were fine and the color scheme was elegant, showing that a lot of thought had been put into it.
She put the purse aside, looked at Wuya, and her tone softened.
“Uya, I understand your intentions. But from now on, you may waive these needlework duties.”
Upon hearing this, Lady Uya's face paled slightly, thinking that the Empress was tired of her, and she quickly got up to apologize.
"Your Majesty, it is my poor cooking skills that have offended your eyes..."
"That's not what I meant."
Jiang Nan interrupted her, unusually patient in explaining.
"It's not that I'm disgusted. I just feel that you don't need to spend all your energy on this. If I were truly annoyed with you, I wouldn't have seen you today. In the future, just come over and chat when you have nothing to do; there's no need to bring needle and thread every time."
Wuya was stunned. She looked up at Jiang Nan and saw that her expression did not seem fake.
An overwhelming sense of surprise and excitement welled up in his eyes.
It turned out that her daily cautious attempts to please the Empress had finally earned her a sliver of genuine favor.
Jiang Nan naturally noticed her excitement, and changed the subject as if it were just a casual remark.
"Speaking of which, has your belly shown any signs of pregnancy lately?"
The joy on Wuya's face faded, replaced by a hint of disappointment, and she said in a low voice.
"Your Majesty, not yet... not yet."
Jiang Nan nodded and gave instructions to Chunlan beside her.
"Chunlan, go and have Wuya take a look."
Chunlan understood, stepped forward, and spoke softly to Wuya.
"My lady, please extend your hand so that I may take your pulse."
Uya obediently extended her hand, and the bedchamber fell silent for a moment.
She looked nervously at Chunlan's slightly furrowed brows, her heart pounding in her throat.
After a long while, Chunlan finally let go of Jiang Nan's hand, turned to her, and spoke with a hint of uncertainty in her voice.
"Your Majesty, the pulse is smooth and clear, like the pulse of pregnancy... but the pregnancy is still too early, so I dare not be certain. Perhaps in another half month, the pulse will become clearer."
Uya didn't react at first, but when she heard the words "pregnancy," her eyes widened suddenly, and she looked at Chunlan in disbelief, her voice trembling.
"Miss Chunlan, do you mean... I might..."
Jiang Nan remained calm, not surprised at all.
Historically, Lady Uya was pregnant this year and gave birth to the fourth prince, Yinzhen, next year.
She nodded and echoed her words.
"It's common for the pregnancy to be in its early stages and the diagnosis to be uncertain. Uya, you should go back and rest well. Don't overexert yourself. We'll summon the imperial physician to confirm the diagnosis in half a month."
When Uya heard the Empress say this, she felt as if she had been struck by such great news, and her whole body felt lightheaded.
She instinctively covered her still flat stomach, her whole body trembling slightly with excitement, and knelt down to kowtow in gratitude.
"Yes! Yes! This concubine understands! Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty! Thank you, Miss Chunlan!"
"All done?" Jiang Nan gestured for her to get up.
"Look how happy you are. Go back now, remember my words, and rest well."
Suppressing her overwhelming joy, Uya nodded her thanks again before gracefully leaving the bedchamber.
She stroked her still flat stomach and felt the whole world brighten up.
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Let's not worry about the fourth child's birth month. Let's speed up the story.
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