AWB Chapter 73 Shuhen (Page 12)
Chapter 73 Shuhen (Page 12)
Yi Huan's arrival surprised the trio and everyone in Changchun Palace.
It should be noted that although Yi Huan was related to the Empress by marriage, she was proud and arrogant and never gave the Empress any special treatment because of her status as the head of the harem or her kinship. She rarely came to Changchun Palace except to pay her respects, and she did not even come to congratulate the Empress when she was pregnant or when the Sixth Prince was born.
Now, however, she came to pay her respects with her protruding belly, supported by He Xi.
Seeing that she was about to curtsy, Rongyin quickly said no need for formalities and told her to sit down. She then instructed Mingyu to fetch cushions and a footstool before saying, "Consort Shu is pregnant and has difficulty getting around. I should have been the one to visit her at Chuxiu Palace, but I was slightly unwell before and was afraid of passing on my illness to Consort Shu. Now that I'm much better, I was just thinking of when to go. Why is Consort Shu here instead?"
Perhaps due to pregnancy discomfort, Yi Huan seemed listless. Although she had applied makeup, a few butterfly-shaped patches could still be seen on her face. Her feet, resting on the footstool, were also noticeably swollen. The embroidered soft shoes were already larger than her usual size, yet they were still stretched taut.
She looked ashamed and said in a low voice, "In the past, I disliked Your Majesty the Empress, thinking that Your Majesty had no true feelings for the Emperor and was only trying to please him for the sake of the Fucha family's prosperity. But Your Majesty took care of the Emperor when he was ill, enduring hardships. After the Emperor recovered, she herself fell ill and was unable to receive the Emperor's favor. It is clear that Your Majesty the Empress was not scheming for favor or wealth, but had a sincere heart for the Emperor. I was truly ashamed for misunderstanding Your Majesty before."
Rongyin, Yingluo, Mingyu: Is it possible that you are also misunderstanding something now?
However, it was not appropriate to point this out directly, so Rongyin could only say polite words: "Consort Shu, you are too kind. As the Empress, it is only my duty to take care of His Majesty's health. There are many pregnant women and children in the palace now, and scabies is particularly prevalent. If word gets out, it will be disastrous. Therefore, I can only attend to His Majesty alone."
Yi Huan was about to say something when she suddenly started gagging.
Yingluo had already prepared a cup of grapefruit peel tea to stop nausea, and it was served at this moment.
He Xi advised, "Your Highness is suffering from severe morning sickness, you should take good care of yourself." As she spoke, she knelt down and massaged Yi Huan's legs.
Rongyin asked Yingluo to bring over a copper-handled five-bead ball. These five beads were carved from smoky quartz. Smoky quartz is not expensive, but it has a calming effect. It can be described as good quality and inexpensive. The five semi-transparent beads are all large and have raised edges.
Rongyin said, "Use this to roll and massage from the ankle upwards to reduce some of the swelling." She then had Hexi sit on a low stool and began to massage Yihuan.
Yi Huan's face showed a mixture of shyness and sadness as she turned her head away and said, "I really dare not let Your Majesty see me in this state."
The emperor has indeed not seen her these past few days.
She felt both relieved and a little empty inside.
Rongyin said gently, "It's common to experience edema and spots during pregnancy. This is your first pregnancy, so it will be more difficult for you. As the mother of three, I know that pregnancy often affects a woman's appearance and figure. You are naturally beautiful, and it's understandable that you're worried about how your appearance has changed during pregnancy. I'm feeling much better now, and if I have time, I'll visit you and keep you company."
Yi Huan felt comforted. Since she became pregnant, although the Imperial Household Department had sent some experienced and skilled nannies, such as the Jingqi Nanny, the Shuishang Nanny, and the Denghu Nanny, the nannies were old and did not care much about their appearance. In fact, they were just servants. Yi Huan would not tell them about her hidden pain.
Although there were other concubines in the palace, such as Consort Chun, Consort Mei, and Consort Yi, who had given birth, Yi Huan was aloof and did not usually interact with others, let alone know who to confide in. Ruyi did not take the initiative to seek her out before, but often sent Hailan to deliver soup and various snacks, which were taken from the regular dishes of the Imperial Kitchen, saying that she wanted to nourish the fetus in her womb.
The nannies advised, "While Consort Shu should eat more to care for the fetus during her pregnancy, her morning sickness is severe, so it's not advisable to force herself. Besides, if she eats too much, the fetus will become too large, making childbirth difficult."
