Chapter 68 Zhu Qiyu
Zhao Cairen's words made Zhu Zhanji suddenly enlightened, but thinking of Hu Shanxiang's always lukewarm attitude, Zhu Zhanji was still a little depressed, so he said to the palace maid: "How long has the queen been in there? The delivery room is bloody, so let the midwife stay in there and let her come out to rest. It's such a small matter, why should she go in personally? She is not afraid of any disturbance."
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of a baby crying was heard from inside, followed by the palace servants' excited shouts, which were deliberately suppressed.
Zhu Yuhuan's eyes turned and he praised: "The crying sound is so loud, I believe the younger brother and sister are in good health."
Zhu Youtong couldn't wait any longer, so he leaned in and asked, "Mom, are the younger brother and sister born?"
After a while, Hu Shanxiang came out holding a red swaddling cloth, with a smile on her face. Seeing Zhu Zhanji there, she was stunned for a moment, then bowed to Zhu Zhanji and said, "I pay my respects to your majesty. It is a great joy that the virtuous concubine has given birth to your majesty's second son."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Cao and Concubine Zhao stood up to congratulate him and went forward to look at the emperor's second son. They all smiled and said that the child was so cute. Zhu Youtong was jumping around beside him, looking very happy.
Zhu Zhanji was naturally delighted and said, "It just so happens that when I was naming Zhen'er earlier, several characters were presented for selection. I think 'Yu' is a good choice. If there's no one with the same name in the royal family, how about calling him Qi Yu?"
Concubine Cao and Concubine Zhao both looked a little strange after hearing this.
These proposed characters have all been used by the eldest prince. Although the two princes are almost the same age, they can't be so perfunctory... The eldest prince spent three months choosing a name, so why is it so sloppy when it comes to the second prince?
On the contrary, Hu Shanxiang didn't care. She gently patted the emperor's second son on the back and said softly, "Qi Yu, Qi Yu... do you like the name His Majesty gave you?"
The emperor's second son was still a child and didn't understand any of this. He just twisted his body a few times in his swaddling clothes and blew some bubbles out of his saliva, which made Hu Shanxiang laugh softly.
When Zhu Zhanji saw her like this, he was stunned as if the second prince was her biological son.
It wasn't that Hu Shanxiang was infertile, but Zhu Zhanji didn't want her to give birth to a prince, so he rarely spent the night with her. Now that the children have grown up, Hu Shanxiang must be very lonely.
Hu Shanxiang had no idea what Zhu Zhanji was thinking. Seeing the child tired of crying, she smiled and told the wet nurse to take the child to nurse. She said to Zhu Zhanji, "Yu means treasure and also solid gold. This is a good name. On behalf of Concubine Xian and Yu'er, I thank Your Majesty."
Zhu Yuhuan saw that she liked this word very much and said, "Stone can be broken, but its hardness cannot be taken away; cinnabar can be ground, but its redness cannot be taken away. This is why one's determination cannot be taken away. Father indeed has high hopes for my second brother."
She just didn't believe it. With the high hat on his head, could Zhu Zhanji still have the nerve to forcibly take Zhu Qiyu away? Even if he was willing, Empress Dowager Zhang would probably not agree. At most, to treat them equally, she would raise the two children together in Renshou Palace.
After being flattered by Zhu Yuhuan, Zhu Zhanji was about to say that he would send Zhu Qiyu to the Empress Dowager for upbringing, but in the end he could not say it out loud. He only waited until the wet nurse had fed the second prince and said, "Bring Yu'er here for me to see."
Hu Shanxiang took Zhu Qiyu from the wet nurse's arms and brought him to Zhu Zhanji. Seeing that he was still a little unfamiliar with holding the child, she supported Zhu Zhanji's arm and said, "Your Majesty, please raise your arm a little higher so that Yu'er will be more comfortable."
There's nothing good about newborn babies; they're all ugly. Zhu Zhanji glanced at Hu Shanxiang and saw a gentle expression on her face. With mixed feelings, he suddenly asked, "Is the Queen willing to raise the Emperor's second son?"
Hu Shanxiang didn't expect Zhu Zhanji to ask this. She was slightly stunned, then shook her head and said, "Xian Fei is a new mother. Yu'er is the child she gave birth to with all her heart. How can I take her away at will?"
Zhu Zhan basically wanted to see if Hu Shanxiang would look happy, but he regretted it as soon as he asked the question. Naturally, he hoped that the eldest prince would succeed to the throne. One reason was to save Concubine Sun's life in the future, and the other was to avoid disputes among the princes over the throne.
If the queen became the adoptive mother of the second prince, it would invisibly elevate the status of the second prince, which would not be a good thing for the eldest prince who would inherit the throne in the future.
Seeing that Hu Shanxiang did not respond, Zhu Zhanji also took advantage of the situation and said, "The Queen is right."
Seeing this, Hu Shanxiang said, "I would like to ask Your Majesty to leave the Crown Prince with the Virtuous Consort to raise him. The Virtuous Consort usually helps me manage the six palaces together with the Imperial Consort. She is respectful to her superiors and kind to her subordinates. Such a virtuous concubine will naturally be a good mother, right?"
