mesbooks Chapter 132 Concubine Hui
Chapter 132 Concubine Hui
Shen Meizhuang slept until midnight before slowly waking up. Caiyue, who was by her side, quickly called out, "The Queen is awake!"
"The child, where is the child?" Shen Meizhuang screamed in surprise, touching her flat belly.
"Your Majesty, the child is fine, it's a prince. The wet nurse has taken the child away to feed him!" Madam Shen sat beside Shen Meizhuang and comforted her gently.
Seeing her mother, Shen Meizhuang's heart finally settled down. She threw herself into her mother's arms like a young swallow, "Mom, I miss you so much!"
After saying this, her eyes turned red and she was about to cry out loud.
Madam Shen smiled and comforted her, "Your Majesty, please do not cry while you are in confinement. Although you suffered a lot when giving birth to the Sixth Prince, both mother and child are safe now. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager love the Sixth Prince very much. Your good days are still ahead, and your father can finally rest in peace!"
At this time, Cai Yue summoned all the servants in the palace to kneel before Shen Meizhuang's bed, "Your servants (slave servants) congratulate the queen on the birth of her son and on her promotion to the throne."
Shen Meizhuang finally felt that things were somewhat real. She had really given birth to a prince safely. "Get up! You have taken good care of me since I became pregnant. Everyone will get a reward!"
"Thank you, my lady!" The palace maids and eunuchs expressed their gratitude in unison.
A moment later, the wet nurse carefully entered, carrying Liudan. Shen Meizhuang quickly took the child from the nurse's arms and gazed down at the infant in her arms, her eyes filled with love and tenderness. Her fingers gently stroked the baby's hair, a faint smile playing on her lips as she slowly savored the happiness and joy of being a new mother.
"By the way, where is Rong'er?" Shen Meizhuang suddenly raised her head and asked in confusion.
The scene of childbirth was still vivid in her mind. If An Lingrong hadn't handled everything so well, she would have died along with the child! She also wanted to know what happened in Yikun Palace after they left. Given Concubine Hua's personality, she certainly wouldn't let her off easily.
Madam Shen's face flashed with an unnatural look. She cleared her throat and said, "Master Wen has been guarding you for so long and is very tired. She is going back to rest now!"
Shen Meizhuang was a little surprised. According to An Lingrong's personality, she would definitely wait for her to wake up before going to rest!
Thinking of the beatings she received from Zhou Ninghai in Yikun Palace today, she felt a little worried. She called Caiyue into the palace and asked, "How is Rong'er's injury?"
Caiyue lowered her head and replied, "Little Master Wen's injuries are not serious. Sister Suye has returned to Yanxi Palace to serve her, and Caixing is also taking care of her!"
Hearing that Su Ye had returned to the Yanxi Palace, Shen Meizhuang felt a little relieved and ordered, "Go to the Yanxi Palace and tell Rong'er that I'm awake!"
"Yes, slave, go immediately!"
Caiyue quickly left the yard, and when she saw that there was no one around, she dared to wipe away her tears.
After a while, the emperor's sedan chair arrived at Yonghe Palace.
"Thank you for your hard work, madam. Please stand up!" Seeing Madam Shen bowing, Yongzheng politely asked her not to bow.
Entering the bedroom, Shen Meizhuang wanted to get up, but was pressed down on the bed. Yongzheng's eyes and eyebrows were full of smiles, "Mei'er, I am very happy. The Sixth Prince is well-behaved and cute, and the Queen Mother likes him very much too. I want to thank you, thank you for giving birth to a prince for me!"
Shen Meizhuang also answered gracefully and appropriately, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. It is my duty to bear your heir. It is a blessing for the Sixth Prince that the Emperor and the Empress Dowager love him. I dare not take credit for it."
"I have issued an edict to confer you the title of Concubine Hui. After you are out of confinement, I will order the Ministry of Internal Affairs to renovate the Yonghe Palace." It has to be said that Yongzheng was very generous to the people he liked.
Shen Meizhuang quickly refused, "Your Majesty, I have little experience and have served you only for a short time. There are many sisters in the palace who are more experienced than me. I dare not take the position of concubine. I dare not waste the national treasury for myself."