Later, when Ruyi learned that she had severe edema and pregnancy spots during her pregnancy, she came to visit and only advised, "If you have spots during pregnancy, just apply some powder and you won't be able to tell unless you look closely. Fortunately, the baby is safe and sound. After giving birth, take good care of yourself and it will gradually get better."
Hailan chimed in, "Consort Shu's beauty has always been among the best of all the concubines, so naturally she cherishes her dearly, which makes her especially distressed. As long as the child is safe, what does it matter if the mother suffers a little? Flowers don't bloom for a hundred days, and youth and beauty are ultimately fleeting. Having a child is what truly matters; nothing else really matters." (The dialogue is a mix of lines from the original drama and the novel.)
Thinking of what Ruyi and Hailan had said, Yihuan gently stroked her belly and said, "In the end, the child is safe. This is my child with the Emperor. The love between men and women is ultimately just physical intimacy. No matter how much the Emperor's favor is, it is just flowing water and returning to emptiness. Only the child is formed from the fusion of my blood and flesh with his."
The three of them shivered simultaneously.
I thought Yi Huan had become more like a human from being a non-human being, but now it seems she's not much better than before!
Yingluo couldn't help but say in the team chat, "Does Consort Shu want to give birth to a person, or does she want to give birth to a vessel containing her and the Emperor's blood and flesh!"
He Xi sat on a low stool massaging Consort Shu. She noticed that the tips of the Empress's flowerpot-shaped shoes were slightly raised, and she heard the Empress cough almost imperceptibly before picking up her teacup to drink tea.
Rongyin gave some more instructions about the pregnancy, and Hexi said, "Your Highness is not feeling well during your pregnancy, so you should go back and rest as soon as possible."
Next, Rongyin took Yingluo to Chengqian Palace to visit Yanwan.
Yanwan had no shortage of food, clothing, or other necessities during her postpartum period, but she also experienced many troubles.
On the one hand, she couldn't help but feel regretful that this child wasn't a prince, and even secretly rejoiced that her mother hadn't come to the Forbidden City to accompany her during childbirth, otherwise she didn't know how her mother would have complained about her not being able to give birth to a boy; on the other hand, looking at this little baby girl, she felt that she was just like herself when she was a child, and wished she could give all the favors and privileges she hadn't received in her childhood to this little person.
But the dream she had after giving birth made her wonder about the child's future.
With several thoughts swirling in her mind, her emotions fluctuated, causing her to lose her appetite and become thinner.
Fortunately, these doubts were quickly dispelled by the Empress's bestowal of a name.
Jinzhong came to deliver the imperial decree bestowing a name upon her and conferring upon her the title of Imperial Concubine, and vividly explained the meaning of the name.
She was both surprised and apprehensive: "The phoenix carries the pearl and presents it to the emperor." The word "Yue" not only compares the emperor to the wise ruler Shao Hao and her daughter to the divine pearl that fell from the sky, but also openly compares herself to the phoenix that flew in carrying the divine pearl!
The Empress, residing in the Phoenix position, carelessly bestowed the title of Phoenix upon herself. Jingyue was even granted the title of Princess Gulun instead of Princess Heshuo, and she herself was promoted to Imperial Concubine. The Emperor's gifts were so plentiful that they practically included pearls. In addition to a whole bunch of pearls, there were various jewelry pieces inlaid with pearls and twenty bolts of brocade with mixed pearls. Tiny seed pearls were strung along the weave of the brocade, shimmering with luster.
Such special favor was far beyond her expectations. She immediately gave instructions that in the future, the princess's name should not be flaunted casually, and at most, it should be mentioned that the princess was named by the Empress, and everyone in Chengqian Palace felt extremely honored.
When the Empress arrived, she was filled with gratitude and immediately asked Chun Chan to fetch a pair of soft-soled shoes in apricot satin embroidered with phoenixes and peonies, which she had made herself earlier. She embroidered phoenix tail feathers with deer tail thread and purple ivory embroidered on the eyes, and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I know that you do not like gold and jade jewelry, and I have nothing to give you, so I made a pair of shoes by hand to present to you."
Rongyin accepted the gift, expressed her gratitude for her thoughtfulness, and then picked up Jingyue and comforted her for a while.
Finally, Rongyin said she had prepared some gifts for Princess Hejing and asked Yingluo and Mingyu to go to Chunchan's storeroom.
Only the two of them remained in the hall when Rongyin said, "Yanwan, whether in the palace or among the common people, daughters are always subject to more constraints and neglect. But the world is already like this. If we, as mothers, also look down on our children because of this, then there will be one more daughter in the world who suffers even more injustice."