Zhu Zhanji choked. Empress Dowager Zhang had no intention of raising the second prince. Her primary goal was to prevent the eldest prince from growing up with Concubine Sun. She had no problem with Wu Miaosu and even liked her very much. So why should she treat Concubine Xian like a concubine? Besides, both princes were illegitimate. Whether the eldest or the legitimate son was made the heir, the second prince wouldn't have to consider succession. So what was wrong with raising him with his concubine mother?
Moreover, the Queen pleaded so earnestly, and the concubines beside her were also watching. Zhu Zhanji couldn't think of a reason to refuse for a while, so he had to say: "I originally wanted to send Yu'er like Zhen'er to be raised by the Queen Mother. If Concubine Xian doesn't want to, then forget it."
Hu Shanxiang pondered for a moment and said, "After all, Concubine Xian is Yu'er's biological mother. Let's wait until she recovers before we discuss this. For now, let her stay with Concubine Xian first. I'll go and ask her mother what she thinks. Your Majesty, do you think this is a good idea?"
Zhu Zhanji knew that Empress Dowager Zhang had limited energy and would probably not agree to keep another prince in Renshou Palace, but since the empress had said so, he agreed and said, "That's very good." He looked at the second prince in his arms, and the joy of having two sons in a row surged in his heart. He hugged the second prince and teased and coaxed him.
Seeing that they had nothing to say, Zhu Yuhuan glanced at the delivery room, and seeing that no one cared, he went in.
The palace maids cleaned Wu Miaosu's body and placed bergamot and other fruits on the bed, so there was still a smell of blood in the delivery room.
Zhu Yuhuan felt pity when he saw Shen Shi guarding the weak Wu Miaosu. He walked to Wu Miaosu and took a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off her face.
Seeing that everyone was surrounding the second prince after he was born, Shen couldn't help but feel unfair for her daughter. Then she saw Zhu Yuhuan coming in to wipe Wu Miaosu's sweat, and she felt that Zhu Yuhuan treated Wu Miaosu very well. She was moved and said, "Thank you, Queen and Princess, for your concern for me..."
Zhu Yuhuan sighed, and seeing that Wu Miaosu was still asleep, he whispered, "Don't worry, Madam. Where is Madam Xu?"
"I personally watched the palace servants prepare medicine for the Empress, saying that it would nourish her body."
Zhu Yuhuan nodded in understanding. Seeing Wu Miaosu slowly waking up, Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said, "Miaosu, you've worked hard."
Wu Miaosu shook her head slightly, and suddenly thought of something, and asked, "That child..."
"He's the emperor's second son. Daddy named him 'Yu'. From now on, you should call me Second Brother Yu'er."
Wu Miaosu's eyes lit up when she heard this. She reached out and took Zhu Yuhuan's hand, saying excitedly, "From now on, the emperor's second son will be the princess's younger brother and the queen's son."
Zhu Yuhuan saw a look of relief on her face, as if she had finished a long performance and could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Zhu Yuhuan patted Wu Miaosu's hand with pity and said softly, "I'm sorry."
For Wu Miaosu, all this wealth and splendor was a cage that trapped her life in the palace. Even her own son was just an additional burden.
Wu Miaosu understood Zhu Yuhuan's implication and simply held Zhu Yuhuan's hand, saying softly, "I will never be able to repay the kindness shown to my family by my aunt, the queen, and the princess. I have no choice but to ask my brother to repay their kindness with me."
Zhu Yuhuan also shook her hand firmly and said, "What's the point of this? Brother Yu is my biological brother. Why should we differentiate between us siblings?"
Wu Miaosu's eyes were filled with tears as she said, "Thank you, Princess..."
Zhu Yuhuan stroked her fingers comfortingly, then stood up and said to the palace servant outside, "Empress Wu has woken up. Ask the wet nurse to bring my son in for you to see."
The palace maid left in response, and soon brought Zhu Qiyu in. Wu Miaosu was so moved to see the son she had given birth to after ten months of pregnancy that she couldn't help but kiss his cheek. She choked back a sob and said, "The princess likes you so much, I thought you were so cute. How come you look like a red monkey..."
Zhu Qiyu didn't understand what his mother said, but he started screaming when he heard the sound of her talking.
Seeing this, Zhu Zhanji and Hu Shanxiang, who had just entered, both laughed. Even Zhu Youtong covered his mouth and smirked, explaining proudly, "Empress Wu, you might not know, but all newborn babies are like this. They slowly grow up to look like big white steamed buns."
Wu Miaosu blushed and said, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed your Majesty and your Majesty..."
Seeing that she already looked like a loving mother, Zhu Zhanji felt even more pity for her, so he said, "The Queen doesn't need to ask the Queen Mother anymore. Concubine Xian and her son have a good relationship. From now on, Yu'er will be raised by your side." When he saw Wu Miaosu was about to stand up to express her gratitude, he took Hu Shanxiang's hand and said, "You just gave birth, so don't get up. This is all the Queen's request for you two."
Wu Miaosu and Hu Shanxiang exchanged a glance. Seeing Hu Shanxiang looking at her tenderly, she felt even more embarrassed and said softly, "Thank you, Queen."
Hu Shanxiang was also happy for Wu Miaosu, so she did not struggle against Zhu Zhanji's hand, but just smiled and nodded at her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