Yongzheng nodded in satisfaction. "You have your merits. If others were as dignified and prudent as you and gave birth to a son for me, I would also lavishly reward them. Moreover, in our dynasty, mothers are honored by their sons, and sons are honored by their mothers. The promotion to consort is not only for you, but also for our Sixth Prince. I forbid you to refuse."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Shen Meizhuang no longer refused. She had been pretending to refuse in the first place. The higher her position, the more others would be wary of her, and the easier her life would be in this palace.
After some pleasantries, Yongzheng told her about how he would deal with Concubine Hua.
Shen Meizhuang clutched the corner of the quilt tightly, suppressing the anger in her heart. She recalled what An Lingrong had said before, 'As long as she doesn't kill the king, the emperor won't do anything to her.' It seemed exaggerated at the time, but now it seemed to be right on the mark.
After a while, she finally found her voice and said, "Your Majesty, Zhou Ninghai, a servant, actually dared to attack me. This caused me to be angry and give birth prematurely, which almost resulted in two deaths. I beg Your Majesty to punish him severely!"
Since we can't do anything to Concubine Hua, we might as well deal with her capable assistant first!
Yongzheng thought for a moment and said, "Su Peisheng, pass on my decree. Zhou Ninghai has committed insubordination and is to be sent to the Ministry of Punishment to serve hard labor."
"Yes!"
"Your Majesty, I was in great danger while giving birth today. Someone is trying to harm me and the Sixth Prince. Please investigate thoroughly. If you leave this cancer in the palace, I and the Sixth Prince will be in constant fear!"
Yongzheng took Shen Meizhuang's hand, pulled her into his arms, and said emotionally: "Don't worry, I will definitely find out what happened to you today, and I will never let you suffer any injustice in the future!"
Shen Meizhuang forced a smile and nodded, "I believe that the emperor will protect me and my child!"
After that, he asked about An Lingrong's false imperial edict, just like Zhen Huan did. Yongzheng's explanation to her was the same as what he had given to Zhen Huan.
Shen Meizhuang was also relieved. "Your Majesty, it's late at night. I can't serve you. You should go back and rest early. You have been busy all day. Your health is the most important thing!"
Yongzheng looked at the Sixth Prince again before returning to the Yangxin Palace with great joy.
After the emperor left, Shen Meizhuang called out repeatedly, "Caiyue, Caiyue, quickly get me some water!"
Caiyue quickly fetched a basin of warm water and brought it over.
Shen Meizhuang soaked the hand that the emperor had held in her hand into the water and said, "I remember the Imperial Household Department sent some Western soap that can be used to wash your hands. Go get it!"
Only after carefully washing every inch of skin on her hands with soap did Shen Meizhuang feel a little more comfortable.
Mrs. Shen stared at her daughter's actions in amazement. What had she discovered? A mother knows a daughter best. Why was there such disgust in her daughter's eyes? She whispered, "Mei'er?"
Shen Meizhuang then realized that her actions were a little inappropriate and explained with a smile, "Mother, it's okay, my hands are just sweating! By the way, Mother, are those two wet nurses reliable?"
Madam Shen patted her daughter's hand and whispered, "Don't worry, your father has checked all of their relatives and found nothing suspicious. Furthermore, we've invited their parents, husbands, and children to the Shen residence. As long as they take good care of the Sixth Prince, your father and I will ensure that their entire family has no worries about food and clothing!"
Hearing this, Shen Meizhuang finally breathed a sigh of relief, revealing the demeanor of a little girl, and leaned lazily against her mother. "Thanks to Rong'er for thinking of an idea in advance, otherwise I really wouldn't be able to sleep day and night! By the way, Caiyue, have you visited Rong'er? How is she?"
Caiyue was helpless. Su Peisheng had just conveyed the emperor's oral order, and now she was racking her brains to make up a lie!
"My Lady, Miss Wen has already fallen asleep. I told Sister Su Ye about it, and she said she would tell her when she wakes up!"
Seeing Caiyue's ambiguity, Madam Shen was afraid that Shen Meizhuang would ask again, so she deliberately patted her lightly, "Okay, we've been busy for so long today, and if you don't get some sleep, she'll be tired. Tomorrow I'll go to the Yanxi Palace to visit her and express my gratitude, okay?"
Shen Meizhuang no longer had any doubts and said in a sweet voice, "Okay, thank you, mother!"