Yan Wan was taken aback, took a breath, and said with tears in her eyes, "Your Majesty, I understand."
The following afternoon, Rongyin went to Zhongcui Palace to inquire again.
When Rongyin arrived, Yongzhang had just finished school and was playing with Yongrong in the company of his nanny. Upon seeing Rongyin, he quickly pulled Yongrong to bow and said, "Your son and seventh brother greet Your Majesty."
Rongyin smiled and asked about the brothers' recent situation, then said, "Your Majesty, go and see your mother."
This was Su Luyun's third pregnancy, and perhaps because she was already used to it, she didn't find it particularly difficult.
She chuckled softly, "This time, my pregnancy feels different from when I was pregnant with Yongzhang and Yongrong. Perhaps this time it will be a princess."
After chatting for a while, Rongyin left.
In early summer, Zhulonga and Zhuleganga had already gotten married one after the other, but Aruo was still worried and asked for permission to summon them to the palace again.
As she had Chun Tao bring over two hundred taels of silver, giving each of them one hundred taels, she said, "Let me make this clear from the start: this is for you to buy clothes and jewelry for the new bride. If you dare to spend or embezzle it without permission, watch your hands!"
Zhulonga hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, isn't this too much? You also have places in the palace where you need money. This servant really dares not accept it." Zhuleganga echoed.
A'Ruo glared and said, "You two shallow-minded little devils are only good at nitpicking! When has His Majesty ever been stingy with my rewards? It's not like he's short of a little silver!"
The two had no choice but to accept it.
This matter also reached the emperor's ears.
He summoned Rongyin to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to discuss the matter of going to the Yuanmingyuan for summer retreat. This year, the two pregnant women were quite far along in their pregnancy and it was not advisable for them to move, so they stayed in the Forbidden City. Rongyin then requested to stay in the Forbidden City to take care of them as well, and that Consort Ling, Consort Wan, and Consort Yi accompany the emperor along with other concubines of lower rank.
"Furthermore, let's not cause any more trouble with Consort Xian. The Emperor and Consort Xian have a past relationship, so why don't we take her along?"
The emperor rubbed his temples, thinking that the imperial heir was of utmost importance. He figured that once they arrived at the Yuanmingyuan, he could just put Ruyi anywhere and she wouldn't come near him, so he agreed.
He continued, "Then the Empress will have to put in more effort to take care of Consort Chun and Consort Shu. Consort Chun has given birth before, and Yongzhang is now sensible and filial, and will also help take care of Yongrong, so I am somewhat at ease. As for Consort Shu... sigh, I heard from the nanny who takes care of her that Consort Shu is always in a bad mood during her pregnancy, and has shed a whole vat of tears. Although it is said that women tend to overthink during pregnancy, she is far too delicate. Not to mention Consort Ling, who is also pregnant for the first time, and Consort Mei, who was also pregnant with Jingtai and was poisoned, she was not like this."
Yingluo thought to herself, "You didn't give birth to this child, you didn't suffer this pain, yet you've said all these sarcastic things! I feel so sorry for this inhuman creature!"
Rongyin also felt that she had gone too far and advised, "Your Majesty, pregnancy is always hard for women. It's just that everyone's constitution is different, which is why the symptoms vary. Consort Shu is delicate, which is due to bearing Your Majesty's children. I beg Your Majesty to show her more compassion."
The Emperor sighed and said, "I was a bit impatient when I was ill, which frightened Consort Shu. Fortunately, she and the imperial heir are alright. I would like to visit her now, but it would be awkward for both of us, so it's better not to see her. The Empress should take care of things."
After discussing the matters concerning the Yuanmingyuan and Yihuan, he told Rongyin about A'ruo.
Although he felt that A'Ruo was generous to her younger brother, he still sighed, "While Consort Shen is indeed considerate of her siblings, Gui Duo's two sons, one has already taken up a post as a clerk in the government office, and the other is said to have passed the imperial examinations smoothly and may be able to enter the Hanlin Academy in the future. Both brothers are married and can be considered adults and independent. However, when they came to the palace, Consort Shen still treated them like quails, not daring to utter a sound."
Rongyin said, "Sister Shenfei is more than ten years older than her two brothers. With such an age difference between siblings, the older sister is practically like half a mother. Besides, both of Sister Shenfei's parents are in poor health, so as the eldest sister, she inevitably has to teach and guide them more."