Chapter 17 Washing Three
In the blink of an eye, it was the day of the Thirteenth Prince's third bath ceremony.
Changchun Palace was bustling like never before.
Because after today, the Thirteenth Prince will be sent to Yonghe Palace, so although the third-day baptism ceremony will be held in Changchun Palace, it is Defei who is in charge of the whole process. Concubine An has no chance to get involved, and the same is true for the Thirteenth Prince's biological mother, Zhang Jia.
Before going to bed yesterday, Yuying specifically told Qingtao to wake her up early.
Yuying was woken up early in the morning. The moment she was woken up, she felt that her resentment was heavier than that of a ghost.
Then there was a lot of busy work.
After Yuying had packed herself up, she rushed to find Zhang Jiashi without even having time to have breakfast.
But when I got there, I was dumbfounded.
The Thirteenth Prince had been carried to the main hall, and Yuying only saw Zhang Jiashi with slightly red eyes.
"Sister, are you here to see the little prince?" she asked softly.
Yuying was speechless for a moment, and stammered: "Or... I can also come to see you!"
"Puchi——" Seeing Yuying's bewildered look, Zhang Jia suddenly laughed out loud. The reluctance in her heart seemed to fade a little, and she even comforted Yuying: "It's okay, sister. I'll just give him to Concubine De to raise. But the jade disc hasn't been changed, right? As long as the jade disc hasn't been changed, the Thirteenth Prince will always be my child!"
"Even if the jade disc has been changed, Thirteenth Prince is still your child. He will always be your child, no matter if the jade disc has been changed or not, this is the fact!" The love between mother and child is not so easy to give up.
Yuying remembered that Yinxiang in history was very filial.
"Sister, you're right. So there's nothing to be sad about, right? Today is the third day of the baby's birth. It's a pity that I can't go. Sister, can you come and tell me about it after watching the ceremony? I hope you don't think I'm a bother."
After hearing this, Yuying immediately patted her chest and promised: "Don't worry! I will definitely read it carefully and remember it well, and tell you every word when the time comes!"
"Then I would like to thank you, sister." Concubine Zhang Jia lay on the couch, folded her hands on her waist, and bowed.
Yuying jumped away immediately, "No, no, no, we already agreed to call each other 'you and me', don't do anything weird!"
"Okay, stop bothering me, sister. I still have to go to watch the third bath ceremony. Go quickly, sister, and don't miss the time."
Yuying heard this and said, "Then I'll go? It's just right for me to go to Concubine An's place for breakfast!"
When Yuying arrived at the main hall of Changchun Palace, she discovered that the ceremony of bathing for the third day seemed to be more grand than she had imagined.
There are more concubines here today than on the day of giving birth.
On the day of the birth, the ladies who came were all the palace mistresses, and at the very least, a concubine. But today was different, concubines of all ranks came one after another.
This is hard for Yuying, who has the lowest status, as she has to bow to everyone she meets.
At this moment, all the items needed for the third day bath have been placed in the hall. Today's protagonist is holding the Thirteenth Prince and standing in the main seat. The auspicious grandmother who was specially invited from outside the palace is also waiting on the side.
The Imperial Noble Consort and the Noble Consort did not come, probably because they were afraid of stealing the limelight from Concubine De, but they still sent people to deliver gifts.
Yuying watched from afar and thought she could see Xiao Shisan a few more times, but she didn't expect that she was almost squeezed out of the hall.
Everyone was looking in the direction of Concubine De, which made it convenient for Yuying to satisfy her curiosity. She stared at Concubine De openly.
Concubine De was so proud today that she was like a completely different person compared to the last time I saw her.
The last time I saw her, Yuying only felt that she was a moderate and peaceful woman, who was calm in everything she did. Although she didn't talk much, she gave people a strong sense of presence, and no matter how many people she stood among, she was always a unique sight.
This kind of person, although not the most outstanding in appearance, makes people feel very comfortable. Especially her eyes that can look into people's hearts, making people unable to help but indulge in them.
However, compared to the plain and elegant outfit of that day, the crimson purple palace dress today made her look much more energetic, and coupled with her smiling eyes, she also looked quite charming.
Today, the four concubines are all here.
No matter which station you go to, each one has its own beauty, which is a feast for the eyes for Yuying, a country bumpkin.
At this time, two young eunuchs brought up the mugwort water and locust branches that had been prepared earlier. Concubine De also handed the baby in her hands to Grandma Jixiang and gave her seat to Grandma Jixiang. The third-day bathing ceremony then began.
The following additions to the basin opened Yuying's eyes. The high-ranking concubines were given gold ingots, while the low-ranking concubines were given silver ingots. Yuying also followed suit.
After the water was added to the basin, Grandma Jixiang stirred it symbolically while chanting auspicious words.
After all this was over, the naked Thirteenth Prince was put into the basin and started to take a bath.
The Thirteenth Prince was well-behaved and did not cry when he entered the water. So he was easily slapped in the face and then he started crying out loud. This is called "Xiang Pen", followed by a long string of auspicious words.
After taking a shower, the third bath is over.
The concubines took their leave one after another. Concubine De also left, taking the Thirteenth Prince and the wet nurse and maid sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The group left in a grand manner without looking back.
Changchun Palace returned to its former tranquility.
Yuying looked at the rewards and extra basins that Grandma Jixiang received. They were all full of money, and she wished she could give herself instead.
Yuying had lunch at Concubine An's place and then asked to leave.
Yuying did not return to her west wing hall, but went straight into Zhang Jia's east wing hall, and couldn't wait to tell her what she had seen today.
"Is Thirteenth Prince's third birthday today?"
In the previous dynasty, Kangxi looked up from his busy government affairs and asked Liang Jiugong beside him.
"Your Majesty, yes. Concubine De went to Changchun Palace early in the morning, and it is estimated that it is over now."
"Well...then give it to Concubine De. I will go and see Zhang Jiashi."
The imperial carriage was on the way to Changchun Palace.
After a while, Concubine An received the news and waited at the palace gate.
Kangxi saw Concubine An from a distance and frowned. He thought to himself that he should find a reason to move Concubine Wei out of Changchun Palace.
Kangxi did not allow Concubine An to follow him and took Liang Jiugong to the backyard.
When he met palace maids and eunuchs along the way, he did not make any noise.
So when Kangxi walked to the door of Zhangjia's bedroom, the people inside were still unaware.
When Kangxi heard the lively and cheerful voices coming from the hall, he asked Liang Jiugong to guard the door and turned around and walked in.
The further you go inside, the clearer the sound becomes.
It seems that they are discussing today's baptism ceremony.
Listening to Wei's exclamation and the envy in her eyes when she talked about the reward Grandma Jixiang received.
Kangxi rarely reflected in his heart, was it possible that his life in the harem was very hard? Why was even the little that Grandma Jixiang got worth caring about so much?
Seeing her getting excited and even gesturing with her hands, Kangxi's eyes flashed with a smile. At this time, he was not in a hurry to speak, just waiting to see when the masters and servants in the room would notice him.
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