AWB Chapter 474 Consort Meng's Childbirth
Chapter 474 Consort Meng's Childbirth
Xie Jingchun knew what he was doing without even getting close.
He's gotten used to it over time.
My father would write a letter every night.
Xie Jingchun leaned against the desk, looking at the stacks of letters beside him.
"Should we still collect ten days' worth of letters and send them all back together, as usual?"
Xie Yanli nodded, "Fast horses should not travel frequently, and the situation at the front is tense; we cannot delay the transfer order."
After he finished speaking, he put down his pen, sealed today's letter, and placed it together with the ones from the previous days.
Xie Jingchun looked at the letters, a complex emotion in his eyes.
After a moment, he whispered, "Mother will be very happy when she receives it."
As he spoke, he lowered his eyes.
He also missed his mother and his brothers very much...
No one knows when the war will end, or when they can go back...
The Marquis's Residence in the Great Jin Dynasty.
"Mother, when will my elder brother and father be able to come back?"
Xie Jue slammed the chess piece back into the box, propped her cheek on her hand, and spoke in a soft, muffled voice.
Upon hearing this, Xie Jing put down his chess piece and looked over.
Qin Jiuwei sat by the window embroidering a handkerchief, then shook her head. "I don't know either."
Upon hearing this, Xie Jue immediately burrowed into Qin Jiuwei's arms, burying his head in her chest, and mumbled in a muffled voice, "Then they're not not coming back, are they...?"
"Silly child, how could that be?" Qin Jiuwei gently stroked his head. "Your father and brother went to protect our country. They promised us they would come back safely. You have to believe them."
Xie Jue nestled in her arms and nodded, his eyes dimming slightly. "Then can you read the letter from home to me again? I want to hear it."
Qin Jiu chuckled softly, "Alright."
She took out a letter that Xie Yanli had sent back not long ago from the brocade box.
Just then, footsteps came from outside the door.
Xiaohe quickly lifted the curtain and entered, slightly out of breath, saying, "Young Madam, news has come from the palace that Consort Meng is about to give birth."
Qin Jiuwei was taken aback upon hearing this. So fast?
She recalled the date, and her furrowed brow gradually relaxed.
If I do the math, it really is around this time.
The Imperial Palace, Shou'an Palace.
The palace was brightly lit with candles, and palace servants were running around.
Outside the hall, a group of eunuchs and maids knelt on the ground, awaiting orders. The air was thick with the smell of medicine and blood.
"Born! Born!"
The midwife rushed out, her face beaming with joy, her voice trembling with excitement, "It's a prince!"
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager stood up abruptly, disregarding her status and demeanor, and quickly entered the room.
Inside the hall, Meng Wanqing was pale, covered with a thick brocade quilt, and her hair was wet with sweat and stuck to her forehead.
The baby in the swaddling clothes had just cried and was now quietly closing its eyes, breathing softly.
When the Empress Dowager saw the soft little figure, a look of joy flashed in her eyes.
She took a few steps forward, immediately picked up the child, and held him tightly in her arms.
"Good, good, good! It's a prince!"
She beamed from ear to ear, nodding repeatedly, "The empire finally has an heir! What a blessing for our Great Jin!"
The Empress Dowager hugged the child even tighter, her face full of affection, and hurriedly instructed the wet nurse and nanny behind her to prepare things for the child.
Meng Wanqing leaned against the couch, her eyes glancing at the empty spot next to the Empress Dowager.
The smile on her face gradually faded.
In the imperial study room.
Yuanxi stood outside the door, hesitant to move.
His brows furrowed slightly, and hesitation appeared in his eyes.
Should we tell the Emperor about this?
The Emperor had always been indifferent to Consort Meng and showed no concern for the child.
But giving birth to a prince is a major event.
If the emperor was unaware of this, then this would be his fault.
After much deliberation, Yuanxi gritted his teeth and went inside.
"emperor."
Gao Xian didn't look up, but asked coldly, "What is it?"
Yuanxi lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Meng has given birth to a prince, and the imperial physician has confirmed that the fetal breathing is normal."
After a moment, Gao Xiancai said calmly, "I understand."
He didn't even lift his head, still looking at the military newspaper.
Yuanxi stood there for two breaths, and seeing that the emperor had no further reaction, he bowed softly and withdrew.
The next morning, the sky was slightly bright.
A carriage was heading towards Jingyuan Academy in front of the Xie residence.
Inside the carriage, Xie Jing and Xie Jue sat side by side.
Xie Jing sat upright like a pine tree, flipping through the "Zuo Zhuan" he hadn't finished reading the night before.
Xie Jue, meanwhile, leaned against the car window, gazing longingly at the street scene outside, occasionally turning her head to speak.
The carriage stopped; we had arrived at the academy.
The two jumped off the carriage one after the other and parted ways in front of the academy.
Xie Jue waved to Xie Jing, "Bye-bye, Second Brother! Don't miss me too much after we don't see each other for a day~"
Xie Jing's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.
Without replying, he simply walked towards Master Gu's study.
Xie Jing, carrying his book bag, had just put down his books when he heard a familiar, deep voice coming from outside the door, "No class today."
He was taken aback, looked up, and saw Master Gu standing at the door. "Come with me into the palace later."
Xie Jing's expression shifted slightly, and he replied, "Yes."
The Imperial Palace, Shou'an Palace.
Xie Jing followed behind Master Gu, walking slowly.
Although he entered the palace infrequently, he showed no sign of panic or loss of composure, maintaining a steady gait and performing proper courtesies.
The palace servants led them around the long corridor to a side hall.
Inside the side hall, the Empress Dowager sat on a couch, with a cradle carved with gold and inlaid with jade beside her.
The baby's cries came from the basket, loud and incessant.
The wet nurses and palace maids inside the palace took turns trying to soothe the child, but they couldn't stop the crying.
The Empress Dowager frowned and gently rocked the cradle to soothe him, but no matter how she rocked it, it was no use. In the end, she had no choice but to raise her hand and signal the wet nurse to come and pick him up.
Turning his head, he saw Master Gu and Xie Jing walking in from outside the hall.
Master Gu bowed respectfully and said, "Greetings, Empress Dowager."
Xie Jing immediately knelt and kowtowed, performing all the proper courtesies, saying, "Xie Jing pays his respects to the Empress Dowager."
The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "Don't worry about these formalities, come in quickly."
Master Gu and Xie Jing took a few steps forward and stopped when they reached the center of the hall.
The child was still crying, and the crying was very loud.
The Empress Dowager sighed and said helplessly, "This child has been crying since birth, and I can't soothe him no matter what I do."
She turned to Master Gu and said, "I invited you to the palace today because I would like to trouble you to name the little prince. His father, the Emperor, has not yet had time to visit him. I will decide on the name for now and choose a good one. Maybe then he will stop crying."
"You are the most learned, so the name you choose must be excellent."
As she spoke, the Empress Dowager noticed Xie Jing standing next to Master Gu.
The young boy had a youthful face, but he had already grown tall and slender. He wore a moon-white round-necked scholar's robe, and his expression was dignified and calm. His features were extremely handsome.
Especially his eyes, dark and clear, with a calm and restrained look when he looked at people.
He stood quietly beside Master Gu, his demeanor unassuming yet naturally exuding a composure and nobility ingrained from his scholarly background.
His every move was quite different from that of ordinary teenagers.